Sand. It Gets Everywhere.

[Alwine Daye]

Caid. Now the man had a name. Alwine nodded.

Following his instructions and guidance, Alwine closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The Lupine's heart beat slower than that of humans. She never knew why this was so, but she always knew, especially when she played with other children when she was smaller, that their hearts beat much faster than hers. When she was a wolf, it usually beat even slower unless she was actively chasing or killing her prey.

The gentle hum of life around her? Alwine would have blinked if she'd had her eyes open. As a wolf, she always felt it. As a human... She'd never even tried. Where was it? Could she even grasp that feeling without being in her wolf shape? She tried, reaching out. Nothing happened at first. She was just a short woman sitting with a tall man in a training room and everything was the same. But she wasn't going to give up so quickly.

It felt less like learnig how to control the demons Stewjon had accused her of being in league with, and more like learning how to give some of her wolf's abilities to the human inside her. The wolf was not a Force-user, not in a tangible manner that she knew of, but by Caid's words, there were similarities there that all she needed to do was grasp. Perhaps there would be a reason not to constantly be a wolf.

Focusing, sweat began to bead on Alwine's forehead. It was not as easy as he made it sound, but she knew what he wanted her to do. She had done it before, multiple times, but never... Never controlled. Never because she wanted it to happen. It was always either by accident or by instinct.

She remembered the first time. She was at home, her mother showing her how to clean pots without running water. Alwine had thought it was the dumbest thing she'd ever had to do, and she was almost nine by then. The pot were annoying, the cleaning was hard, and before long, she had lost her temper. After what felt like hours, the pots went flying through the air, smashing against the wall, without her hands having thrown them. Her mother had thrown a fit and beaten her, screaming "Never! Never ever do that again! Demon child! Don't you dare ever do that again!" over and over again.

Alwine smiled. She was going to do it. She was going to learn how to control it. Her senses through the Force - for now she had a name and a label to give to this strange feeling that she only now realize she had been suppressing for ears - her senses raised and she imagined the Force coming out of her, wrapping around that stick.

When the Lupine opened her eyes, a smile spread on her face. The stick was floating in the air.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid was silent and motionless as Alwine worked. In an effort not to distract her, he kept his evaluation of her progress through the Force light, almost invisible. Patiently, the Sith Lord waited as the Lupine slowly but deliberately made progress. The first time was always the hardest - conveying to a new force user what it felt like to manipulate the life-energy was...more than merely difficult. It also felt and happened differently for each individual.

Once [member="Alwine Lechner"] opened her eyes and smiled, Caid offered a simple nod. "Good..." Caid's deep voice was soft, but he could feel the vibrations in even in his own chest. "Now...move the stick around. Rotate it, lift it higher, drop it lower. Take your time...there is no rush. Clarity of thought will result in clarity of action through the Force." They'd get into the differing philosophies later. For now, she merely needed basic understanding.

 

[Alwine Daye]

Move the stick round. If Alwine had dared thought for a moment their lesson would end with a mere levitation of a stick, she would have been direly wrong. Thankfully, she hadn't thought about it, and would have probably asked for more if Caid had chosen to stop there. Both the wolf and the woman were starving for this, for the chance to learn, to expand, to become stronger. Although, she would have to admit that it was very... Gentle. Relaxing, even. She had been certain that training with the Force would have been more violent than this, but then again, she'd been wrong with a lot of assumptions about life outside of Stewjon. For instance- No.

She was not going to think about the auflaque now. In her imagination, Gerwald should have killed her or left her behind before he came for his siblings. Instead he was now involved with her and the mere thought of it was enough to send her into a rage and cause her to flip entire ships over.

The stick in the air began to alarmingly vibrate an an inhuman growl escaped Alwine's throat. She couldn't think about this right now. She had to focus, she had to learn, she had to become better. If she did well enough, the auflaque's throat would be hers to tear. That thought alone was enough to calm her down, to make her smile again. She could do this.

