First round ends March 6th.
Please, take the time to review the Guidebook Section on fighting and judging.
Those on Scarcity/Absence are not required to join in.

Surreal Adravendi

Despite her recent spars, the silver timber Archangel was restless. Her paws itched to see her pack working on their spars. She hadn't heard any calls for a friendly practice yet, and she aimed to rectify that. Now that her announcements for the upcoming festival had been made, and the ideas had been taken in, she wanted to get Celestial actively practicing the skills that would defend their borders one day - a day that could come sooner, rather than later. Hoping they were ready would do Celestial no good. No; she had to make sure they would be ready. So she paced along the boulder, laying out a strategy. Castiel hadn't made it to the meeting... And his scent was growing stale. That wasn't good. That left them with uneven numbers, which made for a minor difficulty in pairing sparring partners. However, she came to a decision, and turned, tossing her head back and sending a commanding howl rolling through the Prairie, hoping it would reach ears in Wolfpaw Lake, as well. She stretched lengthily as her call faded on the wind, limbering her muscles. Today was a day to train, assign partners, and announce that there would be rotations. She also wanted her wolves to take trips to the Battlefield to spar against strangers in order to hone skills and not fall into habits born of familiarity. Familiar with one's pack-mates, enough to work together seamlessly in a tag team against enemy opponents, but able to work alone and switch tactics when needed. She knew Regulus' style; He put his weight and size to advantage; he needed work on agility. That meant a smaller opponent. Faite, perhaps? Excellent. Her paws finally halted their pacing as she stood squarely on the boulder, watching from her vantage point for her pack to come. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

For once the girl was sticking rather close to home. She'd begun to notice Uncle Cas' absence and that disturbed her, a sting of worry setting in. She was aware he liked to leave a bit, much like herself, but he'd been gone longer than usual. Surely her mother would have something say about it, especially since he hadn't been at the meeting either. She certainly missed him and she definitely felt like she owed him after bringing her back home to the family. A soft huff escaped past her lips as she trotted along the border of Vericona, working her way around on a patrol. Well she'd intended on doing a patrol except the howl of her mother caught her attention. She cocked her head to the side trying to decide what it would be this time, surely something interesting, so she took off towards the familiar meeting place with a grin. She arrived in a timely manner and was surprised to see she was the first to arrive. Had she really beaten everyone, even Regulus? This was a new record for her! Her grin widened and she wagged her tail as she stared up at her mother. "Hello Ma!" She greeted excitedly, taking a seat. She couldn't wait to see what was in store. Walk, "Talk" Think

There definitely seemed to be an abundance of meetings lately. While there'd only been the first one when the pack formed, the healers meeting he hadn't attended (because honestly who wanted to lose a limb because of his inefficiency to recognize the right herbs), the meeting to talk about the festival, and the spars (which he also hadn't participated in) it still seemed like a lot for such a short amount of time. One of these times he was worried something might be seriously wrong. A new howl rang across the territory and Creed rose from his den where he'd been resting. It didn't have a tinge of worry or anger to it so he doubted it was anything bad. Maybe it was more plans for the festival that she needed to announce. Regardless of what it was it sounded important so he left his den in a hurry, eager to get there in a timely manner. He'd learned that if you were early you were on time and if you were on time you were late. He arrived fairly quickly and was surprised to see that even Regulus hadn't gotten there yet. Surreal and Faite were the only two so far so he offered them a smile and a nod of his head in greeting before taking a seat. Walk, "Talk" Think

Zuriel's ears perked with surprise when she heard her mother's call. It felt like just yesterday they had gathered for a meeting, but she could tell this was for a different purpose. For once she wasn't collecting or sorting herbs. Since her chat with Varda she had been working more on her hunting skills and that was precisely what she was working on today. She was crouched down, hiding in a patch of thick grass and watching a deer graze. She wasn't really planning on trying to take it down herself, but it had been interesting practicing stalking it all the same. She quietly backed out of her hiding spot as to not disturb the deer she had been watching and then turned to head toward her mother's call. It only took her a few moments to arrive and she was pleasantly surprised to see she was fairly early to the party this time. Usually she was one of the last to arrive so she was pretty proud of herself. She happily trotted over to Faite, settling on her haunches next to her sister so that their shoulders brushed. She realized that they hadn't gotten to really spend some time together one on one since Faite returned and Zuriel made a note to herself to change that very soon. She gave Faite a happy grin before looking up to her mother to do the same. She wasn't sure what their mother had planned, but she was happy to be with her family none of the less. "Talk" "You" Think

