Scary Monsters [bhu] }{ and Nice Sprites

[I L Y I C H]

I'd gathered Ryan into my services earlier in the morning, telling him my plans. We'd let the children sleep for a little while longer but today would be a day to prepare them. I wasn't entirely sure if they were truly planning to leave but if they were I would not have them going off on their own knowing I hadn't done anything to get them ready for life. Really I was idly disappointed that I'd had to bribe Ryan into helping. Really though it wasn't that much of a surprise. Poor guy just wasn't really a kid person despite having claimed Ray as his own. Secondary reasons for booking it early. I'd really rather not have Ray tag along, especially when I had to uphold my promise of keeping Kara off of Ryan's person. The little girl seemed to have simply gravitated to the strongest presence in our party and sadly for poor Ryan that had been him. Not that she seemed to mean any harm by it. The child was high energy and at times didn't really seem to register that she was getting on anyone's nerves. She would step away every now and again weekly apologetic but she forgot just as quickly and was right back.

It was endearing to me but I guess Ryan wasn't quiet as amused.

Shrugging my shoulders I strode carefully over to where the little supposed devil was sleeping, tucked into the pile of her brother and friend's bodies. "Hey guys remember what day it is?" I lifted one paw and carefully prodded the pile of warm bodies, smile pulling up at the corners of my lips. It really wasn't fair that they were all so adorable. It should be against the law really. Not at all helpful. A low grunt was my only real response as Kara shoved her face under Chris' leg to avoid being forced to open her eyes. Kerry however was looking at me plaintively from where he was half trapped under the girl. Smiling at the pained look on his face I prodded Kara once more before leaning back. "I suppose you could stay here. If you didn't want to join in." I'd promised the night before that I would take them out and show them a thing or two. Help them along. Chris had mentioned that Miles and Barbara had fighting skills though Miles had very few.

Barbara would be the mainstay in todays training session it seemed. A line between the adult and the child. It would be best to have her help after all, she knew her pseudo siblings better then us. We'd check everyone out on a simple motion first and see how they reacted and follow up with what their bodies were good at. No point in the human like fashion of conveyer belt training. Though that did seem to be a thing of the past, many of the folami coming out of facility now where far more well rounded then I would very much like them to be. It was the reason why I had asked Ryan specifically to come with me. We couldn't be more opposite in our fighting styles if we tried and that would come in handy. Sniffing lightly, I smiled back at the glare that was being sent up to me from Kara as the collie like girl climbed to her paws. Kerry quickly followed suit now that he was no longer trapped.

They both were quickly forgetting their sleepiness and replacing it with enough exuberance to physically make at least Kara's body shake with the motion of her tail. She'd said the night before she hadn't a drop of fighting training so I would assume she was looking forward to learning. Kara was a clever one, and the way she lapped up information was impressive for her age at the very least. Maybe showing Ryan what I had seen while telling the children stories would make the man more welcoming of the praise seeking pup. "Come on kidos we're going out a little bit but not too far." Waving my tail to Ryan I took the fist step forward an ears cocked backwards to listen to the paw steps following after made for the smaller clearing to the north of our current position.

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

I stood behind the kinder man a few paces, watching as each child got to their paws. Chris was groggy at first, but as soon as his sister’s warmth vanished, his eyes were eager and he was on his paws with his tail wagging. The boy had changed a good deal since my pack-mates happened upon him and his siblings. He was still a little too serious and quiet at times for his age, but some of his childhood had leaked back into his head. He was allowed enthusiasm and pleasure--there were adults to do his thinking for him.

Kerry was up next, followed quickly by Barbara whom had been leaning against her drowsily, only partially held down by Kara, though I knew that had just been a silent excuse not to yet rise to her paws. Miles was slowest to respond, his face blank except for a pin-prick of dread in his gaze. I ignored it, though. The boy was a tracker, which was an area I was only average at. His lack of desire would not be my issue. Gaze flicking to the golden girl, I watched her eyes glance at me, then past me for a moment. “Is Gavin going to be joining us?” I lifted my lip in annoyance over the question. I cared about Gavin, but the boy was not someone I wanted teaching these children. Him and the other lads were far too much trouble and that did not need to get passed on to the younger generation.

