Lark had drifted toward the back of the approaching army. Of course, his father led and the rest of the group fell close behind, but Lark felt a duty to keep an eye on the back of the group as they marched; who knew if Hellstrom had wolves guarding the lands outside of their borders, ready to ambush those who dared approach? They knew little of these wolves, only that they were barbaric enough to steal a crown from one of the most peaceful rulers in all of Alacritia. He wanted quite badly to fight, and the urge only grew when Hellstrom's army appeared. They looked quite a bit smaller, but intimidating too. There was little time for discussion before the fights began to break out, even from wolves he didn't expect to be so eager to fight. His gaze was watchful as he lingered behind most of Abaven, scouting behind them and on the sides, feeling adrenaline begin to flow through his veins, spilling over like water might a flooded dam. Fight me, his stance screamed, his tail flicking behind him as he gazed over the wolves, waiting for one to challenge him - or to find an opportunity to strike first.

He marched alongside Bass, smaller frame keeping pace with his frazzled friend. He knew the mood was no call for joking, so he'd keep his mouth shut the whole time. The wolves of the other pack put him on edge, the much larger creatures didn't sit right with him, in fact, they reminded him of the pack that was hired to destroy his home. Of course, they weren't the same ones...but still. A scent would cross his sharp nose, the man's ears flattened to his skull as his tail grew bushier then it already was. Bass stopped at the borders,howling their presence before the crossed. Good. At least Bass had the decency to do that and not play dirty. He hated when others played dirty. It was so...sleazy. When they paused in the middle of a clearing, red gaze flickered over to the tall grasses that bordered their fighting ring. Would they be coming from the tall grass for surprise attacks? No. Immediately his attention drew forward as a white male with...blood stains? He shuddered. How could someone wear that like a trophy? Man this guy was creepy. He would say one line before a wolf from the other pack burst forward. Dart rolled his eyes, so much for that. One by one, fighting would break out all around them, the Fox keeping to Bass side in the event he needed his help. Glancing around uncertainly, all of the opponents seemed to be locked in group fights, he wasn't sure what the reasoning was behind that tactic, or if they were just trying to help each other due to being outnumbered, but he could admire them for their endeavor. Was nobody charging at him? Or at Bass? He was sort of thankful and sort of miffed, but at least he could breathe for the moment. He would leap on top of Bass' back, balancing there as he perched. If someone came at them great! He could ride his steed into battle! "There's...so much chaos.." He murmured mostly to himself as he watched the blood bath ensue. "SPEAK"

Suddenly everything happened. Esti was good with waiting for the right opponent, but as soon as someone appeared, Ashmedai shot off, "Ash get bac-" well, whatever. Wasn't that that brute who wanted one of her teeth that one time? Yeah, that went well. Esti decided it was better to stop thinking of fighting and to actually fight. The titan woman adopted a fighting stance, starting with with tucking her ears, narrowing her eyes, curling her lips, and scrunching her face to deflect any injury from her face. Widening her stance, Esti distributed her weight evenly between all four legs, bending her knees slightly for agility and digging her toes into the ground for traction. Her shoulders rolled her scruff forward as Esti tucked her chin to protect her neck. Her hackles raised along the line of her back as she brought her tail even with her spine for balance. She was ready for Hell. Apparently Hell was a shiny, loud, white lion off to her right. As soon as he came into view, Esti knew, "Oh. Hell. Yes." To sweeten this deal, he was headed right for her... from her right. Esti waited for a moment for the lion to draw near before she kicked off with her back feet, leaping forward and pivoting her rear 90 degrees to her left to pivot out of the way of the white lion's attacks. His left paw would slam down behind her back right leg, his jaws snapping shut inches from the base of her tail. Hyder's right forepaw would graze Esti's right hip as she moved, causing one inch long, moderate lacerations on the skin right above her hip bone. Esti winced at the fresh cuts, finishing her pivot, now on Hyder's right facing his rear. Perfect. Esti redistributed her weight from her pivot and immediately went to attack. The large woman kicked off smoothly from her pivot, attempting to dive towards Hyder's rear. Simultaneously, she aimed to jut the sharp, front part of her right shoulder in between the right side of the lion's hip joint and his right back leg, hoping her momentum and smaller size would allow her to jam her shoulder deep enough to dislocate the joint. She lifted her left foreleg, redistributing her weight to her other legs, aiming to scrape her claws down Hyder's back right leg from his knee to his ankle and stomp on his paw with all the weight she could muster. She knew she was too tiny to pin it, but she hoped for some bruising. To end her assault, Esti opened her jaws wide, tilting her head to her left, aiming to reach around and bite the base of Hyder's tail. Her lower jaw sought under his tail- no matter how close to his butt it was- while her upper jaw aimed to bite the top of the base of his tail with the goal of clamping her jaws together in order to crush the tail's upper vertebrae and sever the tail, hopefully rendering the tail useless and throwing off the lion's balance. Maybe she would leave this fight with a prize. ""

Esti vs. Hyder Round 1/2
For removal of the whole kitty tail (maim)

And the winner is...

