A Bond Forged In Steel [Training/Ayero]

Diego had every intention of heading to Portsmouth after the skirmish at Tibur, but he headed back to Remano at Ayero's insistence. While he grumbled about it, the Fanatiga was thankful to have an older sister figure looking after him. He felt lost without Yakuroro's guidance, but the Fanalis woman had convinced him he needed to train. Plus, she had asked for help with beast taming so he couldn't turn it down. His love for teaching had been kindled in Kios, of course it was also nice to connect with a fellow beast tamer.

While Ayero wasn't knowledgeable at archery, Diego had hopes that she knew ways to increase his strength. He had yet to master Razorwing, the bow he had received in Caim's dungeon. The string was too tight and the bow to heavy to wield as of yet. While she got settled in after the mission, Diego set out to build a training camp just outside of the capital. He also purchased a gelding that was in need of training to be greenbroke. Diego thought it would come in handy when teaching Ayero, it had worked with Leo afterall. He felt a pang of remorse for sneaking away from the villagers, even though he felt it was the right thing to do. He couldn't sit idle for too long when Jagang was still around.

While he waited for Ayero, Diego made a temporary pen for the horse so it wouldn't run around loose. When she arrived, Ayero would find the Fanatiga napping with his beasts. Trixie was curled up under his shoulders while Diego used her stomach as a pillow. Zanzibar was asleep atop the boy's face and made mewling noises as he dreamt. The horse would snort in boredom when the Fanalis came upon the camp. Supplies were scattered around the firepit in disarray, but his bows and quivers were close at hand.

[316/1000]

Despite their victory at Tibur, Ayero still felt a bit nervous at letting Diego travel on his own. Though the boy had proved in the past that he was more than capable of defending himself with his bow and beast taming skills, she worried about his well-being in an all-out war. Through persistent nagging, the woman had been able to convince the Fanatiga to follow her back to Remano for the time being. She expressed a desire to not only help him hone the strengths of his Fanalis blood, but to hopefully learn how to better communicate and work with her own beasts.


After gathering her beasts, Ayero left to track down Diego and his pets. She found him shortly after making her way outside of the city, stifling an amused grunt as she spied the sleeping man-tiger resting against Trixie while Zanzibar napped on his face. "They look so peaceful…" An uncharacteristic gentleness softens her gaze for a quick moment before she prods Diego’s leg with her own. ”Oi, no sleeping. We’re supposed to be training!” Once his eyes opened and he focused on her, Diego would find all traces of tenderness gone from her eyes and the hardness of her usual stern expression present.


Kabu shifted his hold on her body slightly, flicking out his tongue in greeting to Diego. Tomato, who had alternated between flying and hopping after the redhead as they left Remano, perched herself atop Ayero’s head and twittered happily at the beasts below. She had been frightened of them at first and peeked at them from behind Ayero’s legs, but if Ayero and Kabu did not act as if they were in danger then so would she.

[283/2000]

Diego leaped awake at Ayero's prodding which flung Zanzibar from his face and nearly into the fire. The furry white spider let out an angry trill as it skittered about Diego's feet. The Fanatiga flashed an apologetic look to Zanz before looking over to see who had woken him up. When he recognized Ayero, Diego's feline features lit up in joy and he bounced up to greet her with a hug. "I wan't sleeping...I was uh, resting my eyes..."

He arched a brow to see a tiny bird perched atop the Fanalis woman's crimson head, surprised to see that Ayero had acquired another beast. Diego gave a friendly smile to Tomato and with the power of his Wildman's Charm spoke to the creature. "Hi there, lil' fella. What's your name?" Through some means of magic that Diego didn't understand, the charm would translate his intent to the tiny bird, though it would go unnoticed by Ayero. Not wanting to Kabu to feel left out, Diego gently raked the tip of a claw along the snake's back. "How have you been Kabu?"

While Diego conversed with her pets, Madam Trixie got up and stretched her limbs. She ambled over to Ayero and nudged the woman's hip with her head, a low purr vibrating in her throat. Zanzibar on the other hand was mildly annoyed to see another beast sitting atop Ayero's head, everyone knew that was his spot. The furry spider skittered around Ayero before climbing up her back to reclaim his territory. Once he reached Ayero's head, Zanz would plop himself down, whether or not Tomato moved.

[584/1000]

Ayero couldn’t stop a flicker of a smile as Diego jolted upwards to hug her in childish delight. She still had trouble getting used to his new form but thankfully it seemed as though he remained the same Diego on the inside, the Diego she saw as a little brother. ”You can rest later. We’ve got quite a bit of work to do.” She raises a brow as the Fanatiga’s attention shifts to the bird atop her head, recalling how much Diego loved animals and realizing that she hadn’t had Tomato with her the last time they’d met.


