He'd been far and wide, accumulated a couple spars and lessons, seen cool lands, and gotten into trouble like the youngster he was. But now? Now he was getting bored, tired, whatever. It was more than time to give into the weird feeling in his gut that drew him back to the borders of Celestial. He was clearly a different breed than his kin - joining a pack would never have appealed to his parents or siblings. What they liked didn't matter though, this was all about him. For himself, Amos wanted to try the life of a pack wolf if for no other reason than to see where it took him and how well he might fit in.

Staring up at the wall, he stood, remembering his first meeting with 'Rielle some time ago with a faint smile playing at his lips and a warm feeling in his chest. It was a pleasant memory. Maybe that was part of why he had to come back, who knew. That, and the promise of spars with both the shimmering girl and her father was still too good to pass up for a fight-hungry guy like himself!

Tilting his head back, he let loose a summoning howl for the alpha, his intentions quite clear. He wanted, no, needed to join!

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

He was… worried didn’t even come close to it. He had made a promise to his uncle that he would never allow himself to go through what Castiel had, with missing children… And here, both his mate and son were missing. Alongside that, he’d noticed a significant dwindling in the strength of his pack’s borders. Several wolves had dropped away from marking the borders altogether. He wasn’t sure whether to be furious or worried for them. He was glad for the distractions his daughter gave him. She was growing stronger and faster by the day, and he wasn’t entirely sure she wouldn’t already be ready to take the pack by the time she reached a year old. She had lost that shyness she’d started out with. She had inherited his easy nature, but he knew she was worried, too. It was another welcome distraction that drew him to the wall, now. Amos’s voce had called for him, and the message was clear as water. The boy had decided that Celestial would be his home. There would be a spar to test him, of course, unless the boy had traveled far and needed to rest, and then, like with Domari, it would be a test of knowledge, to see if Amos knew enough about fighting to put it into practice. Regulus paused a stride on his way there, huffing. Well, Amos could always possibly have more interest in a dual rank… It was with his usual warm smile that he greeted Amos at the passage in the wall as he came to a stop, but there was no doubt that there was a hint of that underlying worry in those fathomless sapphire eyes as he studied the young male. “Amos. It’s good to see you back. I hear you decided to join?” There was a gentle, teasing note to his deep voice as he tipped his head. He had little doubt that Aurielle would probably be on her way here soon.

He didn't have to wait long for the red man to come striding over. Honestly, Amos admired the timeliness. Maybe soon he'd be answering calls with the same quickness as Regulus. He didn't really aspire to do it as a leader, but he wouldn't rule it out as a someday kind of thing. The idea almost had him smirking.

"Thas' right! Pity, looks like you're stuck with me after all! That is, if you'll have me," he grinned, a look of determination settling over his features. From his face to his posture, it was clear he was more than ready to do whatever it took. Mismatched eyes fixed on Reg's sapphire blues, he asked, "So what's a guy gotta do to join Celestial? I don't really have many other interests aside from fighting, so that's what I wanna do"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The boy’s easy-going nature helped greatly in lifting Regulus’ mood, and a soft chuckle escaped the crimson male as he lowered his haunches to the ground, glad to rest for a moment. If he was being fully honest with himself, he felt older than he used to, just in the last few weeks. He wasn’t ware of the fine specks of white that had begun to fleck his muzzle, though. Far from age, they were the product of stress in very recent days. However, thoughts of old age and stress he tossed aside as he answered the young male with a grinning, “I thing Aurielle would have quite a litany of abuse for me if I refused you at least a chance.” It was quite clear that he was wrapped around his little girl’s paw, even if she was nearing a time of not being so little anymore. He tipped his head as he considered Amos, smiling at the clear eagerness the male showed at proving himself. “Depending on how much energy you have, you have two options as a wolf wishing for a Legionary Rank, if that’s your hope. One, you can spar me, with Aurielle as a Witness. If you win, you get the rank. If you lose, but you showed great promise in the spar, then you may join, but you will be placed as a Unit until you’ve trained enough to rise in rank. If you lose abysmally… Well… I’d suggest getting in more practice and trying again. “Alternatively, I can give you a test question. You’re more likely to gain a rank with a correct answer, and if you need any training to brush up your skills, you’ll be given a mentor to help you learn.” His head cocked as he grinned at the boy, waiting for his choice while his peripheral vision caught the familiar pale shimmer up on the wall, out of Amos’ range of sight and creeping carefully closer. His daughter had been taking lessons from her cat, clearly.