ASHMEDAI

Due to edits without a posted reason, DIABLO must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Congratulations Ashmedai, the maim was successful and you may move onto your next fight.

ooc:  sorry for rushing this but tonight is my last full evening for like... the next month so I wanted to get Raba and Birna in fights before the inevitable insanity.  

As a warrior born it was not in Birna's nature to simply stand around while others fought their battles and it was time for her to get involved.  After all she had something yet to prove and goals of her own.  She desired to climb up Imperium's ranks and be recognized among her peers for her focus and dedication to her arts. She grinned as Ash defeated his opponent pleased to see he was able to look after himself.  Hellstrom was falling before them and it was now or never if she sought to wet her fangs in blood.

Birna's defenses fell solidly into place.  Her ears pinned tightly to her head, blue eyes narrowing as her jaws parted in preparation to attack.  Her chin tucked as her neck scrunched back, shoulders rolling forward to cushion her neck with fur and fat.  Hackles raised as her head and tail moved to align with her spine.  Birna's legs spread equidistant apart, her weight shifting evenly between them as the limbs coiled to ldower her center of gravity.  Toes spread, claws bit into the earth as her body tensed for a brief moment before she launched herself forward in a powerful stride seeking to close the distance between herself and Arietta, the woman that just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Birna attempted to lower herself to approach Arietta's left side perpendicularly with her head lining up with the left side of Arietta's face.  Malicious jaws would part, the violence of her past self sparking to life at the thought of inflicting that pain on another.

Birna's head and neck would tilt slightly to her own right as she sought to pierce Arietta's left eye with her top fangs, and to hook her lower fangs under the corner of Ari's left-sided jaw.  She wanted not only to blind the woman in that eye but also to get a grip from where she could lessen the other's retaliation.  It was expected of Imperium, any fisty cuffs here would certainly damage her image in the eyes of Valentine and she had dreams and goals to achieve.

In conjunction with her bite Birna sought to shift her weight evenly to her hind legs, her abdomen tensing and her tail fanning out behind her for extra balance as she attempted to lift her left foreleg and throw it down over Arietta's back, just behind the woman's shoulders where she hoped to throw her weight over the smaller wolf and not only cause serious bruising but to pin Arietta to the ground beneath Birna's vastly superior weight.  Simultaneously with the leg throw Birna sought to slam the left side of her chest against the outer portion of Arietta's upper left leg with the intent of causing bruising and knocking the other woman over.  She wasn't through though, with her weight shifted in her hind legs her right foreleg was free as she sought to shoot the limb forward and slightly to her own left in the hopes of wrapping her right forepaw around the outside of Arietta's right elbow and pulling the limb towards her again with the intent of unbalancing her smaller opponent so that she could throw her weight down on the other.  Birna hoped to use her longer limbs and greater height and weight to her advantage but smaller opponents could be terribly tricky.  This was going to be fun.

-- You Can Bury My Body But I'll Never Die --
Birna vs Arietta for maim Rd. 1 / ? (blinding of left eye)
(I'm guessing that Arietta has defeated Quelt and a new fight starts since Riv is now on absence?)

When the mottled man, Liar, fell away and Hati was again in a one on one fight Karabela was able to turn her attentions elsewhere, satisfied at the sign that this battle was not meant for her.  Birna took off and charged into battle and Raba decided that it was time for her to take action as well.  She could almost feel her mother's spirit encouraging her, singing battlefield songs in her head and promising her the answers she sought in exchange for spilt blood.  Her eyes fixed on the male that was attacking Mercy.  Well, he looked nice and fit!

Karabela's defenses fell rapidly into place.  Her legs spread equidistant apart, the limbs coiling to lower her center of gravity in preparation for her spring toward the shorter opponent.  Her weight spread evenly over her grounded limbs.  Raba's head lowered and her tail rose so that both aligned with her spine.  Her chin tucked as her jaws parted hungrily.  Toes spread and claws bit into the dirt as her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned tightly back to her head.  Hackles raised as her shoulders rolled forward and her neck scrunched back, chin tucking to further protect her throat before she charged, seeking to close the distance between herself and Xephyris.

Karabela attempted to come in low and approach Xephyris' left side perpendicularly so that her head would line up with the left side of his face.  Xeph's head was quickly rotating to his right to bite Mercy's throat… and leaving his own throat exposed to Karabela's gluttonous fangs.  Karabela sought to grab hold of the mans throat, just below his jawline, her upper fangs seeking to land on the left side of his trachea, her lower fangs on the right.  She wanted to snap her jaws in a brutal hold over the mans trachea in the hopes of choking him out if not puncturing the vital tube.  

