Eye of the Tiger... (Private, Leopheron)

[Peach]

Timestamp: eheh Afternoon of the 20th brightening of Ioannes in the season of Summer. Era X Post Fractum, the Age of the Darkening.

The brightening was much too hot for training. In fact, with the sensitively white skin of the Esh'laheir, it probably wasn't the best idea to be outside. The fires of the sun scorched the very ground, drying grass and earth, leaving cracks in the ground akin to those in a desert. Uncharacteristically sweltering, one might say, for Lauryll had not seen one of the like for many a pattern. The creatures that usually rustled through the grass in the field were nestled in the shade of their burrows, sweating copiously in their thick coats of fur or feathers. The temperature was so high the air felt almost tangible, as if it were resting heavily upon any who dared to exit the cooler confines of their homes. One could feel it inside of them when they breathed, filling their lungs to uncomfortable capacity and seeming to stick within their throats. Not a gentle breath of wind stirred across the land, providing any sort of relief from the harsh touch of nature. The weather was horrible.

To Luth, however, it was absolutely perfect. The Cat wasn't exactly like the other officers of the citizen levy. His blood was only half that of the pale elves, the other belonged to the Arakmatan human race. His skin was a light tan color, pure white hair braided tightly in rows to his head. The sharp, exaggerated ears of the Esh'laheir had been softened in him, containing only hints of their angular origin. A face that would be severe with elven grace had been rounded out slightly, giving him a more friendly look than the average dark elf. His eyes, a deep chocolate brown color, sparked with hidden intelligence and ferocity. Luth wasn't a tall man, instead being of average height and rather wiry, counting on grace, speed and skill instead of strength. His garb was simple, mostly in earthen colors and light for the season. He wore no shoes to impede on his art form.

Alone, he stood there, his muscles already loose and anticipating the easy training session that lay ahead. The Cat's body practically screamed to be used, to stop being useless and dormant. How did the nobles of Ethgan'tor wait so long to unleash the potential of their muscles? To build their endurance and feel the rush of adrenaline that every fight, every sprint could cause. The longer it took for them to learn, the harder it would become... This Leopheron was just in time to start honing his skills, using his mature form for more than sitting about a council table. But to pick K'tesh instead of the elvish Zinn'ka... That was almost unheard of. What sort of man would this former Areth'ya be?

[Leopheron]

As the sun beat down on him with unrelenting heat on the midsummer day, the elf wondered at the time that his teacher had chosen to begin the training. The hottest hour of the hottest days of the year? What manner of elf would possibly choose such a foolish hour for action? Well as soon as Leopheron arrived he was to find it wasn't an elf who had decided on the hour, it was half an elf. Before the teacher saw him, the elf expressed a disgusted grimace but made sure that he would appear with no emotions on his face when he introduced himself to his teacher. As distasteful as it might seem to the elf that half breeds were allowed to live past birth, Leopheron would simply have to be stoic and make the best of the situation which the gods had given him on such an inopportune day.

"Vedui, sir." the elf called out with his deep baritone voice, surprising coming out of such a thin, almost emaciated, form. Leopheron made sure to begin using the proper military etiquette, remembering that it the way he had spoken to the clerk who had signed him up simply wouldn't do for officers, half-elven or not. "I am Leopheron and here for you to teach me K'tesh and enlighten me regarding my duties." he declared simply. He didn't bother to elaborate on that and tell why he had wished to join the military, or even explain why he had chosen the peculiar style of Zinn'ka, unlike most new recruits might have; or even the elf himself might have done previously, before certain events. Anyway, the officer was bound to know more about what was supposed to be happening than Leopheron anyway; all he needed to do was declare who he was and his arrival and let other man take over the situation. A taciturn form waiting for instruction was all the officer would see awaiting him.

Meanwhile, the elf's dark eyes stared brazenly at his superior officer, quite obviously sizing up the man who was to teach him just as much as he was being appraised. Whatever the officer's first conclusion was, Leopheron decided that he was going to prove to both himself and everybody else in the world just how much he didn't need his position in House Areth'ya or any other forms of nepotism for him to survive in the form. Another motivation which would propell Leopheron far beyond the ambitions of the regular recruit, was the fact that the elf couldn't accept that someone from a lower position in life was his superior, a half breed to boot. Anything his teacher would teach, the elf would absorb like a sponge and better upon it. Officer Luth simply didn't have any idea what was in store for him.

