The matches were being set up around him, and some were already turning to face their opponents. Shrike would take a small breath. He was excited to be here, though after his recent blow to his ego he was feeling a bit nervous about participating. He would think about what Starling said, however, and decided that the only way to recover who he once was was to participate in this. If he could prove his worth through battle then perhaps he would be able to recover himself. He would set his face in determination as the sparing pairs were given out. So he was to be fighting someone named Absinthe, huh?

The young man would move from where he stood and went off to where the two would have some room, focusing on setting his defenses. First his eyes were narrowed, ears laid back flat on his head. Hackles would be raised and tail tucked under him. Shoulders would naturally roll forward, limbs spread and weight evenly distributed across them. He would tuck his chin and scrunch his neck, his claws biting into the earth of the redbud nook. He'd speak out for his opponent, hoping that she would come to him soon.

"You have the first move, Absinthe."

"Speech!"
'Thoughts!'

Table by:: Eve

ooc. going table-less so that it's easier to read xD I apologize in advance for my lack of skill as well, for the sake of knowing the babus' dimensions, we're saying Absinthe is close to 25" right now, and weighs about 65-70 lbs.

The violet girl had been cautious in signing up for spars. She'd never been in a spar. How were you supposed to fight others? Obviously learning to fight would be necessary if she had any hope of learning how to take care of those she loved. So, she'd decided to bite the bullet and see how things went. If she lost, she'd still gain some learning experience, and some bruises. Alabaster toes would dance across the leaf strewn floor, seeking her partner. Shrike. That was a strange name, but it sounded like shriek. Shrieking was a method of intimidation sometimes, right? Did she just make a horrible mistake? Her name would be called out by an unfamiliar set of vocals, young as well. Glancing in the direction the speech had come from, she took in the form of a young boy. He was bigger than her, but that only inspired her to be brave. She dipped her head politely to him, smiling lightly. "I've never been in a real fight before, sorry if I'm no good." She murmured, dropping dual toned gaze to the ground. That ever so faint trace of a southern drawl played lightly upon her melodies, hoping the excuse could make up for her lack of knowledge. She had the first move. What did that mean? She gets to make the first attack? She made sure to be standing face to face with her partner, for the sake of making everything relatively equal.
She would examine the stance of her opponent, before slowly falling into more or less the same pose. Ears would fall flat against her skull, lavender hued hackles bristling. Toes would curl into the earth as her limbs splayed to evenly distribute her weight over the ground. Tail curled tightly under her, why, she wasn't sure. Mismatched optics would narrow, lips curling up to reveal her teeth. Chin would tuck toward her chest, shoulders rolling forth so the skin of her neck scrunching up for protection.
A low growl would rumble in her narrow chest, the heat of the moment playing upon her instincts. She picked it up well, it seemed. Warily, she would examine her partner. What should she do? Hesitantly, the girl would begin their match. Charging forward, the lilac lass would attempt to veer to her opponents right- her own left. The purple youth would then aim to drive her left shoulder into his right flank (just behind his shoulder). It was an attempt to throw him off balance. If she were especially lucky, which she probably wasn't, he might even fall over. That was more of a fantasy at this point. Should her blow be at all successful, she would also try to snap at the side of the boy. Not too hard, of course. It was just a spar, not a fight to the death! Drawing blood for fun just didn't seem right to the girl. Hopefully her opponent felt the same way, or she'd have to toughen her resolve quickly.

ABSINTHE VS. SHRIKE
round I of II??? for SPAR
DEFENSES:
Eyes narrowed, ears flattened, shoulders rolled forward, neck scrunched up, lips curled, hackles raised, tail tucked, limbs evenly displacing her weight over the ground, chin tucked.
ATTACKS:
Attempting to ram left shoulder just below Shrike's right shoulder (to throw him off balance), and aiming to bite at his flanks.
WOUNDS:
first round

Ooc:: I'm gonna say that Shrike is close to 28" being just a bit older than Absinthe and somewhere around 85-95lbs? Does that sound reasonable? xD I have no idea.

