ooc: Since this is a rather short back and forth, the remainder except for this last post will be condensed into this reply. With Raze's permission.
Bracing her feet into the ground as she assisted the male to his feet, she felt the slight strain on her abdomen from his earlier well placed jabbed. The rib and muscle throbbed in recount of that pain previously ignored before her student was brought to his feet and she placed that useable hand over her injury. Her tail bitterly swat the air in pain then fell limp between her powerful thighs as she pushed aside the uncomfortably yielding sensation to address the young male.
She smiled. “I admire your determination to hold your own,” she began softly. “But if is not about succession or failure. We will all fail at one point or another in our lives, that is a fact we must accept. But we can brace ourselves against a swift end and learn to utilize what we have to aim toward a kind of success. You should not think about how you do not want to lose, but how you want to protect whomever you care for. Even if you are not able to fully subdue your foe, your aim should be to hold your own against them so that whomever you are protecting remains safe. That is where your strength comes from and that is where your mind must be. Do you understand this?”
Wayne:
X’yrin explained that it was not about succession or failure, and Wayne was about to protest -- of course it was about failing to protect himself or someone else -- but she continued. He nodded instantly as she clarified, and he drew himself up a little taller. “I understand.” A man of few words, but nothing he said could be doubted. A victory didn’t have to be all or nothing -- it could be a partial one, but a few seconds gained could save Dixie’s life.
Seeing the affirmation in the young male’s eyes, she went on. “Though you my heed my words, I am afraid you will not truly understand this until you have experienced this brand of defeat for yourself. Even what I say to you is only theory to me, for I have not endured this trial just yet. These are the words and promises of my own Shepard- my mentor and my father. I can only tell you of the experiences I have learned and instruct you in the ways he has taught me to prevail through these lessons. I can, however, teach you a lesson that you would not be able to learn of your own; to clear your mind of the noise and unnecessary thoughts one often deals with in battle so that you may retain your perspective even when it looks like defeat is certain.”
Wayne:
That she had not experienced all of what she taught him might have been worrying, but Wayne trusted his leader’s judgment of this woman -- and she had proven to be a true warrior as he’d sought out. He just hoped that he wouldn’t have to experience it.
He chuckled softly -- but without much humor -- and nodded. “A clear mind, I could use that. For more ’n just battle, really.”
She looked down at her prospective student admiring the light of determination in his eyes. They reminded her much of her prior pupil now residing within the skull laden borders of the Inferni territory. While her training had proved successful, no doubt with rigorous practice and discipline, the woman could not help but wonder what her abilities were used for. It was a thought that had not crossed her mind for this male until she thought of the incident involving the coyo-female some time ago. Surely her training was not to blame for her actions, but they troubled her none the less and looking to the boy now... she felt the same wary with him.
Would these lessons she taught him be used for something other than to defend those he cared for? She trusted the Cavalieri Sole to have a strong guiding system for his flock of warriors, but it was hard to direct the minds and intentions of others. She could not ask a promise of him, this young male brimming with potential, for beyond the borders of these lands what he did with his training was far out of her control. It was a frightening notion to entertain, but it was a true one none the less. But with a considerable amount of hesitation, she filed away her bothered emotions and instead let her focus rest on young Wayne.
“We could all do with a clear mind at times,” she replied quietly, offering him a weak smile in return. “But at times the noise is necessary, it forces us to center on what is important that we need to hear. The voice of our instinct is the only voice we need to hear and trust that its guidance will see us through."
Wayne:
It was still strange to see that this lesson was more talk than action, but he did his best to absorb her words and file them away for later. Being able to fling his fists around meant nothing if he didn’t have the discipline to keep fighting and the mental prowess backing up skill.
She spoke about relying on instinct, and the Labrador mongrel lifted his head. Instinct was often dormant in the luperci mind; it still lingered, but some took the more humanlike path. It drove him in some ways, but in others, he was like the cowboy he thought of himself as. A true wolf wouldn’t be riding horses around, anyway.
“So you’ll help me listen t’ only instinct?” the young man asked. “I mean, I know you can only teach me so much; I gotta do the rest myself. But...” He shrugged, his eloquence failing him, and reached up to touch his injured shoulder again.
Kindly, she smiled at the young male as her words were seemingly adhered and understood. So long as his aptitude remained at this peak, she could not foresee any problems in instructing him how to bring his instinctual side from its dormancy. “That is correct,” she affirmed with a simple nod. “As you have said, I can only teach you so much, and it is up to you to take these lessons and utilize them. You have to be willing to let go of domestication.” And may his choice of apparel and choice in steed, there was quite a bit to undo.
Her intention was not to change him, but to offer him a perspective many of their kind had lost. Even her mate tended to teeter on the more civilized side, brandishing humanlike weapons and tending to an animal meant to be eaten. But she had witnessed his more feral nature and had seen (and felt) the surge of his instinctual nature. It was plainly there coinciding in harmony with his cultured projection to the world. And the same could be made of this boy.