It wasn't often that the shaded gray drake wandered far from Myriad territory, but the recent events surrounding the pack, threats from both within and outside of the pack, were troubling him. They didn't have a lot of powerful warriors, although the wolves that stayed active in the pack were loyal; yet that might not be enough if push came to shove. Strongly built limbs carried the man purposefully across the land, passing close by Fiori territory where he had resided for a short time, bring him finally to the Kamui Delta. He wasn't sure what he hoped to find, but he knew a breath of fresh air would help to clear his mind, and perhaps he would find something of interest out here. Either something to brighten his mood, or something to distract him from his current thoughts. Maybe some answers would come to him while he was out here, away from the everyday mundane tasks of pack life. He doubted he would go home any different than he was now, but he could always hope for something. "Talk" "You" Think

Karabela splashed absently through the delta water and up onto another small, lush island. The sun was high in the sky and the insects were going through a myriad of songs and sounds as the hummed their late spring tunes. Golden eyes fell upon a large white bird that was walking through the delta. She grinned as she watched it scoop up a fish before taking off into the air as she pondered whether or not she'd be any good at fishing. Peering into the water she watched a few small fish flee her shadow. It was then a shift in the wind brought with it a vaguely familiar scent.

Looking up she gazed around her until she saw the gray from of another wolf. Well, well! It was the man she and Mercy had battled in the siege. Grinning she started toward him. "Looking for a rematch? I'd be happy to take you one on one without that horny old hag getting in the way."

"Speech"

The splashing of water alerted him to the presence of another, causing him to turn his head, his silver gaze casting around to land on a familiar form. Ah, so she had come to find him after all? His eyes narrowed slightly, an eager grin forming upon his maw. All of his worries dissipated for the moment as she came closer, his ears pressing forward as her voice called out to him. His grin widened, tail raising as she offered him a rematch, and he had to chuckle at the way she portrayed the other woman that had been a part of their fight in the siege. "Gladly," his low, yet powerful voice came forth in a rumble, "In fact, I'd be honored, miss...?" He knew she was a worthy adversary, strong and fearless; thus, he would gladly take her on, hopefully with a much different outcome this time. And of course, he had to know her name before they began. He'd been much too preoccupied the last time they'd met, to catch her name. "Talk" "You" Think

Karabela felt excitment begin to churn in her belly as she gazed at the man while he accepted her offer of a rematch. Excellent! And this terrain would certainly be interesting to battle upon. Her toes flexed, claws raking through soft, wet earth. Her last match against him had been two versus one and was hardly a fair match but he put up a valiant effort regardless and she knew that she'd be walking away with some injuries if they fought. It only made her more excited. She enjoyed close matches. The struggle would only make the victory sweeter if she was lucky enough to obtain it.

"Karabela. And what about you, what should I call you?" She moved back a few paces to put a good ten feet or so between them as she inclined her head forward, defenses beginning to fall into place. "You want to do this now? Because I'm ready whenever you are." She grinned waiting to see if he'd like the first move or if it was hers and if he'd like to chat a bit first and meet to fight elsewhere she was game as well.

"Speech"

He stood calmly as he watched her, noticing her excitement grow, and as she spoke to offer her name as ask his, he felt his anticipation grow as well. It wasn't often that one got a second chance to prove themselves like this. A fair rematch. He really enjoyed the idea of this. "Good to know you, Karabela," he said with a dip of his head, his tail lashing enthusiastically "Call me Xephyris." He had his reasons for behaving so politely. He didn't need for this to be a blood bath when it would simply be just another test of his strength, and a chance at redeeming himself from fight in which he'd been outnumbered. He also simply wanted to make a good impression; he wasn't a maniac looking for blood, but he was an eager fighter seeking redemption. He was glad for the opportunity, and he began to square himself up, head-to-head at 10 ft. with his opponent as she shifted her position into a ready fighting stance. She asked him if he was ready to do this now, and he nodded with a blink of his silver eyes. "No better time than the present," he rumbled. There was no need to wait. His body sank into a ready stance. Paws spread into an even and widened stance as he familiarized himself with the feel of sand beneath his feet, knees and elbows bending to give him flexibility. His toes splayed in the soft ground, nails digging in for traction. His head lowered to align with his spine, tail aligning with his spine at the same time. His chin tucked over his throat defensively, hackles raising to create a buffer between his opponent's fangs and his skin. His muzzle wrinkled up in a snarl, the skin around his face and eyes crinkling to protect himself, eyes narrowing as he did so. Finally, his shoulders rolled forward, rolls of fat bunching up around his neck for extra protection. "Normally I'd say ladies first, but I'm a little eager today," he said, smirking as he made his move. The muscles in his legs coiled before springing into action as he tried to make his way toward his opponent. Xephyris attempted to close the distance between them swiftly, hoping to close 10 ft. of distance in a few mighty bounds. He darted slightly to his left and curved his body sharply to the right as he attempted to take siege on her right side, shifting his weight to hind limbs so that he could thrust forward his right shoulder, aiming to slam the bony part of his right shoulder blade into the middle of the meaty part of her shoulder, behind her shoulder blade, with the intention of leaving a moderate bruise there. Quickly following, he would attempt to thrust the mid-front of his chest into the dip where her shoulder met with her ribcage, in hopes of leaving her with at least a mild bruise. Then he would tip his head sharply to his right at a nearly horizontal angle, his jaws parting wide as he aimed for the forefront of her shoulder - his upper jaw aimed to snag her flesh in front of her shoulder blade where the shoulder met with the chest, and his lower jaw aimed to sink into the thick muscle of her shoulder a few inches above her elbow. Lastly, he lifted his right forepaw, balancing his weight upon his 3 grounded limbs, as he aimed to stomp his right forepaw down upon her own right forepaw, in hopes of inflicting a mild fracture to her two outer toes. Xephyris vs Karabela | Dominance(?) | Round 1/3(?) "Talk" "You" Think

