[Warai Ameko]

The nights in Sunagakure were a different beast to the days. Whereas the desert sun baked the land, the moon's gaze upon the village was cool and gentle. At least, on those evenings where it did not become a chilling gale. Fortunately, this was not one of such evenings. The weather was tepid, calm, and altogether pleasant. Such was not the case for the young woman who was ostensibly enjoying the night. Blue eyes flared with surprising rage as she beat against a makeshift training dummy. The official facilities were not exactly forbidden to Ameko's use, but she found that she had to deal with less questions when she elected to undertake her own training away from the prying eyes of other ninja. Of course, the streets and alleys were still filled with curious eyes, but the gaze of stray dogs and the occasional drunken vagrant weren't her concern. Discussion was. People, she wasn't in the mood to deal with, not when their pointers were so often useless. She wasn't some sort of soft-bellied elemental ninjutsu wielder. Sure, she utilised fire where necessary, but first and foremost she needed to perfect her body. And her two hyena companions were extensions of that body.

Of course, they did not strike at the training dummy as she did. Instead electing to lull and laze about in the alley, ears and noses alert but eyes otherwise closed or glazed. They were good companions, but the ongoing palm strikes against a haphazard caricature made of sandbags and reeds, that was all her.

She struck once, feeling the tremor run up her left arm, and then she struck again, feeling that same tremor in her right. The metronome repeated, creating a dull rhythm that climbed the sides of the alley and escaped into the streets at large.

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

It wasn't much to actually get out of the Kage Tower, though with so much to regulate, it did take much of the day. With the new leader, and much of her own responsibilities being toward managing much of the shift in that regard, Arashi was hardly able to get moments to herself. It was harder than before, though not impossible when she used her time wisely. Plus, it helped that she wasn't as in a rush to get back home. With her family no longer living in the manor, her father had taken up much of the time in looking after things with him now being home more often. Which was a relief, and it didn't require Arashi to have to stay there anymore... It was truly an end of an era...a long one... Not to say that she regretted it, but having a sense of independence suited her fine... Though now she had to worry about her dogs, and often they wandered freely without the kennel as a base...So it was up to her to go on a mission of collecting them. "Okay...Jai...Kai..Bai...Ai...Nai...Wai...Zai..." With the trail of hounds at her back, Nai seemed to lead ahead of them as she sniffed out the remaining canine with her usual motherly nature. In truth, it wasn't so much that Arashi worried about them coming home. It was just that they were used to a certain location, and it was still an adjustment for all of them to an apartment on the opposite end of town. Though naturally, the last one being Yai was usually in one place sleeping so it wouldn't be too hard to spot her. Holding her hands behind her head, the Jounin would then blink as she noted the sounds resonating from close by. The continual punching was hard to miss, leading to her promptly to it's location. It wasn't too unusual for fights to break out so close to the outskirts, but it still wasn't like she was going to let it happen without some understanding of what was going on. Thankfully, most of the time it wasn't over anything serious so there was no reason for her to drag someone in. So upon coming to the location, seeing a young girl striking at what looked like a makeshift dummy, the young woman would blink for a moment as she watched, leaning against the wall as she tilted her head to the side. Though that wasn't the only thing of interest, as Yai seemed to have noted the same thing as the dog would sniff out the air as she came out from behind a crate. "Huh...so thats where ya were.." Looking down at her, she'd see the Hyenas posted close to the girl, a calm expression resting on her face as she continued to watch her. She wasn't a stranger to striking, that was for sure. Training clearly had been given to her. But her blows were being powered by emotion. It had been enough to echo into the streets, and even the walls were starting to rattle a bit from their vibrations. With her pack now seeming to watch this as well, Arashi would then shake her head before then releasing a breath as she at least could tell that she wasn't exactly in a place that was open. With the many spots for her to go, she had picked this place specifically to probably try and be alone. A familiar feeling. As Nai would gently nudge into Arashi, the woman would look at her with a blank expression. "What? No..." Nai would then nudge her again, seemingly trying to tell her something, which the Suna nin wasn't inclined to do. "I'm not doing that...she wants to be alone...let her be..." With another nudge from the large wolf, Arashi would then sigh as she whistled in the girl's direction. "Hey...ya keep hittin it like that and ya break somethin..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-