Despite Ayero’s lack of discomfort around Diego, Tomato was a bit unsure when the large tiger-man turned his attention to her. She crouched down lower to Ayero’s head, tiny feet clutching at red strands and her large eyes wide. When Diego’s voice became discernable to her, the little bird tilted her head sideways in confusion before chirping a reply. ”Tomato! Are you a friend?”


When Diego greeted Kabu, the black snake slithered forward in surprise before arching his back against Diego’s claw. ”I am well. You have grown.” The black serpent flicked his tongue out in curiosity, tasting the air around Diego and his pets.


As Madam Trixie made her way over, Ayero reached down to run a hand along the white striped fur of her side. ”And how are you two? Keeping Diego out of trouble?” She muses while bringing her hand back up to scratch behind Trixie’s hear and then under her chin. Wanting to greet the spider as well, Ayero looks around for Zanzibar seeing as how he wasn’t on Trixie’s rump as usual. ”Oof—“ The Fanalis woman grunts as the spider unexpectedly clambers his way up her back.


As Zanz reached the top of Ayero’s head and plopped himself down, Tomato chittered angrily while fluttering her wings to lift herself upwards to avoid being sat on. The little bird would perch on Zanzibar’s head and crane her body downwards and continue to chirp in an irate manner at the spider who stole her nest.


Ayero sighed at the scene that had unfolded on top of her head. ”Tomato, you have to learn to share…sorry, Zanzibar and Diego. She’s still young.”



[656/2000]

Diego nodded his head in response to Tomato's query, "Yes, I am a friend. Nice to meet you, Tomato! Has my big sister been treating you well?" The Fanatiga did not stop to think that Ayero would find it odd that he knew Tomato's name before she mentioned it. He looked down at Kabu, "I have, but I can give better skritches now!"

When Zanzibar claimed Ayero's head as his own and disrupted Tomato, Diego sent the spider a scolding look, "Hey, she was there first, Zanz! How would you like it if Tomato picked you up and took you flying?" The Fanatiga brushed off Ayero's apology, the spider didn't need to be so lazy. Zanzibar gave an unhappy squee, from both the the scolding tone and the idea of dangling from Tomato's claws. He quickly descended Ayero and stood by Diego's side with a cautious eye on the tiny bird.

The Fanatiga offered Ayero a seat, taking his own near the dwindling campfire, and yawned. "So, you said you could help me get stronger? What ideas do you have?"

---

After sometime was spent going over what Ayero would teach Diego, the Fanatiga turned the conversation to how he could help her. "You said you need help with training animals? That shouldn't be too hard." He hummed softly to himself as he rubbed his jaw, "First, tell me about Kabu and Tomato. Who are they? Having any problems with either of them?" Diego wanted to see the culmination of Ayero's previous training through her bond with her pets.

After Ayero had answered his questions, Diego would point to the horse in the makeshift pen. "You'll be training Whisper over there to accept a saddle and rider. He hasn't been greenbroke, so this will challenge your skills as a tamer. I have faith you can do it." Diego gave Ayero an encouraging smile and pulled some items out of a sack to give her.

The first item was a contraption made of mud-baked clay in the shape of a cup with a lid. A thin string was tied around the cup and a bell was hidden inside. It was a device used for newly trained horses to make them less sensitive noises, with the hopes they wouldn't throw their rider off at every unexpected sound. The next items were a halter, which went around the horse's face to give the trainer some control, and a lead rope which attached to the halter.

Finally he handed her some grooming supplies which would be used to get Whisper comfortable with human contact. There were a few varieties of combs and brushes whose uses were described by Diego. There was also a small tool with a short handle and curved pick which was used to clean debris out of the horse's hooves.

Once Ayero had been given all the tools she would need, Diego briefly went over what went into greenbreaking a horse. The first stage involved building a small bond with the horse so it trusted you and was comfortable to your touch. He advised her that the best way to tell how much a horse trusted you was to attempt to pet the base of their tail. If the horse raised their tail, letting you continue, then they felt safe around, otherwise they'd tuck the tail between their legs. The next stages involved getting the horse to accept the various bits of tack, with the saddle last.

Once she got to that point, Diego would give her the final instructions of the horse's training. Until then, the Fanatiga decided to get to work on the lessons Ayero had given him.

