[Gates of Sanctuary] Hello Omaka (Kavala, Omaka)

[Descant Shepard]

60th of Winter, 510 AV

Descant had heard Kavala talking about combat. About learning daggers and darts and things of that nature, but she'd not had a teacher for unarmed combat. So, this morning he'd gotten up and found Kavala and asked her to meet him outside the gate of Sanctuary.
He'd created something of a ring for them to practice in by clearing away a patch of snow about fifty feet in diameter and got rid of the matted grass beneath it. After, he'd simply packed the soil tight with his boots by walking over every inch of it. So now, he simply waited for Kavala to arrive outside.

Even though he'd be teaching her today, they'd be taking things slow, Kavala was pregnant and he need to make sure she didnt over exert herself. His only real dilemma was that he hadnt ever taught anyone to fight before. Honestly he'd never taught anyone to do anything before, he wasnt ever given the oppurtunity or responsibility. But now, he'd taken the responsibility upon himself, which was a little more proactive that his normal self wouldve been, but Sanctuary, Kavala, being free, it was all having a profound effect on who he was becoming. He was still cautious, but not to the point where it restricted his progression as a person. He was keeping his end of the agreement with Kavala. Making any effort to be a functioning member of Sanctuary.

He thought on what he'd teach her as he waited. The first thing she'd have to learn was to pay attention to the movement her opponents made. That was most important, note the body language, stance and weaknesses. Things like the slightest hesitation in their movements, or the slight limp one might have, and the way their weight is distributed. But he didnt know how adept in combat Kavala was. He'd have to see her in action first before he could teach her anything at all. After all, thats how he works anyway, observation then application was his policy and motto, even if he didnt exactly know how to phrase it.

Today, even though it was coold, he had to be able to move, earlier her threw on a long sleeved shirt that was the thickest of the sort, pants and his short boots. All bought by Kavala at the market on the first of winter. She'd made a big fuss about making sure he had everything he needed when first got to Sanctuary. Honestly, he'd really liked it there and had intended to stay for a long while.

[Kavala]

Kavala trudged out through the gates to the ring in the snow in the pasture Descant said he'd create. She was on time. And she was there for more than what Descant might have thought. Kavala thought it would be really good for the kelvic to start fighting again in an controlled manner, teaching others, and expanding his skills while forming new memories, laughter, and love over the top of the pain he'd experienced in the pits of Ravok. The only way to dampen bad memories was to override them with good ones.

Kavala really wanted Descant to have a better life than he'd had. Finding him in the shipment of female kelvics torn up from a wound that had gone untreated and allowed to fester had nearly broken her heart. She'd also been angry that the Akalak had been willing to ship him to the mines to get a 'few days worth of work' out of him before he succumbed to his injuries without treating him. And that had made his injuries even worse.

Kavala hoped he'd fit in at Sanctuary. She hoped he'd find a bondmate who'd shower him with love and devotion and all the things he deserved. She moved forward, dressed in loosely flowing pants and her usual sleeveless tunic. It struck her for a moment, how somehow their roles had reversed. Kavala often felt alone, missing acutely Hatot's presence and his attention. It had been a whole season of no word, no notes, no hints. She was the alone one, but for some reason Descant was fussing and taking care of her in a way that she needed right now, more than ever. In a way she was afraid to trust it, knowing that once he bonded he'd be gone as well.

But she was willing to learn from him while he was here, to keep him busy and get him practicing as well. The Konti offered him a small smile, took a basic stance, and nodded. "Nice set up, Cheetah. I think I'm ready, Descant. What do you want me to do first?" She said, looking a little nervous and a little excited all at the same time.

[Omaka Kali]

She still wasn’t used to living alone, though she had always been alone since her accident she had never actually lived alone. In Taloba there had always been her sisters and their lovers and their children, not to mention the hundreds of other occupants of the great capital, so she had never actually lived alone. But now that she was alone, she no longer knew how to feel about her initial decision to leave her tropical home for a place gossipers and storytellers called Sanctuary.
She was in pain and the cold weather cold here wasn’t of much help either; wherever here was and she wasn’t dressed for the weather either, she was still dressed in her female loincloth and loose colorless cotton tunic that was covered in muck and blood that was more than likely her own. Slowly she pulls herself into a weak sort of hug that failed to bring in the heat that she so needed and desired, as she walked past various people of races she couldn’t remember the names of and others that she had never seen before. None of which seemed to pay her any mind, not that she was in the least bit bothered by it, she had spent majority of her life unnoticed by her family and peers to who she embarrassed and disgraced.
Weakly she began to clutch herself tighter, making sure to be careful around her ribs that she suspected to be cracked as she stuffed her near frozen hands beneath her arms. Her eyes terribly heavy with the artificial sleep that came just before the hypothermia set in as she continued the rest of her way towards Sancutuary.

