A really long log where Leon learns to use a sling in the Training Yard :3
Champion's Cottage: Guard Training Yard
This small fenced in yard has been set up for the use
of the Abbey Champion, his guards and designated trainees.
The fence is made from very thick wooden planks over 12 feet
tall so that no one outside can see in. The fence has also
been coated with a layer of spikes and grease near the top to
make it very difficult to climb over. The only way into or
out of this yard is through the large locked door into the
champion's cottage.
The yard itself is split into different sections for the
various activities the champion and the abbey guards perform
here:
There is a small covered area that contains practice weapons
on racks and the storage bins for armour.
There is also a locked room that contains the real weapons.
Both visitor weapons and guard weapons are stored here. The Sword
of Martin the Warrior is kept elsewhere.
There is also a small area set aside for the repair and
maintenance of weapons though there is no forge here for there
making weapons. But there is a whetstone for keeping blades
sharp and facilities for minor repairs.
The main part of the yard is a simple stone courtyard for
sparring. There are practice dummies for archery and sword and
quarterstaff drill. It isn't very big but it is enough for two
or three beasts to practice in at any one time.
Exits: [C]ottage
Sorry I wasn't able to edit this :( But, hey, nobody's perfect. :)
DoraRose is here, workign with her weapons. She has been attacking the dummies with her sword since she got in here, and now she has moved onto her sling. But she is growing more and more frustrated. This is no challenge for her. Standing in one corner, she can hit the target in the farthest corner almost without even trying. Furious, she throws her sling down, grabs her battleaxe Nightsong, and begins attacking the dummies, chopping off heads, limbs, and tails with ease. Baring her teeth, she kicks a severed dummy head in anger.
Leon enters slowly and stays a fair distance away, "Umm...Dorarose? You doing ok dear?" He stays where he is for now and waits to get closer to where she is. He looks at the headless dummys and frowns.
DoraRose jumps and whirls around, relaxing when she sees who's addressing her. "Yeah...well, actually, no...but I'll be fine." She sets her axe down and starts trying to put a head back on a dummy, scowling as she knows it won't work.
Leon walks over slowly, "Something upset you today?" He looks at the head and adds "We could see if one of the order Sisters could sew that back on or least think that's possible don't know"
DoraRose sighs and shoves the head off onto the ground. "I feel so...confined in here. The guards don't spar with me because of Nightsong, and I don't' have enough room to really practice my slinging. I feel like my skills are deteriorating. And then what will I do if we get attacked again?" She goes to rest her head on her husband's shoulder, brow knitted with frustration.
Leon nods "Well maybe you can practice in the woods or see if any other beast would spar with you. Most of the snow is gone now and its been fairly quiet as far as I know around the area of the abbey anyways then I don't go out much. I will be out to collect some herbs soon though."
DoraRose sighs. "Maybe. Perhaps Emyuil will spar with me..." She goes to hug him as she adds, "Would you like me to come with you? Even if it has been quiet around here lately, it's still too dangerous for a non-combatant to be outside the Abbey alone." She doesn't add that she would feel better if she was with him. She just assumes he understands that fact.
Leon smiles "I guess you could come with me, company is always good and we would go during the day time "
DoraRose nods and smiles. "Wonderful." She looks around, grimacing slightly at the mess she's made. "I know that the order doesn't allow you to use weapons, but do you think it'd be alright if I helped you with a sling? I always get nervous when you leve--I'm afraid you'll get attacked and you won't know how to defend yourself."
Leon shrugs "Umm well a sling doesn't do too much and I do keep a small knife with me when outside the abbey"
Flicktail rubshis bleary eyes and walks out into the training yard. not INTO the yard but along the sides looking around
The heads, limbs, and tails on allot of the dummies have been chopped off. DoraRose is standing beside a poor, decapitated training dummy, her black tunic, leggings, and soft boots dotted with stuffing. Smiling, she goes to gently take her husband's paw and pull him over to the weapons locker. "Okay, let's start now. It would be good to be bale to defend yourself from enemies who are far away. Good day, Sir Flick!"
Leon frowns, "Why worry if they are far away." He lets his wife pull him over to a locker, "I would just avoid them if I seen them." He doesn't say anything to Flicktail yet."
Flicktail looks up with a smeepy smile "Ello Dora Rose.... and I cananswer that...because enemies who are far away will come close up..Roight Dora?"
DoraRose nods. "And if they're shooting arrows or rocks or javelins at you, you need to be able to fire back. Now, of course, ideally you'll be with a fighter so you won't have to worry about it, but you can never be too prepared." She pulls out a sling and a stone pouch from where they're stored and hands them to the Master Healer. "Let's go to the mark in front of the targets. That'll be a good distance to start from."
