As the match before concluded, the maimed loser was rushed from the ring and a trio of coydogs quickly scrubbed the blood from the circle and laid a new layer of sand over it for fresh footing. Nitro perused the few remaining contestants, then picked out Hannibal and Valentine. "All right, ladies and gentlemen," he called out to the spectators. "The first round is almost over! Let's give these gentlemen a cheer to buck them up!" He waited while the roar of the crowd swelled and faded while he led the pair up to the ring, then gestured for quiet. "You know the rules by now - stay in the ring and remember that the winner gets to leave the loser with scars to remember them by! Why don't you go ahead and get us started?" he added to Hannibal.

ooc: I confirmed with Laz that Valentine and Hannibal are face to face with 7 feet of distance between them!

Hannibal observed as the previous fight ended and exited the ring. His pale eyes danced across the crowd with wonder and a little grin slipped across his lips. Excitement and adrenaline bubbled in his chest as Nitro pointed out himself and another as it was their turn to begin fighting. The anticipation of bloodshed as well as permanent ripping of the flesh filled his cranium and sent a shiver down his spine. The albino was no mad man but the adrenaline and thoughts of victory ushered him towards a sense of wonder like no other. The large male's eyes flicked towards his opponent as they moved onto the fresh sand in the center of the ring. Valentine and Hannibal were face to face and about seven feet away from one another. A good starting point for what would be a grand fight. As the crowd settled it was time for Hannibal to get down to business and settle into a defensive stance. Slender legs were placed evenly a part to distribute his weight evenly between four sturdy paws. Elbows and knees bent slightly to lower his form to the earth for balance. Hannibal's head lowered to align with his spine and his muzzle pointed downward slightly to protect his throat. A black and white tail also shot out to even out with his spine for balance when moving. Eye lids narrowed to protect his pale optics from dirt and debris. Mis match ears flattened to his skull and lips curled upward to expose ivory fangs. Last but not least Hannibal raised his hackles as well as steadying his breathing for ease of focus. The behemoth was now ready for his fight and took a moment to flash a glance to his opponent. Valentine was 7 inches taller but they seemed to have a similar medium build. Val was also much older then Hannibal who was only 3 years of age, which play into the darker Wolves mobility. But, these were all simply thoughts which mattered little as the battle would begin. The Coydog informed the pair that Hannibal had the first move which the albino had no qualms with and the male would quickly burst into action. Hannibal commenced a full blown sprint towards Valentine with paws moving across the freshly laid sand. There was a bit of kick up but not enough to disturb the albino just yet. Hannibal hoped to close the distance between himself and Valentine by running head on. At the last moment the albino kicked off of the earth below with his two front legs in attempt to raise his front half up enough to slam his two front paws down on either side of Valentine's upper shoulder blades. Hannibal's weight would redistribute to his two back legs which remained bent at the knees slightly while his hind paws aimed to dig into the earth. The pale male's left front paw aimed to slam down on Valentine's right upper shoulder blade region where the scapula bone protruded upward. Hannibal's right front paw aimed to slam down on Valentine's left upper shoulder blade region where the scapula bone protruded upward. The albino's front paws would attempt to mirror one another's positioning for simplicity. While Hannibal was attempting his upward hug movement he would simultaneously open his jaws, tilt his head to his left, and attempt a swift bite towards Valentine's left cranium region. Hannibal's upper jaws sought purchase at the base of Valentine's left ear in hopes to rip into some fragile ear skin. The albino's lower jaws sought purchase below at Valentine's left jaw bone joint in hopes to inflict wide spread damage along the darker male's left head region. Hannibal vs Valentine for Minor Maim - Left Ear Mutilation Round 1/??? Size: Large Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: n/a Defensive Accessory: n/a Companion 1: n/a Companion 2: n/a Fight Skill Level: Expert Specialty: n/a speech

Valentine watched his opponent get ready with a passive expression. He'd been at this for years; a young buck didn't concern him in the slightest. He'd fight as he always had and the chips would fall how they may. The picture of nonchalance, the old king stood and waited as his opponent sprang at him. He was bigger than Hannibal and though of similar build, by virtue of his sheer size he was naturally heftier than the albino man. For all intents and purposes it appeared Valentine was simply going to allow the smaller man to break across his chest like a wave. He was not. Valentine's hind legs coiled beneath him and his tail lifted behind him to better his balance as he lunged forwards and upwards. If Hannibal wanted a hug Valentine would give him one. As he stood up Valentine jutted his chest out and attempted to slam the center of it into Hannibal's face, effectively intercepting the albino's bite before it could reach his ear. In addition to killing that  attack in the cradle, Valentine's greater height and weight would hopefully unbalance the smaller male and throw him over backwards. While his hind legs would remain planted Valentine raised his forelegs and sought to slip them up between Hannibal's forelegs, which had naturally fallen across the meaty outsides of his shoulders instead of the bony tops simply because Valentine was in the process of standing up on his hind legs. The old king sought to wrap his forelegs around Hannibal's neck just below his jawline with the express purpose of gaining control of his head. Hannibal's claws lightly scraped the meaty outsides of Valentine's shoulders but no real damage was done. Lastly Valentine's jaws parted as he sought to land a bite across the top of Hannibal's muzzle. His upper canines would hopefully land just below Hannibal's right eye while his lower ones would land on the middle of the bridge of Hannibal's nose. Valentine's goal was to slam his jaws shut and fillet the skin caught between his teeth. Might as well give the albino a scar to remember him by, right? HANNIBAL versus VALENTINE for MAIM (facial scarring) Round ONE of TWO Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Expert

