Theta had come back to her temporary base of operations. She had set up shop in one of the caves embedded in the side of the mountain. It wasn’t ever going to be permanent but it would do for now. Once she got a handle on things she fully intended to move more towards the south. The warmer climates were slowly becoming a faint memory, but what she did remember made her miss them. The sight of snow did nothing to please her and she knew that in time there would be more snow falls. Before the snow falls she told herself, before the ground here became once again coated with white she would get the energy and motivation to move. Soon.

He had been doing pretty well for himself lately, along with his remaining sister. The young boy had been training, but there were days like today that he did whatever he wanted. Today was an exploring day, so he had headed beyond pack lands to investigate the place his uncle had mentioned. The place where his dad had claimed for his very first pack. There were many stories surrounding his dad, and while Tyto had been curious, he had also been unsure on how to feel about him. On one hand, he had felt safe and loved by his dad more than his mother...on the other? His dad had left them. While his father wasn't obligated to stay around, he wished he knew why he left. The yearling didn't like to think too much about it though, so he stuck to focusing on the falls as he approached them.

The sound of roaring water filled his ears, magenta gaze staring up at the cascade. He stepped forward to take a drink from the pool of water before moving on and up towards the cave his uncle said hid behind the curtain of water. But...he didn't expect to find what he did when he reached it. He thought he was going crazy for a moment, hallucinating even. But he wasn't. "Theta!? What the hell are you doing here!?" He hadn't expected to see his runaway sister, and he wasn't quite sure what to think about seeing her again...

Over the roaring sound of the waterfall she almost didn’t hear the approach of another wolf. She wasn’t aware until it was already too late. She heard a voice that sounded too familiar, she almost didn’t want to look because if she saw him then it’d be real. Against her better judgment she turned her head to look in the direction of the voice. It was him, it was her brother. Her eyes went wide as she saw him and she practically froze like a deer in the headlights.

Run, she wanted to run, she wasn’t ready to confront any of her emotions or her past regarding her family. She wanted to leave them behind and never see any of them again. She would have bolted right then in there had the area been more open but no, he had to find her in a cave of all places. He had cornered her and there wasn’t any easy way out. If she was a cat she would’ve hissed at him, but she couldn’t so instead a slight growl started building in her throat. She wanted anything but to talk to him, maybe if she had been mentally prepared but not when she was caught off guard. She didn’t even have anything to properly say back, what was she doing here? This was her home for the time being, what was he doing being in it? He needed to get the heck out of here.

She didn't say anything to him, and instead looked like she had been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. His own hackles rose in response, his teeth flashing at her as he exposed them. He hadn't seen her for some time, and this was how she reacted? "What the hell is your problem!? You run away without a word, and thought Hm, I'm gonna hide out near the pack where my family is and hope they don't find me", are you stupid!?" He growled, mirroring her own actions. "Then again you've never really been that smart." He spat. He was angry. At first, he had been surprised. Stunned even. But most of all, he had been unsure of what to make of her presence until now. She was a gutless coward who had nothing but a bad attitude, and instead of trying to stick together, she ran away. What was she hoping to accomplish? "Just wait till our uncle finds out you've been hiding out around here!" Was he trying to rile her up? Probably. Though knowing her, it didn't take much to rile her up to begin with. And while he wasn't sure if his uncle would do anything about her, he knew that saying that would definitely get a reaction from her. He was angry, but perhaps even that was an understatement. Since their dad left, since their mom abandoned them, since Theta abandoned them...it was just him and Tsunami, and their uncle and cousins. Of course, he didn't forget about his dad's mate and other kids, but at the moment, they weren't part of the equation. This was his blood sibling. And all she cared about was herself. He knew that. "Speak"

She was the one with the problem? She was just trying to live out here by herself and make it so that the choices she made were her own. She had gotten sick and tired of being told what to do, give up the pack, move to the north, accept that your father had more kids. It made her sick that she was just told to accept what she was given, she didn’t want to. At least living out here she was making her own choices and doing what she wanted. Sure it wasn’t ideal but that wasn’t the point. It was hers.

Theta’s anger at Tyto’s words rose up and came from her mouth like they should have from the start. “You think I’ve been hiding out only here!? This is just the place where you happened to find me, I’ve been moving all over to make sure I avoid you idiots. I’ve been wanting to leave ever since we got drug up here and I’ve done it! I left because I couldn’t take it anymore, I was done with my choices being made for me so don’t you dare say I’m the one with the problem. I’m out here and I’m alive doing what’s best for me, making my own god damn choices. I don’t care if you tell our uncle, that’s not gonna change a thing. I am never coming back and if I’m forced back I’d rather be dead!” as the spew of words left Theta’s mouth she was glad to have said them, her family never understood how she had felt least of all this hardheaded dunce. She didn’t care about his insult to her intelligence since it wasn’t the first time he had done that, but just seeing his face and dragging up all of the unhappy memories made her want to vomit. Maybe if it had been another member of her family the interaction would have gone differently and more civil, but she barely had a good experience with this one. Tyto wasn’t going to be the family member to talk her back.

