Post by Fox on Sept 18, 2010 8:58:33 GMT -8
Getting to watch the little humans make utter fools of themselves was a chance that Seronaph would not pass up for the world. That early spring morning, the Red was in an obscenely good mood; he had been humming cheerfully to himself for a good half hour. There were no words to the large simourv’s mental thrum, but every so often a snicker of glee or a flash of predatory anticipation would pop into his rider’s head, interrupting him in the middle of getting ready for the lesson. Quite frankly, the noise was starting to drive K’ean up the wall.
If you’re so free, go wake the Winglets. The man finally snapped mentally, rounding on Seronaph to glare up at him with narrowed blue eyes. We’re ready to start the lesson. And indeed they were; K’ean and his helper for the morning had set out three sets of practice leathers that he had estimated would fit his winglets, and a large field had been cleared to act as a makeshift practice arena. Perfect for demonstrations and the grass would at least soften the blow better than the reddish stone that comprised most of the canyon floor. K’ean was rather looking forward to this lesson, not just because he had discovered that he rather liked teaching, but because this was the area, besides hunting, in which he knew the most. He had been in a fairly good mood before Seronaph had put him on edge, and the Red would only continue to do so with his easy acceptance of the job assigned.
With a wave of anticipation, Seronaph rose to his feet, ruffling orange-red feathers in something almost akin to delight. Will do, Mine~[/color] He chirped, the sound earning a vaguely disbelieving look from His before he stalked off in the direction of the Winglets’ Barrack. Deciding that it would be a good idea, the Red stuck his head into the corridor of the Barracks before calling gleefully to the little winglets. Hopefully he’d disrupted a few pleasant dreams on the way; that would be fun. Good moooooorning, Bravo Winglets! Today’s the day you’re going to make fools of yourselves. Not that it’s very hard, I imagine. Come on, come on, up you get![/color] With that last cheery blast, Seronaph stood back a little to wait and escort (Seronaph-speak for looming and leering at the Winglets as if they’d be a particularly tasty snack) the people and the chicks to the practice area. He did not notice the disapproval emanating from His’s side of things, oh no…
”Lesson Two, ladies, gent and chicks.” K’ean began once the winglets and their simourvs plus one large pseudo-menacing red had arrived. ”Unarmed Combat. I trust you all had a good night’s sleep, because you’ll need to be alert today.” For a moment, K’ean allowed a small smile to flash across his face, though the look was hardly encouraging especially with Seronaph snorting explosively behind him. ”Vests are over there; I suggest you grab them and put them on before we begin.” Chicks, we get to watch Yours beat each other up. This’ll be interesting, hmm?[/color] The Red winked a large amber eye at the small group before meandering off to one side. K’ean’s left eye twitched faintly with aggravation. He shook his head in annoyance. ”Don’t worry, little ones, your riders won’t be getting too seriously hurt today. It’s pretend. They might get a little bruised, but nothing too bad, I assure you.” The wingletmaster said, offering the chicks an encouraging smile.
He waited until everyone was ready before starting to speak. Down to business. ”Right. You all know that you’re going to have to fight xymokoxi at some point when your simourvs are grown. It’s part of the Rider job description, I think.” The attempt at levity was a weak one. ”But it’s inevitable that at some point you are going to be facing other enemies that are all too human and you will have to be able to fight them accordingly. This lesson will be a review of the basic defence skills that Ts’kal taught you all when you were candidates, though perhaps we’ll be teaching you a little bit extra on top of that.” Turning to one side, he beckoned to his helper; a no-nonsense-looking female dressed soberly in the same practice leathers that K’ean and the Winglets wore. He had been exceedingly happy to find a female servant to assist him in this; for the sole reason that two of his three winglets were female and, to be perfectly frank, some things that relied on brute force would not work as well for a girl as they would for a boy. So the man had adjusted accordingly.
”First of all, in an all-out fight there is no such thing as ‘fair’. Use all the tricks you have at your disposal; eye jabs, throat shots, even a knee to the groin gets the job done. Your opponent is not going to stand by while you take a breather, or stop hitting you because you get tired.” Rolling his shoulders, K’ean stepped into a loose stance, legs braced, poised on the balls of his feet with one eye on his opponent. ”You know how to stand, I’m assuming; stay balanced and keep your weight evenly distributed. Don’t tense yourself up, but be ready to move. And, unless you have eyes in the back of your head or you’re actually trying to insult someone, don’t take your eyes off your opponent.” Just as he said this, the woman lunged in, fist drawn back. Having expected the move, the redrider dodged the first swing directed at his face and ducked into her guard, swinging his forearm quickly up to press against her throat. With a faint smile, K’ean counted a few seconds before nodding and stepping back, turning again to his winglet class.