“That man knows as much about teaching as a turtle knows how to fly. He’d likely get all of you killed.” The frustration I had on my face did not follow over to my tone. My voice spoke amusement, if not a little bit of my own bland version of eagerness for what was to come. These dogs, aside from Miles, were obviously interested in what Jack and I had to say. I could not say the same for Ray, so I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit pleased Jack was dragging me along for the ride.

I fell in behind the little pack. This was Jack’s class--I was just a guest speaker. I would follow his orders and then go on my merry way. Miles was only a small step ahead of me, taking the back end of his family group, paws dragging slightly with each movement. I let my gaze soften slightly. I understood his hesitance slightly. Him and Barbara, as far as I knew, were the only ones of the group of children with experience in the facility. That could leave an awful taste for a class-like setting on anyone’s tongue. I dropped my skull down to nudge the boy’s attention to me gently. “Jack and I are not the humans.” I left it at that, pulling away as Miles looked at me hesitantly before turning his attention ahead and quickening his pace to walk beside Kerry.

People always said kids were precious because they are innocent and trusting unconditionally. Why were folami not worthy of such things?

[I L Y I C H]

Chuckling lightly at Ryan's response I smiled lightly turning my head away to look back towards the sun for a moment. Gavin had all the enthusiasm but none of the ability when it came to both training and teaching. His words were always too fast and his motions too jerky. It was made all the more hilarious by the fact that I knew the white folami could handle himself quite well in war. Poor bastard was just to ADD for anything to be interesting for very long. Except for Michael of course. Snickering at my own internal joke I whisked back around, facing Ryan and the children. We'd reached the small clearing and I was well ready to see what these pups could do.

Sinking my blunt claws into the surprisingly dry earth I leaned forward slightly. "Barbara would you mind coming here?" I waved my tail gentle brushing aside any idea that I was going to do something mean. Ryan was dead right in his words. I was no human and my teaching strategies had always existed firmly in the idea of rewarding positive behavior. "Now if I am not mistaken you are the one with the most fighting experience here, yes?" I wanted to ask if she had ever caught wind of what regiment she was being trained on simply because it would make it easier but I couldn't quite bring myself to say the words. Miles at least reacted poorly to any mention of man and for good reason. I wouldn't go pushing buttons when I could discover these things for myself just as easily.

Flicking ginger ears I nodded to the girl. "Would you mind helping Ryan and me today?" I offered lightly. We could very much use the go between. The lot of them had lived with no one but each other for a little over a month if I wasn't mistaken in what I had been told. They trusted one another enough to call them siblings. Barbara would have a much better chance to not only know what would work best for them, but also to get them to admit when they were having difficulties which always seemed to be a problem. No one wanted to tell the professor when they couldn't figure something out but hissing to a sister for help was a much easier compromise.

Leaning back once more I settled neatly onto my haunches, tail flicking back around my paws. "We'll start off on a blank slate. I don't know what any of you can do. For all we know you could be masters and we are just silly trying to teach you anything else." Narrowing my eyes I threw a playful glance at Ryan knowing he was secretly enjoying himself. He did enjoy this bit, the training part. It was companionship, and a deep comfort in the way it reached through people. Made me wonder why so few wanted to be teachers, or mentors. Perhaps it was just my calling.

"So tell us, what do you guys know? And give me one strength you know you have when it comes to fighting." The request was met with a mildly conflicted look on Kerry's face and something of hard determination on Kara's. I focused on Kerry first, mostly because the merle boy obviously had the most short comings here. He would need special attention and I did hope no one would be upset with him for it. The boy noticed my look to him and ducked, embarrassed. "I don't have any training. I've never really had to fight anything, but I guess I'm clever." I nodded brightly. Kerry had lost his leg some other way then. I had been living in constant terror that some rouge folami had torn it off of him, but then I guess the edges were too clean for such a thing. And cleverness was a thing I could work with. A smart mind won more wars then a hard body.

Kara rocked back on her heels, paws moving lightly over the dust as she thought. "I don't have much training either" there was a note of regret in her tone, wavering slightly at the back but there none the less. Had Chris and her been removed from their parents? They hadn't been in facility so I wondered why their mother and father never taught them. Though in all obviousness I knew they had to be dead. Folami parents don't give up their children easily to anyone. Not even man. "But I'm fast." I nodded to her. Those long legs and powerful haunches would do her a great deal of good in the future. It was hard to hurt an opponent you couldn't get your teeth in. So I tuned my eyes to the other three, patiently awaiting their responses.

