Rhian liked not being beholden to a pack. She did! She only wanted to be a part of one if she had power in it, as an alpha especially, although she would settle for being just a high-ranking member -- otherwise what was the appeal? Packs weren't bad, but they didn't hold any pull for her. She had been a child the last time she was in a pack, in Fireside, and it had been... fine. Not bad, but nothing special. Nothing she couldn't get on her own. But there was something she missed. Other wolves. Friends, although she hadn't had many, even her family was gone now. Not dead; they were somewhere but she didn't know how to find them. She didn't need them -- but she wanted them, and was that such a weakness? Yes, she thought suddenly. She knew pups took a lot of care, but that must have happened before she could remember.

Nevertheless, Rhian was -- well, not lonely, but looking. Looking for somebody to talk to. She needed allies, anyway, to form her pack. It would be nice to at least get along with a couple of folks, as embarrassing as the prospect seemed -- she could be strong enough, skilled enough to just make people follow her. But that wouldn't work, probably, and so she had to pretend to be nice for at least a little while. Boring.

She didn't know where to find other wolves, of course, but if she traveled around enough, she was sure to find a couple. She was trolling near a dark thicket now, staying away from the thicker patches of trees so she could move around and not feel boxed in, letting the grass swish against her stomach and legs, just hoping.

Ngurulivu had been doing some more explorations in Eastern Boreas. She wasn’t sure what she was going to find here, or who she might find in her travels, but she wasn’t exactly worried about being alone for a period of time before she ran into someone. Nuru had gotten used to the time between each encounter and when she got lonely enough, all she had to do was return to the red forest and spend some time with her brother again. For Ngurulivu it was a blessing to know she could go back to see her brother and have some sort of stability. For now, however, Ruu was wandering through the rustling thicket of the East with Splatter somewhere above her. The woman had been walking along for some time, lost in her thoughts when she caught the scent of another. Lifting her head her gaze fell upon a stranger - a woman a bit on the smaller side. She bore mostly gray-tan fur with light blue eyes and, at a glance, didn’t seem too bad. Ngurulivu decided to call out to her, hoping the stranger wouldn’t mind some company. “Hello there!” "Talk, 'Think.'

Well, that was lucky. It didn't take long walking in the thicket before Rhian caught the scent of another wolf. Fearlessly, she followed the direction of the scent. She had no reason to be afraid. This was a dark, thick forest, and she was a fast wolf. Faster than some, to be sure. She could fight if she could, run if she had to, and sweet-talk if the situation got really dire. Now, she wasn't entirely sure if she could actually do all of that, but she doubted she'd need to. She had confidence. The woman called out to her, a friendly hello. She was quite tall and had a muscular, bulky build, which lowered Rhian's chances of fighting her way out -- but then, she was probably faster. Maybe they could train together so Rhian could see what fighting a bigger wolf would be like. "Hello!" she greeted back as they got closer to each other. "I'm Rhian. What're you up to?" "Speak"

The other dame greeted Ruu in kind. She was shorter than Nguruvilu by almost a whole foot. She has a gray-tan coat, light blue eyes and elongated fangs. Bellamy knew that such fangs could be a dangerous weapon if used right. They appeared to be sharp, ready to tear and slice through flesh. Ruu let her gaze trail back up to the stranger's eyes.

"Wandering, mostly. Debating a hunt, maybe a good-natured spar depending on who I run into." Nguruvilu dipped her head. "I am Nguruvilu Ancora-Desrosiers… but please feel free to call me Nuru. Less of a tongue twister " Her gaze swept the landscape.

"How about you? What brings you out here, miss…" Ah… right… no name. Ruu flicked her gaze back to the other woman.

The woman introduced herself as Nguruvilu Ancora-Desrosiers, as annoyingly long name as Rhian had ever heard. Thankfully, she also suggested an easy nickname: Nuru. That was nice of her to do. She also said that she was wandering and in search of a hunt or a spar. Rhian grinned at that, pleased. She'd be up for either, really. "The thame as you, I gueth," she replied with a smile, sure to let Nguru see a bit more of her long, sharp teeth. "Looking for a little friendly fight, in particular." She could play nice if that was what was necessary to get this woman on her side. And there was no way to see if she really did want her on her side without finding out more about her, which absolutely included her fighting abilities. She crouched, setting up her defenses, and nodded to Nguru, letting her have the first move. "Speak"

Nguruvilu was pleased to hear that the other woman seemed to be looking for the same sort of thing as herself. A friendly fight, in particular, which earned a nod from the monochrome she wolf. “Perfect,” She drew in a breath, catching sight of the long, sharp canines that the woman had. She didn’t doubt with teeth like that she might walk away with a wound or two, but that was fine. Her brother was a healer after all, and while Florian might fuss she was not hard pressed about dealing with a minor injury for a little while. Nuru slipped into a defensive stance, her limbs spread apart, aligning with her shoulders, and her digits splayed with her nails biting into the soil. Her ears fell back against her skull, her eyes narrowed, and she lowered her head to align it with her spine. This time she chose to tuck her tail and raise her hackles, ready to take on what this fight might bring. She lunged forward, her gaze slipping toward the other woman’s fangs. In her attempt to close the gap between them Nuru lunged once she deemed she was close enough, hoping for the opportunity to wrap her limbs around the other femme’s neck and draw them into close proximity. She tilted her head to her own right, jaws snapping toward her opponent’s left ear. She didn’t expect the move to be flawless, however, especially since Rhian had the chance to move. But how she moved, well, that was a dance that was about to play out any moment. "Talk, 'Think.'

