The gathering had broken up with partners announced and fights began. She had been given an unfamiliar name, Skadi. Another new member of Arcanum? Another soul who strongly desired to rise through the ranks and serve their leader? Although, wasn't that what everyone wanted? We shall see. The woman hid the amused smirk that crept to her features, slithering her golden body to face the female known as Skadi. Larger, she was, however that would not change her emotions. She wouldn't cower or bicker simply because there was a height difference. There would be equal determination. "I grant you the first move." She would say with a deceiving sweet smile. Enough with the manners and disguises of nice. She was growing a little...restless. Taking these moments to set her defences, she flattened her eyes while she narrowed her gaze. Her jaw was parted, curled at the lips. Hackles were raised and shoulders rolled forward. She aligned her head with her spine, aligning her tail with her spine as well. Legs were planted an equal distance apart, bent slightly. Her paws were splayed out, claws digging into the earth for grip. Muscles were tense with eagerness and adrenaline. She hoped this fight brought no disappointments. Aislinn vs Skadi for SPAR Round 0 of 2

Her opponent would turn to face her and offer her the first move in a tone that was too sickly sweet to be natural. Two can play that game. Skadi responded in kind, adopting an equally sugary tone and an innocent smile. "Oh, you're too kind." Pacing back several steps in an attempt to lengthen the distance between them (hopefully putting the distance at 4 feet), Skadi turned once more so that she was facing Aislinn head on. From there she quickly set her defenses. Her eyes narrowed and her ears flattened as her head lowered. To bring her spine into alignment, the huntress' tail lifted. Her hackles rose to stand guard over her back as her shoulders rolled forward and her chin tucked. Beneath her centered weight, Skadi's stance widened, her knees bent and her toes splayed. Without warning she charged forward, attempting to rapidly close the distance between herself and Aislinn before the smaller fae had a chance to register what was happening. Rolling her left shoulder forward, Skadi attempted to drive the front of her shoulder into the center of her opponent's upper trachea in the hopes of crushing it. Meanwhile, her jaws attacked from above. Tipping her head to her left and then tilting her chin downward, Skadi reached down in the hopes of driving her teeth into both if Aislinn's eyes in a blinding blow. If successful, her upper left canine would sink into her opponent's right eye and her lower left canine would sink into her opponent's left eye. Lifting her right forepaw (her weight redistributing to accommodate this move) Skadi then attempted to slam it down on the two outermost toes of her opponent's left forepaw with the intention of obliterating the joints and rendering them useless. SKADI versus AISLINN for SPAR Round ONE of TWO "Speaking" -- Thinking

For a larger creature, the other female was swift.  She predicted her opponent would begin the fight with a charge, and so she allowed it to happen. Bracing herself for the impact, Aislinn's body stood solid without disrupted balance as Skadi's left shoulder successfully collided with her upper windpipe. She clenched her teeth to avoid yowling with pain. Her gaze darted to Skadi's teeth overhead, aimed to pierce into her eyes. Aislinn pulled her head back before any contact could be made, rearing up on her hind legs, also avoiding the planned stomp on her left forepaw. She quickly redistributed her weight to balance herself on her back legs. Because of this, Aislinn had gained a few more inches in height than her opponent. It was time for her own attacks. Without thinking twice, both of her forepaws attempted to crash down on her opponent's forehead, an outstretched and splayed paw on each side of Skadi's skull. Her claws would sink into the flesh, dragging downwards half an inch in length, attempting to leave small scars in her opponent's forehead. With a growl, her forepaws would next attempt to throw her opponent's right side forcefully to the ground, leaving Aislinn standing on her four feet once more. Her head would tilt slightly to the left, legs bending to level her height with Skadi. Her jaws parted and lunged forward, attempting to savagely sink her canines into the centre of Skadi's right cheek, only if her opponent was slow enough not to react. Aislinn vs Skadi for SPAR Round 1 of 2 Reactions: First paragraph. Attacks: Second paragraph. Injuries: Crushed windpipe which will cause difficulty in breathing.