Gradually, she made the stick come to a stop. No more uncontrolled vibrations. She had to move it around, to rotate it.

Nothing happened for a few long minutes. Gentle mechanics were hard for the woman even when she used her hands, she had not expected to quickly grasp it with the Force, which was still much harder for her to actually control than her hands. She was taught to clean harshly, not to paint or draw.

Eventually, Alwine knew she had to close her eyes again. Remove on sense from being active so that the others could become stronger. It was easier now to hold the image of the stick in her mind, behind her eyes. And only then, after a few minutes more, did it finally begin to follow her will; up and down first, rotations later. The movements were slow, almost baby-like in their finesse. But it didn't matter. She could practice this on her own, back on the ship, or anywhere else. The basics were inside her.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

The Sith's impassive face remained focused on Alwine, patiently waiting to see what her results would be. Suddenly, Caid detected a flicker, a hint of a burning ember. Though his facial expression didn't change, Caid delved deeper into Alwine's presence within the Force. It wasn't an aggressive move as he normally would. Instead it was...definitively gentle. That particular reality didn't mean anything other than Caid did not desire to disturb the young woman.

Silver-green eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he sensed the burning ember beginning to ignite in the pit of Alwine's soul. The growl, though not overly loud, was audible enough to push a thin smile on Caid's features. She's a feisty little one... Impressive to Caid as the degree and ease with which Alwine's emotions coalesced with the Force was, her ability to rather immediately wrestle her emotions under control was much, much more important.

As Alwine managed to resume manipulating the stick, Caid's expression returned to its normal impassive state. The Sith allowed the woman to continue for a few moments before quietly intoning. "Good. That's enough of that." Holding his hands out in front of him, Caid continued, "Now that you know how it feels when you're willfully manipulating the Force, you need to learn to allow it to flow through you, to speak to your mind. Place your right hand on top of my left."

Pausing for a moment, Caid smirked slightly, "Just trust me. Just as you can influence your will and desires into the Force, so to can the Force communicate things to you. It's very much a dialogue, assuming your mind is quiet enough to listen. The reason I was able to avoid most of strikes, skillful though they were, is because I saw it happen before you even flinched. I'm not saying you will immediately receive a full-on vision of what is to come, but it is best to identify the sensation that occurs when the Force is attempting to convey a warning. This exercise is simple, I will attempt to slap your right hand with mine, you just need to withdraw your hand before I am able to do so."

Caid did not bother to wait for Alwine to acknowledge she understood. With a blur of movement, Caid's right hand moved the short distance and came down forcefully toward Alwine's.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine released her grip through the Force on the stick, releasing a breath she had not realizing she was holding. She was experiencing a dull headache in the back of her mind, which she supposed was due to this training. A mind was harder to train than a body, or so she thought.

The next step was... Having the Force speak to her mind? A dialogue? Alwine chewed on her inner cheek for a moment, suddenly understanding with a comprehension that had not been there before why the superstitious on Stewjon had believed this was consorting with demons. The idea was not a simple one, reminding her heart that this was all right, that this was how it was meant to be, that this was her birth right and hers to learn to control, was taking a few moments. Parts inside her wanted to wrestle out of it. She imagined the wolf inside her shredding those parts to pieces. It would take... Time.

Caid said he'd seen her moves happen before she made them. Another thing of dark gods. But this time, Alwine smiled and nodded. She opened her mouth to ask questions about the matter, but her hand was slapped before she'd even made her move.

In a very wolf-like move, Alwine jumped backwards from her seating position, the growl already coming from. So close, so close, her wolf yearned to break free and come out, to sink her jaws into Caid's face.

"Venorsh!" Alwine snarled at herself, forcing herself to return her position. She shook her head like a wolf would to get rid of water. "Again," she asked Caid, trying to quiet herself down so she could listen to the Force. But the wolf inside her was fighting. It was too close to the surface, too close for her to lose control. This time, protecting Varick was not a reason that could ground her, to keep her in control. This time, there was just her. And she wasn't so sure her wolf would understand and remain at bay.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

Venorsh - Silence

 

[Caid Centurion]

The young girl was loud. Caid did not attribute the thought to her voice, however. It was her soul that was screaming from inside her mind that was deafening. The creation and manipulation of mental blocks, however, would have to wait for another time. Caid had a sneaking suspicion that he was already pushing her mental limits for one day.