-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Ameko's blows continued in their pattern, each one aligned with a steady breath. Her arms ached, but she could see the damage she was doing to the dummy. With each strike, it would fray further, coming closer and closer to collapse. Her focus was singular, each ounce of her conscious being put into the repetitive motions. Besides, there was little need for her to be on the lookout when her bond mates were around. She would have liked to claim that was the reason that she did not notice the stranger and her pack of dogs approaching, a conscious choice to leave her familiars to scan her surrounds. But the truth was she was merely engrossed in her own head and physicality. She had allowed her senses to dull.

Fortunately, those of the hyenas did not. Yuki tasted the air, the darker of the two hyenas raising his head from his paws as if to try to locate a rather peculiar mix of scents. Stray dogs were common, but not in such numbers, and he chittered to himself as if trying to figure out a puzzle. Ameko did not notice the vocalisation but Kōri did, the scrawnier of the animals too raising his head. But it as merely curiosity that drew them, and not to such a degree tat they saw fit to warn their master. They may have been in an alleyway but that did not mean that people were utterly absent.

The whistle changed that.

For years, Ameko had communicated to her hyenas through whistles. The sound prompting an order. Track, heel, kill. This whistle did not originate from their bondmate, in fact, it came from an utterly different source. Both hyenas bounded to their feet, Kōri's lips splitting into a soundless snarl.

Ameko did not react to the whistle, she was too lost in her own world, in the sound of her own hands against burlap. But the movement of the hyenas out of the corner of her eye did draw her attention, she ceased and pivoted in a singular movement. It was not an elegant move, and she knocked into the dummy as she did so, but it was swift.

The woman before her needed no introduction, not when her reputation preceded her so. Ameko had hardly been a good student, nor had she paid much in the way of attention to her clan's lessons on goings on and politics. Not that the Warai were exactly a politically apt nor influential clan. But even she recognised the Desert Rose, least of all due to the huge amount of dogs that accompanied her.

And she was speaking to Ameko. Too off-guard to be taken aback, Ameko merely quirked her head at the comment from the woman.

"Breaking something's the idea, 'aint it? I'm trying to break the dummy," The words left her mouth before she could properly think, and they continued before she could process what she was saying, "Don't think you can do much in the way of fixing something by hitting it, can you?"

Kōri punctuated her sentence with a vocal snarl, and it was only then that Ameko realised exactly who she was talking to. She whistled then spoke, "Down." Unable to find the words to continue to speak to the Oonakayama, but more than contented to order her hyena to be quiet.

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

"Well...technically yea...but with a training dummy...usually the goal is to work on precision strikes...just sayin..." Shrugging her shoulders, Arashi would approach as she looked toward the Hyenas as they appeared to calm themselves at the command of their lead. It was similar to her relationship with her pack, though she imagined that these two had been a bit more trouble than most of her dogs. Still, if she hadn't been used to wild animals, she'd probably be freaking out over the fact that this girl had two hyenas at her beck and call. Looking over the dummy so far, it looked as if it had been getting hit with hammers for a good hour. The indents upon it's surface showed the impact of the girl's strikes, proving that she did have an admirable amount of strength. So with her question of if she knew how to fix somethin by hitting it, the dark haired female would raise her brow before clicking her tongue. "Aside from punchin the pieces back in? Nope...can't say I've seen it..." In saying this, Arashi would then raise her hand as sand began to form around the dummy, adding more padding to it as she then let it settle into place on the fixture. It wasn't much, but it might hold it together a bit longer as she then smirked. "Try aiming for weak points...better than brute forcing it...and ya save on energy..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-


-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

The older woman approached, and Ameko watched as the hackles on Kōri's neck rose further. Yuki, for his part, was as amiable as ever, which of course, meant he chittered and cackled as the stranger drew nearer. Ameko whistled and hissed, indicating to both animals to relax their postures, which they did, for the most part. Sheepishly she considered the fact that she would need to revisit how she disciplined the animals. There was being protective, and there was being insubordinate, the latter was likely to get someone's hand bitten off. Still, they seemed to get the message, and retreated further away from Arashi, heads lower to the ground.