Flicktail's eyes open wide and he raises his voice "WAIT wait!" he goes over and gets a heavy metal helm and puts it on "ok....." hegets ready to duck
Leon sighs but takes the sling and looks at it, "You know there is also the chance you wouldn't see any beast." He looks at Flicktail and shakes his head "She didnt say something would happen in here Flicktail, she ment outside maybe in lke a major fight"
Flicktail says, "aye but if yer gonna practice, who KNOWS where at stone will go"
DoraRose rolls her eyes at the Champion. "I don't think he's goign to miss /that/ badly." She gesture to the line. "Okay, now stand here and load a rock into the tongue of the sling. After you do that, hold both ends in you paw, like this." She shows him how to hold it, then returns the sling to him.
Leon nods and does watch, he copies what she does and goes to use the sling and lets a rock fly at the target, it does miss and lands a little to the side of the target instead as he sighs.
Flicktail exclaims, "heeeeyyy that wern't alf bad!"
Oz steps into the training yard and listens to where beasts are, "So what is going on in the triaining yard today?" He keeps his staff at his side.
DoraRose gives a little clap. "Okay, good! Better than my first try! When my father was first teaching me when I was 3 seasons old, I let go of the rock too soon. It flew up in the air, and when it came down, it almost struck my mother. So you did much better than I did. Now. Try again." She almost waves to the badger, then remembers that, oh yeah, he's blind. "Good day, Oz! I'm helping Leon learn to use a sling."
Leon goes to try agian, repeating what he did before and then lets the rock fly, well it goes over the target this time.
Flicktail smiles "Hello pappa, Leon is usin a different kind o sling..notthe kind ya put onyer arm
Oz nods "I know what a sling is. Never used one before I know how to use the staff and never got into learning to use any other weapons either.Just the staff."
DoraRose nods as she thinks a little. "I find it helpful to stare at what I'm aiming at. I don't look at anything else, just my target." She glances at the badger. "I never learned hwo to use the staff. The one time I tried, I ended up whackign myself in the head."
Leon nods "Well I suppose I could practice sometimes when I can, but I also have my healing duties to deal with as well and like I said go on a hunt for some herbs in the woods and by the river soon, and the meadow as well"
Flicktail keeps his helm on just in case "Wot brings you here Pappa?" he watches DR and Leon "that really is good" he says to them both
Oz shrugs, "I do come in here a couple times a week, usually when no one else is in here to practice with my staff. Could come in handy one day. Sometimes one or two guards will spar with me and sometimes not"
DoraRose smiles and nods. "Yes, practice when you can, and let me know if you need help. You're doing very well." She sighs and gets a forlorn look on her face. "None of the guards will spar with me...I'm thinkign it might have to do with me battelaxe, but I'm not sure..."
Leon says, "Maybe you could ask""
Flicktail says, "well if either of you wonts ta spar find ME, I can use teh pratice and I trust ya both"
Oz nods "ASking is always best I need to get back to the dibbuns now" He then heads out and back to the main part of the abbey.
Leon nods, "Yes I know, practice is good, I will try and learn to use the sling some I promise."
DoraRose sighs again, and stares at an armless dummy for a few moments. She then looks at the foxx and says, "Would you be willing to spar with me now?" Then, turnign to the Master Healer, she says, "I'm glad, love. I believe you. I trust you completely."
Leon smiles, " iF I learn to use the sling well then your worry less about me"
Flicktail says, "She might worry less but *I* am gonna wear a helm more" he chuckles"
DoraRose nods. "I would, yes. I woudl find it easier to sleep at night." She goes ot rub his arm lovingly, then picks up her battleaxe and hefts it. "So. Flicktail. Woudl you liek to spar with me? I promise I won't go into the Bloodwrath," she adds with a twinkle in her eyes.
Flicktail shrugs and gets his sword "you always take alla fun outta things Dora" he smiles and salutes her with the sword
Leon decides to practice a little more while thw two beasts chat, he misses a lot and grmbles every time, when the 20th stone is fired he achally hits the target and looks shocked.
DoraRose chuckles. "I wouldn't necessarily call the Bloodwrath fun, but alright, then." She gets into an at-ready stance, muscles rippling as she practice-swings her double-headed axe a couple of times. She's just waitign to hear the rocks hittign the target so she can congradulate her husband.