"Again."

A thin smirk touched Caid's lips. The girl was a fighter if nothing else. He very much did enjoy that about her. The Sith Lord offered no audible response. Another blur of motion and his hand came down forcefully towards her own. There was nothing that Caid could say in the moment...that he had not already said. Alwine would have to find the Force's voice of her own accord.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Again Caid managed to thwack her hand before she could react. Her mind was too noisy. If the Force had a voice and if that voice was trying to relay anything to her, the sound was stilled out by the constant roaring and barking inside her mind. Her wolf was rising to the surface and Alwine closed her eyes, trying to force it down.

Once. Only once before had the angry wolf come out against her wishes. It had happened a few weeks ago, after months of withstanding the tortures of Stewjon as she was held on trial for being a witch. When her brothers had shown up with the auflaque, everyone had told her she had to change. That it had been months. Everyone had expected for nothing of her mind to have remained intact. She had shown them all.

But once she had known Varick was safe, that they were leaving Stewjon, she had no ore control. She had screamed with a force she hadn't known she still possessed that she would never change in front of the auflaque, but she had changed against her wishes anyway. And had remained a wolf for several days after that.

This time, when Caid's hand came down on hers, she jumped backwards again, but did not immediately return. Instead, her body threw itself against the floor, the shift beginning to form. Bones cracked as they began to break down and rebuild themselves as gray, white, and black fur began to sprout from her skin. Her nose and aw extended forward as snout and jaw formed, ears moving up.

To Caid, it would look like her body was breaking itself down completely and then rebuilding into a wolf. What clothes she had on her body shredded during the change.

It took a few minutes; in the end, a wolf was standing here Alwine had been lying before. In size, she was as small as a wolf as she had been a woman, barely larger than a wolf cub, though all the adult proportions were there.

Alwine shook her fur out and snarled. She had not wanted to change. But she would not waste time now by changing back and then going to find clothes that she could wear. An still, the change had brought with it an inner silence and peace that had been lacking before even when the woman had been perfectly calm and in control.

Later, she would think later about why this happened now, why it had happened like that. She was usually perfectly in control of the wolf, and since she had been one the entire night until just an hour before showing up in the training hall, there had been no reason for the wolf to force itself out. But if the wolf and the woman were one, then the training one received would benefit the other. There was no other sensible way to look at this.

Licking her upper jawline, the little wolf walked back to Caid, and held a paw out, motioning with her head for him to do it again.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid had no actual response to yet another instance of success. He briefly recalled his first combat training sessions. Instead of a slapping of the hand, it had been a painful burn of a training saber when he was unable to parry an attack successfully.

Alwine's leap backwards also went without reaction...until... Well Caid certainly had no idea how to describe what he was seeing initially. It appeared as if the girl's body was disintegrating into itself. However, his danger senses suddenly caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prickle slightly. Arching a curious brow, the Sith Lord flooded his presence into the Force. What he saw... He hadn't even heard of...whatever she was before outside of stories and holovids.

Retreating from the vision of what was to come, Caid managed to content himself with the reality that...a person changing into some type of beast probably wasn't all that wild. There were sentients that could mimic other sentients. Hell he was currently studying his father woefully incomplete notes on folding space and time with the Force. Thus far...he'd really only learned that he would have no choice but to find a way to spend time with Aing-Tii.

As Alwine padded her way over to himself, Caid's silver-green eyes glanced from the paw to her face. In that moment, he had to admit to himself that the sheen of her coat certainly made her look very regal. She was small, sure, but there was...a definitive aura of confidence and power. Alwine had it in her human form, but it wasn't nearly as pronounced or easily discernible as in the present moment. The undercurrent of strength that wafted from her through the Force was...entrancing.

