And someday, I'll be mighty and feared [Open]

[Waltz]

Simon;
Pupil of The Pure Bloods

_______________________________________

Simon smelled the ground, searching for any signs of his pack mates. He had hoped none would be here, since he wished for peace and quiet. Pack life could be so hectic at times, and it often left him in a daze. He even wondered what the life of a loner was, and if he would ever be free from his pack like those other canines. They were so lucky to not have impending dominance loom over you.

"I wish I was bigger than everyone else." Simon murmured wistfully, making sure no other who happened to be ease dropping would hear.

When the coast was clear, he trotted over towards one of the big trees. He liked the shade they gave him. They made him feel secure and protected when he was underneath them. When he was close to the trunk, he glanced around once more, before laying down. He was curled into a small ball. His eyes remained open, even though he was relaxing. But soon enough, his tiny eyes drooped until they were finally closed. A soft snore came from him, barely making a sound in this expansive place.

Inside his dreams, darkness appeared. It swallowed him whole, making his body shiver. He tried to run from it, yelling for it to go away. "Please! Go away, go away!" He yelped and wriggled in his dream, making his own body twitch. A soft whine escaped his muzzle as his dream went on. It was horrible for him. There was no light, nothing to keep the darkness away. Nothing.

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[katieo]

It was a clear summer day, warm and pleasant. The trees whispered softly as the wind weaved through them, making boughs bob slightly in the breeze. The forest was still other than the periodic rush of wind gusts that would barrel through the forest like a wave crashing over the land. Shadows crisscrossed the forest floor, softly swaying back and forth with the leaves overhead. A lone creature quietly slipped through the foliage, shadows dancing on her dark pelt. The dog was silent, a specter in the shadows of the trees. Her sense were on full alert, taking in every detail of her surroundings. This was why she heard a faint whimper and shuffling of fur across dirt and leaves. She tensed completely and slipped towards the sound silently.

Kitsune raised her pointed head above the undergrowth, peering at the base of a monstrous tree. There, pressed against the trunk, was a small dog deep in slumber. He let out a pitiful whimper and twitched violently, obviously dreaming about something unpleasant. Kitsune sniffed the air cautiously, relaxing as she realized that he was a pack member.

At that moment, the cruel female was tempted to leave the poor pupil where he was. He was obviously out here alone for a reason, and part of Kitsune wanted to see him wake up with that hilarious confused expression on his face. She could imagine him whimpering like a pup and shivering in the hollow wind. But he was a pack member and was the future of the pack, even if he was to close to a pup for her liking. Kitsune sighed as she weaved through the brush and sat in front of the pupil.

She nervously looked him over, unsure of how to kindly wake him up. Gently waking someone else was an oxymoron to Kitsune. She awkwardly lifted a paw and prodded his shoulder carefully.

"Hey. Hello? Hey." Kitsune repeated in a hushed tone. Growing impatient, she snarled in a loud tone, "Hey, wake up, kid!"

[Waltz]

Simon;
Pupil of The Pure Bloods

_______________________________________

With a sharp jolt, Simon bolted awake. He hadn't realized another pack member would come and bother him. But, in a way, he was glad. He wouldn't have been able to get out of that nightmare without this female's help.

He looked up at her, feeling uneasy by her towering over himself. She could easily sqish him if she wasn't careful. He scampered up to a sitting position, but kept himself closer to the ground. He would try to keep as subordinate to her as possible. He had this idea that if he kept himself as small as possible, no one would notice him.

"I-I'm sorry Kitsune, I didn't realize you were here." He all but whimpered. After a moment's silence, he decided to speak again. "So what brings you here today? I mean, you can do whatever you want, but I was, um, curious I guess." He stuttered. Simon didn't want her to think that he was rude or anything like that.

Simon inwardly scolded himself. He shouldn't have made an excuse for something so small as that. Kitsune wouldn't snap at him, would she? He knew she could be mean if she wanted to be, but surely she wouldn't do anything to him, right? Even though he tried to reason with himself, he couldn't help but think that she would if she damn well wanted to.

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[katieo]

The dark femme let out a sincere chuckle, thoroughly amused by Simon. He was pathetic, pressing himself the ground and stammering up to her. The only way a creature could get any more submissive would be rolling over onto his back and licking her face. His entire body seemed to scream I'm no dangerous, pay no mind to me! It was sad, really, the way he whimpered at the sight of a larger wolf. Of course, Kitsune didn't mind having a pack member at her paws, and if others saw Simon submitting to her, they might do the same.