ooc:  so sorry for the wait!  I was hoping my head would have cleared by now but didn't have much luck.  -kicks fever-  any who here you go!  -hugs-

"A pleasure I'm sure!" she chirped as he introduced himself.  Xephryis.  She'd remember the name.  Well, it seemed her new 'friend' was eager to get started and she took a few deep breaths to focus herself. As he set his defenses she would set hers. Her head and tail gracefully shifted to align with her spine.  Her chin tucked as her neck scrunched back, shoulders rolling forward in anticipation as her hackles stood on end.  Karabela shifted her limbs equidistant apart, just slightly wider than shoulder and hip width respectively, her weight shifting evenly across her limbs.  She was nearly a foot taller than her opponent and her limbs coiled to lower her center of gravity and bring her closer to his level.  Her toes splayed, claws digging into the moist soil for extra grip.  Her jaws parted, brows wrinkling to wrinkle the flesh of her face as her ears pinned tightly to her head, eyes narrowing.  The first move would be his… very well.  She resisted the urge to smile and instead willed herself to focus as her opponent bounded forward.

As Xephyris leapt forward so did Karabela as she sought to close the distance between them that much faster.  As Xeph curved his body sharply to his right she would arc her upper body to her own right in an attempt to keep their upper bodies facing head on but slightly of center so that her left shoulder could align with the groove between his right shoulder and the right side of his chest.  This movement would keep her right forelimb out of reach of his shoulder throw causing it to graze across the outside her left shoulder as she sought to throw her left shoulder forward and down into the groove between Xephyris' right shoulder and the right side of his chest hoping to use her greater mass to jar the ligaments there and cause significant bruising.

In addition she would hurl her chest forward seeking to collide the center of her chest with the upper central portion of his all to aware he was seeking to crash into her as well and it sent a shiver of excitement down her spine [counter?]. This is what she was craving.  The crash.  The colllide.  She hoped to cause bruising and to shake the man's balance.

Her jaws dove down as his shot forward, her elegant neck twisting slightly to her left as she sought to catch his lower jaw in hers before he ripped into her flesh [counter].  Karabela hoped to land her upper jaw over his tongue across the top of his lower jaw, bisecting it… her upper jaw resting right between his waiting fangs, while her lower jaw sought to rest across the underside of his lower jaw, again bisecting it across the middle.  She wanted a strong and powerful hold from which to control her opponents head and dislocate his lower jaw… at least for awhile.  She did not yet know if she would tolerate the pain should his jaws snap shut.

Her weight shifted to her hind legs and front left leg as she attempted to lift and throw her front right leg across the left side of his neck, directly behind his head along his left jaw line which was so beautifully presented by his head tilted nearly perpendicular to the ground.  She sought to wrap the limb around his neck while leaning forward and down to push her heavier weight onto him with the goal of severely straining his neck and pushing him down to the ground.  With her right forelimb raised his right forepaw would miss it's intended target though it would connect with the outer toes of her left forepaw causing her to wince as severe bruising would begin to form on the delicate digits. Her larger size helping to spread the impact and prevent any fracturing.

Karabela vs Xephyris for Dominance (1/3)

And the winner is...

Karabela! Due to Xephyris not posting in the allotted time, the fight has defaulted in Raba's favor. Xephyris must give up by submitting, passing out, or fleeing.