The day was bright and clear when Axelle finally emerged from the caves. She had her sword sheathed in the belt around her waist and her crossbow slung over her back like it usually was. She was heading toward where there was once a mill. She remembered quietly that it was a nice mill, a nice quiet peaceful mill that was torn down by Alaki and made into a training grounds, and the training grounds were what she needed right now. She had been sitting back in her Marbas rank for too long. She needed advancement, it was what she craved and wanted. Maybe she would find someone already at the grounds to train with.
The hike up the hills was a bitch, and an even bigger bitch carrying the equipment that she was. Even though her sword wasn’t really that heavy, its bulk slowed her down anyway. Her legs felt like noodles once she reached the top of the hills where the training grounds were. She figured she would just train outside – she had all the weapons she needed, and she just needed a target to practice with. She didn’t see anyone around at the moment – which was usually what happened because there was never anyone around when she needed them.
Axelle moved through the weak fence built around the grounds and headed toward an empty enough space in the grass. She situated her pile of stuff next to a target practice bulls-eye. She dropped her sword and quiver full of arrows beside the object, and took three arrows from the quiver. Then she snapped them onto the bottom holder on her crossbow and headed toward the other way. She needed to get as far as possible in order to practice on her shooting – and it was pretty damn good. She needed to work on her moving targets, but she wouldn’t be able to get that here unless she decided to start hunting pack mates. She pulled the latch back and situated an arrow there, aimed, and then fired.
Bull’s-eye! She smiled to herself, but she wasn’t surprised. She wanted to refine her skill better, and looked toward a shelf that held bows conveniently nearby. She walked toward the bullseye and placed her crossbow next to everything else. Then she made her way over to the traditional bow and arrows and brought them back with her over to her spot. The bow felt weird in her hands, and positioning the arrow felt foreign. Her crossbow was automatic – all the positioning that was needed was to pull the latch back and place the arrow in there – then pull the trigger. Traditional bows and arrows were a bit more complicated.
At first, Axelle was a little shaky and off. She couldn’t even load the arrow right and have it fly through the air fast or far enough to even hit the target. After an hour though, she at least became a little better at loading and aiming, but hitting her target was still not mastered. She loaded an arrow and pulled back the elastic and let go. The arrow soared through the air, but hit the target way off to the side. "Fuck!" Axelle cursed to herself, but loaded another arrow to try again. She repeated the process over and over again until she saw improvement. She knew using the bow would take practice, just like learning the crossbow did.
Itzal was sitting down looking out at the trees. He had found a piece of flat land with some grass that made it more comfortable than the bare ground. His katana lay in its sheath by his side and next to it was his sultan knives and dagger. He had been sitting there for a while. He finally sighed and pushed himself up off the ground. He gathered up his weapons and looked around. He wanted to get some training in and he had heard that there was a training ground recently built near here. He noticed an old mill and remembered that Alaki had supposedly built the training ground there. So he started towards it.
When Itzal reached the mill he was ready to start getting in some work with his katana. He had gotten a little training from Alaki, but he hadn't worked on using it much since he had left. And he was determined to find more weapons to learn to use. He walked around the end of the mill and there was the practice ground spread out in front of him. And there was only one person in sight. Itzal had to laugh to himself. What was the chance that both him and Axelle had chosen to train at the same time. He jumped over the fence and walked towards her, watching her trying to work with a traditional bow and arrow.
"I find you much more threatening with the crossbow." He said, grinning as he leaned against a training post. He hadn't forgotten his own reason for being here but maybe Axelle could help with that. He knew she had some experience with the katana. Maybe she could help teach him some more.
Frustrated, Axelle took the last arrow she had from the quiver and inhaled deeply. The scent she received, mixed with others of Anathema nearby, wasn’t surprising. Itzal always seemed to find her no matter where she was, and she let out a sigh of defeat and dropped her arms when she heard his voice sound from behind her. Her shoulders slumped low, due to frustration and defeat - because Itzal had found her once again. ”I know,” she mumbled back to him over her shoulder. She raised the bow and arrow again, and with now shaky hands pulled the string back and let the arrow soar. This time it landed a little closer to the middle, but not by much. She wasn’t improving on the traditional bow - and in order to move up in her own goals, she needed to master all range weapons.