"Yeah but precision don't mean shit if the hits don't have power behind 'em," Ameko answered the advice with indignation in her voice. It probably wasn't wise to mouth off to a woman who was not only her senior but most likely the most dangerous shinobi in the village, but Ameko wasn't exactly known for her decision-making.

But any further excuse was silenced by the manipulation of sand around the dummy. Ameko jumped back from where she was standing, surprise and fear mixing across her face in a mask. Again, she was reminded who exactly she was speaking to. She may have spent most of her youth outside of the village proper, but that didn't mean that people didn't talk. Oonakayama Arashi was feared for a reason. She was powerful. That meant that she was to be feared, but more importantly, it meant that she likely knew what she was talking about.

Ameko could continue to give the woman lip, or she could cease looking a gift camel in the mouth and take the pointer.

Her mouth was somewhat dry as she nodded, "Yeah, right, whatever you say... Weak points."

Inhaling deeply, she turned her attention away from the woman and her dogs, allowing her hyenas to serve as her eyes once again, and turned toward the sand-covered dummy. It was hardly an accurate representation of the human form, but there were still joinings. Where the imitation of a head met the imitation of the body. She relaxed onto her toes, then struck.

Knuckle collided with sand, and Ameko could feel the grains and the burlap grazing her skin. But she ignored it, following the blow with more in quick succession. Pulling her hands away, she could sense the redness growing against her tanned skin, but more than that, she could see where she had worn away the sand to reveal the dummy beneath.

Daring not to look at the woman, Ameko launched another punch, "Why are you helping me anyway?"

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

"Wanna bet?" Arashi would raise her brow as the girl seemed ready to throw off the suggestion with more than a bit of attitude. Still, it wasn't as if she was just saying this stuff to fill in dead air. It was from experience...and something she had to learn the hard way more than once in a fight. Arashi had never been a close quarters fighter. If anything, when she was about the girl's age, she was way too thin and physically out of shape. Of course, training had changed that and doing so within the desert with the Saeko had only helped her in the long run. Still, before she could even do that, she had learned about how to accurately time her strikes and focus on the weak points of the body. These were areas where if the target didn't go down, they'd be hurting regardless. As she looked over to the Hyenas, seeming them whine a bit at the scolding they had received, she'd then return her attention at the young fighter as she began, aiming her strikes directly for the head and apparently nothing else. She'd continually hammer into it, to the point where even her knuckles were starting to glow red, but she'd get to the meat of the dummy beneath the sand cover, prompting it to grow back over it's surface as she finally seemed to ask just why she was even helping at all. "Cause I hate seein wasted potential...hold off a sec before ya break a nail..." In saying this, Arashi would move beside her as she pointed towards where the girl was hitting, gesturing with her hand as she looked at her calmly. "Ya pack a mean punch, but ya focus on only one area and just hammer into it...which is great...but ya fast enough that ya can move around and other targets too...ones that will leave less of a bruise on ya..." Reeling back, Arashi would partially curl her hand as she aimed a strike under the chin, then used another claw like strike against the area beneath it's arm. As her movements increased in speed, she'd move from the chin, chest, under arm, and forehead in three rapid motions, stopping as she then looked at her with a smirk. "Precision...it means going for the most accurate and most effective strike that will either end the fight or make em wish the fight was over..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-
NAME: Inu no shirushi
[Mark of Dog]

RANK: D

CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low

CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu

ELEMENT: N/A

DESCRIPTION:

A basic technique that is similar to that of a slashing motion, the user is capable of extending their hand in the direction of an opponent. It involves the hand being clenched slightly to the point where it's fingers are bend to resemble a shape close to that of a claw. The clawing strike strength is capable of breaking the skin, and can also act as a defensive action in redirection of a physical strike by use of the extended forearm.