Báine was laying under the shade of a tree with her head on her paws, her pretty pink necklace trailing off to the side, when her mother's voice reached her. She of course scrambled to her paws, her ears perked up as she listened. Another gathering already? No, this wasn't a meeting though. Training? Oh she loved learning! She didn't know what they were training in, but surely it would be as fun as it had been to train with Creed, right? She took off at a light run, her necklace bouncing around her neck. That was something she was going to have to get used to! Or maybe she should leave it in the den... Well, she didn't want to be late so she continued on to the meeting spot. She got there and she couldn't believe she had got here before Regulus! But Zur and Faite were here and mister Creed! First she'd trot over to her mother, hopping up so that her front paws were on the bolder Surreal was standing on, and stretching her neck so she could reach up to her mother's cheek to kiss it. "Hello, mother!" she said cheerfully before going over to sit next to Creed. She definitely felt like he was a good friend, especially after they had that whole training session and everything. Her tail brushed against the ground behind her and she waited patiently to see what they'd do today. "Talk" "You" Think

His daughters might not have known what his wife's training was for, but he knew very well. As soon as he heard Surreal's howl dread settled in his stomach. The last time he had fought he had walked away blind. Not that there would be any fights today at that level of intensity, but he still couldn't fathom how he might fight with no sight. He had only recently gotten a real grasp on how to get around blindly. As he got up to walk toward their usual meeting spot it dawned on him how long it had been since that fight that he had been maimed in. How was it possible that so much time had passed already? He walked up to the meeting unceremoniously, settling into his usual spot next to Surreal simply because that's where his paws were used to carrying him. He'd tip his head up toward his wife for a moment, giving her a nervous smile before lowering his face again. He wanted this to go well. He really did. Fighting had been his calling back when he was able. If he could find a way to do that again... Maybe his problems would be solved or at least eased slightly. He took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh. Only time would tell if this went well or became an absolute disaster. Speech Thought Others

A howl rang across the land, making her alabaster ears perk. It was an urgent call for training, and she could guess which field it was for. There had been a healing lesson (and not a hunt because she hadn't yet gotten down to organising one), so it had to be for fight training. The Destruction rose to her paws and made her way over to the gathering, trying to be an optimist and urging herself to look on the bright side. She was a bit rusty with her fighting, seeing as she had never had a proper lesson. She couldn't neglect the field, however, as the Archangel made it clear every wolf of Celestial had to know how to defend themselves. She quietly slipped into the crowd, nodding to the alphess and fellow pack-mates before seating herself around the edge of the gathering. She kept to herself, making note of the familiar faces around her and those who she didn't know. There were a couple she hadn't yet met, though the rest she had established fairly friendly relationships with. That was good. It was always a positive to make new acquaintances. Shuffling on her haunches, she awaited the training's commencement, occasionally glancing towards the silver-furred woman.   "Speech"