Axelle slung the bow over her shoulder and walked slowly over to Itzal. ”So, what brings you into this neck of the woods?” Though, it was obvious once she laid her eyes on all of the equipment he brought with him. He was here to train, just like she was trying to. She eyed the Katana curiously, ”Since when do you fight with a Katana?” The weapon alone reminded her of Alaki - it wasn’t really her kind of weapon, but she did learn it anyway. But it looked weird strapped to Itzal’s belt. It didn’t look like his kind of weapon - his throwing knives suited him - quick and deadly - but the Katana took more action.
Axelle took the bow from her back and studied the carefully crafted wood. She fingered the smooth wood and enjoyed the subtle ridges it had in its shape. She kept her eyes focused on that, but her ears were in tune to Itzal’s explanation.
Itzal heard her mumble but wasn't sure if he was meant to so he didn't say anything. Instead he watched her send the final arrow flying towards the target. He watched it hit and thought it was a good shot compared to her last few ones. But she still had a lot of practicing to do until she was any where near the level she would need to be a threat with the bow and arrow. Itzal turned around and walked over to the racks of bows and arrows as well. He looked at the bows with a grin. He had always wanted to use one of these. He took one off the rack, along with a quiver and bracer for his arm. He walked over and set them off to the side then he moved to where he had been standing before. He would be taking those back to his den so he could practice with them later. The training ground had enough that they wouldn't miss this set. He would have trained with it today but today was meant for his Katana.
Itzal's ear twitched as he listened to Axelle. He frowned as she mentioned his lack of fighting with a Katana. "I'm here to train obviously." He said with a smile and shrugged off the Katana part. "I don't fight with a Katana. At least, not if the person I'm fighting has any skill at all. I'm not good enough with the sword yet to be a real threat. But that is why I'm here, to help myself improve." He said, gesturing at the training ground. The Katana was on Itzal's back, so he could reach over his shoulder to draw it. He found it was easier to carry it that way, instead of having it drag him down on his belt.
He walked forward some to a target and looked it over, there were hundreds of notches and chips from all the training it had seen. Itzal ran a hand over the wood and felt all of the damage it had suffered. He let his hand drop from the wood and looked over his shoulder at Axelle. "So you heard about Mido's promotion right? I'm guessing that is why you are out here training. So you can move up to the top warrior rank?" It was a good guess. Ever since Aeron had announced Mido her second Itzal had been thinking about how this meant the top position was open. And it occurred to him now that Axelle was next in line for it.
She dropped both of her hands from the bow and looked at Itzal. ”So, I’m guessing you’d want my help?” Axelle did a lot of assuming in her day and age. That’s what everyone wanted from her – help. Mido wanted it, and he surpassed her. He seemingly just wanted to move up quicker than she did. She was in no rush. She didn’t want to reach the top without a challenge – and so dragging out her goals were her kind of challenge to herself. Before Itzal could answer, she interrupted, ”I don’t mind help you. It could be practice for me as well, since your moves are pretty fluid.” She couldn’t lie: Itzal had moves. He was good at worming out of situations, and he would be good with a Katana. Once she taught him what to do with it.
Axelle walked away from him for a brief moment to put the bow down by her stuff, and pick her own Katana out of the pile. She glanced at Itzal quickly while getting what she needed. She took it out of its sheath and carried it back towards him, not bothering with the belt and all that. When she faced him again, she stuck her sword in the ground and leaned against the same beam he did, but really close to him. She was taking a risk by doing that on Anathema grounds, so close to Kai. Her nose was centimeters away from Itzal’s. She had to bend her head down slightly to avoid bumping into his muzzle, and she looked at him with those bi-colored eyes of hers. ”You make the first move.” Her tone held sultry in it, and it was hushed, sexy – like Axelle was. She challenged him while not even looking like she was ready for whatever he was going to throw at her. Though, looks can be deceiving.
