That that doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. Sea had heard the expression a few times before. Strength had never really concerned her up until recently. She had assumed her agility would carry her to stardom. While it was true that she was fantastic at shell handling, she knew she had a ways to go before she was anything spectacular. That was why Sea found herself heading to the training area an hour or so before the sun rose. She didn't want to be caught working hard in the middle of the day: that would surely burn her out faster than any sort of training would. The sun could be unforgiving after all, and even though there was a pool of cool water nearby, she didn't trust herself to take a break when she knew she'd need it. This way, she had a set time to work in, and when the sun was at midday, she'd stop. That was best way to do things, she told herself as she reached the training area.
Glancing around, bright green eyes came to rest on the strength area. There were large logs and boulders that she knew the lions worked with, but there were smaller things for the weaker species as well. Her eyes rested on a fairly dense but slim branch that she bet she could lift, and after squaring her shoulders, she moved over to it to size it up. There were already a few deep teeth marks in the wood at one end and, after further inspection, she decided that was where to start. She didn't pick it up right away, though. Any good athlete knew that stretching and warming up was required before any strenuous physical activity.
She started with a light jog around the training field. The dirt there was packed down from many paws running on it and it made a nice, hard surface, much like that of the playing fields she was used to. Once her heart rate was up she slowed to a gentle trot until she slid into a walk, at which point she turned back in to the training arena. She paused to do some stretching: her rump high in the air, she held the position for ten seconds to stretch out her front legs before leaning forward, her back legs now extended. She shook her feet one after the other after that, getting the blood flowing into her toes. Rolling her head and shoulders, she tensed and relaxed her muscles until they were warm and loose. Giving her tail a little shake, she decided she was ready for the real deal.
Heading over to the branch, she lowered her head and gripped the larger base with her powerful jaws. Sea closed her eyes and let out a slow breath before breathing in and lifting the branch. It wasn't too heavy, just as she had suspected, and with a determined air she began to walk backwards, pulling it along behind her. The long branch didn't get off the ground, but by dragging in the dirt it created more resistance for the wild dog. She made it to the end of the arena before turning around and heading back the other way. In her wake a long line was left, much like the path a snake might leave in the dust. She went back and forth two times before dropping the branch, panting heavily. Her neck and legs burned, but it was a good feeling. She could tell a few hours of this would help toughen her up.
For now, though, she needed a little breather. Making her way over to the pool, she waded in until the water lapped at her chest. She lowered her head and took a drink, sighing softly as the water soothed her aching muscles. Sea didn't rest for long, though. It was important to keep up your intensity when you were training, after all. She emerged from the water and gave herself a quick shake to rid herself of excess water before heading back to the branch. She picked up where she left off, dragging the long branch as she pulled. The pattern continued for hours: she'd pull the branch as far as she could, then take a break to relax her muscles. The sun was drawing close to midday by the time Sea collapsed on the ground, panting heavily. She was done, she could tell, and she was very proud of herself. Once she caught her breath, she stood and looked at the lines in the dirt. There were easily over thirty, back and forth across the field so many times! She was achy and sore but she knew it would pay off.
With a happy sigh she slid into the pool one last time. The sun had warmed the water so it was like a lovely, soothing den full of warm bodies for her to snuggle up against. She swam around for a while, letting her muscles cool down. That was as important as warming them up was after all. Not cooling down properly could lead to your muscles seizing up, and then you couldn't do much for a few days. That was the last thing she wanted. While strength was certainly her biggest weakness, she knew she had lots of other things to train up as well. Perhaps tomorrow she'd take a break from the more strenuous training and work on her strategy. She knew there were a few coaches around other than her mother that would hold sessions of Kikombe theory. While it was interesting, she never could find the time to attend their talks. Now would be as good a time as any! It was also important to keep your brain strong, after all.
She finally swam to the edge of the pool and shook herself free of any water clinging to her fur. She licked her lips as she headed off to the feeding area, hoping someone had brought in a fresh kill. She had worked hard all morning and now was starving. The last and also very important bit of training: eat well after to replenish lost nutrition and to help build muscle!
[FIN] WC 1032
