He was utterly walking on the clouds. After his trip with Aurielle, Caelia and Domari, and his promotion, he’d chosen to explore, rather than returning home with them directly. Maybe he’d bump into Ulric, or even the mysterious Philomena... or maybe even more family. He’d skirted the volcano’s base, though he’d stopped and stared up at the blackened, ominous mountain for a long moment, staggered by the utter lack of vitality in the place. He had his doubts that the packs staying to the south of the behemoth were safe in the slightest. It could erupt again tomorrow, or in a hundred generations from now. He didn’t trust it. How many had died here, and in the surrounding lands? Now, though, he was padding through a grove of weeping willows south of the hot springs he’d encountered the arrogant Skyfire at. Aurielle had filled him in on her own encounter with the girl, and he gave a soft snort of amusement. His Spirit knew exactly how to put a wolf in their right mind with just a look or a comment or an intense query. He could only hope she’d truly learned from the encounter with his alpha. A rustle in the trees ahead brought him down into a hunting crouch. He was a Steadfast Seeker now. He still had a hell of a lot to learn about hunting, but maybe this rustling was something to bring home. Quietly, he lowered his nose and slipped forward, tracking carefully, then frowned in disappointment as it turned out to be another wolf, and not a prey animal to catch and haul home. He straightened, considering whether to head on to the Mangrove and see if his cousin(s) had wandered back that way. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The yearling cruised along under the tendrils, letting them brush playfully across her fur. The fall winds had put a little chill in the air, but it was well rebuffed by Mal's coat, and she padded along unbothered. Her mind was quiet, and her focus resided solely in her footfalls, how her pads made grooves in the earth, damp from the streams that dribbled under the willow roots here and there. Something caught her eye, and she found herself pulled towards a singular, towering tree.

There was a makeshift bed in the nook of one of its larger roots. Her scent had faded, but she recognized the leaves and tufts of fur she'd stuffed into the crevice, only weeks before.

It felt like a lifetime ago since she'd last walked through these woods. In a sense, it was. She'd been in a fog: packless, purposeless, and one wrong move away from starvation. And then the Warlord had found her — a bit amusing and entirely compassionate when he'd taken her in, and then taken her under his wing. She could almost forget her old life entirely...

The dreams had started shortly after the raid was announced. She couldn't remember what happened in them, exactly, but they'd left their imprint on her heart. More often than not, she'd wake in the middle of the night, a tremor running through her limbs, the sound of her own halting breaths filling her den. It'd been affecting her daily activities, slowing her down, making her falter. It's probably just nerves... And for once, the young student put off her training, and decided to take the day off. Rest, and clear her head. Surely, that was all she needed.

Upon discovering another wolf, and a pack wolf at that, it seems her plans had changed. The wind had blown his scent to her, and Mal turned just in time to see the brute pull up from a tracking stance. "Oh, hello!" she found herself calling out, tail beginning to wag. Friend or foe, the stranger was welcome distraction from ruminating upon her own mental state. The girl stepped closer, keeping a respectful distance. Her nose twitched curiously. "What brings you this way? You don't smell like any of the packs near here...."

"Speech"

The wolf that trotted around the next tree was a yearling girl, timber in coloring with sage eyes and a visibly friendly disposition as she immediately hailed him, her tail waving. Cairo’s easy-natured grin came effortlessly, mirroring her greeting wags as he dipped his muzzle. “You’re definitely not a young deer.” His remark was cheerful, amused as he head cocked slightly. Her own words brought a soft chuckle. “I’m not. My pack is Valhalla, in the west of Boreas. I’m Cairo Adravendi, Steadfast Seeker of Valhalla.” There was a visible tone of pleasure that could only come from recent promotion in his voice, and yet he remained humble. There was still such a long road to his goal, and he meant to earn it the whole way. The necklace around his neck was a new, welcome weight with his full armor – it would have been rude to have Aurielle and the others pack it home, and you never knew what might happen when you were out alone… Aurielle had plenty of stories about bears – with its beads and the few teeth that marking his inclusion in the Hunter’s Circle. He’d be getting the Lion’s tooth at his highest promotion, according to Rielle. Again his head cocked good-naturedly as he remarked, “I take it you’re from next door to here?” There was no leading in his query, merely simple conversation as his sapphire eyes twinkled across at her. Compared to his last encounter with a yearling out here, this cheerful wolf was a massive improvement, and he could never resist the hope of making a friend. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Mal was pleased to find the wolf returning her friendliness, and she took a beat to flick her gaze over him. He was bigger than her — run of the mill for the small she-wolf — but not much older, and he practically shone with happiness in his tone. She huffed quietly at his remark, noting that the brute had probably hunting. Why he was away from his packlands, though, she couldn't guess. Even she'd been allowed to explore outside the pack bounds in her former pack, though she'd never strayed far.

