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 Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:09 pm
His paws had healed in spite of the fact that he'd never once stopped to allow them to do so, he'd not had the time. His pack had needed him, and he refused to lie down and give up when his duty called to him. His successes had been...limited. For all his questing down in the flatlands, he'd only managed to find a mother and her one remaining young son to join them. But they were both willing and able souls, and while Vashti might need a little growing up and a lesson in fibs, neither were petty or cruel.
And the pack had needed their help. Of course, that didn't mean the fatherless pup had had anyone much to teach him. Not all approved of the rogues being brought in, the strangers who would learn their ways. But Aheero knew it to be necessary, and Vorona had approved. No one could go against the Queen, not when the spirits were already so riled up. But that still left the little green dog with no mentor, at least for a while.
But Aheero was returned to the pack again now, and once he dropped off the mountain hare he'd caught for his friend Kurroa, who was both too proud to admit weakness and too busy with her dead mate's newborns to hunt on her own, he sought out the youngster he'd brought back only a short time ago.
"Vashti," he called, loping lightly towards the young dog, "Do you have some time on your paws?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:27 pm
 Vashti sat on a large flat rock looking over the slow running stream. It was so fluid, so graceful, so .... boring. He wasn't quite sure why people saw water so beautiful, it was just a drink running away. He rested his head on his paws, softly licking the mark on his paw, in jest that it would rub off. He closed his eyes, the noise of the stream, the sound of the mountain, the call of the air, it relaxed the restless dog.
His mind drifted to his puppyhood, his odd upbringing, his pranks and jokes. He missed his care-free days. Now he had that which he never wanted. Responsibilities. This, however, could be argued as a fair trade off, in exchange for companionship, food, and a purpose. He just didn't want to be bothered with ... responsibility.
His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. Aheero. Vashti had nothing against Aheero, in fact he respected him quite a bit, but he and Vashti never really saw eye to eye on the idea of loyalty and such, at least to their pack. Vashti wasn't one to "stick around," but unsuccessful hunts and sheer dependance has kept him from leaving. "Why, yeah," Vashti answered, "I'm actually really bored." He pulled himself to his paws, "What's up?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:34 pm
Aheero sighed slightly at Vashti's decleration of boredom. It was hardly the young dog's fault that there were scarcely any near his own age at all. Aheero and his generation were a bit too old to play with he supposed, and Kurroa's pups...well. They were so young they'd not even opened their little eyes yet, and had not been granted names. He'd not seen them himself, but he could smell them. And it wasn't unallowed in the pack, for a female that was completely alone to be provided for by family. Her mate would have hunted for her, but he was dead. Her sisters would have helped, but they were dead. Aheero was as close as family could come without blood, and with the pack in the mess it was in, not a word had been uttered regarding his casual actions.
Well, not regarding Kurroa. About the rogues he brought back...
"Your coming of age ceremony will be soon. I thought we might practice so you'll survive it." The dog's tone was teasing, but his eyes were serious. He was aware of Vashti's failed hunts, he'd heard the not-so-quiet mutters about a useless mouth to feed. Surviving on his own for a week might be a challenge at his current level though, something Aheero planned to address.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:46 pm
Vashti sighed at the mention of the coming of age ceremony. This again? he rolled his eyes, really? He was tired of hearing about this forsaken ceremony. It's not like he was frightened by it ... cause he wasn't. He was far from ready for it, and he hadn't been received well by a few members. and it might have had a bit to do with his 'failure' as a pack member.
Something about 'staying alive' brought back his attention. "Yeah ... it is soon, isn't it?" He would be lying to say that he was ready for his coming of age, both physically and mentally. He didn't want to be 'tied down.' Maybe it was a lack of freedom that scared him the most, more than any creature he may run into or any drought he might endure.
"What kind of practice?" he asked, eying the dog suspicously. What did he want from Vashti. What did he expect? As much as he enjoyed that which the pack provided, he had to ask himself, Is it worth it?
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 1:54 pm
"Hunting. Pathfinding. A little herblore. Some basic combat. Things you'll need to know to make a good ranger." And also not die on his trial. That too. "Come with me," Aheero told the youngster, his tone warm rather than curt or sharp as most seemed to be in regard to talking to the rogues. Aneen seemed to be managing well enough, but she was a well-adjusted adult, competent and quiet. Vashti was young and a bit less quiet...and less competent. That was not his fault entirely, he needed a teacher was all.
