Astrid rolled her shoulders. It had been a long ass winter and she was pumped that summer was here at last. She hummed happily as she meandered through this land of death and sorrow. It smelled like that, anyways, but as far as she could see it was deserted. There weren't any interesting herbs so far, and the pale fae didn't really want to den somewhere so... off-putting. Still, it couldn't go on forever and she was content to keep on trucking. The day was hot, having just passed noon, and she sweltered under the full severity of the sun. Still, compared to nearly freezing her ears off up north she didn't mind at all. At least she had a nice, pale coat to hold at least some of the heat at bay. The fur on the back of her neck tickled and she turned to look over her shoulder, suddenly feeling as if she were being watched. "Talk" "You" Think

She was being watched, smart girl.

Her purple eyes were locked onto the smaller pale girl, her elongated tail quivering with excitement. She had been sitting here since the early morning, practicing some fight moves and just waiting for someone to show up. But there was something different about this one, she wasn't actively calling for a fight, which most did. Humming softly she raised herself to her paws, picking her way towards the green eyed girl. She looked to be about the same age as Mercy, perhaps a season or so older than her. But smaller. Mercy smirked at her as she strutted up, she was at least five inches taller than her. She was slightly disappointed, she had wanted to spar with someone who was the same height or taller than herself. Since her pack was made up of freaking giants, she needed to learn on how to have the upper hand against them. Maybe she should bug Valentine for a lesson sometime... Clearing her throat, her eyes focused with an almost hungry look on the girl. "Did you come here to fight?" she asked, tail curling slightly over her spine. She took on a dominant stance, seeing if the girl would run or fight. She didn't want to waste any time if she was just going to walk away from her.

Astrid's suspicions would prove accurate when a voice broke into the air around her. She turned slowly so as to face the other fae, giving her a quick once over. Large, unusually so, but her build was not unlike other's she'd seen. In that department, she was rather average. Her coat was bland, as was Astrid's, and her purple eyes held excitement. The girl asked if she had come to fight. The question was rolled about in her mind as her head quirked to the side. She might have expected something like this to happen, and it struck her suddenly that the idea was not completely repugnant. She was past due to stretch her muscles, test herself against something besides the weather. At last she nodded. "I hope that was an offer, because now you've piqued my interest." She might have been young, but she wasn't stupid. This other fae was itching for it. Astrid would square herself up, face the woman head on, and refuse to move a pace forward or back as she waited for her companion to take up her challenge. "Talk" "You" Think

It would seem that she would not run in fear, but instead she stepped up to the challenge, squaring of to the larger woman. Mercy let out a soft chuckle, chin tucking towards her chest as she looked down upon the woman. Ah, so she had thought that she has been teasing? "I do not tease on such matters. But if you think you can take me on, I will allow you the first move." The way that she said it was clear, she was trying to give her a leg up as it were. Taking a step back, she left three feet between them as she squared herself off. Eyes narrowed as her ears pulled back against her head. Legs spread evenly as her toes spread, claws digging into the earth. Chin tucked towards her chest as her shoulders rolled forward. Head lowered to align with her spine as her tail rose to align with her spine as well. A brow rose at the pale woman, daring her to come at her. Muscles were tensed all over her body, a sneer on her snarling lips. "Name's Mercy, but don't expect to receive any."

Mercy offered her the first move. The blood in Astrid's veins became liquid nitrogen, freezing and boiling at once. Oh it was on. Given the first move, Astrid would pause to ensure her defenses were in order. Her chin would dip, protecting her neck, as her ears flattened against the top of her skull. Her eyes narrowed. The girl bent her legs, centering her body mass and center of gravity. She lifted her tail to align her spine, setting herself in a stance that would take an impact, should Mercy decide to go against her word. Her claws dug into the earth and she rolled her shoulders forward, offering the loose skin on her neck instead of the crucial muscle and vessels beneath. Her hackles lifted, every hair standing on end. She curled her lips up to reveal her teeth and allowed her jaw to slack open, all the easier to thrash about and snag errant bits of flesh. The distance between them was perhaps two body lengths, no more than ten feet. The two faes were positioned head on, each squaring off against the other. Astrid drew in a deep breath and began her first attack. She would dart forward and close the distance between them. When the space dwindled to sixteen inches Astrid would feint with one step to the left. Pushing her weight off of that left forepaw, she lunged instead to her own right (Mercy's left.) With bared fangs, she would attempt to bite the taller woman just above where the shoulder blade transitioned into the soft flesh of her neck (The sternomastoideus area, depicted here: Link) Astrid would attempt to pivot around this first attack, rotating on her right forepaw so that her hindquarters would swing to her right and position the two women side-by-side, with Astrid standing on Mercy's left side. Astrid lifted her right forepaw and slammed it down to the earth, hoping to crush the toes on Mercy's left forepaw, although she did not dare to aim and risk losing her focus on Mercy's own dangerous maw. Astrid kicked out backwards with her hind right leg, hoping to collide with Mercy's knee or at the very least to sweep the limb out from under her opponent. Hopefully the woman's balance would be compromised. Finally, Astrid would check Mercy's hips with her own, bony pelvis hopefully colliding with Mercy's hindquarters. ASTRID vs. MERCY for SPAR Round 1 of 2(?) DEFENSES: Chin tucked, ears flattened, eyes narrowed, legs bent, gravity centered, tail aligned, claws dug into the earth, shoulders rolled, hackles raised, teeth bared. ATTACKS: Bite to the neck, toe crush, kick/leg swipe, hip check. INJURIES: None. NOTES: None. "Talk" "You" Think