Training by the Lake.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai had to get herself back into the rhythm of training. So she started to stretch out by the lake dressed in her training gear. She had on her long sleeved half jacket and her white band shirt that wrapped around her body snuggly as to hold her feminine aspects in place so they would not get in the way. Her dark brown baggy pants covered the lower part of her body. The fit perfectly and allowed just the right amount of room to move but not to be too tight. She had her belt on last with a small knife that she had made three years ago out of material that Flynn gave her and then her small water bottle and a couple odds and ends in a tiny brown pack. She was ready. She pulled on her dark brown gloves and took her fighting stance.

"Okay lets start with the basics, tree jumps" she said to herself and crouched on the ground jumping from the ground to the nearest tree. She leaped one by one from each until she got back to the shore. "Alright two by two" she said as she started the whole process over again. After about a half an hour she was already back to jumping around five tree branches apart, back to her status when she left Ireland. She didn't want to strain her body so when she got to shore she stopped for a breath.

"Alright now it's time to run on the water" she said. She got in the take off position her back to legs in a crouched position one behind the other and her front to hands on the ground the opposite of the back. She found that this was her fastest take off stance. She took a breath and pushed with lightning speed and ran half way through the lake before falling in. She let out a bark of frustration. "Alright I'll just have to do it again" she said as she started to swim back to shore.

[Puppy~Love]

It was around her sixty-third time across the lake and she still was only three fourths of the way there. When she crawled back onto shore she took a breath and walked back onto the snow covered grass. She fell down on her back and closed her eyes. "Dam I'm rusty" she said stretching out her limbs. She rolled over and stretched like a dog wagging her tail and closing her eyes. Laying on the ground she just noticed really how cold it was. "Hmm" she said getting up and walking to a near by bush. She pulled some dry leaves out and some dry twigs before pulling out two pieces of flint from her pack. She started to spark them and soon had a fire going. She stripped off her clothes until she was completely naked and went and dived into the water. Surfacing about twenty feet out she took a deep breath and dived as deep as she could looking around for fish. She saw one in the corner of her eye and struck at it clamping it down in her mouth before coming back up for air. She swam towards shore and dropped it on the edge, far enough away from the water that the fish would be able to flop back in. She dove down once more searching until she came across a second fish, where she clamped down on it with her mouth moving agilely through the water. As she rose to the surface she swam back to shore with it in her mouth before hitting the bank and then cracking it spine. She climbed out of the water and shook her body as to get all the water off.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai walked over to her clothes and pulled them back on. She picked up her fish and cracked the other one's spine for good measure. She put them both on sticks before sticking them in the ground over the fire. It would take about three minutes for them to brown and five to be cooked perfectly, that means she has five minutes to finally get this right.

She took a deep breath and took her running stance. "1, 2, 3" she said and took off as fast as she could. Feeling the wind blowing at her face her legs numb to sensation, she felt like she was flying, she was truly happy when she ran. She could feel the speed increase. She was getting back to her speed. She was half way through the lake now. She kept pushing.

Almost there.

Just a couple more feet.

Just as she was about to touch the shore she tripped up and went full speed into the lake. When she got back up to the surface, she scowled at herself. "What a rookie mistake" she said to herself swimming to the other end. When she got on shore she took a breath. She had to go back now. So she got back in her running stance and took off. The second time going vastly better as she made it to the other side. "Not the speed I wanted, but I got across, that's a start" she said before sitting down and pulling one of the fish out of the fire. Night was going to be on her in a couple hours, and as soon as that happened she'd have to start preparing to go into the woods. She let out a sigh as she bit down into the fish, ripping the flesh from its bones and chewing it down.

[Magneto]

The old man pulled hard on his ores and brought his rowboat to turn quickly around nearby the frozen shore. Looking behind him as the bow of the tiny boat swung around he smiled at the young lady and nodded as he pulled his ores into the boat.

Adjusting his cap so that the ear flaps covered his head properly and pulling his collar up around them to keep them in place he reached for his fishing rod.

He looked up at her again and gave her a big 'thumbs up' as a 'thank you' for showing him where the fish were. The thumb of his woolen mitten was worn through so the pink of his skin could be seen poking through. It was cold with the freshly fallen snow, but the fish didn't seem to know it yet. His breath hung frosty in the air showing him to be winded from his paddling, yet he smiled as if he was ever happy to be alive.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai bit into the fish staring blankly at the old man. He gave her a thumbs up and pulled out a fishing rod. 'Oh he's looking for fish, well that thing won't catch any of them' she thought as she ate the rest of her first fish. She started to think about the other things she needed to do for training. Swimming would build her leg and arm muscles and this might help her in her running across the lake. She picked up the second fish and started to eat it. After swimming she should try running across the lake again and then set up an agility course. If she keeps working like this she will be ready to enter the forest by 5 am. That is if her progress increases, if not, well she will have to keep training here into the night.

