This place was magical to her. Everytime she stepped foot into this place, it filled her with a sense of wonder and excitement. She loved being in the temple on her days off. The air was crisp and clear, and the sounds of the nearby falls were soothing to listen to for extended periods of time. But her favorite thing about being in the temple was the fact that her time there was garunteed. She always knew how long she would be there for her 'offtime'. There was never any dangers of her being called away to hunt for a Mark.

Fate wanted her and Wolf to enjoy thier time together. Afterall, if your employers were not happy, then they would be reluctant to carry out thier orders.

She had a week left of her time off, and planned on spending as much as possible with Wolf as she could. That was, if she could find him. She'd woken up earlier than Wolf that morning, and had trapsied off to bathe in the in the pools that collected in the temple. When she'd returned to thier quarters, the giant man was gone. When she'd questioned several of the keepers, they informed her than Wolf had gotten up and left not long after she had. Perhaps he was searching for as she was for him..?

[WC: 224]

Rolling over to an empty bed was... not pleasant, however he wasn't the type to panic; least of all when they were 'home', as close to one as they had. He could not remember a place beyond this that was home, and that was fine with him; he counted home as anywhere that Lamb was, and she was here, so he was home. Simple.

As it was, he'd woken up to their bed empty and cool; she had been gone long enough to allow her side of the bed to begin to cool down some; which given he was a massive space heater was saying something. He could tell by the strength of her scent that she had been gone for nearly fifteen minutes by the time he noticed, and if she was gone that long without them being called to a new target, he was going to chalk it up to her wanting food, or to bathe. As he had first checked the kitchens and not found her, it was the latter. That was fine, he would fill his belly, then take his turn. While they normally bathed together, he knew he was rather... rank at the moment, and he did not wish to foul the water she was using at the moment with his incessant stank.

So for that reason, he was busy making them breakfast. She had never had issues with his complete and total lack of hygiene in a normal human sense, so it didn't actually occur to him that she would not want to eat around him given his current standing on the cleanliness scale. No, food was his third highest priority, distantly behind the Hunt, and even further behind Lamb herself. His personality was dominated by fixations, and he'd long moved beyond the fixating on the Hunt last beyond the Hunt itself, his fixation was on Lamb, only switching to the Hunt when a Mark was actively being chased.

He was working over a slab of meat, likely some sort of cervid or bovine, he really didn't care nor was he bothering to pay attention to the taste beyond 'is it spoiled? No? EAT!'. He was wondering along the corridors and exploring the terraces with the, well, there was no other way to explain the slab of meat beyond a joint, the archaic term for a shank of meat; or to be as clear as possible, the entire upper leg of the beast, from the ball of the femur down to the knee joint, with the top and bottom cleaned and stripped to show roughly an inch or so of clean bone. The exposed bone made for decent hand holds, so he could strip the thing like an ear of corn for a while. As it was, by the time he was approaching where any of the temple minders would be this time of the day, he was carrying a stark white, perfectly clean bone. Well, mostly clean; he'd left a strip of meat on one end, he was going to leave the remains with the nesting eagle he'd found when they'd returned home days prior. He rather liked the giant bird, and it was nice to have another predator around. They understood each other, on some level. A rarity, for any being outside of Lamb.

As he passed a group of minders, one approached him with a bowed head and timid stutter of a greeting; they feared him for his explosive temper and tendency to fling anyone he didn't like over the side of the temple and into the void below. Given he was in a rather good mood for the moment, he merely humored a soft growl, spurring the beta male into telling him why he was being bothered. "Master Wolf, Mistress Lamb searches for you."

Oh, well, that was fine, then. "I see. She is were." Monotone, growled, not angry, but still dangerous. His voice was all of this, for anyone not Lamb.

"She was going to check the sleeping quarters, Master."

"I see." He glanced down at the meat bone in his massive hand, and merely tossed it to the cowering beta male. "Take that to the eagle. It will understand. If you are lucky, it won't eat you." No other words where spoken, he merely vanished from view in the way that only Kindred could; they could only be seen if they wished to be seen, and he no longer wished to be seen by anyone but Lamb. He reversed his direction, heading back toward their specific room. He was lifting his nose higher, tilting his head to allow him to inhale the scents on the air better; in doing so he was able to track his Lamb with far more accuracy. Ah, she was in the general direction of their room, so he would head that way. A mini hunt was on, it would seem.~

WC: 830

If Wolf was gone, it wouldnt be long until he returned. And so, she would wait. As she did, a melody entered into her mind, and soon exited her mouth. Her singing was loud and clear as a bell. The sounds would ring through the halls, attempting to uplift the somber moods of the temple. She knew Wolf would be able to hear her, and was hoping to lead him to her. There was no particular meaning to the words of the song, nor was there really even words involved in the singing; mere changes in the inflections to give the impression of such. As Lamb sang, she would move around the room, picking up the small mess that had aculmilated over the few days they'd been using the room. Clothing picked up, blankets shaken out and beds remade. While she knew the temple caretakers would do the cleaning if she did not, she honestly prefered to do it herself. It made the rooms within the temple in which they resides seem more.. homely.

