Flashback (The Training Yard) Hard Lessons (Kaie)

[Turrin]

“When I am marked by Myri and old enough, I will join the ranks of our people. Right now. I am just training to get to that point,” Turrin could hear the excitement in the child's voice as the future warrior of Myri choose the short bow. The half-Inarta took a child size short bow and a quiver of practice arrows from the rack and handed it to Kaie and took off his own short bow from his shoulder and lead the little girl to the firing range. He could tell most of the targets were taken up by other warriors, so he lead Kaie to a open target. When they made it to the target, Turrin looked at the little girl and said with a smile, “Listen Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadow. Archery will take you years of practice to master, so I don't want you to get frustrated when you start missing the target. Honestly, I can only hit the target twenty five percent of the time, and I have been shooting for years...” Looking at the short bow in her hands, Turrin placed his bow in his left hand and said softly, “When you shoot, you will have to hold the shaft bow in your less dominate hand.” He made sure to place his hand on the leather grip of long flexible shaft in the center. When he was finished with his own hand place, he showed the young Myrian warrior and said softly, “I want you to watch how I shoot than I want you to mimic me without a arrow.” Walking up to the firing line, Turrin pulled a arrow from his quiver and placed it on the bowstring and rested the top of the arrow on knuckle of his pointer finger at the center of the bow shaft. Realizing he was holding his bow shaft to tightly, he loosed his grip and said to the little girl, “When you hold your shaft, you must not hold it to tight otherwise the bowstring can snap back on your arm. If you hold it loosely, the force of fining will natural turn the bow away from your arm." Turrin widened his stance, so his right foot was in behind him and horizontal to the target and his left foot at a forty five degree angle towards the target. The half-Inarta said to Kaie, “You feet placement is really important because it will give you stability when you shoot. Also, you need to make sure you don't lock your knees, so you don't fall over...” Turrin loosed his knees, so he just rested on top of them. The young warrior raised his bow and the tip of the metal arrow till it reached the center of the target. Turrin aligned his eye and arrow tip with the center of the target and said with a still loose bow string, “When you place the arrow on the bow string, you need to hold the string with your pointer, middle, and ring finger, and you need to rest the notch of the arrow on the bow string, but the arrow needs to be in between the pointer finger and middle finger on the bow string.” He turned around to show the little girl his hand placement with the arrow. Turning his attention back to the target, he lifted his bow and aligned his eye and arrow tip with the center of the target. Pulling back the bowstring, Turrin brought the string up to his cheek, held it in place, and said with his voice strained, “When you pull back your bowstring, you need to pull it back 7/8th of the way, so your bowstring doesn't snap. If it does snap, you can seriously injure yourself slicing up your arm or loosing a eye.” He loosed the bowstring and decided to joke around with the little girl, “I am sure you would rather lose your eye in the heat of battle than on the practice range, so you can brag to your friends and impress the boys. Wouldn't you Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadows?” When he was finished making chit chat, he aligned the tip of his eye and tip of his arrow with the center of the target and pulled the bowstring 7/8th back to his cheek. He didn't a last tick realignment and released the arrow. Turrin watched as the arrow soared towards the target. The young archer grimaced as the barely flew over the top of the target hitting the wall made of a vines and palm leaves. He was hoping for a better showing of his archery skills for the female Myrian, but he shot missed and turned around to Kaie with a flush of embarrassment on his face and said softly, “Kaie of the Cutthroat Shadow, Sorry I am still a novice myself, so I hope you still want my tutelage.”

[Kaie]

Kaie nodded solemnly at his response, finding it rather fitting. She could've expected that response from Turrin. After all she had never known an alternative to the violent lifestyle the Myrians lived. It was only natural that her new friend would still be working to be a part of the military ranks, honing his skills to get there. Oh! And to be marked by the Goddess Queen! It was such a high honor and the very concept of it made the girl's eyes sparkle. Though she knew little of the process at that time, Kaie could almost picture the ceremony. There would sit Myri on her throne, her closest confidants at her sides, and Kaie would enter with her chin high with respect. Then the beautiful Goddess of War would bless her as her own child, a true Myrian, and welcome her into the ranks of society. Why must years pass so slowly?