Simultaneous with her bite Karabela's weight would shift evenly to her left front leg and back legs as she sought to lift her right foreleg and shift her weight suddenly forward to jut the middle of the front of her right shoulder forward into the deltoid muscle, one of the large muscles where his shoulder and upperarm met, of Xephyris left foreleg hoping to barrel into him with enough force to cause severe bruising as well as cause the muscle to spasm and compromise the other mans balance.  Immediately afterward she would seek to bring her right forepaw crashing down on his left forepaw with the intent of shifting her hefty weight down on the paw and fracturing some of his toes.

Mother?  Are you watching?  I'm going to make you proud!

Karabela and Mercy vs Xephyris for Dominance Rd 1 of 2

Striding shoulder to shoulder with Bass, Valentine sauntered into Hellstrom territory, his ears flicking as the Azat called to the residents. His head and tail were held high but the rest of his posture was lazy at best. He was confident in his abilities, confident in the abilities of his wolves, and that confidence gave way to a lackadaisical energy. Of course they would come away victorious. Abaven would get its revenge and Imperium would - hopefully - get its slaves. "Too weak to fight me alone, Abaven?" Using his right hip to bump Angel's left shoulder and grab the yearling's attention, Valentine turned to part with the advice, "Let this be a lesson to you, Angelus. Should you ever be in a situation like this, instead of standing around bitching, just jump on the fucker that started it all." Actions, not words. As he turned back to look at Sin, he boomed playfully, "Alright, Sinny Baby, you an-" his eyes landed on Hati who was charging at the dirty white man and his tone changed from a playful excitement to one of disappointment, "aw, fuck, Hati!" Well, fine then. He'd be watching and while Valentine strongly doubted that Hati would lose, if he were to, he called dibs on Hellstrom's alpha. Leaning to his left in an attempt to bump Bass's shoulder with his own, Valentine murmured, "If no one else shows it's you and me, eh?" Maybe he'd fight the Azat for one of his other sisters just for fun. ""

Being late to the party meant that you'd have no one to dance with. Einarr was pretty sore about the whole ordeal, but watching the fights as they went on around him brought a sense of adrenaline. He would watch Birna as she charged a much smaller woman, saw the blue Abaven fighting the monochrome boy, and then the mess of a brawl with multiple participants from both sides. Yes, this was an interesting mess they had made. But in the end the results would all be the same. Hellstrom would fall. Einarr would breathe out, almost a bored sigh. He could just wait to see who ended up finishing their fights and seeing if any of the Hellstrom wolves were left without an opponent. "Talk" "You" Think

The nerves that had plagued him during the meeting had long since left him. In their place was a cool, steely resolution. He was going to make his parents proud. Angelus knew what the goal was and he was going to try his hardest to see it to fruition. Adopting his father's lackadaisical posture, Angelus strode into Hellstrom territory a beat behind the two alphas. His eyes scanned the plains as Bass's call rang out and then, when the opposition began to trickle in, his attention was drawn from the approaching forces to his father, who parted with ah, words of advice. Maybe it was just the language used, or maybe he was more nervous than he thought, but Angelus couldn't quite stifle the snort of laughter than clawed its way free. In any case that little bit of humor heartened things considerably and Angelus found himself staring boldly into the faces of the Hellstrom wolves, watching, waiting, daring one to face him. He would make his pack proud.

Arietta kept her focus on her defenses as she lunged for her first opponent. While the young woman wasn’t exactly a warrior, she was sure as hell going to try her hardest for Sin and Hellstrom. This was her family. Her home. She would keep her ears pinned as she ran, her eyes narrowed and her head aligned to her spine. Tail was tucked carefully under her body, legs widened to change her stance, toes widened as well, and claws biting into the earth with each step. Shoulders were rolled forward, hackles raised to make her body appear bigger than it really was, and jaws were parted with lips snarling. She was more than ready to land her attacks on this man, until something coming at her from her left side caught her attention. Fear was within her, but Arietta would not run away. She’d spin to her left ninety-degrees face her new found opponent. The woman was a giant, towering over her own height. The important thing now was to not panic. She had to act. Defenses would be reset smoothly as she found herself facing Birna. Head was once more aligned with her spine, ears pinned, and eyes narrowed. Tail remained safely tucked beneath her, weight evenly distributed across spread legs. Toes were spread, claws biting into the earth. Shoulders were rolled forward, hackles raised, and jaws parted with a snarl. With roughly three feet left between them Arietta would shift her weight to her back legs and attempt to spring forth, adjusting her body about thirty degrees to the right, heading towards Birna’s left. Arietta would seek to slide her body alongside Birna’s left, her shoulder passing Birna’s own shoulder, with head kept level to her spine to avoid the bite. Her face was currently angled outward, facing away from Birnda’s body. The woman’s {Birna’s} left foreleg, due to Arietta no longer being centered, would then also miss her body. What Arietta would not avoid, however, was the slam the woman sought to administer. Rather than the attack landing upon her {Arietta’s} upper left foreleg the attack would hit the front and upper part of her back left leg above the knee on the lower part of the thigh. The bruising that would form from the damage would be moderate later on, and the leg sweep would catch that same limb {left back leg} on the brown woman. This would cause Arietta to shift to her left another five degrees or so, stumbling forward slightly before she caught herself. There was now roughly six inches between the two, with Arietta’s head next to the center of Birna’s side. Arietta would redistribute her weight across her limbs, shifting it evenly onto her back legs, as she sought an attack of her own. This would leave her parallel next to the larger woman. Catching her defenses mid-stride Arietta would subconsciously make sure they were all in place. Eyes narrowed, ears pinned, shoulders rolled forward, and head aligned with the spine. Tail would of course remain tucked, legs spread, toes spread, and claws digging into the soil with each stride. Hackles would remain raised, her jaws never closing. They sought the flesh of the other woman, and by the will of the Gods she would taste Birna’s blood. As Arietta moved alongside Birna, heading straight along her parallel path, her hind legs would thrust hard into the dirt, using her claws to attempt to kick up about two clawfulls of dirt upward in Birna’s facial direction. That done, her goal now was to strike Birna’s knee with the bony part of her left shoulder at a fourty-five degree angle with as much force as possible to knock it out of place. Arietta now found her head positioned slightly above and to the right of Birna’s hip, still parallel to the other woman. {Birna} Arietta would shift her weight evenly on her legs and raise the front half of her body up, knees bent and front limbs extended, aiming to clamp her upper jaw over the base of Birna’s tail and her lower jaw back across Birna’s hip in a forceful bite. Arietta vs Birna for Maim {Displace Back Left Knee} Round:: 1 / 2 {{Ooc:: Lunar has stated that she thought a fair distance between Arietta and Birna to start was 8-10 feet. I have agreed to this.}} "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Dione