The two brooding males danced in the fighting ring. It was quite the show. They were both able to lift their front half's off of the ground and meet one another. Hannibal remained on hind legs as they were slightly bent and back paws were dug into the fresh sand. Though, as the albino tried for his bite a hulking chest bone was flung in his direction, snubbing the bite attack all together and causing a bit of pain in his muzzle and jaw joint. His lips remained curled upward and his nose felt a twinge of pain as well. A good snub was never a nice feeling. Their front legs were intertwined and Hannibal's paws managed to land at muscular bits of Valentine's shoulders. Though, before the albino could really recover from the facial snub his opponent was going in for a bite. Fangs moved quickly towards Hannibal's face and the albino let forth a rippling growl as he attempted to dodge the assault. Valentine moved to land a bite across the top of Hannibal's muzzle. The male was sure to keep his eyes narrowed and ears flattened due to the flying fangs. But, before Valentine could connect with Hannibal's muzzle the albino moved his head to the right rather quickly. This was an attempt at dodging the hefty facial bite but as he whipped his head to the right Valentine's teeth were able to grasp some of his pink flesh and blood began to flow. Pain rang through the smaller male's muzzle but he fought off the urge to react. As Hannibal aimed to move his head to the right the beast attempted at another bite towards Valentine's left ear. This time instead of going for the base he aimed to snap his fangs at the outer left rim near the tip. His motive was to rip the thin flesh and leave his opponent with a rather tattered ear. His hind paws remained dug into the earth to maintain balance and his tail was shot forth as well. Hopefully the fight would be over soon for they couldn't maintain the tango for long. Hannibal vs Valentine for Minor Maim - Left Ear Mutilation Round 2/2 Size: Large Build: Medium Offensive Accessory: n/a Defensive Accessory: n/a Companion 1: n/a Companion 2: n/a Fight Skill Level: Expert Specialty: n/a speech

With his forelegs now locked around his opponent's neck Valentine decided to try to bully the smaller man to the ground. He used his hind legs to power himself forward and his front ones to (hopefully) twist Hannibal to Valentine's left. Together the two moves would hopefully overwhelm the albino and cause him to tumble over backwards. Hannibal evaded Valentine's jaws and began to reach for his left ear. The old king ducked, but given their proximity there wasn't much time to escape. Hannibal's teeth clamped down on the top of his ear and scraped upwards towards the tip, sending pain and blood down Valentine's head. The extent of the damage was hidden by blood. He was going to have to have Rhythm look at it later. It still felt like he had an ear but after the fight he was going to seek out a second opinion. Though the space was tight between him and his opponent, Valentine had a plan to best utilize his duck. Quick as a snake he reached out and attempted to grab Hannibal by the throat just below his jaw. If successful he intended to squeeze and force Hannibal to either submit willingly or via unconsciousness. HANNIBAL versus VALENTINE for MAIM (facial scarring) Round TWO of TWO Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Expert

And the winner is...

HANNIBAL

VALENTINE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. HANNIBAL's maim is successful. Totals: Hannibal: 200.34 Valentine: 123.22

Blood flowed from both Hannibal and Valentine's craniums. Crimson painted a few painful gashes along the albino's muzzle while it also dripped from Valentine's left ear. They both remained in a dance but the fight was defusing rather quickly. The coydog's made it clear that the Taskmaster was indeed the champion and by the looks of it he had managed to properly maim his opponents left ear. A smirk fell upon his pink lips as they both lowered down onto all fours once again. It was a solid fight and despite the goal for the victor to come forth maimless it seemed Hannibal would likely be left with a mild scar to remember Valentine by. The crowd roar with excitement and the albino silently relished in his victory. Hannibal was not so tasteless to give himself too much praise for he had another battle to come. He had bested an older male, so be it, the next match may not be so simply won. Despite the albinos arrogant ways he was rather focused and humbled by the tournament. No one would respect him if he were cocky so early on. "Good fight. The name is Hannibal, by the way." He offered his name for the sake of respect before moving out of the ring. Hopefully the coydogs had something to stop his muzzle from bleeding so much so he wouldn't get woozy in the oncoming match. -exit Hannibal to wait for next match- speech

Valentine snorted to clear Hannibal's blood from his nose and then licked his lips to cleanse them as well. The metallic taste was familiar to him and not worth noting besides the fact that he wanted it cleaned from his face. Would Rhythm be dismayed if he came home dripping blood and reeking of a fight? Probably. Perhaps she'd be less displeased to learn it had all been in fun. He could hope anyway. His opponent introduced himself and Valentine gave him a polite nod. He may have lost but he was in good spirits. Now it was time for him to wander the fights and see how some of the wolves he knew were faring. "I'm Valentine," he said by way of introduction and then too moved to exit the ring.