Sea let out a little sigh as she batted around an empty tortoise shell, her paws expertly tapping it from side to side. She'd been raised in the Kwa Kikombe and as such had been born with the shell in her paws. Every waking day was practice, practice, practice and, while she loved the game, she couldn't help but feel as though she was lacking something. She was a player, an offensive one at that, so she needed to be on her A game if she ever wanted to make a big impression. She paused and let the shell slide to a stop on its own before taking a running start to attack it. She tapped it lightly, swiftly, back and forth between her paws as she darted down the practice field, dodging invisible opponents to the net. With a final kick she sent it rocketing into the goal, but there was no smile on her face. Instead her ears pressed against her head and she murmured to herself as she went to retrieve the shell. What was wrong? A sudden noise made her lift her head in surprise, and she glanced to the sound of applause. Her face heated up as she realized who it was: Taji. The Player Overseer. Oh no...he'd seen her do so poorly!
The large lion continued to clap, smiling at the young wild dog. She was quick on her feet, that much was certain! Wild dogs specialized in agility, and Sea was no exception with her shell skills and lightness on her feet. This was why he loved his pride so much. Each animal had something special to offer. Lions were powerhouses and it took a talented goalie to stop their smashing hits. Cheetahs were lightning quick, amazing on break-aways and chasing down loose shells. Leopards could play in the long, strenuous games without needing breaks as often as some of the other creatures. Hyenas were intense. You could always count on them to pick up the pace when it was needed, or get into a scrap with another player. Wild dogs were the agile ones, preforming incredible maneuvers in and out of the other players, making them look like cubs on a hunt.
"Bravo, my dear!" he called out, his booming voice making a few birds fly from a nearby tree. "Magnificent skills. I can tell you've been practicing." He got to his feet and headed down to the practice field, tail bobbing back and forth behind him as he went.
Sea began to tremble slightly as Taji came down closer to her. She hadn't been so close to either leader of her pride and it was slightly intimidating, especially because she knew of Taji's performance in his youth on the fields. He had been an incredible Player, with offense as his specialty, but he had been put in all three rolls when the times had called for it. She bobbed her head in greeting, trying not to wag her tail too hard. Maybe he could give her some pointers!
"Thank you," she said once he was within earshot. She didn't have a powerful voice like he did, so it wouldn't carry nearly as far. "I can't help but feel as though I'm lacking in some degree, though."
The little confession made Taji frown as he reached the small wild dog's side. "Lacking? Oh, I wouldn't go so far as to say lacking. Perhaps certain skills need polishing," he said, waving a paw in the air. "Everyone needs to stay up on their training, in all aspects. Not just what they're naturally born with. Take you, my dear, for example. A wild dog finds it as easy to howl as it is to run circles around a lion with a shell. But what about that hit at the end there?" He nodded towards the goal. "A powerful hit for a wild dog, but very easy to stop for a goalie. Strength is something a wild dog lacks, my dear."
Sea's ears lifted as Taji spoke. She didn't like when people beat around the bush, so to hear it straight from him was a blessing. She nodded in agreement. Perhaps that's what it was...
"So...instead of spending my time practicing my shell handling, I should work on strength training?" she asked, wanting to make sure she understood correctly. She tilted her head just a bit, wagging her tail. That was so simple! Why hadn't she thought of that before? Her mother had always told all of her pups to practice what they weren't good at, but to her that just seemed silly. Why would you work on the things you weren't good at when you could make the things you WERE good at even better? Now that she was older, however, that advice started to make sense.
Taji chuckled softly and nodded. "Yes, my dear, but don't neglect your skills! It's best to be well-rounded as much as you can. Working on your strengths is important, just as working on your weaknesses. To be the best, you must put in all the time and effort you can." He gave her a little wink as he wrapped his tail around the shell, curling it tightly before sending it flying down the field to the opposite goal. It sunk into the goal and rattled off the wooden stakes in the back before settling into the small ditch.
Sea turned to watch the shell fly, her jaw dropping as it hit it's mark. They were easily three quarters of the way down the field, and normally accuracy and precision was a wild dog skill, not a lion's. Their strength made it hard to be precise sometimes. It was clear Taji had practiced what he preached, and she wondered just how good he was. She turned back to the large lion and grinned up at him. "Thank you so much, Taji! I'll be sure to practice my weaknesses too."
"That's the spirit of a great player in the making!" Taji said with a laugh as he reached out to pat Sea's head with a huge paw as he stood. "With determination like that there's nothing that can't stop you. Now get going, my dear. You've got some strength training to do." He watched her run off to retrieve the shell, chuckling as he left the field himself. Oh yeah. He still had it.
[FIN] 1067 wc