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

I watched the golden woman respond enthusiastically to Jack’s question. She seemed to stand a little taller, after having fallen a little crestfallen over my statement about Gavin, and her smile grew tenfold. “I would love to help!” For the oldest, she sure seemed to have the youngest mentality. Her voice was shaky in the excitement over the thought of being any sort of assistance to the adults. I rolled my eyes, but my lips curved faintly in amusement. “I was the best in my sector. The humans had a picture of me on their wall of fame.” She threw a look over at Miles quickly, the prideful smile falling slightly as she leaned towards Jack to whisper that Miles had a picture there, too. Her voice was low by I heard her. If Miles had overheard, he hid it. I wondered for a moment if Barbara missed her days in the facility, or if she was just a great deal better at focusing at the positive side of her earlier days than Miles was. I leaned towards the latter. Maybe I wanted to be nieve, but I couldn’t see any of these children having been brainwashed by the humans.

My ears perked towards Kara as she shared that she was fast. There was such eagerness in her tone that I couldn’t help but offer her a dry smile. If she was willing to learn, I was willing to teach. I admitted that I might even come to enjoy the presence of these dogs, rather than shy away from Kara every time she came near. I kept half my attention on Kerry the entire time, though, my mind rolling as I tried to put together techniques the three-legged dog would be able to use. I remembered my own training--there had been a point where the humans had taken three dogs, one being me, and broken one leg on each. They did this to force us to learn to think about our attacks, rather than always using brute strength in wars. The three of us had been unfairly larger than all the others, stronger in build by birth, so the lesson, however cruel, had been useful. With our balance thrown off and our mind fogged with pain, we had had to think up new ways of defeating the enemy that did not require agility or strength.

I spoke of none of this, of course, just silently thought over what I had learned about three-legged fighting in that time. It would be a little easier for Kerry since he was used to his disability so not quite so awkward as I had been at the time, but the dangers would be more real, so that would even it out. “My humans always said I was agile, whatever that means. Guess it is a good thing.” Barbara’s jittery words broke me out of my thoughts. I nodded in her direction, confirming to her that that was, indeed, a good thing. Miles just shrugged and mumbled that he had no good fighting traits, he had always been the tracker and nothing more.

Chris thought in silence, but I could see him consider his strengths carefully. If Kara had no former training, I doubted Chris was any better off. “I don’t know if I have any physical benefit, but I do not panic. Could that work in my favor?” The formerly confident dog had his eyes on the ground in what I could only describe as a little bit of shame. I left any and all responses up to Jack. I was not yet comfortable enough to speak with any authority over these children. Ray had been young when I found him, but he had been more pushy, demanding access into my life. I did not know how to shepherd anyone in.

I always had to be forced to care about others.

[I L Y I C H]

Good old Barbara. I smiled at her brightly, waving my tail. She was a powerhouse behind all that crazy energy. A threat really and truly, simply not big enough to do massive damage yet. I'd trusted her with my life long enough to know that much. Trusted her with my brother and our friend's lives too. All of us had had our own way of protecting each other but we all knew Barbs was the one doing most of that work. The strong one. The only really trained one. Besides as happy as I was that the rest of us were being taught I was glad Jack had picked a middle man. It would be easier I think to follow Barbara's directions then his, even though I knew the ginger man was far smarter then he let on. It was just principal really, as much as I loved that we had found a safe place I couldn't help my own suspicions. I'd open up. Sooner or later. But as of right now I was happy to have Barbara there.

Turning my brown gaze to Ryan, I smiled meekly back at him. I knew he didn't like me much and I understood why. Puppyhood wasn't exactly good for me. Released from my constant anxiety I had fallen into my usual excitable arena. Hyper. Ryan was a slow moving dog. A thinker. And here I was darting about trying to figure everything out instantly and I didn't doubt that it was incredibly annoying. Not that I could help it, but I felt bad for upsetting him anyway. I liked Ryan. He was observant and calm against the haze of activity in his camp. It simply felt like he had a lot to give and I wanted to see it, but I would back off for a bit I guess. If I was really annoying him. Ears folding back I cut my eyes back to Barbs as she piped up to Jack's question.

