Night was beginning to descend, the sun was lowering towards the horizon and the crescent moon could be seen rising opposite. Venom had a full day of puppies and she wasn’t quite done yet. There was one more young nephew who deserved some aunty time. This was also a chance to watch and assess all of their skills and talents. She knew there would still be some time before they were considered warriors but already the quality of their breeding was apparent.

Again Venom reset the training circle, tamping out paw prints and redrawing the circle before she sat and called out for young Stolas. After all of this was said and done she could already feel excitement about talking to Plague about his children’s progress.

Young master Stolas was doing what he did best: studying and observing the world around him, drinking it in like a sponge. All of it, every single detail another piece of information he logged away in his brain. After their first day venturing outside the den, the little Abraxas-Destruction lord had been fascinated with the world around him, wanting to know how everything worked and how it all worked together. There was a burning, unending drive to find the answer to the why of life. Why. The question confounded and amazed him—and annoyed his father whenever he would ask it on loop a million and one times.

Stolas was sitting and gazing up at a pair of cicadas on a tree chirping noisily in the warm early summer evening. Their noises were almost musical to him, and already he found himself wanting to dissect them to understand how they made that noise. Were they just screaming really loud, or were they calling other cicadas in the night? Speaking of things calling, the voice of his aunt carried from nearby. Tiny red and black ears pricked atop his head, and Stolas was quick to rise to his paws and trot with a bit of a prance in his step to answer his aunt's call. He found her sitting amidst a sizable ring drawn in the ground, some upturned earth and tamped down sand tipping him off as to what had been happening here.

"Hello, Auntie Venom!" Stolas called out with a beaming smile to his beloved relative and regal Empress. She did a lot to inspire him with the way she behaved—measured, proper, level. He stepped into the ring to join her, taking careful steps so he didn't mess up her perfect circular arena, sniffing about the soft sands and catching some faint traces of his siblings' scents. "Is it my turn to play with you?"

Stolas reminded her a lot of herself as a young pup, cautious and thoughtful with every movement, most serious, and very studious. He was the perfect little Klein lord (Not that that diminished the value of his siblings or their qualities). However different a name they all called themselves now. Venom felt a disconnect with much of her life in those moments, and it was better to keep herself focused on the sweet boy that approached her little training ground.

Venom smiled encouragingly at the pup as he took in the sight before him, perhaps already alerted by his siblings about what to expect from her today. ”Hello, Stolas. Thank you for coming.” She praised him with a soft smile as he approached and asked if it were his turn now. ”Indeed it is. I had to save the best for last.” She teased him softly, unabashedly calling all of them the best. Because they all were in their own way to her. Beyond their skills and personalities too. ”Alright, the rules are simple. Whoever gives up or gets pushed out of the ring first loses. Ready?”

The Empress tilted her head curiously, waiting for any sign that he was indeed ready before she tried the same trick for the fourth time. Claws sheathed Venom swatted playfully at the young red nebula pup.

Venom vs Stolas for Spar
Round 1 of 2
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Quills - Defensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual

The welcoming smile of his aunt brightened the young lad's dark graphite eyes. She said she had to save the best for last, fluffing up his juvenile ego more than it probably needed to be. The wide grin that lit up his face betrayed how much he liked that though, presenting himself prim and proper before his Empress aunt. She explained the rules of their play spar and Stolas gave an enthusiastic nod of his little head. "Yep, I'm ready! Oh, wait..." Stolas realized he was, in fact, not ready. He repositioned himself, checking to make sure he got into the proper form his father had shown him and his siblings in their basic lessons, and squared himself up against Venom. It still felt a little odd, but he'd get used to it. "Okay, now I'm ready!"

As soon as he announced his ready status, Venom began their spar, swiping a white-gloved paw towards him. Stolas was ready though, and he jumped towards Venom his all his might in his little puppy legs—only to wind up getting hooked over his aunt's paw. Not a total dodge, but not a total hit either! He'd call it a partial victory. Tumbling from Venom's paw to the sand, Stolas scurried to his paws and rushed for his aunt, aiming to nip needle-like puppy teeth at the pallid toes and ankle of his opponent.

Stolas vs Venom for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

Stolas lit up in response to her greeting and Venom took the chance to bask in his happiness. There was something special about his innocent joy, something she wished she could return to herself. It was beautiful and saddened her because she knew the world would tear his innocence apart. Venom ignored the thoughts and settled herself in the moment she had with him now. He said he was ready, but he wasn’t quite ready.

Venom chuckled softly as he settled himself into a defensive stance that looked a lot like his father’s. Amusement still lingered in her features as she acted when he told her he was for real ready. One pale paw swept toward the puppy and he reacted appropriately. Probably the best defense of her attack so far out of his siblings. Not that she would judge any of them at this age. Stolas came back with an attack to her paws.

She knew the sharpness of puppy teeth all too well, but her paws were well weathered and tooth the attack without puncture. Still, ”Oh! My toes!” She cried out helplessly as she leaned back and brought her second paw around to squish him between both paws and get him to say ‘uncle.’

Venom vs Stolas for Spar
Round 2 of 2
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Quills - Defensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual

Stolas was quite proud of his ability to get an opening in on his aunt's toes before he got knocked aside by the much larger empress. As he nommed on Venom's digits, the empress' dramatic wails of shock and lament did help swell the little Abraxas lord's pride. He didn't know if any of his other siblings had managed to get an attack in on Venom or not, but he counted this among his personal victories. Unfortunately, he was about to learn one of the most basic rules of fighting: never take your eyes off your opponent. So distracted was Stolas with munching on Venom's tootsies that he didn't see her other paw sweeping back around until it had caught him by his squishy puppy side between her other paw, trapping the boy in the empress' gloved grasp.

"Aaaah! Nooooo! Let me gooooo!" he cried out amongst little grunts and puppy growls of resistance. "No surrendeeeeer!" Stolas put all of his effort into his squirming and struggling, hoping that if he could just break free, he could consider that another little victory.

Stolas vs Venom for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

And the winner is...

Venom

Stolas must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Venom: Attack Roll: 43 Defense Roll: 97 Agility Roll: 67 Perception Roll: 77 Total: 284 Attack[43] + 10% Bonus[4.30]: 47.30 Defense[97] + 15% Bonus[14.55]: 111.55 Agility[67] + 5% Bonus[3.35]: 70.35 Perception[77] + 35% Bonus[26.95]: 103.95 Total[333.15] + 25% Bonus[83.29]: 416.44 Stolas : Attack Roll: 3 Defense Roll: 28 Agility Roll: 92 Perception Roll: 36 Total: 159 Attack[3] + 5% Bonus[0.15]: 3.15 Defense[28] + 5% Bonus[1.40]: 29.40 Agility[92] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 92.00 Perception[36] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 36.00 Total[160.55] + -30% Bonus[-48.16]: 112.39