OOC: Thanks for taking the thread

[Peach]

Even if it were, obvious, Leopheron's criticism would not be the first that the official had received. His race kept him from rising too highly in the ranks of the military, his efforts earning him more a position of respect than a well-paying one. It was almost impossible for one of 'tainted' blood to do well in the city, always taking second place to those less talented, yet with a slightly different physique, than themselves. How easily the incompetent gained so much, living the lives of rich men and aristocrats... yet Luth was never one to become too upset about this. As long as he had stretches of ground at his feet to run, and the metal claws lashed onto his fingers, the half-elf was at peace. Perhaps one could call him a richer man the supreme commander of Ethgan’tor. The weight of his power and acceptance seemed to have started taking its toll on the old, sickly man. It was for certain that The Cat wouldn't be developing so many premature wrinkles.

Luth did nothing to hold back his wry expression as the young man introduced himself with a light elven greeting. So, this upstart thought himself classy, throwing around an unnatural language as if it were common to him as blinking. With that voice, too... It was just odd, from one of his race. More out of place than impressive. Well, Leopheron would learn soon enough that these mannerisms that he had adopted over the years wouldn't get him far with this certain Master. "Serale, I'm Luth," he replied unflinchingly in his natural, dark tongue, the words clipped and guttural, yet not without their own quality. "You'll forget the formalities when you're lying exhausted on the floor, believe me..." A look of humor glittered in his coffee eyes, which gave the Esh'laheir a quick once over. Truthfully, he wasn't impressed. The thin form would provide for speed, and perhaps a bit of endurance if he trained, but the slightest bits of strength were needed for unarmed combat.

And quite a bit more poise. Slowly, Luth walked in circles around the new recruit, looking at his stance for defects and the way he held himself. Too stiff, too novice. He'd need much improvement before being ready for a real fight. "Stretch, take a short run, do whatever you wish. And stop acting as if you've had a pole stuck up your posterior. It does nothing but slow you down, really." Lazily, he sat down on the grass, resting on his elbows and inspecting every movement of the student. When Leopheron had finished, Luth stood up and intertwined his fingers, stretching them well. No cracking sounds came from the supple limbs, double jointed and strengthened with time. "We'll start with the basic stances." Almost as if he were melting into it, The Cat slid his left foot forward slightly and bent his knees, his body moving smoothly in unpredictable patterns. "Now, firm fingers, curved and ready. Pretend that you have your claws on already."

His bare hands followed his own advice, becoming almost feline in appearance. For a few more moments, he darted about, waiting for Leopheron to settle in his own rhythm. Then, quite fast, yet in a predictable and easy to block area to the right of the chest, his hand shot out. Only one who was truly an amateur to fighting wouldn't be able to get a hand on it. Luth simply needed to learn how the elf maneuvered.

[Leopheron]

"You'll forget the formalities when you're lying exhausted on the floor, believe me..." Luth had said to him. Already he insults me? I barely know the man and he insists with the first sentence that comes out of his mouth that I have no manners? No self control? No wonder the half-elf is as lowly as a trainer and not commanding armies, Leopheron was beginning to think that his instinctive dislike of Luth was justified. There was simply no reasoning with such a person, the mixed blood inevitably made them all halfwits.

The dark elf did some light stretches that he had seen the guardsmen of his ho- . . . former house had done before sparring with each other. Leopheron didn't know the point of them, but do them he did nonetheless. He bent over made his long fingers reach down to his legs; spreading the legs further and further apart and then swinging around so that the opposing arm reached the left and right leg. Already, though he had done very little, the elf was beginning to sweat heavily. Not particularly because the work was strenuous, but moreover because of the extreme heat of the day. Have one sun blazing down on you was bad enough on summer day, but several of them?