Her head tilted, eyes following the swaying object around his neck, the green armor edged with intricate designs. "Well, I'd hate to be a deer and run into you," she huffed. "What's with that necklace?" It seemed out of place, but for all she knew it suited his attire perfectly well.

"And I'm sorry, but what the heck is a Steadfast Seeker?" she laughed. The sound was not unkind. Merely curious. She might've thought him to be a fighter of some sort, but his rank led her to believe that he might be some kind of navigator. Or tracker? It was beyond her.

Cairo's title was a mouthful. A curly name and a lofty role, to boot. But then, the girl was from the proverbial boonies, and perhaps his whole getup — the armor, the name — was the norm around here. Maybe it was her title that was lacking. "You're right. I'm Malalia. I'm training to be a warrior and healer for the Ashen Armada." Her own tail swished with pride. Student now, but soon to be one of their most formidable warriors, if all went well.

"Speech"

Her response brought an easy chuckle from him, and a grin answered her questions. “The necklace is a promotion gift. The beads signify the ranks I’ve passed in our Warriors Circle. The teeth are for the Hunter’s Circle. And Steadfast Seeker is essentially Warrior Hunter of mid-rank.” He lifted a paw, brushing the necklace with the top of a bracer encased wrist. “I’ve still got a great deal to learn, and I intend to reach one of the beta ranks. This is a great step toward better serving my pack. My Spirit – or alpha – can generally still stomp my face into the dirt though. She’s a tough fighter. I was just promoted last night.” And he was still firmly planted on cloud nine. She introduced herself, confirming in the same sentence his remark. She bore the same pack pride in her tone as she spoke of her training and he smiled, tail gently fanning the air behind him. “It’s good to meet you, Malalia. I’ve heard of Ashen, but not the Armada yet. Ashen was our neighbor for a while up until the volcano erupted. They moved away soon after the hullabaloo settled.” His head cocked lightly as he added, “What brings you out here, if I may ask? I was exploring before returning home from my promotion. Thought I might find some of my family lingering around in the mangroves a little way southeast of here." Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Beads and teeth that were more than decoration, that signified rank. She smiled — if anything, she would've guessed that the teeth were for fighting and the beads for hunting. Still, the concept was certainly new and interesting. The silver bracelet clasped around her own hind leg had been a gift from her Aunt, but the small thing was ultimately jewelry, and nothing more.

A warrior he was then. Just like me. Her ears swiveled towards him, and Mal was all at attention as Cairo described his place in his pack, and his plans for climbing in the ranks. She let out a faint snort of laughter. "Your 'Spirit' sounds a lot like our Alpha. He's about the biggest wolf you've ever seen, and tough, too." Of course, Mal had never actually seen Sirius fight, but one didn't come to be the Warlord of the Armada for nothing. "Kudos! That's pretty exciting. I've only just become a student, so I've got a while to go."

She'd heard tale of the eruption, but the girl was so new, to both Boreas and the pack, that she wasn't intimately familiar with its effects. But Cairo went on before she could ask any questions. The yearling took a beat of pause, ears unconsciously flattening. "Just... clearing my head, I guess. I think I've spent too much time training, if that's even a thing, ya know? I was getting... a bit strung up." Her shoulders raised and fell in a shrug. "I just had to get out of the pack lands for a while. This place is actually where I met our Alpha," she added, her eyes flicking over to the tree she'd slept in, all those weeks ago. "I was on my own before then..."

As she trailed off, her green gaze turned once more on the rich brown stranger. There was one detail that snagged her curiosity. "Your family lives around here? Not in your pack with you?"