Thanks, a seriously cool friend of mine made it for me.
Itzal watched as Axelle went to go and retrieve her Katana. Itzal had known that she could use hers, even though he had never seen her do it, but he hadn't really been planning on asking her to spar with him or train him. It was just by luck that he had stumbled upon her. But Itzal didn't feel the need to say that, it might make her angry. And an angry Axelle with a katana was not something that Itzal wanted to deal with. So Instead he just watched her with a smile as she agreed to help him without him even asking.
He watched her walk over to him and lean against the beam he was on. Her face was so close to his that he knew anyone watching could see that there was something between them. Normal people didn't put their faces that close to others. The urge to snap his teeth playfully in her face hit him and he did, snapping his teeth right in front of her nice without actually catching it in his teeth. Itzal reached across and drew his sword slowly, before holding it outwards from himself and Axelle. "I'm just going to assume you mean in our training." He said in a voice that was like her own in the fact that it was sexy, a deep, confident voice that left no doubt that Itzal wanted Axelle in more ways than one. He wanted to train with her, but he also wanted to do so much more. But he had come here to train, and that was what he intended today. And he wouldn't make it easy for her.
Itzal decided to try a basic knife technique, only modify it for the sword like he had seen someone do once. He struck out for Axelle's legs and when the sword was about half way there, his wrist stopped and curved the sword into and arc, his arm turning, so the sword was coming at her body instead of her legs. It wasn't as graceful and elegant as he would have liked, because he wasn't use to the swords extra reach, but it would get the job done he hoped.
As he playfully snapped his teeth at her, she growled lowly back. Her eyes were still locked on his, waiting for a sign of action. She had the urge to move closer to him, to melt into him – but she knew she couldn’t do that. So she kept her ground, but didn’t become any less sexy. ”Yes…” Though it did have a double meaning, originally.
Keeping her eyes locked on his, she saw the flicker of action in them. It gave her enough of a warning to jump back to avoid the sweep of his sword and grab her own. She flipped it around in her hand in time to block his aim toward her body. CLANG The ring was music to her ears every time she caught someone else’s attack. She backed away from him slightly, holding the sword loosely in her hand. ”You’re gonna have to try harder than that!” Then she moved towards him, just simply swinging the blade toward him – seeing if he could block at all. Then she circled around him, ”Don’t forget to be loose. Don’t tense your body while using a Katana. It’s all about flowing movements.” Not that she needed to remind Itzal of that, but just in case.
Then she aimed to slice at his neck, hoping that he would be able to block that one because it would have been a nasty wound that she didn’t need to injure him with further. ”How’s your leg?” Then she swung at him again – his midsection this time. It was obviously better, since he was dancing around on it. She tried small talk to attempt to distract him – but then she remembered she had to behave because he was a beginner.
She stopped attacking him, so that she could see the kinds of moves he already knew. The one he started off with wasn't bad, and would've worked with a less experienced fighter. Though, Axelle wasn't the most experienced with the sword - she was good enough. She knew how to block everything, but her own attacks weren't that skilled. She only knew basics.
Of course Itzal would turn it into them flirting XD
He watched her sword intercept his with a frown. He had been hoping to catch her with the unexpected move. Itzal knew that she had more experience with the Katana than he did but that didn't mean he had to make it easy for her. "I'm just getting started," Itzal said with a determined grin as he brought his sword up to meet hers, blocking her attack. Then he watched as she circled around him. Itzal heard her words and nodded. He knew to keep loose. That way your arms and body could absorb the force of the other person's blow without any problems. And it made it easier to react to an attack faster. And the faster someone reacted, the less likely they were to lose a limb.