[1000+/1000]

Ayero quirked a brow as Diego continued speaking to her pets as if he could understand their responses, then again she hadn’t seen the boy in a while. Perhaps he had developed some sort of beast communication skill with his new look. Tomato seemed unperturbed as this man-beast who she could understand and seemed to understand her in turn. ”Red is nice. She feeds me well. I like her hair! When Diego scolded the white spider for stealing her place atop Ayero’s head, Tomato chirped in agreement before nestling back down against the red locks, moving locks of Ayero’s hair with her beak to arrange her nest. Ayero didn’t seem to mind the act, having been used to it.



As they sat down by the fire, Ayero sighed and thought deeply for a few moments. She let her gaze wander over Diego’s body, taking in how well built his various muscles were as well as she could underneath all of the fur. ”I was thinking of instructing you in exercises that would help build your shoulders and back muscles. I don’t know much about using a bow but I’ve had to face quite a few archers myself, and I saw what sort of condition their muscles were in.” She gestures with her right hand to her left shoulder, pointing to the various muscles that contributed to a dexterity user’s success. ”But we won’t just be working on those areas of your body. We’ll need to train your hips and core as well.” Nodding sagely, the Fanalis woman hums in thought as Diego prompts her with a question.



”Kabu’s been with my since my travels in Heliohapt. We used to have behavioral problems, but…it’s been sorted out. He’s not very social and tends to quietly observe. In times of battle, he generally stays out of the fight unless he seems to believe there is a need to intervene. He’s a good judge of that. His clever mind has saved me quite a few times and given our opponents quite the surprise as well.” The snake had since slid part of his body into Ayero’s lap, eyes curiously watching the Fanatiga and his pets. The initial recognition of his name had spurred this action, knowing that the two were conversing about him. Ayero’s tone didn’t seem negative, so he did not worry.



”Tomato is a great deal different. She’s energetic and outgoing and still very young. She doesn’t seem to be disobedient because of any ill will towards me, but I cannot be sure. I’ve tried to train her, but I think she just might be too young and easily distracted. We’ve made some progress, but I don’t want to involve her in battle just yet.” Ayero pauses to tilt her head back slowly, eyes meeting with the little red bird who had happily nested in her crimson locks. ”Perhaps I can learn to communicate with her using whistles or clicks, like you do with Trixie?”

---

When Diego told her that she’d be furthering her skills as a tamer by breaking in a horse for riding, Ayero couldn’t help but raise a brow in surprise. She realized that all of the horses she’s ridden so far have been properly trained and she hadn’t given a thought to what sort of work went into taming a horse. With this realization she understood why Diego had chosen this task for her. She listen patiently as Diego explained the variety of training tools and grooming items he had brought in order for her to properly train the horse.



Before she started on her own task, Ayero set the items Diego had given her down and went over the exercises she thought would be best in helping him increase his strength. She instructed him how to sprint properly, showing him how to keep his arms and legs bent and move them up at a 90-degree angle while sprinting. Next came pushups which she was fairly certain the boy already had a good grasp on. Moving over to a more hilly area, the Fanalis woman demonstrated doing proper pushups on an inclined area which would help strengthen his back. Another exercise included laying in a prone position on the ground and bringing the arms straight out in front before moving them in an arc towards the back, similar to the motions of swimming.



Ayero asked if Diego had any questions, and would answer them before the pair split up to work on their own training. Turning towards Whisper, Ayero approached the horse with slow, careful movements. She had seen horses in the wild during her journey though the planes and knew that the creatures spooked easily if untrained. The last thing she needed was a hoof to the face. Speaking in a soft, gentle voice the Fanalis woman placed her hand at the base of the horse’s neck. When Whisper didn’t seem to react in a negative manner to her touch, Ayero drew her hand slowly along the horse’s body, moving her hand away as she neared the rear flank.

---

Over the next few days, Ayero would built a small bond of trust with Whisper. She was gradually able to get the horse to allow her to touch his face, and she took her time in grooming him in order to get him used to being touched by a human. She’d place her hand on Whisper’s neck where she knew it was safe to touch before moving her hand to the horse’s face. If he seemed uncomfortable she would move her hand back onto his neck and wait a short while before touching his face once more, letting her touch linger a bit longer each time. Ayero had to be constantly aware of her actions while training Whisper in order to not startle the horse which proved to be more intensive than she had initially thought. But she kept Whisper’s comfort in mind the whole time, knowing that if she could not get the horse to trust her that she would have a difficult time in taming him.



One morning while grooming Whisper, Ayero decided to try and test the horse’s trust using the method Diego had suggested. She ran her hand slowly along the horse’s body, trailing lightly when she passed over his rump. Her eyes moved down to look at the beast’s hind feet, knowing that a powerful kick from a spooked horse might cut their training short. Taking in a deep breath, Ayero moved her hand to lightly pet the base of Whisper’s tail. After a few moments, the horse raised his tail to let her continue her petting and Ayero smiled in relief.


