Dayax had woken up long before the sun began to shine it's light upon the trees. It was still dark out, but the faint glow of the impending day was present in the lower parts of the sky. She wanted to start warming up early so she would be full of energy and ready to train once the other warriors woke. She would never tell anyone, but she was sluggish and slow to fully gain consciousness when she woke up. So, she began waking up earlier and taking on an extra warm up routine to compensate for it. It was an unfortunate weakness that she had come to terms with. It was a trait that followed her throughout her life. She had fond memories of being a very small cub next to her mother who would be calling her name and trying to gently nudge her awake. Besides, it was peaceful and quiet in these early hours when most of the pride was sleeping. She knew that there were guardians here and there, charged with protecting the pride during the night, but they were mostly hidden along the borders out of her sight and they were as silent as the night itself. There was still the illusion of being alone, but knowing that she wasn't gave her a blanketed sense of security and comfort.
The silver lioness looked up to the guardians and aspired to be like them in her daily practice. She was honestly not sure if she would be up to the task of being a pair of silent watchful eyes without growing tired or bored. It would take her more time to acquire that level of discipline and diligence. Dayax sighed to herself, she wasn't always sure that she was up to the challenge of taking on the responsibility of guardianship. Even though she knew that she shouldn't compare herself to her sister warriors, she couldn't help but feel like she fell short of them. The masters taught them all that every female had unique strengths and weaknesses and that everyone brought and took something from the whole of them. Dayax sometimes felt that she took more than brought.
No matter, she was proud to be one of the warriors that gave the pride it's strength and she was proud to do what she could for the others in her home. She wandered through the lands during her free hours and helped out wherever ways she could. Now and then she would even find herself chasing down a cub or two, which she would not deny was a fun and enjoyable way to help out and spend time. It also helped her to socialize and get to know everyone. It was important for warriors to develop bonds and relationships with those that they were responsible for protecting. It ultimately brought greater strength to their community. This is why warriors were taught to keep their hearts full of power and love, because it was ultimately for the love of their people and homeland that they trained hard and stayed strong.
This was what Dayax lived and breathed for. This was what drove her. This was her warrior way. This was why she was up so damn early in the morning.
The lioness crept silently away from the caves and down the slop that they sat upon. She padded her way across the field and across the river toward the training grounds. Once she got there, she sat in an elevated area away from the sparring pit where they meditated. Dayax took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly tuned out her own worrisome thoughts and only perceived what was around her. She heard the faint rustling of the wind, the skittering sounds of the various small creatures running through the grass, the very silence of the night, and her own slow breaths. The slower and deeper she breathed, the further she seemed to fall into a world of her very own creation where everything was still, centered, and at peace. When Dayax had first began her training as a young adolescent girl, she'd had a very difficult time staying awake during meditative training exercises. Of course, she had greatly improved since her younger days.
Dayax stayed in this state for a only a short while, ensuring that she was at peace and had clarity in her mind and heart. She silently prayed to become stronger and make wise decisions in her daily life. Feeling energetic, Dayax slowly pulled herself back to the present moment and slowly blinked her eyes open. Increasing her breathing pattern to a normal rate, the lioness rose gracefully and began to stretch out her limbs and body. It was important to maintain an agile and flexible body, ready for anything and any moment. After stretching, she spent some time warming up her muscles and generally getting pumped up for the day. She went through the moves of a form that she'd learned recently, she'd been practicing to get better at it. It was a form that demonstrated both the grace and the force that the warrior was capable of. Dayax loved watching the masters move through the motions of the more complex forms that they knew. They always held such power and focus in their bodies as they moved like water through the air.
One day, it would be her that could move like that, but for now she was happy just being a warrior at all. Her time would come eventually, she knew. Even though she had attained adulthood, she was still a young lioness and had a lot to learn. With that thought in her head, she darted into the surrounding trees and took off on her early run. Running always got her blood pumping and her adrenaline flowing. After a slow warm up, it was the burst of energy that she needed to get the rest of her day going. As Dayax weaved through the roots and branches with excitement in her eyes, she envisioned herself as a powerful master teaching her skills to younger generations.
It would happen one day.
