After all he'd been through, and all he'd learned, since coming to the Stedding, Burrich was being entrusted with the training of a new Wanderer. And yet, this Wanderer was unlike any other, since he'd been here before and knew more of the history of the Wolfkin than any other outsider ever learned. Thus the training would be different as well. Burrich would not be able to progress through Anton's training in the same manner John had guided him through his.

 

He'd left a note for Anton to meet him at the break of dawn just out back from the inn. This had left him plenty of time to do his normal workout this morning and still arrived ten minutes or so before Anton was due to show. But, Anton was already there. Good, punctuality was something to be desired in a student.

 

"Well Anton, I know you've spent some time here but before we get started on your training I thought I'd give youu a chance to ask any questions. Learning about us and becoming one of us are different perspectives on everything. I remember what it was like to go through the howling so I'd be glad to help you any way I can."

The stedding was strange, well, stranger than he remembered it. Not that the stedding had changed, he was the one who had changed and Anton couldn't decide whether it had been for the better or worse. Things were easier for him to pick out, Daruun had told him that one of the things the howling had given him were keener senses. Then again, Daruun had said little of the other side of the coin, nearly tipping over the small line between sanity and madness.

 

Or maybe Anton hadn't listened well enough, it had been hard to understand it without experiencing it. As it was, he would have been happy to remain ignorant.

 

But if wishes were fishes, everyone would cast nets. He was better off focusing on the present, and thats what he did. The present being that his mentor had arrived, and he was realising that he hadn't truly appreciated how freakishly huge the man was until this moment. The man loomed over him by a foot and a half, if he were a man that was. He couldn't help but wonder if Burrich was half Ogier.

 

But that was most certainly not going to be something he asked.

 

"Uh... The only thing I have to ask is the obvious, what are we doing today?" Said with an easy grin on his face, it didn't change the fact that the man intimidated him. The only other people that size he'd ever seen were Aiel, and when Cairhienin saw Aiel it never ended well.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

"Uh... The only thing I have to ask is the obvious, what are we doing today?"

 

And there it was. The look he'd been seeing from more people than he cared to remember seen he was fifteen. Like it was really his fault that he was monstrously huge. Truth was that he was a really nice guy with a heart for people even bigger than he was. But nobody ever saw that. All they ever saw was his size and got scared before they ever got to know him. It had been somewhat better since coming to the Stedding because most of the kin had enough trouble to deal with that they quickly forgot that they were intimidated by him. Except for the Wanderers that is. Well, he'd seen it before, and he knew he'd see it again.

 

"What we're going to do today is teach you how to use the enhanced senses you've gained since the howling. Follow me."

 

Burrich turned away and went into the forest, listening to be sure Anton followed. Before long he stopped and handed Anton the square of cloth he'd brought for this reason. "Tie this around your eyes. Good. Now trust me, I won't let you get hurt."

 

They made it to a clearing where Burrich found a stump big enough to hold him and led Anton to a smaller stump across from him then sat down himself and broke the silence. "Now, I want you to describe for me everything around us. Look around the clearing with your ears and your nose. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Tell me what you 'see'."

Letting himself have his eyes covered, Anton was reminded of a game he had once played as a child. Was a trust game, you had to trust the person who led you not to take advantage of your trust and have you do something terrible, but in turn you had to completely free yourself and let the other person control. As a kid, he remembered playing that game with the trust being misused for entertaining results, but here he just felt more nervous.

 

Logically, he knew that nothing would be done to him. Daruun had explained how the pack worked, all members were to be taken care of, there was complete trust and it was needed in order to function. That was why Daruun's companion and other wolves sensed and disliked lies so, lies were anathema to the very being of a wolf.

 

Sitting as he was directed, it was time to follow his instructions. While he was used to using his eyes, part and parcel of his trade as a thiefcatcher was learning to use other senses as well. When one stalked another in the dark, one couldn't rely on sight. Hearing and smell were particularly important.

 

"Its warm, warmer than it usually is this time of year, but the air is still... crisp. Birdsong, nothing disturbs the birds... You're somewhere over there." Anton pointed a little to the right of Burrich. "Not too far, but not close."