Itzal saw her blade arching towards his neck and he couldn't help but feel his pulse increase. Not from fear, as he easily brought the sword up to deflect her attack off to the side. His pulse was increasing because he loved the feeling of weilding a deadly weapon against someone. And the fact that it was Axelle made it all that more interesting for Itzal. He knew that most people couldn't see sword training as a romantic or flirtatious thing but to Itzal it was. And he was pretty sure he knew Axelle well enough to assume she found it just as hot. Especially when Itzal was watching her to see what she would do next and his eyes would linger on her body, or the crease of her eyes, and he felt his own blood boil in a good way. But Itzal still laughed when she mentioned his leg. "Feels amazing. Might have a light scar there but otherwise it is as good as ever." He said, not taking his mind off of what he was doing. It had been in enough fights that he had learned to wage battle on both a mental and physical field at the same time. And talking to someone to distract them was just a simple kind of mental battle. Itzal dodged the swing at his midsection instead of blocking, then he followed it up with a lung at her lower ribs, hoping to catch her on the unprotected part of her stomach, right where the flutter ribs were. Itzal knew it was just pratice, and was ready to stop himself if he didn't think she was going to react fast enough. But there was no reason she couldn't.
Seeing that Itzal was able to either dodge or block each of her attacks, told her that she needed to amp it up a notch. He knew enough to say that he knew the basics of sword fighting. He didn’t need as much training as he needed practice – and that was where Axelle got lucky. She needed practice as well, not so much training, but maybe Itzal would be able to teach her a thing or two. As he managed to block or dodge every attack she made on him, he lashed out on her. Axelle danced away just in time, though Itzal managed to cut a few slivers of her fur. They paused together and Axelle watched her few hairs float up and passed her face.
This pissed her off. It was time to get serious. She spun around and aimed an attack for his shoulder, then spun the other way, around him, and aimed one for his other shoulder (she was behind him now). Then she swung at his legs, and danced out of the way before he was able to throw any attacks her way. Though, she wasn’t far enough where he wouldn’t be able to hit her – she was just not all up in his ‘grill’ like she had been when she was circling and swinging. She continued to block what she could and dodged the rest until she encircled his whole body and froze when she reached his face – of course, she stood way too close to him. Her nose barely touching his, but her eyes watched for an attack – though, an attack wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.
She placed a hand on his chest, but pushed herself away from him and stood about two feet away. ”You’re better than I thought.” Though, he never really stated that he needed to be taught, it was Axelle who assumed this. He clearly stated that he needed to practice, and she realized he must have had more skill than she did. ”Maybe you need to teach me.” Then she stepped towards him again, closing the distance between them by a foot. ”Can you give me any pointers?” Then she closed the distance completely, resuming her position of barely touching him before. It was weird, now here he was, the Dasa, giving the master warrior a few tips on sword fighting. What an awkward situation.
The black hybrid watched as Axelle avoided his attack. Itzal didn't even realize that he was doing good, if he even was. He thought that his blocks had been ungraceful. Itzal didn't have a clue that he had more skill than a basic beginner would. Though he wasn't truly a beginner. Itzal grinned at Axelle. He might have forgotten, a tiny bit too conveniently, to mention that Alaki had trained and sparred with Itzal when Itzal had first wanted to learn to use the Katana. He figured that since Axelle had probably gone to Alaki for training as well, it wouldn't make a difference. But it wasn't just the training with Alaki. Itzal, though he never could truly understand the depths of it, was born to fight. Part of it was natural talent and part of it was how he had been shaped growing up. Survival meant everything to Itzal growing up. He forced himself to learn what he had to too survive. And the same went for using a weapon. The fact that Itzal might one day find himself relying on the weapon to save his life was always in the back of his mind when he trained.