Sin danced around, but Hati persisted with a furious roar and managed to slam his right shoulder into the ribs behind the shoulder he'd been aiming for. Having been aiming to get a grip beneath Sin's throat, Hati found his neck contorted at an awkward angle as he struck and his jaws instead caught in the back of Sin's scruff and right side of Sin's neck a third of the way up from his shoulders and forced Hati's neck to arch awkwardly over the very top of Sin right shoulder to compensate for the change in position. He aborted his attempt to hook Sin's left forepaw entirely in order to balance himself in the position he found himself in - not even noticing as Sin's left paw smashed down where Hati's would otherwise have been had he not moved, without scoring a hit. It was that very awkward position that that saved him from greater injury as Sin attempted to smash his shoulder against Hati's throat, because Sin had to push against the stiffness of the tensed muscles in Hati's neck, mitigating much of the force he may have otherwise used. Rather than striking Hati's throat, the attempted jab simply made the arc of Hati's neck more extreme. Hati grunted at the moderate strain in the muscles on top of his neck immediately behind his skull as they were pulled by the positioning, and jerked in pain as Sin's attempt to reach Hati's eye landed short due to their close proximity and angle, instead drawing moderate furrows along the bottom of his right cheek just before the hinge of his jaw.

Hati released the useless grip he held in an attempt to give himself some breathing room. His defenses remained set, adjusting fluidly each step of the way, fighting having been second nature to him since he was a young pup first thrown into training against his littermates. His stance was bulldog-wide, his weight evenly distributed, his joints bent slightly. His paws spread wide as his toes flexed to drive his claws into the ground to improve his grip, his tail tucking firmly against his leg to keep it out of the way of stray teeth. His shoulders hunched forward as his head returned to the level of his spine, the motion bunching up his scruff to give him a sullen look, but one that would allow the looser folds of skin and fur and fat to better protect him. Spikey fur spiked even further with his hackles raised all along his back and neck, and tattered ears pressed back into the fluff of the fur on the back of his neck. His gold eyes were narrow shining slits as he glared at the pale wolf.

Immediately upon releasing his grip Hati drew his weight onto his hind legs, not rearing but simply pulling back and bending his hocks nearly to the ground as he pivoted on his hindquarters, turning his front end towards his right in an attempt to bring him into alignment with Sin's head at a very shallow angle, almost parallel. Digging in his hind claws and uncoiling his hindlegs to launch forward with great greater force, the heavy male attempted to slam the left front of his chest into the back of Sin's right elbow in a bid to overextend and perhaps completely displace the joint since he was aiming his leap for a point passed the leg. Simultaneously his gaping jaws sought to align with Sin's right eye, his lower jaw seeking to hook on the arch of Sin's right cheekbone and his upper canines aiming to cross over the top of Sin's skull to the upper part of the left eye socket, in an attempt to completely crush the delicate eye socket of Sin's right eye and possibly even the upper nasal bone. He wanted to blind the male, leave him writhing in his own blood and eye juices for his foolishness.

HATI vs SIN for MAIM (blinding of right eye)
Round 2/2

(OOC: since it wasn't stated where on Sin's scruff the bite was I specified. Confirmed their positioning from Sin's post with Dragon. If anyone is confused about Liar and why I'm not responding to that - Riv opted to withdraw from the fight so the post was removed. Dragon if you have any questions about what Hati did you have my skype.)