His gaze still lingering on her eyes, the Sith Lord placed his left hand out once more, palm up. The instant it came into contact with Alwine's warm paw, his right hand blurred into motion. A momentary infatuation with her presence did not otherwise diminish his ability or attention.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Alwine was a Lupine. That meant that she had two physical shapes to her; a wolf and a woman, two shapes that shared the same mind. It was a cruel trick of nature, to let such a species develop. What was the mind of a wolf inside the body of a human other than woefully stuck in an inferior form. A form to which the words Know your place, woman, could be uttered, day in day out. A form that had to keep the wolf in as the woman learned to lower her chin, to clasp her hands behind her back, to be meek and demure.

She had not lowered her chin once since they left Stewjon, not in obedience. A few times, as well as her clasped hands, catching herself in the middle of a move that had been ingrained into her to feel almost natural though it never had. Her shackles to her home work had been shattered, and the phantom shackles that remained would vanish entirely given enough time.

And there was time. Because mother had lied. Aside for places like Stewjon, no one wanted to kill either her or her brothers simply for what they were. Their fur would not decorate anyone's walls or floors as a trophy. Not for being Lupines. For angering the wrong people, perhaps, but not for what they were born as. Never that. It was a freedom that was so tangible in her mouth when she was a wolf that she had to keep herself from howling in pleasure.

One could not chain a wolf down. Not for long. If Alwine was to be completely honest with herself, she knew the outburst that had caused her to be accused of witchcraft as merely a matter of time. Her brothers had the privileged of being strong men, they were able to change their castes, from farmers to fighters. But she had been a woman. She was to forever be chained, if mother-Lechner had her way. It was a good thing she did not.

The wolf did not close her eyes as the woman had. She stared right into Caid's face. In her woman shape, her ears were more sensitive than that of human's. But in her wolf shape, they were even sharper than that. If there was a dialogue, it would be-

No. It would not be easier to hear it as a wolf, not because of the ears. The dialogue was not one that passed through the ears into the mind, but rather, through the senses. Through her very essence of life. The wolf comprehended what the woman had trouble understanding.

When Caid's hands moved again, she'd already seen it, and had moved her paw in time.

Alwine gave a happy bark, her tail wagging before she offered him her other paw. Again, the expression on her face said, her tail still wagging with joy from side to side.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

A thin smile touched the Sith Lord's lips at the success of the wolf before him. When Alwine offered a different paw, Caid could not help but allow a brief laugh to escape his lips. Again...with equal intensity and speed, he did the same thing. Alwine was successful once more.

Offering her a simple nod of the head, the Sith returned his hands to his lap. "Do you wish to continue, or have you endured enough training for one day?" Even Alwine would need rest, regardless of her excitement to learn. That said, there was yet plenty she could do prior to the next day's training. Caid would simply have to return to his vessel first in order to collect a few study materials that he did not mind parting with.

Where Caid had traveled to Geonosis merely to expand upon his own knowledge and perhaps offer to teach a few things to a couple people, he had found a very strong desire to adopt a young acolyte in earnest. Of course, his was not the only opinion on the matter which would ultimately influence the decision.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

She had succeeded once more! Alwine gave another joyful bark before her back legs folded and sat own, curiously eying Caid. What went through the mind of a person who clearly had such an amount of control over the Force? He had laughed, and it had sounded as joyous as her bark, but that alone was not sufficient to answer her question. Before that, he had seemed more... More like someone who had himself gathered. Had he been a Lupine, he would have felt like an older Lupine. Almost as mother-Lechner had, but without the stupid and superstitious sides of it. Or perhaps he did have them, but they were merely different than those that mother-Lechner had.

If the little wolf was to be honest with herself, it was more than enough training for one day. She could easily pull another hour or two against the droids, but as Caid had shown her, that served little to nothing. The actual training had been the one that occurred over the past half an hour, and it had taken much more out of the Lupine than all the hours that had come before that, even though she had been sitting perfectly still for most of that time.