A cool breeze blew in from the from the open balcony that was opened to the east, which was something else she loved about this temple. The sounds of the falls was soothing, to say the least. As Lamb finishd adjusting the nest of blankets and cushions, she wondered what was she would do that day. Perhaps she could practice with her Bow, or have a lovely conversation with Fate. The elder seemed to enjoy her company very much; they would often talk for hours at a time about the nature of the world, or things she'd seen in her travels. Fate was very knowledgeable about the world around them, and had seen much in his time. It was Fate who gave Lamb the idea of using a bow to carry out her duties, something she greatly enjoyed. But she needed something else.. something to use in case someone got too close for her to use her bow.

Maybe there was a way...

Fate gave her a scroll a long time ago with jutsu in it. He explained that Ina, the woman beneath Lamb's mask, was an Uzumaki. It would stand to reason that Ina had inherited certain abilities of her family, namely her aptitude for the sealing arts, as well as the abilty to condense her chakra into chains. Perhaps she could use these as weapons? If so, she would need someone to spar with in order to get better with them. Perhaps dear Wolf would be willing...

[423 + 224 = 647 WC]

Music, distant and haunting; Lamb was singing, it would seem. He would know that sound anywhere, for years beyond measure he had heard it, and he could listen for years more beyond time. Her voice, it was a balm to his suffering, it soothed his soul in a way that even the hunt could not. He was a beast in the skin of a man, the need to hunt and attack and rend and destroy compacted into this tiny body and tinier mind. He was barely contained fury, only the power of Fate and the purity of Lamb managed to hold him in check. The average hunt was little release, and the few good hunts barely took the edge off; however, it was this time when he could just be, no responsibilities and a chance to just... be; that was when he had a chance to actually sooth his soul.

Lamb's singing was the fastest path to this end.

The instants between each heart beat stretched into infinity as he simple stopped; the world around him stretched and faded away and the soothing tones invaded every aspect of his existence on every level and left nothing but itself. In this spans of infinity, he was able to turn himself over wholly to the sounds, and it left him in a far better mood. His physical form missed nothing, he was still walking toward their room even as his mentality checked itself out of existence. He could just be on the level he was meant to exist; mindless and empty and merely a vessel to an end. If one was to visualize a meter that gave numbers to his fallacy, to his anger and stress and all of the bad, it would be spinning or falling or however you wish to think of it, toward empty; toward zen and perfect peace.

After an infinity of moments, he was at their room, mechanically opening the door and closing it behind him, slipping the bolt so that they could not be bothered at all unless they wished too. He was silent as he did so, unless she was looking directly at the door she wouldn't notice him coming in. That was fine, if he had his way he would lay with his head on her lap forever and just listen to her sing. That was his reward, he believed; for eons of work and strife and pain; one day in the farness of forever, they would be alone finally, their work completed, and they would spend the rest of their eternity together, as it was meant to be.

Now inside, he moved across the room until he was sitting on the bed, still entranced and now gently swaying with an extra rhythm only he could hear. He always heard more than just her vocalized song, there was more to it, the sounds of his own soul; she sang the song of her, he heard the rhythm of his; in his mind they melded into the music of the cosmos, and it was perfection beyond words, beyond thought and feeling and beauty and all the constructs of man and beast and mind. It was emotion, and it was more. It was the fundament of existence, and even more still. It was all, and for these fleeting moments, he was one with it.

He would sit and wait, allow her to notice him; he had long since given himself fully to his Lamb, his perfect, beautiful Lamb; who wears a thousand faces and a thousand bodies and is still always his Lamb, when ever her memories are gone and she is made new she is still his Lamb, and they are still Kindred, and he is her Wolf and he is always her Wolf and his body is not his, but it is all he has; and he is hers, and she is his, and they are one in these moments. Maybe he would sing with her too, now; this new Lamb that is his Lamb that has always been his Lamb but he had not sang for yet he has sung a million times beyond infinity and will again with a billion new voices that are all him. It is always them.

One day he would sing too.

They would sing the Deathsongs, the Forever Songs; they would sing their joy to the hidden silver moon and make music together in the blood of their Marks. Such is the life of Kindred, such is the way of Lamb and Wolf.

WC: 760

830 + 760= 1590

This song would the be the one by which the world would end. Every note plucked at the synapses of the brain, allowing the mind to escape into the void. And with the escape, came understanding. A true visualization of one's place in the vast emptiness of oblivion, and the role they would play out in the grand scheme.

For the Lamb, she could see things; beautiful, terrifying things. She could see the imprint of every woman who wore the mask before her. She could see the faded memories of her past, of Ina, the child whom would grow up to be her. She could see the life of Ani, her dear Wolf. But there was something else.. something she could not identify.. A face, one of a child. Who was this?