---

Shrike was surprised when he saw his opponent. Why, the girl was purple! The young man would blink with surprise, but he would try not to be rude. He would dip his head in response to her, a gentle smile on his lips. “That’s alright. This is my first fight too, to be honest with you.” The young man would adjust himself, double checking his defenses as she took the time to make the first move. His legs were spread apart, his weight evenly distributed across the limbs. His toes were likewise spread, claws biting into the soil. Though whether from nervousness or not the boy could not say. His ego was still damaged from the training... But he hoped to resolve that today. His tail was curled under his body, his ears pinned back and his eyes narrowed. Shoulders were rolled forward, his neck scrunched and chin tucked inward. His hackles were also raised, muscles tense as he waited for the girl’s attack. The girl would charge forward, and Shrike would make the same sort of movement forward. He would shift to his left {his opponent’s right} but not enough avoid her shoulder bump completely. He would stumble, catching himself with a couple paw steps. He would also feel her jaws snap at his flank, something that would bruise and ache later, but nothing too serious. It was just a spar after all. Shrike would retaliate. His position had been shifted a few more degrees to his own left, mainly his back end. He would redistribute his weight to make up for his balance and leap forward, aiming to slam his right forepaw upon his opponent’s left back paw in hopes of bruising the toes. At the same time he would seek to bite her left thigh in the same way she snapped at his flank -- a bite to bruise, not draw blood -- to keep the playing field fairly even. Shrike vs Absinthe Round:: 1 / 2 Attacks:: Stomp on Absinthe's back left toes with right forepaw. Snapping his jaws at her left thigh in the same manner she snapped she snapped at his flank. Defenses:: Second Paragraph Injuries:: Mild bruising to lower left shoulder, mild bruising to left flank "Speech"

Table by:: Eldarwen

ooc. Keno and I got a little confused (I didn't proofread as much as I should have darn that sleep deprivedness) so we're correcting our posts from here on out

Her blow would land, for the most part. He shifted, and she found herself stumbling a little when the shoulder check didn't fully connect, but it was easy enough to find her balance again. Her puny size meant there was little real force behind the blow anyway, but the taste and texture of fur between her needle like teeth was far from pleasant, as it would turn out. Rather than tear it all out by the roots, because that would just be rude, the lass would release the fur and flesh that was still grasped between her jaws. The other boy stumbled a little under her assault, and she leaned away to save herself from going with him.
Legs would remain evenly distributing her weight, toes splayed for the sake of balance, and tail tucked protectively between her hind limbs. Optics would continue to be narrowed, lashes guarding the soft pools. Lavender audits pressed tightly to her skull as shoulders rolled forward once more, neck scrunched up in the pose that was growing familiar to her. Chin tucked toward her chest, lips curled away from her fangs as her hackles continued to bristle.
A blow would fall upon her now, a paw stomping not so gently upon the toes of her right hind foot. A low yelp of surprise would escape her unbidden, teeth snapping together reflexively. That effectively pinned that paw beneath the weight of her opponent, leaving him open to sinking his teeth into the skin of her right thigh. It wouldn't draw blood, but it hurt like hell regardless. Well, if that's what they were doing, she was going to try and retaliate in kind. Teeth would try to snap at his right side again, one or two cursory attempts to inflict damage in the same area as before. Should her opponent release her foot, it would mean her next move would become less awkward to land. Pivoting somewhat, so her front aligned with Shrike's right flank at an angle that was roughly close to 45 degrees. Rearing up, the violet babe would aim to slam her forepaws into the right flank of her partner. She aimed to shove him over, or at least get him a fair distance away from her so she could renew her assault. Alabaster toes would aim to connect with the middle of his right flank, near the lower half of his rib cage. Hopefully, her claws would tear into him all that much, because she wasn't trying to make him bleed. That wasn't the point of the spar, and she didn't intend to have it that way. But if such a thing did occur, she would apologize afterward and make sure he saw a healer.

ABSINTHE vs. SHRIKE
round II of II for SPAR
ATTACKS:
she tries snapping at his flank again, trying to bite at the same area as before. an attempt is made to shove him over with her front paws, achieved by her rearing up at a fairly awkward angle while he is (still?) stepping on her hind left paw.
DEFENSES:
mentioned in second paragraph.
INJURIES:
Moderate bruising to the toes on her right hind paw, and mild bruising to her right thigh.

Notes:: There was much derping on my end too. ^^;; Sorry, new medicine and all that. <3 His blow was hardly meant to be gentle, but this was a spar and the boy was competitive. Shrike would hear her yelp, a momentary flash of guilt surging within his chest. He would need to apologize to the purple girl after all this was over. He would keep his eyes narrowed, his ears pinned back, hackles raised... His tail would remain tucked due to being close to her face. He would shift his body, moving to the right after his left forepaw slide off her hind right foot. His head was realigned with his spine, neck scrunched, weight distributed across his four limbs and bent at the joints. He would focus his head toward her rear and would watche her hind leg muscles flex as she reared up. The male would dive forward, moving to jump behind her at a fourty-five degree angle. He would not miss the assault completely however, feeling her teeth sink in his thigh once more. Her shove would have him stumbling at a side step, making him behind her rear at more of a seventy degree angle do to the extra steps. The boy would snap his head at her left hindquarter now, just aiming to bruise it. He would also reach with his right forepaw to wrap around her back right paw, hoping to pull it out behind her so she’d either have to step forward or possibly stumble. Either way, as long as she didn’t get another attack in on him he’d be fine. Shrike vs Absinthe for Spar Round:: II / II Injures:: Mild bruising to right shoulder, moderate to severe bruising to right thigh. "Speech"

