[Practice] Speech of the Forest [Open]

[Teyala]

The month of Junctior
Season of Autumn
Era I of the Celestine Mandate
Era XIII Post Fractum
Brightening III

Using what her wise Master Jin taught her, Teyala relaxes her body, sitting in quiet meditation among her forest sisters. The soft movement of air tussled her fur slightly as she sat with eyes closed to the world. She thought about many things, mainly that which would give her the resolve to continue forward with her training. There were so many obstacles to overcome, so many opponents that lie so far from her reach. She had seen a few demonstrations of the power that others had obtained over years of training. But her, it had taken her so much longer. Like a tiger being forced to walk on two legs, the path she had chosen was simply not one made for her people, but she walked it all the same.

Opening her eyes slowly she rose up from her seated position into the squat stance, resting on the powerful thighs of her legs. Her hands came up and were poised before her, moving outward slowly as she exhaled. Naturally her weight was placed forward on her oversized toes, and her body was relaxed but steady in it's posture. For several moments she practiced her breathing, although she couldn't help but notice that she was unable to become completely relaxed. All of her internal questions wouldn't allow that of it.

Moving into a forward stance, she practiced the basics she was taught. Snapping her fist forward, trying to duplicate the fluidity of a proper jab punch. Each extension of the arm, she breathed outward in an attempt to force that much more energy into the blow while continuing to focus on technique.

[Teyala]

"What does Shaasskah say when you use it?" she thought about the Father's words. The concepts he was laying on her were far more abstract then anything Master Jin had been devulging. She thought about the voice she gave the Art when she used it. Was it the voice that reflected what was in her heart? It was difficult to say, really, since even at the moment the feelings in her heart wavered from time to time. She wasn't some kind of automation, after all, and she was far from perfect.

Teyala had a dream and a goal she wished to reach, but her methods of reaching it were almost a mystery, and for that reason she mostly lived life by the seat of her pants, hoping that she made the right choices. From her stance she allowed the balls of her feet to bounce lightly, flexing her toes, giving her greater mobility. Shifting forward, she threw her leg out and tensed her abdomen, swiveling her hips. The combination of these motions made for a stronger, more focused kick. She practiced this maneuver again and again, the Turning Kick, a staple attack of Shaasskah.

Curious on her own ability and technique she walked over to a tree and eyed it's bark for a moment. The massive trunk was covered in places by moss, and seemed to reach toward the sun in an unending fashion. Clearly it's mass dwarfed the Relequis, so, she thought, it wouldn't feel much from her practice. Taking her stance back she focused her thoughts toward performing the technique correctly. With her target lined up, she attempted to put the blocks in place of a Turning Kick and fired forward...

*Thump* "Ouch..." her mind stated to her, in a matter-of-fact tone, scolding her for her own stupidity, "You might want to find a softer tree..." of course the reality of that statement settled in, causing her to chortle lightly to herself, "...or get a harder leg..." she suddenly thought, before trying the maneuver again...and again...

[Teyala]

The girls hits cascaded down upon the tree, and in a way that tree struck back. Each blow would eventually bring her closer to the next level however, there was a certain amount of pain to be endured for reaching that level. The question was, what was her own capability, where did her drive to improve end? The pain itself was a dull throb at first it echoed throughout her entire body, reverberating, growing, until she could ignore it no longer. Thump thump thump, finally the girl's body faltered she stumbled down to her knees. Panting, partly from the exercise and partly from the pain of the exercise, she knew it was time to give her body a much-needed break.

To keep up with the proper pace of training, she would need to call upon her song magic to aid her in healing and restoring the damage done to her leg. As soon as her ragged breathing subsided to a normal pace, she closed her eyes and began to meditate deeply in order to enter the trance that would bring her to the dimension of the mystical. The song within her heart beat steadily, and grew in tempo. The complexity of its rhythm went from a simple state into something much deeper. It held the importance and the lessons that she had learned through eras of pain and happiness.

As her of the material plane faded and her vision of a plane made magic and power began to grow, she thought of the proper notes and rhythm that made up the healers hymn. Out from her backpack she brought the diamond flute had been given to her by her hero. She brought it to her lips and melded magic in with its music to create the soft, rank will melody of the hymn. As musical notes and mystical energy collided they wrapped themselves about our body and began to repair a fact which was broken and damaged. Slowly she could feel the mending of her beaten muscles. "This was an important skill to learn" she said softly to herself, "although I never thought I'd be using it in this manner". As her body was slowly brought to its original pristine she repeated the words to herself, "This is the voice that I will make for myself."

