2019.04.30 Pack Tactics 1

Pack Tactics 1
A group of Garou and one kinfolk learning about the pack tactic – Fur Gnarl from Dragomir
IC Date	2019.04.30
Players	Anna (old), Dragomir (ST), Lleutrim, Mora, Ryla, Waziyata, Xavier
Location	Caern - Amphitheater
Spheres	Gaian Garou

The moon is currently: Waning Crescent SCENE: Pack Tactics 1 WHERE: Caern - Amphitheater

xxxxxThe Amphitheater has been made a staging ground for what looks like an obstacle course of some kind. In the center, is a twenty foot tall - statue? It's made of all natural materials, wood, leaves, stones, etc. It is a hulking figure of some intimidating monster like entity. Probably designed to look much like one of the many things the Garou have encountered in the Umbra over the years.

xxxxxThere are other colored stones and markers around the area, boards and rocks - things have been positioned as obstacles for moving and the like.

xxxxxNot least of which is the Elder himself. Dragomir is himself standing in the area, with arms crossed over his chest as if waiting to see who would come through the entrance first - quietly.

Mora comes walking in looking around expecting more people to be here. She gives Dragomir a nod of acknowledgement " Eye of the storm Ryla thank you for these lessons. I am a bit miffed my own pack could not make this, even though they had good reasons."

Dragomir nods and welcomes, with a gesture of his half-gloved hand and says, "Gaia has many tasks for us to tend, they cannot all be suitably timed. You can take what you learn back to them Finder of the Lost, and hopefully your pack will grow stronger from what you have learned today." The man gestures his hand over towards the seating area nearby and then he asks, "Your pack, the Ghosts of Uktena.. what kinds of tactics have you employed together in the past?"

Mora nod as she listens to what was said and asked "The only fight we were in was against two two banes near the Orphanage. I was surprise at first they did not run. But I soon found out why as they were strong enough to rebound some attacks from us. But I was lucky to find they were more strength then smarts. We found they were easy to confuse as we kept circling around them until Burt spotted the ones weak point and destroyed the spirit there with one hit."

Dragomir listens and offers, "Ahh, very good. So you have some experience working together. That is important. Communication is a very crucial part of being in a pack, and working towards ends. You will need to be able to identify threats, and change up your tactics to be successful against the things that you will face as Garou." The man gestures his half-gloved hand for you to come over, and then points towards the large statue he has erected in the middle of the amphitheater. "This, is Twiggy. Obviously larger, and well armored. He will be difficult for any one Garou to take down certainly. This is where pack tactics begins. The core fundamental of what it means to be part of a pack in combat, and work together towards a larger goal. So Finder of the Lost, how do you think we defeat Twiggy?"

Mora hmms as the Irish woman looks at him "Let’s say it was you and me, without any use of gifts I would say harse him make him only look at me while you being stronger then I am to foot sweep him. But if it was a larger pack I would have us circle him so he is off foot while waiting for the most skilled fighter to take a stab at him or whatever."

The Elder Silver Fang lifts his half-gloved hand to brush at his nose as he says, "That tactic would probably work in a bar fight. Against a man, or a normal adversary. But you and I, we are not fighting normal adversaries or men. We fight monster.. large, brutal, menacing entities of great power."

Dragomir lifts his finger to point and says, "Circling to keep him distracted is good though. Spread your pack out, so you are not easy targets and stay moving. That is a good defensive strategy to deploy, absolutely. But even the strongest amongst you, will not be able to take down such a well-protected adversary as this."

Then Dragomir offers, "So we will begin this training with the most basic Pack Tactics we employ. It is called, the Fur Gnarl. It is intended for well armored, or hard to damage targets. It requires coordination. I want you to shift to your Hispo form, and circle this statue quickly. When I give you the command - you will dart towards the statue and strike the most vulnerable spot you can find. Then, you will communicate outloud exactly where you attacked.. and alert the next in line to strike the same location."

