Even with his paws placed firmly on the grounds here, he couldn't believe he'd made it. From across the waters he'd always been able to hear wolves here, calling to each other, raging their wars, making their peace. And he'd always been intrigued. They held lands as their own, a thing completely unheard of in his own culture. And yet he was smitten with the idea. To own the ground you walk on, to call it your home and have no argument was such a new and exciting concept. But moreso he'd wanted his family to be prepared. If they'd ever come across the water, he was sure the Northern wolves would have demolished them. But his views were unwelcome and he'd been banished. So instead of waiting for them to come, Kayode went to the Northern wolves himself. He'd walked miles into their lands already and yet he still buzzed with excitement. It was all so different, so vast! Before him lay rolling mounds of earth which captured his imagination so fully that he couldn't help but stop and stare. They didn't look like any hills he'd ever encountered. Certainly they were something magical. With a smile he began to trot their way, completely transfixed by their image and the strong scent of bison. But another scent snaked its way through the heavy musk, something he knew well and yet was unfamiliar. Were these boundaries? Had he stumbled upon a piece of claimed land? At the border he hesitated, nose working furiously at the ground. But curiosity and ignorance overcame him. With a darting step he crossed the territory marker. Another hesitation. But he hadn't burst into flames or dropped stone dead! With a new-found confidence he continued his route towards the mounds.

The Imperator observed the rogue from afar. He took in the languid strides, the fluid movements. He watched the brute pause at Imperium's border, watched him sniff at the ground....and then, with keen interest, he watched the stranger deliberately become a trespasser. Valentine's eyes narrowed with fiendish intent. That simply wouldn't do. "Your ass is mine." Breaking into an all out run, Valentine flew over the terra in an attempt to come up on the intruder's left side with the center of his chest even with the smaller male's shoulder. As he moved Valen's defenses fell into place; soot tipped ears folded flat against his skull, eyes narrowed, hackles lifted. The massive brute lowered his head and rolled his shoulders forward to form a protective shield around his throat. At the same time his knees bent and his tail aligned with his spine. Instinctively, Valentine found his center of gravity and aligned himself over it as his toes splayed. Allowing rage to consume him, his lips curled to reveal ivory canines. With any luck, their glimmering white would be marred with crimson soon enough. At the last second, Valentine threw his right shoulder forward, aiming to drive it into the left side of the smaller brute's throat with crushing force. If he were lucky, the move would damage his opponent's windpipe and end the bout quickly. Simultaneously, the glaucous titan's lowered head would turn to the left, his jaws flinging wide as he attempted to viciously sink his fangs into the top of the intruder's neck at the point where his skull met his spine in a crippling blow. To complete the assault, as he threw his right shoulder forward, the Imperator would lift his right paw and send it rocketing out and downward in the hopes of smashing the toes of his opponent's left paw. His weight would be redistributed among his three other limbs, his bent knees and lifted tail both serving to make up for his balance lost in the attack. Each attack was geared towards making the trespasser suffer for his transgressions, and suffer he would, if Valentine got his way. It was time to start adding to his toy collection. VALENTINE vs KAYODE for FORCE CLAIM Round ONE of UNKNOWN OOC: You may pick the number of rounds. Good luck, Cal! "Speaking" "Thinking"

