Learnin fer life

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pencil entry dated 20/7/08
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Change or die
Fight or die.
Learn or die.

These were tha three lessons i first learnt when tha 7RAR-L got me. Harsh, maybe. Fair? Who knows. I guess there was already a lesson learnt before those three. Obey. When i teach, i expect tha same. I dont care ta teach unless tha lesson is important. I dont teach unless tha one learnin is worth it.

Abi, Lari and Lorne's child, Nareth's Ward. I been tryin ta give her some direction. My specialty? combat trainin and tactics. i'm not tha worlds best fighter by a long shot, but i learnt by tha numbers, and i understand it good. i'm good at stayin alive. SHe needs that kinda skillset, being who she is and what she is. a right brat. a right brat with Powers.

I gave her sword lessons at tha House. i gave her street lessons in Tox. She got another lesson in tha Library. We were sittin about, Denny, Poncho, Her Ladyship, Denny's "sister" another Feather from the Righteous, and some others. Binx tha street-kit was there, all fuzz and bone.

Tha talk ran to tha Shadows, and why we should be wary of 'em. Denny was first ta jump to, when Abi mentioned she thought they were chicken, and was giddy with pride at havin turned Blue's fur and features pink. Fast way ta get yer skull set on a pike if ya ask me. Abi laughed it off, and then got indignant when we tried ta tell her about what tha Shadows do fer FUN, when they find they dont like someone no more. Denny had his time with them ta go on, i had my time in tha Pack, against em, and what they did ta Choi and Pix.

She didn't take our ministerin well, and pretty much mouthed off hard. She let a few remarks slide ta Binx, who, bein tha street-hard kit she is, took it as a slight to her rep. When yer born to tha street, rep is what ya got ta show fer yerself. When push came ta shove, Binx let fly with a claw, and caught our Abi with her eyes screwed shut and her tongue pokin out.

Gave her a fuckin good cut to tha tongue. I jumped too, and hauled Binx out, which i was damn sorry ta do, but i got to. Family over refugees. I had a duty ta protect my Family, and only we get ta discipline our own. Abi just stood there stunned holdin her bleein face as i frogmarched Binx out and showed her tha door, poor kit, but, thats what temper gets ya, a lesson fer them both, really.

Abi had ducked upstairs and was tryin ta wash her face out, she refused my gauze ta start with nad stomped up, Her Ladyship sent me up after her, with a suggestion that i tend her and teach her tha proper way ta treat our guests. Tha kind of suggestion that makes me click my heels tagether and salute.

So I go up, and there she is spitten blood all over tha place. Tongues bleed bad. Its a fuckin nasty way ta kill someone too, ta take tha tongue. Slow, takes away a Feshies great Gift. Speech. You wanna put tha fear inta a village and still get somethin? Tear out a few tongues. Start with tha first ta speak out against ya. Where was I? Uh yeah, Abi. So, she's bleedin and panicin a bit. I grab her head, I got big paws, any claws add ta my grippin distance. I ask her ta poke her tongue out, which she's only too fond of doin.

Its inflamed. Kit-wounds do that. I get out my local/anti-inflam gel and get it onta tha wound. Tha swellin was helpin by that time, and she ain't doin too bad. I start givin her tha "Anger and Wildness" speech. Tha one I got not long after I learnt ta talk, but befor I got released inta Basic. About how Anger is a tool, how wildness is nature but how wild anger gets ya killed. Gets ya pack killed. Gets yer friends killed.

I fix her wound with Betadine, which she takes pretty good and she asks if we're respected. I see her angle. We're not a feared fightin force. We ain't feared fer draggin folks we feel like inta our lair and layen em open like a fish. I explain as best I can that we're respected cause we keep our heads when tha waste hits tha spinnin blades. What I don't say is we're feared cause we do things like raisin Dimentox. Like we set two factions against each other so a third can fill tha gap.

I tell her that her attitude is riskin us all, and that its lame. She kinda gets it. I suggest to her that we got things, books on tha topic of proper behavior. That I owed it ta her Mothers ta see her safe. I used tha carrot and stick. Tha stick bein a big fuck-off tome from tha 1800's on how ta be a dainty lady and eat cucumber sandwiches with no crusts. Tha other was my old Army Conduct manual. That worked.

Her Ladyship gave her a talkin too as well. She took it pretty well, it seems . . but later on, she came back, book in pieces, makin paper planes from it. Memorized it but no grasp of it. Like a child. Well, she IS a child. I hope i can keep her alive long enough ta grow into tha woman Lari and Nareth woulda wanted her ta be. Even if i can't tell tha Huntress, i'll show her . . . eventually.