With all the crap going on with the latest volcanic activity, Ares decided to stretch his legs and get away from all the stress at home. Well...from the temporary home until they're actual home stopped burning. That thought left a bitter taste in his mouth and he frowned. He had seen how distraught and stressed his father was, how the pack seemed panicked. Kids were missing and so was his sister. He raised his head and looked over his shoulder for a moment, almost as if he would see her if he hoped enough. He and Lyra were always so independent, but he couldn't help but worry for once how she was doing. She was always in and out of his life that he should have been used to her constant absence by now, but...he doubted he was. He wasn't quite sure where he was but he didn't care at the moment. He was angry, upset...he didn't have a destination in mind so he just kept walking until he decided it was time to go home.

"Speech"

Célestin kept himself busy when Memento wasn't around, mostly when she was sleeping at her mother's side. He'd started to put up some basic scent markers, warnings that the area around the den was protected. By him. He'd been doing his best to cover the signs of the den and reinforce the entrance as best he could while still making it easily usable for the occupants. When he wasn't actively guarding the den he was off hunting for the women who'd become his whole life. But at the moment he was laying guard outside the den entrance, he lay on the ground, head tipped back and he tried his best to bask in the cold sun. His body told him it was spring but it seemed the lands down past the land bridge operated in opposition to the northern part of the land. Or maybe the volcano was simply messing with everything. The scent of a stranger reached him and slowly he opened dual-toned eyes. He scanned for the intruder, spotting the dark nebula marked man sauntering towards the hidden den he guarded. Célestin groaned, and rose to his paws, he stretched out his limbs and then started towards the stranger. He stopped a safe distance away from the man and huffed a barking greeting. "Greetings." He said, his voice not unfriendly but there was an edge there. The den was quite a few feet behind him now, more than enough that it should be undisturbed in the event of a fight but that didn't mean he didn't wish there was more distance still between it and this starry marked man. "I suggest you stop where you are friend." speech think action

There didn't really seem to be of much interest here, at least not until he heard the words of a formal greeting used by most of the world. Not words that he or his dad would use really, but he raised a brow and found another male standing there. "I suggest you stop where you are friend." Ares did stop where he was, though not because he was told to but more from having a "what the fuck" moment. He blinked several times as he stared at the bright rainbow that adorned the males form, and while he was used to seeing colorful wolves, they were generally more like him with the stars in their coats. Colors mingled together in a not-so-offensive-to-the-eyes fashion. Then again, he supposed it wasn't that eye straining. He was a handsome boy, but likely not his type. "I don't make friends with rainbow rogues," He smirked as he continued forward a few steps regardless. "Especially ones who make threats." He stood tall, a bored look in his eye as he stared at the rainbow marked male. "If you hadn't spoken I prolly woulda mistaken you for a chick. I bet lotsa guys mistake you for one since...ya know..."

He looked him up and down with a smirk, eyes wandering to find the den several feet behind the guy. Was he guarding something? Treasure perhaps? Or just his own hole in the ground? He noticed the smell of boundary lingering in the air and his gaze turned back to him. "Well lookit that...a loner thinkin' he can claim whatever land he wants eh? What're you hidin' in that hole of yours? Treasure? Food? Something my pack could use I'm sure." He wasn't above stealing from this guy if he did have something valuable. He had been getting increasingly frustrated and antsy since this whole volcano business went down. It wasn't the first time he was intentionally trying to pick a fight.

Meme had been so sleepy. She had explored a lot yesterday and had spent a good chunk of the day watching her dad too. She was learning, wanting to mimic him and mirror the traits she loved seeing in him. She had trouble sleeping too, excitement bubbling up, and she had slipped out of the den several times during the night to snuggle with Cel and ask if she could spend the day with him. Now that she was growing a bit older the other colors that she’d bear as an adult were becoming more noticeable coming in on her coat. Browns had revealed themselves on her face, neck, back, legs and tail. Touches of orange showed up to tip bits of her body and accented her face as well -- a throwback to the odd color her grandfather had in his own coat. Her eyes, surprisingly, were very pale, seeming whitish at a glance. It made her a little more sensitive to light but she was able to see just fine otherwise.

She felt her mother stir beside her and blinked open her eyes. Voices…? One of them she knew -- it was her daddy. There was a stranger too… and Memento flicked her ears back. Before Philomena realized what her daughter was doing Meme had raced to the entrance of the den to look at the stranger.

“We don’t have anything for your pack, sir!” Though she tried to be polite, use the manners her mama taught her, her voice held frustration. This guy, whoever he was, wasn’t being very nice to her daddy… “You’re mean! We live here, not you! Go away!” Meme’s fur was on end as the small child bristled. A squeak of protest escaped her as Philomena nosed her daughter into the den and stood in front of her to serve as a barricade for both Meme and the mae who might get it in his head to try coming after them. For the first time since she was born Meme heard her mama growl… and it was such a guttural, angry sound the child flinched back.

Philomena had stirred but she chose not to move at first. She heard Celestin and trusted him to deal with the stranger. Their talk recently had helped her, if only a bit, but it was enough. She had made a promise that she was going to keep trying, attempt to fight for the happiness that could be there. She was uncertain, hell, terrified of everything coming crashing down once more. But she was going to try, try to get up and keep going. She was wary, waiting for things to fall apart, but… there was that little flame now, rekindled from the embers.

There was hope.