Slowly, she would stop her song, letting the notes die down and look about. It would seem that Wolf had returned to their room – she didn't notice him come back. She would offer the large male a wide smile and spoke. “Found your way home, dear Wolf? Perhaps you should find your way into a bath as well.” A giggle left her as she winked an eye at the larger male. She would make her way closer to him, and settle herself into the bed next to him, reaching out to stroke his hair.

[647+226 = 873 WC]

"I will always return to you, my Dear. I always have, and I always will. Besides, the minders bore me, and while it would be fun to watch my new friend eat some poor sap that got to close for her comfort, I would rather be with you." Now that she had stopped singing, he came back to himself with a snap, in the moments before he spoke he shook his head like a dog shaking water from it's ears; it was his way of snapping back to reality. As they where who they where, the song did not affect them as it did others; to others the song was lethal, to sanity if not to life itself. To see their true place, with the limited understanding of the human mind, was to invite a madness that could break the heart and soul of man so completely that they become less than animal, less then plant, less than even the smallest of single cell organism. To hear their song, to see the truth, it would reduce them to nothingness of the deepest order; they may physically live, for a short while, but the brain is dead; the heart, dead. To hear their song was to meet with death of being, and that was the truest of all deaths.

"I do not believe you would enjoy bathing in my... funk, as the younglings put it." Ah, his odd speech patterns, for one that was, physically speaking, extremely young himself, he sometimes spoke as if he was an old man, ancient and wise. Others, he was a slobbering beast. The juxtaposition of Wolf, as it were. His larger bulk shifted as he leaned into the hand stroking his hair; he rather liked to be 'petted', as Lamb sometimes put it. Of course, no one but her was allowed to touch him at all, even less so in such an intimate way. Only she had moved past his walls and feral exterior, only she could be trusted enough to come close enough to cause him harm. He was a warrior, a beast; he was feral and angry and always a danger to anyone around him; but not to Lamb, never to Lamb. She was his balance and his fixation and addiction and he loved her more than she knew, or more than he thought she knew. Maybe she understood the depth of his love, maybe she had an inkling of his feelings and the depths of his devotion. Soon she would, every Lamb and ever Wolf and every Kindred came to know eventually. This body, this person that was Ani and Wolf and born someone else but still always Wolf and Ani and man and beast; he had been Wolf longer than she had been Lamb; this body that was Ina and Lamb and woman and more and less and new and different; she wasn't his first Lamb but she was and she was always his Lamb, even with a new face and new skills and a new bow and new everything; she is always Lamb, and he is always Wolf; they wear faces beyond counting and new memories and abilities beyond their skills immemorial; but they are Kindred and they are Lamb and Wolf and she is his and he is her, and he loves her beyond the ability of words to convey and she would understand that soon; the more they where together the more she understood, and the more he loved her. He would always love her.

"I will bath today, eventually. Before we retire for the night, I promise. Beyond dragging me to the baths, what else shall we do for the day? It is still fairly early, we have many hours before the moon rises, and many more beyond that."

WC: 635

635 + 1590 = 2220

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
270/1950 E0-D3 END

Lamb would stifle back a giggle at Ani's words; it seemed that every spoken word of hers was a direct command to the lumbering male. It was amusing to her, his devotion. Not that she didn't share his feelings; she loved her dear Wolf as much as her next breath; doubly so if her next breath contained his scent. Her love for this brute of a man – if Wolf could be even call such most of the time – was beyond words. She would do anything for him; even stare down into maw of hell for him should the need arise. She'd saved his life before, he'd done the same for her as well. She knew she could count on him.

But the offer was made: was there anything she needed from the larger male? Yes, there was indeed.

“Dear Wolf, I would like you to teach me how to defend myself in close combat.” It was a simple enough request; and something that should have been addressed long before this time. Given that Lamb was an archer, she was almost guaranteed to be quite some distance away from the actual fight. But what would happen if something happened that they did not account for? Someone else joining the fight, sneaking up behind Lamb to take out the ranged support before moving in to turn the tides on Wolf's fight? She needed something to at least defend her self in this situation, and she had to let Wolf know and understand this.

“Please, Ani, do not take this as me doubting your ability to protect me. I an quite confident that you would be more than enough to protect me from everything that would wish to do me harm. But if something happens that we did not account for.. someone sneaking up on me, or separating us from each other, and taking away my bow and arrows... My dear Wolf, I must be able to fight for myself.” She would smile again, her hand sliding down to cup his chin to make him look into her eyes. “Would you leave your little Lamb defenseless, Wolf? I have the will to learn, Ani. Please, show me the way.”

