Helotes scoffed at her attempt to make him feel better about his free time. In fact, he hated it. He felt his worth was only in the use of his strength, and if he had not continued to train as deligently as he had then he was sure he would be lazy and fat without a cause. But Vesper had giving him and opportunity for using his skills so he could not complain. When she lifted her arms in front of her uselessly he couldn’t help but laugh. She was so awkward in the Optime form, and this would just not do.

Coming up to her front then, Helotes grabbed her limp arms. He could feel her stringy muscles underneath. Where he was and unstoppable force with the addition of agility, she was built for pure agility, and would probably be like a whip on the field of battling, felling one enemy after another like a sharp wind. He steadied his footing, hoping she would do the same, and lifted her arms into a more useful defensive position.

Come now Optio, don’t stand there like a limp noodle, stand like and unmovable stone, one that withholds its grace, He let go of her arms then and took a step back, looking at her, and shook his head, See how you make me talk in limericks? And still you stand there like a limp noodle.

The male laughed at her awkward movements, and Vesper began to scowl at him and ask if he wanted to say something to her face -- but then his large hands wrapped around her skinny arms. Her first instinct was to jerk away, but the woman had forced herself to trust him. A night of drinking and firelight had changed that fearful dynamic between them, and she only narrowed her blue eyes with focus and shifted into more balanced posture as he had done.

Helotes instructed her as he shifted her arms then stepped backwards. She tilted her ears back with uncertainty; he sounded more like X’yrin than an Inferni warrior, speaking almost poetically and forcing the concept into her mind. This wasn’t the quick-paced and quick-thinking fight -- this was the preparation that would turn out to be just as important.

The coywolf almost griped at him, but this was a topic she believed wholeheartedly in, and she stood with as good posture as she could manage. She was still more like a willowy sapling than an oak, on her toes and ready to spring, but with her legs bracing her body and her arms up to defend herself, she looked slightly less like a gangly, clumsy teenager than before.

Helotes watched as she shifted her balance before him, and though still awkward it was better than before. Alright, I’m going to come at you then, and I want you to dodge as best you can alright?

Ves grinned faintly at his challenge, already shifting her balance slightly more. Agility was her game; dancing out and leaving space to circle and size up her opponents. Bring it, horse boy, she teased lightly.

Helotes shook his head at her tease, but smiled nonetheless. He then bent his knees, eyes sharp as he looked at her stance, and then he burst forward, shoulder first in an attempt to blow past her or knock her down.

Her friend’s dark, muscular body surged forward then, but with his warning and her preparation, it was a simple task to spring to the side to let him blow by like a freight train. Her training with Ezekiel and X’yrin had paid off in this regard; she was used to dodging the quick lunges and swipes of the coyote Aquila as well as the intricate kicks and blows of the wolf Exultare.

His fur lightly brushed her tail’s as he moved, and Vesper swung around, her paws already lifted though claws remained sheathed as she stared at him. Given time to move, she could jump out of the way of anything – it was the lock of battle, the heavy-muscled wrestling and tight exchange of blows, that gave her the most trouble.

As she turned, Helotes was already half way through the low swing of his leg, meant to knock her off her footing and send her to the ground. She was swift, as he had thought she would be, so this might also be an easy enough dodge for her, if it didn’t catch her off guard as he had intended it to. He wasn’t going to let her get off that easy just barrelling past her like that. Still, he could already see that she had improved in this form over the last couple months, and she was far past the helpless little thing he had once viewed her to be.

It was always the leg, always the catch intended to snare inexperienced or cocky fighters. Unfortunately, Vesper was the latter. Despite remaining serious about their sparring, she was looking for the real challenge in all the wrong places, and certainly not at her ankle. His foot swept hers, and she yelped, careening toward the ground. Only quickly thrown-out arms caught her fall and allowed her to scramble to the side, narrowing her eyes to acknowledge her mistake – one that she wouldn’t make again. You have my attention now.

Helotes straightened his posture before helping his friend back up to her feet, Oh? I didn’t have it before? That was stupid on your part then. You always have to give full attention to the situation at. In the future, it might not be one enemy, but many enemies coming at you at once. You are wiry, swift, you could easily dodge them all, if you are attentive enough. He grinned at her, showing that he was not intending to be mean but that she should head his words. He liked Vesper, he respected her, he felt indebted to her, and he did not want to see her easily killed.

