A Boy and His Dragonwolf

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara shook her head and got into a stance near Judy and Tyler once more. "Keep yourself in control, Judy." she winked before jumping into an overhead slash at Tyler. The attack would be much too hard for him to attempt to block, so he would have to step back to dodge. And yet when he did, Meena would be there with a heavy wooden slab like his normal sword, and swing it at Tyler's upper body. He would have to duck, at which point Temin would slide in and try to jab him in the chest with a wooden Glaive. It seemed that this quad attack would be a one off thing, as after each attack the Aer would head back to a certain position, wanting to first see how he did with the surprise improvisation.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler gasped and jumped back at Mahara's down-strike. As he stumbled back and tried to regain his footing, he then had Meena with his damn slab of wood swinging to chop into his chest. He ducked, sliding onto his knees, only to be met with Temin thrusting his glaive into him. He acted on instinct, turning to his side so that the glaive instead went into his armpit. He grunted in pain, but clamped his arm down and held the wood glaive in place. He looked to see Judy, who flipped her sword once and charged at him. It was a good thing they were going slow for him, or else he'd be done for. But as they were, they were going just slow enough for him to move Temin's glaive to block Judy's sword strike.

Then the glaive was pulled away and Judy swiped again. Then made another overhead strike. When he blocked that again Judy spun around and stuck her wooden blade between Tyler's legs, tripping him up. He raised his sword as Judy went to hit him while he was down, and when he got to his knees he found both women baring down on him. Holding the sword with both hands he raised it up to hold both blows at bay.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara growled and charged forwards with Judy, her dual swords flipping in her hands. One weapon connected to the other, and he spun backwards to try and smack her sword into his back with the other. With this, either her second or Judy's own attack would connect, at which point Mahara jumped back and nodded. "Alright, that is good. For now. Next we'll practice some archery... Claire, come here with me." she said, waving the new female human over.

While Judy went to get the bows and arrows, so as to teach how to use them, Mahara brought them to the edge of the ring and pointed to where there were some floating targets - some static, some moving, all in a no-fly zone. "We will be starting with technique, and aim eventually for that closest target. Even with technique, though, you will sight in on the targets. It will hone your aim in your mind and help you hit later."

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler was quickly learning that he was okay blocking one sword. But three? It felt impossible as he kept stumbling, getting hit, and finally just as he managed to deflect Judy's strike and one of Mahara's, it was Mahara's second swing that sent him over. He nursed his side and lay on the floor for a minute while she announced they were done with that lesson. He had to admit - even though he was hurt, beaten, and tired - this still felt like a good training system. He already felt a little more confident with the idea of carrying a sword. Of course, fighting with one and actually winning remained to be seen.

Claire went over with Mahara as she explained the archery lesson. For some reason they seemed to think this was just as important for her as for Tyler, but not swordsmanship. Maybe it was a Taelesol thing. Claire took a bow and nocked an arrow, but didn't draw or anything else.

"It might seem ironic coming from a vet, but I've got some experience hunting with one of these," she said. "It was just the occasional deer with my father, but at least this isn't starting from scratch."

"Indeed. Maybe you should have gotten Nym," Judy teased, giving a wink to Tyler to let him know she wasn't being serious.

"Archery history aside," Claire added with a slight blush, "it's been a while since I've actually used one of these. Maybe a few pointers wouldn't hurt."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara smiled and nodded at the two humans, starting to tap them with her hands so as to teach them a good stance to at least begin with, as she looked over at Judy. "Alright, after this we will break from training today. Tomorrow we'll work on teaching them magic - swap it up between those two every other day?" she asked her second in command, a simple gesture dismissing Meena and Temin who nodded and headed off, their job having been done for today.

 

[Quiet One]

Claire moved into the proper stance easily, taking Mahara's pokes easily and moving her own body to get into position just as much on her own as with her help. Tyler just tried to copy her, but of course their different builds meant he had to be nudged into position even more. Just as he was set up in the perfect stance Claire let loose her first arrow. She was maybe an inch off the bulls-eye for one of the floating targets.

"Damn. That's pretty good. Let me try," Tyler raised his arm, but from all the practice it was really tired, and when he fired the arrow he hadn't been raised high enough and it sailed under the target.

"You're tired, aren't you?" Claire asked with concern as she pulled back another arrow, this time going for one of the moving targets.

"I can do it," he insisted, raising his bow again. This time he fought through his aching arm and took a deep breath to steady it. He fired again and this time he popped the target. "Yes!"

"Good shot," she nodded, her arm moving to follow the target. She quickly moved it to in front of where the target was and shot her second arrow. "Got another."

