i'll make a man out of you
#1
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foredated to after he gets back from the trade journey? :O

She wasn't quite sure what she had done wrong. While she loved her children equally, they had turned out with worlds of differences - Erzulie like her father, willing to get down and dirty, but not overly so; and she, at least, knew how to protect herself. Robert, on the other hand... perhaps she had indulged his love of books too much. He despised all forms of fighting - but today, she decided firmly, that was going to change.

She had nothing on except her usual belt with her own dagger tucked in - in her hand, however, was another dagger. Erzulie had a larger build, slightly pudgy, even, so she did not possess Skye's speed, agility, or ability to dodge with her slim frame. Robert, on the other hand, was just the right build for the art of the dagger.

She stood in front of her own house, where she knew that Robert would be in, reading some books or something. She knew that if any other had approached him with the intent to fight, he would have scoffed and turned away, but that he could not refuse his own mother and leader. She did not knock on the door, but simply called his name out - "Robert! Come here!" she barked sharply. He was her son, yes, but he had to learn how to defend himself and, if it came to it, his pack.

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#2
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(308) Yepyep! And what is it with women and trying to make Robert into a manly man? xD Poor boy.

The trading trip was not as terrible as he thought it could have been. He supposed it was nice to talk to people he never met before, and though his arms were sore from all the rowing, they were toughen--the more laborious thing he performed before that was carrying heavy loads of books around his room. Speaking of which, despite the fact that the journey was less than terrible, he was extraordinarily glad to return to his home and particularly his room. Muttering empty promises of never leaving his bedroom again, the first night home he completely indulged himself with his literature.

As if he could not get enough, he woke late that day and continued to read even then. A worn book was propped in his hands, and the words it contained reviewed by a studious gaze. It was a simple story that he enjoyed, some tale that he must have had read a million times yet it had not lost its glimmer. As deep as he was into the book, or any book for that matter, very few things could pull him out of that revive. One of those things were his mother.

Her authoritative call was almost like a physical push, and without a second thought he placed down the book and made it outside as quickly as he could. On his way, he thought cluelessly why she would sound so sharp, but he did not have much time to think before he stepped out of the house and approached Skye. "Hi, mother," he greeted pleasantly, and glanced at the dagger that she held in her hand despite the fact that she had one already sheathed on her belt. He blinked, confused, but did not question it, knowing that all would be explained. But, he had a feeling he was not going to enjoy it.

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#3
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poor robert xD

She was pleased at how fast he had come to the door - although he was not her strongest or most motivated offspring, he was still loyal and willing to help, which were wonderful virtues in of themselves. However, he still needed to know how to fight - there was no getting around that.

Without a word, she handed him the knife, the handle pointing towards him. As she waited for him to take it - she was sure that he might simply stand there in shock for a moment before doing so - she began to explain to him the reasoning for her being there;

"I know you don't like it," she said, "but you need to learn to fight, and to defend yourself. There is no way around that." She spoke the truth - although he was usually within the pack, reading or otherwise doing minor chores, he could not always have the pack protect him, even if he and his mother wished otherwise. One day he may be attacked, and without any wit about him, he would not last long.

"Some rely on brute strength to win," she said, slowly making her way to the forest, pausing so that Robert would follow. "Others - myself included - use a little wit to win their battles. Wit, speed, agility, and resourcefulness - if you find yourself overpowered in a fight, those are the things you need to be able to rely on to win." She then turned towards him, her eye on him, waiting for him to speak.

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#4
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The man stared at the handle that his mother was handing to him. It made no sense until she started speaking, which then he wanted to whine immediately. But, childish groaning did not bubble up in his throat, already knowing that the fight not to learn was already lost when Skye came to conclusion to teach him. Being his mother, and moreover his alphess, her word was his law, unless he wanted to punishment, whether it was dealt by his leader or parent. Like she stated, there was truly no way around it.

He took the blade carefully from her, and held it gingerly yet awkwardly in his hand. Used to only handling books and quills, this was a definite change of pace for Robert. He followed after the woman without a complaint, though it was obvious by his posture that he was going to be a reluctant learner at first. He glanced around the woods they were walking through, but he looked back at her when she started to speak once more.

When she turned to face him, and realizing that she wanted an answer, he quickly stated, "I'm witty. And..." He thought back to when he hunted with Eclipse, how fast he was to be able to catch up with a rabbit even if he failed to catch it. "I guess I am swift as well." It was a meager answer at best, but it was all the supposedly witty man could think up to say. He looked down at the dagger he held in his hand and turned the blade a little, and wondered how exactly he would be able to actually use it when it felt so foreign in his grip.