Stepping back from her again he resumed his fighting stance, Alright, now you come at me, come on, hit me right in the face. He patted his cheek mockingly, that snarky grin still plastered on his maw.

The male extended an arm to help her up, and Vesper flattened her ears slightly at his chastisement, though it was obvious his words did not go unheeded. She doubted she would be as careless in an actual battle – but wasn’t that what Ezekiel had warned her about, too? They would kill her if they had the chance; she mustn’t forget that. Though she snorted, playing the part of the rebellious pupil for a moment, she dipped her muzzle in assent.

Helotes backed away, and she regarded him with a smirk. Oh, how many times I’ve wanted to do just that, she teased, but the taunt was buying her time to think. One mentor would have her rush at him and trust her movements, but her analytical ways were hard to forget.

Rushing at him, she hurled a jab up at his lower jaw – but the other fist went at his belly. If she were lucky, he might block one but miss the other. She wasn’t simply going to attack the toothiest part of his body without a backup plan.

She rushed at him, and, what a clever girl, attacked on two fronts. While he had been expecting the attack on his face, and it was easily avoided with a quick jerk of the neck, the blow aimed at his belly took him off-guard. Luckily, he was paying full attention, and caught her about the wrist a split second before contact. Still, this sly attempt caused his ears to pull back and a fang to show itself.

He looked up at her quickly, realizing he was holding onto the wrist a little too hard and let it go, Nice job, had it been someone less trained then me you would have hit. Impressive. How long have you been fighting your shadow anyway? He gave her a smile.

Of course the Hydra of Inferni was not going to fall for a fool’s tricks. Rather than being frustrated by her failed attack, Vesper grinned up at him even as his dark fingers encircled her wrist. In all honesty, she was doing this to prove herself to him just as much as to herself and the rest of the clan. She still carried the scars – both mentally and physically – of her defeat at his fangs and wanted to let him know she deserved the so-called spunk she carried. For a long time, she’d respected him out of fear, and to spar with him now was nearly surreal if she thought about it too hard.

Rubbing her thin wrist once it was freed, she shrugged lightly at his question. Since it appeared, she guessed. Not as good as a real opponent, obviously, but anything’s better than nothing in this awkward-ass shape. Her smirk became lopsided.

He stood and looked at her for a moment, a hand on his hip, before speaking, If you ever want to get good at fighting, you need to release the prejudice you have against the two legged form. Once you were on four legs, forced to use only your teeth as weapons. Now look, you have many weapons at your disposal; not only your teeth but your hands, your feet, your legs and arms, and of course your claws. He held up his hands to show off his accoutrements.

Now, I’m not so worried about your agility, but it’s your strength we have to work on. I’m much larger and heavier then you, but there are ways you can still be able to topple someone like me. Let me show you... He came at her slowly, showing he wouldn’t hurt her, and grabbed her about the neck from behind, What you can do when a larger opponent comes up behind you like this, you can flip him over easily. Just grab my arm where I hold you, and crouch low. This brings down your center of gravity, and you can use your enemies bulk against him, sending him flying before you. Try it. He hoped his explanation was adequate, it was a difficult move to teach without a third member present.

Umber eyes stared down at her, and she frowned faintly as he spoke. She had always seen the optime form as the worst case scenario as for being caught in a fight, not something that she would want others to engage her in – certainly not something that she would consider a true advantage. Her pale blue gaze flickered down to her pale claws, unsheathed for the moment, and her stomach twisted lightly as she remembered they were the first part of her body to show that she had been transformed. It had taken her long enough to get used to the fact that she was changed but…

Vesper shook her head – at herself, not at her larger friend. Getting over this would take more than physical conditioning.

Large ears stood at attention as he addressed her size, and she held still as he came forward and wrapped his arm around her neck. His voice steady by her ear, guiding her through what to do, the tawny female reached up and dug her fingers tightly into his arm (claws put away for now), dropping her weight down as instructed. Jerking him by the arm, tucking her head and using her hips, she tried to flip him with as much strength as she could muster.

Helotes buckled at the force and the girl did indeed manage to flip him though it was only a partial flip and Helotes rolled off her back like water from a duck. He did though land in front of her with a undignified thud but instead of grimacing he grinned up at her, Good! Now if you can perfect that you can topple anyone! He was impressed with how quickly and how willingly she learned, he wondered if this is what Halo had felt like when training him; he wondered if he would ever find out.