[Descant Shepard]

He smiled as he'd seen Kavla come out to the ring that he'd created in the snow. He nodded to her as she stepped into it and complimented on his work. "Well thank you very much, I do appreciate it." He simply smiled and began to pace as she asked what he wanted her to do. He looked over at her. "Watch me. Do do anything but that, an opponent never ever attacks right away, they usually wait for a while to anticipate what youre going to do first, you task is to be more patient than them. With that, they will attack first and you can counter. When you counter, and counter, and counter, you may start to notice patterns in the way they attack or move or weaknesses in their stance. All things you can exploit, things you can use to your advantage." He stopped and stood there for a moment letting that sink in, letting her take a moment to memorize that.

"Simply watch them and only strike if they strike at you first. Also, remember that when they strike at you there is always an open spot for you to hit, but what you must prioritize, being that you are female, no offense, you might be smaller than most of the people you may fight. You should look for the most vulnerable and vital areas, such as the neck, groin, tendons and joints. I practiced those mostly because I am a rather lean kelvic compared to the others I've fought with." He smiled and watched her for any sign that she understood before moving on.

"Well now that I've told you, I have to show you. So, attack me, however where ever. Our first demonstration."

[Kavala]

Kavala nodded, striding forward to join Descant in the circle. She was unaware of the woman approaching, and if she had been she'd be far more focused on the new commer than the kelvic in front of her.

Kavala followed his lead, moving to stand in front of him, and listened closely to what he was saying. She simply nodded when he instructed her to study him, to keep her eyes on him, and began to circle, keeping him opposite of her as he began to move. When he paused to continue the lesson, Kavala nodded. "Neck, groin, tendons and joints.... got it, Descant." She said softly, eyes moving around his body as if memorizing where these places were in relation to her body and their differences in size.

Kavala was small. Descant was right, but she knew that it would just mean that people would underestimate her. She could be faster, smarter, and get a whole lot more done before an enemy might even remotely figure out she was a threat. Or, at least that's what she hoped for. That was indeed what she trained for. Descants words echoed that advice and she paid swift attention to him.

Kavala kept watching him, kept waiting for an opening. But Descant kept speaking so she knew none would come right away.

So when he asked her to move, she did, swiftly darting forward and dropping down to try a leg sweep to kick his legs out from under the kelvic. She wasn't sure it would work at all, though she'd gone over the move twice in her mind before making it. Sweeps were something she'd studied off and on with Hatot and the boys who trained with him. Kavala had no idea how Descant would react nor if he'd counter or do something completely unexpected. But she truthfully couldn't wait to see the result. She was having fun and hoped he was enjoying himself too.

[Omaka Kali]

She no longer walked, she shuffled about and when she fell to the snowy ground (which was very often) she crawled, but she didn’t walk, not completely at least. She stumbled around on stiff joints before losing footing and falling into the snow, for the what seemed to her to be the hundredth time in the last few minutes or so alone. She pulled herself up weakly with out the use of her hands, she couldn’t afford to make them any colder than they already were and so she kept them tucked beneath her arms where they received little warmth but for now it would have be enough. The snow melted slowly from her shins and knees leaving water that froze and iced over her frigid skin.

Her skin was burning with searing red hot pain, her body a thousand pins and her hair sopping wet and a crown of snow. Her feet were stone and lead blocks; which ever was heavier she thought as she dragged her feet along as quickly as she could, which in her current predicament wasn’t very fast.

Her mind was starting to become fuzzy and sluggish, she couldn’t think straight and it was beginning to show as she hobbled in a sloppy zigzag of a line, that she was sure no one would notice.
In the back of her head she could hear voices; there were two a male and a female, speaking of things that in her current state she couldn’t hear or understand. She tried to strain herself to listen to them only to notice that the so-called “voices” she was hearing in her mind were voices of people lingering some short distance away. She smiled to herself or maybe she didn’t she couldn’t feel her face to tell but that hadn’t mattered there were people close by.