[Teyala]

"I can't use the leg block properly if I can't harden my legs, however..." she mused to herself, hefting her body back to her feet to give it another go. Practice, repetition, that's what led to eventual perfection. She had to continue, she had to have it if she wished for any chance at being a protector. Her mind wandered a bit as she began to strike the tree with forward, side, and round kicks. When one leg became tired, she alternated to the opposite.

"All those people..." she breathed to herself, thinking of the homes and lives lost for some powerful fools own petty goals toward some dark end. No one deserves to be destroyed simply for existing, she thought. There were so many evils, but where were all of the Heroes? Stumbling slightly after a most recent kick, Teyala shoot out her foot and toes. She had to be careful not to strike the tree with her joints, that would gain her no progress. Only the hard edges of her foot, her shin, and her heel.

She looked toward the tree. Her silent opponent, standing after all she had dished out to it. Barely even marked, as it were, except for a few chips of bark which had given way and fallen to the forest floor. Still, it brushed off the Relequis' attempts of attack, standing stalwartly and defiantly against her. That sort of courage made her proud, it gave her resolve and purpose, the thing that drove her forward to continue. After hundreds of more attempts, she limped back to her previous seat in the grass to weave her magics. That would be enough for this day. Tomorrow would be the sun, and new opportunities.

[Teyala]

Coming back out onto her field of training, Teyala sent Storm off to play in the woods while she would continue preparing herself. Stretching her body out slightly, she did a few practice kicks in the air, to get the blood moving. The early morning sun rose proudly in the distance, it's faint glow beginning to spill over the forest. Lightly she began to bounce on the balls of her feet. The stances she was learning now were becoming more focused on mobility, and with her long, powerful toes she could move her weight around quite easily. This time, today, things would be different however.

Finding the basis of her power, Clara, she began to reach the otherworldly place of Ara. Once there, she found a proper beat to meld the energies along with her Vis. A different song would be sung today, one that would allow her to use her body to it's maximum potential. The Chant of Conquest was a perfect candidate for this type of training. Heightened strength, speed, agility, endurance, and the willpower to continue through pain. Those traits would reinforce her will to continue despite her body's desire to stop.

She sought out her training partner, the tree from the other day, and prepared to let it have the bulk of her resolve to improve. The chant flowed from her lips, speeding up the movement of her blood and her heart rate, the muscles in her body loosened up and prepared themselves for use. Thump she heard the sound, the powerful blow of flesh on wood from her front kick, again, Thump, it was working. With this, she could reach the next level, Thump. The sounds grew quicker as she sought to catch up to the beat of the Chant. The sounds of her training would be her bass, her voice would make the melody.

[Teyala]

"Again..." she thought to herself, her thoughts mimicking her strikes, Thump the brutal sound of flesh and bones on wood and bark began to grow in volume, much like the force behind her chant, "Again...again...again..." she spurred herself on. With no one to look to for encouragement, not now or for most of her life, she had to use herself as her own means of inspiration. It was like a game, there were records to beat. Her own records that was. If she couldn't at least exceed them by alittle bit, there would be no growth in her overall abilities.

"Ow...!" her Song finally came to an end, as did her drive to continue forward, "Ok ok...time to stop..." she winced, her eyes scrunching up from the throbbing pain in her shin and foot. Getting too involved wasn't always the best answer, there was such a thing as overdoing it, after all. Plopping down upon the ground, she pulls her foot up by her chest and begins to knead the flesh, massaging it. She could clearly feel the tender areas, but, for the most part it was still in one piece. The training and years of climbing tree's had it's advantages, a few verses of the Hymn of Healing and it would be good as new.

Rummaging around near her, those paws of her sought out something in particular. Finally grasping her waterskin, she pulled it backwards and allowed it to wash over her mouth, which quickly overflowed and spilled all down her face. Teyala sputtered and coughed, inhaling some of the water. "Too much, too fast. Heh, it's never a good thing..." she reminded herself. A proper reminder, as it was time to call it a day for the practice. There would be plenty of time for another round with the tree tomorrow.

[Teyala]

A new day had dawned upon Aelyria, and Teyala was prepared to take herself back out to her training grounds. They were, in the very sense of the word, not just grounds for training her body, but also for shaping her will to progress forward. The Father was specifically correct when he mentioned to Teyala if it truly was her desire to succeed, to progress, to grow in the realm of unarmed combat.