"Speech"

His eyes twinkled in amusement as Malalia spoke about the size of her alpha. “Aurielle is about your height and regularly trounces me in training. She lives up to her the Valhallan rank name for alpha, too, in personality and appearance.” His lips quirked in a mischievous smile as he left it at that. Should the girl ever meet his Spirit, he didn’t want to rob Malalia of the experience of meeting a pure white, shimmering, glowing wolf with long canines and a mane and tail and a marking around the left eye. At Malalia’s congratulation he chuckled, admitting, “Thanks. I’m always pushing to do better than I did before, so I guess it’s working. Still not perfect in the basics, though. I don’t personally expect to reach beta until I’m about four, maybe even six, but I won’t stop till I get there.” His eyes softened sympathetically as she spoke of her reasoning for being out here, gaze shifting to study the surroundings before turning back to her. It was the first expression of uncertainty the younger wolf had shown. “You’ll get there. But breaks are good. Aurielle regularly kicks me out of the pack territories to explore Boreas and Auster, though I haven’t gone that far south yet.” And that led into her next query. He was more careful with his response, though none of the guarding showed in his demeanor or easy grin. He was still stating truth, after all. Just not enough specifics to be used against his pack. “Technically my family’s in a lot of places. By blood, it’s myself and my siblings in Valhalla, and one cousin that recently joined—I haven’t had a chance to meet her yet. By longstanding adoption, my family is most of Valhalla. Aurielle’s my adoptive cousin, but I really don’t distinguish, personally. She’s family. My great grandfather gave her great grandmother his surname and his love-confession the day prior to his death by old age, and it followed her descendants down the line. But I have blood cousins from my uncle’s children wandering around as rogues. I only met one of them the last time I went to the mangroves. Figured I’d test my luck again.” He grinned, tail waving gaily behind him. He was pretty sure he’d skirted well around the numbers and specifics. He’d never stated how many sibs he had, nor how many were in Valhalla, though he supposed if anyone were really that nosy, they could hike all the way to the border and give it a good sniffing, as the whole pack generally scent marked the wall for the added warning that the wall was not just a landmark left behind by man. Man had nothing to do with it save for the inspiration. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

His little smirk didn't go unnoticed, but for the most part, Mal was swept up in his description. A woman around the same height as she was, a fierce warrior, and an Alpha, too? The Warlord had told her that anyone could be a master at fighting, but... some small part of her didn't believe it, not with her whole heart, until the stranger informed her of this warrior-leader of his that so often and easily bested him. Malalia wasn't sure if she ever wanted to be an Alpha. But it was heartening to know that she could reach that level of mastery, if she wanted. If the girl brightened anymore that day she'd probably collapse into a tiny sun.

Her ears twitched and she huffed quietly upon hearing about his more or less compulsory wanderings. It's something that never would've happened in her old pack, and in the Armada they had the freedom to move around. Though, she supposed some information could be garnered from getting outside of one's territory.

Learning a bit more about the volcano, for one. And a bit more about Valhalla, and the Adravendi family as well, however vague the details were. She did gather that his pack was mostly family, as he'd stated. Her paws prickled slightly at the mention of this, but she ignored the sensation, and turned her attention to something more interesting. "Wait, you mean to tell me he waited until he died to tell her he loved her?" Her brows furrowed, incredulous at the tale. "That sucks, no offense," she deadpanned. Was that supposed to be a love story? She hoped that if some male was dumb enough to hide his feelings for her, she wouldn't give him the time of day. Not that the yearling knew anything at all about Cairo's ancestors.

"Well," she went on, flicking her tail, "If anyone's looking for a big brown wolf in armor, I'll send them your way." She paused then, giving him another once-over as a slow, fanged smile spread across her lips. "Say.... would you be up for a friendly spar?"  It was supposed to be a rest day... but this didn't really feel like "training," and in truth the yearling was always up for some action.