The male more rolled off her back rather than being thrown, but she was pleased at being able to flip someone much larger than her. It was the disadvantage of her body; she was agile and quick, but bulky opponents were difficult if they managed to get in close. Yeah, she agreed, enthusiasm lighting her blue eyes and making her seem younger than her scars made her. Have any other cool tricks? She reached out with an arm to help him back to his feet.

Helotes gladly took her help in righting himself and he dusted off his coat before answering her, Yeah, but you’d have to learn to ride a horse. He grinned in a snarky fashion, You really should learn to get over your dislike of them. I know it’s unnatural, but it’s an advantage on the field of battle to be atop something that weighs several hundred pounds. His eyes flitted off to the nearby Yegua, still grazing and flicking her tail at imaginary flies, Besides I need to find a rider for Yegua’s filly eventually. His voice drifted off, and this was the only indication of what he had planned. Swiftly, he swung an arm out to catch Vesper about the throat.

Horses. Goddamn horses.

Vesper frowned openly at his suggestion. Ever since she’d met that perky (in the bad sense) girl with her stupid pony, she’d resented the beasts. In fact, most luperci tasks seemed like they would be far beyond her: reading, writing, crafting, weaponry. Her advantage lay within her instincts; weapons were a crutch to her -- albeit a very painful crutch. She considered his words with a scowl, her eyes darting away for a moment. Perhaps, if she were to assist in raising a young horse, she might feel safer on one --

A muscular grey arm shot out at her, and her body react in a heartbeat of fear. Her claws came up to clamp around his arm once more, and her body jerked as it had done -- though she was more violent this time, and from this slightly different angle, she did her best to bite what flesh was closest to her.

Dios mio! He cried out as sharp Vesper canines flashed to tear at his flesh. Luckily he spun away from her at last second, You are vicious! Then, he laughed, because it had been so quick, and she had reacted just as he had hoped. He relaxed, Sorry, I just had to see. You’re very quick, but I’ve said that already. If you want, we can keep meeting and training together, like I said, it would give me something to do. And his grin melted partially into a grimace, remembering again how incredibly bored and useless he had been lately.

You’re an ass, Vesper managed to bark as he jerked back and laughed. But don’t apologize; I needed that. She only truly trusted such tricks when they were ingrained within her, and it seemed like his lesson had buried deeply enough into her mind that she’d been able to respond quickly with it.

His suggestion made her smile. I’m always up for sparring, if I’m not walking around the borders like I’m stuck on a track, she said, hinting that her own duties weren’t the most exciting, either -- but at least she got to wander around for a living, and wandering was good for restless paws. Even horse stuff, she added quickly when she saw the beginnings of a grimace. I mean, I can at least learn not to hate them. Maybe I still won’t ever ride or own one, but... It’d be good to know, y’know? And she doubted she would take such a lesson from anyone else. Except Myrika, maybe. Yeah, she’d approach a smelly-ass horse for the pretty Praetorian if she had to. She shot him a grin.

He returned her grin, Well good, because you never know when the enemy might be riding on one, it might also be good to learn how best to scare them. He smirked and looked over at Yegua, who lifted her head from her meal to shoot him a equine glare, as if she had understood what he had said. He chuckled slightly then and turned back to Vesper, You want to ride back with me then? Unless you’d rather stay here and play with your shadow? He then turned and whistled and Yegua came trotting over.

Scaring the horses sounded fun. It would be most useful to her, she thought, to learn how to best attack and frighten them, throw their riders from their backs. She’d always been afraid that one of them would mow her down when they went galloping through the Waste. Her smirk at this suggestion faded then, and she glanced quickly at the tree ruins as if to seek her shadow for some sort of help.

Sure. Might need another drink afterward, though, she grumbled, remembering how her last horse-back riding adventure ended. She braced herself as the appaloosa came up to them, watching as Helotes mounted her with ease. She scrambled up after him, waving away his assistance though she clung to him in the next moment. As he spurred the mare on to head back, she clutched him like a child, damning him and his man-reek and his horse-reek. But this was the friend she had chosen, and she was looking forward to learning all he could teach her in their sparring lessons.