Just Breathe || RP

Syzygy ||

He nodded farewell to the Captain who had guided him throughout the tunnels. Syzygy grew up in the warren of Bogweed Woods, sure, but still struggled with navigating the twists and turns of it nevertheless. He had been searching for his mentor for a little while today, and the job would have been much easier if he could remember their name. He assumed the rabbit was a Sergeant at first yet pondered on the thought of "what if they are a Captain?"

As he hopped into the Sergeants' Den, he scanned the room. It was still some time around the dawn, proven by his initial search on the surface earlier on; the sun spread across the land of the valley, a warm glow lining the trees and the leaf coated ground. He had risen early on this day to partake in some training. After the fight Marl put up against that serpent in the marshes, he felt a need to improve his capabilities, and what better way to do so than train with your mentor?

Suddenly recalling the name of his mentor became less of an issue, and rather remembering their appearance...

Wagtail ||

Wagtail was sleeping in. She was usually an early bird, but last night she had had guard duty until Occidens was way past his highest point in the sky. Some of the other Sergeants were already up, though Wagtail wasn’t the only one still sleeping. As the others passed her nest on their way out of the den, Wagtail stirred but didn’t open her eyes. Not until someone kicked her.

”OW! What was that for?” she yelled. The kicker didn’t seem phased. Instead, they just nodded at the entrance. ”Isn’t that your Private?” they asked. And sure enough – it was Syzygy! Wag hopped up from her nest immediately.

”Good mornin’, kiddo! You’re up early.”

Syzygy ||

A loud voice arose from one of the nests, alerting the buck but he seemed unphased by it - it wasn't rare for Sergeants to shout and kid around. At least it wasn't from the behaviour he had observed about the territory. But then, he was approached by a doe - perhaps this was his mentor? Ah, and sure enough it seemed to be, unless someone was playing some cruel joke. But the attitude and voice seemed a little familiar. "Yes, Sergeant. I'm just seeking some training. I figured that the dawn would be best for something as such?"

He seemed interested, yet his expression remained dull. It wasn't often it shifted from something as such. At least the early presence may have made him seem a little more enthusiastic. White and grey paws shuffled against the dirt beneath them, yet eye contact remained between the two. Ah, he should probably check if... "I hope that's alright, Sergeant? I apologise for having disturbed you all so early." Syzygy's polite voice may have given him some credit from the Sergeants and a couple forgiving nods for having strolled in at such a time... At least he had hoped. He still wasn't all too sure if this doe was his mentor, so he remained careful with his gently (yet rather blunt sounding) words.

Wagtail ||

Syzygy’s dull expression always puzzled Wagtail. She had a hard time reading her Private’s emotions – that is, if Syzygy even had them. He had showed up early today, though, so he had to be eager to train… right?

”Sure, sure! No better time than now, right?” Wagtail chuckled awkwardly. Oh, lemme just…” Wagtail hopped back to her nest to tidy up some of the bits and pieces that had shuffled around in her sleep. She sat down, quickly swiped her face with her front paws and shook her entire body from head to toe, ears flapping this way and that. She turned back to Syzygy. ”There! Let’s go, then.” She started making her way outside, checking every now and then that Syzygy was keeping up, while frantically trying to come up with some sort of training plan for the morning. Running, obviously. And then… some sort of a boxing match could do, maybe? And, uh… Well, she could make the rest of it up when they got there.

Syzygy ||

With a nod, he agreed with his mentor - there was no better time than the early morning after all. The conditions could be convenient despite the slight chill that hung in the air - the seasons would never stop changing after all. The buck's head tilted as he watched the doe run back over to her nest. By her movements and voice, he had determined that he had found his mentor after all. It was rather lucky, really. The Private didn't seem to mind that the other had this kind of routine - it was kind of admirable really - at least she was organised. After patiently loitering, his eyes observed the room as Sergeants glared back or strolled past him. Some day, he would be one of them too... He couldn't help but wonder what kind of event or behaviour he would have to partake in or display to rank up himself... They had all done something to prove themselves worthy of their rank... Some even went through rather bone chilling situations to get where they were at this time... Even Marl had done something - she had saved him.

Ah, his mentor was ready to go. She seemed optimistic - that was good, right? He hopped out behind the blue doe, taking in the surroundings once more. "I apologise again for visiting early..." He wanted to seem polite, but he was lucky the other seemed rather accepting of his hidden eagerness. "Forgive me, Sergeant, but could you remind me of your name again?"