Itzal felt some kind of shift in Axelle when they watched the furs fall. He didn't pay it much mind, just thinking that she was starting to loosen up and work harder. It wasn't until Itzal saw the sword flashing towards his shoulder that he realized she was taking things much more seriously. He liked that but at the same time it made him more wary. Accidents happened when people were to serious and an accident caused by Axelle with a sharp sword would be very bad. Itzal managed to block her attack at his shoulder from the front with the Katana. But as she circled around behind him, he tense. If it had been anyone but Axelle, Itzal would have snapped right there. He didn't like people behind him, no matter what the circumstances were. Even though he knew it was Axelle behind him, and not some stranger, both halves of him growled softly. Eztli had more of a problem with Axelle behind them than Itzal did but only because he didn't like the thought of the female who had escape him putting Itzal, who was his body, in such a vulnerable spot. Itzal moved, avoiding the attack aimed at his shoulder. But before he had time to drop his sword, she was already swinging at his legs.
Itzal caught the sword and inch from his leg with the sultan knife. When he had saw the path of Axelle's Katana he had known he couldn't block it with his own. So his free hand had grabbed the knife before he even consciously thought too, and had intercepted the blade. Itzal pushed the blade away using the knife, and slipped the sultan knife back on his belt with a smooth motion. Then he looked up at Axelle's eyes. They were closer than he expected.
When Itzal felt the hand on his chest, he couldn't help but give her a smug smile. Itzal felt like there was a current running through her hand and into his body. And he liked it. The endorphins from their sparring had his body fired up, and Axelle wasn't helping to cool it down at all. He smirked when she mentioned his apparently knowledge on how to use the blade a little bit. "I worked with Alaki some." He said, chuckling as he let it slip that he wasn't completely new. But Itzal still didn't feel completely comfortable with the sword. Not like he did his knives. He raised an eyebrow as she mentioned him teaching her. He wanted to teach her a lot of things. Wanted to show her the things he could do to her. But he knew that wasn't what she meant. At least, not entirely what she meant. When she stepped forward he wrapped the arm whose hand wasn't holding the sword around her waist. She was so close he didn't even have to reach out to do it. Itzal grinned at her and thought for a second. "Try not to telegraph your movements as much. It is the small muscles that give away what you are going to do before you do it." He said. He couldn't really think of anything the she had done badly at all. He wasn't good enough to pick out any mistakes that he could help her fix. "Otherwise, I don't think I'm any better than you are." He shrugged, grinning. He didn't know how they had ended up in this position. With their bodies so close together and arm around her waist, no one could mistake them as two friends who were training. Itzal pressed his nose against her for a second then raised an eyebrow at her, "Would you like to continue sparring, or do you just want to stay her until we both decide to do something stupid where anyone could see us?" Itzal didn't know about Malakia, but he did know that if the two of them stayed like this, it would lead somewhere, and Itzal wasn't sure they were ready to go there yet. And it would be stupid to do something that any random pack member could see.
[WC: 207 | Pts: 0] Short >.< Maybe I'll add to it later - feel free to reply though
”Ah, so you have had practice!” Axelle peered up at him as he held her in his arm. She was comfortably content right here, but he was right. Anyone could see them, and the position in which they were standing. Definitely a way too friendly stance. Axelle flipped her sword and averted Itzal’s chin with the pommel. A devilish grin that Itzal couldn’t see at that very moment stretched across her lips, and in a quick movement (practicing what Itzal had told her), she flipped her sword around and sliced at him. Then she danced away, ”Of course I want to keep sparring.”
Then she held her sword out the proper way – with both hands – and got into her stance. She waited for Itzal, this time, to make the first move. She had been the one trying to surprise him this whole time – it was his chance to surprise her now. And she was ready for him – and whatever he was going to throw at her. ”So, we’ve both learned from Alaki… A lesson that’s kinda sacred – since he’s gone now.” Which was true; no future warriors will be able to learn like the way Alaki taught, unless of course, he returns at some point once again.