She finally burst. Going off with her tantrum just as he expected her to. She didn't know anything else but throwing fits until she got her way. Why their dad didn't cull her for being so bratty was beyond him, but he wasn't having any of it. "Listen to you, throwing a tantrum like usual. It's funny when you think you're better than us, but you're not. You're the worst out of all of us. Dad shoulda just left you, or maybe culling you would've been better. At least that way you wouldn't be anyone problem, not even your own since y'know, you'd rather be dead and all." He snorted as he started advancing towards her, his hackles raised and his teeth bared as his gaze flashed towards her. Since she hated them so much, he might as well give her more of a reason to hate them, right? "Since you don't want anything to do with us, I guess you don't need our name then, do ya? You should change your name to Theta crybaby, that's way more fitting. In fact, I don't think Acere would let you roam around giving the family a bad name. He didn't go on the attack yet. He wanted to see how much he could push her first. "Speak"

This was why she never liked him, he took every opportunity he could to mess with her. He never saw things her way, he never tried to think outside of the box his head was in. He was complacent he was a follower who never took things into his own paws. He had brought up their uncles before she had even spoken. He wasn’t willing to do what it took to be on his own, a little pawn who just followed orders and didn’t think for himself.

His approach was a bold move, Theta let it happen since if she decided to go after him there would be less ground to cover. She knew she wasn’t a crybaby, his mouth was just full of shit. Complacent. Pawn. If anyone gave the family a bad name it was him, around others she had encountered since leaving she was calm, nice was another thing, but she didn’t yell at strangers. “I don’t care what you think, me and you have never liked each other since we were pups. Your insults mean nothing to me, you’re just a complacent pawn in Acere’s pack, you follow orders and don’t question their motivation. You never stopped to consider how I thought. Have you ever thought that you might have been one of the reasons I left? When you and me meet all we do is spit hatred and malice, you don’t want me to live with you again do you? You want me gone and I’m happy to never cross your path again. I don’t want to disturb you and your illusion of freedom.” She wasn’t raising her voice anymore, she was thinking properly and she was saying the cold hard facts, she had turned herself to face Tyto and took a step forward to match his. She was going to get the upper hand of this back.

Oh good, it seemed he was getting under her skin. At least, that's what it looked like from his perspective. He scoffed at all her claims and accusations, the attempt at her claiming he couldn't think for himself rolling off his back. He had all the freedom in the world, but a pack was structured. "God you're pathetic...Any idiot knows that there has to be structure in a pack. We still have our freedom, and those who choose to be in one find a purpose there. At least we aren't wandering around aimlessly with no purpose like most loners. You're so fucking blind to your own selfishness that you wouldn't know a good life if it shoved it's way up your ass." He shook his head and stopped a few tail lengths from her, rising to his full height as he looked down on her. "You are right about one thing though, I do want you gone. I couldn't care less if you died if I'm being honest." He shrugged, a wicked grin splitting his lips. "I'm pretty sure if dad saw you now he'd be disgusted with you. I bet if he saw you, he wouldn't think twice about killing you. You're a disgrace to the family, and everyone knows it. You're pathetic. A waste of space. Nobody wants you around, especially not with that bad attitude of yours. Hell, you couldn't think about anyone but yourself, and you never have thought about anyone but yourself. You're just a stupid. Pathetic. Crybaby." He sneered at her. He paused for a moment, his mind switching like a light. If she really wanted to prove him wrong, maybe she could..."Prove me wrong." Without any warning, he launched himself at her. His teeth bared and a guttural snarl erupted from his chest as he sought to slam his weight into her and knock the air from her lungs. As soon as he was close enough (whether he made contact or not), he sought to stomp on her forepaw with all of his weight in an effort to break her toes. He'd then simultaneously twist his head towards her own, teeth flashing as he sought to grab onto her face with his fangs and slice them across. His goal? Scar up her face as much as he could... Tyto Praetor vs Theta for Maim (Facial scarring) Round: 1/? Age: 1yr Size: Extra large Build: Medium Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Hunter Specialty: N/A "Speak"

Flee Attempt

Theta has attempted to flee!

Her attempt was unsuccessful.