She knew it, even now her skill with the martial art was meager to say the least. Practiced, she was. Battle experience was also something she had, although most of it was unintentional. The sad truth was that the problems that would plague the world would have skill levels far beyond that. Far beyond the typical guardsmen, the typical mercenary, the typical arena combatant. She had to reach beyond those plateau's and find something completely different. Some new level of ability that went beyond the realm of the imagined. Her music could help take her there...

"Focus...concentrate..." she told herself as she began the trek toward the place known as the Astral Plane, so that she could pull her energies needed to fuel the Chant of Conquest. As the time passed, throughout the brightenings, cycles, months, and era's, she noticed a change in her application of Arcana. She was becoming faster, more efficient. Her music had more impact on her body, it guided her, strengthened her beyond it's normal, previous means. She was growing, her body and soul.

[Teyala]

Teyala's body was beginning to move in a state of fluidity, compared to her previous rigid and very amateur movements. Her people, the Rodenti, and especially the Relequis, had a natural talent for the martial pursuits of mankind. As the most agile of the sub-species, though definitely not the most physically powerful, Teyala's mind often tried to grasp different ways to make the art work for her, as such was the principal taught. "Make it work for me..." she repeated.

As it was, all of the movements she was being taught were but pages in a grand book of martial arts. Within that book, the writing existed upon how to execute such techniques, but that writing was proverbially 'up for interpretation'. Indeed, each student would have their own way of progressing, as well as they own way of carrying out the techniques. Subtle little differences here and there that made the art their own.

The thickly corded muscles of her legs and feet flexed tightly as she turned her body, executing the turning kick over and over. Slowly she began to mix in the other offensive techniques she had learned, attempting to string together her own fashion of combo. A jab, a jaw breaker, a turning kick, and then finishing it up with a back kick. Kerwal had told her that she needed to 'just react' when the time was right. In order to do this, she needed to repeat the movements and the attacks until her body had memorized the movements. Over and over again she would need to practice them, until she could perform such things as a turning kick in her sleep, without conscious thought.

There was still such a long way to go, she thought to herself. Progress was happening though, slowly but surely. It would take time, but she could improve. She was improving. Slowly, away from the eyes of everyone she knew, she would become someone that could dispel all of the underestimations of her and her people. She would make her people proud, she would make herself proud. For now though, her body needed rest. Her Song had come to an end, and her Vis was teetering upon total depletion for the day, it was time to grab something to eat at the Porcupine.

[Teyala]

Teyala took time to stretch her body, relax her muscles, and prepare her mind. She never believed that combat would be so cerebral. Despite this, Kerwal had been drilling into her head a state of being that she had never attained before, outside of Arcanic practices. A meditative state that was far different from entering Clara, and just as difficult to attain. "At least I've had lots of practice, heh..." her mind wandered aimlessly as she stretched her feet, each Rodenti toe upon her hind paws pulling away from one another, a few bony pops echoing within the emptiness of the Forest.

That's when it hit her. There were differences between Clara and entering a meditative, clear-minded state in which to allow ones body to move fluidly and react without distorted thoughts slowing the process down...but there were some similarities as well. Being relaxed was one of the things Kerwal had explained to her. Despite the power and tenacity of the Zinn'ka style, it was to be done with a loose, fluid, relaxed body. There was a Song for that, although it's primary use was to promote enhanced spell casting.

Cadenza of Clarity it was called, and it helped to bring a focus to one's thoughts that was difficult to duplicate without it's aid. From inside of her pack, she removed her encased flute and unraveled it from it's containment before raising it to her mouth. Regulating her breathing she slowly began to enter the state of Clara, the Song within her heart resonated through the medium of her flute, and through that medium the melding was done, eventually bringing forth the effect of the Cadenza. It's soft, almost hypnotic melody wafted through the area, providing Teyala with a degree of mental clarity. After a few minutes of entwining Arcanic energy and the Songs melody, Teyala was ready to try her experiment. Trying new things, that's what it meant to be a Spellsinger, and a martial artist. Some would fail, some would succeed, all would be a learning experience to build off of later.