She lowered her snout to the mattress and held it there for a moment. What she wished to convey was that she needed a few minutes, but she did not know whether he would understand the signs and motions that for the Lechner siblings were agreed on, things they always knew what meant when a sibling used it. She simply lacked the experience to know if these little moves and motions were universally understood.

Hoping for the best, Alwine then straightened up and took a few steps back. Before, the woman had flattened against the mattress as she shifted, but the wolf would not. She remained standing as the bones cracked again, as the fur began to pull in.

It took a few minutes, as before. Alwine needed another decade to her life as the minutes would slowly turn to seconds, but she was too young of age for it to be a faster process now.

And a few minutes later, Alwine was on all fours, a woman again. It felt so strange now, to shift into the woman and feel air against her back. On Stewjon, she had been forbidden to cut her hair, and it had grown so long that it always covered her when she was without clothes. But one of the first things she had done after healing from the injuries bestowed on her, was grab Varick's knife and cut most of its length away, leaving just enough to tickle the shoulders.

Alwine rose. It was quite apparent that she held no false modesties regarding her physique, and at the same time, she was not attempting to use it as a tool of seduction. She was naked as the wolf had been naked, as though it was the most natural thing in the galaxy. Which it was.

"I am afraid I lack the resources to efficiently resume today unless I wish to be completely out of commission tomorrow," she answered truthfully. "But I would like to resume this form of training. With you, if possible." He was a good instructor. With a mere handful of words, he had given her tools that she had struggled for most of her life to even grasp. "I do not know what the nature of such training is, though," she resumed, "I mean... I do not know if I am to pay you, how much, how often, and how long these training meetings tend to last, and how often they are conducted." She did not add whether payment was even required. If there was something Alwine knew for sure, and knew that it held true everywhere, was that nothing came for free.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid was trying to do precisely that, interpret her actions as a form of communication. The Sith had a sneaking suspicion it could potentially come in handy before long. Alwine's action of lowering her snout to the mattress seemed an easy enough communication to interpret, but before Caid could really say anything, the wolf straightened up and began to transform once more.

Silver-green eyes remained fixed on the woman as she returned to human form. It took several minutes, but the process was intriguing enough having been only the second time he had seen it occur. When all was said and done, Alwine came to her feet. To Caid...he had learned something about the woman that many likely would never know on first glance. It was a very good indicator of how many different species there were in this galaxy.

From his seated position, Caid allowed his eyes to slowly trace the curves of Alwine's human form as if it was the first time he was seeing her. His intent was not to creep her out and certainly his gaze held no element of lust or mischief. The Sith's evaluation was...almost academic. It was as if he was seeing Alwine for the first time now that he understood more about her supposed nature. Yes, there was still a great deal that he did not know, but Caid did his best to remain in the present.

As he got to his feet, Caid grabbed his lightweight cloak. Slowly pulling the fabric on over his partially nude form, he responded to Alwine. "The nature..." Caid did not laugh though what followed did amuse him slightly. Unlike his father, whom constantly seduced the women he trained, Caid was much more interested in what they offered outside the bedroom. That was not to say that Caid was a monk or asexual. He enjoyed such things just as much as the next person, but he had learned the danger of tainting the learning process in such a manner. It was an intimate affair, constantly training another. To avoid confusion and misinterpretation, the intimacy stopped at the inevitable bond between master and student. There were plenty of other women to sleep with in the galaxy.

Only a fully trained partner would suffice for Endelaan, and he'd yet to meet one that held his interest to that degree. Caid would make that decision based on what was best for Endelaan - as the ancient patriarch of his family had done. "No payment is necessary." The Sith did not speak to any other price...there was none, technically. He merely knew that her thirst for knowledge would stem from his ability to constantly provide such and her respect and dedication would be a natural byproduct. "You have your allegiance to the Knights Obsidian; an organization to which I do not belong. However, this is most effective if it is daily, constant. Initially there will be some controlled environment training as we have done today, but the best training is undertaken out among the galaxy...when you are ready."