Leopheron wasn't sure where the claws were supposed to be attached, so he assumed that they were supposed to be attached at the knuckles so he curved his fingers in a semi-fist so that his hands felt light and supple, yet when claws were attached his fingers wouldn't get in the way. The elf immediately began to copy the other man's stance, continuing to not speak. He would take instructions but he wouldn't sully himself by speaking to the lower form of being. While the dark elf was continuing to consider his own superiority to his teacher, he was attacked by surprise. So busy in fact that he was hit. There was no chance for the dark elf to dodge, riposte or perform any daring moves of counterattack.

The dark elf was hit squarely upon the chest and suddenly all the air rushed out of his chest in a painful gasp. Leopheron bent over double, an old lady coughing and hacking up phlegm, and spent a few moments trying to recover from the attack. "What was the point of that?! the dark elf exclaimed, "I thought you were supposed to teach me how to fight not use your own skills against me?" he said. He had considered trying to take his teacher by surprise and trying to punch him but there would be no point to it. The elf restrained his anger because he knew should he try to release it, no matter how much of it there was his teacher was superior in the martial arts and Leopheron would be given a serious beating; detrimental both to his health and his pride.

OOC: Ouch, for some reason I thought Vedui was an all-elven greeting >< I don't suppose you can disregard any conclusions Luth might have made from that in the future? lol, it was a pure OOC mistake :P *goes back to posting.

[Peach]

The mistakes that he made were quite common for beginners in K'tesh. In fact, The Cat hadn't seen once yet with enough talent to forgo this obstacle and perform with near-perfection on their first tries. The problem was that Leopheron's concentration was in all the wrong places. On keeping his stance steady instead of the attacker, on his overall position instead of channeled out of his fingertips. Not even his hands were right, curved into some sort of fist instead of poised and ready. Did the boy even know where the main weapons of the Katta were located? "Claws, not Nekodes. They come out of your fingertips, see? Where your nails are?" Luth kept himself from rolling his eyes, instead demonstrating how his fingers were curved outwards with a flourish. No matter how highly the full-blood thought of himself, Novices still were required to go through a rite of humiliation of sorts. Scared away from failure, with their sights set upon something higher.

It was a bit surprising to feel each one of his fingers hit the chest of the Esh'laheir without meeting the slightest resistance. For a moment, they made five individual indentations in the former Areth'ya's chest, most likely leaving light blue and purple bruises behind as well. At least he hadn't been putting his whole speed and force into the blow... Leopheron probably would have been left with more than a weak-looking coughing fit and the ability to spit out a few angered words. "I am teaching you how to fight. Now you'll know to keep your arms up ready for the block at all times, not just when I tell you." The Cat put his own arms up again, at an angle so that a strike would hit the firmest part and hopefully slide off. One guarded the chest area while the other protected the stomach, fending off any and all torso attacks. "These are, both of them, the mid blocks. Each arm can move respectively to the high and low." He demonstrated, slanting one upwards over his face before moving in back and then one downwards over the lower areas.

"Remember to focus. Clear your mind of everything but the body, how your own moves, where the energy is placed. The eyes see outwards, at my actions, and inwards at your own." Once again, he began to circle, expecting the beginner to follow in lieu of the activity. If Leopheron paid close attention, he would see Luth's stance change as he moved about. When going left to right, the instructor's legs were positioned horizontally, feet at shoulder width apart. When moving backwards, his forward stance reversed directions. He saw it, that was, if he could get his mind off of the heat. The sweat already dripping in rivulets from his forehead, down his neck and back, in the center of his chest. It was yet another obstacle to overcome, a test to sharpen the control of his mind and body. With a flash of movement, the Master's hand shot out, this time to the stomach of his mock enemy.

ooc: No problema, Lann. You're doing great!

[Leopheron]

Leopheron straightened himself and pushed back his shoulders in an attempt to stretch his chest to relieve the pain he was feeling. He hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time and wasn't used to it. The dark elf looked at his teacher and understood how the half elf worked. He's laughing at me now isn't he? In his inferior mind he is laughing that he has been given permission to beat me in training and he is taking advantage of it. It's not often he is allowed to fight his racial superiors, he must be kept at a short leash. Leopheron thought he could see how much Luth was enjoying teaching him a lesson behind that comment of his. Now the elf decided that he wasn't going to concentrate on learning even more, because he knew that if Luth figured out that he had figured out the half elf's game, he would attempt to kill him.