-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Ameko stepped aside, shaking her aching hands and mumbling incoherently under her breath. Was she really being lectured in the middle of the night on proper striking technique? She knew how to strike. She had been striking for all her life. Since she was a child, she had wrestled and sparred with both other children and those animals with which she had been raised. Sure, her strategy had always been to rely on brute strength to overpower her opponents, but it had worked. She had been hoping to escape from prying eyes and busybodies when she'd elected to undertake her training in the middle of a deserted alleyway, yet she'd managed to be set upon by a curious superior and half a dozen pairs of prying eyes. She was irritated. But moreso, she was irritated because she knew Arashi was right. Brute strength was excellent, but applied brute strength was better.

The girl bit the inside of her cheek as the more experienced ninja explained the need to vary her strikes, and then demonstrated such a blow. It was an impressive hit, a sort of slash that Ameko had not expected to see from a human hand. She was familiar with claws, she had grown up with them, and had she not known better she would have sworn the woman's hand itself was of the same make as that of her own hyenas. Slashing strikes, clawed attacks that targeted vitals. Sure, the dummy had no such vitals, but the principle was there. 

Impressed, and forgetting her earlier worries, Ameko merely nodded, "Makes sense. Like biting out the throat or severing a spine, no?" Her eyes turned toward her now relaxed hyena companions, "The quicker you deal the lethal blow, the quicker the fight is over... Precision..."

Ameko hissed through her teeth, took a fighting stance and struck again. This time her first blow was aimed at what would have been the windpipe, the second at the diaphragm, then the third and fourth aiming to hit beneath the ribs. She did not have the ability to stop an opponent from breathing by tearing them apart with her teeth, but she could do the next best thing with the blunt instruments she had available.

Grinning she turned to Arashi, showing her outstretched hands, "Better? And see, no broken nails. Not that I bloody well care about that, not like nails are worth much of nothing anyway, they're not claws."

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

With a nod, Arashi would confirm that the display now was much better, and it appeared that she was far better off than she was before. At the very least, it was something that the girl could put her mind toward, minus the concern of nails as it seemed like it wasn't something she really valued. Yea...say that in like three years... Appearance aside, some value came from how you presented yourself and that was in both demeanor and self-representation. Another lesson she had to learn and it was strange that she was now projecting it on someone else. Life was rough when you almost had to live and learn everything on your own. Arashi had been there, and it was a boon that people had enough care to question her on it and even given her things to consider. As Arashi would look over toward the Hyenas, she'd smile at them before then looking back toward the Stray pack, who were still waiting for her as she then placed her hands behind her head. "Anyway...just food for thought...ya look like ya wanted to be alone so I'll leave ya to it..." In saying that, she'd then tilt her head as she considered for a moment the fact that she'd not even introduced herself. "I'm Arashi by the way...though if ya ever want more pointers...try watching your friends there..." Nodding her head downward toward the two beasts at her feet, Arashi would flash a toothy grin as she began to walk back toward the canines as they barked in anticipation. "Did wonders for me when I started out..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-
NAME: Inu no shirushi
[Mark of Dog]

RANK: D

CHAKRA USAGE: Very Low

CLASSIFICATION: Taijutsu

ELEMENT: N/A

DESCRIPTION:

A basic technique that is similar to that of a slashing motion, the user is capable of extending their hand in the direction of an opponent. It involves the hand being clenched slightly to the point where it's fingers are bend to resemble a shape close to that of a claw. The clawing strike strength is capable of breaking the skin, and can also act as a defensive action in redirection of a physical strike by use of the extended forearm.


-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Ameko smiled at the tacit approval she received. The nod may not have been a spoken word, but it was the most approval that she had gained in their short interaction, and she beamed with pride. Turning her attention back to the dummy she struck again, once again at the wind pipe, albeit this time with her palm. If she could perfect preventing her opponent from breathing... well they wouldn't exactly be able to fight, no?