[1768/2000]

Diego giggled at Tomato's name for Ayero as the Fanalis woman checked out his hot bod. He observed the muscles she pointed to, remembering which ones were most important to wielding tauter bows. When she answered his questions about Kabu and Tomato, he listened carefully. He smiled at her description of the tiny bird, "It sounds like it is mostly youth, but she seems very curious. I would recommend using seeds as a treat to encourage her, if you haven't already. I think it would help keep her focused on the commands."

The Fanatiga nodded in earnest, "You could definantly incorporate whistles and clicks with the treats. If you think of it like a secret language that you share with your pets, I believe it strengthens your bond. Just don't forget your body language, animals observe that too. Some of my commands are the same, but what differs is my stance or a gesture."

He eagerly absorbed the exercises that Ayero taught him before they split up to begin their training regimens. While Ayero went to work with Whisper, Diego decided to spend the morning going through the exercises. He started with sprinting, using the boundaries of the field as a track and made several circuits. While he sprinted, Diego paid close attention to his form, adjusting the position of his arms or legs when he noticed an error.

After several laps, Diego's fur was slick with sweat and he took a small break to drink some water. Once he caught his breath, the Fanatiga performed five series of twenty push-ups, alternating between the prone exercise that Ayero had shown him, between each one. By the time he was done, the muscles in his arms were quite sore. Yet, he didn't want to call it a day. Ayero had mentioned that push-ups on an incline would help strengthen the muscles in his back.

He retrieved an axe from his pack and found a thick tree. When he had first learned archery, his old trainer had started him with chopping wood. The simple act of swinging an axe had helped give him the upper body strength to draw a bow properly. He figured he could do the same thing with cutting down trees, though he also had an ulterior motive. Diego planned to cut two logs to use as an inclined platform for his push-ups.

By the time it was late afternoon, Diego had cut down a few trees and had shaped his platforms. As he walked back to camp with them under his arms, Diego avoided the urge to take a nap. After dropping off the platforms, Diego grabbed some home made targets to take aim at.

Once he set the targets up, Diego took up a position fifty meters away and nocked an arrow. Through his combat experience with the bow, Diego had learned that at closer distances, the weapon was more forgiving for errors. An improper grip might lead an arrow to hit a shoulder instead of an arm from five meters away, but that same shot at fifty meters away would have the arrow end up in a tree.

It was with this thought that the Fanatiga spent the next few hours in the waning light practicing shooting volleys of arrows at the target. His goal was to get the arrows to strike in a close group about the size of a hand-ball. With the day spent working out his muscles, each shot sent fire through his limbs, but Diego ignored the agony. With the pain came new lessons that helped him find a more accurate grip and stance.

After he gathered his last volley of arrows, Diego headed back to the camp to eat a meal with Ayero. He told her about his training for the day and inquired about hers before sleep overcame him.

---

The next few days were spent with a similar regiment with the mornings spent stretching and working out, the afternoons spent chopping wood, and the evening hours before dinner were spent practicing his shots. Gradually he was able to increase the amount of his exercises as his muscles strengthened. As sore as they were at night, Diego loosened them up with his bow. By the fifth night, Diego was able to get his targets in tight clumps and he felt a surge of pride rise in him after pulling it off several volleys in a row.

Since he had met his goal, Diego continued to train in the mornings and practice shots in the evening, but the afternoons were spent guiding Ayero. It was clear that the Fanalis woman and Whisper had started to form a bond, so the Fanatiga taught her the next few steps. He instructed her on the different pieces of tack and showed her how to place them on the horse. He started with a bridle, which was similar to a halter but had a metal bit at the end that fit into the horses mouth. At either end of the bit, a strap was attached which was used to direct the horse, called the reins. He showed her how to bring the bit up to Whisper's lips and get her to accept it while talking soothingly to the gelding.

Next came the saddle, which was placed on the horse's back closest to it's withers with a pad underneath. He showed her how to tighten the girth, a strap that wrapped under the horse's belly to secure the saddle in place. He made sure to teach her to watch for signs of the horse 'bloating' out, where they would fill their lungs with air to keep the strap loose. When they did that, Diego explained to wait for them to relax and quickly tighten it a bit more, otherwise the saddle would slip when you mounted.