 

Remembering what Burrich said about touch, Anton reached for his seat. "Old... Damp as well." Taking his hands away, he reached down to the ground at his feet. "Damp also, thick, scrub is above my ankles. Have you led me out aways?"

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

"We've gone a fair distance into the forest yes. Now, those were good observations but I want you to stretch yourself. Look deeper. You've just scratched the surface of your new abilites. The things you've described for me are things any normal man would sense. They are merely the top layer. Pull away those things in your mind and look beyond them. Are there insects? What are they doing? Are there birds? Wildlife? Surely you know there are trees, but are they moving. Look deeper."

 

This time the young man did much better, but there was still so much more he could learn. "Good, that's better. Over time, with training, you'll be able to sense so much more. You'll even be able to gauge people's emotions solely by their scent. But that's a good enough start. Now, leave the blindfold on, stand up, and follow me."

 

Burrich then took off through the woods, slowly at first but gradually gaining speed when he saw Anton was able to keep up. Following someone through the woods without sight was difficult but not impossible. There were certain things one could hear or feel to warn of impending danger, such as a change in tread, and this was the best way Burrich knew to teach it. Well, that and it was the way he'd been taught.

 

He laughed aloud as he remembered his own training with John. The man had purposely found tree limbs that were just above his own head so he wouldn't have to change pace to duck. Of course these same tree limbs had slapped Burrich full in the face onto he'd learned to keep an arm out. Burrich couldn't quite do that but once he got enough distance between them for it not to be noticed he started ducking low, hoping for the same effect.

 

Eventually they came to the cliff edge he was looking for. Without slowing down Burrich ran full speed off the cliff, only changing it to a dive after he'd fallen several feet. The cliff was high enough that Anton wouldn't be able to hear him splash above the sounds he made while running through the forest and the water was deep enough that he would be perfectly safe even if he didn't know how to land properly. Still, Burrich treaded water near where he'd landed. After all, he didn't know if the man could swim or not and he certainly didn't want him to hurt himself.

Following Burrich's suggestions, he was finding there were more and more things to take notice of. Most of the things were those that he could have noticed before if he paid particular attention, but these things came more easily. There were other things which he would not have, and truth be told he wasn't sure if he was entirely happy about it. It was another reminder that he was changing, something he couldn't completely accept. Not yet.

 

Where was he going?! One moment they were just walking along and now they were jogging. Holding his hands before him as best he could, he cursed every single time he tripped, which was often with all the scrub underfoot. After caressing a low branch with his face, he pulled himself to his feet but kept bent over, using both his hands and feet to move so as to avoid the low branches and to feel his way forward so he didn't trip.

 

As he ran, or in some cases seemed to crawl, Anton began to stand occasionally, feeling it was safe to do so. Why in particular he couldn't say, he was moving too quickly to think about it, it just happened. Something that was happening more and more as he followed the trail of Burrich using his ears and his nose.

 

He was close! He had to be because he couldn't hear him, must've stopped. Just as a grin split his face, the ground took a sharp dip. Flailing his hands about as he tried to stop, his feet found nothing at all as he went sailing through the air. Yelling, or rather, screaming as he hurtled through the air, he felt himself dipping for-

 

SPLASH!!!

 

Water, frantically pawing to pull himself up, he broke the surface with a large gasp. Breathing quickly as he tread water he yanked the blindfold and looked about him. It was a small pool, but deep or he would've definitely hurt himself beyond the sting he felt now. And there was Burrich, with a grin on his face.

 

"You bastard!" Throwing the blindfold at him, Anton let out a shakey laugh. He could only think of a few times he'd ever been so scared, and none of them had involved falling off a cliff. Following Burrich, he swam to shore and as soon as he had solid ground under his feet laid down on his back taking in deep breaths, calming himself down as best he could. All well and good for Burrich to jump down, he probably didn't even fall at all he was so big, probably just stepped down.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Shaken

 

OOC: Sorry it took so long :)

Burrich was laughing so hard he could barely get the words out, "Well, that's enough senses training for today. Follow me to the shore and we'll begin your training in the dream realm." Oh, it was certainly better to be on the giving end than the receiving for that trick.

