Learning as quickly as the day passed, the growing boy was certainly making progress in trying to figure out who he was. Being so young, things could very likely change but as of now he wanted to be everything like his parents. To be like them in as many ways as he could because why would he not want to? They were legit the most amazing, the coolest (if you asked, he'd say he never said this) and they were certainly role-models to be respected and adored. So much so that Guelle had taken off early that morning down the frigid summit-side and into the Grove where there was a growing collection of snow. Nothing like what the Summit had but it was still winter, after all. Down here he was going to really think about the choices in front of him... thinking that was likely going to end poorly if he sat there too long by himself. @Thrain @Diego

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There are so many things to think about when it comes to finding one's own place in the world. So much to learn, to discover, and to contemplate within the fledgling mind of a child. It was terribly daunting, at times.

So Diego tends not to bother with it all too much.

Most days, he is content to bask in the knowledge that his parents were pretty freakin' awesome, which naturally meant that he was probably pretty awesome himself. That was how that worked, wasn't it? Oh yeah, and he supposed his brothers were pretty alright themselves, but he doubts that they'll ever be cool as he will be. (Even if his daydreams are notably hazy on the details of exactly how he'll achieve ultimate coolness. Those are concerns for later.)

Speaking of his brothers though...where exactly was @Güelle wandering off to? The brief glimpse he's caught of a pale tail tuft disappearing down the mountainside read like a clear signal of adventure to him, and you just don't say 'no' to adventure. So of course Diego would trundle down the mountain in pursuit, leaving behind a far more inelegant trail that any concerned parent could easily follow.

The Grove is...different. There's still plenty of that cold, white powder all over the place, but the trees are actually green, rows upon rows of strange-smelling needles towering high above his head. He's so busy craning his head up to look that he almost forgets why he'd wandered down here in the first place, if not for the helpful flicker of sandy fur at the corner of his eye. It seemed Güelle was sitting up ahead in quiet thought.

Boooorrrriiinng!

Hiya, Güelle! The giant cub bounded forward to unceremoniously throw his weight against his brother's back, expression set alight with an impish grin and a gleeful sparkle in his eye. Watcha doing?

@Thrain

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THRAIN

"Si quieres ir rápido, ve solo. Si quieres llegar lejos, ve acompañado," If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. Thrain strode along the path in the wake of his sons, arriving upon their proximity with his words of the day. Every day was an opporunity to learn, and the man had every intention of raising good, hard-working sons who held their family in high regard.

"Tell me boys, what does it mean?" and he tucked his haunches under himself, masked face held steadfast to the duo in wait - entirely expectant of their full attention.

@Diego @Güelle

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Ey! he shouted back at @Diego who had seemingly popped up out of nowhere but he was so caught off guard by his brother that he instantly was pushed down onto the ground. Stomach flat against the soft snow-littered ground and his brother laying on top. Estaba pensando en qué hacer pero ahora creo que quiero luchar. I was thinking about what to do but now i think i wanna battle He explained, giving a curt laugh as he attempted to lean himself upwards with all the strength in his body to get the fat oaf off of him so that they could properly face each other.

However, it looked like Papa @Thrain had caught up with them and left them with some words of advice. As best he could, Guelle's muscles tensed and his expression changed from playful to only mildly so. Significa que estamos mejor juntos que separados. It means we're better together, than apart. He answers without hesitation, knowing the answer as though it had been sitting on his tongue since birth. Guelle knew that his family was everything, it had been instilled in him from when he was just able to comprehend word and the languages that his family spoke. Awkwardly he looked to his brother to see if he had the same answer or if he had a different one that meant much the same.

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THRAIN

A smile weaves easily across his tawny lips at @Güelle 's answer, nodding singularly in approval before his purple gaze would glance across to @Diego. The boy was going to be huge, for that he could already tell - but size was unimportant if one did not know how to use it properly.

Though he would wait for the boys answer, the lesson had barely begun. "Dos cabezas son mejores que una," two heads are better than one, he would confirm, well aware the duo had been setting up a brawl. "It comes naturally for brothers to test one another, and you should. But you are strongest when you work together. A lone lion goes hungry, and a lone lion will lose any war," a pause, vision searching for the pair's understanding.

