The boy takes his time of course, but eventually he appears. Zayn smiles as the dark colt as he approaches, skirting his way around the flaming tree. Not as fearless as he would like, but he’ll have to work on that.
He eyes the boy for a moment as Siberian takes the last few steps towards him, assessing the colt’s growth. And he’s pleased with what he sees. Even as young as Siberian is, his grizzly form is already quite impressive. The combination of massive claws, thick fur, and a height that is increasing every day, is going to make him a wonderful weapon some day. And his horse form is nothing shabby either. Zayn can tell that, one day, the young colt is going to be a large, intimidating stallion. Larger than Zayn himself anyway. Coupled with his bear shifting ability, he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with.
He just needs some training first.
Which brings them back to the ground squirrel.
“Probably, but it’s his unlucky day.” Zayn has plans for a much larger target for Siberian, but if he knows the average boy’s heart, the child will be too timid for it yet. Better to start with something far smaller and more easily dealt with. Not to mention, the creature should appeal to his animal-side’s nature - ground squirrels are natural prey of grizzly bears.
“It’s time for your training to begin Siberian. I need your help with something - something to help protect my kingdom - but I know you are young yet, and know little about fighting and killing. So we are going to start small.” He delicately pushes the brown rodent forward with his hoof, placing it right in front of Siberian’s front hooves. “Kill it.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “It will likely be easier if you stay in your bear form and let the beast take over. These little beasts are normal prey for bears.” Then he falls silent and waits for the boy’s reaction. Time to test the extent of the colt’s obedience. Will Siberian obey immediately, or will he try to argue?
ZAYN
I'm an ugly mess