 

When they reached the shore Burrich shook the water from his body, knowing good and well how wolfish he looked but not caring in the least. "Get us a fire started and we'll have something to eat before we start the next part of your training."

 

As Anton set about building the fire Storm Hunter spoke to Burrich's mind, "I've brought meat enough for all three of us."

 

"Thank you Storm. You can bring it in but be careful not to speak to the new cub yet."

 

"Chime told us all he's still a little scared of the changes. I'll stay quiet. And I promise I'll try not to be too intimidating."

 

Burrich joined Storm in a chuckle as he tried to imagine the giant sized wolf looking anything less than intimidating to those that didn't know him. He decided he'd given the Wanderer enough surprises for one day and introduced Storm before he even came into the camp. "Just to warn you, the wolf who's about to join us is my friend Storm Hunter. He's something like a big brother to me. He may look fierce, and he can be if pushed, but he's really just a big cuddly thing. Don't pay him any mind at all. Well, aside from the three rabbits he's brining in."

 

OOC:Get us a fire going and rp them sharing a meal. In my next post I'll start the actual dream training.

A fire sounded good, though Anton would have preferred Burrich made it while he laid there and let his heart calm before it exploded from his chest. Pulling himself to his feet, it was awhile before he had what he needed, but soon enough he had a small fire going. A log along with few substantial branches added and they had a fire that would burn slowly and last long after they needed it, unless Burrich planned to spend the entire night out.

 

It had already started darkening during their exercise, and by the time Anton had gathered some additional firewood should they need it, it was well dark. That and Burrich's companion had arrived, the sight of which made Anton jump back when he saw him. "Dark One's beard!" Light, but the thing was huge, must have been paired with Burrich for its freakish size, for Anton could never remember seeing a wolf so large, and only hearing of one of such size in the wilder tales spun by gleemen.

 

Knowing it wouldn't hurt him was one thing, being wary nevertheless was natural. Still, the rabbits it had brought were cooked, and they shared the meal with relative ease. That was to say, Anton did occasionally dart a quick glance over. It had been easier to accept before he'd become... kin, to them. The meal did remind him of an earlier traveling companion though, when he had been with Liitha in Tarabon, before he'd begun hearing them. What would she think now if she saw him? Or the golden eyes he had developed that shone in the fire just as Burrich and the wolf's?

 

But, that was what fate had chosen for him, what the wheel had woven for him. Some things couldn't be resisted, they simply had to be seen through. Of course, that was alot easier said than done.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Pup

With their meal finished the two sat next to the fire waiting for night to deepen. Storm Hunter lounged near by belly full, content to lay there and doze. Burrich knew Anton was still wary near wolves but he'd just have to get used to that. They were a part of his life now and turning away from them would only make it harder on him. The night deepened and a brilliant blanket of stars spread out across the sky. Mountain, satisfied that it was late enough, began the lesson.

 

“As I'm sure you've heard by now we have the ability to touch the world of dreams. This gift allows us to communicate with our kind across great distances and gather information we could not otherwise learn.†Burrich watched the man across the fire as he listened with interest to the lesson.

 

“There is a danger to this however, and until you are fully trained you should not attempt to enter the dream unless accompanied by a Sage or another wolfkin trained in the dream. If you are injured or killed in the world of dreams your sleeping form shall share the same fate.â€

 

Mountain knew Anton was already scared enough as it was but he did not lesson the danger. It was important the man learn a healthy fear of the dangers inherent in the dream. “There are many dangers in the dream and we will touch these through your training.â€

 

Pulling out some herbs from his pouch Mountain tossed them in the fire, causing the flames to spark. The herbs let out a sweet aroma as they burned and Mountain had Anton lay down.

 

“I want you to close your eyes and relax your mind. Focus on this very spot where we are now. It will be difficult at first, but soon you will enter the world of dreams at this very spot. I will be waiting for you.â€

 

Closing his eyes Mountain quickly found himself in tel’aran’rhiod. The camp looked the same as in the waking world and Mountain waited for his student to arrive. Changing his clothes from the soft greens of the rangers, he garbed himself in black leather boots and pants and a blue leather vest, his weapons appearing on his back as an afterthought. These were the same clothes he always wore in tel'aran'rhiod, and the ones he'd wear in the real world if he ever needed to attampt to blend in among other people. After quite some time Anton finally appeared and looked pleased. Mountain started laughing and after a moment his student asked what was so funny.

