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 Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 10:09 am
To say Claude was tired would be an understatment. He had teaching gigs all day long. Don't get him wrong, he loved what he did. Training Lady and Sir Knights was a dream vocation for him. But he'd been at it all day. Now he was at the river which marked the halfway mark between his last student's home and his. Perhaps a quick dip to clean off wouldn't be such a bad plan. He was, afterall, dirty and sweaty from his classes. The vast majority of his students really had a fervor for learning this stuff, and put up more than a decent fight. In fact, he had a few good bruises and bite marks. He laughed at the memory of the day fondly, proud of every one of his students.
The cool water was like a tonic to him. It washed away sweat and caked on dirt easily as well as the aches from constant movement. He sighed and sunk into the water easily. Maybe not a -quick- dip. Perhaps he'd just sit in the water for a while and relax. Gods knew he deserved it after today. Tomorrow was set to be a great deal slower. Just one class, then a day to himself. He'd like that. Maybe he'd find Istas and take her to the beach. She'd been so upset about his hawk Genevive latley, that she deserved the alone time with him. Maybe he'd just nap... who knew. The point was that he wasn't looking for any great adventure tomorrow.
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 7:16 pm
Alyssum trotted towards the nearby river, half-panting from the effects of her morning run. She had set out with no specific goals in mind, willing to let the day take her where it may. However, before she had given too much thought to the situation, the summer heat had begun to get to her, taking her gallop down to a slower pace until she could reach the cool drink her body craved. Maybe even take a dip - that would feel good, and then when the heat drop she could continue her explorations.
She blinked whenever she saw that the water was already occupied by a Soquili she had never seen before, one that seemed out of place in a wet element. He was all reds and yellows, oranges and golds, like a moving forest fire. "Won't the water hurt your feathers, Fire Bird?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:21 pm
Claude looked to his sides, thinking that maybe Benevive had appeared out of nowhere, as she often did, and was beign adressed. He furrowed his brow and looked at the mare speaking. He had to smile. Genevive looked more like a ball of fire than he did. She acted more like it to. He bowed his head in respect to her and preened his wings a bit before he waded over. He found it highly impolite to shout from an uncomfortable distance. His family was often upset with him for scolding them for shouting across the camp. Honestly, it was just as easyto get up and walk over before speaking. It was easier on the ears and the voice.
Once at an easier distence he said comfortabley, "I'm no fire bird, though I thank you for the concern. I am merely a wind Souquili, looking for a bath before I must retire home. Might I ask what you're doing out here so late?" Claude was not aware of any camp out in the forest, however, he's been wrong before.
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:59 am
Alyssum watched the red and orange stallion emerge from the water and silently disagreed with him. He WAS a fire bird, but she didn't press the name further. She knew it fit him, and that was all that really mattered.
"Late?" She repeated, turning her eyes up towards the sky. Sure enough, the sun was in a much lower position than she had thought, and the chocolate mare wondered just how long she had been running! She had taken to the activity as a way of releasing energy; maybe because she's been doing it more often than usual, she was getting better at it? She saved this question for another time, turning her full attention and curiosity back to the stallion before her.
She gave a toss of her head to indicate the nearby forest, "I live near here, and I was just going for a run. I guess it took longer than I thought... I didn't realize it had gotten late. What are you doing out here?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:08 pm
Claude flittered his wings to rid them of excess water and smiled at her as he passed. It was amusing whever something was pointed out, unbeknownst to the second party. It always struck Claude as cute. However, he was impressed that she could run so very far for so long and not know about it. He nodded, conceeded that he knew the feeling, however, and he did. "I was not aware this was anyone's territory, forgive me." He bowed his head again. He hadn't meant to intrude. He followed her gaze upward with a small smile. "Yes, it's been rather a long day for me, and I'd like to get home soon and sleep. I've been teaching my students. Surprisingly, it takes a bit of a toll on me. this forest is the halfway point between my home and my farthest student. I touched down becasue I was sweaty, and didn't want my mother to see me this dirty, she'd have a fit," he said with a chuckle
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2009 5:32 pm
Alyssum tilted her head in confusion, her cream tail swishing gently behind her as she corrected the stallion's statement, "It's not mine. I just live in the forest - I think it belongs to everybody. I've never heard of anyone saying it's theirs, anyway."