Kavdaya Of The Nomads

She and her behemoth of a vibrant red young cousin were late, but not without a good reason. Surreal had tasked them with gathering mud from the shore of the river, and between them, they carried the wet, sticky slop carefully in a deer hide. Once she'd found that a sharp stone could part the hide from the deer if done carefully, Kavdaya had been collecting the hides. So many uses. Kavdaya was familiar wit hthe method of covering an advanced apprentice warrior's eyes to train them for the event of being blinded in a fight. Best to give them the experience of having to rely on their other senses without actually being blind. She had gone through the training herself, and it was a strange experience to be sure. For healers the training was done as well, so that a blind healer would still be able to work his or her trade through scent, taste, and touch, as well as hearing. Both she and Regulus were liberally spattered with mud, but the snowy Master Healer's eyes twinkled with good humor, and her tail waved just below her hips' height. She would have been chatting to Regulus if her jaws hadn't full of hide. As they came in view of the pack, she ran a quick assessing look around the group gathered, before she and Regulus lowered the mud to the ground beside the boulder and she took her place at the Master healer. Who would she be appointed for a sparring partner? Her eyes ran over the crowd as Regulus departed to hop up onto the boulder beside his mother. She'd just have to listen to find out. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Okay. Mud. No biggie. He'd had fun swiping his paws through it, dumping the muck onto the hide, while chatting with Kavdaya about what mud could do for bruises, and what plants to use with the mud applications. He was interested enough in the subject of healing to be a bit annoyed that he'd missed the last meeting for the healers, and he'd made a mental note to attend the next one, no matter what, unless he had patrols to attend. He was both nervous and looking forward to trying this whole 'fighting blind' thing. It would truly help to know what his father went through day after day over the last couple of years. And if it helped him avoid having the insecurities he saw in his sire about being a good fighter, all the better. Maybe this training would help his father regain more of his mojo that Regulus remembered from before he got taken and blinded. His pace was jaunty as they carried the hideful of mud between them, and as they set it down at the boulder, and he leapt up to sit beside his mother, he cast a quick look around at the gathered pack. No Ganja... And no Uncle Castiel, either. Not good. However, he set it aside to wait while he nodded at his mother. He was ready to hear what all was up for today.

Walk | Talk | Think

He had been on the opposite side of the territory when the call rang out, summoning the pack together. His tan ears perked and a little surge of anticipation shot through his system, and for a moment it stalled him. At their last meeting, Surreal had mentioned addressing the spars at a later point. Was it late enough now? Oh, he was so curious to know what she thought, whether he would be awarded the rank he asked for, even though it made his stomach flip nervously. He both wanted to know and wished to remain clueless, anxious about what she would say and feeding into his doubts the longer it was prolonged. But it was too important to ignore simply because he was nervous, too important to forego attending out of anxiety. He would only feel worse later if he did.

Forcing a deep breath slowly in and out of his lungs, Miksa went forward at an easy lope, covering the ground of the Lake and entering into the Plains. He could see them all gathered already, Surreal seated atop her boulder-perch with the rest of them milling about below within the grass. Out of habit, his yellow eyes picked Varda out of the crowd, her curious brown eye markings singling her from the rest. He slowed as he approached, glancing Surreal's way with a nervous but expectant smile before he padded silently to Varda's side. He smiled more easily at her, distracted by his thoughts, and curled his tail with a anxious twitch against his side as he sat to wait.

The second round of the meeting is mandatory, but posting order will not be enforced, in order to help things move more quickly. To clarify, I would like the pack to post here as well as start a separate spar. For instance, You can have your wolf react to the meeting here, then, as Surreal does, move off to a clear spot with your opponent.
I would like all spars for this Training Session to have been started by March 21st, or ideally have already been completed by that date, and completed at the latest by April 4th.
I'm giving extra leeway to Shelby since she plays an Alpha as well, and her focus should certainly go to Leo first and foremost before her other characters <3
Rounds must be 2-3.
Also, keep an eye open for changes in the Celestial Pack Page, as I will be adding a few details, including OOC rules, and a more detailed outline of sparring training, and a fun little contest that will revolve around spars :D
After the spars are all completed, (Judged or not) and all have posted in the second round here, I will post again with Surreal. The plan is to make this a thread so that anyone with the fighting skill can gain points for participating in a spar, as well as participating in a fighting lesson. Win Win, right?
Good luck, and Have Fun, everyone.