The little Myrian's fantasies floated away with the sound of Turrin's voice. It took on more of an instructional tone. Now he had switched roles to become her teacher. His student was careful to listen to his every word, practically hanging on it. She was impatient as ever, and the idea a good archer takes years of practice made her antsy. Kaie was truly tough on herself even then. Of all things to swear on, she couldn't honestly tell Turrin she wouldn't be upset with herself. Not even if he said he didn't want her to. At least if she did fail miserably today, she'd remember Turrin wasn't so great either. Had she been a little more aware, Kaie might've been almost skeptic he knew what he was talking about. Especially when he cleared the target entirely. At least he was informative up until that point.

"It is okay, Turrin of the Twisted Vine. You have years to shoot better. You're still better than me anyways," She began with a sly grin, teasing him a little about how often he used her full title. He was probably just being polite and trying to show the dominant gender his utmost respect. All that aside, the rest of what she said seemed genuine. Kaie looked up at him with such authentic, childhood innocence as she seemed to forgive his lack of prowess. Then without another word she took the proper bow and arrow.

He said less dominate hand. What does that mean?

After fiddling around and staring at the bow, she eventually decided to hold it moderately in her left. It seemed to feel right. Then she followed what he had said next, fixing her feet. Really, she had no idea what that meant. So she did her best and ended up having her toes facing forward. She did remember not to lock her knees, which might've made her seem far more goofy than intended. Finally it was time for the arrow. Turrin was adamant on disallowing her use of the actual weapon until her tutorial was over. For the sake of learning, Kaie imagined a real arrow right in her hand. Her imagination ran wild with the designs, but ultimately it would work just the same. Kaie gripped it by the pointer, middle, and ring finger, and notched it into the bow string. It was probably too high but she certainly didn't know better. Lastly came the actual firing. The little Myrian hadn't much idea what seven eighths was, but she figured she might as well see how far she could comfortably draw. As soon as she felt dangerous tension, she stopped. At least she remembered that much.

"Like this, Turrin? Hey! Am I doing it right?!" Kaie asked eagerly, little arms shaking from holding the string back. Was it so childish she sought his approval?

OOC:Just wanted you to know I didn't forget! Just needed to handle some other things first!

[Turrin]

Turrin could see the excitement in her eyes as she waited with anticipation for learning a new skill. The half-breed fondly remembered the first time that his father took him shooting for the first time. It took him three bells to learn the correct hand placement on the bow. Since he had a hard time concentrating on the task at hand because he was to busy watching the other warriors in the training yard. However, he noticed Kaie kept all her focus on the task of hand, so it was much easier to explain things to the smart female. When Kaie decided to tease him about his formalities, Turrin ran a hand through his hair and said with a laugh, “I guess you are right, Kaie, but who knows you might surpass me one day in skill. Let me teach you the basics than we will take turns shooting at the target.” He knew the girl would be ecstatic to fire a actually arrow. He just hoped that she didn't hurt herself or throw a fit if she missed the target since she was still young, but a part of him knew that she would conduct herself as a proud Myrian warrior. Turrin wasn't the teacher like his father, but he knew that she was holding the short bow to high, so he walked over to her and gently adjusted her hand towards the center and said softly, “When you hold it Kaie you need to hold at the center, so the arrow fires in a straight line towards the target.” Turrin looked at her hand placement on the bowstring and adjusted her hand on the bowstring more towards the center. Turrin looked at the arm holding the bowstring, noticed the elbow was pointing down, and took his hand moved up her elbow, so it was straight and lined up with her hand. Turrin noticed her legs were locked in place, so he wondered if she was going to fall over soon, so he said simply, “I want you to bend your knees slightly, Kaie. If you don't, you could fall over.” Lastly, Turrin said softly, “I want you loosen your grip on the shaft of the bow. You are holding it to tight Kaie.” The half-breed could tell that she was starting to get tired, but he needed her to hold it, so the little girl get some shoulder strength and endurance to shot her bow on a regularly bases. Turrin took a step back, looked at her stance, and said said with some satisfaction, “The stance might seem awkward at first Kaie, but it will become second nature to you with practice. Do you have any questions so far.” Knowing the little girl must be getting tired, Turrin placed a hand on her shoulder and said, “Why don't you relax, Kaie.” Looking at the little girl, he could tell that she was sweating from just holding the bow in a shooting position since there was a lot of tension in the bowstring, so Turrin said reassuringly, “I know your muscles are probably hurting at the moment, but overtime, you will gain the strength and endurance by shooting your bow because of the tension in the bowstring.” Taking a arrow from her quiver, he handed to the little girl and said with a smile, “I want you to practice that stance when you get home. Make sure you do all the steps correctly, Kaie.” Taking a step back safely out of the way, Turrin said with a smile, “You are doing great, Kaie. Why don't you take three shots at the target.” Crossing his arms, he waited patiently for the little girl to take her first shot.