Success announced itself silently, the defeated caving of cartilage against her shoulder sending shockwaves of pleasure rolling down her spine. Ah, what a glorious feeling. Beneath the victorious rush lurked a dull ache - the repercussions of her shoulder attack. Mild bruising would later blossom across the bony front of her left shoulder. Much to her disappointment, Skadi's other attacks missed their mark entirely as Aislinn quickly rose up on her hind legs to begin her own attack. The smaller fae clawed at Skadi's face, successfully dragging the dull nails of each forepaw (her left forepaw attacking the right side of Skadi's face and her right forepaw attacking the left) down a half an inch with the marks beginning at the base of the inside of each of Skadi's ears. However, given the dull nature of the toenails of wolves, the damage was minimal, causing thin welts that were too shallow to draw blood. The assault didn't end there. Her opponent next attempted to throw her to the ground by using the positioning of her [Aislinn's] paws on either side of Skadi's head and shoving her to the ground.*** Skadi resisted, planting her paws firmly on the ground while letting her neck roll with the shoving motion. She let her head get pushed to her right, necking arching easily in that direction until her head is nearly parallel with the ground. When her face is finally free of her opponent's paws, Skadi straightens, standing tall and proud, and begins to to reset her disrupted defenses. Her eyes stay narrowed and her ears laid flat. She readjusts her stance: bending her knees, widening her stance and splaying her toes all in the hopes of bettering her balance. The huntress centers her weight and with her knees bent, this lowers her center of gravity. Her head lowers and her tail raises, these two things bringing her spine into alignment as her hackles bristle above her straightened vertebrae. To complete her defensive stance, the giant rolls her shoulders forward. Given Skadi's upright positioning, Aislinn's downward reaching bite directed towards a fallen opponent misses entirely. Lunging forward, Skadi attempts to close what little distance there is between her and her opponent with the intention of once more facing her opponent head on and bringing them into perfect alignment. This time she juts her right shoulder forward, throwing the bony forward facing part of it out in the hopes of driving it into Aislinn's upper left shoulder where it connects to her chest in the hopes of shoving the shoulder out of its socket and rendering it useless. Her jaws snap wide as her head tips down and to her left as she seeks to sink her fangs into the right side of Aislinn's face. Skadi intends to sink her upper teeth into the skin right below her opponent's right eye while driving upwards with her lower teeth and slicing through the skin and muscle covering Aislinn's right cheekbone in a disfiguring blow. SKADI versus AISLINN for SPAR Round TWO of TWO Notes: ***I asked Millie how exactly Aislinn was trying to force Skadi to the ground and she said Aislinn was using her paws to push on her head. "Speaking" -- Thinking

Just as planned, her claws had successfully left marks in her opponent's skull. While attempting to shove Skadi to her right, she would break free from Aislinn's grip, foiling her attempted bite. She took this time to reset her disrupted defences. Paws were planted firmly with toes spread out and claws digging into the ground. Her legs were slightly bent as she adjusted the distribution of her weight. Abdominal muscles tightened as shoulders rolled forward and hackles raised to protect her neck. Her head lowered while tail aligned with her spine. Ears were pinned to her skull, eyes narrowed and cheeks scrunched. She tucked her chin, curling her lips in a snarl. Because of her damaged airway, her pants would break into a short wheezing choke. Breathing was becoming more difficult but in her mind, it wasn't important. Her opponent charged once more (head on), successfully colliding her right shoulder with Aislinn's upper left shoulder. With such force, her left shoulder is painfully pushed out of its socket, leaving it dislocated and useless. Adjusting her weight so less pressure is applied to her left shoulder, she leans on her right foreleg. As Skadi attempts to bite her right cheek, Aislinn ducks into a near crouch, creating a larger bend in her remaining working legs. Her body nimbly twists to her right, missing the attempted bite. Aislinn now stands a little to Skadi's left, facing Skadi's left shoulder. Her chin tilts to her left and she parts her jaws. Lifting her chin slightly upwards, her jaws lunge for Skadi's neck, the area closest to her left cheek. Aislinn will attempt to sink her top incisors and canines into the left side of Skadi's neck (still the area closest to Skadi's left cheek) while her lower jaw will attempt to pierce the centre of her opponent's throat. While this happens, Aislinn's right forepaw will attempt to stomp on Skadi's left forepaw in the hopes of bruising the paw or dislocating the toe joints. Her right leg will next tightly wrap around the center of her opponent's left foreleg, attempting to twist and yank the leg outwards to Skadi's left in the hopes of spraining or dislocating the shoulder. Aislinn vs Skadi for SPAR Round two of two Reactions: Third paragraph Defences: Second paragraph Attacks: Fourth paragraph Injuries: Unmovable and bruised upper left shoulder. Bruising on upper chest (from the previous round, forgot to include this in the first post) "Speech"