Sloppy.  Birna internally screamed at herself for being caught off guard by her opponents quick movements.  Birna was letting her own hubris go to her head and it was going to cost her if she didn't start fighting more intelligently and less like a buffalo.  What would Björn think?  Either way though she felt a sense of respect for this smaller woman, who rather than running away actually turned to face her larger opponent before springing forward to attack.

Birna's jaws missed the woman entirely, as did her left leg.  Her chest slam would connect with the upper front of Arietta's back leg above the knee on the lower part of the thigh.  The impact was sure to cause bruising to her opponent, her own size and the greater girth of her chest distributing the impact would spare her from bruising in return.  Her right forepaw would manage to snag Arietta's left back leg and as she pulled the limb toward her the other woman would stumble but not enough to fall completely over.  Birna checked her defenses, all four limbs quickly returning to solid ground, spreading equidistant below her as her weight shifted evenly over them, limbs staying coiled to keep her center of gravity low.  Her skull would lower to align with her spine, her chin tucking toward her breast as her neck scrunched back, shoulders rolled forward while her hackles would rise to protect the base of her neck and spinal column.  Birna's toes splayed, her nails gripping into the earth as her tail swiftly tucked along her underside, intent on offering her belly some protection against this shorter opponent.  Her eyes would narrow and her ears remain pinned to her head.

As Arietta would stumble Birna sought to turn her upper body to her own left (with her hind legs to follow her upper body around) in a desire to line herself up at a 30º facing in towards the front of Arietta's left hind leg, hoping the other woman's stumble would give her some extra time as she kicked forward.  As she moved Birna would narrowly avoid Arietta's kicking of dirt.  Little twerp!  Arietta's left shoulder throw for Birna's left knee would miss the intended target and land just below her knee causing minor bruising but failing to leave a serious impact due to Birna's shift away from the smaller woman.  Arietta's jaws however had a farther reach and while the attack would fail to gain hold it would still tear moderate lacerations across the top of her hip and the base of her tail, her blood being the first to spill.  

Birna snarled, her own jaws parting and her head tilting slightly to her right, as she sought to return the smaller woman's attacks, her legs coiling tightly as her jaws sought the flesh in the crevice of Arietta's left leg where the thigh met the side of her body.  Birna wanted to gain a powerful grip that would sever and cripple the long muscle (Sartorius) that stretched from the hip to the knee and was responsible for flexing the knee.  Simultaneously she would shift her weight into her left forelimb and back legs as she sought to launch the center of her left shoulder into the middle of Arietta's side just behind the woman's ribs with the intent of causing bruising and knocking her over.  Birna would also slightly lift her right foreleg to throw the lower front of her right shoulder violently forward with the intent of slamming it into Arietta's left knee cap with the goal of dislocating it and further crippling the limb.  Immediately after she'd seek to slam her right forepaw down on Areitta's left hind paw with the intention of shifting her weight onto the paw and breaking Arietta's toes.  Birna was a brutal beast and she would not lose to this woman.  Precise. Disciplined. Dangerous.  She had a reputation to live up to and she would never live it down if she were defeated by one of Sin's trembling playthings no matter how brave that plaything might be.

-- You Can Bury My Body But I'll Never Die --
Birna vs Arietta for Maim (blinding of left eye) Rd 2/2