Mora removes her shoes and places them out of the way. While walking towards the statue she shifts forms she circles around the training armored statue giving low mencing growl as she is waiting for the attack command from the elder.

Xavier walks into the amphitheater after having gotten some rest. Upon entering he sees Mora and Dragomir on the stage, he smiles as he walks up to the very front and sits down listening to what's going on and watching.

Dragomir notices Xavier enter and motions, "Go on then, shift and join Finder of the Lost. Follower her lead and learn to move as one of a pack." He turns to his head to look back towards Mora moving into hispo and starting to circle. He's going to let her keep circling and warm up while Xavier gets into position before he calls out. "Use this time to study your opponent.. find weak spots that you think you can exploit. The first in the Gnarl is the tip of the spear. It is the most important to find a good place to begin. Everyone else will be following your lead, and striking the same exact spot.. so you want to give them a good advantage."

Mora was in hispo form as she is circling it while the growls keep going as this helps her focus. She is studying the statue with armor as she is spotting places she thinks with enough force she could rip off the armor in some places. Though she is not sure how to do it the right way but she will give it a try.

Well he wasn't expecting to be asked to join in on this, and he quirks his head, the scent from Mora, his eyes widens. Still he moves so to change and he begins changing into his lupus form. Considering the other two are in hispo, this may be good for him. He quickly jumps up onto the stage and as he sees how the two are moving, the ghost gray colored wolf begins circling around the opposite direction. (Xavier)

Ryla heard that there was training going on tonight, and makes her way into the amphitheater. She sees the setup, and the others as wolves, and slips fluidly into hispo, and waits instructions.

Battle Singer arrives as a regular wolf of normal size - for a Fianna. Maybe he caught sight or scent of others heading this way or someone stuck their head into the Patrol Depot to tell him something was going on, come check it out! Whatever the case Seinneadair Blar slows from a trot to a walk and then stops to survey the strange layout. Icy silvery eyes take in the visual details even as his nose seeks to pick up scents, ears to turn this way and that to catch sounds. The Galliard takes in those who are already in hispo and about to begin something. He settles upon his haunches to watch and see what precisely is going on.

Dragomir takes notice of Ryla and Lleu's arrival and nods his head, before he looks back towards Xavier and Mora and says, "Good, keep circling.. be ready for when your Alpha or the Ahroun of your pack to instruct for the maneuver to begin. Stay fast, and distracting.. don't bunch up or give the enemy a chance to take out many of you at once. The pack's strength comes for agility, adaptability and cohesion."

Dragomir gestures for Ryla and Lleu to join the other two and says, "Remember, communication is key. Tell your pack what you see.. the better you communicate, the better your pack will perform together." He lets the wolves circle the statue a few more times, and then he growls out, "Now Finder of the Lost! Begin and tell the cub where you strike, so he can strike the same exact spot!"

Mora smells the new comers but keeps looking at her target but when she is given the ok to attack the dire wolf lunges quickly as and gives a bite under the breast piece of the armor. But a strange and high pitch is given howl is give as she jumps back as her mouth is full briars and thorns. She then unleashes a few naughty words "Sticky here has thorns and barbs."

Xavier isn't an upfront fighter, he begins moving back a ways and continues to circle. He smells the others and doesn't look to see who is coming, his focus is on Dragomir and as Mora moves in to attack, he hears her command and rushing quickly in, having seen what happened and hears the commands and the retort, the smaller lupus rushes in attacking the same spot that Mora just attacked, he is just coming in from a different angle.

The grey Fianna wolf with the ruddy tinted sides gets up and shakes coat - which is still shedding in these days that are growing warmer. Seinneadair Blar begins to grow larger and larger until he has also taken on his hispo dire wolf form, a huge beast out of mortal nightmare. His lips curl at a memory evoked by the looming grotesque statue form. The Adren Galliard doesn't give it name or make comment. Instead Battle Singer closes in, wending his way through the obstical course to join Ryla and the rest of them in circling. /He/ is to follow Mora's orders in this matter? Hmmm. Ear flick.