[Kaie]

Like he had shot her down with an arrow of his own, Kaie's spirit dipped when he laid his hands on her. The young girl had been giddy, confident in her stance. Apparently she had thought too highly of herself, because Turrin quickly corrected her. All that saved her from her wounded pride was the prospect his corrections were deeply improving her skills. That with his guidance, she could become deadly with this short bow.

As instructed, Kaie quickly put a slightly bend in her knees. After a single exhale she loosened her grip just enough to keep it firm but relaxed. Her arms were beginning to shake with fatigue, strong but not quite strong enough to fight this level of resistance. All in all, most of this was physically uncomfortable.

"Yeah I have a question. When can I shoot something?" She returned with a grin, eyes like daggers staring at the targets somewhat near. When his sympathetic gesture reached her, bidding her to rest, a small piece of her flooded with relief. Exhaling, she lowered the bow and relaxed the string. The soreness was building in her muscles already. "Yes!" She exclaimed hurriedly, all but bouncing on her feet. In that moment she put her pain aside, deciding to fight through it for just a few shots. One hand extended toward Turrin to receive the arrow, her eyes dancing brightly with excitement. "I promise to practice all the time, Turrin!"

Kaie stepped up toward the target with the bravo of any overconfident Myrian warrioress to be. She turned back toward Turrin, eyebrows moving up and down as if she was born for such a task, arrow spinning between her fingers. Much to her annoyance, the arrow slipped from her fingers in its spin and dropped lifelessly to the ground. The little girl's eyes turned dark at the object for embarrassing her, sending her into a quick retrieval before others could notice.

When she was finally prepared, the Myrian child exhaled deeply to regain focus. Then she fell into the stance Turrin had shown her. She clutched the bow in her dominant hand and placed the arrow on the string, holding it in the center as shown. Mentally she searched for anything too tight in her hold on the bow, and made the adjustments Turrin had made only moments before. Only then did she pull back on the string with an inhale, arms shaking a bit, and eyes locked on the target. Kaie took a few seconds to aim upon the bulls eye. And then she let the arrow fly. Right into the dirt seven feet ahead of her.

Kaie grumbled to herself and shrugged it off. Free hand reached back and plucked an arrow from the quiver. She started all over. Perfecting her stance and holds to the best of her ability. Amber hues locked on the target for a while, trying to imagine herself hitting it right in its middle. A Dhani right between the eyes. As soon as she assembled herself with that vision, she fired another shot, this time aiming higher in hopes of increasing distance. The arrow soared like a falcon far to the right and into the trees. Gone.

"Those were just some warm up shots!" She called over her shoulder hoping to reassure Turrin she wasn't an utter failure. Her mood immediately darkened into something far more angry. It would've been quite a sight for the half breed Myrian had she been facing him. Lip curled and face contorted in an effort to restrain an approaching tantrum. This time her hand ripped the arrow from the quiver like her intention was snapping it in half. Her feet stomped themselves into place in the ground. The bow rose and grip relaxed as instructed, mirroring Turrin's critiqued one earlier. Her little arms shook with both fury and soreness, but she was unable to let it stop her. One more shot. Just one.

Hit that target or so help me...

Like a bird shot mid-flight, her arrow arched right toward the target and into the dirt. At least it was a little farther than the first and no where near as far gone as the last.