Meme darted away from her side before Philly could register she was awake and was shouting at the stranger. Her daughter, quick to defend their family, was puffed up like an angry cat at the mouth of the den. Something flared in Philly then. Despite knowing Cel was there a fire ignited within her and roared to life as she shot to the mouth of the den and moved Meme back. She planted herself between the opening and her surviving child as her eyes narrowed. Her lips peeled back to reveal her fangs, slightly parted, and a deep guttural growl bubbled up in her chest; a warning that if the male dared try and slip past Cel she wasn’t going to hold back in making him regret even coming to the falls that day.

Célestin felt his guard rise as the star marked man teased him, there was aggression there he didn't like. He wasn't particularly bothered by the comment about his gender or was it his sexuality? Célestin was comfortable in who he was, some stranger who was just as fantastical as he was hardly had any real room to comment as far as he was aware, he snorted and felt his lips pull into a tight smile. "That's the best you can come up with? What you afraid I might make a move on you? Or are you afraid you might like it?" If he'd learned anything from his time with Pegasus it was that other males seemed so much more afraid of affections from other males. Their masculinity couldn't handle it. But the starred man was focused on the den and as he spoke Célestin felt his hackles raise, he bent his knees and narrowed his eyes, ears pulling back against his skull. His tail swung out behind him, laying even with his spine. Then the worst happened. His daughter's voice sounded behind him, goading the stranger on. Then he could hear Philomena behind him, growling as she guarded their daughter. That was all he needed. Célestin charged the man, hoping to dash into his personal space before he had time to react. Célestin lowered his head, ducking it both to cover her vulnerable throat but also to allow him to tuck into the man's chest if he'd get that far. Célestin would try to slam on the breaks as soon as he got close and use his momentum to pivot on his left paw and slam his right shoulder into the other man's chest. Célestin Brice Adravendi vs Ares for Dominance Round 1/2 Age: 1+ Size: Extra large Build: Heavy Skills: Intermediate Intellectual & Beginner Fighter speech think action

Ares rolled his eyes and opened his mouth as he mouthed the words "blah blah blah." He wasn't afraid of anything, much less anything this rainbow colored turd could do. Were he in a higher position, he probably would've chosen to take him back to the pack then and there just to be a dick. But as it was, he wouldn't mind just kicking his ass and teaching him a lesson if he had to. But when a young pup came bursting from the den, he had stopped. So that's all that was in there? Why the hell didn't Lisa Frank say so? He would've just ignored it and gone on his merry way. "Ah that's just a kid, you can keep it." He didn't want anything to do with it, but before he could even turn away and leave, he heard growling as another wolf charged out. He assumed it was the kids mom, and he took a deep breath before suddenly, rainbow turd came flying at him.

Ares jumped back, feeling the male brush against him as he just barely missed him. "I said you could keep the kid! I ain't interested in taking the runt home!" Whether they heard him or not, he knew he'd have to fight regardless.

Coiling his hind legs, he launched forward and aimed to close the distance and slam his chest into the other male with the effort of unbalancing him and potentially knocking him over. Only, he didn't want to quite knock him over, either. His paw shot out to hook around whatever other paw he could reach so that he could hopefully unbalance him some more. As he tried to do this, he opened his jaws and aimed to grab the base of Celestin's skull from the back to gain control.

Ares Saxe vs Celestin for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation: Saber fangs (attack)
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Célestin didn't really hear the starry male anymore, his blood pumping in his ears as he tried to collide with the stranger, feeling the man's body so close before there was open-air between them again. The starry man back peddling to get away from his collision. Célestin quickly braced himself, tucking his head further and taking the other man's collision, grunting against the pain and wobbling on his paws slightly and feeling the other man's paw hooking around his right foreleg. However, the attempt to grab the base of his skull would be thwarted by Célestin lowering his head even further. Using that as a wind up to jerk his head upwards violently, trying to slam his cranium into the male above him, hoping to hit his throat or lower jaw. Célestin tried to keep that momentum going, raising onto his hind paws before allowing gravity to pull him back down, forelegs extending to try and slam his weight down on the starry man while hooking his forepaws around him and get his opponent under himself. Célestin Brice Adravendi vs Ares for Dominance Round 2/2 Age: 1+ Size: Extra large Build: Heavy Skills: Intermediate Intellectual & Beginner Fighter speech think action

The rainbow marked male was a quick thinker, he had to give him that at least. Where Ares' attack with his paw had worked, he had failed to get a hold with his teeth. The other male lowered his head and before Ares knew it, he felt Celestin's head smack his lower jaw and it caused Ares to throw his head back. It jarred him for a moment, but he narrowed his eyes and forced his mind to stay in the game and instead of backing off, he retaliated. As Celestin sought to get one over on him, Ares dropped to the ground like a play bow, rump in the air and his front half down which allowed him to avoid Celestins grapple. He then jumped up like a spring, head tilted upward as he opened his oars to drive his teeth on either side of Celestin's throat while his own forepaws sought to wrap on either side of Cel's shoulders in an effort to yank him further into his bite while hoping the momentum from both of them would put an end to this fight.

Ares Saxe vs Celestin for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation: saber fangs (attack)
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Hunter
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

Ares	Celestin must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Celestin: Adjusted roll: 26    102.3    5    63 Celestin's total: 196.30 Ares: Adjusted roll: 56.1    52.8    61    55 Ares' total: 258.64

[Lazuli]