SKADI vs AISLINN for SPAR ROUND ONE SKADI: 10/10 for clarity: No issues found 8/10 for powerplaying. “pacing back several steps in an attempt to lengthen the distance...Skadi turned once more” this is a lot of movement without much chance to respond before Skadi’s attacks -2 10/10 for defenses. plenty of defenses - full points 8/10 for attack. shoulder to upper trachea +3 (maim attempt) bite to eyes +3 (maim attempt) foot stomp +2 10 for injuries. First round. SKADI'S round one total: 46/50 AISLINN: 6/10 for clarity: “successfully collided with her upper windpipe” what damage was taken? -1 “Aislinn pulled her head back before any contact could be made” In what manner did she move her head to avoid the attack completely? -1 “would next attempt to throw her opponent’s right side forcefully to the ground” how did she do this? Where did she move her paws in order to throw Skadi? What direction did she push? -2 1/10 for powerplaying. “Aislinn’s body stood solid without disrupted balance” Skadi is considerably larger than Aislinn, it is unrealistic that she could take a full hit without any issue -1 “successfully collided with her upper windpipe” Aislinn shows no adverse effects from having such a severe injury throughout this post -1 “Because of this, Aislinn had gained a few more inches in height than her opponent” You assume that Aislinn is successful in her attempt -1 “her claws would sink into the flesh, dragging downward half an inch” you make a huge assumption here, first that her paws hit at all and secondly that she is able to do damage, and thirdly you assume an unrealistic amount of damage (a wolf’s blunt claws could not sink into flesh) -3 “her forepaws would next attempt to throw her opponent” you assume she is successful in her attempt to get her paws on Skadi’s head -1 far too much movement (three attacks with the same body part), you don’t allow your opponent time to respond -1 “legs bending to level her height with Skadi” you assume she is successful in her attempt to throw Skadi -1 2/10 for defenses. “redistributed her weight” and “body braced for impact” were only defenses found in post 3/10 for attack. forepaws shove to forehead +1 claws to forehead +0 (points removed for PP issues, ineffectiveness of attack) attempt to throw opponent +0 (points removed for PP/clarity issues, ineffectiveness of attack - she does not have the leverage if her paws are on Skadi’s forehead to throw a larger opponent to the ground) bite to Skadi’s cheek +2 10 for injuries. First round. AISLINN's round one total: 22/50 ROUND TWO SKADI: 10/10 for clarity: No major issues 9/10 for powerplaying. it is a stretch to believe that at such close quarters Skadi could dislocate her opponent’s shoulder with just a straight hit -1 10/10 for defenses. one point for each seen 5/10 for attack. shoulder throw +3 (debilitating wound attempt) bite to cheekbone +2 8/10 for injuries. mild bruising on shoulder -1 minor welts on forehead -1 SKADI'S round two total: 42/50 AISLINN: 8/10 for clarity: how is Aislinn twisting her body in order to move 90* from her previous position? is she pivoting, sidestepping, cartwheeling? -1 “her right leg will next tightly wrap around her opponent’s…” though you may think it is obvious which leg is being referred to, wolves have two right legs and you need to specify which she is using -1 3/10 for powerplaying. “lifting her chin slightly upwards, her jaws lunge for Skadi’s neck” this must be attempted -1 “while this happens, Aislinn’s right forepaw will attempt… Her right leg will next attempt” she would be unable to do either of these attacks with her left shoulder dislocated -2 too much movement, you attack twice with the same body part so your opponent doesn’t have time to react to the first one -1 “her right leg will next tightly wrap around the center of her opponent’s…” this must be attempted -1 “attempting to twist and yank the leg outward… in the hopes of spraining or dislocating the shoulder” the attempted damage is extremely unrealistic given the relative weakness of a wolf’s forelegs, and the inability to get a grip on the limb using just forearm-to-forearm contact makes twisting the leg itself impossible in this situation -2 10/10 for defenses. one point for every defense seen 3/10 for attack. bite to the throat +2 (points removed for PP issues) paw stomp +1 leg sweep +0 (points removed for multiple severe PP issues) 6/10 for injuries. dislocated shoulder -4 AISLINN'S' round two total: 30/50 Totals: SKADI: 88/100 AISLINN: 52/100 And the winner is... SKADI! AISLINN must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: (healing times not given because it’s been ages so they’re healed already) SKADI: minor bruising on shoulder welts AISLINN: crushed windpipe (very serious injury, healing may be difficult and might cause lasting damage) dislocated shoulder (with immediate care should not cause lasting damage, but without immediate care it could cause serious damage to the joint and be much more difficult to treat) Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): For LAZULI: You’re doing well with clarity and PP, so the next step is to definitely work on your attack score. Though you are doing very well with maim attempts here you could have done more to attack in the second round than you did. For MILLIE: You greatly improved in your second round. One thing you need to work on is being realistic with the way you portray damage. Even minor damage will affect wolves in some way but major damage like a dislocated shoulder would be debilitating and should be played out, not ignored when you do attacks. You need to work on layering your attacks as well - though you’re getting several attacks in, you’re losing points because you are doing multiple attacks with a single body part - losing PP points because you don’t give your opponent time to react in between - when it is better to layer your attacks using multiple body parts (example - a shoulder throw, a leg sweep, and a bite all use different parts of the body and can happen simultaneously). Keep in mind, also, that you must be realistic when you dodge damage completely (for example, remember that your opponent will have momentum on their side so simply ducking under an attack coming from above will not necessarily avoid it). And make sure you put everything important in the post itself, not the OOC notes! Judges do not read and cannot use information that is in the OOC notes, only the IC portion. For both: everything else should be outlined in the judging itself. - By Tealah