Reference If Needed

It didn't take long before the fight erupted around him, before Sin called him a coward for calling back up. His lips pulled back into a snarl as his jaws parted as venomous words sat on his tongue. Before he could get anything out, Valentine spoke, directing his words to his son. And he was right. Nothing could be solved with words right now, it was time to fight. But as the wolves fled passed him and into the bloody fray, he realized that there were even less wolves here than he had expected. Golden gaze shifted over to Lillie as she got ready for a battle, had she been wrong in her tracking? He turned his questioning gaze to his fellow leader, brow raised. He was just in time to hear his words, the taller man's hip bumping against him. With a small chuckle he shook his head, golden eyes searching the war breaking out in front of them. "I suppose we might not have anything better to do, Valentine. At this rate, I might have to go out and find slaves for you myself." He said softly, meant for the King alone to hear. He had promised to allow Imperium to capture slaves, as well as himself fighting to claim them for the other man's pack. Ears pulled back slightly, the snarling and snapping of jaws doing nothing to calm his fighting spirits. Claws bit into the earth as he waited, tongue smacking across his lips. He was ready for a fight, hackles raising as he stood tall beside the taller leader.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Well well, it would seem that her little outburst finally got her some attention. The male who started to charge at her was at least eight inches shorter than her, and she could almost feel herself begin to feel a little impressed with him. It only took her moments to get ready, falling into her fighters stance was as easy as breathing. Her legs were spaced an equal distance apart, limbs bending as her toes splayed outwards, nails biting into the earth. Her purple eyes narrowed, shoulders rolling forward as her chin tucked towards her chest. Hackles were raised and ears pressed flat against her skull, lips pulled back into a snarl. Tail rose to align with her spine as her head lowered to do the same, and she was oh so ready. There was a shape that came at Mercy's right side, aimed for her oppenents left side. A snarl ripped out of Mercy's throat, but there was no time to curse at Karabela-- Raba? What. The. Fuck. But she shook herself, this was not a time to dwell on this, they, apparently, regardless of the fact that Mercy was pissed the fuck off that she was getting help, had an opponent who was close. And then Xephyris was before them, and Mercy eyed him with hostility. As his parted jaws came towards her, Mercy aimed her already downward tilted head towards Xephyris' top jaw. Her jaws parted as her head tilted to her own right, her top jaw aimed for the left side of his top jaw, her bottom jaw aimed for the right side of his top jaw. Mercy intended to hold his top jaw in her grasp, rendering it useless as well as stopping his bite that had been aimed at her throat. Hopefully her teeth punctured the sensitive skin there, or even the gums that lay under his thin lips. The pale woman's shoulders were already jutting forward, so as Xephyris aimed his right shoulder to slam into her left shoulder, she hoped that her own left shoulder would retaliate and strike him with enough force to bruise. Mercy rocked forward slightly, hoping to shove her left shoulder forward into the front of his right shoulder. She felt a moderate bruise spreading across the front of her own left shoulder, but she didn't care. But the force was not enough to knock her back, and she stayed firmly in place. Mercy then lifted her front left leg up, pushing her weight to her right to keep her balanced as she aimed to strike out with her paw, hoping to slam Xephyris' right foreleg with the pad of her front right paw, right on his right elbow joint. She hoped that with enough force she could bend his leg backwards. (Counter to paw strike.) She had little intentions of walking away hurt from this. As she attacked, her gaze shifted towards Raba, and she shot the girl a dagger glare. She was more than capible of fighting, and didn't need the brats help. She was curious though, as to where she had disappeared. However, this wasn't the time nor the place, so she allowed it. For now. Karabela and Mercy vs Xephyris for Dominance Round 1 of 2 "SPEAK!"

Art by Evelyn

Notice!

DEFAULT

Due to not posting within the time limit, AMACHI must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Please continue the current fight to see who'll win! Due to this being a grand master melee where the winner is decided by averages, Amachi will account for round 1 and get a 0 in round 2. She will still be opened to be maimed if she is on the losing side.

And the winner is...

ESTI	Due to not posting within the time limit, HYDER must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Esti, your maim is successful and you may find another fight.

Bass' words drew a laugh from the King. He stood seemingly at ease while all around him wolves were locked in brutal combat and the air was thick with the smell of blood. Valentine wasn't oblivious to what was going on around him - on the contrary, he was more watchful than he let on - but he was filled with such a feeling of superiority that it was easy for him to not only see but appreciate the humor in the Azat's words. Still chuckling, he murmured, "You just might." Was he being serious? Maaaaybe. Of course, acquiring slaves hadn't been part of the deal. The deal had been aid in exchange for a favor with the possibility of slaves if he saw wolves of interest. But hey, if Bass was going to offer, who was he to refuse? ""

So it seemed he would not be taking on his opponent alone. As he made his move, silver eyes caught movement of another wolf quickly closing in on him from his left - he growled in frustration. He'd only ever trained in one on one combat, but he'd have to do his best to improvise now. He kept his defenses in tact, ears pinned and eyes narrowed, the skin around his muzzle wrinkled up angrily to protect his face and expose his fangs. Hackles were spiked along his spine like a ridge from the top of his neck down to his tail. Toes were spread, claws biting hungrily into the earth. His tail aligned with his spine, whirling around as needed to aid in keeping his balance.

His attack was thwarted by Mercy's own jaws as she clamped down on her intended target, preventing him from reaching his - the downward force she exerted caused his head to lower further. Her top fangs pierced through the skin just above the edge of his lip on the left side of his upper jaw, while her lower fangs did the same on the right side of his jaw - both would leave deep punctures, the tips of her fangs piercing all the way through to dig mildly at his gums. Blood surged from the wounds and into his mouth, dripping from his jaws. He snarled in pain, adrenaline pulsing through his veins as his tongue swiped thick, deep red blood from his lips. His upper front right shoulder would meet its target, but Mercy pushed against him, and they met shoulder to shoulder in a painful clash, leaving a moderate bruise at the collision site. Neither wolf yielded any space, muscles wound tightly to hold their ground.

As his right paw came down, missing its target, he quickly shifted his weight to his right foreleg and hind legs so that he could lift his left foreleg to defend against Raba's jaws, which were aimed for his throat. Rotating his body downward and to his right, he bent his legs to further redistribute his weight, and brought his left forepaw high to meet, hopefully, with Raba's face in a downward strike. His claws were aimed for her right eyebrow, with the intention of scoring down her face and over her right eye, down the right side of her muzzle in an attempt to redirect her jaws, if only for a moment. The movement was swift, but with the angle there was little force behind it. Even if he had to take a bite to his foreleg or paw, it was better than a bite to the throat.