Amos chuckled at Regulus' remark, though from what Amos had seen of him so far he doubted Reg would do such a thing even without his daughter's 'insistence'. Nah, Regulus was too nice, Amos could see it. Or maybe Amos was just lucky enough to have somehow gained his favor. Didn't matter much either way.

Listening to the explanation, he nodded, and his canines saw daylight as he game Reg an even bigger toothy smile. "Oh, I'm a glutton for punishment, through and through," he laughed, tail twitching with anticipation as he added, "I'll opt for a spar, for the legionary rank of course. Here's hoping I've learned something." He was never good at questions anyhow, maybe it was dumb not to try that option but hey, what could he say? He was a fool if there ever was one but he'd be damned if he didn't try and give it his all.

Unfortunately for Amos, he was far too focused on Reg to be lucky enough to catch sight nor sound of the shimmering girl sneaking up nearby. Maybe eventually he'd wish he had.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

Regulus grinned softly, glad for Amos’ good-natured cheer. The boy certainly had a knack for lifting the spirits, and he found himself chuckling as he rose to his paws once more and stepped away to take up a stance about five feet away from Amos, face to face. He grinned, eyes seemingly fully focused on Amos’, but watching the fuzzy white shape slinking carefully closer out of the corner of his eye. Closer and closer. He grinned, settling into a stance and tucking his chin neatly into place over his throat. “Now. First Lesson. Always be aware of your surroundings. You never know when someone will fly in out of your blind-spots and attack you while you’re engaged with an opponent.” His first word was, in fact, a signal to his shimmering daughter, and she launched herself just as Regulus finished his small speech.

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle had been undeniably delighted when she’d heard Amos’ howl for her father. It helped to distract her from the worry revolving around her missing mother and brother. So she’d raced toward the call, then veered to one of the ramps up to the top of the wall. She’d gotten a wild hair on the way down the wall, and now, she’d crept up as close as she dared. She knew her father had seen her—he saw it all. But she was silently pleased to see that Amos suspected nothing at all. She could hardly contain herself, but she waited patiently. Now. Not quite now, though. She let her father just about finish his lesson to Amos before she launched herself from the top of the wall down at the older wolf, aiming to strike right between his shoulder-blades with her forepaws and use her momentum and surprise to knock Amos to the ground beneath her slim frame before bouncing off to stand beside her father, a wide grin on her features baring her canines. “Hello, Amos!” Thank you for making me think of something happy. She’d grown monumentally since he’d met her, in more ways than just height and weight. A thick mane fell in locks from her scruff, and a few strands formed a forelock after her flight from the wall. Her tail hair had grown out as well and coiled with no small amount of poise upon the grass as her hips dropped neatly to the ground. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Unaware as he might be, Amos was no fool. The unnatural stressing of the beginning of Regulus' 'lesson' has the boy raising a brow. As he went on the dark furred boy found himself getting an inkling of what was about to happen. A quick glance left and right was the only reason he managed to barely catch the flash of shimmering white as it came flying at him. "Funny," he thought as he only really managed to lean slightly away from the girl who was sailing in a graceful arc that would land her on top of him, "I could swear I pictured this once. When was th-"

Impact! He was sent flying in the opposite direction as Aurielle flounce away. Lucky for him wrestling with his brother(torryn was never interested, while rogdar often instigated such things) had prepared him to develop sharp reflexes. After rolling sideways a few times his legs shot out and caught him so he would roll neatly to his paws, tail flagging out to steady himself as he regained his balance. Eyeing the father and daughter before him he simply cackled and sighed, "Lesson learned!" glancing to meet Aurielle's striking gaze he took in the changes since their last meeting and added, "You look well, little shimmer. Good to see you again."

