General Training

Calm and collected was a word that could be describing the outer appearance of the greyed leopard- though not the inside. Inside he was nerves much like the first time this had come up many years ago, when his brother had been small and his mother's mate living. Then he was nervous because he wanted to earn the position- now he was nervous because he didn't want to mess up trying a second time with a name made for himself already.

Thus... Idris sought out one of Sizani's teachers, the notion being one of the best he could come up with without appearing uneducated or desperate or full of nerves. 

"Uthuli?" He cleared his throat, calling into where he had known the instructor to most usually be after lessons, or even just in watching the young during these hard times. 

"If you're available, I'd like to talk to you. Just a few questions- personal, nothing to do with the pride."

Uthuli tended to stay in the shade of the mountain side, and so Idris was right in predicting she would be there. She was dozing, as the cubs and trainees had left her with a moment of quiet, but at the sound of paws approaching she opened her eyes and rose to a seated position. 

"Lieutenant," she greeted, giving him a polite nod as he neared. "Of course- what can I help you with?" 

She assumed he would be trying out for the vacant general spot, so while she was not quite expecting him to come by, she wouldn't consider herself surprised that he did.

Idris felt an almost knowing air around her, much of him expected her to know what he was there for already. It wasn't often that he came around under the guise of personal questions, and teachers were teachers for a reason.

Thus, feeling somewhat bare before her he decided to just come out with it and sat in front of her when she rose. "Nothing major," he started slowly, feeling hot embarrassment rise to his ears. "I was wondering if you were open to tutoring, of sorts. A refresher."

He smiled almost timidly. "You see, I'm trying to rise a bit. But I don't want to mess up on something small and stupid. Given your intellect and experience..." he looked up at her.

She gave an amused grin at his overly-formal words. "No need for flattery, lieutenant," she said. Her voice was lighter than it tended to be; as always, there was no hint of judgment in her tone, but at the moment her usual dryness was gone - or at least less apparent. He came at a good time, perhaps; or maybe she thought he would be best suited for the general role. Although she seemed in a good mood, the lipard was still hard to read, her grin falling after only a moment. She stood the rest of the way and headed towards the cave exit, gesturing for him to follow with a slight nod of her head. 

"Something in particular worrying you, or do you just want a basic refresher?" she asked, pausing at the mouth of the cave.

The leopard chuckled nervously. "Ah, well. I think a basic refresher would help me to figure out what troubles me. Sorry about the formality..." Ice broken, his smile was a lot more natural and when he trot after her it was less like his legs were stiffened from the jitters. 

"How have you been?" he asked as he paused beside her, tipping his head. "Aside from the basic armageddon we're going through right now. Are the cubs treating you well?" his whiskers twitched.

"I'm doing well," she replied with a nod. "They're keeping me on my paws as always." She gave a snort of mild amusement. "How are you doing, lieutenant? Nervous about tryouts?" 

She led him along to a training spot, one the teachers used with the older teens. It was enough out of the way to not disturb the other cats when the teenagers started to rough house.

"We'll start with your stance, then," she said as she settled, sitting with her tail curled around her legs as she watched.

Idris shot her a look that confirmed her question-statement. "Would be lying to say that I felt any form of confidence. I don't think that helps my case."

And so when she asked for his stance, the leopard seemed hesitant. Falling back into training after years of leading? It shouldn't be hard, but it was odd to be in the position again. Given this is exactly what he came for, he settled down into a steady, balanced stance which would keep him sturdy should one barrel into him but also at the ready should he need to leap away. His shoulders were squared and his chest lower than his hind, but his tail swayed carefully at his ankles.

"You're a good lieutenant, Idris. Don't sell yourself short. Keep your head held high - figuratively, that is." 

She watched and nodded when he crouched into his hunter's stance. "See, you're doing just fine." 

Her lip curled in a small smile, her eyes narrowing with amusement. "Now, I'm an  antelope. An isolated antelope, with a slight limp," she said with a hint of amusement. "What now?" 

She lowered her head to simulate a grazing animal, though her eyes were still fixed on him to watch what he was doing.

Humor was difficult to hide, perhaps because this felt more like play then like training. But perhaps that was because of the hot embarrassment. With a smile that he could not hide, the Lieutenant game himself a moment's thought to flick his ears forward, pushing against the scruff of his cheeks, and stalk around as if flanking. 

