Emma bit her lip nervously as she was guided to a private training area outside, separate from the main training area. She stood by the door awkwardly while she waited for Rabbit to beckon her forward. Rabbit turned around to see her standing there, "There you are. Come forward." Emma smiled softly, happy to know how patient and kind she was or at least presented herself to be. Emma stepped out of the doorway and walked towards her, taking in the space and how large it was.
Emma bit her lip anxiously and asked, "So... um... W-What do you plan to teach me?" She looked down at the ground as she absentmindedly twisted her ring around her finger. Rabbit giggled at her, which made her look up at the demon worriedly, Did I say something funny?
"You don't need to be so nervous around me." She says, smiling at Emma softly.
"I-I know," Emma stutters out softly, "But I, um, just don't do very well when it comes to meeting new people..."
"That's fine, I just don't want it to hinder your training." She explains softly.
"I-It won't." Emma states, Probably.
"Anyways, I plan to teach you how to properly defend yourself. To do that, I need to see what you can do with your spirit."
Emma nodded and stood at attention, ready for her first lesson. Rabbit nodded back to the blonde before stepping back and pointing her staff at the ground between them. The orb on her staff began to glow a bright blue color as a large wisp snaked out from it into the air. Emma watched in awe as it took shape from being a simple cloud of magical smoke to being a large misty bear. The bear roared and the apprentice of Hecate instantly jumped back, scared by the loud sound. Rabbit brought her staff back to her side as the bear got on to all four of its paws, growling in Emma's direction, "This is an animal guardian, a personification of your inner strength and power. Once summoned, it will protect you with their life."
Emma stared at the bear before her, watching it peer into her soul with its pure white eyes and pant in anger. She tensed up and tried to keep herself from appearing afraid of the large creature. Rabbit placed her hand on her chest and nodded to the blonde, "Focus on your spirit. Feel it try to take shape and release it."
Emma looked down at her chest before closing her eyes. Before she even attempted to summon her animal guardian, she had to calm down and squash any remaining fear or anxiety. Emma took a few deep breaths, feeling her body relax and her mind clear, and she laid her hand over her heart. As she stood there, she could feel energy flow within her body, ebbing and weaving through her veins like a bloodstream. It felt incredibly odd to feel such sensations, but she continued to focus on her soul, trying to do as Rabbit asked.
At last, Emma latched onto a strange feeling in her chest, growing larger and larger with each breath she took. Soon, it became unbearable to keep it inside. She held her hand out, feeling it want to be released, and watched in shock as a white and lavender mist jutted out of her palm and landed on the floor, revealing a wolf who seemed to be as big as the bear, if not bigger. Despite its form being gaseous and ethereal, the fur that covered its body was glimmering in lavender while its claws, bared teeth, and eyes were a pure white, compared to the bluish-white of the bear.
The wolf let out a series of loud barks followed by a low growl in reply to the sight of the bear, standing proud and ready to attack at her command. Rabbit seemed surprised as well, gripping her staff in instinctual fear before inhaling deeply and taking in the sight of Emma's animal guardian, "Very good. Your spirit is strong." Emma smiled, happy to know that the size signified her power. She was shocked that she was able to match Rabbit's guardian, but the thought went away as Rabbit pointed her staff at Emma, "Attack!" Upon her command, the bear reared back on its hind legs, and let out a large roar before charging at the blonde's guardian. Emma quickly followed suit, commanding her animal guardian to attack Rabbit's.
Emma's guardian squatted on its four limbs before pouncing off the ground and charging forward as well. Both animals rammed their heads together and pressed against each other before the bear took a swipe at her wolf, forcing it to the side. She gasped as she felt pain hit her chest internally. She didn't get time to think on it, however. Emma became open as the bear continued to rush forward, naming her its target. Before it could reach her, however, her wolf leapt through the air and bit the bear's neck, causing it to fall to the side.
Emma watched in disbelief as her guardian took the bear down, shaking violently and causing the bear to release a roar of pain. Rabbit on the other hand, gripped her neck and let out a yelp of pain. "Rabbit!" Emma couldn't say any more before her wolf became victim to one of the bear's claws slamming into its body, forcing it off with a whine. She inhaled sharply as she felt a deep jab in her shoulder in the same spot where the wolf was hit, causing her to grip her arm and rub over the pain.
The bear got up onto its feet as did her guardian and they snarled at each other, circling one another to wind up with the bear back in front of Rabbit and her wolf in front of Emma. She was astonished at the event, straightening up and taking in what had happened. "Heel." Rabbit commanded the bear. The bear, who was growling before, stopped and simply kept a cold eye on her wolf, remaining in place as Rabbit stepped up beside it, "This is the power of an animal guardian. They obey and protect, but they are still connected to our spirit. What pain they feel, we feel as well."