Caid paused for a moment, pulling the hood of his cloak over his head. "For now, you can meet me here in the morning." He had decided summarily not to provide her with any further materials to study tonight. The Sith was quite certain the young wolf's mind would be overrun with too many thoughts as she laid down to rest anyways. "Sleep well...little wolf." The thin smile that touched Caid's lips was non-specific as he turned to retreat back to his own vessel. More time to spend with the holocron of his father.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Had her words amused him? Alwine blinked, wondering if in her words, she had hinted at something she had not meant to. Certainly, she was standing naked and discussing payment, but the nature of that payment had not included, at any point, an offer for the pleasures of the flesh. Mother-Lechner had drilled into Alwine that she must be kept pure so her chances of being wed would not be harmed. The joke was on mother-Lechner though; while her brothers experienced the pleasures of the flesh, and as did those who thought had been her friends on Stewjon, Alwine had never longed for it, never dreamed of it, never fantasized about it. And now that she was free, she saw even less of a reason to need to take her thoughts there at any point.

Still, she said nothing, chocolate eyes following Caid as he got to his feet and got dressed. No offer to help her cover up, then. She approved of that. Too many would have been too embarrassed by another person's nude form to let them remain that way.

But... No payment? This confused her. Nothing ever was fee. Nothing. Perhaps she did not need to pay him in credits or barter other services, but she did not believe that it would be entirely pay-less. Perhaps she would be told to do certain things, or owe a return of a boon. But not... Never nothing.

Could she though? Could she really go through with being trained by Caid without knowing when or how such a price would be extracted? The answer was... Perhaps foolishly so, but the answer was yes. Not only did she lack any better options, but there was a certain chemistry as he taught her that she could not deny. He was a good teacher to her, or at least had been thus. If things turned out to not be as great as they had been this day, would she be able to leave?

Quietly, Alwine set these thought aside. The only way to be truly careful was to decline and take her offer back, but that would be the type of safety she'd had on Stewjon - the overly safe and coddling kind that would leave her forever weak. She could simply not let that be.

The best training, Caid said, was out among the galaxy, when she was ready. Alwine fought the urge to step forward and say that she was ready. The first weeks and months for any Obsidian were slow as it were, and considering the training with them was even slower, any help she could receive with her own training would serve them better. She was certain she could easily take time off as well; not just the months she intended on spending at an academy, but for this as well.

Alwine nodded. They would meet again in the morning.

Caid left, and Alwine looked around. There were probably some robes she could find to cover herself up and avoid any unwanted attention. Most people in the galaxy did not share her views on the naked form. Still though, she was not going to waste time looking for garb that she would throw again on the same day. It was a waste.

Five minutes later, a little wolf left the building, its legs moving strongly beneath it as she made towards the ship that Gerwald had her and Varick live in.

​

Alwine did in fact note that she was more tired that day than she usually was. She spent the late afternoon telling her brothers about what had happened, and had then opted to go to sleep much earlier than she normally would, both her mind and her body crying out for a much needed rest. When she awoke the next moring, she was fresh and smiling, and made her way back to the training hall, this time carrying some clothes in a bag as well.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

The next morning, Caid put himself through his typical physical training routine before utilizing the refresher on board his vessel to get cleaned up. The sun was just beginning to crest the horizon when the Sith Lord entered the KO enclave. The early hours made for a cool, dry climate. Caid left his cloak on board his vessel to enjoy the feeling of more mild temperatures on his skin.

As compared to the medium amount of foot traffic throughout the enclave yesterday, it was almost dead quiet now. Arriving at the same training room as yesterday, Caid went about setting up the room to his liking. There were a few obstacles that he arranged in what would amount to a small obstacle course inside the room. Once that was complete, he retrieved a few training items and arrayed them in a line against the wall. By the time he was finished, Caid turned to find Alwine standing in the doorway.