[Turrin]

Turrin watched the excitement in her eyes as she took the arrow from him. The proud Myrian girl seemed eager to prove herself to everyone around her that she could hit the target like a veteran archer. As he watched the little girl take her position at the firing line, he started to wonder what the young girl was thinking when she placed the arrow on the bowstring for the first time. By her excitement, he was wondering if she envisioning herself taking down a panther in one shot. He knew when he first started that was his dream when he completely butchered his first attempt at shooting. When Kaie fired her first shot, the arrow flew forward seven feet in front of the young myrian warrior. Turrin noticed the girl didn't quite bring the string far enough back to get the power needed to propel the arrow to the range of the target. The second shot had the right amount of power, but the little girl's arm holding the bow wasn't steady enough to keep the arrow on target, so it soared into the trees. When Kaie looked over her shoulder's at him and apologized for her failure, Turrin said with a nod, “Be patient, Kaie. Your archery will get better with time.” The half-breed watched her take another shot. He noticed the little girl arm must be fatiguing slightly because he arm started to shake. Kaie seemed to do everything right on this shot, but the shot sailed to the target and fell short in the dirt. It was her best shot by far, and Turrin couldn't help himself and smile as he walked up beside her and patted her on the shoulder, “Much better, Kaie. As I said archery takes time and patience, you aren't going to be a master in a day. At the moment, you need to refine your technique and your physical strength and endurance to hit the target consistently. Let me take a few shots, and I will tell you what I have noticed when you shot.” When Kaie moved away from the firing line, Turrin held the bow in his left hand as he retrieved the arrow from quiver. The young hunter placed the notch of the arrow on the bowstring and rested the front of the shaft on his top knuckle. Holding the arrow between the pointer and middle finger on the bow string, Turrin lifted his bow, so the metal tip aligned up with the center of the target and the half-breed asked softly, “What were you thinking about when you fired your first arrow, Kaie? I am asking because I curious if you were distracted on your first shot. When I fired a bow for the first time, I kept envisioning my killing a panther in one shot. It part of my clan's coming of age ritual. I was so excited that I wasn't focused, and I dropped the arrow on the ground.” Pulling back the bowstring to his cheek with his pointer, middle, and ringer finger, Turrin took a deep breath and said softly, “When you fire your bow, Kaie, you need to clear your mind of all distractions inside your mind and around you. I learned saying a prayer to Myri helped me focus while I was shooting.” Turrin held the shot bow in this position, and he felt a drop of sweat trickle down his face when he continued critiquing her, “I noticed on your first shot, Kaie. You didn't pull the bowstring back far enough. You need to pull it back to your cheek, so you get the power need it to make it to the target. If you having trouble, the more you practice shooting the greater your arm strength will become. Also, you need to keep the arm holding the bow steady, so you arrow doesn't veer off course like your second shot. Again keeping dominate arm steady will come in time when you build up your strength in your dominate arm.” When Turrin finished his critiquing of Kaie, the half-breed could feel the muscles in his dominate arm starting to burn during the lesson, so he realigned his shot, so the metal tip lined up with the center of the target, and said a soft prayer to Myri as he released the bowstring. The arrow soared towards straight towards the target and hit the white in between the third ring and the outer ring. It wasn't a bulleye, but at least, the young Myrian hit the target. Pulling another arrow from the quiver a chime later, Turrin held the arrow on the bowstring with his pointer and middle finger and raised the tip of the arrow till it lined up with the center of the target. Taking a shallow breath, Turrin pulled the bowstring back to his cheek and said a soft prayer to Myri as he released the bowstring. The missile soared to the target, but it veer right slight, hit the side of the target, and cartwheeled to the ground. Shaking his head for a moment, Turrin turned to Kaie and smiled warmly, “Well at least, I got one in the target. It is your turn, Kaie.” Walking away from the firing line, Turrin patted the little girl on the shoulder and said with smirk, “I have faith that you will hit the target this time, Kaie.”

[Kaie]

The young girl had been expecting the criticism. Though Turrin's style of teaching was far more kind than what she had seen and what little she had received. Rather than glaring at her with frustration or mocking her flops in the art, he was patient. The young man was calm and almost wiser than his years. The fact he proved himself to be relatable was enough to capture Kaie's attention whole-heartedly. If she had the mind to at the time, she might've commended him for managing to keep the interest of a child her age. Perhaps her comprehension of the feat would be acknowledged in the future when she was at a time of understanding it. At that present time, however, her mind was racing along with his stream of advice. When his shot nailed the target, it appeared to her all he spoke held merit.