The old folami had such a sweet smile. I'd seen looks like that on Father's face before he was killed. It made me wonder why Jack had never had children of his own. Maybe I was just a child and shouldn't be thinking such things but the man looked so at home here standing amongst us with his ideas and his knowledge. Everyone might all call Geoff dad but they would never forget that Jack was just as much a father figure as their alpha. Maybe a calmer less abrasive version. Geoff was awesome, but his way of speaking startled me every now and again. But then I guess that would go away with familiarity.

Everyone else followed suit as Jack nodded along and frowned at times though it seemed more out of thinking and less out of worry. The teacher rocked forward on his paws, lean muzzle tipping down to face Miles when the boy muttered. "Nonsense. You've a nose don't you? You can tell the world about a folami by the way they smell. Hell you could probably guess pretty close to their fighting style with enough scent clues." Jack nodded again, his smile more adamant now. It was a point I would never have thought of. People from the same place fought they same sometimes right? And they smelt the same so that made sense. It was a reliable idea. Besides Miles had a brilliant sniffer he could tell if a dog was sick or injured long before I could and use that to his advantage. I opened my mouth slightly to ask a question, but Mr. Pattillo had already focused on Chris as my brother spoke up with his carefully reasoned ideas.

Pale lips pulled up brightly as a grinned to the brown boy. Truly his greatest gift was his ability to remain calm. He'd never panicked. Not ever. My smile broke a fraction, though I let it fall carefully to avoid letting on the thought that had bounced into my head. No reason to upset Chris or anyone else for that matter. "It is brilliant." Jack who focused his full attention on each of us when we spoke now set his bright chocolate gaze down on my brother, eyes gleaming with ideas. This was going to be fun. "There aren't many dogs who won't go into a panic with certain stimuli. It's a gift in war when your life very much depends on you not flipping at the wrong cue." Jack turned his head slightly aside, glancing at Ryan for a moment before looking back to us and standing up.

"Right. We'll split into two and switch around after a bit so you can get a crack and Ryan and I. We have very different fighting styles I'm sure." I perked my ears, flagging my tail gleefully. It was nice to stretch my legs and I was looking forward to this so very much. A knew path of knowledge was never a bad thing and besides it would give me a way to further protect my siblings, and this new pack we seemed to be assimilating with. "Barbara could you go help Ryan?" he lowered his voice playfully though I highly doubted he was trying to keep the words from his companion. "He's not a big talker poor boy gets embarrassed."

Standing back straight Jack waves his thick tail and nodded towards me bright eyes skipping across the lot of us. "Kerry and Kara will you please go with Ryan as well? Chris and Miles can stay with me." He looked back to his younger pack mate, blinking almost sheepishly. The guy might be a beta but it was obvious he was not use to bossing anything around. "We can switch out after everyone's done with their teacher's lesson if that works for you?" I'd already sprung to my paws, going to collect Kerry in a quick corkscrew motion all but bouncing around the three legged kid before going to Ryan. Remembering shortly after that I had promised internally to stop bothering him I frowned, gathering in my excitement carefully so I was looking up at the man with less unbound energy and more interest in what he had to tell us. Kerry came to stand by my side, the air where his leg should be hovering unhelpfully at my left.

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

I couldn’t help but admire the way Jack reassured Miles of his worth. I was never one for comforting a pessimist. If someone wanted to be miserable, I would ignore them. It wasn’t that I was indifferent to their lack of self-worth, it was a mixture of me being skeptical of whether they were doing it for attention, and then me just being too awkward to know which words to say. So hearing Jack’s words and seeing Miles give him a long look before blinking with a faint smile forming intrigued me. I had tried to comfort the man and he had reacted hesitantly towards me. Perhaps he didn’t need to be told we weren’t like the humans, he needed to be shown.

And I was too much like them to do that.

Turning my attention to the interaction between Jack and Chris, I nodded my agreement despite the fact that the young boy was not even looking in my direction. I certainly had my moments of inward panic as much as anyone else. Outside I would do my best to mask over it, but the damage was still being done despite it. The best I could hope for by hiding it is calming those around me, and unnerving the opponent. I was equally as distracted, though, as someone who was flailing around in hysterics. To actually not panic inside or outside would be a tool even I would envy, if the boy was being wholly honest. I couldn’t imagine not having the uncontrollable tornado of emotions and thoughts when shit hits the fan.