A hand rose to point to the places as K’ean named them. ”Eyes, nose, chin, throat, groin. Important places that you have to remember to guard at all times, because a good shot to any one of those places will have you down for the count.” Irony was in the twist of his mouth as he aimed his next advice at the Am’ra and Ev’yn. ”If you manage to get in for a groin shot, take it. It’s a man’s weak point, and easier to reach than the eyes if your opponent is male and taller than you, which he most likely will be.” He turned again to include Ma’ro, though he threw a definite commiserating look at the bluerider before continuing. ”Remember to always have one arm up to defend, and don’t hesitate to take a hit if it means putting you in range. It’ll hurt like hell, but closing your eyes isn’t going to lessen the pain. If anything, it gives your opponent more of an opportunity to attack.” At a glance, the woman struck, aiming for the spots that K’ean had mentioned and culminating in a shot below the belt that, had it gone through, would have no doubt laid the man out flat and groaning. As it was, he only managed to catch it just in time and the closeness of the blow made the Wingletmaster wince just a bit before he struck her in the ribs with his elbow, forcing her back a few steps.
Straightening from his fighting stance, K’ean shot the woman a nod and a slightly worried smile, which received an amused lifted eyebrow in response. In any case, the man turned away with a light shrug his shoulders. ”As you might have seen, I used my elbow for that last strike to push my long-suffering assistant back.” He mimed doing it again, this time slower. ”In close quarters, it’s a good idea to use your elbows, your knees or even your forehead to make room; they’re the hardest parts of your body and quite effective if sent up against someone’s ribs. It’ll buy you some time, anyway.”
The Redrider took a deep breath, because this part of the demo he would not like at all. Control issues, eh, Mine?[/color] He scowled. ”A good way to beat an opponent who’s larger than you is to use their own strength against them. You have to be fast to do it, but once you can dodge a strike then it’s really quite easy to just help them along to the ground. Let them underestimate you, hey, even mislead them into underestimating you because then it’ll be that much easier to surprise them.” Of his three, Am’ra was tallest, but it would hurt none of them to learn this method (K’ean briefly wondered when he had started to think of them as his) much as it would not hurt him to teach it beyond maybe a little bruising to his pride. With only a faint grimace, he threw a punch at his assistant, and was not in the least surprised when she was not there to meet his strike. Instead, an obstacle caught at the man’s foot as he tried to follow through, and a hand tugged his outstretched arm to pull him off balance, and it was only his reflexes and the fact that he’d been expecting it that kept him from tumbling to the ground and being completely embarrassed. He still stumbled, but managed to avoid a total faceplant, thankfully. Straightening, K’ean shot his smug opponent and the Winglets both a sheepish smile and gestured to the woman. ”Like such.”
”Also, try not to hit someone with the flat of your knuckles.” He said, curling his right hand into a fist and smacking it solidly into his other palm. ”If you manage to hit wrong, it’s very easy to break something; either strike with an open palm, or do this…” Again, K’ean made a fist, but this one was slightly different from before; it was an uneven fist with the knuckles of his index and middle finger slightly extended beyond the others. In the event that he threw a punch, the knuckle of those two fingers would impact first, carrying a more concentrated force. ”The force acting over a smaller area makes it stronger but it’s just as easy to break a finger, so watch how you throw that punch. “ A moment of silence fell, and K’ean realised that almost without noticing it he’d reached the end of his prepared demonstration. He blinked, then remembered to turn and bow briefly to his opponent, smiling as he straightened. ”A round of applause for my very helpful assistant.” He requested, lifting his own hands to clap.
