As clouds grew in density and Violarum's wander held the promise of getting damp, he had diverted his lax stroll towards the Labyrinth. Truth be told he didn't particularly enjoy the cave system - at all - much more a man of the open air and visible horizon, but it served it's purpose for cover.

So he wanders, the spatter of raindrops on his spine growing in frequency; the odd rumble over-head suggesting it may become a storm. No matter he supposed, as he wandered up the scrubby path and finally made it just inside the entrance of the under-ground cave; shaking his flesh free of water.

@Karsa _{— code}

+40 Learn something from a Master of your trade (eat protein after working out)
+40 Learn something from a Master of your trade (push logs on flat land to work out shoulders)
+40 Learn something from a Master of your trade (push logs uphill to work out the booty)

with the labyrinth being so close to obsidian, it felt like the two territories almost bled into each other at times. karsa takes on the role of cave gremlin both easily and willingly, running along the carved out halls and relishing in the burn that he feels in his muscles. the air so deep in the labyrinth feels thick and heavy after some time and karsa starts towards one of the openings to get a few breaths of fresh air. surprisingly, he finds that he's not alone and that the other person is a very familiar face indeed! "hey!" he calls out a greeting as he scampers over to @Violarum. "i've been practicing!" he informs, ever the proud trainee.

""

ART BY X-ZELFA, CODE BY LARS
@Violarum

Sheltered from the light rain in the mouth of the cave entrance, Violarum is mostly preoccupied with ridding his mane of water when the boy appears - seeing his vibrant coat well before he had smelt him. The kid comes darting eagerly into the labyrinth and Violarum greets him with perked ears and a jolly chuff; his shoulders waggling happily as his trainee revealed he had been practicing.

He knew Birdie had been trailing after him somewhere, but wastes no time in inviting @Karsa to - "Show me!" Violarum squared up a bit, unsure if the kid wanted to take a swing or just show him something else - regardless, he was ready. _{— code}

he seems happy to see him which certainly pleases karsa. he was well aware of the disdain some adults could hold for cubs and had hoped their impromptu training at the pit hadn't been too off-putting - especially considering karsa had tried his very hardest. "okay!" fast as lightening karsa's legs spread just a little to form a solid base, and his right paw darts out to tap at @Violarum's left ankle, since that was the closest limb to karsa. while his paw is lifted off the ground, he makes sure to remember the first lesson they had done and redistributes his weight over the other three paws so he'd be that much harder to knock off balance. "see!" comes the echoing exclamation as the boy's paw returns to the ground. "i've been practicing running a lot too, and climbing through the tunnels so i can get really strong." he boasts, straightening up proudly. look how good of a student he was!

ART BY X-ZELFA, CODE BY LARS

The boy squares his stance and snakes out a leg to whack him in the ankle, leaving Violarum chuffing merrily in his wake. "Good," he says simply, ears perked towards the strawberry kid as he speaks of his training efforts. "You can carry branches and logs to make your shoulders and chest stronger," he reveals, crimson gaze intent on his new friend.

"And to square up your back end, walk up and down steep hills. It burns your rump muscles. You can step it up by rolling a log up hill too. Come, I show you," and the man would step around the kid to meander towards a rocky slope beside the labyrinth opening. _code

he grins widely as violarum chuckles, quickly bringing his paw back down to the ground. "oh, i didn't even think of carrying any weight with me." karsa had focused on speed a lot and though his leg muscles were beginning to grow too, he assumed they'd grow a lot stronger if he followed what violarum was explaining. he nods eagerly to show his understanding, brows furrowed in concentration as the boy commits the information to memory. "i''ll work on that for next time." he promises, following behind @Violarum for a few steps. "we're just going to the hill, right? i'll race ya!" some good practice, karsa thinks as he breaks out into a run. besides, he knew these hills like the back of his paw.

ART BY X-ZELFA, CODE BY LARS

It was funny to suggest Violarum would take the kid up on his offer of a race, and he instead trails languidly behind, letting the boy continue ahead. On his way, Vio finds an old hardwood tree and sets about dislodging a dead and low-hanging branch. "Here," he calls over his shoulder, huffing, "Has to be hard wood. Pine is too light." And with a hefty thump he would try to send it rolling towards @Karsa.

"Push that to hill and you will feel you shoulders burn, push it up the hill and you'll feel your haunches burn. Both are important." _code

he skids to a stop at the foot of the hill, turning back to see that @Violarum had, in fact, not taken him up on the offer of a race. so his burning lungs and thudding heart were for nothing more than some practice. as his attention is called back to the branch that violarum is freeing from a tree, karsa runs back to stand by the man, watching impatiently. finally he manages to bring it down and the branch is rolled towards karsa who steps around it and begins rolling it towards where he had stopped earlier. it didn't take long for him to feel the burn in his shoulders. "you're right, this really burns." at least it's a pleasant sort of feeling. tomorrow, when karsa woke up entirely too sore, he would certainly be singing a different tune. finally, he reaches the foot of the hill and pauses there. "so i just roll it up and then let it tumble back down?" the boy takes the moment of clarification to rest, his chest rising and falling rapidly with the effort of the exercise.

ART BY X-ZELFA, CODE BY LARS

Lumbering after the kid, Violarum watches him with keen interest, appreciating his work ethic and willingness to learn. He quietly wished some of his own sons were more interested in strength training and brawling, but he supposed he would make do with a daughter and... @Karsa.

"Yep," he confirms as the young lion pauses at the base of the steep hill, making a mental note not to get hit by it on the way down. "Do it over and over... much as you can," at that point he would wait for the boy to be mostly finished, sitting at the base of the hill.

"For best gains, eat red meat when you get back home. Protein." _code

i'll make sure i eat after this, then." the pride had just done a hunt, so their cache was full enough that karsa could probably go in and grab a hefty bite to eat after the rigorous training. suddenly, the hill looks a lot bigger than it had been about ten minutes ago. nonetheless, this is the training task given to him and karsa would oblige. "alright... here goes nothing." he mutters, starting up the hill with the log, legs bent slightly so they could be used to push upwards. at the top, he fixes @Violarum with a breathless grin as the log tumbles back down the hill. karsa is quickly hot on his heels, using the descent to practice his speed and balance when running downhill. after seven times total, he stops next to violarum breathing hard, sides heaving, and legs feeling closer to jelly than muscle. "i think. i'm done. for today." karsa says between wheezing breaths, rump hitting the ground with a soft thud.

ART BY X-ZELFA, CODE BY LARS