"Little wolf." The Sith offered a respectful nod of the head.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Chocolate brown eyes scanned the training hall they had been in yesterday. Caid was already there, having brought various equipment. It was refreshing to know that she would not have to deal with the droids again, and she could easily see her sword hanging off the weapon rack in the corner of the room after having left it there yesterday.

Caid nodded to her and called her little wolf, bringing a warm smile on the Lupine's lips. "Caid," she answered with a nod of her own, having no nickname to offer.

Dropping her bag near the entrance, the petite took a few more steps into the room, looking around. "What are we doing today?"

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid half-turned his body as he motioned to the obstacle course he'd set-up. All things told, it wasn't the most complicated labyrinth of obstacles he could come up with. Then again, that hadn't been his intent in the first place. It would serve the purpose of warming up Alwine's body as well as reinforcing the things they had worked on the day prior. Once that was complete, they would move into the main lesson for the day.

"Today we will build on infusing the strength of the Force into actual combat discipline. Now, as every sentient creature's body fatigues during combat, the goal is never to put on some impressive light show or worry about casting spells if it can be avoided. A simple push here or a pull there can often make all the difference."

Making his way over to Alwine, the large Sith stood beside the petite Lupine before he continued. "First, however, we're going to get you warmed up." A thin smile touched Caid's lips as he motioned to the course once more. "In human form if you please." When Alwine was capable of shifting in mere seconds, changing between human and wolf form could undoubtedly be a huge asset in combat situations. However, he was not here to teach her to fight as a wolf simply because he had no expertise in the matter. "Run the course ten times through without stopping. Remember...keep your mind clear and always allow yourself to melt into the Force. It will give you strength and stamina."

Taking a step back, Caid intoned a simple instruction. "Begin when you're ready." Somewhere around her...third circuit through, Caid would abruptly begin introducing new...distractions. Distractions in the form of hurling weapons rapidly at her moving form, forcing her to rely on recently unlocked danger senses. The point wasn't for her to focus on this...but to show how the Force relayed the warning completely passively.

Assuming she was listening, of course.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

As Caid began to explain what about impressive light shows, Alwine took a deep breath, feeling a sense of pride taking her over. This was the sort of things she had imagined the Shield Maidens and the warriors of Stewjon being told, though without the Force-related stuff. These were the things she had longed and dreamed of for most of her life, things that as long as she had remained on Stewjon were completely out of her reach.

Now that she was here, now that she had met Caid, now that she was getting the basics of proper training - Alwine knew she was working on getting to where she belonged. With the fighters, with the warriors. And this time, her tiny size would not keep her out of it. This time, the caste she had been born to would not spell out her inability to even have a small taste of this unless it was secret and hidden as though it was something to be ashamed of.

The request was to go through warm up in human form.

Alwine nodded. She'd had time to reflect in those moments before sleep had taken her over, on the events of the previous day. Caid had responded positively to her wolf shape, but it was not the wolf that needed this training. It was the woman. Whatever Caid had in mind for her today, one of her own personal goals was to keep the wolf at bay. What she learned as a woman, the wolf would know anyway, but the opposite was not always true. She was not merely learning how to fight. She was learning how to be in the human shape as well, alongside the things that came with it. Things that were in her gasp. When she had been released from Stewjon, she had imagined she would always be a wolf from now on. She had been wrong. Now was the time to correct previous assumptions.

Caid did not need to urge her to begin. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Alwine broke into a light jog. For someone who had not touched the Force in a controlled manner before now, she was in great shape. She could move for hours, as she had proven with the droids. The warm up sounded almost laughable, but she had enough of a grasp on Caid's personality now that she knew that harder things would come soon enough, whether they would be part of the warm up or immediately after without a break.

She ducked, she jumped, she did everything that was required of her. Her mind found a certain solace, an inner peace as she worked the obstacle course. If during the first round, she was still full of thoughts, then by the third, there was nothing, but in a good manner that she highly approved of.