A moment later when he turned back to the three Winglets, though, he was back to serious almost like a switch had been flipped. So, now that you’ve watched that, it’s your turn. Practice some punches and blocks, and maybe try and trip your partner up. Try and keep it safe, hmm? Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of it right away; there’s time enough for you to practice.” Now, K’ean’s blue eyes took on a definitely devilish gleam even as his mouth stayed in its perfectly neutral line. Above them all, Seronaph was watching with interest and suddenly started humming a rather intimidating tune in a minor key. ”Since there are three of you, two of you partner up.” Finally, he cracked a wide grin, blue eyes gleaming. ”The odd one will practice with me.”[/size]
If you’re so free, go wake the Winglets. The man finally snapped mentally, rounding on Seronaph to glare up at him with narrowed blue eyes. We’re ready to start the lesson. And indeed they were; K’ean and his helper for the morning had set out three sets of practice leathers that he had estimated would fit his winglets, and a large field had been cleared to act as a makeshift practice arena. Perfect for demonstrations and the grass would at least soften the blow better than the reddish stone that comprised most of the canyon floor. K’ean was rather looking forward to this lesson, not just because he had discovered that he rather liked teaching, but because this was the area, besides hunting, in which he knew the most. He had been in a fairly good mood before Seronaph had put him on edge, and the Red would only continue to do so with his easy acceptance of the job assigned.
With a wave of anticipation, Seronaph rose to his feet, ruffling orange-red feathers in something almost akin to delight. Will do, Mine~[/color] He chirped, the sound earning a vaguely disbelieving look from His before he stalked off in the direction of the Winglets’ Barrack. Deciding that it would be a good idea, the Red stuck his head into the corridor of the Barracks before calling gleefully to the little winglets. Hopefully he’d disrupted a few pleasant dreams on the way; that would be fun. Good moooooorning, Bravo Winglets! Today’s the day you’re going to make fools of yourselves. Not that it’s very hard, I imagine. Come on, come on, up you get![/color] With that last cheery blast, Seronaph stood back a little to wait and escort (Seronaph-speak for looming and leering at the Winglets as if they’d be a particularly tasty snack) the people and the chicks to the practice area. He did not notice the disapproval emanating from His’s side of things, oh no…
”Lesson Two, ladies, gent and chicks.” K’ean began once the winglets and their simourvs plus one large pseudo-menacing red had arrived. ”Unarmed Combat. I trust you all had a good night’s sleep, because you’ll need to be alert today.” For a moment, K’ean allowed a small smile to flash across his face, though the look was hardly encouraging especially with Seronaph snorting explosively behind him. ”Vests are over there; I suggest you grab them and put them on before we begin.” Chicks, we get to watch Yours beat each other up. This’ll be interesting, hmm?[/color] The Red winked a large amber eye at the small group before meandering off to one side. K’ean’s left eye twitched faintly with aggravation. He shook his head in annoyance. ”Don’t worry, little ones, your riders won’t be getting too seriously hurt today. It’s pretend. They might get a little bruised, but nothing too bad, I assure you.” The wingletmaster said, offering the chicks an encouraging smile.
He waited until everyone was ready before starting to speak. Down to business. ”Right. You all know that you’re going to have to fight xymokoxi at some point when your simourvs are grown. It’s part of the Rider job description, I think.” The attempt at levity was a weak one. ”But it’s inevitable that at some point you are going to be facing other enemies that are all too human and you will have to be able to fight them accordingly. This lesson will be a review of the basic defence skills that Ts’kal taught you all when you were candidates, though perhaps we’ll be teaching you a little bit extra on top of that.” Turning to one side, he beckoned to his helper; a no-nonsense-looking female dressed soberly in the same practice leathers that K’ean and the Winglets wore. He had been exceedingly happy to find a female servant to assist him in this; for the sole reason that two of his three winglets were female and, to be perfectly frank, some things that relied on brute force would not work as well for a girl as they would for a boy. So the man had adjusted accordingly.
”First of all, in an all-out fight there is no such thing as ‘fair’. Use all the tricks you have at your disposal; eye jabs, throat shots, even a knee to the groin gets the job done. Your opponent is not going to stand by while you take a breather, or stop hitting you because you get tired.” Rolling his shoulders, K’ean stepped into a loose stance, legs braced, poised on the balls of his feet with one eye on his opponent. ”You know how to stand, I’m assuming; stay balanced and keep your weight evenly distributed. Don’t tense yourself up, but be ready to move. And, unless you have eyes in the back of your head or you’re actually trying to insult someone, don’t take your eyes off your opponent.” Just as he said this, the woman lunged in, fist drawn back. Having expected the move, the redrider dodged the first swing directed at his face and ducked into her guard, swinging his forearm quickly up to press against her throat. With a faint smile, K’ean counted a few seconds before nodding and stepping back, turning again to his winglet class.