Let me know if you want me to change anything. Wasn't sure how you would feel about the blow aimed at her stomach. Just have her dodge it or something if you don't like it. <3
For a second Itzal hoped that she would choice to stop the sparring and do something stupid. With her body so close to his and her scent around him, Itzal was okay with anyone seeing anything, as long as he didn't lose her touch. But Itzal knew that now wasn't the time or place. Not yet, he told himself, but soon. Axelle couldn't deny the spark between them. It had been forming since their first meeting and now it felt like it was in full overdrive. Itzal was just about to tell her to screw the sparring, when she saved them both. Itzal's face was pointed upwards and he felt the hilt of her sword press against the soft tissue under his chin. It was an understatement to say he felt vulnerable. But he had to grin. Only Axelle could put him in these kind of position without him lashing out and losing control. Eztli wanted Itzal to reach up and rip her throat out but he knew that Itzal wouldn't do that. At least, not so easily. So instead he just contented himself with growling to Itzal in his head. And Itzal could swear he heard some strong words among the growling.
Itzal felt the tip of the blade slide lightly across his chest. He wasn't sure if it had cut him or just his fur, but either way the cut couldn't be bad enough to stop him. Itzal copied her stance, his slightly different to accommodate for his different style. Then he went at her. First he aimed a cut low for her hip, then he spun on his back heel, bring the sword around in a back slash towards her head, trying to catch her with out time to react, and then he brought the pommel of the sword arching towards her abdomen, hoping to land a good strike on her diaphragm. Itzal knew it would be a good hit if it landed. He had just enough control behind it to knock the breathe out of her without doing any serious damage. He knew that, though part of him still wanted to hurt her. The part of him that saw her as an enemy. But he would never do that. Never.
As Itzal moved back, to dodge any counter attacks, he grinned at her. "Yes. I guess we reflect him now and how good of a teacher he was. I think he would be proud." Itzal said, chuckling softly as he felt a few drops of blood run down his chest. So she had cut him. Not that he cared.
Everything between them was like fire. She loved it, but she also couldn’t get caught with him because she would have a big problem with Kai. His moves were just as sudden as hers were, and as he aimed for her hip, she jumped back – but not quick enough. He sliced her, a shallow wound, and blood beaded around the cut and dripped slowly down her leg. She paid it no mind, and didn’t let it get in the way of her focus. She saw his next move swinging towards her head, and ducked. She felt the air of his blow breeze past her, but didn’t get up in time to dodge his pommel shot to her stomach.
The hit was hard enough to send her flying backwards, coughing on her way down to the ground. It was a good thing Axelle was quick because as soon as she landed on the ground, she was quick to bring her legs up and allow herself to roll over her head onto her hands and knees. Then she rose again bringing her sword back up into position. This time, she moved, without warning, and aimed a slash at his leg, but when he dodged it, she continued to come at him and soon they were chest to chest again. She stuck her Katana in the ground and backed away from him with her arms out. ”Hit me, I’m vulnerable.” She smiled at him, and grabbed her Katana out of the grass and walked over to her things to put it away.
She grabbed one of her daggers – not a small one, but not a big one either. It was just big enough to have her feel comfortable with it. ”Daggers next? I think you’re pretty good with the Katana. Every time you move up in the warrior rankings you’ll train more and learn more as you go.” She walked back up to him, closely, touching his chest once again, but with the hand that wasn’t holding the knife. She touched her own wound, taking a bit of blood on her finger, and smearing it across his lips. Then she lowered her head to his chest, and licked some of the blood she caused, off.
His leg swept back out of the way as she aimed for it and he grinned when he again felt her body against his own. Itzal let out a small growl as she moved back away from him. He didn't want that. He wanted her close more than anything. He twirled his Katana in his hand and sheathed it in one smooth motion. Then he took two quick strides and was between her arms. He nipped her neck, almost too aggressively for something casual, and then grinned, taking a step back. "Got you." He said before backing up as she moved to grab the dagger from her stuff. When Itzal saw her walking back towards him with a dagger his own appeared in his hand and a grin appeared on his face.