Since Whisper was still young, there would be no riding involved, but they could still teach him the commands. So Diego had Ayero stand at the horse's shoulder and cross the reins at the horse's withers. With her holding the reins there, she was able to give the horse enough slack for it to move his head, while still having a degree of control. From there, she would be able to walk the horse, turning it left by moving the reins over Whisper's left shoulder and turning right by doing the opposite. Whisper would take a bit of time to understand what the actions meant, but it was an intuitive lesson. Diego provided carrots or apples for Ayero to use as training snacks for when Whisper did something correctly.

---

By the end of the week, Diego felt he had unlocked a new mastery of his bow and furthered his skill as a result of Ayero's lessons. In the same token, Ayero had clearly obtained a new mastery of her beast taming. He was impressed that his big sister had managed to train Whisper so quickly. As they sat around the campfire on the final night, Diego looked to Ayero and smiled, "Thank you for the lessons. They really seemed to help. I hope I was able to help you."

[1000+/1000]

Ayero was grateful for Diego’s help, while she was able to gradually make the horse more comfortable around her she didn’t want to mess anything up when it came time to train Whisper to accept different pieces of tack. The Fanalis woman was impressed with how much Diego knew about properly training animals, but then again he was an excellent tamer. She carefully followed his instructions, aware that everything she did would serve as training to Whisper and did not want to do something incorrect that would teach him to fear her or the equipment they gradually worked onto him.


She spoke softly to the horse, using the same voice she used when comforting Vin during one of his emotional outbursts after she had taken over his care. Once the gelding was suited up with the proper gear, Ayero began to work on leading the horse with the reins alone as Diego determined that the gelding was still too young to ride. It was a bit frustrating at first as it took Whisper a while to get the gist of her commands, but Ayero controlled her temper and reminded herself that the animal was not being disobedient out of temperament, just a bit confused with the new circumstances.


After she had whisper had gotten the basics of movement down, Ayero put the clay cup and bell Diego had given her to use. As instructed, she would shake the device on one side of the horse’s head, gradually getting him used to noise disturbances. A horse sensitive to noise would be liable to buck their rider off, she had gathered. Once Whisper seemed unaffected by the noise on one side of his head, Ayero moved to the other side. Interestingly Whisper became skittish once more as the noise moved to the other side, but that too diminished with gentle yet firm training.


Whenever Ayero took a break, she would sneak off to go and watch Diego train. She watched the young Fanatiga perform the exercises she had instructed, a feeling of pride swelling up in her chest when he seemed to be working on her suggested exercises with diligence. Not that she expected the boy to slack, but she was glad to know that he took her seriously enough to take her advice. When she saw him train with his new bow, Ayero couldn’t help but smile to herself as the boy’s marksmanship seemed to have improved with the aid of his more powerful muscles.

---

Ayero looked up at Diego from stoking the fire, a calm smile curving across her face. ”I’m glad to hear that, Diego. Thank you for teaching me what it takes to become a proper tamer through earning a bond with animals. You’ve really grown up, haven’t you?” She laughs softly as Tomato cheeps from atop her head before fluttering over to Diego’s head and nestling down into his fur. ”Looks like you’ve made a new friend, hm?”


Sighing contentedly Ayero begins to stoke the fire once more, seemingly deep in thought. War was drawing closer, and Ayero knew that the resistance would not turn away help. At the same time she didn’t want to endanger Diego who she thought of as a younger brother. But…she had to admit, the boy had grown into a force to be reckoned with between his beast taming skills and his archery techniques. ”Diego, I know you might not have as much attachment to this country as I do, but you’re strong. And the rebellion needs strong fighters. What do you say to coming back to Remano with me and protecting the people there?”

[A-tier Dominance training: 2000+/2000]

[Exit]

Diego looked up at the tiny bird atop his head and grinned. "I guess so," he said as he scratched Tomato lighty with a claw. His face grew thoughtful at Ayero's offer, while he wanted to help Ayero, he still had to meet Yakuroro soon. Diego wondered what his Imuchakk King would want him to do. With the Fanatiga's Bardic Knowledge, he had learned that Yaku had been at a large protest and demanded to see the King. The magician had even mentioned trying to help in Remano during their meeting in Kios.

Diego didn't quite understand the politics, but a look of determination settled on his face and he gave a firm nod. "I will help you, Ayero. I think Yakuroro would want me to help too." He frowned, "If it's alright with you, I think we'll stay camped out here and keep training. If something comes up you can find me out here."

---

Trixie stirred from her slumber as the sun started to peek over the horizon. She felt Diego's head shift on her stomach and she let out a purr of content as looked over to see her master snuggle against her with Zanzibar sleeping upon his head. Her electric blue hues lingered on the Fanatiga's face as a feline smile stretched on her face.