In she rushes for her attack and out she comes spitting and warning of thorns. Battle Singer studies the thing and sees no better place than she has gone for perhaps, and then Xavier going for it as well. He already has scars across his face and around his mouth, his thick wolf's pelt criss crossed with scars. So what's a little pain in the mouth?

When the others have gotten clear, Battle Singer moves in. Silent, his massive jaws open and quick as a huge cat leaping up, he sinks his fangs into the huge statue /right/ where Mora directed them to go for! He too gets a mouth full of briars and thorns yet Lleu snarls and expects them, biting down and thrashing to rip as much of them free as he may ere he's away again!

Twilight's Glimmer /is/ the sneaky one. /Is/ much better with a bat than with natural weapons, but for this training, she will continue the tactics the others have applied. Battle Singer may not even realize how close she is near him, having heard the call to attack from Dragomir. As Battle Singer gets his chunk out, she gives that final attack, getting to the 'heart' of this matter and right to the center of their target.

Well, well, well. Look who's arriving. It's everyone's favorite redheaded kinfolk, Anna. Stepping to the edge of the clearing when she sees there are others here - others who are busy doing something she's yet to figure out - not yet saying hi. She doesn't want to bother them, of course. Undoubtedly they'll notice her eventually.

xxxxxAs the Garou work together, the statue starts to yield away some of its armor and they are capable of ripping off a major plate of barding to reveal the softer interior of the giant statue. Now exposed and vulnerable, the statue is far easier and safer to attack for the Garou without getting hurt by the thorns and briars or attempting to defeat that powerful armor it has, each and every attack.

Dragomir notices Anna coming in and gestures to welcome her to sit and watch the garou tactics training. Dragomir nods approvingly, and says, "Excellent work. This is the foundation of pack tactics. Working together to overcome a large and difficult to kill opponent using strategy and communication. If you each just attacked it separately on your own, you would have all suffered wounds and done very little damage to the creature. These kinds of tactics save Garou lives, and make all the difference in the battle field. They will be the difference between bringing home a victory, and howling for the departed for your fallen pack mates."

The large Russian uncrosses his thick arms, and motions with his half-gloved hands to welcome them back towards him. "Come, ask me what questions you have about today's lesson and pack tactics. I will hold another pack tactics training next week, and we will work on a tactic known as Wishbone."

As if summoned by the talk of a wishbone, a white wolf's head pokes out from the brush at the edge of the amphitheatre clearing. Waziyata has a new, fresh scar across her left eye and face, but it's healed over now and the eye seems to be in working order. Ears perk up as she watches the last dregs of the fur gnarl training. Then she emerges more fully from the brush, walking slowly, lazily, toward Dragomir with a half-raised tail wagging a slow greeting. A glance and a single frisked step extends the wolfish hello to the others present, but the wolf is focused on the Russian.

Battle Singer circles around slowly and as Dragomir indicates for them to come back around and attend to his words, the Fianna Galliard lies down a little distance back to allow the young garou to get closer. He seems interested when another tactic called 'Wishbone' is mentioned. Instead of questions, he lifts a front foot and paws at his face to dislodge a thorn, licking his chops, waiting to hear what the others might ask. He lifts his scarred face and studies Anna. Then an ear turns followed by his head at Wazi's arrival.

The host gray wolf cub walks over when summoned, though he did drop back behind the others and circling slowly. He's not had this type of training before, but seeing as the others are moving together effortlessly, he than shifts when the training is over. Changing back to a human and walking over to sit next to Mora, he waits for the others to come over before asking a question.

Twilight's Glimmer sniffs, sensing her sister arrive. Noting the focus on her path, Twilight's Glimmer goes and finds a place near Battle Singer, waiting to see what will be said, especially from the cub.