[873 + 366 = 1239 WC]

Doubt? He could never doubt her, or her intentions. There was no possibility he could fathom where she would disappoint him, nor offend him in any way. He listened to her words even as he moved closer, still rubbing himself against the hand in his hair. Her touch was an addiction he rarely allowed himself to indulge in for more than a fleeting moment; usually a gentle brush of his hand across her arm in the moments before he launched himself into a new hunt, maybe even a moment of holding her hand when they were alone. To have her touching him, even in such a simple, innocent way... it soothed his soul in some ways, while lighting fires in his body that he could not allow to be fanned, not yet. Soon, but not yet; he would wait for her to approach him, he always did; so that he would know she was ready to move to that level. It was already whispered among the handlers that they had moved beyond just partners and friends; and while he did not find it appropriate for the minders to speak of them in shadows as they did, it was... understandable. There were no other boundaries left between them, and this was only left to be crossed because he respected her as more than just a warm body, a sharp eye, and a swift arrow. She was Lamb, she was his friend and his partner and would be more one day; but not yet. Not in the moment. He would control the fires of his passion, if only for an eternity of moments, until she was ready for him.

"My Dearest, Beautiful Lamb, I would do anything for you. All that I am is offered to you freely; my knowledge and skills, my very being. Fate may 'own' me as a weapon, but I have long since given myself, my true being, to you. In what weapons shall I teach you, my Little Lamb? I know of many,    beyond my prefered claws. Shall I teach you them? Would you use whips and chains? Blades of some type? Maybe a spear, or a staff? Anything, my Lamb; my Ina..."

To use their 'true' names was only something that they could do; anyone else would be killed on the spot. Only Fate was excused from this; however there was a difference. When Fate called them by name, or rather, called him by name; he was humbled and cowed, he sank to his knees in reverence and almost a spark of fear; the only time he felt the emotional response that would become fear in any other being. He respected Fate, but he did not see him as a God; merely a being that was beyond his power, and deserving of his power.

When Lamb spoke his name, he was exhilarated; his blood and mind and soul and body sang for joy and his mind became a place of peace. He lived for those moments when they were alone and it was only them and they whispered to each other in voices reserved for only each other; like little secrets shared only between them; their mortal names that they bared for the duration of their existence but that only they could speak, only they should know. As it should be, as it would be forever more.

WC: 562

562 + 2220 = 2782

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
832/1950 E0-D3 END

She grinned widely, joy spreading through her as he agreed to teach her close combat. She should have known it would be easy to convince him to teach her; her dear Wolf hung onto her every word like a hungry puppy. To show her appreciation she would draw him close, and place a gentle kiss upon his lips.

From the moment their lips would touch, her body came alive, and seemed to melt away. The universe sang to them, a sweet spell the urged her to grip the larger male tighter, to take him into her arms and nourish his hunger. The song spoke of the wonders that could be had, the life they could create together and beauty of it. It was so tempting, to give into their song, to allow herself to be swept up into Ani's allure... but now was not the time. She had to remember herself; to shut the universe out and remember herself, her name.

Ina. Ina Uzu-- Lamb. I am Lamb. I am Lam — Ina. My name is Ina!

She would shake her head, seemingly having trouble remembering her purpose. Oh yea. She was trying to get Wolf to teach her how to fight in close quarters. To show her wishes, the female would focus her chakra for a moment as she took a step backwards away from Wolf. After a moment, from the palms of her hands would emerge two thick, thirty meter chains. These chains would pool on the floor below her hands, but she would lift them to show her intentions. “My family.. they are able to create these chains, dear Wolf. Perhaps I can use these to defend myself?” She would withdraw the chains until only fifteen meters of each would remain,before stepping further back and attempting to crack one similar to a whip. "What do you think, Ani? Would these suffice?"

[1239 + 314 = 1553/1500. Onojutsu WC reached

53WC remaining]

Jutsu used:

A kiss... oh that kiss, so short and sweet and by the Gods above, if they even exist; and he wasn't much of a believer in things of that nature; he could spend hours just kissing his Lamb, nothing more; he could continue to control himself, barely; if it meant that he could stay just like this. The simmering embers exploded into scorching flames that threatened to eat what little sanity and control he had, it took all of his strength to not reach out and pull her back, hold her there and just lose himself in the fires of passion and need and want. It would be so easy, so very easy. He'd throw his life away for her, in all ways; but he knew, deep down in the places that he couldn't focus on, where he remembered all his past lives and all his past selves, where the truth of his existence and her existence and the truth of Fate and the truth of this world; he knew in that dark, shadowed place, that he could not give in, not yet; not now. Soon, maybe, he would take her for his own... but not this moment. Not yet.

He almost cried from sheer frustration at this; he hated the ability he had to just... Know. He knew things he shouldn't know; couldn't know; and while it made him extremely effective, it also meant that he rarely, if ever, allowed himself to be selfish and focus on himself; Fate did not bar them from doing so, as long as they were effective and did their job, they were free to do as they wished.

