On the way to the pound, Llyud picked up some ling sticks. They were what they would be using as replacement of a spear. And once at the pound, Llyud handed Artemis one of them. and pointed out over the pound.

"Throw it as if it was a spear and try get it in the middle of the pound."

Probably seemed like one heck of an odd practice, but Llyud had his ideas on what to do to make Artemis learn properly. And today, he would pretty much have Artemis try hold a spear right and aim for the middle of the pound. Would be easier for him to aim for the middle of a large target then start with small targets.

The elf looked at him as if he was crazy."O-okay..."Artemis studdered.He then picked up one of the sticks and as if on a hunt waited to throw it.In his mind the elf counted down from them then tossed it.The stick didn't even land like a spear should.It just hit the water flat.Artemis sighed and crossed his arms."I can't even through a stick properly."He stated not even daring to look at Llyud.

Llyud just stared at the stick that was floating in the pound. It hadn't even landed with the right end first and it wasn't anywhere near the middle of the pound. There would be allot for Artemis to learn.
But this time, he handed Artemis another stick and put the other down on the ground. This time he was going to help Artemis with getting the right grip and position so he could throw it properly. Which meant that Llyud would be quite close to him this time.
He pretty much stood right behind him, grabbing his hand and making sure that Artemis was holding the stick the right way. And of course, standing so his head was pretty much resting on Artemis shoulder so that he could see. And first now, he realized that he was a bit shorter then Artemis, since he had to stand on his toes to reach up.

"You have to hold it more like this, and you should just focus on the target when you throw. If you can learn those two things, then you will have taken quite a step."

Artemis looked at Llyud,and at first took note of how short the Aegyl was,then deciding to tell him later,nodded his head,and said."Okay."The elf then threw the spear again.It didn't land in the middle or anywhere close to, but it did land like a spear should.Artemis had a large grin on his face."This might help my fishing."The elf said chuckling.Which is true,he couldn't fish on land like the others.Artemis normally had to get into the water and catch the fish that way.

Llyud still stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. At least he threw it the right way this time. That was a good start. So he took a step back and took another one of the sticks and handed to him.

"Good. Try yourself this time. Just hold it the way I showed you and throw it And try aim for the middle of the pound this time. You can do it as long as you focus on your target."

Llyud didn't believe in that Artemis really was as bad as he seemed when it came to using a spear. No way Artemis could be that bad. Otherwise he wouldn't have any talent in hunting at all. Not that he did have much talent for it, but he could at least catch something. And Llyud would not give up on him. There was nothing in the world that could make him give up on Artemis. He would teach Artemis to use a spear even if it killed him.

The elf looked at Llyud,and nodded his head.He took in a deep breath of air,and exhaled it very slowly.Artemis then looked at the middle of the pond and waited until he was nice and focused on his target.Then he leaned back and threw the spear.It almost it the center it,was about an inch or so off."I did it!"Artemis showed happily.The elf then started jumping,but fell into the lake in the process.Swimming to the surface he still had the smile on his face and repeated."I did it!"

Llyud watched him carefully. It was obvious that Artemis was getting the hang of it really fast. And as he actually managed to aim so precisely, Llyud couldn't help but to smile a bit. He was proud of Artemis. But he was a bit shocked when Artemis fell into the pound and of course ran over to him and made sure he was ok. But it seemed he was fine.
Llyud really couldn't describe how proud he was right now. And Artemis really needed the encouragement he could get. And this time he had really done a good job. It was only his third try. So Llyud just did what came to mind and gave him a kiss as reward as he came out of the water. And giving him a bright smile. It was the first time he had really smiled like that.

"You're a fast learner. At this rate you will beat anyone that attacks you within a week."

"Thanks."Artemis stated rining his hair out.He was blushing slightly from the kiss he received.But he just kept smiling."How do I defend myself with a spear?"Artemis asked ringing out his sleeves."I wish I hadn't fallen in..."He then muttered removing the top part of his robe all together."This is gonna take forever to dry!"The elf then whined making a face.

Llyud poked his nose somewhat playful. But Artemis was not ready to go from throwing a spear to using it in defense yet. He wanted to see Artemis match the throw he had made before he fell into the pound.

"One thing at the time. I want to see you match that throw at least three times in a row before we can move on to the next step."