The leopard then looked at her with a quirked eyebrow. Was she okay with him jumping at her? Or... did that stop here.

She watched him and nodded when he flanked her; but she stayed in position; her tail twitched but she otherwise continued to mimic the creature, saying without words that he should follow through with his pounce. 

If he wanted to ready himself for general tryouts, she figured a poor pounce wouldn't bode well. 

Uthuli was used to the teens and cubs pouncing on her, anyway.

She stayed as was, thus expecting more. The Lieutenant watched her for any signs that she may move aside, sprint away, or even just laugh. When she showed none of the preceding thoughts, the leopard slowly wiggled his haunches before launching into a pounce.

She could have moved out of the way, but she had a rule that the "prey" wouldn't move unless the trainee messed something up. Of course, in a real situation, a creature might flee even if the hunter does everything perfectly, but for learning purposes, it did better to reinforce good skills positively. 

So, Idris's pounce landed him on her back. That, she expected- but she didn't account for the fact that the leopard was fully-grown, not an adolescent. His weight threw her off-guard, and with a slight oomph of surprise, she stumbled and let herself fall to the ground, rather than risk her legs spraining by trying to hold him up. 

She gave a slight chuckle, shaking her head at her own foolishness. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she doesn't bother to try and shake him off of her.

The sudden downing of the teacher took Idris less by surprise than her- he would have been very impressed if she held up his weight. She hadn't looked like she was bracing herself...

But he too laughed, stunned for a moment because he had not partaken in anything like this in so long- Jaro jumping on him on occasion did not count. "So, Miss Uthuli, how do I rank up in your first test?" He realized he should probably get off and so stepped to the side, allowing her up and hoping there were no trainees around.

"I should have been better prepared for that," she said once he moved off of her. She slowly got back to her paws, testing each paw before putting her weight on it. Thankfully, other than a windedness and a slight increase to her usual slight, ever-present ache, nothing hurt. "Well, you certainly caught the antelope," she told him with a slight grin. 

"I think you're doing perfectly fine, Idris," she said, her more serious tone returning. "I'm convinced you won't be lacking in your tryouts for general. But is there anything else you would like to go over?"

"I suppose the only other thing is more of an opinion question for you," the leopard rollwed his shoulders and sat back down. Jeeze, that used to be easier. Not that it was hard but he definitely took longer to recover than the last time he was in training. 

"I'm sure you remembered the last time... it wasn't so long ago. Do you have any thoughts, any clue at all, on what may be looked for in these? I can only improve since the last tryouts but... I wanted a second opinion."

She tilted her head in curiosity when he said that he wanted her opinion, listening intently to his question.

"I'll admit that I didn't pay the last tryouts much attention," she said, a hint of regret to her tone. "That was before I was a teacher, and as a huntress I hadn't the least bit of interest in the position. I really only paid attention when Imara was competing..." When she realized how that might have sounded, she added quickly, "We were old friends."

She mulled it over, though, trying to think back; it all felt so much longer ago than it really was... Days where bringing back food for the pride was everything, days when she was good at it, even.

"This is just my thoughts, so take it or leave it, I don't claim to know for sure, but I would think that loyalty, versatility, and leadership are most important. Loyalty to the pride, of course, goes without saying. Leadership skills, too- a general needs to be able to command effectively. Versatility, I think, might be the hardest quality to find in an applicant; any soldier can tryout for general, but a serious candidate will be able to draw from many different experiences and skillets, and use them to the advantage of the pride."

She looked him in the eye, an intense gaze that didn't seem to waver. Was that a scowl she wore? No. It was adamant, but not unhappy. "Play to your strengths, Idris, and I think you'll do great."

The leopard did not judge her for having little interest last time. They were young and she wanted something different in life, and that was okay.

Being the subject of many looks given to him by those of utmost importance, the Lieutenant didn't flinch away from her gaze. It empowered him, and he took the advice to heart. In his own heart too he knew what she was saying to be true.

The leopard dipped his head. "Thank you, Uthuli." He glanced over his shoulder and motioned his lead. "I hope I didn't seize too much of your day. I should be going, but I hope to see you again sometime. It was fun." With a genuine smile, the grey cat sauntered back to his duties.