"Speech"

Malalia’s brightening at the brief explanation of Aurielle’s prowess brought a bright grin to his own features. He couldn’t help admiring the way that his Lady seemed to bolster this girl’s confidence without even being there. Her blunt question brought an amused laugh, the first outright explosion of mirth from the young man. It was an easy rumble, not booming, but almost carefree. “Oh, I don’t blame you. It was rather late in coming, but I’m not certain he actually knew he’d be dead the next day. Perhaps if he’d opened up a lot sooner, Aurielle’s lineage would be different, or perhaps there would have been a second litter for Erani, the great grandmother in question. As it was, she raised his children from pup-hood after my great grandmother died. Erani might have died herself without them. So she might as well have been their mother anyway. For most of them, she was.” There was a love for his family, warm in his voice. The family history had many twists and turns, and he was aware that he had other grand-uncles and aunts from Cairo the first’s prior marriage, but he adored the history. One had even found his way to Valhalla of old for a long while during Erani’s reign. He hoped he would have the chance to meet cousins from that man, too. It was a history he didn’t mind sharing. He chuckled, twisting his hips to catch sight of his chocolate splotched rump and bi-chocolate tail at her assurance that she’d send anyone looking for a wolf of his description his way. At her proposal of a spar, he brightened, if that was possible. He’d had yet to spar against someone other than Aurielle or Justice, and he’d definitely never sparred someone from outside Valhalla. He was a little sore from last night’s promotion and all it had entailed, but he was more than up for the opportunity to grow and learn, and to see how his skills held up against a stranger. “I don’t see why not. Have you ever gone up against someone with armor?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Well, at least he didn't actually plan to die, though the tale Cairo told remained a mystery to her. Why waste all that time, and not tell her right away? Even so, the man spoke of his family with so much affection... and her own heart twinged, a pang causing an uptick in her heartbeat, ever so slightly. He obviously loves them. How nice it must have been, to be surrounded by loved ones abroad as well as at home.

Did she feel that way in the Armada?

She'd spent most of her time with the Warlord and scant little with everyone else. Maybe she really was training too much, rather than getting to know her packmates. Perhaps that's what had gotten her stuck in this funk. But the yearling was new, after all, and these things took time, didn't they?

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the young man's acceptance. "Oooh, that'd be a first for me." The admission came without shame, but rather a bounce in her step as she paced a bit closer, and a curious, roving gaze as she traced out his form, already trying to sus out his weak points. Then she huffed and raised her head, lifting a wary eyebrow. Yeah.... this was going to be tough. "So how am I s'posed to beat you in this thing?"

"Speech"

He did love them, even Artur with his eternal, brooding, holier-than-thou attitude. He honestly couldn’t understand his larger, older brother’s views, when Artur hadn’t even bothered reaching out to Aurielle directly and getting to know her. Malalia admitted her inexperience with armored opponents easily, and Cai smiled at the sheer lack of ego and visible interest in learning rather than pouting that she’d been subtly – and unintentionally – called out on not having learned something. Or outright lying and saying she did. He waited patiently as she sussed him out with her eyes, his tail wagging steadily in a near-rhythmic pendulum manner, and when she finally voiced her question, he obliged. He arched his head to one side, showing his bare neck. “The best places to try with armor like this is where it doesn’t cover, obviously. Some wolves may have neck coverings to prevent an opponent from getting their teeth into the throat or scruff. My armor doesn’t guard it, but my bracers, with their bear claws, can help me to lash out and keep an attacker from getting under my guard.” He shifted side-on to her, lifting one foreleg and stretching it out in front of him, exposing the unprotected area around the juncture of his front leg, “armpit” bare so as to keep his mobility un-fettered. His upper foreleg, too wasn’t covered, and his sides from mid-ribcage back, while lightly covered by a leather drape to foil an initial attack, were ultimately vulnerable if an attacker managed to flip the deer hide aside. “There’s a weakness to everyone, and that includes their armor. You’re smaller than me, and generally that means quicker. Your best bet it to hit and run and not let me get a hold of you. Or, to get inside my guard and stay there, where it’s harder for me to twist and reach you, but stay wary and don’t get overconfident. Someone could always decide to sit on you or stamp down on your feet. The haunches are decent targets.” It was a new feeling, teaching someone. He’d never done it, and mostly he was repeating much of what he’d learned from Aurielle, though in reverse as the larger wolf to the smaller. He paused occasionally as he spoke, glancing to her to see whether she was following the spontaneous lesson. Finally he backed away, settling into his defenses and grinning at the girl with a, “Ready to try it?” and as ever, that tail wagged, though less as he settled it into line with his spine. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

The yearling was usually a flurry of  inquiries, but for lessons she was the picture of attentiveness. It was easy to get lost in something she was passionate about, after all. Her eyes never left him, following the young man as he moved, and she silently repeated the key phrases and marked the vulnerable areas in her mind.