Wagtail ||

Ah, the chilly morning air was rather pleasant! Wagtail started stretching her legs immediately when they hopped out in the open. ”Nah, it’s fine! I’m usually up around this time, anyway.” She stopped mid-stretch when Syzygy continued. ”My name?” she mumbled, a bit confused at first. Oh, right, she remembered feeling embarrassed, Syzygy’s memory thingy. Someone had told her about it when she was assigned his mentor. ”It’s Wagtail.” She smiled quickly and moved on so Syzygy wouldn’t feel bad.

”Now then, time to warm up! Let’s run up to that tree stump and back, four times.” She pointed towards a mossy stump not very far away. ”And don’t worry, since we’re just startin', I’ll go easy on ya.” With a grin she crouched down. ”Ready?”

Syzygy ||

Well, that was good to hear... Whether she had told him that before or not was unknown to him, but he had assumed it to be brand new information. It could be a tad bit embarrassing when he hadn't been able to recall basic information in the past, but this was nothing to fret over, surely? Not everyone would remember their mentor's waking time, right? Right.

But one would remember their mentor's name... That, he knew.'

He nodded slightly, yet didn't seem too worried about it overall. He had pardoned himself for his forgetfulness whilst asking, so maybe she wouldn't be all too fussed. And luckily, she didn't appear to be. He nodded once more, uttering a "right, thank you, Wagtail." Her name was spoken with an essence of uncertainty, but the whole topic had moved on rather swiftly as the Sergeant commenced the training session.

He dipped his chin in response, perhaps his own quiet way of saying "yes". His crimson eyes followed Wagtail's paw to eventually meet a stump coated in moss. He noted it in his mind, as best as he could at least... He hoped his memory wasn't that bas so as to not recall the destination. Syzygy tilted his head as she continued, taking in her every word. He hadn't seemed to understand whether it was humour or not, but went along with it anyway. He observed her stance and copied it as best he could, although he was on the stockier end. "Ready."

Wagtail ||

As Syzygy repeater her name back to her, Wagtail made a mental note. Repetition. That should make stuff easier for him.

Wagtail waited for Syzygy to crouch down, before yelling ”Go!” and dashing forward. Immediately she realized that controlling her speed wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be – she either felt like she was going too fast for Syzygy to keep up, or too slow for it to even count as training. As she got to the stump, she leaped, twisted her body mid-air and kicked off of the stump to keep her momentum going. A bit of a show-off move, but it would be good to teach Syzygy to turn directions fast and efficiently.

When her front paws tapped the starting line again, she gazed back at Syzygy to see how he was keeping up. ”One!” she shouted, keeping count for the both of them.

Syzygy ||

As soon as he had announced himself ready, Wagtail had begun their session. A simple task - but one he would more than likely struggle with. His bulky, tall build was far from helpful in activities such as this - running. He remained as focussed as he could, pushing his back legs with much force to ensure himself a fairly decent take off. The boost of speed wouldn't last the whole duration of the exercise, though. The Private knew that. In fact, he had already estimated that his mentor would be flying ahead of him by half a lap at least... It was pretty apparent by the fact the blue doe was making her first turn as he was merely approaching the half-way point.

Part of him wanted to apologise for his dawdling (well, it felt like a saunter compared to the pace of his mentor), but he knew it was nothing that he would be able to change in a single training session. At least from behind, Syzygy could observe Wagtail's actions - how she used the objects around her to her advantage. Smart move. In an attempt to copy her method, he found himself skidding, dirt and mud flying up as he pushed himself, missing the stump by an inch or so. "Maybe next time," he motivated himself, glancing back at the moss coated stump as he made his way back.

Her voice echoed, ringing in his ears as she counted and he pushed himself in his best effort to catch up. However, the action of using much of his energy to do so would likely be his downfall a little later on, but that hadn't crossed his mind until too late.

Wagtail ||

”Keep up, Syzygy!” Wagtail called as she started her second round. She dashed back to the stump, almost forgetting she was supposed to be training and not just having fun. Running just felt so good. She kicked off the stump again and jumped high up in the air, laughing a little out of breath. Soon she was back to their starting point again. ”Two!” she shouted, and suddenly remembered where she was. Right. How was Syzygy doing?

Her Private was a lot bigger and bulkier than she was, so he lacked some speed. But how was his stamina? Syzygy seemed to be running still, at least. He would be able to do all four laps easily. Right? ”Good work, keep going!”