With his left foreleg now raised, Raba's upper front right shoulder would meet the lower part of his ribcage right at the back of his left elbow where the leg met with the body. He felt a moderate bruise form, and he was winded slightly. Because he had lifted his left forepaw, her right paw struck an empty spot on the ground, missing its intended target. At the same time that Raba hit him with her shoulder, he felt Mercy's left forepaw strike his right foreleg in the crook of his elbow, leaving a mild bruise and causing the limb to buckle at the joint, further changing his position and angle. He would have fallen to his side had his snout not been caught in a sharp grip. His head was low, his upper jaw still caught in Mercy's teeth, while his right elbow and the front of his chest touched the ground. Left foreleg was still slightly raised to defend his throat from Raba's jaws. Surely she would try again to nail him. He rolled his shoulders forward, scrunching everything up around his neck to protect his vital points, and tucking his chin as best he could. His hind legs were bent at the knees, claws digging into the ground to hold his weight.

Mercy's left forepaw was still close to him where she'd struck his elbow... with an agonized growl, Xephyris thrust his head downward, rotating his head sharply to the left to painfully dislodge her hold. Her fangs left deep, uneven lacerations over the wrinkled up skin on both sides of his upper muzzle, all the way to the top edge of his snout. Blood gushed from the wounds. Without hesitation, Xeph whipped his head to his right, jaws parted wide and aiming for Mercy's left forepaw at a perpendicular angle, aiming for the knuckles of the toes. His intention was to bite deep and hard, his fangs reaching hopefully for the outer left side of her paw, which would place his molars and the crushing power of his jaws over the remainder of her knuckles. His lower fangs aimed to puncture the pad under her outermost toe (far left toe of left forepaw), upper fangs trying to pierce the skin on the top surface of the toe. His molars would try to fracture the small bones of the knuckles; he hoped that his movement would succeed, he was out of his element against two opponents and wasn't sure how long he could keep it up.

Xephyris vs Mercy and Karabela || for Dominance || Round 2/2

OOC: Clarified with Eve that Mercy is aiming for Xeph's right foreleg with her left front paw, not her right front paw.

Alas, he'd been so preoccupied with his surging thoughts about the whereabouts of everyone else, he hissed at his own stupidity when he realized he hadn't been paying much attention to his own movements, no matter how much he thought he was. Hati's neck strained at an awkward angle, which was both good and bad for Sin. Good because he made it harder on his opponent, and possibly quite uncomfortable, and bad because his shoulder strike had failed and the awkward position hadn't allowed him to grasp the bite he had hoped for. Instead, his teeth slice down Hati's right cheek, though not even severe like he'd hoped. His left paw would miss Hati's entirely, slamming back upon the ground as he evenly redistributed his weight once more. The grungy male would release his grip upon sin's neck, blood trickling as he kept his defenses up. He would be sure to remain fully focused for the remainder of the fight. Eyes remained narrowed, his ears pinned to his crown, hackles bristling with fury up and down his body, his lips were bared back in a snarl, tail flagged out for balance and aligned with his spine, head following suit as it lowered over his throat to align, chin tucking, toes splayed wide to cover more ground, nails biting into the earth while his joints bent slightly, lowering his center of gravity, shoulders rolling forward to protect the side of his vitals while he pulled his head back just slightly to bunch and roll his scruff, adding fur and fat for protection to the back of his neck. It was then as Hati sought to pivot, Sin strove to try and keep the heavier male slightly at bay, sidestepping twice to his own left and a step forward, he would lower his center of gravity, Hati's barreled chest striking the bone of his right shoulder instead of his elbow, a moderate bruise would blossom, but it was thanks to his quick reactions that his elbow would be safe for now. It was then he would move once more, his tail tucked beneath him as he used his coiled limbs to spring up, right shoulder jutting forward and up as he sought to once again, slam the point of his right shoulder into the left side of Hati's throat, aiming to bruise or wind the creature. As Hati's jaws came flying at the right side of his face, Sin turned his head to his right to face the incoming jaws, his own jaws bared wide as he sought to intercept the teeth. He sought to grip Hati's lower jaw in his own [counter to face bite]. Sin's head tilted downward as he sought to achieve this. Sin's top jaw sought to bite down across the top of Hati's lower jaw over the male's tongue, and sin's lower jaw aimed to wrap around beneath Hati's lower jaw. He sought to bite with all the strength he could, potentially damaging Hati's tongue but he would strive for something greater. He would attempt to twist Hati's jaw downward and towards the heavy set male, seeking to break or fracture the lower jaw. Simultaneously, Sin would lift his right paw, attempting to snake it beneath Hati and hook it around Hati's left forepaw and pull it towards him, Sin's weight redistributed to accommodate this attempt. Everything around him was no more then a dull echo. He felt he could hear every breath he took, see every drop of spit that flew from the fighting pair, every hair of his opponent standing on end while the fighting around them was no more then a blur. He didn't know how his packmates were faring, or even if there would still be a pack after this. But he would make a silent vow, Hellstrom would rise again, and the lands would regret sending them back to the depths of Hell. And it was then, in the few seconds of thought he had, a streak of black and red came charging from the bushes on silent paws. Seifer had finally taken his chance, charging swiftly and silently as his large paws ate the ground towards Sin and Hati. The lynx would run in from the right of the fighting pair, a direct beeline, seeking to close the distance as silent and swift as possible. Once he was within pouncing range, Seifer would leap towards Hati, both forelegs extended as his claws reached for a target. His right forepaw was spread wide, the large paw sought to smack Hati in the face, while his left forepaw simply aimed to clutch the brute behind the back of his neck, the surprise force from his left club hopefully helping him drive the man's face into his right claws. And he would extend his claws in his right forepaw hoping to drive them into Hati's left eye socket as well as his right eye socket. He hoped that if he was successful, he could wrench the eyeballs from his head like cocktail olives in a martini. A quiet hiss rumbled past bared teeth, Seifer's gaze menacingly narrowed. Hackles bristling as he strove to do as much damage as he possibly could. Win or lose, he would aid Sin in bringing down his foes, that was Seifer's goals. The demon who commanded death. Sin VS Hati for MAIM (full blinding) Round 2/2 ""

