[Aran Kha'Serith]

(OOC: I apologize for the late reply. School and health problems are causing my posting to be slower.)

Aran hadn't realized how early he'd been woken up; the sun hadn't even come up yet. Was this how these barbarians always lived? He yawned and rubbed his eyes for a moment before noticing Stephan standing there. Not far off from him was a rack stocked with many different weapons. Stephan explained that the boy would be learning the ways of the "Fianna," and now, Aran guessed he meant that the half-dracon would be training to fight. Of course, he'd never seen himself as a warrior. His small, fragile body wasn't equipped for such things, and Aran knew that he'd probably be killed on the spot if he ever tried to battle. He'd always thought he'd end up as a scholar or a worker in the Church, but never this.

But the half-dracon did as he was told, unsheathing the small dagger on his belt and following Stephan through the camp. They arrived in a clearing, the ground covered in sawdust. It was empty save the two of them, bringing a sense of eerieness to the boy. Stephan then left the boy and stood away from Aran, commanding him to assume a particular stance. Aran scratched his head for a moment, but complied to the best of his ability. He spread his lanky legs out, then leant slightly out. After that, he held his dagger up and drew back his free hand, and indeed, Aran looked as if he was about to push some invisible force. This was apparently a "Basic Stance," and was something the child would need to practice.

Aran was then told he'd be learning the "Basic Thrust," in which he threw the hand holding the dagger forward and shifted his weight somewhat. This wasn't that hard, as the boy figured this was where a warrior thrust the dagger into another being. But when told to act as if he was twisting a wound open, Aran became sick to his stomach. He was an innocent child, and the very thought of blood made him feel ill. Stephan shouted commands at him, causing Aran to twist the dagger and redo the Basic Thrust repeated times. But he hated it all the same, and Aran felt he'd vomit after this was all over.