 

“Forgive me, but look at your clothes Anton.â€

 

OOC: Ok rp getting into tel'aran'rhoid and your thoughts. I will let you decide how you are attired. If you like rp Burrich teaching you how to correct your clothes.

The world of dreams Matronas had told him of, but he'd never quite completely understood. Alot of it sounded like the sort of dreams one could buy with enough coin in the more sordid sections of cities. But Matronas didn't lie, in fact Anton doubted that any of them lied. It was too much against the wolfish part of their nature. An inheritance that he was partaking of regardless of his wishes.

 

Dying was not something Anton was interested in, the mention of such certainly sharpened the attention he was already paying to the subject. He was glad they weren't diving in the deep end, unlike a few hours earlier, there was alot to be said for caution. The angry puff the flames made had Anton backing away but under Burrich's instruction he moved closer to the flames and laid down on his back.

 

Between the branches looming above, the stars winked mockingly at Anton as he closed his eyes. He had to think of where he was as hard as he could. He was next to a fire, he was feeling rather drowsy and his nose was beginn- No, he was next to the fire, there was a wolf of freakish size nearby and Burrich was nearby as well. The pond where he'd fallen from that ri- No, camp, near fire, camp, fire, on back, ground.

 

This was ridiculous. Opening his eyes, he pushed himself to his feet, then paused. Everything was hazy. It was there, but it wasn't? It was like everything was slightly askew. This was the world of dreams? He'd made it! Smiling he looked about at Burrich who was laughing at him. "What?"

 

Frowning at what Burrich said, he looked down only to quickly slap his hands over his crotch. Where were his clothes? What? Self image? Focusing on what Burrich was saying, it seemed rather strange. He controlled the image he projected? First thing Anton decided to project was small clothes. Grinning at the success, he pulled away his hands only to find they wouldn't move. Pulling again, he realised he'd made the smallclothes around his hands, meaning they were stuck.

 

Looking rather embaressed even as Burrich began a fresh bout of laughter, Anton turned around and had to unimagine his smallclothes, remove his hands and reimagine them. That worked alot better. Trying to imagine everything else all at once ended disastrously, so he was forced to build his wardrobe piece by piece, all with Burrich's help and advice. Soon he was garbed in simple grey wool from head to toe, save the leather boots he had. He wasn't cold, or hot, so he disdained a cloak. A stave was the last touch, seeing that Burrich was armed to the teeth as it were. As if the man needed weapons, he could probably grab people and just pull them apart.

 

While Burrich's lips were still twitching, the jibes and advice had both stopped for the moment. Anton was just happy to be clothed, but he was wondering what dangers lay ahead, and whether he was going to be able to cope considering it had taken him all that effort just to garb himself.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

Burrich watched Anton struggle to clothe himself, doing his best to keep his amusement under control. A little laughter never hurt but he had to be careful not to laugh too hard or the man might become discouraged by the exercise and forsake the World of Dreams altogether.

 

Besides, your first foray into this place wasn't too much better Mountain. As I recall you found yourself garbed in clothes as though you were being presented as you father's royal heir, something you know good and well will never happen.

 

Burrich looked over to the fire to see that the giant white wolf had joined them in the Dream as well. Aye, there is that. I'm grateful John taught me to control such things. And I'm grateful you've promised not to speak to Anton yet so I know you won't be sharing such tales with him.

 

"Well, now that you've got that sorted out...Welcome to Tel'aran'rhiod, better known as the World of Dreams, or the Wolf Dream. As you can see, things look very similar to the waking world but still distinctly different. Things of permenance in the real world will be reflected here, but those things of a more temporary nature will have a more fleeting presence here. Letters, and even books will disappear before your eyes. This makes for some interesting work, and keeps the Watchers very busy."