A faint memory floated to the surface as she felt a stirring in her belly, of a night in Kios. There had been a festive gathering with lots of laughter and skritches from the villagers. Afterwards, her master had led her and Zanzibar back to the stables to sleep. She remembered a pungent odor on his breath as he curled around her body. The warmth of his body pressed against hers had given her an odd stirring in her loins--much like she felt now as she relived the memory. His hand had trailed down her white fur and she remembered feeling confused at the urges that his lingering touches elicited from her.

Trixie's thoughts were interrupted as Diego suddenly sat up and began stretching. Zanzibar dropped from the Fanatiga's face and made an angry warble in his lap. "Sorry Zanz. Morning Trixie." He stood up and walked over to his pack where he pulled out an assortment of berries and dried meats for breakfast. Diego tossed a strip of meat over to Trixie who clutched it with both paws and proceeded to chew on it.

As Trixie chewed the last pieces of her meal, she watched Diego stare at the clouds. The Fanatiga had appeared lost in thought and he turned to her with a smile. "Let's go on a run! You too Zanzibar." Diego laughed at the spider's squees of protest and rustled the fur on his head.

Trixie stood up with her back arched to loosen up her muscles and walked to her master's side. 'Where are we going, master?' She nuzzled against his hip and wound her body around him, with her tail flicking back and forth.

Diego frowned down at Trixie, "Diego, not master." He reached down to skritch behind her ear, knowing he was fighting a useless argument. Trixie didn't understand the concept of slavery or why it was offensive, but he couldn't help but try. "I don't like the idea of a master."

Unexpectedly, Trixie gave Diego a curious look, 'Why? D-Diego.' She remembered having this discussion before and it made her feel unwanted. This time however, something nudged at the back of her mind and she wanted to understand him better.

Diego arched a brow and sighed, running his fingers through his crimson mane. He decided to give explaining another try, since she had called him by his name. "Well...a master is a person who owns another and tells their servants what to do."

'Servant?' Trixie found a spot by Diego's feet to lie down while she listened to him.

Diego sat next to her with his legs crossed and ran his hand down her back while he spoke. "A servant is someone who takes orders from a master and does whatever they want--"

Trixie snorted, 'That's what I do.'

The Fanatiga shook his head, "Not quite. A servant has to listen to their master orders. They aren't given a choice in the matter. Do you listen to me because I make you?"

Trixie's tail curled upwards before thumping against the ground. 'No, I want to.'

Diego smiled and ruffled her fur, "Exactly, so you're not a servant."

'What am I then?'

"A friend," Diego smiled and twined his tail with Trixie's. "You and Zanzibar are my best friends. I hope you feel the same way about me."

Trixie felt a shiver run up her tail as it entwined with Diego's. Her electric blue hues met Diego's fiery orange gaze and let out a small purr. 'What is a friend?'

The Fanatiga placed his hands on his knees and stared off thoughtfully. "A friend...a friend is someone you always want around. A friend is someone you care about and want to see happy. They are people who are there for you through good times and bad. Like Ayero and Yaku. We've had to fight bad people by their side, but we've also shared laughter and food."

It took a moment for Trixie to understand that his idea of a friend was similar to her concept of a master. However, she had similar feelings for Zanizbar, Ayero, and Yaku, but she didn't consider them a master. Nor were those feelings as strong as for what she felt for Diego. Unable to label what she felt for him, Trixie agreed to call him friend. 'Then I shall call you Diego...my friend.'

Diego gave her a happy smile, "Good. Now, let's go for a run. I don't know where, I just want to feel the grass beneath my toes and the wind in my face." He stuck his tongue out to her teasingly and took off, quickly working his way up to a sprint.

Trixie jumped up and looked to Zanzibar who was napping nearby. 'Come on, you'll be left behind.' She snorted at the lazy spider before bounding off after Diego. She heard Zanzibar let out a panicked squee behind her and slowed down so her friend could catch up and climb up her tail.

---

Trixie found Diego at the edge of a forested area and came to a slow trot. He looked at her with a mischevious glint in his eyes. "Come, catch me if you can," he shouted before taking off through the trees. Trixie chased after him, her feet kicking up debris from the leaf littered area with every step.

When she got too far away, Diego would slow down just enough for her to close the gap before speeding back up. He led her on this cat-and-mouse chase until they both tired out. He found a tree to rest against and watched as Trixie curled up against his leg, panting loudly. Diego pulled out a water skin and trickled a stream into her mouth. Trixie lapped at the water with her tongue and nuzzled her head against Diego when she had her fill.