He bit down heavily on his lip, nearly drawing blood so that he was able to bring himself properly under control; rising to his feet before rolling his neck and shoulders with a series of satisfying cracks. "Chains, hm? That would be a viable defense; given your sharp eyes and dexterous hands, you would do well with them. They are simple enough to learn, the trick is getting used to the movements." Moving from where he stood, he approached the chest in the far corner where he kept their training weapons, flipping the lock and pulling a set of basic leather bullwhips from where they were latched to the lid; a simple set of 6ft (2m) whips that didn't have the frayed tips, these were made for training,  not for causing damage. Oh, they could leave a hell of a gash, but it would be clean and fairly shallow, so not much of a problem to treat; whereas the normally frayed combat whips ripped large chunks flesh and bit deep into the body; you could take a finger off with a frayed whip, even dislocate ribs if you snapped hard enough and wove in a bit of weighted material to the ends.

He returned to her, holding both whips in one massive hand; offering one to her to take, so that they could train together. "Come, we will need space for this. The Eastern Terrace would be suitable, and the various railings and such will make for good targets to work with."

WC: 535

535 + 2782 = 3317

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1367/1950 E0-D3 END

Wonderful. Wolf was on board with teaching her, and he even had whips in the room for her to learn and train with.

Wait, why did he have whips? And in their bedroom, of all places? There was plenty of storage spaces throughout the temple; did he not realize?

Retracting the chakra chains into her palms, the female would slowly make her way over to the larger male, reaching out slowly and hesitantly to take the whip from Wolf. It felt strange in her hands, something foreign. She didn't say anything for the moment, but rather nodded and smiled. She would turn and begin walking to the eastern terrace, hoping that her dear Wolf would follow behind her.

She would make her way through the temple quickly and quietly, nodding politely to the caretakers as she came across them. Both she and dear Wolf knew this place very well – he probably more than she – and it would not take them long to reach the terrace. It was a wide open space with an excellent view of the nearby falls. While this place was not necessarily used for training, Fate had given them free reign of the premises while they were home; any room was there to re-purpose to their liking. Fortunately, there was no one currently here, so they would not be disturbed while Wolf was attempting to teach Lamb how to wield a whip.

As Ina took a spot in the middle of the open space, she would turn back to Ani, provided that he followed her. She would smile again to him, head tipping to the side as she allowed the whip to uncurl and pool on the floor. "Well then, dear Wolf. Shall we begin, What would you like to teach me first?" A smile played at her lips as she waited exictedly for her lesson to begin. She could not help but wonder what Ani would teach her first. She knew nothing of this subject, but she was sure that Wolf would not let her down in regards to to teaching her.

[Left over WC: 53 + 346 = 399 WC]

He would follow her to the ends of existence and back again; had many times before and would many times again; so there was nothing stopping him from following her now. There was nothing but her in moments like this, they had all the time in the world to be together and play and dance and sing and learn and be; just be; and that would have to be enough for now. If he was any other man, the fires of his passion and need would consume him and he would do terrible, beautiful things with her in these moments; he would succumb to the call of the songs and the music in his soul, he would end the world in an instant, knowing that he would spend the rest of his forever with her; they would leave this world behind and just be together while a new world took it's place. Or something.

What was he thinking about?

He was still moving, of course; this place was familiar in a way that only a childhood home could be; he'd lived more lives that could be counted here, and he knew every mote of dust intimately. He didn't need to be conscious to move about safely; this was his home, this was his domain. He was king here, in his own way.

Her words brought him back to himself; his instant fixation on her voice returning his attention to reality in ways nothing else could. Whip in hand, body on fire but under control, the constant breeze of the terrace caressing his form. Ah, yes. Time to teach. "Tell me, Dearest Lamb, have you ever fished before? There is an art to using a whip, and very few other actions are similar. One of the few I have found is that of fishing; the way you move your wrist and arm to cast a line is similar to how you would move to crack a whip."

WC: 329

329 + 3317 = 3646

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1696/1950 E0-D3 END

"Tell me, Dearest Lamb, have you ever fished before? There is an art to using a whip, and very few other actions are similar. One of the few I have found is that of fishing; the way you move your wrist and arm to cast a line is similar to how you would move to crack a whip."

Casting a fishing line? That would seem easy enough. She could remember – Ina could, rather – going fishing with her father in the time before she became Lamb The memory was hazy, as were most of her memories of life before meeting Fate. Her father had taught her how to cast a line into the water on a warm, sunny day several days before her ninth birthday. She'd been overjoyed at being able to go out and fish with her father for the first time.

She'd practiced all day, attempting to perfect her technique of getting the bits into the water with a gentle but firm swing of her arm and flick of her wrist to cast the line into the water and not scare away the fish in the stream.

It was this experience that Lamb would call upon as she made her attempt – a memory that was not quite her own, but it would serve her none the less. Following the example put forth in the memory, Lamb would mimic the actions perfectly, putting forth a sharp CRACK into the air with the movement. A satisfied smile crossed her face; she was damn pleased with herself for being able to crack the whip on her first try.

She would look to Wolf next, still grinning. “It seems that I can crack the whip, dear Ani. Is there anything more that you can teach me?” She really was eager to learn; this was something that would more than likely save her life at some point, after all.