In his now usual subdued, quiet manner, the elf got back in to the stance and corrected what he had previously been doing wrong. He curled his fingers in the right way, as if they had long deadly claws, and began to put his arms in the blocking positions Luth had shown him. With full concentration the elf began swaying to the sides, circling just as his teacher was doing, in whatever direction the teacher followed. This time, Leopheron was ready for the sneaky surprise attacks his teacher liked to do and was ready to defend himself. When the same same arm came to him as previously, the elf blocked it, since he was blocking at all times anyway.

The he began a counterattack. Whereas the majority of the students might have blocked and to be taught further, Leopheron didn't want to. Let's see how he likes his own medicine, the elf thought, but he wasn't deluding himself. Even though he'd try as hard as he could to make his attack successful, he knew that his attack would fail simply because his teacher was better. No matter how fast, or how nimbly Leopheron did the counterattack, Luth would be ready for him and waiting to block it. Succeeding wasn't the point in this case; the point was to make an attempt and show that the dark elf wasn't going to stand back meekly and allow some treacherous half elf to push him around. The fingers on Leopheron's bent fingers moved quickly, followed by the arm in full force, towards the center of Luth's throat.

His left arm remained in it's blocking position, hopefully there against any counterattack his teach might attempt when the dark elf inevitably failed. Leopheron was an elf to make back up plans for back plans, and onwards. Nobody was worthy of trust, especially those of weak blood.

[Peach]

Although the hit was blocked, the sensation that it caused thudding against solid matter wasn't a pleasant one. Luckily, Luth did not have long nails with which to scratch, and therefore minimal damage was caused. His bent fingers slid around the arm, aided by their already curved shape, and ended with his palm slapping against the flesh. If he had metal claws strapped on at the moment, there would more than likely be bloody ribbons of skin separated from the extremity. Due to his lack of strength, Leopheron's arm was pushed against his soft stomach, knocking out a bit of his wind, and causing his back foot to jump slightly. This made his whole body to stiffen, his next few movements to be slow. He had successfully protected his torso, yet the faltering motions that the rather blunt halt to the strike caused would give the enemy precious seconds to get an attack in... "You must do more than simply stick out your arm to block, y-,"

The attack was unexpected. Luth had thought this ex-member of the royalty was so set into the politically correct ways of learning that he would only emulate what his superiors said. The arm that was protecting his chest twisted to cover his throat, then made a semi-circle movement to push the attempted hit away. The execution of the maneuver ended with him flattening out his limb and dragging non-existent claws down the length of Leopheron's own before shooting his other hand towards the now-unprotected expanse. It stopped just before making contact, instead dropping complacently back to the side of its owner. "Good! You simply need to move your left arm to push my attack out of the way, instead of letting it lie dormant." A grin had spread across his face, although if it was of simple amusement or a sort of respect, the Esh'laheir could not be sure. What this boy lacked in strength, he just might have been able to make up in spunk and agility of mind...

"As I was saying before," He quipped rather bemusedly, "Twist the arm, and move the attack away. You can even use your weapons while blocking, as was demonstrated. Well, now that it seems that we’ve gotten the basic claw punch covered, it‘s time to move onto kicks." The Cat paused for a few moments, waiting for the information to sink in. His techniques moved a little too quickly for most students, but they wouldn’t be changed any time soon. "It’s actually divided into two parts: The chamber, and the strike." From the forward stance, Luth planted his weight on his left and foremost leg before lifting his right and bending it tightly. Finally, it snapped out like a coiled spring, the majority of his body ending in a straight horizontal line. "Always bring the leg back into a chamber before lowering it. This preserves balance, and allows for further attacks if needed." Brown eyes settled back on Leopheron, studying him for any signs of fatigue. The white film that came with thirst in hot climates was forming around the corners of his mouth, as it would with almost any untrained individual. "Here, take a drink and then try it a few times." Picking up a water skin from its hiding place in the grass, Luth threw it to his elven pupil.

Afterwards, the instructor spoke again. "Are you ready for another round of sparring? You can make the first move this time..." With a certain fluidity, the ready position came again.