Emma grimaced, calling for her guardian to stand down as well. While it seemed really cool and effective for protection, if the animal guardian became mortally wounded, the same would happen to her or so she assumed, "However, we can only feel its pain. We do not bleed or die if our guardians are attacked and killed." Rabbit explained to her, causing her to sigh in relief.
"Th-That's a bit of a relief..." Emma stutters out.
Rabbit rubbed her neck and smiled at the apprentice, "I will say, your guardian is quite strong for having never been summoned before."
Emma felt flattered that her spirit was able to impress Rabbit. She guessed that was a plus towards this training. Rabbit walked forward and held her hand out to Emma's guardian, who seemed wary at first. "Hey, hey," Emma said softly to the wolf, "Let her."
The guardian calmed down and leaned its head towards Rabbit, who placed her hand on its head and ran her fingers along its fur, "Truly magnificent... I had only ever seen one other guardian this large once before..."
"From who?" Emma asks with a sudden burst of confidence.
"From, ah, 'Diana'" Emma raised her brows in surprise. Rabbit acknowledged her facial expression with a slight smile, "She has a very powerful guardian. I'm surprised she doesn't use it."
"That's because I don't need to." Emma heard a familiar voice call from behind her.
Rabbit and Emma turned their heels to see Diana by the doorway, smiling at both of them. As she walked in, she observed their animals and nodded, visually impressed, "I assume everything is going well?"
"Great, actually! Look at the size of her animal guardian."
Diana walked over and sized up Emma's animal with her eyes, nodding in agreement with Rabbit's excitement, "Quite impressive. I expect good things to come from this training."
"What's your animal guardian?" Emma inquired.
Diana looked over at her in slight surprise before smirking a bit and bringing up two fingers near her head. As she swung them to point at the wall, a purple mist flew from her fingers and spiraled into the air before landing and slowly forming into a purple and black panther. It snarled as it took shape and swung its gaze over the room and its inhabitants. Emma was in awe at its size. It was larger than Rabbit's bear, which made her wonder just how powerful Diana was. Diana walked over and ran her hand over its head, running her thumb over the bridge of its nose with a soft chuckle, "A panther guardian and a snake familiar. How odd am I?"
"Huh? A snake familiar?" Emma asks, confused at what Diana meant.
She simply smiled at the blonde, "You don't wish for me to show you what I mean, dear. I promise you that."
Emma pressed her lips together, having been denied a chance to see something new. However, if Diana put it as a threat, she had to be cautious. After all, her spirit was visually larger than Emma's by the size of their guardians. As she looked to Rabbit, Emma was surprised to see a form of awe and envy in her eyes as she looked at Diana's animal. The apprentice could only assume that she was jealous of how powerful Diana is.
"Well," Diana began, "if you don't mind, I must get back to work. There is a lot that needs to be done and we have little time to do it." Diana nodded to them both before turning to leave.
However, Rabbit stepped forward, "Diana." Diana hummed in acknowledgment, gesturing for Rabbit to continue, "May I speak to you in private later after I've finished training her for the day?"
Emma naturally furrowed her eyebrows, What was she wanting to talk about with Diana? If Thalia were here, she could tell me...
Diana seemed confused as well, looking back to Rabbit but nodding nonetheless, "Of course. I'll come here when you are finished."
"Thank you."
Diana gave one more nod before turning back around and leaving the room. Emma looked at Rabbit, curious as to what they had to talk about, but if it was important to speak in private, then it was a matter she should keep her nose out of. Rabbit shook her head and smiled at Emma, "Well, now, where were we?"
Emma rolled her shoulders and looked to their animal guardians, seeing them resting on the ground, patiently waiting for them. Were these really only used for battle? Emma wondered. She looked back to Rabbit, curious to know the answer, "H-Hey, Rabbit?" She asks quietly.
"What is it?"
"Are these guardians only meant for battle and defense?"
Rabbit shook her head and walked over to her bear, petting it softly and making a low happy grumble escape from it, "Think of these creatures as friends whom we wish to protect us. A rabbit demon such as myself would benefit greatly from a bear companion." Both the bear and Rabbit looked at her, hoping she understood. She looked to her own animal, confused as to why she was able to imagine what her looked like. The intricacies of this kind of magic seemed over her head, but she accepted it for now with a nod of slight understanding.
Until it was night, they trained furiously, using their animal guardians to show her how to use them, what commands to say, and how to conserve her energy. By the time she left, however, she was exhausted. When they finished training, Emma left the hall and headed to her room.