“Hello?...Can anybody hear me?” She called her hand cupped around her mouth, she had almost completely forgot about the cold, her hands, everything. She cringed and fell to her knees; her ribs had still been bothering her but in her forgetfulness she had managed to make a fire of a small spark.
She hunched herself over as she held on to her chest weakly, and continued shuffling towards the voices hoping they had heard her.

Through her blurring vision she could see two figures in the distance for a moment she wondered who they were and if she could reach them with her energy depleting so quickly. She was beginning to regret her call for “help” it had sapped her out of more energy than she had thought, but it was far too late too worry about it now.

[Descant Shepard]

He closely watched Kavala after he'd requested that she attack him. As she darted forward, he noticed her sudden drop and her sweep, her leg connected with his, sending them out from underneath him as she planned, but his his instinctual reflexes took over, his body righting itself in the air, his body bending back and landing into a back handspring. as his feet landed to the ground, he bounded off of one of them and slid to a knee, aiming his hand to her ear. He didnt complete the attack, for two reason, for one because he wasnt going to hit her regardless, he just wanted to show her how to take advantage of a vulnerable opponent. And two, he heard a voice.

Descant stood up quickkly, turning left and tilting his head. His ears twitch once, listening for the voice again.."Can anybody hear me.."..He looked to Kavala, helping her to her feet then taking off in the direction of the voice. As he ran, a figure came into his view quickly, he looked back at Kavala. "Do you see her, someones there..she looks very weak, Kavala!" He shouted behind him as he continued towards the girl there.

As he neared her, he stopped short, looking her over for a moment. He didnt want to regret helping her. He didnt want to mistake her battered outer appearance for a front. He simply watched her before speaking slowly. "Who are you...Where did you come from?" He asked very suspiciously..he trusted few people...and those were only two, Kavala and Fade. He didnt yet know this girl and he didnt want to regret being to quick to run to her. He looked over his shoulder at Kavala and wanted to know what she thought...even though he knew she'd insist that they help her.

[Kavala]

Kavala had to admire the way he moved, that was for sure. She didn't seem to take him by surprise, but if she did, he recovered quickly bending and twisting in the air seemingly effortlessly. She knew he'd fought in the pits, which was evident by how effortlessly he defended himself. For her, martial arts was a hobby, a self defense when necessary. For Descant, the ability was life-saving. She could tell too. He moved like life was important to him. And what was better was that he pulled his counterstrike like her life indeed was important to him as well.

Hatot would have never done it. He would have struck so she could learn. Kavala's mind definitely drifted to the thought that she'd have to have the Akalak talk to Descant about schooling women and more specifically Konti for they needed the lessons if they were going to stay alive.

But any further thought was interrupted. A woman called out, her voice strained and seemingly weak. Kavala's gaze focused on the shuffling figure, hunched and seemingly injured. The healer got to her feet awkwardly and moved towards the woman even as Descant began his line of questioning. There was something wrong with the woman, that much was for sure. Kavala moved forward after brushing off her rump and laid a hand on Descant's shoulder. "Easy... she looks unwell." Kavala said softly only for the cheetah's ears.

"Can we help you? You look... unwell." She found herself saying again. It was the hunched over posture, the shuffling feet, and the ... was the woman shivering? She looked like she was. Kavala stepped even closer, automatically scanning for weapons, but trying to remain friendly rather than suspicious.

[Omaka Kali]

Hearing their voices made her heart almost explode with hope and excitement, excitement that made her legs give out. Her knees hit the snow covered ground with a muffled thud, the impact of the fall causing her frozen skin to finally crack and splinter open but she had hardly felt it.

She hadn’t bothered to get back up this time; she didn’t have the energy in her anymore. She looked up to see the pair walking towards her, they were beginning to ask her questions things she had to strain her ears to hear and for a second she almost wanted to blurt out their answers but the memory of her damaged ribs said otherwise.
“I come from far off….Taloba. Help me?” She said as loudly as her failing body would allow, hoping dearly that they could and would hear her somehow.

She stared at the two for a moment longer before giving her legs a light tap, anything to regain some feeling back into them but there was none. Silently she tucked her hands back beneath her arms she couldn’t loose her hands she scolded herself. She gave the two another glance their hazy silhouettes bobbing and weaving out of her vision, they seemed to be so close and yet so far.
“Please hurry!” She said louder this time with out care for her ribs that where now paining her terribly causing her to writhe in pain.