[Leopheron]

As the arm he had been blocking with was hit with quite a shock, the elf knew without having to think about it there would be a bruise there, waiting for him when he woke up the next morning. So he wants to teach me everything the hard way, hmm? Well, at least now I know to push away the attack and use his own momentum to do so, to keep it less painful for me at least. The elf thought grudgingly. As much as he disliked his teacher, Leopheron knew that he'd most probably remember everything he learnt in the lesson, thanks to the bruises he'd get from it, both to his pride and his body. The ones on his body would go away soon enough, but the ones to his pride would take longer to disappear; much longer.

The dark elf was annoyed by Luth's scolding for keeping his left arm dormant instead of not blocking the half elf's counter attack to his own counter attack. The truth was that even though the elf had been ready to block a counterattack with his left hand, his teacher had been so fast that he hadn't even had a chance to do so. Leopheron saw that the previous attacks had been slow, for the benefit of the student. He had been expecting his attack to be blocked, but the fact that it was handled with such ease and riposted with such skill, rankled at the dark elf's sensibilities. Leopheron remembered this fact and stored it away for some time he could use it. I have underestimated him, I couldn't see past his weak blood to understand just how good he is at fighting. I won't underestimate him again . . . I will remember

His eyes continued to drain everything he saw, listening closely as his teacher began to show him how to do some kicking. While he was watching, Leopheron found himself shifting into the forward stance to replicate how his teacher was standing, ready to practice the kicks in thin air a few times before moving on. The former dark elven noble was right footed himself so he appreciated the fact that Luth showed him how to attack with his right. Only the gods knew how his superior could guess that Leopheron was right sided, but he wouldn't bother to think about that, he had other concerns at the time. The elf raised his leg and bent it, the chamber his teacher spoke of. Moments passed as Leopheron attempted to balance himself properly first. And the made a strike. His right foot struck out while his upper body simultaneously moved to make his left leg the only bit that was vertical, adding more force to the strike.

Leopheron attempted it a few times until he was confident he could do it well and fast. It would take practice through experience for him to be able to strike as fast as Luth but the dark elf felt he could do the move without too much trouble.

Wordlessly, the elf began to circle his teacher as a beginning for the spar. He didn't speak, but simply nodded to show he was going to attack soon and was ready for a spar. Leopheron moved sideways, bringing his hands up in the forward stance getting ready to attack. And then suddenly, he was a flurry of action. He swung his right arm so that the side of his hand would connect with the hip of his opponent. Leopheron knew that his teacher would be concentrating on blocking this attack and counter attacking, but the elf wouldn't let the inferior being get a chance to. Immediately, his left hand followed up in a strike towards his teachers head. Even if either attack was blocked, Leopheron would be working his hardest to be on the offensive continue to attack and keep his teacher on the back foot.

[Peach]

Instruction could be obnoxious for some. To succeed, however, those petty pieces of advice would be best to follow. Thankfully, Leopheron didn't miss this lesson in his early years of education. Like any law and god-abiding being, he knew how to do exactly what he was told without question of the consequences. For this was, on a small scale, how Ethgan'tor itself worked. Quite begrudgingly, the citizens followed the rule of the Monarchs, each thinking at a point in their life that they could do a better job. And, perhaps they could. The novice, himself, may one day overthrow the master through dedication. For, no matter how much stronger Luth naturally was with his human genes, Leopheron inherited the wisdom of years. Perhaps they were balanced in that ratio, each with a quality that neither wanted to accept as dominant. Either way, this was a lesson for combat, not the ramblings of politics.

The kicks seemed to be executed well, if with a little bit of the stiffness that accompanied those new to Zinn'ka. He hadn't found his rhythm quite yet, but it would come with repetition. When the Esh'laheir was finally confident enough to left himself go. Leopheron's first strike was unexpected in the simple way that it wasn't conventional. Most would aim for high-damage regions such as the face or the center of the stomach. Although the hip would sting if connection was made, such paltry things could be overlooked. Luth blocked the attack easily, along with the subsequent, and more practical, one to his head. Two-strike techniques worked in some situations, but, as Leopheron would learn, it could leave dangerous openings. With both of his arms out, his whole torso was exposed once again, allowing for retaliation. It only took a light contact from The Cat's hand for his message to be sent. Wordlessly, as the dark elf seemed to prefer it.

