though she was not entirely healed from her shoulder wound, Heloise was back at the battlegrounds. she had walked with Acere here, requesting that she show him all she had learned so far. her winnings were just as impressive as her failures; all beget experience. once, long ago in the summer, the king said he would assess her. now that winter was indeed coming, she wanted to pool the fruits of her labor and show her new mate what she had done. in her own time, she had come here to request spars from various folk from various walks of life. she had learned from them, and they may have learned from her. turning to face Acere now as she broke off from his side, the alabaster woman would call Kresnik to sit with his fox companions and watch. the bird landed, cawing in a friendly manner to the two before fixing his stare on Heloise. she was naked save for the skin on her back. this would be a battle of both physical nature and intelligence. no companions. no armor. no accessories of any kind. just her and him. it was just how she wanted it. "the king gets the first turn" she'd smirk playfully at him, allowing him to go first. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

They had walked together to the battlefield, the alabaster Male fulfilling his promise to assess her and she was insistent on doing it now rather than later despite her wounds. Against his better judgment and protests to wait until she was fully healed, she had convinced him. And she didn't have to work hard for that. He just simply couldn't say no to her. He insisted on using no companions, no armor, no weapons. Just a one on one fight between the two of them. He had no plans to harm her and thought about pulling punches to spare her any extra pain should he end up jarring her wounds too much, would she protest to that though? He wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that she was a capable fighter, and he had no doubt she could hold her own. She broke away from him before facing him, his alabaster angel giving him the first move. With a playful smirk, he lashed his tail and settled into his defenses, crimson gaze never leaving hers. "As you wish," He would wait a moment for her to ready herself, and once she was prepared he would launch himself forward. He sought to come at her head on, chest out with the intent of crashing his weight into her and perhaps knocking her flat on her back. Simultaneously, the alabaster king would seek to reach for her scruff with the intention of grabbing and maybe lifting her off the ground to help send her skyward (though not too hard since he didn't want to hurt her too much). Acere Praetor vs Heloise for spar Round 1/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Dire wolf Build: Heavy Fight Skill Level: Master Specialty: Knight "Speech"

code by Cloudy

she knew she could not hope to match the weight of her mate's blows. not with her injury still fresh and her movements slowed from it. as he came toward her, she dropped to the ground and rolled out of his attempted grasp. gladdened the wound on her shoulder was dressed - else it would pick up dust and dirt - she tried to place as little pressure on it as possible. his jaws snapped the air where she had been and Heloise sprang back to her feet a few paces away from him. her advantage was speed only against Acere; she wasn't going to throw it away and try to brute force this. Heloise also knew he'd try to close the distance as fast as possible. she rose next as she rushed him, aiming to throw her paws in his face with continual blows. as much as he wasn't going to harm her, she was clearly aiming away from his eyes and focusing on his snout. due to his size and experience, she tried to draw blood. anything less would bruise or smart - not just physically but his honor. it was a bit of a reach for her, and she couldn't balance properly while doing so. her belly and her legs were exposed - easy enough for the king to tip her should he get a hold over her. Acere vs Heloise for spar Round 1/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Medium Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Advanced Specialty: NONE "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

Narrowed eyes widened with surprise. First she was there and then...she wasn't. He slid to a grinding halt for a moment, head turning to either side of him as he tried to see which way she had gone, but she had already popped up on his right, straight onto her hind legs and started trying to pummel his face in. He fought the urge to laugh at the tactic, not because it was funny but because it was clever. He often forgot how much faster she could be compared to him. Her nails nicked his sensitive nose, leaving shallow cuts and drawing a bit of blood. He sneezed at the contact, but in the short moments of all of this happening, he abruptly turned towards her and lunged. Forelegs came up with the intention of wrapping around either shoulder, and with his heftier weight he sought to push her onto her back and bring his weight down to hold her in place. Acere Praetor vs Heloise for spar Round 2/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Dire wolf Build: Heavy Fight Skill Level: Master Specialty: Knight "Speech"

code by Cloudy

as the more experienced fighter, Heloise was not surprised he could counter so easily. she also did not expect to win this spar, and would hold nothing against the king if he did. she only sought to prove herself ot him, that she could defend herself if need be. Acere was quick to react to her blows; he rose up to meet her as she struck at him, wrapping his front limbs around her shoulders. she was forced under his weight, slamming to the ground as he stood over her. but she wasn't about to go down without a fight. forcing her back to arch, she tried to wrap her teeth into the thick scruff of his neck. he was close enough to grasp now, and she wasn't going to stop until she pulled a few strands of his ivory fur away from his body. Acere vs Heloise for spar Round 2/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Medium Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Advanced Specialty: NONE "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara

And the winner is...

ACERE

HELOISE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Acere: 284.88 Heloise: 162.27

once more, there was an obvious difference in skill. Heloise wondered if the larger wolves had an unfair advantage, but she recalled her spar with Sirius and how she had won that. it was just up to luck and skill she supposed. truly, she was happy to have had the chance to spar with Acere and even if she lost... she was proud of him. skittering away from his hold, she'd drop her tail in submission and face him. though she had re-opened her injury, the bleeding was not as bad. she would live. "you won" there was no regrets or anger in her tone. she smiled easily at him as she approached. leaning forward, she'd lick at his shoulder a few times before drawing back. the woman hoped she hadn't in any way injured him, as much as he wished he hadn't injured her. "I still have much to learn" Heloise admitted softly. perhaps it was time to gain some armor and weapons... the thought of weighing herself down, never being able to use her speed efficiently was problematic. but if she was to be by Acere's side, she would have to get used to it. attacks could come from at any moment. she wanted to be able to affectively protect him. "SPEECH"

art + code by Kara