[315 + 399 = 714 WC]

"Of course, my Ina. There is plenty to learn, and even more to understand. Merely cracking a whip is simple enough; nearly anyone can do it, after a few attempts. The trick is to be able to use it properly, of course. Now..." He began to move now, unfurling his own whip so that it was laying limp from where he held the thickest part of the handle in his right hand. His body shifted, moving his feet apart to stabilize his body so that he could channel his strength into the moment without risking falling over. In the movements he utilized, he caused the whip to lift upward and swing around the air around him; it was more like he was swinging a weighted rope dart than anything, yet there where constant cracking and snaps as the tip of the whip hit the proper speed to cause the sound. It was a defensive stance, really; the movement would allow him to block nearly anything attempting to attack him physically. "The movement of the whip is key, as is your ability to control it. As I said, anyone can crack a whip, but very few are able to control it."

In an instant, he snapped the whip in a way that caused it to snake around his entire body without ever touching him before snapping toward the far railing, where it easily sliced the wings of s sitting fly without damaging it in any other way. The poor creature wouldn't even feel it, as the wings themselves had no nerve endings and such, so even with the brush a wind and crack of sound the insect did not move. Her sharp eyes would pick up what happened easily, and he didn't have any want or need to patronize her by explaining. Her mind was better than his, after all. "Most see whips as brutish, simple weapons. In the hands of someone with a little skill, they become rather elegant, and extremely effective at short to mid range combat."

A simple flick of the wrist had the whip returning to his hand, wrapping itself midair so that he was holding it curled in nearly exactly the same manner as before he'd started. Passing the whip to his left hand, he used his right to pull the thinnest end of the whip away, so that she could see it more clearly. "What is missing from this picture, my Dearest?" The whip end was clean, unbroken, and to someone that had no idea how offensive whips where supposed to look, would appear normal. It would look almost exactly like what a normal bullwhip, or rather, normal for use with cattle and hoofstock, would be, and that was the key. There was a reason that those whips made for less effective offensive weapons, and he was hoping she would be able to figure out why.

WC: 485

484 + 3646 = 4130

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1950/1950 E0-D3 END
230/1175 D0-D3 REA

"Of course, my Ina. There is plenty to learn, and even more to understand. Merely cracking a whip is simple enough; nearly anyone can do it, after a few attempts. The trick is to be able to use it properly, of course. Now... The movement of the whip is key, as is your ability to control it. As I said, anyone can crack a whip, but very few are able to control it."

In an instant, he snapped the whip in a way that caused it to snake around his entire body without ever touching him before snapping toward the far railing, where it easily sliced the wings of a fly without damaging it in any other way. Lamb's eyes would widen in surprise as she watched this, blue eyes picking up the minute details of the movement.. Was this the power of using a weapon such as a whip or chain in combat? This was most impressive!

"Most see whips as brutish, simple weapons. In the hands of someone with a little skill, they become rather elegant, and extremely effective at short to mid range combat." As Ina continued to watch, the whip was flicked once more, coiling back up into Wolf's hands as he turn his attention back to Lamb. She would watch curiously as he showed her the tip of the whip.

“"What is missing from this picture, my Dearest?" Ina would blink, staring at the end of the weapon. The whip end was clean, unbroken, and to someone that had no idea how offensive whips where supposed to look, would appear normal. But.. if he was asking her to find something wrong, then this was not normal? It couldnt be. The female tipped her head to the side as she stared at the tip of the weapon for a moment, pondering the weapon. Given what it just did to the fly with just its normal ending...

“The end... should their be some kind of metal tip? To cut into flesh? Or is because its not.. frayed? If you were able to make such a precise strike with a solid tip.. would not a wider surface area do more damage?” She was unsure of her answer, but it was the best she had for the moment. If she actually knew this information, she would not have bothered asking.

[714 + 391 = 1105 WC]

“The end... should their be some kind of metal tip? To cut into flesh? Or is because its not.. frayed? If you were able to make such a precise strike with a solid tip.. would not a wider surface area do more damage?”

Ah good, she was able to infer what he meant; even if she was unsure of her answer, the answer she gave was correct. This would make things far simpler overall, her mind was working in the correct ways to figure out the things he needed her to learn, beyond the body movements and muscle memory she would need to gain on her own. "Yes, exactly. A weighted tip would allow the whip to bite deeper into the flesh, and fraying the end allows it to pull large chunks of flesh with each impact. A clean, sharp tip such as this is fine for small, thin gashes, or extremely accurate work; well, if it was a bit heavier, anyway; but it would not be good for a fight, as it would not cause enough damage to be a good deterrent."

