Yawning, a slate-gray coydog with white brindling wanders into the group. He appears to be a warrior in his prime, but he can barely keep his eyes open and they droop and threaten to stay closed with every blink. ”Ok,” he says, yawning again. ”Let’s get this over with. You and you, go on over there and fight.” He indicates VALENTINE and ACERE with barely more than a nod of the head, then stumbles over to a ring of stones set into the ground in a circle and plops down. He doesn’t look much like he’s going to be awake for the whole fight, but for now he blinks sleepily at the pair. ”Don’t step out of the ring, I decide the winner, blah blah blah. Ok go.” His head droops towards VALENTINE in a gesture that could either be him falling asleep or telling them to go first, but was probably the latter.

Valentine narrowed his eyes at the sleepy coydog. "Fall asleep on me, bub, and I'll give you a reason to pay attention," he said as he made a show of eying the little beast up and down. Where did they get these referees?

He rolled his eyes over to Enrico and gave him a 'dogs, what can you do' look. Without further ado - they both knew why they were there, no need for chitchat - Valentine lunged for Enrico. He aimed to slam his chest into the meaty exterior of Enrico's right shoulder while trying to grab the smaller male by his scruff. Hopefully his teeth would land at the base of Enrico's skull and give him control of the mafioso's head.

Valentine versus Enrico
Round ONE of ???
Size: Extra Large
Build: Medium
Fight Skill Level: Expert

He was on to the next round. Confident though he was, it wasn't the kind of confidence that would make him cocky. Ace was never one to be cocky or full of pride, he took things with humility. A sleepy looking coydog picked him and Valentine to fight next, and Ace did as he was bid. He knew the rules already. But he watched as the referee seemed to be falling asleep on them. An ear cocked to Valentine as the old man spoke which caused Ace's lips to quirk in amusement. And even more so when he caught the look the other guy shot him.

Alright. It was time to get things started. Valentine wasted no time in moving and Ace could appreciate that. He readjusted his armor and tapped a clawed reaver into the sand in anticipation before he too, moved. His foxes split from his side while he surged ahead. He didn't try to dodge Valentine's attack to his shoulder, instead he angled himself in a way so that the point of his own shoulder jutted out as he sought to jab it into Valentine's shoulder joint between there and his chest. As for the bite, Valentine's teeth would snag on the tiger skin and Ace used the opportunity to twist his own head towards valentine and grab a bite on the side of his throat.

Acere vs Valentine for tournament
Round 1/2
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Accessory: Tiger claw reavers
Defensive Accessory: Tiger pelt armor
Companion 1: Fox - Male (battle)
Companion 2: Fox - Female (battle)
Mutation: n/a
Fight Skill Level: Expert

 speech Thought Quote

Instead of dodging, Valentine took the blow to his shoulder. Instead of flinching away he quickly raised his forelegs and attempted to wrap them around the base of Acere's neck. The pain in his shoulder was easily ignored; he'd experienced far worse than a glancing blow to a well padded area.

He ignored his opponent's foxes. Though several of his children had companions and would no doubt use them in fights, he still held to the belief that their usage was a mark of weakness. Perhaps that put him at a disadvantage, but in his old age he needed something to sneer at the younger generation for, didn't he? Why not their pussification? If he was going to win or lose he was going to do it alone, by himself, solely under his own power with no one to blame for his loss or take away from his victory.

As soon as he realized he was getting a mouthful of dead tiger Valentine switched targets. He was still a touch too slow to move on - it was kind of hard to stop mid bite -so he was a beat behind Acere as the younger male attempted to reach down and bite his throat. That didn't stop him from trying, though. He sought to intercept Ace's bite by biting over the younger male's muzzle, hopefully closing his reaching jaws and keeping them from reaching their target.

Valentine versus Acere
Round TWO of TWO
Size: Extra Large
Build: Medium
Fight Skill Level: Expert

The older man took the blow to his shoulder and Ace wasn't too surprised. He had seen what Valentine could do after all, having been part of that trip to kill the slavers. As Valentine reared to try and hug him, Ace too reared up and sought to hug back, aiming to hook his reavers into the back of Valentine's neck and secure a grip. Control the head, control the fight. And that was exactly what he intended to do. The positioning forced Ace to raise his head as well, causing Valentine's bite to be misplaced and instead, snag on the fatty part of Ace's neck. He snarled with the pain, but it didn't stop him from seeking another bite at the old man. Jaws sought to come down over Valentine's face, fangs over each brow point as he intended to shut them and blind the slate Male with his own blood but careful not to blind him.

Acere vs Valentine for tournament
Round 2/2
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Accessory: Tiger claw reavers
Defensive Accessory: Tiger pelt armor
Companion 1: Fox - Male (battle)
Companion 2: Fox - Female (battle)
Mutation: n/a
Fight Skill Level: Expert

 speech Thought Quote

And the winner is...

ACERE

VALENTINE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Valentine: 127.38 Acere: 209.46

He'd beaten the older Male, and as soon as the judge called it, he backed off. He had done it without his companions getting involved, preferring a close to fair fight. Sure he had his armor and his weapons, but it was still a one on one deal. Breathing hard from the physical activity, he took in a deep breath and nodded to Valentine. He respected the male despite not knowing much about him, but he was a good fighter. He didn't think words were really needed, so he bid farewell with another dip of his head before turning and exiting the ring. There were still other fights he likely had to do, so he would take his chance to rest for however long he could before the next round started.

-exit-