Table by:: Eldarwen

ABSINTHE vs SHRIKE for SPAR ROUND ONE ABSINTHE: 5 for clarity: -1 “...aim to drive her left shoulder...” What part of her shoulder? -2 “...aim to drive her left shoulder into his right flank (just behind his shoulder).” If she's dodging to her left, how can drive her left shoulder into his right side? -2 “...she would also try to snap at the side of the boy.” Which side and where exactly? More specifics are needed here. 8 for powerplaying. -1 “She made sure to be standing face to face with her partner...” Movements towards your opponent need to be attempted, you can't assume any move regarding them is successful. -0 “The purple youth would then...” This is a dangerous statement to make. Try to avoid using conditionals in your fight posts, even if it's as simple as this one. -1 “Should her blow be at all successful...” All of your attacks need to stand alone. You can't base one on the success of another. That's not fair to your opponent. 9 for defenses. +1 for each seen 5 for attack. +2 shoulder throw +3 bite 10 for injuries. First round. Absinthe's round one total: 37/50 SHRIKE: 6 for clarity: -2 “...but not enough avoid her shoulder bump completely...” Where did her blow land? What kind of damage did he take from it? -1 “He would also feel her jaws snap at his flank...” Where did her bite land? -1 “...would seek to bite her left thigh...” Where on her left thigh? 10 for powerplaying. None seen! 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 4 for attack. +1 stomp +3 bite 10 for injuries. First round. Shrike's round one total: 40/50 ROUND TWO ABSINTHE: 6 for clarity: -1 “...a paw stomping not so gently upon the toes of her right hind foot. ” He was aiming for her left back paw, so how did he reach her right? -1 “...into the skin of her right thigh.” He was aiming for her left thigh, so how did he reach her right? -1 “...into the skin of her right thigh.” Where exactly on her thigh? It's a fairly large area. -1 “Teeth would try to snap at his right side again...” Where on his right side? 6 for powerplaying. -1 “...a paw stomping not so gently upon the toes of her right hind foot. ” What damage did she take from this? -1 “...into the skin of her right thigh.” What damage did she take from this? You need to specify otherwise damage will be assigned by the judge. -1 “...one or two cursory attempts to inflict damage...” You can only use a body part once per post. -1 I feel there was too much movement to your attacks this round. 9 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. -1 for not redistributing weight after rearing up 5 for attack. +3 bite +2 shove 8 for injuries. -1 moderate bruising to toes (damage assigned by judge) -1 moderate bruising to thigh (damage assigned by judge) Absinthe's round two total: 34/50 SHRIKE: 7 for clarity:   -2 ”...feeling her teeth sink in his thigh once more.” Where on his thigh? Which thigh? -1 “Her shove would have him stumbling at a side step...” Where did her shove land? 6 for powerplaying. -1 ”...feeling her teeth sink in his thigh once more.” What damage did he take from this? I can't count ooc notes, damage has to be listed in the post itself. -1 “Her shove would have him stumbling at a side step...” What damage did he take from this? -2 “...snap his head at her left hindquarter now...” Is he headbutting or biting? And where on her left hindquarter is he hoping to strike? 7 for defenses. +1 for each seen. -1 for not redistributing weight after lifting paw 6 for attack. +3 for hindquarter attack +1 for paw swipe 7 for injuries. -2 Severe bruising to thigh (damage assigned by judge) -1 Mild bruising to side (damage assigned by judge Shrike's round two total: 33/50 Totals: ABSINTHE: 71/100 SHRIKE: 73/100 And the winner is... SHRIKE! Absinthe must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: Absinthe: Awl the bruises will take 3 OOC days to heal. Shrike:   Awl the bruises will take 5 OOC days to heal. Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): For both: My notes are pretty much the same for both of you (there some in my judging too), so I'm gonna smush it all together. This fight was short, sweet and for the most part, simple! It got a little confusing at times; just remember to pay attention to your lefts and rights. They're very easy to confuse and it happens to everyone, so don't stress over this judging too much. I realize this was just a beginner spar for your characters, but you guys might want to experiment with more complex attacks in the future. You missed out on quite a few points by keeping it simple. Overall I think you guys did really well. It was a good fight! - By [Lazuli]