Surreal Adravendi

They came, Creed and Faite first as usual, a habit she'd noticed. She smiled warmly to each of them, andswering Faite with a wider grin and a chuckled 'Hello, Faite. Congratulations on being first today.', but maintained her stance on the boulder, paws still squared in a relaxed fighter's stance, tail waving slowly above her hips as she returned her gaze to the plains, watching as Zuriel, Baine, and Falk arrived next. As Zuriel took a seat beside Faite, Surreal bent her head to nuzzle her youngest's cheek in return. "Hello, my little cherry moon. Big things planned for today." She could see the nerves in Falk's face, in the smile he offered in her direction. Her muzzle twitched into a smile. "It'll take retraining and time, but I know you can do this, Falk." Her voice was low, for his ears alone, gently encouraging as she leaned in to nuzzle his neck, feeling a familiar rush of fire roil through her belly and loins at the mere touch, and couldn't repress the low purring rumble that touched her throat, still at a level only he could hear. Since she'd already made plans for him to be her partner in order to teach him how to use his heightened senses of touch, hearing and smell to his advantage, and the sparring rounds would naturally be close quarters, it was going to be very interesting. Varda was next to arrive, and Surreal gave the Destruction a simple nod, before Regulus and Kavdaya's arrival wit the prescribed mud caught her attention. She nodded to the pair, giving Regulus a nuzzle on the cheek as he took his seat. One more arrived, Miksa. She smiled gently at him as he caught her eye, winking lightly. A few more minutes were given, before, once again, she began the meeting preceding the training spars without Castiel or Ganja. However, Kavdaya had told her the little green female was ill, so Ganja would be off the hook, if only expected to work hard once she was well again. She straightened, head raising high over her shoulders as her ears perked forward, mismatched blue and gold gaze sweeping to each face before her tail gave a flick, and she began, letting her voice carry over the group, ensuring that every ear would be reached. "Thank you for coming so quickly, everyone. When I claimed the Plains, and created the pack, I gave you all a clear description of what I expected of you and Celestial as a whole. Thus far, you have been a tiny bit short of that goal, however, none of you are in danger of being removed from the pack." She continued after only a short pause to let everyone absorb the words, her tone firmly sober. "However; I have noticed a distinct lack of calls for practice spars from any of you, beyond the Legionary test spars. I want this to change starting today. There is no good in merely hoping that we will be ready to defend when a raid or siege comes our way. We must ensure that every set of paws in this pack will be able to defend the borders and our resources." A sweeping glance encompassed all gathered there, though Falk would likely only be able to feel the look he was included in, possibly by some sixth sense. "Before we begin, I have a few things to include today, since I did say I would address this topic last meeting. I have noticed the hard work, and constant scent left by one of our Unit members, and hopeful Legionary." Her mismatched eyes found her pupil, a grin growing on her face as she announced, pleasure clear in her tone, "Miksa, for your hard work, I am promoting you to Legionary. Your fighting still needs training, but your instincts are very solid, and I doubt you'll need much training. I'm proud of you. Keep up the hard work!" Her eyes turned next to Faite. "Faite, you too have shown your dedication to Celestial. You have been, consistently, among the first to arrive at every meeting. Your instincts for fighting are as good as Miksa's, and you did very well in our spar. You still have a lot to learn, but we all do, in the end. You, too will be promoted to Legionary. Congratulations, both of you." She offered both a wide grin before she ran her mind over any other news that the entire pack would need to know. Finally, her face sobered as she turned to a grimmer note. "It has come to my attention, and I'm sure many of you may have noticed, that Castiel, another hopeful for the Legionary rank, has gone missing. I followed the last trail he left, and ran across his blood, and signs of a struggle. I want all of you to keep your eyes open for him." There was a plea for cooperation in her words and face, before she went on, beginning the next topic, the main reason for the meeting. "Today will be our first official fighting training group session. I've set up sparring partners that will be a set pairing until the next season, at which point I will rotate you to new opponents, and repeat. New members will be included into the spar training. I expect you and your partner, slash opponent, to spar regularly, and practice often. Aside of that, I want all of you to take the time to visit the battlefield with a partner and seek out spars there." She gazed at each of them before continuing sternly. "Even if you aren't the best at fighting, and it doesn't call to you like it does for the Legionaries, I want you to work on your skills. Spar often, practice every chance you get. That is an order from me as your Archangel." This was meant as a two pronged message, for both the pack, and her children, letting them know that it wasn't the order of a mother, one that could be tested, but of their leader, and a mandatory order that must be followed. She gazed at each of them again, before continuing, moving on to her list of whom would be sparring whom. "This Summer, the sparring partners will be: Miksa versus Zuriel Creed versus Báine Faite versus Regulus Varda versus Kavdaya and myself against Falk. "Later on, we will also include a special training method my mother and Uncle taught me. This mud will be used to cover the eyes of the sighted, in order to train them for the possible event that they are blinded in a real fight. While I certainly hope you will all be able to avoid such blows, it is best to already have some experience in not being reliant on your eyesight in a fight." She nodded toward the deer hide heaped with sticky mud for reference before straightening and addressing the crowd, ending the meeting and beginning the Fighting Training Session. "I'd like you to go with your partner and move off to a space that won't encroach on other pairs and start your spars. Falk, with me, love." She kept her hip near her mate's head as she leapt from the boulder and led them to a spot away from the others, waiting for him to be close before she began his training. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Creed waited patiently for others to arrive. Most of them were here, he still noticed the absence of the green girl and Castiel, but other than that everyone else had gotten her pretty quickly. Baine came to sit beside him and he smiled warmly at her. Their training sessions were going very well, in his opinion at least, and he was very pleased with her progress. She showed signs of being a wonderful Emissary once she was old enough. He was sure Surreal was very proud of all her children. The meeting soon started and it didn't take Surreal long to address why they were all here. He was easily guilty for not participating in spars. He'd been more concerned with border patrols and Baine's training than anything else. It'd been a while since he'd participated in a spar and he knew that he should have thrown himself in one a while ago. Well at least this would fix that problem. He'd make an effort in the future to spar some strangers on the battlefield to keep his skills up to date. He didn't dwell on the future though as she soon announced sparring partners and his good mood instantly fell. He didn't know how to feel about sparring Baine... Walk, "Talk" Think