Syzygy ||

He would have responded to his mentor, but he was already beginning to lose his breath. Instead, a heavy exhale sounded with a rumble from his throat as he turned the corner behind the blue doe, nodding as his paws heavily hit the ground with a thud sounding, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He was far from unfit, just his stamina wasn't the best when it came to running. Having to carry his body weight, that was expected. He skidded again, hitting the stump with a leg, pushing off of it at an awkward angle. Pain shot through his leg, "that's going to bruise..." But he continued, he didn't want to waste Wagtail's time.

How was she so energetic this early in the morning? It was admirable...

Only two laps? It had felt like longer. There were four to do, right? Or was it three... He listened, Syzygy knew he had been! The private simply couldn't recall... His breath was running slim, but he had only one and a half to go by this point. He could manage that, right? But with each second, he fell behind more and more... Would she be disappointed? But she told him he was doing a good job, and so, the dual coloured buck picked up his pace, motivation causing adrenaline to flow through his veins... "I'll make it - I have to, for her." Sure, this was only training. He could make mistakes. He just didn't want to.

Wagtail ||

Even through the blood pumping in her ears, Wagtail could hear Syzygy’s heavy breathing. He seemed to be really trying. He seemed to stumble on his paws once or twice, but never stopped moving. Good!

Wagtail was done with another lap in a flash. Syzygy seemed to be pushing himself even harder now. ”Three! One more, Syzygy!” She finished the last lap way ahead of her Private, leaving out the overly complicated moves and instead focusing on keeping her paws moving. ”Four!” she called, finally out of breath as well. ”Come on, you’re almost done!”

Syzygy ||

The seconds flew by, yet seemed like an eternity as white and grey paws thudded against the dirt, sending a mix of dust and mud flying in his tracks. Not long after his mentor had called for the last lap, Syzygy found himself losing all sense of focus, and missed the stump entirely, yet he recovered... Sort of... Tripping and lumbering at whatever he called a high speed, the large, stocky buck made his way back, and somehow, used the log to his advantage rather effectively. Bounding off of it with hind legs, Syzygy had managed to accelerate a little.

But that was it. Finally. Wagtail's words of encouragement simply echoed in the background of the heavy beats of his heart thudding against his chest. He could swear that he could feel it in his ears and head. Coming at a rather clumsy halt, the private found himself sliding along the ground, stopping eventually as his side hit a tree. Well, at least it hadn't hurt much - simple scrapes and bruises weren't much to fret over. Everybody would get those every once in a while, right? He couldn't be perfect at anything, but somehow, he found himself scolding himself in his mind.

With a shake of his head, the messy mop of longer tufts waves in front of his visage, at least before he pushed them upwards with a paw to clear his vision. Heavy pants left his mouth, yet Syzygy never sat nor rested... Wagtail would likely be fine with it if he did; she didn't seem overly disciplinary in such a harsh and strict manner... But what if she had a plan for straight after? He couldn't quite give up just yet. But his bones and muscles felt weak - lungs too. For a moment, crimson eyes rested on the blue doe, soft tone uttering some sort of muffled apology, but not for all too long.

And with a thud, he found himself falling to the ground in an attempt to catch some breath. It was safe to say that running was certainly not this private's forte.

Wagtail ||

It was going so well – until Syzygy hit a tree. Wagtail gasped, sure her Private would fall over and be done for it, but he stayed in his paws. Oh, so he just stumbled a bit? ”Ya okay?” Wagtail called out, ready to crack a joke, but then Syzygy really did fall, like his paws just gave in under him. Wagtail froze.

Had she pushed him too far? Has Syzygy mentioned he needed a break – no, Wagtail was sure he hadn’t! But he wouldn’t just run until he collapsed, right? Nobody would do that – except Wagtail would. Maybe she wasn’t such a great mentor after all. Maybe she had… no, she hadn’t killed Syzygy, right?

She was finally able to snap out of her haze and dash to Syzygy’s side. No, he was definitely breathing, but way too fast. ”Syzygy? Are ya alright? Should I go get Sainfoin? Oh, Occidens, I-“ Wagtail’s voice broke. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. No, no, she couldn’t cry in front of her Private, she should be responsible, she should know what to do… ”J-just try to breathe, okay, Syzygy?”

Syzygy ||

The pitter patter of paws running towards him echoes in his ears as he tried to budge - just a bit. He had to indicate that he was alright - except he didn't feel alright. He knew that, yet refused to admit it oh so soon... Would this delay his rank-up? No, no, Wagtail wouldn't advise that, not over such a simple, one time slip up, right?