Nguruvilu vs Rhian for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: American Kestrel, Male - Flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Advanced Hunter

Nuru nodded and said that that would be perfect. While Rhian was not sure exactly sure how rough the other woman would want this spar to be, she did notice that her fighting stance was more comprehensive than she personally would probably use for a spar where she probably shouldn't use her teeth. She was no opponent to doing whatever was necessary to win, regardless of whether it was fair or not, but she would like it if she was allowed to, and would take a more painful experience on herself for the reward of more realism, more blood, more fun. No pain, no gain, baby. With that in mind, Rhian slipped into a similar defensive stance to Nuru's. Nguruvilu lunged forward first, not giving Rhian much if any time to get ready, being able to wrap her forelegs around her neck. It was almost uncontrollable, Rhian's instantaneous thrashing in the hold, and it avoided the snap at her ear without her even really noticing it. If she could, she'd break the hold, but her counterattack would be the same regardless; she would attempt to reach directly forward and lightly graze the woman's chest with her long canines. If possible, she would draw blood, but only a scratch. She had no motive to actually injure her opponent. "Speak" Rhian vs Nguruvilu for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Medium Build: Medium Mutation 1: Elongated fangs - Offensive Skills: Beginner Fighter & Intermediate Hunter

Rhian had taken a defensive stance, and though Nuru had launched her attack with the hopes of not giving her opponent time to ready herself, her opponent thrashed within the hold in hopes of breaking it. Nuru started to slip, her jaws closing on nothing but the air above her with an audible click as she was jarred back and forth. Nuru growled with frustration, the move effective as she started to slide off toward her own right. She would not have an easy slide away, however, as Rhain reached forth and down to slash at the left central area of her chest. She could feel the elongated fangs slice through her flesh, welling up blood from what would ultimately be a minor scratch. Her opponent could have done more, were this an actual fight, but for now, neither woman seemed to want to leave lasting damage on the other. Nguruvilu hit the ground, shuffling her weight evenly across her four limbs to steady herself. Her opponent hadn’t gone for a hold, but this time Ruu attempted to snap her jaws toward the fluff of Rhian’s neck. She wanted to attempt another hold, in hopes of controlling her opponent’s head, so the other woman couldn’t attack further with her jaws. She also swept her left foreleg out toward Rhian’s own left foreleg, hoping to yank her own forward and disrupt whatever attack the other dame tried next. "Talk, 'Think.'

Nguruvilu vs Rhian for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: American Kestrel, Male - Flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Advanced Hunter

Rhian's fangs drew blood as expected, and she resisted the urge to lick her lips. She'd probably only get a furrball in her mouth anyway. In a real fight, she would have dug deeper, or ripped and torn the surface flesh thoroughly. But she had no reason to try to hurt her current opponent. And there were no merciful or even basic morality reasons behind that; none of that would have stopped her. Her mercy was purely practical. She wanted this wolf to be a part of her pack someday, and tearing her to shreds wouldn't do much to earn her loyalty. Nuru's jaws trapped around Rhian's neck, more securely this time. Rhian couldn't struggle and flail her way out of this one, so she reared up, hopefully before Nuru's foreleg reached out to sweep her paws out from under her, trying to wrap her forearms around the back of Nuru's neck with the hope of pulling her closer. If she was gripped, her opponent would be as well. If she could, she would also try to lightly bite Nuru again. Rhian vs Nguruvilu for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Medium Build: Medium Mutation 1: Elongated fangs - Offensive Skills: Beginner Fighter & Intermediate Hunter "Speak"

And the winner is...

RHIAN

NGURUVILU must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: NGURUVILU Attack Roll: 14 Defense Roll: 36 Agility Roll: 29 Perception Roll: 10 Total: 89 Attack[14] + 15% Bonus[2.10]: 16.10 Defense[36] + 10% Bonus[3.60]: 39.60 Agility[29] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 29.00 Perception[10] + 10% Bonus[1.00]: 11.00 Total[95.70] + 10% Bonus[9.57]: 105.27 RHIAN Attack Roll: 37 Defense Roll: 20 Agility Roll: 75 Perception Roll: 46 Total: 178 Attack[37] + 30% Bonus[11.10]: 48.10 Defense[20] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 20.00 Agility[75] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 75.00 Perception[46] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 46.00 Total[189.10] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 189.10

Nguruvilu had managed to get a more secure hold, one that her opponent wouldn’t struggle or flail herself out of, lest she risked some injury. Nuru had been hoping to end the fight there, but Rhian had another trick up her sleeve. Her paw missed the woman’s leg, and instead Rhian wrapped around her, pulling her close. The position was awkward, and Nguruvilu released her hold. She felt Rhian nip her, and Ruu gave a soft grunt. She could feel her balance slipping. She started to the earth, awkwardly twisting her neck due to Rhian’s hold. “I give!” She called to the other woman, submitting. "Talk, 'Think.'

As soon as Nguruvilu called out her submission, Rhian released her. She'd won. It felt nice as her heartbeat and breathing gradually  slowed to more restful levels. She took a moment to just breathe. In and out. A soft smile curled across her face before she remembered her opponent and looked at her again. "That was fun," she said. Probably the nicest thing she'd said in a while. And it was true; Nuru had put up a good enough fight for Rhian to acknowledge that maybe she would make a good ally. "Listen," she began. "I know this seems random, but I'm going to start a pack. In a couple months, probably. So if you are ever looking for a home and more power than you can dream of, you can call for me." Big promises, but then Rhian didn't see the point of dreaming of small things. Better to be disappointed than to accept mediocrity. "Speak"