Flicktail takes an en-garde stance and gives a feing thrust to Dr's riight side
DoraRose hops back a little, her long mousey tail curling a little around her leg. Swinging, she aims to bump the fox on the upper arm with the flat of her axe. If this was a real fight, she would be trying to chop his arm off.
Flicktail yeeps 'thats a roight good move Dorarose" he smiles as he dfeints left and tries to recover and gently swat DR on her left flank with the flat of his blade
DoraRose meeps as she gets swatted, then goes ot swipe the fox's feet out from under him. "You aswell. We should spar more often." She hears the rock Leon sends to the target actually hit it and she shouts, "Excellent! Wonderful, my love! You're improving already!"
Leon smiles and tries a couple more times, hitting the targt on a 4th try this time"Guess Practice is good"
Flicktail Eeps and giggles, then his ears perk...hearing one of the Guards looking forhim "I shall return when i can..sorry DR good spar...
Emyuil walks into the room with his sword on his back. "Any chance of a quick match, 'rose? Leon?" he asks by way of greeting. "Bet you can't beat me, 'rose," he challenges teasingly.
DoraRose waves to the fox as he leaves, resting the butt of Nightsong's wooden handle on the ground. "Yes, love, practice is the only way to improve. You are doing so well. I'm proud of you." The mouse looks at her brother, smiling still. "Oh, but I bet I can. On guard!" She charges him, going ot whack him on his side with the flat of Nightsong's blade.
Leon says, "I can watch you guys spar. I am learning to use a sling"
Emyuil draws his sword in one quick jerk, quickly parrying and snagging the great axe's head in the tongs built into his sword's crossguard. He was expecting such a move from his sister, so he's well prepared.
DoraRose shouts, "And he is ah-maz-ing!" as her axe makes contact with her brother's sword. She goes ot sweep his feet out from under him, gettign dust on her black tunic, leggings, and soft boots.
Leon just watches, he can practice more with his sling later as he puts it back in the weapons locker.
Sparks fly as the weapons grind against each other. Emyuil spreads his footpaws grimly, bracing himself against his sister's maneuver. "You'll have to do better than that."
DoraRose smiles and brings her axe up and around, feigning to the left then, at the last second, goign to whack him on the right side. Leaping back, she runs around him and aims to swat him on the rump with the flat of her axe.
Emyuil is nearly taken in by the feint, but fortunately the axe is slightly unwieldy, so he manages to step to the side, pivoting to follow his sister's movement, quickly deflecting her next blow.
DoraRose leaps back, then comes forward, pretending to feint to the right then going to the left, but instead brings it back down, going to smack him on his right leg. She then goes to stamp on his foot for good measure.
Emyuil growls and loses his balance, slipping, but he grabs ahold of his sister with one paw, and hooks his footpaw around her ankle to pull her down with him.
DoraRose meeps and falls over, struggling to not get cut by Nightsong. She twists and aims to sit on her brother's chest. Trying to pin his arms down with one paw, she tries to stuff his tail up his nose with the other.
An...interesting tactic. Emyuil jerks his tail out of the way as he pushes his sister off him, or tries to. However, he's at the wrong angle.
DoraRose sticks her tongue otu at him and aims to lean on his arms, which she's tryign to pin to his upper chest. Grabbing part of his shirt, she wads it up and goes to stuff /that/ up his nose. Something's goign up his nose. Even if she has to wait until he's asleep and sneak through the Abbey to do it!
Emyuil snorts instinctively and jerks his head away, wincing at the pressure on his arms. His legs flail briefly.
DoraRose continues tryign to stuff the fabric up her brother's nose as she asks in a calm tone of voice, "Give up yet?" Her tail is tappign slightly from satisfaction.
Emyuil's tail, meanwhile, is whipping back and forth. "I submit," he finally says with a groan. "You win this time."
"This time! When was the last time you won, Oh brother of mine?" DoraRose stands up and begins tryign (and failing) to brush the dirt off her clothes.
"Hmm...there was..." Emyuil shrugs, looking sheepish. "When I was six seasons maybe? Dunno." He gives his sister a quick hug.
DoraRose laughs aloud, the first time she's done that in days, and hugs him back. "Exactly. You need to try harder and become more inventive. But not too inventive. I need someone to whup up on." She grabs her weapons and dashes to the storage locker, laughing happily. After putting her weapons away, she will go back to the gatehouse and change her clothes. Perhaps after a quick bath...
Emyuil laughs quietly, innocence flashing in his eyes for just a second...just like old times. He stashes his sword regretfully, keeping the empty scabbard on his back as always, and heads out.
Congrats! You made it through this incredibly long log! Yippee!
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