How can I make a Man out of You?

[verbera]

The wind blowing past her was all Verbera could hear. Her sea green eyes were squinted almost shut from the speed of the winds. She wasn't going all that fast either, but something at stirred the winds in the area, and far in the distance she could just see the makings of a storm. Perhaps Seina has gone for a walk Verbera mused. After all, where the air Caelestis walked the winds were supposed to follow.

She pulled her left wing in, sending her spinning through the air, and out of her reverie. Her mind needed to be on business, on training. Ugh, even the thought made her wince. She wasn't sure she could do this, not that she would ever raise a fuss about the decision of course. But, she was sure that at least part of the reason she'd been chosen to mentor Ritsuka was because they both had wings. Never mind the fact that his didn't work, but wingless wolves sometimes couldn't make the distinction for whatever inane reason.

This time it was her right wing that she pulled in to spin her about. Really she was far too distracted today, an unusual occurrence and one that hadn't come at a worse time. On the first day of real training. But she didn't have anymore time to prepare, there was the lightning struck tree that they had agreed to meet by after being paired up. She'd just have to wing it... oh dear god that was a pun.

Verbera growled deep in her throat, an echoing sound that managed to make itself heard for an instant over the wind, and closed her wings to her sides, as if it was possible that she could escape that terrible pun by diving. However there was a first time for everything, even if this wasn't it. Because as her wings flared out, jerking her diving body to a stop a few scant feet from the ground, she was still preoccupied with berating herself over it, only coming back to herself once her wings were furled. Now, where was he?

[Ritsuka]

He couldn't believe it. His first day of training and he was late. He didn't know Verbera very well at all but, he hoped to dear Dargan that she wouldn't be too mad with him. The soft pattering of his pawsteps was the only sound he could hear as he ventured deeper into the dark terrains of Riuna. Where did she say to meet? Ritsuka whipped his head left and right as he bounded through the haze, looking for the she-wolf. Ah! The Tree! He almost jumped in joy as he remembered and immediately sped up to an even brisker pace as he focused on finding his mentor.

Although he was happy to be training today, he felt a bit displeased. His body was sore and battered with bruises just below his russet, orange fur and a large gash on his tail stung so intensely that his mind bubbled in distraction to it's pain. He let out a troubled sigh and continued to lurk about, he knew it would interfere with his training. Crap. There she was, just abroad the small sloping hill stood Verbera and the tree. He glared at the stupid tree and trudged onward to his mentor. Hello, Verbera. I... Sorry I'm late, he did not look her in the eyes and instead stared at her wings, resentment pricking at him like needles as he knew that her wings worked.

The sky seemed to only be getting darker, from the time he left to where he was now, it was considerably more black than before. He wondered for a second of how Adair wolves lived with such bright skies... His attention snapped back and out of his thoughts, Ritsuka looked at Verbera for some sort of introduction or something as his new teacher. She's kind of pretty, he frowned, embarrassed to even be thinking such things.

[verbera]

He wasn't anywhere around here. Did he forget where to meet? she thought for a moment, but then she picked up the scent of another wolf nearby. They had to be, in the heavy air scent didn't travel far. She didn't know Ritsuka well enough to realize immediately it was him, but after another deep sniff she was relatively sure. So she waited patiently for him to arrive, her eyes straying constantly to the horizon, where angry dark clouds were brewing. What an awesome way to start their training.

Yay.

She sighed, one wing claw reaching up reflexively to scratch her temple as she tried to focus. Luckily, Ritsuka turned up before she could get off track again. She was taken aback somewhat by his manner. His words were reasonable enough, after all, he WAS late. But why wasn't he looking her in the ey- oh. Her's had found his wings. Small, pretty, and useless. She furled her wings a little tighter, as if that would be enough to hide their massive size. And quickly tried to think of something to say, she didn't want to dwell on the fact that her being his mentor would probably hurt him. To always be faced with something he couldn't have.

"No worries. I got here only a few minutes ago myself, the winds were bad." somehow, she managed to finish that sentence without having it die in her throat. Wasn't that the worst thing she could have said? She suppressed a nervous cough and continued, "Anyways, that's in the past. There's nothing we can change." she smiled at him, hoping that he'd look her in the eyes. "The Medi didn't really tell me all that much, but I know you can make Mind Shields? Have you been trained at all in them?" She felt herself falling into the rhythm she always had when giving a report, is was a comfortable feeling. She hoped she could stay in it for awhile more.

But she wasn't sure as she started cataloging her new apprentice. He was small, not that that was bad. She wasn't large either. But he also seemed rather scrawny. His coat and markings are fetching though. Not that it mattered of course...

Well, he might be small, but he must like a fight. she continued, noticing the somewhat awkward way he held himself and the large cut on his tail. She wondered who he'd been fighting, but it was probably best not to ask. Perhaps just a lashing out of anger? His mother had died recently.

Verbera wondered what that was like. Which might be a strange thing considering her own mother was dead. But she'd never known her, never spoken to her or even suckled from her. Venecia was just a phantom, given life only by the memories her father told her. To loose something solid, something- far away thunder rolled, and Verbera found herself struggling out of yet another random trail of thought. Man, she was having a terrible day.

[Ritsuka]

Ritsuka squinted his eyes hard at his teacher, unsure of whether she was trying to upset him or if she was just extremely mindless. Either way, he let her comment slide, he wasn't one to hold a grudge after all and he was used to having such mediocre abilities.

I haven't really been trained at all with my Mind Shield... power... magic thing. I can't find anyone else back at camp who has it to give me any pointers, so I've kinda just been messing around with it. Ritsuka tilted his head to the side as he thought about what he can do with this 'Mind Shield'. He looked up at Verbera's green eyes and focused hard in his mind, on what he wanted to create. His brow deepened and his tail swung 'round in a slow, clock-wise circle until a small, faint, light red--almost pink--paper-thin, circular wall materialized into the air before him. He held the pathetic excuse of a shield up in front of him for a while longer and then let his tail drop back down, in which let break and distort the red image until it quickly dissipated back into the nasty ol' heavy air of Riuna. ... We have a long day ahead of us, he mumbled, kicking dirt with his paw.

He dragged his gaze back up to search his mentors face, but he couldn't read what ever the female was thinking... Wait, what is she..? What in hell is she staring at? He glared up at her and followed her gaze until--Ahem. Ritsuka quickly withdrew his tail from out of her sight and felt a frail stab at his gut as a flashback of his mother played back in his head. So what are you going to teach me today? He asked demanded. I just to want to hurry and get today over with.