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#5
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"Good," she said, pleased with his answer. She looked down at his hand, and the knife; he was holding it awkwardly, almost like one would hold a pencil. She shook her head, approaching him and showing him her own knife, which she had expertly gripped in her hand, ready for any maneuver. She then moved her hands towards his, attempting to mold his hand over the knife like hers was - it would be much, much easier for him to fight when he wasn't holding the knife like it carried a disease.

She then stepped back, turning to the side so that she was facing the forest. "Obviously, the most common thing you can do with a knife is this --" She stepped forward, flashing out her hand and knife so that it was a metallic blur in the air, stabbing an invisible foe. As fast as she had jabbed, she pulled it back again. She then looked at Robert.

"An enemy will see that coming a mile away," she said, "but let's just see how you do it." She then stepped back, allowing room for her son to make an attempt at stabbing with the knife.

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#6
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(309)

He smiled meekly as Skye seemed to approved his reply, and became a little more hopeful. This was, after all, his mother; she knew him better than anyone else, and if she was certain enough that he was teachable, he supposed he could try. If it had been anyone else, he would have been more than halfhearted if not entirely unwilling. It was not necessarily that he believed that fighting in general was foolish, though he did think that way, he was more worried that he would just make a joke of himself. He knew little to nothing when it came to those kinds of things.

It was terribly obvious that he lacked any finesse as the woman changed the way he held the dagger, and he held onto the hilt more like she did. It felt less awkward, but the blade was still foreign to him. But, he pushed it out of mind as he watched the leader leap forward and hack at an unseen force. Just as quick, she stepped back, and Robert thought it seemed easy enough when he watched her do it. With a nod, he stood still for a moment, and tensed his legs before he sprung into the open air.

Admittedly, it was far from graceful. His start was as fast as Skye's, but when he started swinging around the knife, he felt a bit silly and lost some focus. Thus, when he stepped back, instead of retreating as quick as he came, he stumbled and had to keep himself from falling onto his backside. He steadied himself once he regained his balance, and pulled himself to his full height with a half smile on his face, though his furrowed brows spoke how annoyed he was. "That could have went more swimmingly," he murmured under his breath, more to himself than to Skye.

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#7
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"Everyone starts somewhere," the female commented after seeing Robert's attempt at swinging the knife. She remembered how she, herself, was clumsy with the weapon when she was younger - months of practice and perfection, however, had left her quite capable.

"Don't think of the knife as something you are holding - think of it as an extension of your arm, think of it like your own hand." She swiped the air with her own knife, more slowly this time, so Robert could see what she was doing. She made sure to exaggerate the movements, to ensure that her son could see that her center of gravity was always in balance. She bent her knees more so than when she stood, spreading out her legs, her body tensed - keeping her balance, but also able to move in any direction at a moment's notice.

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#8
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/loves short posts x3

"I suppose so," he agreed quietly, looking down at his equipped hand. He knew that one had to walk before running, but he guessed he wished that he could have hit the ground running instead of stumbling on the first step. But, he was not expert nor natural when it came to weapons, so it could not be helped. But, under a teacher like his mother, he would have ought to learn something great that he did not know about before soon.

Robert listened quietly as Skye spoke again, and blinked, surprise for a moment at her choice of words. Only a few weeks ago, he gave the same advice to Dalgina, only that a quill was in the place of a dagger. He tried to imagine the knife like he would a quill, like a part of himself and not just some earthly object. It helped a little, and he gripped the handle a bit more surely. He was now, at least, getting the faintest idea of what he was doing.

The man watched the leader closely as she went through the motion again, though her movements were more detailed and the speed slower. He took note of her stance, the way she moved, and how her whole body worked to make the fickle and fuild maneuver. He, too, splayed out his legs instead of the stiff posture they usually took. Instead of trying to be fast like earlier, he took the steps as slowly as the Collins woman had just preformed. So far, so good; he managed to copy the move far better the second tim, and the gentle pace kept him focused.

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#9
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She could tell that her son was discouraged from his quiet demeanor - she knew that he did not like to fight, but it was certainly a necessity rather than an option. However, his willingness to learn was the only thing that was needed right now - if he was willing to learn, he would have an easier time doing so.

She appraised him as he tried another attempt at swinging the knife - he took it more slowly this time, which was good - unless he was a prodigy, he would not complete the move perfectly and quickly the first time. This time, he kept his balance, and she nodded slowly, approving.
She then stepped forward, with her own knife, in front of Robert.

"Now," she said, "most of fighting is instinct - you don't have time to recall special moves unless you've practiced them so much that they are also instinct. And the only way to condition yourself to fight well is to practice fighting well."

With that nugget of advice, she leapt, taking on a fighting stance, and jabbed at Robert as if she were an enemy about to stab him. Of course, she wouldn't harm him - if he happened to be too slow or too surprised to defend himself adequately, she would pull back the knife; although it seemed quick and ferocious, she was only performing at a fraction of her abilities.

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