Mora looks at the statue one lass time before she comes to where she the instructor calls every one "I have a question was my form good, I know I am not that good with styles like that at all. I was going to get training but I had to leave Northren Ireland before I can."

Dragomir watches as the wolves come closer and he says, "Alright.. if there's no questions.. tell me what you have learned about Fur Gnarl and how you think you can use this with your pack." He turns to look towards Mora and says, "Your form needs practice.. mostly in your confidence and execution. You are homid born, so you move less naturally as a wolf. You should spend more time in the form of a wolf, and get used to how they move and how they fight. The better you are at transitioning between your forms, and moving naturally - the stronger Warrior you will become."

Dragomir turns then to look towards Anna and says, "Actually.. I intend to design a Kinfolk combat course, stay tuned." such an odd expression for the once Weaver-phobic man to use.

Mora nods as she forgets wolves don't nod "it leaves a weak spot for the rest of the pack to strike." said in confidence but far from cocky.

Battle Singer lightly nuzzles Twlight's Glimmer's fur as she comes to settle by him. Most of his attention is upon Puddle Jumper as Wazi approaches the Silver Fang Elder. His attention then slips to Mora, >> You have a pack of your own now, do you not? You should teach them this tactic and practice it together until you may work seamlessly together using it. << Wait, what? The Fianna Galliard looks back at Dragomir as if the Silver Fang just said the Weaver were Great!

Waziyata comes to a halt a short distance away from Dragomir, ears perked and head tilted to one side as she watches the man speak to the other wolves. They get another glance, the smelly kinfolk gets a glance, then Wazi sits down and simply waits with her attention on the Silver Fang. He's teaching, so maybe she's waiting.

Thinking as he sits there, "I do have a question." He says as he looks to Dragomir, "I'm not apart of a pack though I'm also not Lupus born, so I"m still getting used to shifting. Is there a proper way to fight?" He asks. "I mean like martial arts, there are different fighting styles. I know the Children of Gaia have a martial arts style. Do we need to pick one way of combat when we are fighting?" He asks.

Twilight's Glimmer nuzzles Battle Singer back lightly, and tilts her head a bit as they all speak. >> How you fight should also depend on what is needed. For instance, if you are fighting something that is filled with tainted poison blood, you would not want to bite. << She adds, >> Working together, lead by one of your pack, or by the one designated for the group working as a pack, makes us stronger and the the enemy easier to take down. <<

Dragomir nods at the statement Mora makes, "You are correct.. good." Then he motions to Battle Singer and says, "Take what you have learned back to your pack, and if they would like me to come train them.. you can come find me and I will set up time to instruct them." Then he turns to look towards Xavier and says, "We are Warriors of Gaia, Defenders of the Wyld. To be a Warrior means to be adaptable. To be of the Wyld, is to be ever-changing and never static. So, the more styles you know.. and the more fluid you can transition between them, the better you will become."

Dragomir motions to Twilight's Glimmer and says, "As is the power of the New Moon.. to see the weakness, to remind us where we must be stronger in ourselves. Your adversaries will rarely use the same tactics, and you must be able to trust in your Ahroun to guide you into battle with the best tactic. Only a fool would always charge headlong into battle, or have only one way to fight. Excellent done today. Tomorrow I will be holding a lesson on Roles and Positions.. you are of course welcome to join."

Battle Singer listens to the various questions and then gets up as Dragomir wraps up with his summary. The Galliard goes over and nuzzles Puddle Jumper, sniffing her over and sharing some brief affection for his friend.

Anna watches the wolves, something about how they interact with each other getting her a little... down. Not like her, really. Knowing Battle Singer from sight, even if only barely, she waves to him before letting that hand rest on her lap as she continues to watch, learn as much as she can even if she's only a kinfolk.

Xavier nods his head as he listens to Dragomir, "Sound like Bruce Lee, "Be like water my friend."". Xavier chuckles, "I understand what you mean." He says to Dragomir as he bows his head to the Elder.