As pain was not an issue to him, he did not even flinch over what he did next. He was only barely dressed after all; with only loose fitting pants barely held on by a rope-type belt covering his form; hell, he was only wearing that because he'd gone to look for her earlier, and while he cared not about the concept of nudity, he knew many of the handlers did not appreciate him being buck naked in the public areas of the temple, so he'd put on something before first leaving the room. This left his entire upper body exposed, and that was what he needed, a demonstration. He lifted the tip of the whip to his mouth, using his sharp canines to rip it into a proper frayed end, before literally cracking the whip so that it cut across his back and left a blood gash that would have brought anyone else to their knees. To him, it was little more than a mosquito bite at best, and it wouldn't even bleed for very long, as he naturally healed very quickly, and the wound was clean enough, even with how the fray pulled chunks of flesh with it. He turned his body to show her the difference; even in those few seconds the wound was starting to close up, so there was little reason to bother worrying. "See the difference? With the properly made, weighted frayed tip you could have easily ripped flesh to the bone. This is barely a scratch, really, but you do with what you have. I will need to have some special targets set up for you, or grab some monks we do not like to be target practice."

WC: 475

475 + 4130 = 4605

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1950/1950 E0-D3 END
705/1175 D0-D3 REA

 "Yes, exactly. A weighted tip would allow the whip to bite deeper into the flesh, and fraying the end allows it to pull large chunks of flesh with each impact. A clean, sharp tip such as this is fine for small, thin gashes, or extremely accurate work; well, if it was a bit heavier, anyway; but it would not be good for a fight, as it would not cause enough damage to be a good deterrent."

Ina smiled widely when Ani told her that she had the correct answer; it seemed that her rational conclusion was indeed correct. Everything that Wolf said seemed to make sense. Lamb herself knew that weight was very important in regards to a projectile; the slightest miscalculation with weight would ruin a shot. Too light and your shot would have no penetration, and could easily blow off course; too heavy and it would fall to the ground long before it actually reached its target. Weight was something that had to properly maintained.

As Lamb watched Wolf, her eyes would grow wide in shock and horror at what he did next: He lifted the tip of the whip to his mouth, used his sharp canine teeth to rip it into a proper frayed end, and then literally cracked the whip so that it cut across his back and left a bloody gash. Even without being anywhere near him when he did this, she could feel the pain from it; where it barely hurt to Wolf, Ina shed a tear. Even with her knowing full well about Wolf's healing factor that would damn near close his wounds instantly, she still hated seeing him in any kind of pain, self inflicted for educational purposes or not. She resisted the urge rush over to him and press her hands to the wound in a vain attempt to close it.

"See the difference? With the properly made, weighted frayed tip you could have easily ripped flesh to the bone. This is barely a scratch, really, but you do with what you have. I will need to have some special targets set up for you, or grab some monks we do not like to be target practice."

Surely as he spoke, she could see the bits of flesh that were ripped from his back due to the frayed end of the weapon. It seemed that a frayed end the weapon was indeed the most dangerous to use. At his mention of finding targets for them to practice with, she merely laughed, and shook her head.

“No, my dear Ani. We cannot use the caretakers as target practice: as lenient as Master Fate is, I'm sure he will have objections to us harming the caretakers. She would coil the whip she held by hand, watching her dear Wolf carefully. When she was done, she would extend her hand to him, offering him back the whip he gave her earlier. “Mayhaps it would be best to learn how to perform these techniques with the weapons that I plan to actually use?” With her free hand, she would manifest her chakra chains once more and cause it to curl around her forearm, taking care to make sure that the end of the chain held a jagged blade. “If I'm going to use these in a combat situation, then I need to get used to manipulating them. It does me no good to do my training with one thing, and then use something completely while in the middle of combat. Thats a bit of a learning curve I do not need, my dear Wolf. It would help immensely."

She would offer him another smile as he pressed her hands against his bare chest, taking in a deep breath of his scent; her mind swirling as if she were inebriated. After a moment, she shook her head and, ignoring the voice in her mind that told her to run her hands along his body until he took her right there on the floor of the terrace, she pushed at him gently. "Go, dear Wolf. Find us proper practice targets -- not the temple caretakers. I mean it, Ani." She would smile widely again, wating for him to depart.

[1105 + 701 = 1806 wc]

"With most weapons, this would be true. You would learn using a weapon of similar size and shape to what you plan to specialize in. Whips in general are very... how to say this... homogenous? That is... not exactly right, but it will do. Whips tend to be the same general length and whip, unless you are speaking of chain swords and such. Your chains would be more similar to a normal whip, unless they move in a segmented manner. Let us see, yes? The railing, see if you are able to hit it using your chains."

He was checking for two things, both of which he could estimate visually: the first was simple enough, the movement of the chains. If they moved fluidly, then he was using the correct training method for them. If not, he would need to change up just a bit. Secondly, the weight. The weight of an object could be roughly estimated when one watches it moving; and outside of having her attack him with them; which he believe she would have... issues doing; this would be the best option.

WC: 185

185 + 4605 = 4790

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1950/1950 E0-D3 END
890/1175 D0-D3 REA

"With most weapons, this would be true. You would learn using a weapon of similar size and shape to what you plan to specialize in. Whips in general are very... how to say this... homogenous? That is... not exactly right, but it will do. Whips tend to be the same general length and whip, unless you are speaking of chain swords and such. Your chains would be more similar to a normal whip, unless they move in a segmented manner. Let us see, yes? The railing, see if you are able to hit it using your chains."