Fixing his multicolored gaze back on Regulus, Amos made sure to do a better job of keeping himself aware. Ears keeping better track of the sounds around him as the wind played with the grasses around them and the three wolves stood gathered among the gently swaying foliage. No other sounds or scents of approaching attackers. Good, he would prefer not being tackled twice. "Now that we're all gathered, are we ready?"

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Archangel struggled not to laugh as Aurielle struck a bull’s eye in the middle of Amos’ frame and sent him rolling. He did note the quick reflexes and nodded internally to himself as he grinned at the young male. For all that the young man had just been tackled by a smaller, younger wolf, he seemed remarkably cheerful about it. However, he could already feel that he would want the wolf in his pack, and thus, he made a quick decision as he tilted his head. “Not that I often do this, but… how about this; I’ll give you a question to answer, and whether you get it right or not, we’ll move to the spar. If you give an answer that works for the situation I give you, you’re in as a Unit wolf. The spar will determine whether you gain the rank of Legionary here as well. I’m not sure if you noticed the border scents, but… we need members.” A hint of worry, just barely noticeable to one who wasn’t observant. He felt his daughter’s gradated eyes on him, sharing the worry as they waited for Amos’ response.

Aurielle Adravendi

The Future grinned back at Amos, eyes glinting with a faint spark of mischief that hadn’t been there in their first meeting, long haired tail tapping at the ground as she answered, “And you, sunny hearted. Hope you’ve been training hard—I look forward to our spar.” A teasing note, friendly and warm carried her words as she moved to settle a bit further away, to give her father and Amos room for a spar. She was watching and listening carefully, learning and taking notes, and making her own private comments on what she would do when she welcomed and tested prospective new wolves in her reign. She knew her father often chose to test a wolf hoping to join with a quiz, rather than a spar, if he was pressed for time. It made sense, to her, to double test Amos. They needed wolves, but they needed wolves that could back up their knowledge with action. She felt a pang as her father finished his proposal, though. She wasn’t sure where everyone had gone, what had happened. Where were her mother and her twin? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

He gave Aurielle a bright smile as she saddled him with a nickname of her own and even brought up the spar mentioned in their first conversation. ”I wouldn’t dare to do you the injustice of offering anything but my best,” he assured. While there was a teasing lilt to his words, the seriousness nested within them said much about honest his words were. After all, that little statement could easily be used to summarize his mindset in full. He would never offer anything less than the best he had to give, be it in pack life, a spar, or anything else. And less felt too lazy, and unlike his mother he was anything but lazy. Hard to imagine how he managed to evade those genes in full - maybe Torryn got them all. The thought made him snicker inwardly.

Jesting aside, he turned his attention fully to Regulus, dark head tilting ever so slightly to the right as he considered the offer. It would be silly to pass up the offer, right? He wouldn’t take it lightly. ”Sure, that sounds fine to me.” he replied.

He did remember to keep himself aware, ears tuned into the wolves before him as well as his surroundings as he waited and watched the large, red alpha curiously. What sort of question might he be asked? Hopefully Amos had a good answer for whatever it might be.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The older male chuckled softly at the exchange between the younger and his daughter, grinning as Amos accepted the deal. He was silent for several beats, formulating his question before he smiled, haunches settling to the ground as he began his quiz. “In a fight against a serious opponent, one you need to terminate in order to save your life or that of one you hold dear, where would you do best to apply your teeth, and how? What is the best method to disable, permanently maim, or kill – if needed – your enemy. And, depending on the size of your opponent compared to yourself, how would you manage it, and what should you keep an eye on to avoid being harmed in the process? Feel free to give as much detail and as many answers as you wish. Every fighter is different, after all.” Aurielle had gotten a similar quiz in her training, and it was always interesting to see and hear the answers each wolf gave him.