Grinning he nodded. Daggers were something he had a lot of familiarity with. "Daggers will be fun. They are a lot more... personal." He said, the deep sexy voice back. When she smeared her blood on his lips he licked it off right away, enjoying the taste. He took her wrist and guided it too his mouth, licking the blood from her finger then nipping the tip of it and letting go of her wrist. Itzal was enjoying their games, though he wished he could carry her back to her den and stop their play and get to the really fun stuff. She was driving him mad; it didn't help that when her tongue touched the open wound on his chest, his whole body felt like a fuse that had been lit. He had to resist the urge to shiver, her tongue sending sparks along his blood stream. Itzal growled, a deep, wanting sound. Itzal grinned as he saw an opportunity though. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, only to have his blade appear at her throat. He smiled and licked along the blade and her throat in one move. Itzal loved mixing their sparring into their play.
She could feel his body tense, in a good way, under her tongue. A smirk began to ease onto her lips, and it didn’t disappear when Itzal moved his dagger quickly to her throat. He allowed his own tongue to pass over what could’ve been another scar, and that made her shiver slightly. She wanted to throw herself at him, but she knew she couldn’t. And she wouldn’t. She would just dance around the very idea of it.
The word personal made her skin crawl a bit, and she could only imagine what he meant by that. Axelle froze and tensed, but made no move toward him. Eztli was probably very happy about this move – even if it wasn’t to hurt her. Axelle dipped her head lower, getting the bottom of the slice on his chest that she didn’t lick before. She made sure she slid her tongue slowly over his broken skin, and then with a quick motion she brought her dagger up and jabbed it toward his arm – she was originally aiming for his chest, but she had to remind herself that she didn’t want to kill him.
Then she moved quickly, attempting to slice his chest as she went for his shoulder with her blade. She knew he was good with it, and he would block it right away. She was mediocre with daggers, and she was hoping that he would give her some tips since he was so good. She didn’t want to tell him what level on inexperience she was on, and whether or not she did, he would find out soon. She held her dagger outward – like if she were to punch him and then bring her hand in towards her chest, she could slice his face (not that she would want to scar up his handsome face).
The feeling of her tongue as it continued to slide over the open cut on his chest was torture. A good kind of torture though, if such a thing existed. He craved her in so many different ways that it shocked him. No female ever made him feel like this. Sure, Itzal had lusted after a lot of females, but Axelle was different. She pushed it past mere lust, to something that Itzal didn't have a word for. Love wasn't quiet right. Itzal knew he loved Axelle, in whatever way Itzal was capable of loving someone. But even if the love wasn't there, Axelle knew all of the right buttons to push. And it drove Itzal crazy.
Itzal was pulled into what was going on. He was to slow to dodge her jab at his arm, but he did manage to move so she only caught the out edge of it. And he was ready for her follow up slash at his chest, blocking it with ease. Itzal could sense that she was less comfortable with a dagger than he was. With Itzal using the short weapon came easily but he could tell she wasn't quiet as experienced. He saw some things he could help her work on so Itzal stepped in and grabbed Axelle's wrist, holding it so she couldn't pull away. Then he lowered his own dagger, that was in his other paw, and walked behind her, letting go of her wrist.
He used his foot to move her legs apart some. Then he reached around her, pressing his chest against her back with a grin. He tucked her elbows in for her and moved the hand holding the dagger out some, so that it would be easier for her to react to an attack to her abdomen or head. Then he nipped her ear and smiled, "Keep your legs apart a little more, so your weight isn't all on one spot. Using shorter weapons is all about using your entire body, like hand to hand fighting. Keep your elbows in, so that when you try to jab or slash, you can move faster. And when you aren't attacking, your arms will be covering your body more. It is better to get a cut on your arm than it is to get stabbed in the stomach." He ran his nose along her jaw, growling softly before backing up and moving around to her front. Now she was looking better. "Good." He said, before pulling his dagger back out and slipping into his own stance. "Now come at me again." He grinned and winked at her, "And don't hold back." He chuckled, but kept his eyes on her at all times.