Luckily, his hands hadn't been grabbed, and were free for more movement.

ooc: Sorry that this post is blah. I'm a little rusty.

[Leopheron]

Leopheron had intended his first strike at the hip for a distraction so that his second, which had lagged for several seconds behind the attack, could have a higher chance for success but it seemed that his teacher was simply too good to be taken in by such ploys. The replying attack he got from his teacher made him aware of the problems which could occur with double attacks. Vulnerable, am I? Well, it makes sense. The more you fall in love, the harder you're crushed afterwards . . . The dark elf thought bitterly, distracted from his lesson by his private concerns. But it didn't last long and soon enough he was staring at his teacher once more with distaste.

Before his teacher could manage to step back and regroup, Leopheron grabbed on to Luth's offending arm with his left hand in a vice like grip and pulled him closer. As the dark elf pulled his teacher in closer with his left hand, twisting the whole of his upper body to make sure that Luth came closer; his right arm came underneath his teacher's arm and made an upper cut movement so that his fingers would hopefully jab into, quite roughly by the force he applied, the upper part of the half breed's throat. That isn't enough, the dark elf decided. His teacher would be able to block the attack easily, even though as sneaky as the elf thought it was, I have to do more.

And so it came to pass that Leopheron made a violent sweep with his left leg in a clockwise direction, planting his right foot so that he could keep his own balance, so that Luth would lose some semblance of balance, if not outrightly fall down, as the student's right arm closed in for the upper cut.

OOC: Sorry it's taken so long, I've been busy the past week.

[Peach]

The half-elf raised his eyebrows in a speculative way as his arm was grabbed. He wasn't going to resist this one time, no matter how easy it could be. Leopheron wouldn't be able to taste victory for quite a while, however. It wasn't the sort of taste that one should become acquired to so early on. Firstly, they had to learn the various bouquets of failure. It could come in large doses, in small, in many agonizing layers of defeat. One could learn from it, though, if they approached the multi-faced being in a humble way. With one, long step, Luth brought himself in closely to the student. So close, in fact, that any attack would be quite difficult to execute. A grin spread across the tainted elf's face as Leopheron's neck strike was blocked and pushed aside, rendered useless for all its ingenious. Since the Esh'laheir was also in a close proximity, the attack was even easier to parry. It was a double-edged sword, as at such a range attacks were almost impossible, but defense was quite high.

Finally, The Cat wrenched his arm from his pupil's through simple means of twisting it, and grabbed the offending leg. Tugging on it firmly, coupled with his own gentle kick sweeping at the back of Leopheron's knee, the former noble was brought down in all his blazing glory. Luckily, the prairie grass served some purpose other than getting stuck up a trouser leg and down shoes. It cushioned his fall somewhat, so that the only injuries that he received were an aching back and a lack of breath. "Don't worry about that, for now. It happens to the best of us." As the dark elf caught his breath, Luth sat near to him in the grass and used the opportunity for a bit of unhindered lecture time. "When I was a student, in the traditional sense, and lying on the ground such as you are, my Master told me something. It was that to become truly adept, I would need to start accepting pain as pleasure." He shrugged, and looked off to a distant horizon.

"I don't expect you to feel that, however, until you are at least an expert in this form of combat." Without pausing for a moment to allow for contemplation, Luth moved on. "Now that we're down here, I'd suggest learning how to get back up quickly and efficiently." Laying himself down in the same prone posture that Leopheron was in, the lowly teacher began his demonstration. Bringing his legs up and over his head, The Cat rolled backwards over his left shoulder and quickly sprang to his feet. Obviously, it took less time than pushing oneself up with many a flailing motion. Of course, it would be easier not to fall down in the first place. Such a simple fact was the reason that many martial artists took acrobatics along with their school. "One more suggestion. Although sweeping is effective in some situations, it would have worked even better for you to kick me directly in the knee. And remember to bring your leg quickly back into the chamber, so this particular occurrence won't happen again."