Learning

Graea perched on the edge of the pool, staring into the subtly glowing waters. She shook out her golden head, furred ears flapping against her skull before she turned and hopped down. She began to pad through the grass heading out of the clearing in the trees. She was huge, despite her tender years. At only 9 years old her lupus wolf form was already much larger than any traditional wolf. Thick golden fur shimmered in the breeze as she moved slowly, stealthily through the grass, large paws making barely a sound as she moved. Suddenly she crouched slightly, reacting to a potential threat, head sinking down into the long grass, but her muzzle lifted just enough to catch scents in the air above. She turned slowly to face the source of the sound and her long legs folded beneath her, tensing ready to pounce.

As the threat moved around her slightly, she turned to follow, ears perked to every subtle sound and body ready. A sudden flutter of movement in the grass ahead and she leapt towards her attacker. She landed smartly on the back of the massive dark creature that lurked in the grass and kicked out at it with her hind paws as she jumped down into the grass. An agile spin left her facing the creature once more. Her lips curled back to reveal long pointed incisors ready to bite, and with another kick of her hind limbs her massive head and its powerful jaws were moving towards the attacker again. Her jaws clamped around the back of its neck as she once again hit her mark. Her bite was firm, locking securely onto the thickly furred scruff so that she could begin to claw at the creature.

"OUCH! Graea!" came the cry from beneath her, growled in the wolven tongue, as the enormous garou male stood, leaving her dangling from his scruff. She dropped to the ground with a soft thud, landing neatly on her paws and turning to nip at his tail.
"Don't sneak up on me then Daddy." she growled playfully, bounding around him in circles. Grae frowned and shook his head, but he couldn't hide the smile in his eyes, even if his wolven lips couldn't form it properly. "You will be a fine Guardian my little garou." he murmured, with more than a hint of pride in his voice. He turned to walk back to the den. "Come... dinner time."

Graea gave herself another shake before trotting off after him, occasionally nipping at his heels to be rewarded with grumbles that carefully disguised his chuckles. She was used to his tests by now. They were the most fun part of her lessons. The fighting and hunting was good too, but her father knew that she needed more than basic skills. She needed to finely hone the gifts that Luna had given her. But he did it discreetly. She was a child and she didn't need the pressure of her future weighting on her just yet. The old garou looked fondly down at his daughter as she hurried along beside him. Despite her size, he was even bigger and his strides were impressive.

"Daddy... tomorrow will you teach me to use the forge?" the golden haired child asked after their meal. She lay on her belly beside her father, muzzle slightly bloodied from the carcass they'd eaten. Naia, her human sister, sat nearby on some furs stitching together leather strips. "Now why in Luna's name would you want to use the forge." she asked incredulously, clearly not keen on the idea of such heat and grime. Naia glanced over to their mother for backup. Dynae smiled and shook her head slightly, deep chestnut red hair tumbling  around her shoulders. "I'm staying out of it." she murmured, scratching lightly at the head of the small golden wolf laying in her lap. Graea gave her head an indignant shake and sat up, head canted to one side. "Because Daddy can." she said as though that explained everything. Grae reached out a massive paw and hugged her to his side. "What more reason do we need?" he said with a chuckle.