"In my clan, we do not kill the panther. It is sacred," She replied after having watched him, nodding her head in agreement with herself. It was such a typical act for a kid her age, to share information when relevant that they were told at a prior time. Her words held no disdain for his imagination or his clan rites. Nothing was in her tone but fact and indifference. "I was seeing myself as the greatest fang leader the jungle has ever seen! And I bet I can hit it just like you said!"

The tanned child reverted back to her previous stance under Turrin's guidance. Feet set, knees with a bend, back straight, and bow raised. This time she convinced herself to let go of her fantasy and instead let her mind focus only on her target, only on her single task. Breathe in, breathe out. Then she took an arrow and pulled it back upon the string with her three fingers, father than she had before. Though her arm continued its burn, the child held on to draw it to her cheek. Mentally she kept the steadiness of her bow hand in mind as well. Determination alone forced her shakiness to dissipate for but a moment. Just long enough to aim at her desired target and release.

Goddess Queen, I am small and not as strong as my parents, my clan, and Turrin. I know I am not good with a bow and my arms shake. Show me to be strong as steady as a tree and aim as good as your soldiers.

And when her short prayer was through, her fingers loosed the arrow. It whizzed promisingly through the air, soaring from her bow with all the airborne agility of a small bird. The child's eyes grew bright with anticipation as the arrow began to close in onto the desired spot. Yet than it began to quickly fall. Fall low, lower than what was needed to hit the center. Just when her heart had just about sank to her feet, the arrow snagged the very bottom of the target. It looked as if the thing had grown a limb just to grab a hold of the edge and dangle like a primate.

"Turrin! I did it! You were right!" Kaie burst out suddenly, twirling around with a fist in the air and a grin spread across her young face. Had no other archers been around, she might've done a victory lap about the yard. Instead she kept it all to a restrained minimum, dancing toward the half breed Myrian with a broad grin. "I knew I was right. You are good at this stuff!"

[Turrin]

Taking a step back from his student, Turrin was satisfied with himself that the little girl was so receptive to his teaching method. The Twisted Vine thought about what she said about panthers being sacred beasts to her clan, and he wasn't surprised that different clans had different customs as his own clan. The half-breed smiled to himself when she admitted to him that she was envisioning herself as a great fang leader while she was shooting. Turrin wondered if it was common daydream of Myrian women because his cousin, Talula constantly kept telling him for a whole season that she would be a great fang leader like her mother. The half-breed never got along with his female counterpart because she held her gender over his head. Turrin turned his attention to his student and said softly, “Hold on to your dream, and maybe I can be a part of your Fang someday.” Turrin watched the little girl take up her stance as he amazed at how much that she remembered when she focused on the task at hand. The half-breed watched her form, and it seemed adequate enough. Her arms were a bit shaky, but he knew the shakiness would fade in time when her arm strength grows. Kaie held the bow in firing position for a few ticks, and he hoped that she wasn't trying to tire herself out. Suddenly, the little girl released the bowstring and the arrow arched towards the target. Turrin bit his bottom lip hoping the little girl would at least hit the target. Kaie seemed quite frustrated at her lack of success; however, she must have said a prayer to Myri because the arrow hit the very bottom of the target. The half-breed smiled at her praise of him and said humbly, “Your ability in archery hit the target, Kaie. I just gave you the tools necessary to hit it. Now it my turn!” As Turrin walked by the little girl, he ruffled up her brown hair with his hand. Pulling a arrow from his quiver, he placed it on his bowstring. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice behind him, Talula, “You know that she is far to young for you, Turrin.” The half-breed heard the laughs of her friends, and he whirled around to see Talula standing their with her judging eyes. Turrin gripped the shaft of his bow tighter in his hand. He looked at his cousin and her group of friends. The lighter girl named Vala brought her little sister a girl around Kaie age. He didn't like Vala at all because she was basically Talula's kitten if Talula dangled a string above her, she would definitely lie on her back and bat at it. Vala's little sister named Kasha was a complete brat. She was loud, obnoxious, and not afraid to push around people less than her. All three of them were Twisted Vine women, so they always had something to prove. Kasha looked at Kaie's arrow at the very bottom of the target, laughed out loud, and said to Talula, “Talula, is it me, or does that arrow look like it going to fall off the target? I am guessing a strong gust of wind might knock it off soon.” Turrin shot the little girl a annoyed look, but even at her age, Kasha knew that she was the dominate sex, so she glared back at half breed. Kasha looked at Kaie and said with a laugh, “You should learn archery from a full blooded Myrian and not a mongrel like him. You know his mother talks like a bird.” Turning back to Kaie, Turrin said softly, “I would just ignore them, Kaie.” The half-breed accepted that he would just be a mongrel in his clan's eyes, but he wasn't going to let their opinions dictate his life. Turrin widened his stance, so the heels of his boots lined up with the target. He bent his knees slightly, so he wouldn't stand so ridged. Placing the arrow on the bowstring, Turrin lifted his short bow till the tip of the metal arrow lined up with the center of the target. Talula said sharply, “Turrin, Grandmother told you to come here to practice your unarmed combat and not play with your bow.” Turrin ignored his cousin's words as he drew back the bowstring with his pointer, middle and ring finger to his cheek. Readjusting his aim again, he heard Kasha say to Kaie, “You should hear his mother. It is so funny. Talula thinks Turrin and his sister were hatched from eggs!” Turrin did his best to ignore the insults thrown in his direction as he released the bowstring. The arrow soared straight towards the target and sunk deep in between the third ring and the second ring. It was his best shot by far as he turned to face his clan members.