OOC: permission to PP Tyto as blocking the exit and attacking then given by Dragon God he really didn’t see any of it, he didn’t even hear the words coming out of her mouth did he. She said that all they did was spew hatred and here he was doing more of it. Wrong, wrong, wrong, he was wrong about everything. He was wrong that she hadn’t thought about others, he was wrong that dad would think to kill her, he was wrong that she was a stupid pathetic crybaby. All of it was wrong and he hadn’t calmed himself down enough to listen, at least she had gotten a hold of her emotions to actually think for a second. She didn’t hate Tyto anymore, she felt sorry for him. Was this what others thought of her? When she spewed lines of hatred about other people was this what they felt? If it was she was inclined to never do it again. He had proven useful for something, he made her realize how crazy others saw her as. At his statement to prove him wrong Theta realized something crucial, she didn’t need to prove herself to anyone and certainly not to him. She knew herself better than anyone else and that was all that mattered, she knew what she was capable of and she didn’t need to prove it to anyone. If he wasn’t willing to talk and hear her out then there was no point in it. Theta responded to him with the simple words “I don’t need to.” before heading towards the exit. She didn’t care what he thought, not when all he was willing to do was hate her. If he had gotten a clue and calmed down maybe they could’ve talked something out and had at least a chance of him understanding her side for once. Before Theta could actually leave her brother decided to block the exit and launched an attack on her. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy, she had to deal with this quick. She beat him once when they were pups and she’d do it again. Theta raised her hackles, flattened her ears, tucked her tail, and bared her teeth to scrunch the skin on her face. Her brother and come straight at her and she was ready. He didn’t knock the wind out of her with his approach, but it would probably bruise her chest. He was taller and bigger than her so Theta knew not to challenge him at the upper level and instead went down. She took her head down around Tyto’s right and went to bite him where the chest met shoulder. She felt the pressure of his paw on hers and moved to return the gesture, to place her opposite paw on his. Putting her weight into it and into him had she gotten her grip with her teeth. She dug her back paws into the ground to get a firm placement to make her body harder to forcefully move. Tyto’s attempt at Theta’s face was misplaced due to the speed that Theta moved her head with, instead landing his gnashing bite more towards the right side of her head closer to the back of her ear. Theta Praetor-Vindictus vs Tyto Praetor for Dominance Round 1/2 Age: over one year Size: Large Build: Light Mutation 1: Deer antlers (small) - Offensive Skills: Intermediate Intellectual & Advanced Fighter Specialty: N/A "Speak"

His paw stomp made contact, though he felt it wasn't enough. With his hackles raised and defenses in place, he spread his weight evenly after he readjusted his paw, getting it back on the ground as he prepared to move again. Theta would aim to bite him and he sought to shove the bony part of his shoulder joint forward taking the hit but on a less meatier part. Hopefully it would cause discomfort as he pushed himself forward in an effort to force her mouth wider and strain the muscles in her jaws. When his bite landed, it wasn't where he wanted it but she had graciously given him more advantage over her head. He could taste her blood, but he would aim for another bite elsewhere. Releasing the bite he had, his head snaked towards the back of her neck, the yearling aiming to sink his teeth into the base of her skull and ultimately gaining control of her head.

As he aimed to do that, he would lift his forelegs up, causing her own returned stomp to miss, and he sought to bring them over either side of her shoulders, paws and claws seeking a grip on the back of her shoulders while he used his weight to try and force her to the ground. He'd be delighted if he won. He wanted to hurt her, to show her the consequences of her actions prior to all of this despite her claiming she had changed. He didn't believe a word of it. How could she of all people, have changed so drastically after such a short time? He felt she was lying. There was no good in her. She was always selfish, and that's all she ever would be. She wanted to hate so much, but she suddenly acted like nobody would have ever hated her. And when push came to shove, she tried to run away and avoid the consequences. He didn't particularly care if he lost though...because either way. He would have made his point clear.

Tyto Praetor vs Theta for Maim (Facial scarring)
Round 2/2
Age: 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Theta’s bite connected with his flesh and her fighting instincts flared up with a fiery passion. The taste of wolf blood was one she knew all too well, and she enjoyed it. He shoved his shoulder into her mouth even further and all it did was cause her to bite down farther. She felt him stop biting at one area on her head and realized that she had left the back of her neck and head wide open for grabbing. She released her hold on his shoulder and bucked her head backwards, the idea being that her antlers could make some form of contact with his neck and the underside of his jaw to push his mouth away and to keep it from gaining control over her. Her own paw stomp missed as Tyto raised himself to place his paws on her shoulders. Theta saw the opportunity and used it. Ducking lower and using her back legs to push her forward, placing her mouth within biting range of his soft under belly. She moved to sink her teeth into the tender flesh while her spine flexed heavily under the weight of her brother’s paws. Theta Praetor-Vindictus vs Tyto Praetor for Dominance Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Light Mutation 1: Deer antlers (small) - Offensive Skills: Intermediate Intellectual & Advanced Fighter Specialty: N/A "Speak"

And the winner is...

THETA

TYTO must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. TYTO'S maim is unsuccessful. Totals: Tyto: 231.84 (42, 82, 46, 17 - Adjusted to 44.1, 86.1, 46, 17) Theta: 291.47 (65, 53, 92, 27- Adjusted to 71.5, 55.65, 96.6, 29.7)

-nyx