Axelle noted that she wanted him a lot more than she wanted to admit. As he teased her throughout the short lesson he gave her, it made it hard to even concentrate on what he was telling her. She followed his instruction and got into the stance, and when he moved away from her she had to look down and remind herself of what she was doing. Seeing herself in a weird stance, Axe nodded mentally and shifted her muscles so that she was comfortable in the position she was in. She wanted to feel it, that way she would automatically use this whenever it was dagger time.
Axelle was tricky. She liked to incorporate a few fighting styles in at once, so when she came at him – she came at him with a slice of her dagger, and when he easily blocked that, she went to jab him in the head with her free hand, hoping to throw him off a bit. Then she came at him with a lunge toward his midsection, and then crouched lower to get a leg or two. While she was down there, she tried a leg sweep to maybe… knock him off his feet. Then she rose quickly and backed away from him. She wasn’t too creative with her dagger movements as she was with the Katana. There was only so many different variations of stabbing one could do.
Then she came at him again – with a slice to his chest and then a hand of claws to his face. Then she repeated the slice and danced around him, now behind him for a few seconds. She knew this irritated Itzal to the full extent, and she kicked him – nudged him with a leg and pushed him by his rump. ”Don’t go easy on me now, Itzal.” They were just getting started.
Itzal was fast but so was Axelle. He blocked and dodged her first few attacks, but she caught one of his legs as she switched her level. That was good, he thought, that she changed her level of attack without him having to save anything. He growled as he leg bled a little, but it was the leg sweep that caught him. If he had been expecting it he could have dodged it. But he hadn't expected someone like Axelle to use a move so fluidly when she didn't seem that comfortable with daggers. He recovered fast, using his weight as he went down to roll back to his feet. But he still growled, because he shouldn't have gone down in the first place. He narrowed his eyes but managed a smile. At least they were getting somewhere.
Itzal dodged her slash and claws. When she moved behind him he growled again. Even if it was Axelle, she had a dagger in her hand and they were sparring. When he felt her kick him he took a step forward and growled. He knew she was just toying, but Eztli was screaming at him to turn around and slash her throat. And if it wasn't for the fact that it was Axelle, he would have. But instead he spun around and went for an inside leg kick, using his spinning momentum to put more force behind his kick. He aimed the top of his foot for her inner thigh. Then he slashed at her arm but she blocked that easily. He switched the blade in his hand with a flick of his wrist and brought the pommel down through the air, aiming for her shoulder. Then he stepped back, dancing away from her with with a smirk, but his eyes were hard and trained on her. "I wouldn't dream of it baby." He said, his voice deep and confident. He smirked at her, waiting for her move.
As Itzal spun around and went to kick her inner thigh, there was no time. She didn’t have enough time to react, so instead took the blow, but used the closed distance to jab a fist at his head once more. Then she sliced the air toward his arm, hoping to catch him for the most part, but he brought the pommel of his dagger down on her shoulder, and she realized she was being really sloppy. She lost her footing, due to his kick to her thigh, and rolled to the side. She landed and her dagger flew out of her hand, and she knew he would be coming towards her with an attack shortly, but she would be ready for him no matter what.
She noted where he was, and figured she had a few seconds to grab her dagger and did in time. As he came nearer to her on the ground, she slashed the dagger his way, aiming for his other leg now, and while she was down there attempted to punch him in the stomach. He would probably escape it, but she had a backup plan for that. He quickly kicked at her, and she rolled away and on to her feet to face him again. She was panting with her tongue flopping out of her mouth, dripping with sweat and drool. This was a good workout, and good training for both of them.
She held the position Itzal had shown her before, and waited for him to come towards her. They finally had a moment to breathe and talk so she answered his comment from before, "Good." Her tone was curt and stiff, and a little breathy as she was out of breath. She couldn't talk completely without breathing through it too. She didn't think she was too out of shape, but apparently she was if this little training session had her this tired.
The two kept training until it was nearly dark out. Then they both decided to call it quits, pack up, and go back to their dens after the vigorous work out.
Midday setting. 