[Kaie]

The young girl grinned at the very idea, imagining herself leading her own archery teacher through the jungle for war. It was inspiring, really. It wasn't something she would quickly forget. His patience and optimism was admirable in her eyes. Never did he scold her or hit her for her shortcomings. Instead he simply build her back up, and shipped her back to her previous task. And as he took up his own stance before the target, feeling him mess up her hair as he passed, she couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. That's all before a crew of females came along to spoil what they had achieved.

How strange it was to see the switch flip within the tiny Myrian girl. The self confident, friendly child with a willingness to learn broke down into something far more competitive. It could be seen in her face. The way her lip seemed to curl almost imperceptibly, eyes taking on a new fire for dominance over the same gender. A roaring flame that urged her to fend for herself and her new friend, and most importantly, to prove herself just as potent as the rest.

"I'm guessing my fist might just knock off your head," Kaie growled all too loudly under her breath in response to Kasha's mocking. Sadly, Turrin's advice came all too late for the hot blooded child. She saw Kasha as the rival, and that only intensified at the recognition they were of the same age. The half breed might not have been so quick to defend his pride, but she would not shame her clan by taking such abuse so easily.

The young Myrian gawked at the poor joke, staring at the girl in utter annoyance as she continued to harass the half breed. Couldn't she take a hint? It didn't seem that way, but for the male's sake, she pressed her lips into a hard line. Her short fuse was being exposed and she knew whatever she did would fall back on Turrin later. It was best if she tried to listen to him and ignored the stupid insults.


OOCSorry this one took a little while. I'm all caught up now.

[Turrin]