Diego slipped the water skin back into his pack before observing the environment around them. He looked for subtle details about the various plants he saw, how many leaves they had, what shadow of color they were, things of that nature. It was the ranger instinct in him to always be searching for new types of plant- or wildlife.

While the Fanatiga was looking elsewhere, Trixie noticed two deer approaches some bushes nearby.  The taller one had a brown coat with tufts of white furr around its neck and fetlocks. Large antlers grew from its head as well which he used to nuzzle against the smaller deer. Suddenly, it mounted the deer with a loud grunt and Trixie turned to Diego. 'What are they doings?'


Diego turned his head to see what Trixie was looking at and blushed at the sight of the two deer coupling. The Fanatiga hesitated before explaining in hushed tones. "They are mating. A male will...mount a female in an effort to get her pregnant. That's how babies are born."

Trixie stared at the deer in fascination, reminded of that night in the stables once again. She felt a stirring in her stomach again and it finally clicked. She looked up at Diego, 'I think I might be pregnant.'

[1407/1500]

Diego's jaw dropped and he stared at her with a look of shock on his face. Assuming she misunderstood, Diego chuckled. "You're not pregnant. You've never, you know...mated before." He shifted uncomfortably, the topic still awkward to his adolescent mind, unless he viewed it from a clinical perspective. He scanned her abdomen for signs of pregnancy, but he saw none. That didn't mean Trixie wasn't pregnant though, tigers didn't start showing signs until right before they gave birth.

Trixie gave Diego a disgruntled look, 'Yes, we have. In that place with the cold woman.'

Diego's hands shot up, "We?! We never...did that!" Under his orange fur, Diego's cheeks were flushed red. A few hazy memories floated just out of reach, his recollection impaired from the amount of alcohol the villagers had fed him. "Cold Woman...you mean Janus?"

Trixie nodded, tying the name to the image in her mind. 'Yes. The darkness of the....gathering. There was laughter and happiness.'

Diego furrowed his brow in confusion, "Darkness? What do you mean?"

Trixie lifted her head up and looked to the sunlight as it filtered through the treetops above. 'The light now, the darkness later.'

Diego suddenly understood, "Ah, day and night. So...that means the night of the gathering in Kios... Oh, I remember! When the villagers--Ohhhh!" Diego gulped and looked down at Trixie as the door unlocked to the memories of that night. He sat speechless for a few moments as it sunk in that he was a father. On some level it felt like he had violated a moral code of a tamer, but then he looked down at his feline body and remembered that Gremory had made him part beast. He wasn't sure if it made if fell any less...wrong, but he would accept the responsibility.

He chuckled nervously, "I guess that makes you my mate."

Trixie's ears perked at the word and the void from earlier that 'friend' created was filled. It seemed to match her feelings towards him. 'Mate.'

Diego looked over and saw that the deers had left at some point. "Come on, I want to see if you can catch me." He stood up and gave her a determined look, "If you are pregnant like you say you are, then we're going to need to train hard. Ayero asked for our help to fight some strong opponents soon, so we can't be weak. We have our...children to think of."

Trixie looked up at her mate with a confused tilt of her head while her mind tried to process a word. The more she conversed with Diego, the stronger Trixie's desire to understand him grew. Suddenly, she drew context from his statement as she contemplated it. 'Op-Opponent? Do you mean prey?'

Diego nodded, "Yes, kind of like prey. Remember the people we fought--hunted-- with Ayero and the dragon? More of them."

Trixie stood up and sneezed at Diego. 'Then let's train. I will catch you this time.' Trixie chased after him as the Fanatiga took off running while questions started forming in her mind. Who were the people they were meant to be fighting? Why were they fighting? Would she be strong enough to protect Diego? Would she be strong enough to protect her children?

---

Diego and Trixie chased each other through the woods into the late afternoon before taking a break. The Fanatiga had found a river that cut through the woods to stop at so they could drink and he could refill his water skin. Diego's mind was still reeling that he would be a father, but he was starting to come to terms with it.

The tigress looked up from lapping at the water, her body rigid and the hair on her back stood up. 'I heard something.' She snarled as four men appeared out of the trees across the other side of the river.

Diego jumped up as he recognized the Kou uniforms, "Be careful." He reached for an arrow as he slid his bow off his shoulder and readied for a fight.

The four Kou men were part of a scouting unit and they froze when they noticed a tiger and the tall tiger behind it. When Diego revealed his bow, three of the men unsheathed their sword while the fourth pulled a wand out from belt. The magician leveled his wand at Diego, "Looks like we got ourselves a trophy. A tiger that can shoot a bow." With a flick of his wand, the magician conjured four roots, two that erupted from the earth below Diego and two underneath Trixie, that wrapped around their legs and immobilized them in place.

