Settling back into pack life wasn't going quite as smoothly as she had hoped. It was a whole different ball game being in a pack with no other family to rely on for company. She sighed and her color-tipped tail flicked behind her. It was much too quiet and boring for her taste. Although, if she didn't do anything to change it she couldn't really complain. Well, she might as well do something about it, shouldn't she? She padded through Myriad's territory, her pale silver gaze scanning for anyone that might be around. It had been quite some time since she had a real chance to practice her fighting and if she was going to have any real work behind her words at the pack's first gathering she should get back at it. She found a clearing in the middle of the woods that she now called home and lifted her head to let out a howl, calling anyone in the pack that might accept her challenge. A little practice never hurt anyone. "Talk" "You" Think

He didn't want to seem too busy, after all he wanted time to connect with his members. It was important that he didn't just leave them in the dust. He was rather glad to hear Hera's voice among his resting area. As he rose to his feet, he had just come back from visiting the north and west. Soon he was noticing that they would need to expand their lands. For now though he would take it upon himself to see how Hera's fighting skills were. Though he couldn't be one to compare himself to an adult with possibly a lot more experience than himself. Standing about ten feet away from her in the front he smiled. "Would you like to wager anything on this fight?" he smirked. If it was a rank she wanted maybe, or anything else it could be rather fun. His spread out his limbs equally. Preparing himself to set his defenses. Rivaxorus was no expert in fighting, but he among anyone else needed to hone his skills and make sure that he was prepared for anything life could throw at him. "Talk" "You" Think

She wouldn't have to wait long for her call to be answered. A pleased smirk touched her muzzle when she saw her alpha walk into the clearing. It was always good to know her new leader was just as willing to train and fight as she was. Some wolves might be intimidated by having their first spar in a while be against their new leader, especially once he offered to wager something on their fight. A grin broke out across her muzzle as she began to settle into the first of her defenses as well. The challenge excited her more than anything. "Well I said I would be aiming for the lead warrior rank at your claiming meeting. Might as well put my money where my mouth is." She chuckled softly and began to spread her paws into an even, measured stance. She'd give him a moment to answer while she readied her defenses. Even if he didn't agree to her wager, she was still eager to spar him and see how her leader stacked up. Her toes spread and her claws dug into the ground while her neck and tail fell even with her spine, her chin tucking down over her throat and ears flattening against her skull. Her shoulders rolled forward and her scruff bunched around her neck. Lastly her eyes narrowed and her knees bent slightly to free up her range of movement. Keeping in mind that he was a good bit taller and bulkier than she was, she focused on staying light on her paws and staying where he couldn't use his larger size against her. She made her way toward him across that distance that he had left between them, aiming to come around toward his left side. She tried to make sure that she would be able to get out of his reach if he tried to pin her, keeping an eye on his forelegs and jaws at all times. She attempted to throw the front edge of her right shoulder into his left side, in the soft area right behind his foreleg. With their height difference if her attack landed it would end up closer to his stomach than his back. She wanted to leave some moderate bruising behind. There was no need to cause any real damage during their spar, but if she was able to cause him some discomfort and impede his movement a bit she wouldn't mind. She quickly tucked her tail under her to keep it out of reach as she got into close quarters with her opponent. She certainly didn't want him grabbing ahold of it. She also made sure to keep her paws an even distance apart whenever she'd pause her movement for a moment, making sure to keep her defenses in place even as she attacked. After her attempt at slamming her shoulder into his side, she shuffled her back paws to her left, turning her body so that it was no longer parallel with his. She hoped that this would make it harder for him to reach over her back or rump. She also brought her muzzle up breifly to attempt a quick snap at his side. She reached for the area around the middle of his ribs, wanting to leave a light bite on the skin there, just enough for her fangs to leave a few light scrapes on his skin. Again, she didn't want to cause too much damage, she just wanted to show where she might leave her attacks if this was a real fight. Rivaxorus II vs Hera for Spar/Rank Round 1 of 2? "Talk" "You" Think