As Jack announced we would split into groups, I waited for further instruction. Barbara eagerly accepted to helping me and I was ready to take that with grace (Skoll only knew I would need help getting a message across without getting flustered), but Jack’s comment made my eyes snap to his face and my lip pull back in playful aggression. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am the essence of calm and collected....ness.” Barbara reacted to my retort with a snort of glee, muttering something to Miles about the big bad wolf does know how to smile before waving farewell to him with her tail and coming to stand closer to me. I watched Miles perk up ever so slightly as he moved closer to Jack, obviously relieved he was assigned to the kinder man. It didn’t bother me, I knew the boy had every justification to be more comfortable with that hound than me.

I was a soldier and the man needed a father.

Kara’s enthusiasm was bottled in after a moment of letting it show. I almost felt guilty. The girl was smart, she had probably felt my tension over her. I forced myself to offer the three pups a smile, though it was tight. “Right then.” My voice was rugged as I looked up over their heads at nothing in particular. I was clearly already at a loss, and Barbara caught it. She stepped closer and demanded my attention with a short huff.

“Why don’t you take us to some place clearer? I am sure someone of your bulk is better equipped for battle on open grounds.” Her tone was a forced serious, sweet but she struggled to hide her amusement over my lack of skill in this whole...teaching thing. I nodded gratefully at her despite myself, looking to the other two quickly, eyes unsure but a little more at ease.

“She’s right. I am what the humans referred to as a brute fighter. Most of what you learn from me will only work on those enemies slimmer or smaller than you. Though I do have a few calculated attacks I have learned since being out in the wild.” I looked directly at Kerry, allowing myself to take a short breath and getting a little more comfortable. “I actually may be able to teach you better than I can any of your, uh, siblings here. I have some experience that resembles your, uh, situation?” My voice curved into a self-conscious question at the end. How do you refer to a disability without insulting that whom you spoke to? I had no experience in socialized with impaired dogs. Maybe Kerry wasn’t one of the sensitive ones. I had to stop myself from looking to Barbara for help in even this. I couldn’t use those around me as a crutch--these children were part of my life now and I had to learn how to deal with that fact.

And there goes the internal panic and the sudden overwhelming jealousy of Chris.

[I L Y I C H]

Crinkling my eyes I just grinned back at Ryan. Collectiveness was it? "If you opened your mouth wide enough butterflies would fly out" I called, waving my tail playfully. Watching the man follow Barbara out I smiled gleefully after them. It was nice to see Ryan get led about by someone a hell of a lot smaller then him. Though I was truly curious to see how the brute went about getting to know these children. He was so possessive of Ray I couldn't help but think he could be as much a mother hen as Geoff was. Never the less the soldier had followed his students away and I turned back to mine, smile warm and even across my lips. "Now, I'm certain Ryan will be working attack strategies so I will work defense. It's just as important, if not more so, to be able to protect yourself." Glancing around us I nodded to myself. Staying in a more inclosed space would force them to learn how to guard angles in a way that openness wouldn't allow for. Besides it was better to start with general frontal assaults then all around attacks.

"We'll stay put. It'll make everything a bit simpler for the first go about." Waving my tail as I took a short step forward I nodded to the two of them to move a bit closer together. Standing tall, flicking my tail up I glanced across their forms. Chris was bigger, older most likely. Stronger in the legs then Miles, while the black and tan boy was hardier in the chest and back. They both had their strengths and weaknesses even if they hadn't quite figured them out yet. Thats what we would work on today. What could they do as of right now? And how willing were they to learn what I could teach them over the next however long they remained with us? Hopefully at least until their adulthood. If only that long. It had been the barest of time but I was already rather attached to the lot of them. Then I guess thats just how time liked to work here. None of us had been together for very long but so many connections had been made between us. Time wasn't of any real importance out here.