Kitsune smiled wickedly and opened her mouth to egg him on when she paused. She had the strange urge to help him. He was a pack member and one day would be a full Comrade. And when that day came, he needed to know how to be a Comrade. If he continued with his sniveling behavior, he wouldn't be any use of the pack. Kitsune knew that the pack needed strong warriors and hunters, not dogs who were afraid of their own pack mates. If Simon continued with his displays of weakness, that was where he would end up.

"Kid, you sure crack me up." Kitsune barked at last, continuing to chortle as she saw his belly pressed against the dirt. Suddenly she let her tone grow firmer, but not too harsh so that he would listen to her words and not take it as a scolding. "Stand up straight!"

Kitsune then continued calmly, "Simon, you have been trained to hunt and fight, no? Or at least, the beginning of those skills, but there is another skill you have yet to fully understand. You see, there are times to submit, and times to strike out on your own. When a wolf in you pack is higher than you, you submit, it's true, but a full on show is not needed most of the time. The alpha you always show submission to, but others don't require full on shrinking. A simple flattening of the ears and turning of the head would suffice."

Kitsune demonstrated the motion to the pupil, trying not to laugh again. Of all dogs, she was certainly not the one most pack members would expect to be displaying submission to a pup. It wasn't real, though, and Kitsune knew that they both knew that. She then barked, "There will be a time when you are a comrade yourself and you will have to display your dominance over others. Let me tell you, have of it is just show. Remember that whenever you are a higher rank than someone, it is appropriate to show dominance or no one will respect you. Never attack some one from your pack, though, unless it's obvious that you are challenging each other. Dominance is shown by making your self big, not blood thirsty."

Kitsune smirked at Simon, "Sorry for preaching to you kid, but you had to know something about submission. You look like carrion, flattened to the ground in that way!"

[Waltz]

Simon;
Pupil of The Pure Bloods

_______________________________________

Simon blinked for a moment when he heard Kitsune's order. It then snapped inside of his mind, making him standing quickly. As she began to speak, he listened thoroughly. He tilted his head to the side a bit, confused. He wasn't introduced to another other skill yet? He didn't know there was another to know of. His mentor was responsible for teaching him these things, yet he didn't teach him this yet? His became alert again as Kitsune stopped her small speech. He took this moment to talk.

"I didn't know.." He trailed off for a moment, almost embarrassed. "I'm sorry," He apologized. "But I can't help it."

His chest hammered in anticipation, but not for the obvious reasons. He wanted to bark, howl, run, something! He needed to confess his feelings to someone and now. No ifs, ands or buts about. At the moment, he didn't care that he was talking to a larger pack member at all. And so, he burst.

"How can I make myself bigger? I'm smaller than a rabbit's offspring!" He practically yapped. "All I'm able to hunt are mice, and even with them its a wrestle to just get a bite on one." He started walking back and forth, wanting to say more. "Any one of my pack mates could easily step on me or maim me! Do you know how hard it is to avoid getting squished all day ever day?!"

After his outburst was done, Simon was panting. That took a lot of courage on his part, which made him partially proud. But, it also made him fearful of Kitsune. He didn't know how she would react to his feelings. Soon, his body slowly lowered to the ground before he caught himself. Kitsune had said to just show subordinance in smaller manners, right? And showing subordinance wasn't always needed. So instead of cowering, he pushed himself back to his regular stance, and looked at Kitsune's face. Though, he shied away from her eyes. He didn't want to see the possible anger.

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[katieo]

Kitsune's ears pricked with surprise when the pupil suddenly began to bark frustratedly. He was pouring out his feelings to her, which was not the reaction Kitsune had expected. Still, she listened as he explained why he always acted the way he did. It was perfectly understandable, he was so tiny, Kitsune herself was surprised that he hadn't been crushed yet. When he was through with his burst of thought, Kitsune barked calmly, "Kid, you don't have to be big to be respected. I mean, it sure does help, but most of your life is the way you look at things."

Kitsune watched with amusement as Simon began to lower into a crouch, then corrected himself. She noted that he still didn't make direct eye contact to avoid challenge, which was correct, and she nodded in approval, "That's the idea, you don't have to make yourself small all the time. And..."

The dark femme paused to lower herself down to his height so that she could talk to him face to face. She had realized that her height made him uncomfortable, and if she wanted him to learn anything, he couldn't be distracted by fear. "... a long time ago my half brother was a runt. He was small and weak and no one respected him at all. But you know what?"

Kitsune straightened back up again. "He grew up and became one of the biggest and strongest of everyone! And you know what? You kinda remind me of him."

[Waltz]

Simon;
Pupil of The Pure Bloods

_______________________________________

Simon stared at Kitsune as she lowered herself to his level. It was almost weird to Simon, for no dog has done that before. At least, to him. She then spoke of her brother. It almost confused him. So her brother was similar to him? A runt? He wasn't a runt, but was small enough to be. He listened as she went on about him, about how he became strong and big.