[Teyala]

Focused and prepared, Teyala began her physical warm-ups. Latching her claws upon the fleshy wood of a nearby tree, Teyala scaled it's surface until she came upon a stout, strong limb and began executing some pull-ups as were shown to her by her Master. Though diminuative in size, the Relequis was surprisingly strong. This, Kerwal determined, was due to a very dense muscular structure, given her Rodenti heritage. Living life running, climbing, and in general being the over-sized squirrel she was, Teyala's body was quite simply totally different from the common shopkeeper or artist. Without trying, she had been doing a degree of conditioning her entire life.

Feeling her arms burning furiously, the Rodenti woman began lifting her knees up to her waist, holding it for a moment, and then lowing that position. The weights upon her ankles provided an excellent resistance, strengthing her core. The core, as Kerwal described it, was the basis of all things. Balance, torque, power, even posture all came from having a well maintained core. Teyala continued her routine until finally she felt a significant tingle passing through her entire body, that meant it was time to begin. Relaxing the muscles in her forepaws she fell to the ground softly and took up a well centered stance.

Drawing the digits of her forepaw together, she lashed out at the air, attempting to turn her body appropriately and generate a forceful chop. Her shout was done to clear the negative thoughts from her spirit, and bring forth the power within. "Ha!" she shouted, sweeping her hand downward. Again, again, and again she practiced, mainly trying to get her body to move correctly when responding to the attack. There was more to the attack than just maneuvering the body in the appropriate manner, however.

"A perfectly executed attack is useless if it does not strike it's target. Accuracy is the key. Always know your target and attack. Remember, your opponent will not be a pile of sacks. They will move, twist, and defend. If you can strike 5 falling leaves with the edge of your hand as they flutter to the ground, you will understand what it means to guage your opponents movements and accurately respond."

That was what Kerwal said when she last met with him inside of the Temple. "5 falling leaves..." she thought to herself. Five wasn't that large of a number, it didn't really sound too difficult. Leaping back into the tree and bringing down a branch with her, Teyala plucked off five leaves and dropped the dislodged branch at her feet. Taking up her stance, she heaved her forepaw up into the air and released the leaves. Immediately they began twisting and twirling, and she attempted not only execute the knife hand correctly, but land it upon one of the leaves. "Ha....ha....ha!" she called out, swiping her forepaw back and forth through the air. To an outsider, it probably looked like she was swatting at flies, as each leaf managed to evade her every attack. Leaves fell fast when you attack them with all you've got...

[Teyala]

Teyala fell upon her backside, panting heavily. Her arms steadied her somewhat, but she couldn't help the feeling of wanting to vomit from rising up in her throat. This type of practice was much more tiring than simply attacking a bag or practicing a maneuver repeatedly. There was something about forcing your muscles to perform at their highest level and missing a target that really drained the body, and Teyala was beginning to understand that now. Just what did Master Kerwal have in mind. Was this task even possible? Though she wasn't sure of the time, she imagined she must have been at it for a candlemark at least, and had managed to strike one leaf. Anything beyond that seemed nearly impossible.

Teyala had thought about using her Song magic to aid her, and was nearly about to when she stopped before entering Clara, "I can't keep relying on it...I...I need to do this without it..." she admitted hoarsely as she shakingly stood back up upon her hind legs. Grabbing a handful of leaves she tossed the evasive little targets back up into the air and swept her paw outward after gaining her stance. Unknown to her, the truth behind the training technique was becoming apparent. Her ability to adopt a fighting stance was becoming much faster, and her instinct to attack without thinking was slowly honing itself.

"Ha...ha...!" she called out, feeling challenged but not frustrated. There were many difficult obstacles in her life that she had managed to navigate through, this was just one more. "One..." she counted inwardly as the 'edge' of her forepaw struck a leaf squarely, causing it to stick momentarily to that same edge. Following through with the attack she began to turn her paw so that the padded palm was facing toward the sky before torquing her torso and swiveling her hips, coming through with an 'X' shaped pattern to her attack. "Two." she managed, just before the little adversaries managed to find a safe haven in the ground below. "I got two...ha! I got TWO! TWO OF YOU!" Teyala yelled mockingly at the leaves that had slipped away from her offenses for so long.

Moving her attention away from her minor victory, she looked at the trees surrounding her. Darkness was approaching, and the sun had dipped below the treeline. Time had moved quickly while she was practicing. Best to head in for now, she decided, and her tired, aching body was not one to object.

[Mellonin]

	Teyela has been awarded +1 Experience Points in the practice of Zinn'ka. Thank you for your contribution!