Others arrived and Faite watched as Zuriel came over to sit by her letting their shoulders touch. She offered a grin to her litter-mate. She'd failed to spend any quality time with her family and she realized she needed to change that. She'd have to try and think of something fun she and her sister could do at some point. She'd spent plenty of time away from them. It was about time she did something fun with all of them for a change. She really needed to get to know Baine more too. Tornach had run off before she'd gotten a chance to know her brother, that was a shame, but she didn't want to miss hr opportunity with her younger sister either. She didn't think on it long though as Surreal started the meeting as soon as everyone had arrived. She was quick to congratulate them, almost like sugar before salt, and then turned around and said they needed to work harder. Her mother did have a point and she made a mental note to try and fix that. Other than their spar to see if she was worthy to be a Legionary, she hadn't participated in anymore spars. She wanted to prove to her mother that she was serious about the ranks she wanted and she wanted to be useful in a fight. She definitely had a lot to work on and practice was going to be the only way to do that. Ears perked up as her mother mentioned some good news. To her surprise she promoted Miksa and Faite couldn't help but grin for the male. It was nice to know that he'd been promoted. It was a shame that Uncle Cas wasn't here to get a promotion too. She knew her mother had been excited about Castiel being in the pack and had high hopes for him. She worried for her uncles well being and she was sad he wasn't here. She could only hope that he'd return soon. She was more than surprised when her mother addressed her. Eyes widened slightly as her mother congratulated her as well and then said she was promoted along with Miksa. Her tail thumped wildly against the ground as her grin grew. She'd earned her rank! She was more than pleased that she'd impressed her mother enough to earn her place as Legionary. Lastly Surreal gave them sparring partners and she was excited to learn they'd be switching up every season. That meant she'd get to spar with everyone in the pack! What made this time special was that she'd been partnered up with Regulus. She eyed him, large form and all, as she tried to calculate how hard this would be. He was a foot taller than her and outweighed her by a good bit. This would be difficult but she could see what her mother was aiming for. She'd definitely do the best she could. Walk, "Talk" Think