What was that saying, curiosity killed the cat? Perhaps it was time to adjust it more to the canine variety. As he took in the sights and smells of the Knolls, a flash of movement twisted its way into his peripheral vision. His eyes flickered, head twisting about to take in the image of a wolf at full tilt. Kayode's first reaction was one of awe; was this beast truly that tall?! But the gleam in Valentine's eyes was clear even from a distance, and the Native wolf's defenses settled without hesitation. He shifted his haunches to be as head to head with his opponent as time would allow, legs moving wide for balance and joints bending. His hackles were already involuntarily peaking, head slipping in line with his spine. His tail lashed out for balance, toes gripping at the earth and shoulders hunching. But it seemed all his careful balance preparation would be for naught. As Valentine neared him at speed, he didn't seem inclined to slow. Kayode prepared for him to stop at the last moment, but wasn't prepared for what truly happened. The other wolf's chest collided with his own with no indication that Valentine intended to slow; or would have if Valentine hadn't been a good seven inches taller. Kayode flinched, ears flattening, but the side of his face and neck were struck full-force sending him stumbling backwards (and thus moving his paws out of the way of his opponent's stomp). He felt teeth lash through the scruff of his neck, opening long furrows of red but leaving Valentine without a solid hold. He'd been thrown a good two feet back, and fought to regain his balance. But the best defense is a good offense. Without his balance fully intact, he dug his claws into the soil and shoved forward from coiled haunches. His tail lashed out behind him in a wide arc. His eyes narrowed to slits, mouth gaping wide with a tucked chin. He wanted to catch Valentine off guard, to grab at the tender flesh of his cheek with seeking jaws. At the same time he reared up, reaching with his forelegs in an attempt to wrap them around the base of Valentine's neck and aid in his own leverage. Kayode vs Valentine to defend his freedom. 1/3

Woohoo let's do dis!

The intruder was swift, spinning suddenly to meet Valentine head on. As a result, the glaucous brute's attacks didn't land as intended. He crashed into the smaller male and the effects of the impact were felt immediately. Their new positioning meant that instead of just receiving a bruise to the side of his right shoulder, he felt the strike all along the front of his shoulder and a portion of the right side of his chest. A modest bruise would form there later, he was sure of it. The swipe with his paw was unsuccessful, but his teeth found flesh and while they failed to maintain a grip, Valen was successful in carving out deep wounds. Satisfied with the damage done, the brute released what little hold he had. The force of the collision was nearly enough to stop him, but nevertheless, the brute dug in his heels. His rump lowered as his back limbs folded, front limbs tensing and back stiffening as the skidding motion forced him to lean backwards. Valentine's head came down, his chin tucking instinctively over his throat. His opponent was quick to retaliate and the brute soon felt a searing pain race up the left side of his face. His opponent's teeth sank into the thin skin at the left corner of his mouth. The wound wept horribly, greatly exaggerating the damage done. In reality, the bite was superficial; the loose nature of the skin shielded the gums below it as it absorbed the blow and stretched to accommodate the force applied to it. The only real harm was done to his looks, but his beauty and the destruction of it had been taken into consideration when he'd decided to become an alpha. Maybe he'd get a cool scar out of it; trading his devilishly good looks for the torn up countenance of a bad ass didn't sound like a bad deal. At the same time, Valentine felt the intruder's forelimbs snake up either of his shoulders to rest at the base of his neck. Taking advantage of this (coupled with his coiled back limbs) the brute sprung forward in the hopes of ramming his chest into the upper chest/lower neck of his opponent. At the very least, he hoped to knock the breath from his lungs, but if he were fortunate, his greater height would aid him in toppling the intruder over backwards. Simultaneously, Valentine's head snaked out and to the right before driving to the left with parted jaws in an attempt to launch his fangs into the left eye of the trespasser. He aimed to sink his upper teeth into Kayode's eye socket while hooking his lower teeth into the cheekbone of the smaller male and raking upwards in a bite; crushing bone, disfiguring his face and blinding the eye?a brutal but fitting punishment. The intruder should wear his shame for all to see. He cared little if the other kept his hold on his cheek; Valen was more than willing to sacrifice his looks for the cause. Defenses were solid; tensed muscles were ready to act and react; the toes of all four paws splayed beneath a squared stance. Along his spine, Valentine's hackles stood like the quills of a perturbed porcupine, standing ridged from ruff to rump. His tail was held stiffly out behind him for balance. His ears remained flattened, glued firmly to his crown by displeasure. Beneath it, his brow wrinkled in anger, providing a shield to his eyes. Massive shoulders rolled forward as his center of gravity shifted from his haunches to his upper body to accommodate his attack. His lips curled back, ready and hungry for another taste of his opponent. VALENTINE vs KAYODE for FORCE CLAIM Round ONE of THREE "Speaking" "Thinking"

Default to Valentine

Due to Kayode not posting in the allotted time, Valentine is the winner.

Kayode must give up by either passing out, submitting, or running away and now belongs to IMPERIUM.