A hand rose to point to the places as K’ean named them. ”Eyes, nose, chin, throat, groin. Important places that you have to remember to guard at all times, because a good shot to any one of those places will have you down for the count.” Irony was in the twist of his mouth as he aimed his next advice at the Am’ra and Ev’yn. ”If you manage to get in for a groin shot, take it. It’s a man’s weak point, and easier to reach than the eyes if your opponent is male and taller than you, which he most likely will be.” He turned again to include Ma’ro, though he threw a definite commiserating look at the bluerider before continuing. ”Remember to always have one arm up to defend, and don’t hesitate to take a hit if it means putting you in range. It’ll hurt like hell, but closing your eyes isn’t going to lessen the pain. If anything, it gives your opponent more of an opportunity to attack.” At a glance, the woman struck, aiming for the spots that K’ean had mentioned and culminating in a shot below the belt that, had it gone through, would have no doubt laid the man out flat and groaning. As it was, he only managed to catch it just in time and the closeness of the blow made the Wingletmaster wince just a bit before he struck her in the ribs with his elbow, forcing her back a few steps.
Straightening from his fighting stance, K’ean shot the woman a nod and a slightly worried smile, which received an amused lifted eyebrow in response. In any case, the man turned away with a light shrug his shoulders. ”As you might have seen, I used my elbow for that last strike to push my long-suffering assistant back.” He mimed doing it again, this time slower. ”In close quarters, it’s a good idea to use your elbows, your knees or even your forehead to make room; they’re the hardest parts of your body and quite effective if sent up against someone’s ribs. It’ll buy you some time, anyway.”
The Redrider took a deep breath, because this part of the demo he would not like at all. Control issues, eh, Mine?[/color] He scowled. ”A good way to beat an opponent who’s larger than you is to use their own strength against them. You have to be fast to do it, but once you can dodge a strike then it’s really quite easy to just help them along to the ground. Let them underestimate you, hey, even mislead them into underestimating you because then it’ll be that much easier to surprise them.” Of his three, Am’ra was tallest, but it would hurt none of them to learn this method (K’ean briefly wondered when he had started to think of them as his) much as it would not hurt him to teach it beyond maybe a little bruising to his pride. With only a faint grimace, he threw a punch at his assistant, and was not in the least surprised when she was not there to meet his strike. Instead, an obstacle caught at the man’s foot as he tried to follow through, and a hand tugged his outstretched arm to pull him off balance, and it was only his reflexes and the fact that he’d been expecting it that kept him from tumbling to the ground and being completely embarrassed. He still stumbled, but managed to avoid a total faceplant, thankfully. Straightening, K’ean shot his smug opponent and the Winglets both a sheepish smile and gestured to the woman. ”Like such.”
”Also, try not to hit someone with the flat of your knuckles.” He said, curling his right hand into a fist and smacking it solidly into his other palm. ”If you manage to hit wrong, it’s very easy to break something; either strike with an open palm, or do this…” Again, K’ean made a fist, but this one was slightly different from before; it was an uneven fist with the knuckles of his index and middle finger slightly extended beyond the others. In the event that he threw a punch, the knuckle of those two fingers would impact first, carrying a more concentrated force. ”The force acting over a smaller area makes it stronger but it’s just as easy to break a finger, so watch how you throw that punch. “ A moment of silence fell, and K’ean realised that almost without noticing it he’d reached the end of his prepared demonstration. He blinked, then remembered to turn and bow briefly to his opponent, smiling as he straightened. ”A round of applause for my very helpful assistant.” He requested, lifting his own hands to clap.
A moment later when he turned back to the three Winglets, though, he was back to serious almost like a switch had been flipped. So, now that you’ve watched that, it’s your turn. Practice some punches and blocks, and maybe try and trip your partner up. Try and keep it safe, hmm? Don’t worry if you don’t get the hang of it right away; there’s time enough for you to practice.” Now, K’ean’s blue eyes took on a definitely devilish gleam even as his mouth stayed in its perfectly neutral line. Above them all, Seronaph was watching with interest and suddenly started humming a rather intimidating tune in a minor key. ”Since there are three of you, two of you partner up.” Finally, he cracked a wide grin, blue eyes gleaming. ”The odd one will practice with me.”[/size]