He said and handed Artemis another stick, waiting for him to make the throw. If Artemis could match that throw a few times in a row, then Llyud knew it wasn't just a lucky shot that he had nailed it before. He was not going to give Artemis a soft training. He wanted to make sure Artemis actually learned and improved.

Artemis nodded and repeated the same action he did before.He waiteda few moments before throwing the spear.It hit the water,and like before it hit an inch from the center.He then sighed,and rolled his shoulder lightly.'I'm going to feel this in the morning....'Artemis thought looking back at Llyud."Was that any better?"He asked curiosuly.

Llyud really was proud of him being able to repeat that throw. It seemed that all Artemis needed was some one to show him how to do it. He couldn't have had a good teacher before. But he still would have Artemis do the last two throws.

"Good. If you can repeat that two more times I can give you another kiss as reward if you'd like that."

Artemis really wouldn't get away without doing all the throws. And as long as he managed to land the sticks as good as before, he would get away with only doing completely four proper throws today. But then of course, Llyud would have something else for him to do.

Artemis smiled,and repeated the throw two more times.The first throw was just like all the others.The last one one the other hand landed a little off however.After the last throw, Artemis sighed and plopped himself on the ground.Rolling his shoulder he looked up at Llyud and said."I arm is getting a little tired,sorry."He knew that more traning was coming and he didn't want to stop because of a tired arm.

Even if it was only the last throw that was a little off, and that Artemis was getting tired, Llyud wouldn't really give him a break. He would have Artemis repeat this till he could score three proper throws. So, he simply handed Artemis another stick.

"Repeat this till you manage to do it three times in a row, then you can have some rest."

He probably seemed a bit too strict, but he was not giving up on Artemis. He knew from the throws he had done that Artemis was fully capable to do this. So no resting till he had done what he had been told to. And after this, Llyud had something else for Artemis to do, that he might actually like, a bit at least.

Nodding his head Artemis positioned his arm and threw the stick.It landed like the others almost in the center.He then looked at Llyud waiting for his next stick.'I so going to feel this is the morning...'Artemis thought sighing.'But at least I'll have better fighting skills.'

Llyud simply handed him the second stick, holding the third so that he would have it ready for Artemis next throw. The poor elf had no idea what Llyud had planned for him today. This was just the beginning. But for Artemis sake, he would of course put himself trough the same training. But not the throwing part. He hadn't found enough suitable sticks for that. But for the next, he would at least put himself trough it for Artemis. Was easier to show what he wanted Artemis to do that way to.

"This is nothing compared to what you will be doing today. But on other hand. You will really be sleeping well tonight."

That wasn't good news and Artemis looked at him."Really?"He asked almost in a sorry voice.Pain wasn't in Artemis DNA.He hated the word let alone the feeling,but this was for the sake of getting better at spear throwing and fighting."....okay..."He stated.It came out more like a sigh,but he knew what he had to do.The elf then threw the spear and it hit the water just as it did before.

Llyud handed him the last spear, smiling somewhat at him. He knew that this most likely was something that Artemis usually never did, but he really should have. Then Llyud wouldn't have to be as strict as he was now. But he was still encouraging Artemis the best he could. That was what he had most likely been lacking trough the training he have had before Llyud had decided to teach him. No one encouraging him when he fails, or cheering him on when he's doing good or anything. Llyud would work him to the bone, but at least he would be cheering him on, since that was important if he wanted Artemis to improve. And so far, the encouraging really seemed to help.

"Just get the last throw right and you can rest for a bit. I know you can do it. You have improved at an amazing rate after only a few throws, so there is no doubt that you can do this. And if you set this last one, I will go get you some fruit and something to drink from as well, so that you can lay back and rest your arm for a while."

"okay."The elf stated sighing.Artemis then threw the final spear,and it hit it's target.Smiling Artemis jumped into the lake and went to get the stick."I'm keeping this one."He said sitting on the bank of the and looked at the stick."I'm going to mount this on a plank and keep it."He then look up at Llyud."I've never hit anything on target,ever!"Artemis exclaimed.

Llyud blinked as Artemis jumped into the pound to get the stick. Darn he must be happy about that last hit. But it was a point blank hit. It was as perfect as it could be, so Artemis had all the reason in the world to be proud of himself. Llyud walked over to him as soon as he was back up, grabbing his face and giving him the kiss he had promised as reward.