"Your family will mean not only your survival, but your success. Together, you can overcome even the strongest of foes."

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Battle? Now that was more like it!

Diego's laugh stretchs his lips in a wide impish grin, stub tail wiggling excitedly even as @Güelle moved to buck him off, prompting the fiery boy to hop back across the snowy ground like an extremely fluffy bouncy ball, squishing himself down into his best fighting stance (which was more like a play-bow than anything else). "¡Adelante!" Bring it on!

However, he is not brought the challenge he'd been expecting. @Thrain's sudden appearance just about scared all the hair right off of him, though he is quick to straighten himself up before he fell over embarrassingly like a fainted goat. How long had Papa been following them? Diego had missed his presence entirely.

Just as he was likely about to miss the point of this question. Remember how he felt about that whole 'thinking' thing? This definitely seemed like a 'thinking thing.'

"Umm..." Coppery eyes flitted towards his brother's face a bit desperately, his breath whooshing out with barely disguised relief when Güelle quickly produced a clever-sounding answer, hurriedly nodding along as he turned back to look up at Papa Thrain. "¡Sí, eso! Nadie debe quedarse atrás." Yeah, that! No one should be left behind.

That just wasn't the way of family. Not his family, certainly!

They hunt together, fight together...maybe Diego grasped the point better than he'd predicted he would? "Hey, do ya think we could even tip over Tío Scorpius if we all worked together?" Is where his mind immediately wanders, more excitement coloring his tone then was probably appropriate. But think about it! There were four brothers and their Tío had four ankles. Coincidence? I think not!

He considered it a moment longer, before moving to give the decidedly more formal-looking Güelle a playful, challenging shove. "The strongest gets to lead the charge!" The 'strongest' being Diego, obviously.

He could prove it!

I'm pushin' you back but still you ain't gone

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Unlike brother @Diego, Guelle was born with a sixth sense to when Papa Thrain was near. He couldn't explain it and knew that even if he tried, he'd probably be made fun of for it and thus kept it to himself. Not understanding just yet that there was a metaphorical leash on him to be better than the average lion. Of course, he had so desperately wanted to launch into getting into some trouble with his beefy brother but those plans had been semi-foiled by an adult presence. It only meant that they were going to have to figure something else... another time. For now, he supposed they could do something a bit more tame.

With @Thrain's words leaving a mark inside of his brain as it had weaved through his brain holes, Guelle turned his attention fully to his just as eager brother. ¡Empecemos! Let us begin! He screamed, ¡Te llevaré hasta el borde de la Cumbre! I'll race you to the edge of the Summit! So essentially back from where they had come from but it was the only location that he actually knew the location of from here and could find his way there.

Presuming that Diego could, too. Without waiting even a fraction of a second from his challenge, Guelle began his movements as quickly as he could. Rushing through the open lands of the Grove and hoping that his brother was right behind him. Exactly where he wanted him to be. Stretching his limbs out in front of him as he gathered as much speed underneath him as possible. Trying his best to not trip over any roots from the trees or shrubs that he didn't see until you were too late. Guelle pressed his body as hard as he could, only seeing victory in his eyes and praying that he could win.

+10 - Exercise to gain endurance

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Perhaps it is not that Diego is completely unaware of the pressure that rested upon the shoulders of the young boys, as the newest sparks to ignite the flames of the Casales and Miroslav both. But like Güelle, he is simply too young to understand the full weight of it - or consider that it might weigh heavier upon some of them more than others.

After all, it's always felt natural to want to be the coolest and strongest ever! A distinctly different thing from needing to be just that.

Oh, but there are certainly still instances where it feels like a need. Present moment including. @Güelle seemed eager to take their Papa's metaphor to a literal level - possibly because pummeling each other into the snow while Thrain was staring at them so seriously seemed...unwise? Less fun, certainly. But a race? Now, that was fun!