 

Bending down Mountain found two round palm sized stones and tossed one to Anton. Then, concentrating deeply Burrich watched his own stone transform before his eyes. First he split it in two then began his work. He carefully transformed one half into a beautifully delicate little flower while also changing the other into a miniature hummingbird and watched as it flew off. He was secretly proud of himself as he remembered how hard it was to make even the small flower his first try. The bird, being living, was much harder than he'd expected but he did it more to prove to himself that he could than out of any need to show off to his student. Nights had told him it could be done but he'd never actually tried until now.

 

"Alright Anton, what I want you to do is transform that stone into a flower. You'll need to concentrate as this will be much harder than changing your own clothes."

Whoa...

 

What Burrich had done stunned Anton, was everything malleable in this world? He'd just split a stone by looking at it and not only had he made a flower out of one, he'd turned the other into a hummingbird that had hovered away! Everything about it was lifelike, detailed, and if Anton hadn't known better he would have said the Hummingbird was alive. And maybe it was in this dreamworld, even if it didn't exist in the real world.

 

Holding his stone up, Anton focused on it carefully. He had to transform the flower, something which he had no idea how to do. It was Burrich's words of encouragement and guidance that helped him. He wasn't trying to replace the image of the rock with a flower, he was trying to transform what already existed. He needed to imagine the image of the rock flowing into that of a flower, not superimpose the flower over it.

 

Anton wasn't sure how long it took, he wasn't even sure time existed in the dream world, but he soon found success. The rock melted and flowed into a flower, much more slowly than it had taken Burrich, but it was done nevertheless. Smiling at the success as Burrich congratulated him, Anton looked up at him with a grin.

 

"This is great! Can you do that anything? Like, could you imagine this place as something different, you know like..." Anton was trying to think of a place, and what came easiest to mind was Caemlyn, in particular the fair ground where the Bubble of Evil had struck. The churned up mud, the wrecks of the tents and the smell of the dead filling one's nostrils.

 

Gagging, Anton fell to his knees. The field of corpses he remembered was no longer present, but the smell lingered there, tainted. Some of the old buildings were still up, even though they were disused and rundown. The earth was scarred, and here and there one could see a finger, a skull, a the sunbleached skeleton of a dead rat that caught the moonlight from above.

 

Where was Burrich? Looking about wildly with his stave in hand, Anton called out for him but there was no answer.

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

 

OOC: Sorry its taken so long, been doing Nanowrimo bleh. Anton's managed to shift himself within the dream by thinking of a place too much. Its the site of the Freelander Bubble of Evil, where we had undead roaming, hordes of vermin, a fire elemental and other random and terrible stuff. Even though the pattern forced the bubble out, I'm guessing its left an echo in the dream to explain the tainted feeling.

Mountain watched as Anton struggled to transform the rock into a flower, giving advice and guiding his student as he went. Then he smiled in pride as Anton displayed the flower and gushed with excited accomplishment. Then suddenly, he was gone.

 

Well, how do you like that? Storm, think you can help me out here? Despite all this training I've gone through, you still know this place and its rules better than I do. Think you can lead me to him?

 

Sure I can. I can sense his confused mind all the way from here, though he has Traveled some distance. Ready when you are.

Mountain knelt down, laid his hands on Storm's back, and closed his eyes. A few seconds later he felt the world stop moving underneath them and opened his eyes. What he saw surprised him. It looked like the scene of a battle, and smelled like one too. But this was far worse than anything he'd ever seen while traveling with the Companions. This place must have been the scene of not just a battle but a massacre.

 

And there, standing amidst a pile of bones, was his student Anton, staff in hand and looking very worried indeed. Mountain called out to assure the man as he approached, "Anton, I'm over here. Calm down, you'll be ok." By now he was standing beside the man and put his hand on his shoulder to calm him. "You have experienced for yourself the next thing I was planning to teach you. Here in the Dream we can travel great distances with just a thought. Just as your clothes and the rock could be changed with thought alone so can your surroundings. the only difference is that instead of simply changing them you actually travel to the place you concentrate on. Now, you've proven to yourself that it's possible, so why don't you bring us to a place that invokes less painful memories to prove to me you can control your movements. When we get there you can ask me any questions you'd like."