Her purple eyes gleamed whenever the other mentioned teaching, and she immediatly asked, "What kinds of things do you teach? I'd love to learn something!"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Aug 01, 2009 3:15 pm
Claude had to laugh at her excitment. He replaced a few ruffled feathers carefully and answered. "I teach mostly foals on how to defend themselves. I do work with adults, but they're not keen on learning new things, most of the time. I also teach those who have no one else on the ways of thier kind. I have traveled far and know much. I can teach a Unicorn to heal. I can teach a Flutter to change thier size. I can teach those with wings to fly. Granted, it's different for Flutters than for Winds." He laughed at memories known only to him. He shook his head softly. "What is it you wish to learn, Ma'am? I can teach whatever you want."
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Posted: Sun Aug 02, 2009 9:58 pm
Alyssum stared at the winged Soquili, her cream tail swishing as she spoke in a disappointed tone. "Well... I'd love to learn to fly, but I can't. I don't have wings like you or some of the others I've met, and I've never seen anything that was able to fly without them. So I guess that's out."
However, as fun as flying sounded, the chocolate mare had to admit that having her hooves on good, solid earth would probably always be more to her liking. She'd never know for sure, but the thought brightened her demeanor as she focused on the earlier part of Claude's description. "Defense? Like... how to fight off bad people or dangerous things?"
Because... she could certainly use some of that. She winced in the memory of her first "fight" with the old goat, at how useless she had been whenever she and Laurelin had confronted Chimalsi in his cave home. She had been lucky so far, but how long would her luck hold out? "Because if that's what you mean, it actually sounds like something that'd be good for me to learn."
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 1:35 pm
Claude nodded slowly. Many times he's taught those who wished to learn defence, claiming only to need it to fend off demons, and then he'd had to put them in thier place for brawling. "Yes... but I teach my students only to use my teachings as a last resort, when running won't work..." He narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't like working with adults. They had predispositions, formulated ideas, and set-in-stone ideals. Foals were still new, he could impress upon them the need to flee whenever possible. You pride will live again, but you never will. "Exactly why do you need to learn defense? It's good for everyone to learn... but only when the situation calls for it." It was true, she didn't look like a brawler. But niether did a lot of the students he'd been decieved by. Yes, it was true he'd probably end up teaching her regardless, that was attributed to his good heart. But he could at least go out knowing that he did try to make sure she didn't use it for her own gain.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2009 10:27 pm
Alyssum tilted her head, slightly taken aback by the stallion's sudden questioning. Wasn't the desire to learn enough? Did there have to be a reason other than that? Obviously the winged Soquili was testing her. Her purple eyes hardened as she dug a black hoof into the soil. So be it; she had never backed down from a challenge before.
"I'm not going to go around picking fights, if that's what you mean. I've just been in some tough spots before where knowing how to hold my own would've been helpful. Like when I ran into this old goat with red hair that attacked me. All I could do was flail my front legs and bite at him, hoping to do some fend him off. Or... when I put myself in front of a friend just in case she got attacked. It would just... be nice to know. I've managed to get out thus far, but maybe one day I'll run into a situation where my luck runs out..."
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:53 am
Claude considered her carefully. She seemed sincere enough, but as usual with adults who wished to learn to fight, he was cautious. He nodded slowly, weighing out his options. Finally he gave a concrete nod and looked at her gently. He stepped from the water gingerly, avoiding patches of mud, and gently shook out his mane. "You will probably be my eldest student. You will be treated like my other charges, and that meas conditioning as well as training. Often we will be running the mountain pass. As you grow stronger we'll run it multiple times. I will shout at you. You will obey me without question. You will be inegrated into my family in a very real way, and in so doing, you will learn to trust me as more than your teacher, as I will you. When the time comes to leave me and go out on your own, you will always run when you need to. Your pride can be nursed back to life... you cannot. Am I unerstood?" He spoke harder now. He was taking on a student, and this was how he spoke to them. He loved them all as children and siblings, but he had to be tough when it called for it.
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Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 9:17 pm
The dappled mare snorted as the fiery stallion emerged from the water. Running? Psh. He'd have to try harder than that to scare her. She had already begun building stamina unintentionally ever since her first winter, too used to the excercise once needed to keep her warm to stop just because the weather grew warm.