Dropping my head after the cursory look I tilted my skull slightly to the side. "How about you guys show me what you think would be the best defensive stance?" I sat down neatly, long full tail whisking out behind me. "Just keep in mind that the two of you are different in thought and in structure. There are no wrong answers." Only incomplete ones. Most dogs could protective themselves slightly from instinct. It was one of the faults of current training. They knew all the offense but when faced with an opponent who knew how to guard themselves brutes were lost. Endurance was a massive strength and it was honed under the ability to take and avoid hits. Maybe soldiers like Ryan thought offense was important, but I had always been a defensive fighter straight from the start. I was small and fast and it suited me best. It was the reason why I could out run almost everyone in this pack, if not with speed then with sheer resilience. It took quiet a bit to take me down, and even more to whittle away at enough endurance to make me tired.

Giggling slightly, I caught my lips in my teeth and grinned after Barbara. She was so crass sometimes, it really was brilliant. Ryan went right along with her too, and I scampered after the two of them half dragging Kerry along as he shuffled to avoid being shoved forward. Pinning my ears forward as I came to stand directly in front of the black and tan brute, I nodded along with his words caught up instantly. Brute force wasn't something I had, but knowing how to easily and rapidly take out someone smaller then you could be useful to just about anyone. I wasn't about to pass up the chance for even a little bit of knowledge just because it didn't fit my shape perfectly. I was long legged after all, and I knew Chris and I were going to be tall when we were finished growing. Mother had been really tall at least. Dad almost as tall as her though they didn't share the exact same looks. We'd taken after mother.

I was drug out of my thoughts by an excited grunt from my left. Kerry had placed himself beside me again, his head lifting to look up at Ryan curiously. The kid obviously wanted to know what Ryan meant, and I myself was curious despite the awkward way the bigger man had spoken. Well mostly because of the awkward way the brute had said it. Really who was Ryan thinking he was kidding? I smirked to myself, dropping my muzzle lightly in an attempt to hide it. Big bad wolf indeed. I tossed a playful glance at Barbara, wondering if she could read it off my face. Kerry on the other hand apparently hadn't picked up on the awkwardness. He was totally focused on the idea that Ryan thought he could help him most of all.

It wouldn't surprise me if Kerry had come into this hiding some sort of depression. I'd seen it once, the way the boy fell quiet and unhappy when he thought for sure we weren't looking. He probably thought he was going to be useless in this area, sat off to the side. Being told otherwise made that thick white tail wave hopefully and I smiled genuinely at him. "Really?" There was honest hope in that tone and I turned to look at the blue boy's face, lifted up to look at our teacher almost gleefully. "I- uh." Kerry paused, tossing a sheepish grin at the lot of us before looking down, shuffling his hind paws awkwardly. "I'd given up on being able to fight for myself" He finished, confiding meekly in the three of us.

Feeling my heart drop for my kind hearted friend I grimaced slightly before putting my game face back on. Shouldering Kerry I grinned at him when he tossed an affronted look at me. "Hey you could still probably kick my butt. I fight like a lopsided badger." Proceeding to stagger pathetically away from Kerry I gave a loud bark and promptly tripped over myself falling in a sprawling heap to the dirt. Not that it wasn't totally worth it. Kerry was laughing at least, eyes crinkled at the edges and mouth wide with a smile I had stuck to the anxious child's face. So mission accomplished. Even if I maybe had upset Ryan. Oh. I hadn't thought of that. Impulse... and all that. Grinning embarrassedly at the ground I picked myself up not bothering to dust myself off before going back to my spot, accepting Kerry's quick lick across my ears.

[Bhu ♥ Irwin]

Offense, good. I was comforted at the thought of learning how to defend myself from danger, rather than initiating the attack or handing harm to another. It didn’t suit me, violent aggression. Maybe because I never did like the taste or smell of blood, but the very thought of tearing through flesh made my stomach flip in nausea. I realized that, odds are, one day I would have to hurt someone of my own kind, but I could focus on protecting myself for now. Or protecting the ones I cared about.

With that thought I turned my gaze to Chris, seeing the man fall into himself in thought over Jack’s question. I waited a moment before getting to my paws, a cruel smirk crossing my face as I bowed down and lunged at the larger boy. He yelped in surprise as I knocked him off his paws, pinning him down for a few moments before he regained his senses and shoved me off with an agitated huff. “What was that for, Miles? He said defensive!” I cackled at his embarressed tone, catching his quick glance to Jack before focusing an annoyed expression on me.