In her distraction, she hadn't noticed the casual exit of the older woman, and Ameko found herself longing for more pointers. In but a few minutes, she'd had her technique corrected and witnessed an almost casual display of a decidedly interesting technique.

"Wait!" Ameko called, voice shriller than she would have otherwise liked, "What- what do you mean watch the hyenas? You mean that slash thing you did?"

Ameko's head pivoted from her own hyenas to the pack that continued to idle some distance away. Had the older woman somehow managed to imitate the movements of her own companions? Ameko was familiar with some such techniques, but she had never really considered herself capable of properly emulating the attacks used by her more feral partners. Her body simply wasn't built for it.

"Is that why I'm not supposed to break nails?" She wondered aloud, half to herself, and half to the girl before her, "Here I thought you were just being prissy."

Once again, she remembered who she was talking to, and remembered that she had not introduced herself, even as the other woman had, "Oh, shit yeah, nice to meet you, Arashi. Although, I know who you are," Ameko rubbed the back of her head, "Everyone does. The uh... the sand gives it away, even if I thought you'd be taller."

"Ameko," She added, "Warai Ameko. That's Yuki, that's Kōri," She nodded in turn, then giggled slightly. "Get it?"

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

"Ya callin me short?" Arashi would smirk as her hand rested on her hip, looking over toward the girl as she began to introduce herself and her two Hyenas. As she laughed at the meaning behind their names being Ice and Snow, she'd then gesture for her pack to join her as the group of dogs would stop at her back, her eyes looking at them with a grin as she nodded toward each of them. Granted, while she may have had an small bit of renown due to her rather unique display of sand, her pack had shared a bit of such fame but not to that degree. Which, in fairness, she thought was for the best as she didn't want them feeling any more pressure than she did in dealing with such titles. "Anyway...well met...This is Nai, Bai, Kai, Wai, Zai, Yai, Jai and the little one is Ai..." Pointing towards the small terrier as he happily barked in acceptance of his name, sitting himself next to the large Nai as he scratched at his fur with a backfoot and hanging tongue. In this, Arashi would then place one hand beneath her face as she began to look to the side as she recalled with she had done back then. It was easier now when she thought of just how she replicated her pack's movements and simply used it in defending herself. But at the time, she wasn't exactly relying on it for just defense. She had done far more with it. Stealing, running, jumping, hiding, threatening and even biting. Of course, hardly behavior she'd want someone to try themselves unless needed, and it was hardly practical considering it was possible that Ameko wasn't living on the streets like she had been. She was rough around the edges sure, but then name Warai wasn't without merit. Though...the same could be said of Oonakayama also... "What I meant was...more than the nails...ya wanna try using their movements...how Yuki and Kori behave in a fight...What I use...which is similar to how the pack acts, was mostly influenced by watching how they moved and reacted in a street fight...which made it possible to mix things up and not focus on one single spot to attack...." Closing her eyes, the young woman would then smirk as she then shrugged her shoulders as she then looked at Ameko with a grin. "I can show ya if ya want...and if it suits ya...ya can use it or improve on it what ways ya want..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-



-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

"Just thought the Desert Rose would be taller, y'know, to strike fear into the hearts of Sunagakure's enemies before crushing them with sand?" Ameko answered, stretching out her aching hand as she spoke, "'Aint that what the stories about you are?"

Ameko shook her hand loose, and allowed it to rest by her side. The dogs approached, and both hyenas reacted instantly. The larger of the two's tongue lolled out of his mouth, his appearance almost puppy-like at the concept of meeting new and strange animals, whilst his brother's hackles once again raised. Ameko did not bother correcting their behaviour, she'd ordered them down, they would not lunge unless necessary and that hardly seemed to be the case here. As for the girl, she nodded as each of the members of the pack were introduced. On more than one occasion she had been told her names for her own bondmates were childish, of course, seeing a well respected shinobi laugh at her objectively hilarious names had assuaged any doubt she may have had in child Ameko. But that did not take away from the fact that Ameko baulked at the concept of remembering so many rhyming names. Ai, Nai, Bai... Kai? The girl feigned sage knowledge, nodding her head along with each name as most of them went in one ear and out the other. She could parse the dogs apart by sight, but there were simply too many names for her to make a decent attempt at memorising them. She would need to subtly try to assign each name to each dog later. At least the smallest one and the biggest one would be easy.

