X
"Again," Lupa snarls. Reyna grits her teeth, squints at the small, moving dummy of a monster, and grunts, hurling her left arm - having already proven her worth with her right arm, Lupa's decided to test her left - forward and releasing her fingers at the last possible moment. Her spear pierces the air, howling as it bites hungrily into the solid rock behind the dummy's heart.
It is a good throw, but Reyna knows better than to smile.
Lupa eyes its quivering form before turning away wordlessly. Reyna allows her shoulders to relax just a fraction; she's learned that with the wolf goddess, praises are rare and criticism abundant, and silence is the worthiest praise of all.
She tastes something in the air and turns just in time to see a dagger, glowing a sickening purple, hurtling towards her gut.
Never lower your guard.
{Complacency - threat.}
She drops to the ground, her cheek brushing against the rough pebbles, before jolting to her feet once more. Lupa, waiting innocently at the opposite end of the room, grunts her approval.
Then she tosses something once more, though this time it is not a weapon of angry steel but one just as fearsome - a collection of war strategy.
She catches the book easily, her eyes tracing the simple lettering carved into the leather cover.
The Art of War.
"Read," Lupa orders. Then she vanishes, leaving only a faint smell of mossy wood behind.
She pores over the words hungrily, devouring each lesson. Aurum hums contentedly, resting his slender head against her stomach as Argentum paces before her, standing guard even now, when she is relatively safe in Lupa's lair.
1. Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State.
Author Note: I am a huge fan of the Art of War. Italicized quote is from said book. Expect more quotes to be shoved at you. Thanks for reading! :)