Aurielle Adravendi

A smile was her response to Amos’ words, and she knew he meant it, despite the playful tone. A thrill went through her as he accepted her father’s offer, and she settled more comfortably to listen to her father’s test. A good question. Her own answers had, at first, been ‘Go for the throat.’ But her father had put her through more training, and she’d seen that it really depended on who she was fighting. A larger wolf than herself, for instance, would be vulnerable along the belly, open for a smaller, and swifter wolf’s jaws to rip into the soft skin and disembowel them. As well, there were several major arteries that when severed, could kill merely from blood loss if no healer got to it in time. A smaller wolf’s spine was a good target. One her father was fond of aiming for. Catching a wolf just behind the head on the neck and giving a hard-enough shake could damage the spinal column, and done right, separate the skull from the spine. All grim, calculating measures to ensure a threat was nipped in the bud. What would Amos’ answers be? Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Taking in the question and digesting the pieces, Amos considered it for a long moment, not one to rush himself in serious matters like this. His answer determined his future, so he would do his best not to disappoint. ”Well…” he drawled, collecting his thoughts and organizing them before launching into his answer. ”I suppose my target could be dependant on my opponent as much as my avenue for executing it. For someone larger than me, or even similarly sized, I might focus on the throat, especially if I or they started things off with a shoulder slam since it would bring us both in close. I might try to get lower then them, in order to get a better angle when I strike. I’d probably want to pay close attention to protecting my face and my own vitals, keeping my chin tucked over my own throat to the best of my ability so it doesn’t become an easy target, narrowing my eyes and flattening my ears to keep them out of harm's way especially if I’m close to my opponents face. A good hold of their throat would be an east way to disable them whether through lethal force or possibly causing them to pass out from lack of air with the right hold.” He canted his head and considered for a moment other options, adding, ”One could also go lower though if you’re quick enough, but I have to admit personally that might require a greater deal of accuracy and knowledge of in-depth anatomy than I claim to possess to get a lethal hit in.” He was generally confident in his own abilities, but also wasn’t egotistical enough to overstate what he could do.

Eyes flicked skyward, watching clouds roll by slowly across the blue expanse of the sky while he continued, ”With a smaller opponent, it might be easiest and smartest to attack from above and attempt to get one’s jaws around some point in their spine or neck. I suppose you’d want to protect your own throat in that scenario lest they have similar lines of thinking, so again a well tucked chin is a good idea. I suppose even your own body position could minimize your risk if one kept themselves perpendicular to the smaller opponent getting at the spine would be easier while keeping vital areas on one’s own body further from harm’s way. A well placed bite or a firm grip and some effort and you could partially paralyze them.”

One of the clouds reminded him vaguely of a mushroom, rounded with a short line sprouting from it. It made him feel ill the more he looked at it, so he turned his eyes back to Regulus once more as a weak smile played at his lips. ”Of course, I think those are both pretty familiar angles and not uncommon targets. Personally a concept I found interesting and one which could work with any sized opponent would be capturing an enemy’s lower jaw on your own jaws. You might take some damage, but if you can get hold of their lower jaw you could control their head and limit their movements. It would also land one in a position where their enemy can no longer bite, and, gruesome thought as it may be, with some twisting you could mangle or break it and make them more or less useless in a fight as the pain would be horrendous. If it didn't heal right then even if the injury itself didn’t kill them they might not be able to eat and would perish. There might not be a good way to avoid injuries yourself entirely, but narrowing one;s eyes and protecting vitals like the throat as well as rolling up your scruff to push fat and skin over possible targets of attack are a good idea. That, and keeping your balance since I’m sure there might be some thrashing and panic if you got someone in a hold like that.