However, other parts came harder. Shouted at? What if she hadn't done anything wrong - did she still deserve to be shouted at? Obey without question? Her natural curiousity immediatly burbled at the injustice of that requirement. As for family... well, she already had one! No matter what this winged stallion could teach her, he would never be as her father, mother, or siblings were to her. Especially not just because he said he was. But maybe he'd be a good friend, at least.
Alyssum couldn't deny that she needed to learn these techniques, and there had to be a price for learning. Her outspoken nature, however, demanded she rebutt, and her own voice hardened to match the stallion's tone, "I'm willing to to do what you say, but I don't like doing things without knowing why. It makes me feel like you think I'm stupid. I'm not asking for any special treatment just... I'm not a kid, you know? I promise I won't fight unless I absolutely have to, but you've got to trust that I'll keep my promise. You've got to have some kind of trut in me, or I don't think this'll work. I'll give my best shot if you'll give yours. Is that good enough?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:52 pm
Claude smiled and nodded. "I do, of course. But you deserve to know what you're in for before we get started. I supposed I should elucidate on my points. But walk with me while we talk. I'd like to get to a clearing I train in so I may understand how well you fight now." He jerked his head west with a smile and headed off, trusting the mare was behind him. "The mountain pass is rugged and unsteady. The rocks are often loose, however, if there is trouble I'll warn you. There will be times when I shout at you. It won't be because I'm angry with you. It takes quite a lot to upset me when it comes to those I care about. It is because I have a knack for accidentally getting myself into upsetting situations, and you may be with me when that happens. This also coinsides with obeying me. When we're taining, challenge me. Ask me questions about what we're doing. But if I do get us into trouble and I tell you to run you had sure as hell better run. As for my family, in order to get you up to where you should be, we'll be spending a great deal of time together. In doing so a bond of trust will form. I will depnd on you, and you will me. At least, that's where I hope to end up. It makes it easier to teach when you have that bond with your students. It also means that you trust me not to become upset when you ask me questions I may not like, or challenge my veiws or what I'm trying to teach you."
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:27 pm
Alyssum nodded her assent and followed Claude when he began to move. It seemed that her point had gotten across, and she was grateful. She really wanted to learn from someone experienced, but she couldn't deny who she was at the same time, right? That'd be too hard on both of them. Better to get any objections out in the open all at once.
When the stallion began to speak, she listened carefully, straining to hear him over the crunch of rocks beneath their hooves. She did not like for her feet to leave the more solid ground for this uneven terrain, but she placed her trust in her guide and continued going forward. As he continued to speak, she admitted that much of what he said made sense. If he only yelled at her when something seriously wrong was happening, then she'd know to be prepared. Not run - she'd never run from a challenge, and even if she did, what kind of mare would she be if she ran while her teacher stayed behind? Still, he didn't need to know that. Or... well, maybe he did, she thought with a frown. Yes, she'd tell him as much, once he was through. It wasn't in her nature to be dishonest.
Open permission to ask questions turned her sullen expression bright again. Though she usually asked whatever questions she wanted, it was always nice to have permission, and she began as soon as he stopped speaking, "But... if you get into trouble, why ask me to leave? Who's going to help you get out of trouble if I run?"
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Quicksilver the Archangel
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Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:51 pm
Claude turned and smiled. "You are my chrage now. My responsilibity. As such, if it my duty to make sure that while under my tutalage you stay out of harms way. It's more of a personal obligation. I'd tear myself apart before I let one of my students come to harm. I've been around more than you, my dear. I can take care of myself, and by the time the moon is again at this phase, you will as well." He stopped in an open glade as rocks suddenly gave way to grass. He trotted over to the small inlet from the river and took a sip. "This is where we will meet each day," he said as he lifted his head to look at her. "This is where I train all of my students, and when you graduate, this is where you will meet all of those I am teaching as well. A celebration of sorts." He smiled gently at the thought, though bitter lonliness bit at his heart at the thought of losing his young pupils. He pulled himself from his thoughts, however, and turned to her again. "What I want you to do now is run at me as hard as you can and try to inflict as much damage as possible. I need to see how much you can do naturally."
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