But where the was dishonesty in how she reacted to the explanation of each name, her nods in response to the explanation of the technique held no such illusion. What Arashi was saying made sense, she emulated how her pack fought, how they acted when engaging in fights on the street. Of course, Ameko had never actually been involved in a street fight. But she had seen hunts. She knew how a pack acted, she knew how a hyena acted when cornering prey. And hyenas hunted lions.

Her grin matched Arashi's as she responded to the offer, "Yes. Please do."

The chance to learn a new technique. A chance to take that technique and build off it. It was a gift. One that she would be utterly foolish to turn down. Strength was not created in a day, if she wanted to the be best, which she did, she needed to take every opportunity afforded to her.

"I must admit, the rumours about you... They aren't quite accurate, are they? Not just the height thing."

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

A grin crossed the young woman's lips in hearing these supposed stories about her being some larger than life figure that struck terror into her foes before crushing them under sand. It was funny how tales worked in terms of people that had never been face to face. Of course, in this instant, most of it was true. Maybe not the height, but what she had done. It wasn't pretty, but some things required that you had to make such a stance. Otherwise, she doubted half Kaze no kuni wouldn't take her seriously. "Heh heh...most of it is....but rumors be what they are...ya ready?" If the girl did so, Arashi would take a stance as she drew her hands outward. The motion was smooth in it's transition, reflecting the similar position of her hands as she had done against the dummy. With her fingers closing in slightly, their presentation was similar to that of a talon, yet still open enough to allow for their extension if needed. "This style is called Mark of Dog...it goes into the concept of using swift strikes toward lethal outcomes. The motions themselves are driven with purpose, much like a punch, but in the end, your using more than just the brute force of their impact. Your hand has to be open enough to react and change with each strike..." As she shoot her hand out, she'd then draw it back in as she twisted it to the side while still holding the same position of her fingers. "It can be launched as a strike and a defense, acting to disarm, as well as harm. Or in other cases...give ya target a broken jaw or worse...how it's used is regarding just where ya trying to hit..and if you push your fingers in...you can even rip and tear flesh...just like a bite..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-



-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

Ameko nodded, she was ready. Her blue eyes hardened to stones as her brow furrowed in concentration. The young woman's hands formed into shapes resembling talons, curled but still somewhat open. Ameko had been unable to get a good look at the technique that Arashi had used against the dummy earlier, and took the opportunity to examine the particulars of the hand positioning. And, as the more experienced shinobi continued to spook, she turned that focus to listening. Strike swiftly, adjust the movement, shift and adapt. Ameko's eyes shifted from Arashi to the pack of stray dogs that had accompanied her. Did dogs hunt in the same way hyenas did? Attacks to the flanks, the group shifting like an ever-flowing body of water? Strike and disengage, drawing attention from one's packmates? It was a logical basis for a technique.

Her gaze settled on her own hyenas for a moment. Maybe they had further techniques they could teach her. They had been raised such that they would act as extensions of herself, almost humanlike in their combat strategy. Maybe reverting and acting in a more feral manner would prove just as, if not more, effective.

"A bite..." She muttered to herself, repeating the last word the woman had said. So much of a hyena's attacking power relied on their bites. Maybe she could use that for herself.

Ameko rolled her neck, allowing pops and cracks to sound out throughout the alley, before she dropped into a stance. Outstretching her hands, she slightly curled her fingers, drawing them into an imitation of the claw-like hape that Arashi had demonstrated. Holding them out in front of her, she asked simply, "Like this?"