Relieved that Burrich had found him, Anton nodded at the man's words as he closed his eyes out of habit. He needed to think of a place to go, somewhere else where the taint that was here wouldn't sink into every pore of him. Many different places came to mind, but he had to pick one of them, one where they would be far more comfortable. Someplace most likely not on the road then. But in a city? Not for the wolf that was Burrich's companion. Where had he been?

 

Opening his eyes, Anton smiled, he'd remembered it just right. Just outside of Stedding Yontiang, there was a small lake where he had spent a week fishing as he had stayed with the Ogier there. During the day the sun hit the water just right, and as it was under a crescent moon there was a ghostly beauty to it. It was only matched by the beauty of the stedding itself... Maybe he should have gone there instead. Focusing, he imagined the trees surrounding him, dwarfing him much as the Ogier had.

 

Nothing.

 

Frowning at his lack of success, Anton looked across the waters to where the stedding began, but there was only a mass of indiscernable grey, where was it? Walking around the waters would take too long, perhaps he could walk on it? Everything seemed possible here. Imagining the water to be solid, Anton set a foot on it. It held him up, but its rippling left it unsteady. There had to be another way to do it...

 

Imagining the air just above the water to be solid, Anton stepped onto it. Success! Smiling to himself, he began walking over the water when he heard Burrich call to him. Turning about with a big grin on his face, Anton forgot to create another step of air for his free foot and promptly fell into the water.

 

Surfacing as he spluttered, he was making his way back to shore when he realised he'd lost track of his clothing and his stave. Replacing the clothing was quicker this time now that he'd already done it, and he did so before he cleared the water. Imagining his clothing dry, he still felt moist underneath it, he wasn't game enough to tinker with something that close to him though. But, he could ask questions, and one definitely came to mind.

 

"I tried to imagine myself in the stedding here, Stedding Yontiang. But when I tried I couldn't shift there, it should be somewhere over there." Pointing over to the grey formless area, Anton continued. "Why isn't it there?"

 

 

Anton Averdal

Farpaw

With one hand on Anton's shoulder and the other resting on Storm's back Mountain felt the world moving around them. It seemed to take longer than normal and he wondered if his student had made a mistake. But then everything stopped. Opening his eyes he saw a beautiful scene spread out before him. They were standing on the shore of a lake surrounded by tall trees. There was a peace here that Burrich had only seen before at the lake by the Stedding. Mountain was so wrapped up in gazing at the beauty around him he lost track of his student for a few minutes. When he turned back he saw Anton walking across the lake.

 

On the opposite shore his obvious destination was a strange gray blur. Ahha, Anton must have had some dealings with the Ogier in the past to have brought them so close to another Steading. But he was heading into trouble now. If he actually made it to his target he would be lost and Mountain wasn't sure he was strong enough or skilled enough to bring him out.

 

"Anton! Come back!"

 

When he saw his student fall he couldn't help himself, his laughter spilled out powered by his extra large lungs to fill the whole valley and echo off the nearby mountains. Eventually Anton made it back to his side, his face full of questions.

 

"I tried to imagine myself in the stedding here, Stedding Yontiang. But when I tried I couldn't shift there, it should be somewhere over there. Why isn't it there?"

 

"I thought that might be your first question. Well, you know the One Power can't be used inside a Steading, right? That's why Aes Sedai are always so uncomfortable there." Seeing Anton nod his head in agreement Burrich continued, "Well, despite a myriad of theories, no one has been able to figure out why it's like that. But, whatever it is, it also makes the Steading inaccessible in the Wolf Dream. This is why our lesson tonight is taking place by the lake outside our Steading instead of inside. We can communicate with those inside through their dreams, but that's a topic for another night."

 

Taking hold of his student once more Mountain brought them back to the place they'd started. "It isn't neccessary to return to your starting location before waking but it can be disorienting not to if you're not used to it. Now, remember, sleep spent here in the Dream is not restful. This is part of why I'm ending our lesson for tonight, you'll need your rest for tomorrow. You'll be working with Janna in Miryana's herb garden. One rule to remember, until you learn more control, never come here without myself or another of the kin to accompany you."

 

OOC: Feel free to post or not, it's up to you. This portion of your training is now finished. I'll have a new thread started in the next day or so for the next portion of your training.