"You really do have talent for this Artemis. Otherwise you wouldn't be improving this fast. You just rest for a little bit and I will be right back with some fruit for you. You have deserved it"

He told him, clear pride in his voice, since Artemis was without a doubt the best pupil he had ever had. How on earth could some one with such talent have started out so horrible? The teachers he have had in the past must have been horrible to fail to teach him to use a spear.
But for now, he headed back to the tent so he could get Artemis some fruit, and something to put water in so that he wouldn't have to go to the pound to drink all the time.

Artemis chuckled and then looked out into the pond.He started playing with the stick in his hands,and started laughing to himself."This is awesome..."He stated standing.The elf started to ring himself out again.Sighing he decided that he pants coudn't be saved,and took them off.The he took his shirt and put it back on since it was long enough for him to decent.

Didn't take Llyud all that long to get some fruit and a bottle from the tent and come back. But he was somewhat surprised to see Artemis almost naked when he got back. If he had known that, he would of course have brought Artemis some clothes back with him. Maybe he should let Artemis finish for today? But he still had one thing he wanted Artemis to do. It wasn't that hard. It was heavy, but he would most likely manage. But for now, he would let Artemis have his rest.

He walked over to him and handed him the fruit, sitting down next to him.

"If you had told me that you needed a change of clothes I would have brought some along you know. Considering what I have planned for you next, you might feel really awkward having so little clothes on."

He said while munching on some fruit himself, looking at Artemis. It was only when they were side by side or really close that one could notice that the Aegyl was almost a head shorter then the elf. But that was another side effect from having wings. Not only did the stress the wings put on their bodies shorten their life span, but they were a bit shorter then most races. There really were allot of down sides about being an Aegyl. But all races had their down sides. The elves of Artemis tribe, most of them were just plain horrible people. The type of people that would be killed on sight coming near Aegyl territory.

"Thanks."Artemis put on his new pair of pants before removing his shirt,and putting the new pair of pants on.He then took a piece of the dark fruit and took a bite.After chewing it for a moment,he went a little quiet then he pulled his knees to his chest,and drapped the arm with the fruit in it on his knees and he asked."If you didn't have wings would you live longer?"Artemis had no intetention of getting rid of Llyud's wings,he just wanted to know."I mean I think you told me that your life span as been shortened because of them,so if you were to lose them would you live longer?"

Llyud looked at him, somewhat surprised at that question. What kind of question was that, and why was Artemis asking him something like that? He really hoped that Artemis wasn't going to try convince him to get the wings removed. Such an operation would most likely kill him. But oh well. If that was what Artemis was after, he would just say no to the idea. Artemis wasn't the type to try convince some one into doing something they didn't want to.

"If I lost my wings I would pretty much be a normal human in a way. So, yes, my life span would probably increase. Then I would maybe live till I'm about sixty rather then forty. But on other hand, an Aegyl without wings is better off dead. We're far to dependent on our wings to really make it without them. But why are you asking that?"

Artemis chukled a dark chuckle at himself,he then sighed."Just curious."He then frowned and then said."But the worst part is,is that I can help but want you to live longer.I feel so helpless,and it's my fault that you have to suffer with me with the fact that you also want to live longer,but we both know that it can't happen.Even thought no matter how I feel or what happens,even when your gone...I'll still feel like you could have done something to make you die later...."Sighing the elf turned his head away,and said."I'm sorry about that.I hope I'm not insulting you..."

Llyud looked at Artemis, giving him a smile. Seemed that Artemis really cared for him since he badly seemed to want Llyud to live as long as possible. It was wrong, but still sweet.
Taking another fruit, Llyud put one wing around Artemis, hoping that would give him some comfort. There was nothing he could do about his life span, but that didn't mean they should be dwelling on it.

"I know it's hard. But I think it's better to just live for the moment rather then dwell on what's to come. And even as that time comes, I won't leave you."

He said that as he took a bite out of the second fruit. He intended to, even after death, stay with Artemis. He had no intentions to abandon him, and nothing would.
But while they were just sitting there, chatting and munching on fruit, Llyud was starting to feel somewhat weird. And the second fruit he had taken did taste a bit strange. And after a little bit, he just went out cold.

Some one had taken advantage of them being out training and poisoned one of the fruits. But since Llyud hadn't taken much of it, he at least wouldn't die. But he most likely wouldn't be feeling well.