Oh... okay? Wolf wanted her to strike the railing with the chains? That should be simple enough to perform; the chains that she formed where rather small links, the blade on the end was thin as well. Drawing back her arm, Lamb would draw back the chain and swing it at the railing. The chakra creation would sing as it moved through the air, wrapping itself around the railing tightly. The female would tug on the chain, ensuring that it wouldnt slip; the chains held taut. Satisfied, she would look to her precious Wolf, as if seeking his approval.

“You mean like this, dear Wolf? I did as you asked, was my performance up to par?”

1806 + 213 = 2019/1950

REA E-0 to D-3 Completed
69 WC remaining

“You mean like this, dear Wolf? I did as you asked, was my performance up to par?”

As if she could ever be anything but perfect to him. It almost broke his heart to see her staring at him so; that she would look to him for approval as such... he could not help but to give it, and more. She was a wonderfully adept learner, even a single demonstration and attempt had given her the bases of what she would need; they could work on control and refinement later, there was always time for that. From what he could see, her chains worked like the classic whips; extremely flexible and conforming to any shape needed. That would make this simple, really; his experience in whips as weapons was with that style, versus those of the segmented and chain variety. There was a subtle set of differences that made it difficult for novices to switch between the two varieties; so that they would not need to do so made for an easier time.

"Perfection, as always, my Dearest Little Lamb. We shall not have to worry, your chains will fit well into my knowledge of whips as weapons, so we need not continue with the basics. Once the handlers have set up a proper training area, we may work on refining your control and such. What say we take a walk, yes? We may discuss any concerns you may have over your choice in weaponry, or you may convince me to finally bathe, hm?" He was joking, his tone light and playful, in the way that only she would recognize. It was something that was saved only for her, no one else would ever hear that tone, nor receive the look of pure adoration and love he was giving her. If the time was right, this a different moment and the stars aligned and the fancy of Fate upon them; he would go to her and take her in his arms and they would sing the Deathsongs and bring about their final peace.

It hurt so very much to stop himself; remain in control and merely turn toward the main part of the compound once more. "Come, my Lamb. Let us depart."

-Exit-

WC: 375

375 + 4790 = 5165

1950/1950 E0-D3 PER
1950/1950 E0-D3 END
1175/1175 D0-D3 REA

90 WC leftover.

"Perfection, as always, my Dearest Little Lamb. We shall not have to worry, your chains will fit well into my knowledge of whips as weapons, so we need not continue with the basics. Once the handlers have set up a proper training area, we may work on refining your control and such. What say we take a walk, yes? We may discuss any concerns you may have over your choice in weaponry, or you may convince me to finally bathe, hm?"

Lamb giggled at her darling Wolf's words. It pleased her to hear that she was doing well; it made her confidence in what she was doing grow, cementing in her mind that she was making the correct decision to learn how to use her chakra chains weapons in battle. Once the caretakers set up a proper training arena, she and her darling Ani would train more, and she would improve on her technique. There was so much to learn, and if her lovely Wolf was willing to teach, then she would be like an open book for which he could imprint his knowledge and experience; she would use what she was taught by him to the fullest effect and to the best of her ability to keep them both safe in combat.

As for his request to take a walk, she would nod, smiling eagerly. It would be nice to get get out of the temple for a bit after their brief training session. While she was  not sore or tired, a nice long walk with the person that was most precious to her in this life was something she would always and forever enjoy; doubly so if they discussed the the finer points of her training while they did so. Afterward, she would make sure he bathed, even if she had to do it herself by hand. Ina had a sneaking suspicion that her darling Ani would not object; she had seen him nude on many occasions, and he has seen her nude almost as much; it did not bother her nor him. Well, not like it would bother a normal person. There as a singing in her head, and a flame that spread through her body when she saw him like that. Watching him move about while nude was like watching a predator move; one could not help but stop and admire the way the muscles beneath the skin. They were like coiled springs, each filled with power and moving the creature that was Ani, her Wolf. To her, he was always a sight to behold. Just thinking about him like that was igniting the flame, and it spreading through her veins, setting ablaze every fiber of her being. The song was starting up in her head, and the singing was beginning to drown out all rational thought...

"Come, my Lamb. Let us depart."

Snapping back to reality, Ina blinked. After a moment, she composed herself, and nodded slowly. The song within her head faded, and the flames spreading slowly burned down to nothing, leaving her fine. She would look back her darling Ani, and offered him a wondrous smile. “Of course, my dear Wolf. We can depart.” Her smile would widen as she reached out and took his hand to lead the way out. She didnt care about the fire instantly rekindling itself in her body; she just wanted some alone time with her dear Wolf.

-Exit-

69 + 570 = 639/625 WC
END E-0 to D-1

Onojutsu Learned
REA E-0 to D-3 Completed
E-3 to D-1 Completed