[Oonakayama Arashi]

Paws and Claws TAG. Warai Ameko WORDS. xxx NOTES:

Arashi would watch as the girl mimicked her stance, drawing herself from her own as she walked over and examined it. She hadn't been this through with instructions since the academy, but the training was still there and this might be something that could be of use next to the girl strong right hook. But there was value in teaching, and it gave her something else to focus on, especially when it came to someone else. Better than her own drama at least. "Relax a bit...Remember...ya want ya fingers to be loose and able to change position. Unless ya tryin to grab someone. When ya bite down...you don't completely lock down ya jaw until ya start chewin right?" Raising her brow, she'd then take her stance beside her, placing herself back into the form as she extended her foot outward, gliding it slowly across the surface of the sand. "Now...follow my movement..." In saying this, she'd slowly begin by slash outward with one hand, drawing it back almost instantly as she then drew the other hand upward as though to block. With this finished, she'd then cross it over with the other, this one extended straight out as though to launch into a target. As she drew it back, both hands would cross each other as they lashed downward, stopping the formation as she made sure that Ameko was still following. "It gets faster the more ya use it, but it might add some variety to what ya got goin...and with what I saw...ya pack a punch..."

SPOILER: Click to show

-S.A Used-
Ultimate Defense

A Skill granted by her continued use and developed relationship with Shukaku over the continued use of his control over sand, Arashi has a stronger connection to the element, allowing her to use it at a much more intensive rate than before. As such, her defenses are much more adapt and capable of taking on stronger attacks and reinforcing itself at faster speed. This adaptation to the sand shield allows for it's reaction time to have increased and make it more challenging for attacks to connect and break through the first layer, while acting still on the natural inclinations of auto-repairing itself for the next strike.
-Jutsu Used-



-Items Used-

-Familiar Used-
Stray Pack

MADE BY VEL OF GS

[Warai Ameko]

She hissed, less a sound of frustration and more an unconscious releasing of air as she forced her body to relax. Unclenching her shoulders, allowing her thighs and calves to detense, she allowed all of her tension to focus in her core. When it came to hunting, she knew that the pack relied on instinct, not on intelligent thought. She needed to dig into that, but she also needed to find a way to properly imitate the move that she was being shown. The duality of the ideas, their incongruence caused her to tense further. She hissed again, exhaling, and threw away all such irrelevant thoughts. All she had to do was copy the movement, the rest would come later.

With that in mind, Ameko watched the demonstration, nodded, then attempted it herself. With a looser hand, she slowly mimicked the slashing motion of her instructor, before ripping it back, raising her other hand into an upper block motion as she did so. Before striking out again with her other hand, ensuring that she crossed her hands over, before bring them down in a crossed slash. The movement felt unfamiliar, sloppy even.

"Thanks," Ameko blushed, but her voice was mumbled. Seeing her strength complimented caused her tanned cheeks to turn a shade darker, but loathe as she was to admit it, strength was not the name of the game here.

"Wait, let me try it again," She blurted out, not allowing the other woman to say anything.

Re-centering herself, she once again exhaled. But she allowed herself to think of how her hyenas fought. A particular memory flashed into her mind. Yuki launching forward at a rogue male, the wild hyena darting out of the way to avoid his blow, only for the head of her familiar to whip around to bite at his flank in any event. To tense, to hold that pressure in her body would see her strength tied up into a singular strike. A strike that she would be unable to alter the course of.

Ameko visibly relaxed, even her core reducing it's tension. Bouncing once, then twice onto the balls of her feet, she settled her stance then moved again. The speed of the movement was not faster than her first attempt, but her imitation of Arashi's movement was better, and the awkwardness of her limbs seemed to have faded a bit, the motions more liquid. Finishing the cross-slash, she once again rolled her neck, the pops echoing.

"I don't have fangs..." She spoke, half to herself, and half to the older woman, "I always assumed that I'd need to rely on blunt strikes. Be the hammer against their anvil." Ameko jerked her head to the panting hyenas.

"But maybe I can be claws to their jaws... This is- you learned to fight like this from the pack, didn't you? You talk about imitating their movements, watching how they react in street fights. Why- Why are you and them getting involved in street fights anyway? Your clan 'aint exactly famous for raising dogs, you 'aint Warai, and you 'aint those Inu-nin from Konoha. How does someone who can control sand come to watch over strays?"