Turrin clenched his fist at the insult from the youngest female. He normally could take the constant harassment, but he was being insulted in front of a person of another clan. It was embarrassing, but he was just a male, so what could he do against the females? Unexpectedly, Kaie jumped to his defense and threaten to knock the head off of the bratty Twisted Vine youth. Turrin tried not to laugh, but he couldn't help his smile appearing on his face. The oldest Twisted Vine shot him a look when the smirk appeared on his face. The look on young Kasha's face was priceless, but he frowned when she suddenly got into the face of Kaie and said sharply, “Why are you defending this worthless half-breed? Are you trying to start a fight?” Turrin knew Vala tended to be more sensible than Talula and Kasha, so he gave her a look to intervene, but Talula grabbed her shoulder, gave her a flat look, and shook her head. Vala the follower back down. Turrin clenched his fist again wishing that he could intervene himself, but he knew his place and stayed silent trying to think of a way to control the situation. Even though Kasha was young, Turrin saw that she would be a fierce warrior of Myri when she got older, so he wasn't surprised when the young Twisted Vine shoved Kaie into him. The half-breed did his best to catch his friend and keep her standing. Turrin didn't want to hurt Kaie pride, so he let her go to deal with Kasha. Turrin narrowed his eyes at Talula and said, “Fine! I will practice my unarmed combat, but I want to choose my sparing partner. Vala would you want to assist me?” Turrin knew Vala wasn't very good at unarmed combat, so he was the better choice between Talula and Vala. Vala shot Talula a glance at the dominate female who just nodded in approval and said firmly, “Yes, I think it would be a fair challenge. I will tell Grandmother that you did what you were told cousin.” Talula looked at Kaie and asked, “Would you like to spar, Kasha? You two can settle your grudge in the ring.” Turrin knew that he would have to settle his own grudge with Talula when he got better, but she figured Vala would have to do till he was ready to face off against Talula.

[Kaie]

She had to hand it to the recently outed half breed. Turrin sure knew how to keep his cool way better than the tiny pure blood did. The moment Kasha's hands made contact was the very one in which Kaie snapped. She was outnumbered and disadvantaged with the age of Kasha's companions. She did have Turrin, but there were some formidable looking female combatants present, and a kid her age could only do so much. Never let anyone put their hands on you without consequence, her clan had told her sometime ago. So when the little bronzed warrior-to-be rebounded in a rage off Turrin's catch, she was more than willing to battle Kasha now that the offer was on the table. No one would intervene. Just two females to duke it out until one claimed superiority on the field. Kaie liked her odds despite how fair the match appeared.

"Gladly," The child growled and paced forward toward Kasha. The other girl's eyes gleamed with the chance at the coveted fight, feeding off her enemy's anger like a parasite. Soon enough they had circled away from the others to find a space for themselves. Around and around they prowled, lips curled and teeth bared. Kasha's hands balled into tight, angry fists at her side. Kaie's own were open, fingers curling like a panther's claws. Like a predator.

"Playing with scum like that makes you weak you know," Kasha teased viciously from the other side, baiting the other girl into action. It would work for any girls their age, so it was no shocker when Kaie finally made her move. Amber eyes narrowed hatefully and a snarl tore from her throat just before she darted at her. Like a crazed Tskanna, the young Myrian bull rushed the girl and drove her into the dirt. The two landed with a dull thud, Kasha's lungs emptying of air with the unexpected impact of her back to the ground. Meanwhile Kaie was already upon her. Claws beat away at infantile attempts at blocks of the face for some time before she broke through. Fingers curled into tight fists that rained upon Kasha with unrelenting force. One came after the other, left and right, right to left. The Twisted Vine girl managed to ward off most by lifting her arms, but it was enough to set the tone of the battle. It wasn't one just for bragging rights. It was for pride.

"Then I'd hate to see how I fight when I don't!" She cried over the sound of smashing flesh upon flesh furiously. That's when Kasha found the room to wedge her foot between them and kick her back. Then she was up swinging with no more mercy than Kaie, some landing upon the girl's body. The fight was scrappy with more wild swings and senseless tackling than any true "spar." With time came fatigue and the fading of endurance. That's when the victor always emerged.

Kasha had a go at Kaie's torso with a foolishly broadcasted kick, which was promptly caught by the Cutthroat Shadow kid. The Twisted Vine girl's face contorted with momentary panic, eyes bugging at the realization of her recently acquired disadvantage. That's when her opponent capitalized by forcing Kasha's weight past her heels, rocketing her back to the ground. It was there Kaie finally found her leverage and her opening. Fists came to rain down with a feral pounding no different from the way a territorial primate viciously shaking a branch. Soon enough it was Kasha's cries that rung out to signal the ending of the fight. However it wasn't until her companions finally tore Kaie from her that the abuse was halted.

"That's enough!" Talula warned as she quickly put a stop to Kaie's attempt at falling back onto her victim once more. She latched onto the little girl's arm and tugged her back, but not before Kaie spat upon Kasha snarling insults in defense of both Turrin and herself.