Regulus Anatolii Adravendi

The Archangel listened as Amos gave his answers, and nodded, pleased with each as it was given. They weren’t answers given flippantly without care. The boy was actually putting thought into them, perhaps even envisioning the scenarios. That was very good. He grinned, feeling the pleasure from Aurielle as he said, “Well answered. Welcome to Celestial, Amos. You will be placed as Unit, and whether you win or lose your test spar here, you will not lose that rank, though if you win, you’ll certainly get the Legionary rank.” He grinned and turned, leading the way to the meeting boulder, deciding that the footing there would be nice for both of them. Once they arrived, he turned to face Amos, letting the boy look around before he grinned, “Are you ready?”

Aurielle Adravendi

Aurielle listened intently to her older friend’s answers as he gave them, ears perked to catch each word. She wasn’t just interested in what his answers would be—she was learning, too. It would, she thought, be a good idea to learn varying styles of combat. She was going to be a midrange wolf. There would be opponents smaller than her, and bigger than her, so she could be flexible. She could see herself using her father’s old preferred battering ram attacks on a smaller wolf and using a smaller wolf’s agility against a larger opponent. She wished she could have met her grandmother and seen her fight. Aurielle beamed as Amos was accepted as a Unit wolf, and as her father led the way into the heart of the Plains to the meeting area, she fell into place a little ways behind, moving smoothly at a lithe trot, mane and tail flowing on her slipstream as she said, “Congratulations, Amos! Now we get to see if you can put your knowledge into action.” As her father took his place in the center of the flat, bare dirt area the pack would sit on in meetings, she leapt up onto the boulder and settled, gradated eyes watching intently as she waited for the spar to begin. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Amos let out a breath he didn’t recall holding as Regulus responded. His chest tightened and his serious expression melted instantly back into his usual happy grin, tail beating the air wildly. He suppressed a gleeful hollar that threatened to erupt from his chest. Nodding firmly was the best he could do. There was extra bounce to his gait as he moved to follow Regulus.

His gaze flickered over to Aurielle as she congratulated him. The pull to brag a bit was there, but he decided to rein his ego in a bit in case it was thoroughly checked in this spar to come. ”Thank you ‘rielle.” Now time to see if his trend of success would continue.

As she hopped up onto the large rock off to the side, Amos turned back to Regulus. A quick assessment of the area had him thinking it was a pretty great spot for a spar. It smelled of many scents, was this where they gathered? Might be a good place to know then.

Returning his mismatched eyes to Regulus, he nodded sharply, rolling his shoulders in preparation. ”Quite.” he said. He settled into readying his defenses, head and tail aligning with his spine, legs moving to settle equally spaced beneath him, knees bending slightly to lower his center of gravity, chin tucking over his throat. Next, he’d pin his ears, narrow his eyes, and lift his lips into a snarl that maintained a hint of that smile that never seemed to leave his features for long. Then he shot forward, moving with quick, measured strides.

The boy sought to move in an arc around Regulus’ right side, flying in at an angle and pace that suggested intent to slam his chest into Regulus’ right flank, however, as he drew closer Amos’ head lowered and his jaws parted, aiming to bite Reg’s hind right leg above the stifle near where it met the flank. His head tilted left so his upper jaw would aim for the outer portion of the leg while the lower jaw hoped to find purchase on the inside closer to his opponents belly. He hoped to get a decent grip with his fangs, but leaving some moderate lacerations would do too.

At the same time the boy shifted his weight to his other three legs as his right front paw would shoot forward and to the right, aiming to scratch the inside of Regulus’ left hind leg near the meaty inner thigh and leave light lacerations in it's wake.