While Diego couldn't move his legs, he was able to fire off a Bodda-Boom arrow towards the magician. Expecting it, the magician conjured a fireball which met the arrow in an explosive clash over the river, nearly catching both parties in it.

Meanwhile, Trixie used her Iron Tiger Claw I to defend against the roots and was about to charge across the river when she noticed Diego's arrow. She had seen him shoot the explosive tipped arrows before and knew what to expect. Rooted in place, she waited until the explosion occured before crossing the river.

Diego held back an urge to cry out to Trixie and grabbed an arrow, intending to support her. He sent out three basic arrows towards the magician to keep him distracted, while she waded towards the other side.

Trixie stepped onto the shore and let out a snarl. These men threatened Diego, her mate. Not only her mate, but her children as well. Diego's children. The bestial desire to protect one's offspring surged through her, triggering a physiological change in her body. Bio-electricity jolted through her muscles and she moved with lightning speed to strike the nearest Kou swordsmen with her claws. The swordsman parried her attack and slashed down vertically at her back.

With a crackle of electricity, the tigress dodged his blade, moving around him to lash out with Lightning Fury. As Trixie's claws dug into the man's thigh, a discharge of bio-electricity burst out from her limb in an arc. The other two swordsmen had positioned themselves behind Trixie and were out of the line of fire, but the other one and the magician weren't so lucky. The magician's Borg shattered, sparing him any harm, but the tigress had managed to take out one enemy so far.

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Spoiler:

Zanzibar let out a squee of warning and Trixie turned her head to see a blade coming towards her. An urge to surivive pulsed through her body and a arc of electricity launched towards the wielder from her back as ducked to avoid the blow. The jolt sent the swordsman to his knee and Trixie slashed his chest open, taking advantage of the opening.

Across the river, Diego saw the Kou magician prepare to cast a spell towards Trixie and sent three basic arrows towards him. The arrows struck the magician and brought him down, but not before he cast a spell. Several blades of grass shot out towards the rear of the tigress, striking both Zanzibar and Trixie. The furry white spider let out a squee of pain and launched a Paralytic Loogie towards the remaining swordsman.

The last swordsman had watched his allies picked off one by one and cursed. He lept into the air to slam his blade through the tiger in retribution, as a glob of some weird fluid numbed his right arm. However, he still held his sword with a firm grip in his left hand and would have severely injured Trixie if she hadn't used her Iron Tiger Claw I, to deflect a portion of the damage. His attack still managed to mangle her arm and shatter her shoulder-blade.

Trixie let out a whine of pain as she felt bones shatter beneath the force of the man's attack. With of a howl of anger she stood on her hind legs and slashed downward, using her good 'arm', with Lightning Fury. An ejection of bio-electricity slammed into the swordsman and electrocuted him, as the tigress fell. She twisted her body to avoid landing in a way to injure her children.

With Trixie injured, Zanzibar shot a Webbed Bandage at her leg to help heal her wounds and turned his attention on the still moving swordsman. As the man reached for his blade, the spider shot two web-pellets at his face. Thunk. Thunk. Thud. The swordsman's face crashed into the dirt.

As soon as the roots came free, Diego jumped into the water and swam across to the other side. Scrambling ashore, he rushed to Trixie's side, "You ok?"

Zanzibar skittered over to Trixie's arm and spewed a Healing Wish I wad of spit at it to further assist the healing process. The bones in Trixie's injured limb slowly shifted to align as Zanzibar's spit seeped into it. The tigress nuzzled her face against the spider's legs and purred thankfully.

---

Once Trixie could walk, they began the trip back to the campsite in the dark in short bursts. Diego's Geo-mastery made finding it an easy task, especially since he hadn't run through the forest aimlessly during their chase. Instead, Diego had been building a mental map of its layout based on the position of landmarks.

Thankfully they didn't come across anymore patrol along the way. The Fanatiga quickly started a fire and prepared a meal for them to eat before going to sleep. In the morning, he found that Doctor Zanz's care had successfully healed Trixie's wounds. After breakfast, Diego packed up camp and moved closer to Remano, not wanting to run into anymore patrols.

Once they established a new camp closer to the city walls, Diego continued Trixie's training over the next few days. He had observed the subtle changes in the tigress during the fight, she had seemed faster and electricity had discharged from her with greater control. With this in mind, he had her practice shooting bio-electric bolts and had her run to build her stamina up so she could run at top speed longer. Diego wasn't idle however, he too practiced his archery in hopes that together they had improved enough to handle whatever Ayero dragged them into.

[1500+/1500]

Spoiler:

[exit]