"Magically inclined and a skilled archer," Judy whispered to Mahara. "I think she's a keeper. Can't wait to see how she takes to those lessons tomorrow."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara chuckled a little at Judy's words and nodded a bit, watching the two of them as they worked on their archery. "I have to agree, she'll be quite a good fighter. She could easily ride behind one of us when we need to fly.. Now I just wonder what her element is." she said thoughtfully, still watching them.

After about thirty minutes of coaching and practicing their archery, Mahara would call for a halt and step forwards. "Alright, that's enough for today. It's starting to get late, and we can't exhaust you too much." she said, glancing over at Nym and Nemune, who had fallen asleep curled up with one another. "Anyway, go and get some food and rest. We'll get you tomorrow again to begin your training in magic."

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler rubbed his right arm as Mahara announced that they were done for today. It was very sore from all that exercise, along with the rest of him. When they packed up and began to leave he spoke up. "Hey, wait," he said. Judy stopped Mahara by her shoulder and looked back. She whistled to the male Aer, which caused Nemune to bristle her fur and glare up at her, not happy with being woken up. "Why don't you guys come eat with us? If we're going to be a team...got to get to know each other, right?"

"Hm. Good point," Claire added. "Plus we still can't quite read the menus."

Judy regarded the two and eventually nodded. "Alright. Meena, Temin: you want to hang out with these losers a little bit longer?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Meena and Temin looked over as the awoken Nym grumbled and wrapped a wing around Nemune, attempting to nap a bit more even though he knew that he very well wouldn't actually get to do any more for a while. They looked at each other, smiled, and then nodded to Tyler, their own Pandrylyrs getting up and moving along with them. They would head to the same restaurant as the night before, where Melody chirped in glee and ran off to embrace her mother.

 

[Quiet One]

Nemune yawned and got up with her mate, going along with Tyler, Claire, and the rest of the knights to their favorite restaurant. Her tail wagged and she barked at the other pandrylyrs, getting little barks and nods in response as they all shared their own special conversation.

Judy knelt down to hug Melody and carry her to their table. When they got there she let her little girl sit on her lap while they tried to discuss what to order.

"I don't suppose you guys have seafood here?" Claire asked while studying the menus, trying to apply what she learned.

"Not from the actual sea," Judy replied. "There's lakes down in the valley, plus all sorts of fish and shellfish that climb the waterfalls. They have something akin to sushi here that's really good. It's Melody's favorite, isn't that right, dear?" she asked her daughter.

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Melody giggled when her mother picked her up and wiggled in her seat, while the dragonwolves laid down and curled up at their knight's feet. She hummed a little while the two Aer listened a little, not able to speak enough human for them to really add to the conversation. So they would wait until addressed directly.

"Yup! I love the Sooshee." the little Aer girl giggled as she looked up at her mama and then around at the others on the table, shifting a little as Mahara simply looked through the menu to decide what she wanted first.

 

[Quiet One]

"I'm decided then," Claire said, setting the menu down.

Tyler furrowed his brow, trying to think what he wanted. "I'd like seafood too, but how about cooked fish instead of sushi? Or some of that shoryl?"

"Well, there is a dish my husband makes that's kind of surf and turf," Judy said to him. "Little shoryl medallions with fish and grilled vegetables. Should get your strength back up."

He nodded. "Alright..." He looked over at Meena and Temin. "What about you guys? What're you getting?"

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Mahara looked up at Temin as he began to say something in the Aer language, much too fast and with more words than Tyler would be able to understand. Meena nudged the younger male who blushed and looked at Mahara, as did Meena who seemed to be relaying his own order.

"Temin is getting.. I believe your equivalent would be 'chicken parmesan'? And Meena will be getting a shoryl salad." Mahara said. Soon enough, the waitress would come in and Mahara relayed their orders while Melody smiled at her mother. After a moment she looked at Tyler and giggled. "Mama worked you hard today, didn't she?"

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler smirked at the girl's comment and nodded. "I don't exactly do a lot of exercise where I'm from. And I especially don't do much fighting. I expect I'll get used to it over time, but for a first day...yeah, she worked me pretty hard."

"Baby," Judy chuckled, straightening Melody's hair. "How do you get your hair so messy?" She then looked up at the waitress and ordered in the Aer language something special. "I got a favorite for Melody and I; a fish soup my husband makes."

Melody giggled and beamed at her mother. "Papa's sooshee soup? Yay!"

Tyler smirked and scratched Nym's ears. He then turned to the other two Aer. Hm...talking to them was going to be tough. "Mahara, I'm assuming you'll act as translator? I do kind of want to get to know these guys better."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Melody had giggled at Tyler's words and her mama fixing her hair, which she had mussed up by chasing a bird through the streets a little while before. After that was done, though, she slipped off of Judy's lap to go walking around the restaurant. Nym perked up and nudged Nemune, getting up and moving off to keep track of the young Aer.