Arietta’s shoulder slam would miss it’s intended mark, instead land just below the knee of the more massive woman. The shifting of her {Birna’s} movements would lead to nothing but mild bruising on the area now, rather than Arietta’s plan of displacing the knee. Her jaws would also fail in gaining their hold, though she did tear some moderate lacerations upon the woman’s {Birna’s} hip and the base of her tail. Though she had won the right of first blood this was no time to celebrate. As her attacks fell short, and the woman moved away, Arietta sought to turn her own body another sixty-degrees to her own left, as well as move forward three steps, to have her {Arietta} slightly facing Birna’s rear left leg. Birna, in perspective, would be facing her own rear left leg for the most part, kind of off to the side at a curve due to her {Birna} shifted direction of thirty degrees. Now was the time to remember her defenses, to double check that they were all in place. Ears were pinned, eyes were narrowed, and her head was aligned with the spine. Shoulders were rolled forward for easier movement, legs widened, toes spread, and claws biting the earth. Weight was evenly distributed across the four limbs once more, tail remaining tucked beneath her. Hackles were of course still raised, serving as “intimidation” and defense. Jaws would part once more, ready to attack. Now came the other woman’s {Birna} retaliation. Birna’s right forelimb would miss her kneecap and toes, thanks to those couple steps forward, though it would catch the back of her {Arietta} hock and would cause some moderate bruising. Arietta was not so lucky to avoid the woman’s {Birna} jaws from a powerful attack, however. Rather than the woman’s {Birna} jaws landing where her thigh met the side of the body it landed farther back, upon the middle of the bicep femoris or middle of her left thigh. The woman’s {Birna} jaws would leave punctures that were three centimeters wide and about three quarters of an inch deep -- a moderate bite wound. There was no hold, but possible lacerations and further damage pending from Arietta’s next movements. Birna’s shoulder would also knock into the front of her {Arietta} left rear leg, where the fleshy bit met her side, causing bruising and the woman to stumble momentarily, catching herself before she fell over. Arietta was not confident that she could take down this larger opponent. Birna was stronger than her, more experienced, but the femme sure as hell was going to go down fighting. Once again Arietta would check her defenses. Pinned ears, narrowed eyes, head aligned with the spine. Check! Tail tucked, hackles raised, shoulders rolled forward... Check! Of course her weight had needed to be redistributed after the attacks of the larger woman, and Arietta would do so. She would also widen her stance once more, spreading her legs and toes. Claws would bite into the earth, lips snarling as she made her own attack once more. Arietta would go for a similar attack of what she tried before. Flexing her knees Arietta would throw her weight into her back legs as she pushed up on her front. Arietta would then make her attack on Birna’s wounded left hip and base of the tail, aiming to have the top of her jaw land over the base of the tail once more and the bottom jaw land across the woman’s {Birna} thigh over the previous wound to make them worse in a severe bite. In addition to this Arietta would then shift her weight to her front left foreleg, aiming to slam it into Birna’s left back kneecap right in the crevice where the bones would bend -- the same move the woman tried on her -- and then immediately bring it down upon the outside left back toes of the larger woman in hopes of breaking them. Then, to follow up her other attacks, Arietta would aim to step quickly to her left with her hind legs and slam her left hip into Birna’s ribs. In perspective this would leave the woman {Arietta} side by side, parallel, with Birna, so close that their fur was touching. Arietta vs Birna For Maim  {Displace Back Left Knee} || Round:: 2/2 "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Dione