And maybe a friend too.
He turned and padded down along the side of the large ledge that held some of the dens, pausing to glance over his scarred shoulder to ensure that the youngster was coming.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 2:08 pm
Vasti followed with a degree of reluctance. "Hey," he protested, "I can find a path, I can lore ... an ... herb," he paused rethinking his answer. "Yeah!" It wasn't so bad that he was the worst member in the pack, he didn't even mind being 'trained' by someone who's technically the same rank (even though he's older). He just took offense to being talked down to and patronized. Aheero probably didn't mean to, objectively, he might not even be talking down to him, Vashti was just bothered by the whole situation.
Vashti also didn't like being dragged along, without knowing where they're going. "Where are we going?" He asked, eying the surroundings. This might not have been too far from their grounds, or even from where he had just been lying. He never took too much time to pay attention to forests, streams, mountains, and plains. To be honest, he didn't really care.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 2:14 pm
"We are going to a quieter place for you to practice in without an audience I doubt you want," Aheero replied, pausing to let the youngster catch up so that they might walk nearer to side by side rather than Vashti feeling like a tag-a-long. He was a bit old for that after all. "It isn't much further, don't worry," Aheero added as he led the young dog down a steep incline. "Mind your step there," he added, not desiring this lesson to involve what a cracked skull felt like. It was a narrow ledge they walked along now, Aheero's steps quick and sure in spite of the dizzying drop into the clouds below.
It wasn't too far before the ledge opened up again, leading them through a small brush-filled crevice until the tight confines opened into the many hidden mini-valleys of the mountains.
"Here we are," Aheero nodded, walking boldly into the small grassy field and turning to face the youngster that had been following him. "Are you ready?" He had not bothered to mention that part of the training would be returning home...
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 2:33 pm
Well, at least he understood that Vashti didn't want to be entertainment for those who considered him to be the pack jester. He looked around, the woods and mountains, nothing seemed even remotely interesting or outstanding. He allowed Aheero to travel beside him, picking his pace up a bit. Not much further? he queried, Not much longer either, at least he hoped. He wasn't quite sure why this esteemed Ranger would bother with such a low-level ranger, such as Vashti.
They finally arrived, as Vashti looked around, cocking an eyebrow in an unimpressed expression. "As ready as I guess I'll be," he sighed. He really didn't want to do this. He rethought all the reasons he lied to himself. It's stupid, its pointless, its too easy, its too ... everything else. He sighed, as the other dog attempted to ease Vashti into the process. "Lets get this started," and over with.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 2:38 pm
Aheero surveyed the impatient young dog before him before nodding. "Alright then. Describe the clearing."
It sounded simple. It probably sounded dumb. But there was more to the question than 'it's a field with grass in it and some trees'. Aheero could hear birdsong dotting the rustle of the leaves in the breeze that brought with it traces of the small mountain-hopping klipsingers that they often hunted. Tiny flowers flecked the grass with color, and some of the paler leaves in the field belonged to a minty plant that was good for dealing with upset stomachs. The sun was warm now, but the sky rolled with wisps of cloud that promised rain tomorrow or the next sunup.
But what, the ranger wondered, would Vashti say?
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:12 pm
"Describe the clearing?" Vashti repeated. He burst out laughing. "That's a good one!" His uncontrolled laugh echoed across the clearing. He rolled onto his back, his tongue hanging out the side of his cheek. He looked at the other wild dog, who's expression hadn't changed. "Oh," He pulled his tongue back into mouth, and rolled back over. "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Well", he got to his paws, and looked around the area. "it's a field with grass in it and some trees," he said wearily, and maybe a place to take a nap. But Aheero probably wanted something more, something deeper. "Perhaps something more than just the tree and the grass." He thought a moment. "Perhaps it is an adventure waiting to be found, maybe the birthplace of a family, or even the place of a great battle, our fathers fought long ago."