"¡Y listo!" You're on! He hollers, catapulting himself promptly after his brother in an explosion of boyish energy, a low growl reverberating through his chest at how Güelle had so quickly managed to get himself a moment's head start. But Diego was determined to make up for it with enthusiasm, throwing himself completely into his rapidly lengthening strides, big clumsy paws pounding hard against the snowy floor as he forcefully sought to overtake his brother.

Too forcefully maybe, seeing as he navigated the forest debris with decidedly less grace. A stubbed paw resulting in him rolling hard across the ground, though he was quick to force himself back up to keep pushing forward, his claws tearing at cool earth and scraps of rotten wood as he urged his growing muscles to go ever faster. He had to catch up to his marginally more streamlined brother somehow.

Even if 'somehow' included an attempt to lunge for the white-tufted tail bobbing tauntingly in front of him and yank it back with a sharp jerk of his head. "¡Cómete mis copos de nieve!" Eat my snowflakes!

+10 - Exercise to gain strength (x2)
+10 - Maintain your weapons (x2)

I'm pushin' you back but still you ain't gone

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The boy felt like he had the best lead in the history of those who had leads. He felt like he was so far in front of @Diego that there was absolutely zero chance that they could even dream of winning. Yet, he stumbled quickly over a root that he hadn't quite been observant to which led him to stumble awkwardly forward a few steps. Ultimately slowing him down by several paces which then allowed his brother to gain even more distance behind him. Mumbling, he started up his sprinting again in a desperate attempt to make it up once more. Legs sprawling out in front of him like he was reaching for his life because didn't winning this race mean life or death, especially to a child??

Perhaps the one thing he had expected was for brother to play dirty; and by dirty, he means the sudden yank of his tail that resulted in a very loud, cacophonous yelp that exploded out of his mouth. Front claws suddenly raking the roots, rocks and dirt beneath him to try and gain any sort of traction away from the pull, leaving him to stumble to get up and his brother make some headway into the lead of their little race. ¡Tramposo! Cheater! he screamed loud as hell at his brother as he got to his feet as quickly as he could. Somehow feeling like he was going ten times faster than he was a second ago.

This time, though, he could see their end goal and that made him try and work his magic to get there quickly. Moving as quickly as he could, leaps and bounds, as he began to near his brother's right flank. Nose moving forward to attempt to nip at his brother's side. Within him was frustration and irritation, but also determination and sheer excitement. Blending together to be everything that a competition young man could and would be.

+10 - exercise to gain endurance

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His heartbeat is drums relentlessly in his ears, pounding a rhythm so loud that he nearly almost couldn't hear @Güelle's outraged squawk over his roaring pulse. Emphasis on the 'almost', thankfully, because that screech was priceless. Diego cackles breathlessly, a raucous sound dampened only by his lungs desperately burning need for crisp air. "Nuh-uh! ¡Se llama estrategia!" It's called strategy! He crows back, blood set alight with the thrill of impending victory.

It's so close, he can practically taste it! Now that his brother's big butt wasn't blocking the glorious view of their rocky finish line, the bulky boy almost had himself convinced that he was flying now, no less weightlessly than the distant birds that circled overhead. He was faster than the most majestic zebra stallion, and this final charge was more ground-shaking than anything a stampeding elephant could manage! The world whipped by him at the speed of light, a grand illusion disturbed only by Güelle's heat threatening to creep past his right flank, his teeth only urging Diego onwards and upwards at a faster, harder pace, the rhythm of his breath barely able to keep up with his rapid strides.

"Hey" He shouts indignantly when the nip grazes his skin, hind legs kicking out to try to shove the other boy back. Another 'clever' move to put himself a little further ahead, though his so-called 'tactics' would backfire on him this time, disrupting his too-fast pace and causing him to stumble. Precious seconds were lost as his claws tore harshly at earth and gravel, raking over stone with a high-pitched sound as he frantically bounded forward to try to keep his lead.

So close. He was so close.

+10 - exercise to gain strength
+10 - discuss a battle strategy
+10 - maintain your weapons

I'm pushin' you back but still you ain't gone

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