His ears twitched as he listened to Surreal's quiet words and he'd lean into her touch as she nuzzled his cheek, a little smile tugging at his lips. It still amazed him sometimes that she had stuck with him through all of his struggles and moping. It had been quite a while since they had really taken the time to enjoy each other and that low purr didn't go past him. He smirked slightly and a low chuckle rumbled in his chest. He was feeling much less nervous now that he was thoroughly distracted from anything involving fighting. Of course that would change once Surreal began to speak and described the training and pairings they would be put into. He was a little surprised but pleased that he was put with Surreal for his first sparring partner. She had seen him at his best and his very worst, he wasn't worried about making a fool out of himself in front of her so much like he was the others. Once she was done speaking and spoke to him to indicate that they would go, he stood and followed her scent to their own area so they could begin. He pushed his nerves away with a deep breath. It was now or never he guessed. Speech Thought Others

Her mother would start their meeting and talk all about how they should have been sparring and stuff. She blinked as she listened with a little frown. Sparring? She hadn't done that before. Sure, Surreal had taught her and Tornach basic things when they were little just like she had with the hunting stuff, but she hadn't really paid much attention... Now she wished she had. She didn't know if she liked the idea of fighting, but she supposed she should give it a go if her mother said they needed to. She listened for her name as her mother started pairing them off. She heard her name get paired with Creed and she perked back up. Oh that wasn't so bad! She liked Creed! She looked to her Emissary trainer with a big smile, but her expression faltered a little when she saw that he didn't look as happy as she was. What was wrong? She looked at him hopefully and tried to brighten her smile back up again. "Lets go spar!" she told him cheerfully before getting up to go find a spot for them. "Talk" "You" Think

Walk | Talk | Think

Miksa listened nervously as Surreal addressed them all. He had hoped to hear more about the spars previously made for Legionary ranks, still so anxious to learn the outcome, but instead his leader began by addressing the lack of further practice the pack had been making toward improving their fighting skills as a whole. Beneath the fur of his cheeks, the white wolf blushed, embarrassed and ashamed to realize that she was right. All this time he could have been practicing, working to better himself for the trade he was so determined to follow, and yet he had let his nervousness get the better of him. Instead of fighting, he fretted, and instead of training, he troubled himself with thoughts of the worst. I have to change that, he vowed in that instant, promising himself that he would put forth more effort in the days to come.

His thoughts were consumed with prepping himself for an eventual spar in the near future, and it was distractedly that he heard his name spoken. His bright yellow eyes shot upward at his grey-furred leader and fixed on her with a touch of apparent worry, but to his absolute surprise she promoted him on the spot. Legionary? I'm a Legionary? Could it happen just like that? Was this really happening? Miksa continued to stare for a few seconds in stunned silence, unable to process the news fast enough, and he stammered once before managing to get out a quiet, "Thank you," still not entirely believing the situation. He was a Legionary. I'm a Legionary.

The white wolf was still reeling from the news as the meeting went on, another wolf - a daughter of the alphas if he remembered correctly - promoted to Legionary alongside him. Briefly his gaze turned in her direction, but his thoughts were still on his own good fortune. It was a weight off of his shoulders, one less thing for him to worry about, but many more added worries to take their place. Now he really needed to train and work on bettering his fighting skills, and he would need to begin sparring on a much more regular basis. The thought intimidated him, but not enough to dissuade him from his path. Surreal made me a Legionary, he thought, surprised even as he used the title in reassurance, I can do this.

Friendly spars between the pack were encouraged, and to prove it the Archangel broke them into pairs right there to begin their first spars as a whole. Zuriel. Miksa looked about until his black-rimmed eyes fixed on the wolf in question - unsurprisingly another member of Surreal's immediate family - and nodded once in understanding. He was nervous, undoubtedly, but he felt comfortable if not confident at the prospect of fighting. As the group began to break off, splitting into their respective pairs, the timid boy spared a glance at Varda, offering a small smile of encouragement, and then tried to meet Zuriel's eye as he began to step away and locate a spot that they could practice their spar away from their packmates.