Maybe that was good enough. Hopefully it would be.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 3:47 pm
Aheero watched patiently as Vashti laughed and rolled about on the ground like a foolish pup. He waited, his expression cool and serious, until the youngster realized he was serious. His expression still didn't change as the young dog blurted out the obvious, though he exhaled through his nose a bit sharply when he stopped there.
Apparently the youth thought a bit better of it though. At least he was thinking about something, though it only played into the tall tales Aheero had heard him spin before.
"Perhaps it might be those things," Aheero agreed after a moment. "But what else? Reach out with your senses, discover what they can tell you..." he coaxed, wondering if he was merely wasting his time here as the others seemed to think.
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Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 4:27 pm
At first, Vashti's answer didn't sit well, but his additions may have helped him, at least a little. Aheero's demeanor changed from his stern stare to being a bit more well received. Perhaps he has serious, at lest more serious than Vashti thought he was. He gulped, looking up at the elder, hoping this would be good enough, hopefully Vashti was good enough.
"Senses?" Vashti repeated. What were the senses? Sight, smell, sound, taste and touch, right? He took a whiff of the air around him, closing his eyes in further concentration. He could pick up the scent of some dogs that had passed through. He could also smell blood. "There was a kill here, I can smell the blood" he whispered. "I hear the faint brush of leaves, I can see the faint view of paw prints, and a splatter of blood on the log over there."
He shook his head, looking at the dog. He didn't even think that, he spoke through what he felt, what he sensed. This ... was ... weird.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:01 am
Better. So much better. Aheero nodded slightly as Vashti spoke, his own breaths carrying the information through him. He could feel it prickle in his fur, his whole being acutely aware of the world around him. It was in this way that he'd found the dens, it was in this way that he traveled along the mountain, his paws racing with no fear along even the most perilous of chasms. The mountain was his guide with the sky watching over him always. Each and every sense tied him to the world and the spirits that governed it.
"Well done," he murmured to the young dog. "What you feel now is the world as it was meant to be felt. If you can make every moment, every breath, in this clarity, then you will be able to begin to understand what it means to be a ranger." The solemn expression faded then, and the dog grinned, "It'll be much harder to get bored too," Aheero added with a chuckle.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:43 pm
Vashti felt a wave of relief when Aheero approved of his answer. Finally, he did something right. It was more than just relief, it felt more like a blessing. He smiled slightly at Aheero's remarks, and laughed at his small joke. Maybe Aheero wasn't as bad as Vashti assumed. He was always the 'hero' or the 'one Vashti should aspire to.' It bothered him, but it was something he just dealt with. But now it seemed like his advice was worth taking and perhaps knowing Aheero was more and more of a blessing.
"Yeah," he added, "Let's hope so, I'm bored too much as it is." He pounced up, looking up at the elder cheerfully. "What else are you going to teach me? Hunting? Fishing? Sneaking? Tracking? Which one? Huh? Huh?" Excitement filled him, he'd never felt this way before. Everything seemed pointless before, and now it's like the world opened up all over again. He was enchanted with his 'new powers' as well as his new master.
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Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:51 pm
Aheero grinned and then laughed outright at the younger dog's antics. He seemed to be eager to learn now, that was good. He'd learn how to do it, and then he'd be ready to join the pack as a proper adult. A responsible, hard-working member of their pack. He had a long way to go though, but now that he had Vashti's attention Aheero had a feeling he'd manage to teach him a good deal more. At least the sarcastic remarks were going to be lessened now that he could see the ranger had things worth learning.
"Something like tracking I suppose, though it's more like what we've been doing. Remember what I said about being attentive to the world around you?" Aheero asked, pausing long enough for the other dog to nod before continueing. "It's an extension of that. The next task before you is... to go back to the dens." And with that, Aheero twisted and sprinted out of the small field, vanishing with expert ease. To Vashti's eyes, ears, and, once the ranger had finished rolling in the mint and mud he'd scouted out prior to the lesson, nose, Aheero would have vanished. Not that he'd gone too far, he'd keep an eye on this pup.
But Vashti wouldn't know that. He was supposed to think he was alone. He grinned when he remembered how his father had tried to do this to him only to learn that, while attending to his Knightly duties, his son had been exploring the whole of the mountainside on his own. Father had been so surprised and so proud... he missed him. Did Vashti miss his father?
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