Rivaxorus would smile brightly at her request, and of course he’d oblige with a small nod of his head. He was no seasoned fighter, but he could gauge where her skills were at all the same. If she bested him in battle, it didn’t make him any less of a fighter than she was herself. As she started to set her own defenses, the male did the same for it had become almost second nature for him. His ears pinned to his skull to prevent them from being snapped. Weight evenly distributed on spread limbs for fluid movement. His eyes narrowed to protect from losing his vision, and locking them on his opponent. Tail leveled with his spine for balance, raised ready to move at any moment should the time come. With his knees slightly bent, it made him more difficult to move and easier for him to be quicker with his bulky body. With how her height was, he would need to be wary. Toes splaying out for traction, his teeth pulled back causing the skin around his face to tighten and making it difficult to grab hold of. His shoulder rolled inward to compact his body more, scruff scrunching to prevent her to grab hold of his head to gain control. With that, she was off. With a strange dance he wanted to make sure that he kept parallel with her. As she attempted for his left side, his back legs quickly attempted to shift to his right. The front edge of her shoulder would collide with the bottom of his left fore shoulder where it connected to the lower leg, casing moderate bruising to the muscle that resided there. Tucking his head in slightly, he didn’t wish for his throat to become a possible target. As he seemed keen on trying to keep them parallel with each other his back paws would attempt to shuffle as she did. Her jaw snapping at his left side. Her teeth would graze the upper portion of his ribs to leave a few bits of missing fur as he moved. Rivaxorus would distribute his weight slightly on three limbs as he lifted his left in which Hera had struck with her shoulder. The male sought to hook his left limb around the elbow of her right, with the intention of tripping her. As he did so, he tilted his body into his left wanting his shoulder to run into her with force of a push. Tilting his head to his left he aimed his upper jaw to her upper back where he could reach, tail moving to his right side to help with his balance. His lower jaw aiming for just before her right limb where her ribcage was wanting to possibly grab a hold of her. He made sure to keep his toes spread, and defenses previously set aside from his tucked chin at the front. Riv vs Hera for Rank 1/2 "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: I'm sorry it took soooooo long D: He surprised her with his movements as he shuffled to keep his body parallel with hers. That was fine and almost preferable to her, but every time she had fought a wolf as large as him in the past they had tried to overpower her with their size and weight. It was refreshing in a way to see that he had more finesse than that. Of course that only encouraged her to push herself harder to keep up with his movements. She followed along in this dance that they had created, feeling the edge of her right shoulder connect with the lower portion of his left shoulder. She could tell that she would have some moderate bruising there as well when it was all said and done, but that was par for the course with these things. With his back legs shuffling to his right, his side wasn't as much of a target as it had been. He moved just far enough out of range for her bite to only leave her with a small clump of fur in her teeth, her teeth only barely brushing his skin. She readjusted her paws as she moved to keep them and equal distance apart under her to keep her stance firm and steady. Her toes remained spread and her nails dug into the soil to retain good traction. She kept her head and neck as level with her spine as she could and kept her tail tucked under her out of the way. Her shoulders were rolled forward and the thick skin of her scruff stayed scrunched around her neck. She kept her ears pinned to her skull, her eyes narrowed, and her lips pulled back in a snarl. With her attempted bite finished she quickly tucked her head back down over her throat. Instead of trying to fight against his leg when she felt his leg pulling at her right foreleg, she quickly shifted her weight to her hind legs and her left foreleg, lifting her right foreleg out of the way of his leg. His shoulder shoved into her right shoulder and she wobbled a bit from his shove since she had herself perched on three legs. She side stepped to her left to catch herself, quickly putting all four paws back onto the ground in the even, measured stance she had set up before to maintain her defenses. When she glanced back toward him she saw his jaws reaching for the upper portion of her back, but her sidestep from his shove made his reach not quite reach its mark, his teeth instead scraping the upper portion of her right side, just behind her shoulder, right around the top of her rib cage. His bite left behind some moderate lacerations, making her grit her teeth from the flash of stinging pain and the trickle of blood that began to stain her white fur. Acting quickly, she moved in hopes of taking advantage of his neck being open in his reach for her back. She turned her head to her right with a growl and opened her jaws to attempt to reach for the lower portion of the right side of his neck, near where his neck and shoulder met. She felt like it was only fair to trade blow for blow. She wanted to get a quick bite to his neck to leave similar moderate lacerations on his neck, like the ones he had left on her side. She took a step toward him as she did so to make it a bit easier to reach him. Since she already had her paw raised from her step, she attempted to slam her right paw down into the toes of his right forepaw. She wanted to bruise his toes to make it harder for him to move and possibly make it harder for him to put his full weight on it and throw off his balance. Rivaxorus II vs Hera for Rank Round 2 of 2 "Talk" "You" Think

ooc: That's okay I took even longer xD Here you go. The boy had only been in a handful of fights, however he tried his best to hold his own and try new things. Being aware of his surroundings and where he stood compared to his opponent. He had to believe that he would win, in order to get a result. Hera was smart, and by clashing teeth and claws with her Rivaxorus was already assessing her. For her fighting skills and her as a wolf. It was a type of primitive bonding, somethings were best met in the ways of fighting. He wasn’t too displeased with the disposition of his bite. His toes splaying firmly into the ground as he leveled his tail with his spine to help keep balance. As his hook was only mildly effective after she had shifted to her left he immediately pressed his left leg back into the dirt. Distributing his weight evenly on all four of his limbs. Now with them at an obtuse angle his hackles rose, shoulders rolled inward to make himself rigid but still fluid enough to move as he tried to keep in close proximity with the woman. After his bite succeeded he pulled his jaws back and rolled his scruff forward to protect his neck. Ears pinned to avoid them being grabbed, along with his eyes narrowed. His teeth were pulled back, the skin around his face and eyes scrunching over tightly. This would make it difficult to get a hold on his face if she so much as tried. Rivaxorus watched as Hera tilted more to make them parallel in order to reach his right side. He using his back right leg to turn himself once more. Her jaws clamping shut firmly on the middle of his chest. Moderate lacerations appearing as blood soaked his fur, he rose his right paw at the time leaving scratching on them as she barely missed him. The male then tried to use his size and weight to his advantage. This time he used his back legs to try and raise himself. Lifting his upper limbs in an attempt spring at her shoulders in a firm push. Jaws opened as his head tilted to the left aiming for the portion of her neck just between her shoulders. His tail kept level with his spine for balance. Back legs digging into the dirt for traction. The male’s abdomen tightened, should she try to aim for his vulnerable stomach the tightened muscles would cause less pain and damage. His shoulders rolled inward after he attempted his spring to make his body stiff. Attempting to use his weight to fall into her, hoping to knock her over. Riv vs Hera for Rank 2/2 "Talk" "You" Think