Alwine almost came to a complete halt when the first warning came. The wolf would have known what to do, but to feel the same sensations as the woman - it was not the same. She needed a few instances to realize what she was being told, what she was being warned about.

The third circuit included Alwine getting hit by a bunch of the weapons Caid threw at her. As did the fourth. A few of the weapons nicked her; nothing too serious, nothing that would make her stop.

Alwine was a fighter. She pressed on, making herself acquainted with the feeling of what it was to be warned, to not only see those quick little flashes, but to keep them in her mind.

By the fifth circuit, she was already dodging half of the weapons. By the sixth, she was dodging most.

The last weapon to hit her happened during the eight circuit.

And after the tenth, she came to a stop in front of Caid, breathing hard, ready to respond in case he would decide to toss something at her after it looked like everything was done and finished.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid watched in silence. There was no real emotional reaction to the little wolf's initial failures. Even in those failures, it was not necessarily her innate traits that failed her, nor did it seem to be her instincts with the Force. The Sith could tell by the girl's body language and momentum that it was more a negotiation between the two, a comprehension and familiarity that Alwine initially lacked. This was to be expected in the early stages of her training.

As the warm-up circuit came to a close, Caid's face was still expressionless. When the diminutive woman stopped before him, he allowed his silver-green eyes to lower just enough to regard her form. Her entire form, as his right hand motioned almost imperceptibly. In the next instant, not one but two droids raced from their stored position along the wall to attack Alwine.

The droids were armed with one sword each...whereas for the moment, Alwine had none. Deftly, Caid took a step to the side and back to stay out of the engagement arc of the droids.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

No reaction from Caid. Nothing. Alwine frowned. She had not expected praises or a pat on the head, but even the smallest of nods would have sufficed. The anger threatened to rise within her, so quick to ignite even without an actual reason. Alwine swallowed it down, taking another deep breath, watching Caid watch her.

Her wolf-sense tingled a fraction of a moment before his hand moved. But no, he was not the danger.

The danger came from behind, the two droids appearing with the swords.

Alwine wished she was one to curse. It would have been a nice to way to release some of the stress that built within her at their sight. The droids were bigger than her, their swords giving them a reach she could not dream of passing with her bare arms.

There was no time to consider options. Alwine jumped to the side as they launched at her together, and then ducked when they attempted to circle her. She couldn't focus for long enough on the swords to see if there were safeties in place, did not know if their al... alg... al-somethings were permitted to actually stab her. As far as every sense of danger in her alerted her, the danger from them was real.

The wolf yearned to jump out, to test fangs against steel. But the wolf was smart enough to remain beneath her skin, to keep itself from coming out. She could not afford these minutes of the shift.

Alwine turned an ran back towards the obstacle course, letting the Force keep warning her so she knew when to duck, when to jump, when to roll away. The droids were coming hard at her, but for now she was managing with avoiding being slashed or hacked by them.

The obstacle course gave her more movement options. Her size served her on it. But there was something more important there that she did not have standing next to Caid - the weapons he had thrown at her lay there still.

She grabbed the first sword she came across, tin fingers wrapped around the hilt as she turned around just in time to block an oncoming attack from the first droid and narrowly avoid getting hit by the other one. Alwine knew she would need two swords to fight two droids, but she also knew she would be mostly a danger to herself if she picked a second sword up. All she knew was how to use one.

Which meant she had to be faster with it.

A scream escaped her throat as she blocked another incoming attack, only to be hit by the second droid.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid watched with interest as Alwine did the sensible thing when confronted by not one but two armed opponents. She ran, created distance. The Sith Lord wasn't sure if it was because she remembered his brief comment from the day prior, or if she was reacting on pure instinct. Either way, it served to reinforce his point.

As Alwine finally armed herself and the contest began in earnest, Caid crossed his arms over his chest as he gentle brushed against her mind. Calm your mind. See the strike to your paw before it happens, expose the invariable weakness that occurs when anything gives up defense to adopt offense. His reference to her paw as opposed to her hand was purposeful.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]