Mahara looked up when she was addressed and nodded with a smile. "Of course I will, Tyler. Just give me the question to ask and I'll give you their answer." she said as the waitress took the menus away and went to fill their orders.

 

[Quiet One]

Nemune flexed her wings as Nym departed, laying down to watch as he went to look out for the young hybrid child. Tyler chuckled as Judy's daughter skipped off, then turned to Mahara and the others. He looked at the dragon-wolves by Meena and Temin's sides, and finally had a question to ask. "Okay; how'd you guys find your pandrylyrs? I mean, I found Nym under the bushes outside my apartment. I'm assuming there was a bit more...what's the word? I guess occasion to getting one of these guys here. You know, you can answer this too, Mahara. I'm a little curious how you do it."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

As Mahara heard the question, she smirked a little and looked over to Meena and Temin, the older one burst out laughing while Temin just smirked. They told their stories and allowed Mahara to translate:

"Well, I first met Nemune in the wintertime, when I was exploring a cave farther down the mountain. I had heard sounds and wanted to explore. I soon got lost, but kept following the sounds. What happened was.. I got tackled in the chest by this baby female and we found our way out."

"Meena found his in a slightly similar situation. He was working in a cave with his parents when a rockshift made stones fall and cut him off. He said he stayed there, crying for a while before Ramnak simply came up to his side and barked, pushing stones out of the way so they could crawl to safety."

"Temin..." she giggled. "Temin found Zennar while gliding after a lightning storm. He was just riding the winds when suddenly this Pandrylyr drops into his arms and licks his face. He nearly got thrown off it, but he didn't and well..." she just smiled and looked over at Judy, leaving it to her to tell her story about Dartmoor.

 

[Quiet One]

Tyler smiled a little to himself while he listened to their stories. Nemune wagged her tail and rubbed against Mahara's scratching hand. It was quite sweet and he felt a bit more connected to them hearing how they found their pandrylyrs. It reminded him of when he found Nym at his apartment.

"I found Dartmoor on the moors of England," Judy said next. "It's been so long, that I'm having a little trouble remembering what I was doing out there. I was a photographer - in my spare time - so I think I was trying to get some kind of atmospheric shot of the fog. My big boy bounded to me as a puppy through the mist. He already had big horns for his age." She reached over and pet Dartmoor's head, the dark hound rubbing into her affectionate scratches.

"From there I kept him a secret," Judy went on. "I just...was afraid of what would happen to him if people found out I had a mystical creature in my care. Thankfully I had a house in the country so I could hide him quite well. But eventually he got the call to this world and I was brought here. From there I met my husband, had Melody, and been protecting this world as my new home."

"I was similar," Tyler said. "Except that I let scientists look at Nym."

"You what?"

"I thought he might have been some kind of genetic experiment or something," he defended himself. "I made sure he was treated well. We gave him regular checkups. He got to travel the country with me. Eventually things started to get dull, and Claire helped out with that by letting him and I share her house and we went to a national park every week."

 

[Mythy the Dragon-Wolf]

Nym came back with a giggling Melody, the young girl's collar in his jaws and her body covered in white stuff. She must have spilled her father's flour again. Once Nym arrived back, Melody once more tried to climb on her mother's lap while Nym went over to Nemune and nudged her softly before lying down next to her side.

Temin said something in the Aer language, Mahara nodding and explaining something more to him before Meena chuckled. "From what I saw, it was either that or eventually his secret would come out anyway. Is that right, Tyler?" asked Mahara with a smile, as some appetizer bread came to the table.

 

[Quiet One]

"Yeah I guess," Tyler nodded. He was stopped by Nym arriving with Melody and laughed. And thankfully he wasn't the only one who found it funny, as the whole table had warm-hearted laughter now. Except for Judy, who licked her fingers and tried wiping flour off her daughter's face.

"Honestly, Melody. You can be such a little troublemaker. Do mommy and daddy have to find a nanny for you?" she asked. It was her idle threat whenever her daughter got too rambunctious. She knew her little girl didn't like the idea of a stranger watching her, and the threat of a nanny usually got her to behave.

"I could look after her on some days," Claire offered. "I'm assuming later down the road you'll be teaching Tyler mounted combat. Since I don't have a mount, maybe I could keep her out of trouble on those days for you. I've been a sitter before."

"I don't think I'd mind that. Though there'd hardly be a time when you're completely free, either," she replied. She looked back at Melody as she tried to clean her. "What do you think, sweetheart? Would you be okay with her looking after you if we had to do that?"