HERA vs RIVAXORUS II for RANK ROUND ONE HERA: 8 for clarity: -1 Why is Hera worried about Riv grabbing her tail? If she's using her right shoulder to attack his left side then her tail is nowhere within reach -1 “She reached for the area around the middle of his ribs...” Because the rib cage is so large I'd have liked to see a little more information here. 7 for powerplaying. -1 “She made her way toward him...” This should have been attempted -1 “...as she got into close quarters with her opponent.” Assuming your approach is successful -1 “After her attempt at slamming her shoulder into his side, she shuffled her back paws to her left...” You're not giving your opponent enough time to react. 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 2 for attack. +1 for shoulder throw +1 for nip 10 for injuries. First round. Hera's round one total: 37/50 RIVAXORUS II: 4 for clarity: -1 “With a strange dance he wanted to make sure that he kept parallel with her.” What exactly is he doing? -1 “The front edge of her shoulder would collide with the bottom of his left fore shoulder where it connected to the lower leg...” Hera was aiming for right behind his foreleg. How did the blow get shifted forward? -1 “As he seemed keen on trying to keep them parallel with each other his back paws would attempt to shuffle as she did.” Which way? -1 “The male sought to hook his left limb around the elbow of her right...” Her right what? -1 “Tilting his head to his left he aimed his upper jaw to her upper back where he could reach, tail moving to his right side to help with his balance.” Where on her upper back? It's a fairly large area. -1 “His lower jaw aiming for just before her right limb where her ribcage was wanting to possibly grab a hold of her.” Which right limb? I'm not sure if you mean the side of her neck or right in front of her hip. 10 for powerplaying. None seen! 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 3 for attack. +1 for hook 0 for push +2 for grip 10 for injuries. First round. Rivaxorus II's round one total: 37/50 ROUND TWO HERA: 9 for clarity: -1 “...she attempted to slam her right paw down into the toes of his right forepaw.” Front or back? -1 “She took a step toward him as she did so to make it a bit easier to reach him.” Sidestep? Forward step? I think just a little more info is needed here. 9 for powerplaying. -1 “She took a step toward him...” This should have been attempted 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 4 for attack. +3 for bite +1 for stomp 8 for injuries. -2 for moderate lacerations to right side Hera's round two total: 40/50 RIVAXORUS II: 5 for clarity:   -1 “He using his back right leg to turn himself once more.” How exactly? -2 “Lifting his upper limbs in an attempt spring at her shoulders in a firm push.” What's he trying to hit her with? His paws? Is it a stiff-armed shove? Because this is an attack quite a bit more information is needed here. -1 “Jaws opened as his head tilted to the left...” Whose left? -1 “Jaws opened as his head tilted to the left aiming for the portion of her neck just between her shoulders.” If he's trying to shove her away it doesn't make much sense for him to be reaching for a place that is a whole neck and head length away, especially if he is using his forelegs in a stiff-armed shove. 9 for powerplaying. -1 “Her jaws clamping shut firmly on the middle of his chest.” What changed to make her bite land here instead of the side of his neck? Simply turning (in either direction) shouldn't change the height of the bite 8 for defenses. +1 for splayed toes +1 for raised tail +1 for distributed weight +1 for raised hackles 0 for shoulders rolled inward to make self more rigid (don't understand reasoning) +1 for rolled scruff +1 for pinned ears +1 for narrowed eyes 0 for pulled back teeth (not possible) +1 for scrunched face 5 for attack. +2 for shove +3 for bite 2 for injuries. 0 for scratched toes (minimal damage) -2 for moderate lacerations to chest Rivaxorus II's round two total:  29/50 Totals: HERA: 77/100 RIVAXORUS II: 66/100 And the winner is... HERA! Rivaxorus II must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: At this point everything has healed! Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): For both: Nothing to note, really. Shelby, you improved noticeably in the second round! Good job! Riv, pay attention to stream of consciousness style sentences in a fight as they can really mess with your clarity and lead to confusion. Good fight, guys! - By [Lazuli]

Rivaxorus would submit as the adrenaline started to die down and he became much more tired. It was expected for a loss to happen, after all he was still young. There was a lot to learn from, and Hera herself just proved to be an excellent fighter. As he panted and lowered his stomach to the ground, he smiled towards her. "Congratulations Hera, what rank was it that you wanted?" he asked to her as he tried to catch his breath. Sore body would heal in due time. The important part about all this was that he learned from it. How she moved, how she fought embedded into his own head. "Talk" "You" Think