“Well, your defense sucks, man. Don’t think, just do.” My tone took on a little more maturity as I spoke. I had always been taught to follow my instincts, Chris had always used his brain too much. I felt comfortable enough around Jack to show the side of me that might actually have some use. Ryan reminded me too much of my former Master’s head dog, that blank expression and inability to really reach out. Too much could be hidden behind dead eyes. So with Ryan gone, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders and turned to Jack. “I guess, if the opponent was not much bigger than me, I would back myself into a corner so I would only have to watch one side. Course, unless I am fighting rabbits, it will be a while before I have to deal with someone smaller than me.” Chris snorted, I glared at him, he quickly looked to Jack and dodged my paw.

“I’d get low to the ground, protect my throat and stomach.” Chris’ tone almost twisted into a question at the end, lacking the confidence the man had held onto for dear life in his time as leader of our child pack. I could see Chris wanted nothing more than to learn everything this dog had offer, and to gain his approval along the way. I just wanted to be able to keep my family safe. I knew Chris did, too, but he was still a child and he trusted the dogs around him to help in that mission.

I saw what happened when you trust others to protect those you love. They die. They all die.

I saw Barbara push past the outer edges of the woodsy part of the terrain. She moved a few paces, lifting her paws disapprovingly from the ankle deep mud, before throwing back her head to untangle the branches and leaves that had managed to break from the brush into her fur. She did it almost desperatly, and it was obvious she was not thrilled by the feel of muck between her toes. I couldn’t help but snort in agitation over the vanity of it all. I had meant to muffle the sound, but Barbara’s ears caught the faint release of ear and she pulled away from her mission bashfully. Her eyes apologized and I couldn’t help but blink a ‘sorry’ of my own. I wasn’t used to woman. The lads fell into a mud puddle on purpose, coating themselves in the filth for the sole purpose of shaking near someone else to share the wealth. I often had to physically force Ray and Gavin into streams, just so I wouldn’t have to have a muddy Ray outline on my chest every morning when I woke up. I wasn’t a particularly clean dog, a bit of dirt kept the bugs from biting and sun from burning, but I wanted to at least be able to tell Gavin is white and follow Ray’s scent. But this obsessive need for cleanliness Barbara had just displayed had hit a button and annoyed me. Woman. I would have to get used to that.

Turning my attention to Kerry, I nodded to her request for confirmation. I considered my next words, deciding whether to explain how I knew what to teach her, but was distracted by Kara’s childish display. I stared at her blankly, curious more than anything. Kerry was laughing at the girl, and I could hear Barbara muffling her own amused snort behind me, before grunting as she returned to grooming herself now that I was looking away. I blinked away my annoyance and gave Kara a half smirk. “Dear Skoll, I have my work cut out for me.” My tone was rugged, but behind the frustration, I had a playful tease to match my smirk. My humans had taught with harsh coldness and all that had done was make me hate them. I had to be careful or I would allow myself to fall back on the familiar and do the same to these dogs. I would not let them have the same life I had had. Focusing my attention back onto Kerry, I softened my expression. “Think of your disability as an advantage. Dogs won’t expect you to be a threat, and you'll learn moves no dog can predict.” My tone was a little hesitant but a quick nudge of encouragement in the back of my leg by Barbara let me know I sounded more at ease now.

“When I was being trained, my humans took me and two others for an...experiment.” I watched as Barbara circled around to sit beside Kara now, listening. I couldn’t believe this--I felt it was story time at the nursery. I had never thought I would have three pups listening to me spin some yarn, a fairy tale. Except, it wasn’t a fairy tale, I reminded myself. It was real. I still remembered being afraid. I couldn’t make that up. “I won’t beat around the bush in some attempt to be humble--we were stronger than everyone else. It wasn’t anything we could control, we were just made that way. Well, perhaps we should have branched out in our techniques, but the three of us only knew how to throw our weight around, so that is how we fought. Guess the humans wanted us more well rounded. So they broke a leg on each other us.” I shuddered as I lifted my right paw and rubbed my left leg subconsciously. I still had a scar on the back of my knee where the snap had occurred. It felt rough under my pads. “I wasn’t at the time, but I am thankful they did it. I learned how to think, and keep pain from controlling me.” I turned my gaze to rest entirely on Kerry then. “But most of all, if they had not done that, I would never know what to teach you.”

I had never been one to put a positive spin on things, but I judged by Barbara’s smile and approving nod, I was doing it right.