Lurai finished the last of her fish and started to gather some sticks. She picked up her knife and started to whittle away the ends creating a two prong fork like holder for the other two sticks. She posted four of them around the fire and placed two on top creating a rack for her clothes. She stripped off her clothes and placed them above the fire, high enough not to burn them, but to help them dry, she didn't want to be wet when she went into the woods. She walked over to the lake, her pale skin glistening in the light. She took a run towards the water and dived in. She would train fighting underwater after a couple laps, the resistance would be good. She started to swim laps going around the lake instead of straight across, this way she would maximize her distance.

[Magneto]

The old man, curious as to what the strange looking girl was doing, watched her gather her sticks and build her little rack. When she began to strip down he averted his gaze until she dove into the chilly nearly freezing water. Knowing the splash would have upset the nearby fish he called out to her.

"Eh- nice day for it young lady..." as he raised his hand to be friendly.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai paused mid stroke and looked at the man. She dove under the water searching for some fish. Funny thing was certain animals were terrified of her and others weren't, because of her agility in the water the fish never seemed ridiculously bothered by her, which helped with catching them. She swam up to one quickly and chomped down on it and surfaced from the water. She swam over to the mans boat. She pulled herself up on the side and dropped the fish. "They'll still be around here, don't worry, they're not bothered by me" she said simply before dropping back into the water and starting her laps once more. She had to stay on schedule if she was going to get stronger.

[Magneto]

"Oh, but look what you've done here dear- you've hurt it..." The man looked down on the fish, seemingly saddened. "How will it survive with tooth holes through it?"

The man caught a closer glimpse of her. Wet, her ears and hair took on an entirely different look, less cute puppy- more half drowned rodent. He chuckled a bit knowing that's what all animal look like wet and thinking it amusing that this lovely child have the same appearance.

[Puppy~Love]

She stopped mid stroke and turned around. "What need would a fish be alive?" she asked confused as to why this man would want to keep it alive, after all fish were meant to be eaten. She swam back towards the boat. She didn't have time for this, but part of strength was knowledge, or at least that was what Riker told her. She pulled on the side of the boat and shook out her hair. The wind grazed her naked back. She felt a chill go up her spine. Her eyes widened, she could sense danger near, but really wasn't sure where it was, after all she didn't just get cold, she was a wolf, naturally warm blooded.

[Magneto]

"A wonderful question, if I may turn it back to you and ask-'What need would an old man, or a dog-girl ...if that's what ye are?-for bein' alive, HHmmm?" He looked at her raising an eyebrow.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai stared at him suspiciously. "I have my reasons as I'm sure you, we all have a need in life, that is our driving factor" she paused for a moment before asking her thoughts. "Who are you? I may not know much about humans, but I do know they don't just go fishing out in the middle of a frozen pond" she said staring at the man. "There are not many fish either, any person who comes here often, as it appears you do as there are traces of your scent in a couple places, would know such a thing." She let go of the boat falling back into the water. She shook her head. This was not important, she had to get back to her training. "Either way, it's of little importance to me, if you'll excuse me, I have to train." she dunked under the water before surfacing a couple inches away. She still had laps to go.

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai swam away and started on her laps once more. She swam less like a person and more like a dog. She did what she naturally knew would keep her afloat. As she made her way around the lake she thought about what the old man. Dam if it didn't make her blood boil. 'Focus Lurai' she thought to herself. 'Just focus.' She dove farther into the water. She let some air out of her lungs so she'd sink to the bottom. When she hit the ground she started to do some attacks. First pouncing and then clawing. She thought about the books she read about fighting, how humans did it. She tried to incorporate some of the things from the book in her moves.

A couple minutes later she pushed off from the ground and swam to the surface. "Four minutes. A new record" she said to herself as she panted heavily. The oxygen sweet to her empty lungs.

[Magneto]

"And quite a record it is young one. I've considered your question and I do have my reasons for fishing in winter, and I can tell you - it has little to do with catching fish for food" he offered. "If I may ask, why do you swim in a nearly frozen lake? I know about that place over there- I thought they had a pool for you..." *ahem*he cleared his throat "... kids."

[Puppy~Love]

Lurai turned back to the old man. "It's what I'm use to" she said simply. She swam back over to him out of curtsy. She could hear him absolutely fine with her ears, but because of his age and from what Flynn told her, since he'd yell at her to speak up all the time, she knew he wouldn't be able to hear him well. She pulled herself up onto the boat's edge again.

So he knew about the school? That seemed somewhat odd to her, but she didn't think too much of it. "I can deal with cold" she added as she stared at the man. The closer she got the easier it was to get his smell down to the last molecule.

[Magneto]

"Oh, well then, that's a very good thing I suppose." the old man said to her and smiled as she clung to the side of his smal craft. "What, may I ask, are you doing anyway? Just having a little swim?"

The old man's eyes glanced at the school in the distance. A thought occured to him....