Amos vs Regulus for Spar
Round 1/3
Height: 36”
Build: heavy

-::-

The Archangel smiled as the boy began settling into his defenses, a mental chuckle rippling through the back of his mind at the hint of a smile that still beamed through the faux snarl on Amos’ face. All this as he shifted his paws subtly, forepaws settling equidistant beneath his shoulders, and his good leg – the left hind leg – shifting to take a balanced position further beneath his hips. His tail flicked out level with his spine as his head lowered to a level with his shoulders. The toes of his three good legs flexed to spread for further balance and traction on the soil as his claws sank into the ground, and his shoulder blades rolled forward to guard his lower neck. His chin tucked neatly to cover his throat, jaws slightly parting as his eyes narrowed to protective slits in a face that wrinkled in a silent snarl, ears flattening into a scruff bristling with lifted hackles that extended the full length and breadth of his spine from head to tail. He allowed Amos to bound forward, but as the boy sought to circle around to Regulus’ right side, the Crimson Archangel sought to swing his front end swiftly around to his right, aiming to meet the boy face to face, pivoting sharply on his left hind paw, the toes of his right hind paw trailing in the dust as he let his elbows and left hock bend slightly to allow for better movement and lower his center of gravity slightly. As Amos’ jaws snaked toward him, Regulus sought to counter the boy’s bite as his jaws parted and his head twisted to his left and he strove to tangle his jaws with Amos’, seeking to grapple the boy’s muzzle in his own jaws and gain a firm grip—upper canines seeking to hook over the top right side of Amos’ muzzle, his lower canines seeking to hook around the lower left side of Amos' muzzle. Due to Regulus’ movements to face him, Amos’ paw completely missed its mark. Simultaneously he sought to thrust his bulk and power forward, seeking to stagger the boy as he sought to crash the bony point of his left shoulder into Amos’ chest, aiming for the hollow where the point of Amos’ right shoulder melded with his right pectoral muscle, hoping to moderately bruise and distract the boy with a throbbing pain. His tail flicked out behind him for balance as his weight shifted to his two good legs, his right foreleg snapping up and slamming down, aiming for the boy’s left front paw, seeking to bruise the toes, though he pulled his strength for the stomp. He had no intention of sabotaging Amos’ bid for the rank; however, he wanted to see how innovative the boy was, and how well his counters and reactions would be performed if he got into a tight situation. -:: Regulus vs Amos for Legionary Test Spar ::- Round 1/3 Height: 42" Build: Heavy Extra Notes: Let's get this party started! Let's knock some rust off these ol' bones :D Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

As Regulus changed his position, Amos’ toes splayed, dragging to dirt to give him traction as he slowed up as assessed the new positioning, tail flagging out even with his spine to maintain his balance. He was already so close, so he’d see the approaching jaws and react by leaving his own mouth parted into a wide, open snarl. He angled his head to the left and rotated to that Regulus’ jaws would snap around Amos’ upper jaw leaving him free to try and close his own mouth around Regulus’ jaws in the hopes of getting his own grip and control of the older male’s head. He could feel the red man’s teeth digging in and leaving mild puncture wounds, but he pressed on.

His eyes stayed narrowed, ears flat, and lips wrinkled around his captured muzzle. Next, Amos sought to pull his head hard to the right and down, hoping to pull Regulus’ head with him towards the crimson male’s chest. Simultaneously Amos’ body pivoted around towards his own left so he’d be more perpendicular to Regulus rather than head-on. His movement made it so that Regulus’ left shoulder would hit Amos’ right shoulder rather than his chest, slight bruising blossoming along the point of impact, while the paw slam landed on Amos’ right paw rather than his left, leaving light bruising there and drawing a light huff of breath from the boy since he could hardly yelp with his muzzle stuck in a predicament.

With His opponent’s balance rather precarious, the yearling decided to capitalize on that. His weight shifted to his other three legs as his left front paw would snake forward, aiming to wrap around Regulus’ left front paw in an attempt to pull toe limb towards Amos and unbalance the man, while at the same time Amos would push his body forward, hoping to knock over the great red giant. Hackles raised along his spine, knees bending slightly to re-balance his weight and keep his own center of gravity low. Scruff and shoulders rolled forward to keep fat and fur up protectively around his vitals.


Amos vs Regulus for Spar
Round 2/3
Height: 36”
Build: heavy    

Notes: Hit me up if you need any clarifying? Hopefully I’m doing okay-ish xD