With a groan, the buck started to bring himself to his paws, yet struggled in the process, only banging his chin on the ground as he did so. This would only confirm that he was still in fact alive, just exhausted from the strain of putting in too much effort. He was dedicated, that was for sure, but seemed to push himself beyond the bounds of healthy quantities of work. Make him lug something about, push another to the ground, kick, warn off and bat down a predator? Consider it done. But to run for some time? Well, he'd only end up like this.

A mumble and a murmur left the Private's lips as he continued to faze in and out of a consciousness. He wasn't fully out, but clinging onto the brink of awareness. "N-no I'll be fine-" It was short, breathy, but words were spoken nonetheless, as Syzygy slowly found himself regaining his full vision. Though his legs shook and breaths were still rather heavy with his unknowing of what was going on, he felt clueless. How had he ended up like this again? What was he doing? "What- what's going on?" Had it gone that swiftly? Any memory of their little early morning training session been wiped from his brain and very mind. His heart pounded, but he tried to collect himself... The scent. He was around good company.

As his mentor spoke to him, Syzygy did just as he was told - breathe.

Wagtail ||

Syzygy was at least able to move a bit, though he wasn’t able to get fully up yet. Wagtail put an encouraging paw on her Private’s shoulder, keeping the touch light so she wouldn’t push him down. ”D-don’t worry, okay? Everythin’s’ alright.” Wagtail sniffled. ”Ya just ran a bit too hard, an- and fell, that’s all.” Breathe, Wagtail. She followed her own advice and collected herself. Hopefully Syzygy wouldn’t notice her wiping her face real quick. 

Wagtail cleared her throat. As she spoke, her voice was back to normal, though still worried. “Can ya get up? Please don't try if ya still feel weak, I don't want ya hurtin' yourself any worse.”

Syzygy ||

He couldn't quite stand, still shaky. He had never felt this before... He'd tired himself out; suddenly worked himself to do what he'd never managed before nor really worked up to. It wasn't even that far of a run - he felt a little embarrassed if anything, lying here useless before his mentor. But at least she seemed to feel more sorry for the buck than seeing him as a nuisance. But he felt bad... Bad that he had worried her, that he was half passed out on the ground like he'd lost a battle.

He simply nodded, troubled in his expression. Half unsure of what was going on. "Oh, alright... I'm sorry." He felt the need to apologise. It was the least he could do after such a display. He hated this kind of attention, mostly because he felt like he was being a bother to his mentor, though from her own panic Syzygy could tell that she simply cared.

The Private didn't stare at the blue doe, simply dazing off as he observed the surroundings. The sun was rising; it was early morning. He could tell that much... He was pretty sure if he remained here for too long out in the woods with only this doe to protect him he'd become a meal to some kind of elil... He had to try. And she only asked him if he was able to. And with that he tried - successful. Although he was unsteady, the dual coloured buck nodded and found himself lifting himself onto his paws, slowly. But surely...

"Yea, I'm good, thank you miss." He peered down at her, blinking once. "Should I go to the Healers? I apologise for being an inconvenience; I don't know what I was doing... Or thinking." He couldn't quite recall every aspect, but she'd been here before. He knew that much... What's her name? Has she told me? He'd save asking for now.

Wagtail ||

Wagtail sighed in relief as Syzygy got to his feet. He was trembling a bit, and still looked a bit confused, but at least he was standing now.

”Nah, it’s okay. Ya don’t have to apologize. Here, uh… Ya can lean on me”, Wagtail said, a little unsurely, and offered her shoulder for Syzygy to lean on. It was a little awkward, since her Private was already larger than her, but she wanted to make sure he didn’t fall again.

”I dunno, uhm. Maybe it would be best to get ya checked out by Sainfoin or Borealis, if either of them are awake yet. Just to make sure ya didn’t hit that head of yours. We can walk together, but take it slow at first, okay?” She waited for Syzygy to take the first step when he was ready for it. ”Oh, yeah. Training’s done for today, of course.”

Syzygy ||

The bi-coloured buck responded with a single nod. Her offer was kind, but Wagtail was a fair bit shorter than himself. "Are you sure?" He could tell she was being generous, and appreciated it despite the blank expression upon his visage.

The Private lent against his mentor a little, but tried not to put too much of his weight onto her. It made him a little dizzier, but somehow still prevented him from shaking as much as he had been. "Will do," he attempted a smile, words gentle yet still rather gruff. It must have been his natural tone. He felt a little embarrassed by the whole ordeal, but Wagtail was understanding. She seemed it, at least. He wouldn't admit it, but the thought of some rest relieved him after the running.

"Thank you. You're a good mentor"

The best he could have ever asked for.