It took Simon a moment as he let this set inside of his mind. He already admired her brother, just from hearing her boast about him. Simon didn't really know what to say.

"I still don't know what to do. Each time I get close to a person of your size, I get scared. How can I be of use when I'm like that?" He paused for a moment. "I know that I have to work for becoming stronger, but I just.. I find it hard. Its like trying to climb a steep tree. And only birds can do that."

He looked up at the tree that was above them, still embarrassed of what he confessed. "I need wings." He murmured, his young voice squeaky. "If I had wings, I could soar to the top of that tree." He looked back to Kitsune. "That'd be wonderful, to be higher than the trees." He finished it with a small smile on his face.

Yes, Simon thought. It would be wonderful to be able to be higher than everyone else - even if for one moment. Yet, those wings were not on his body, making it impossible to be that high. Of course Simon was using birds and their wings as a metaphor. He preferred his own breed, and would never wish to be a bird in his life. Simon almost sighed. How did he get off topic?

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[katieo]

Kitsune smirked as the pupil brought up the idea of having wings. Yes, it would be pleasant to sour up over the trees high above the other canines of the island. Kitsune imagined herself soaring high above the earth, taunting the wolves who were trapped on land, he only companions being the birds. She could practically feel the wind ruffling her fur. She found herself murmuring softly, "We all wish we could fly..."

Kitsune shook her head to clear the strange thoughts from her mind. A dog flying? It was ridiculous. She was about to snap this out loud, but caught herself, not wanting to upset Simon. Instead she barked softly, "Be patient, Simon, you'll change. You're still a pup, it's too early for anything in your life to be set in stone."

The dark femme cocked her head to the side, worried that the pupil would still be upset. She sniffed the air, lifting her moist nose to the air. The forest around them teemed with life, she could sense creature all around them. A pair of birds nestled in the branches above, a mouse scuffling through the undergrowth. Suddenly, Kitsune's ears pricked up, she could hear the faint rustle of hooves in the grass and the smell of deer filled her nostrils. The female cast an excited glance at Simon, her heart already beginning to pound.

"Why don't we do a little hunting instead of all this boring talk?" Kitsune barked, leaping up into a hunting stance. "It was getting a little too emotional for my liking anyway."

And with that she slipped into the undergrowth at a break neck pace.

[Waltz]

Simon's ears perked up at Kitsune's suggestion of hunting. He was confused for a moment, until the delicious smell of deer passed by his nose. He took a long sniff, enjoying the smell. It made his stomach growl and his body alert for a chase.

"Alright, Kitsune." He agreed, just as she darted off. With a blink, he chased after her, just barely keeping her in sight. Thankfully, her scent was strong enough for him to smell if he ever got lost.

Soon, Simon caught sight of a young doe. It was limping, and for a moment, Simon's heart went out for it. That is, until his stomach made a lurch, demanding to be filled with the fresh meat of that doe's. Simon wanted to just jump at the deer, and start tearing into the flesh. However, he knew that was not a good tactic for when hunting. He cast a glance toward Kitsune, still intimidated by her size.

"I'm not sure how to, uh... attack that." he stuttered. He had good reason, too. He was only able to reach the knees of the doe. How was he supposed to make a good blow to it, if he couldn't even reach a good spot? It just confused him, and he needed answers.

[katieo]

Kitsune smirked. She had expected a question like that, she understood his confusion. The akita looked down at the little pupil and whispered in a sly voice, "Who said anything about attacking it? Simon, there are other ways to approach this. You have one of the loudest voices I've ever heard, you sound like a creature much larger."

Kitsune paused, glancing out at the doe and feeling her stomach rumble. The ensign then continued with her plan, "Simon, you are going to stay here while I sneak around to the other side of the doe since it's facing this way. When you see me get into a hunting crouch, yelp as loud as you possibly can and make a loud crashing noise in the ferns. This will scare the doe right towards me so that I can bring it down. Do you get it now? I mean, I have to be blunt, there isn't anyway you are going to be dragging down a full grown doe, whether it is injured or not."

Kitsune was one who voiced what she thought and assumed that others would agree. If they didn't they were just ignorant and couldn't see the truth. So the fact that all this time Kitsune hadn't simply insulted Simon of his height really said something. The akita made sure the pupil understood before slipping into the undergrowth.

She slowly slunk around the doe, all senses on high alert. This part was the most important because if the deer ran the would lose it, or worse, it would run towards Simon and trample him. Kitsune pushed that image out of her mind a focused, finally settling into a crouch behind the grazing doe. There she waited, muscles coiled up, for Simon to begin the hunt.