There was one point that stuck in her mind, though... Get inside his guard? Sirius had told her that a smaller wolf's best approach was harrying at their opponent from the sides — hit and runs. Her attacks before wouldn't work, he'd told her, because getting under him put her at risk. So how could she get close enough, without letting him throw his weight around? But he answered that too, soon enough. Haunches. Try to get behind him.

Cairo began to sink into his defenses. Mal crouched low, ears pinned, and studied the area, checking for a low branch here, a rock there, dangers to avoid. She wouldn't try for his rear just yet, but.... "Ready!" In a burst of speed, she pushed off from her hindlegs, bolting low and quick towards the dark brown male. She let her eyes fall on his right upper foreleg, hoping to lead him astray. Nearing a few inches away from him, she feinted to his right, hoping for him to throw his own weight that way before she actually pivoted left. She'd attempt to use her teeth to slash through the leather drape on his left side and the top of his thigh. She would keep running past him, and pause another few lengths away, sinking back into her own defensive pose and keeping light on her toes.

"Speech"

[Sorry for the late response lol]

He grinned as the girl settled into her own stance and announced she was ready in the same moment as she burst forward. He tensed slightly, but resisted the urge to move before he saw what she was up to. Her eyes dropped to his right foreleg, but her body didn’t follow the glance, not quite. There was a sense of non-committal in the dive she made for his foreleg. Even still, he did sway slightly to his own right, however as she pivoted and he spotted her jaws snaking for his flank, he suddenly dropped his hips, rump smacking the ground with a heavy thump and evading her jaws, before he used the muscles in his haunches to push forward, leaping away with a bound and twisting to face her as he fell into his natural stance and grinned. “That was good. Ready for a full spar?” Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

[lol no worries!]

Okay, she did not expect for her feint to, well... not work. Instead of shredding through the drape on his side, her teeth met the open air, and her jaws clicked together with a snap as she soared uselessly past him. The yearling whirled around, her ears flicked upward in amazement.... and a bite of envy, if she was being honest. The warrior was perceptive, and had quicker reflexes than she'd assumed, for his size and the added weight of his armor. Or maybe her feints weren't as good as she thought they were.

This... was out of her comfort zone.

Her eyes narrowed at his grin, glinting with a bit of mischief, and a whole lot of determination. "You bet." Mal rushed forward in a plain dash for his haunches. Wary of Cairo's bear claws, she would swing her backside out of the way, readying to push off her hindlegs and follow the brute in case he leapt away again. She would try to get in his guard and stay there; her jaws went to bite his haunches, her forelegs to batter at his ankles.

Malalia vs Cairo for Spar
Round 1/?
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Steel claws
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Beginner Healer & Intermediate Fighter
Specialty: N/A

"Speech"

If he’d had any sort of arrogant ego, it might have been stroked by the younger wolf’s amazement. Instead, he watched her to see what she wanted, and as she agreed to a full spar, he grinned. As she rushed forward without feinting this time, he waited for a beat to see where she intended to attack. As she went for him, he waited until the last second before he pivoted, twisting on his hind paws with a flick of his tail for balance, making an almost about face and pushing off on his coiled back legs, aiming low and seeking to drive his breast into her shoulder and unbalance her with the move. His jaws parted, head tipping to his left as he sought to capture her scruff in his bite, though if he gained a hold, the grip was gentle enough that if she pulled free, he wouldn’t harm her further than slobber and mild scratches. He simultaneously sought to grapple around her left front leg with his own left forepaw, purposefully not flexing his toes to avoid his bracer’s claws biting into her or slashing her. He wouldn’t be so gentle with his own packmates, but she was a member of a pack his Spirit hadn’t allied with or made some sort of agreement with. The last thing Valhalla needed was for him to accidentally seriously wound another pack’s younger members, and furthermore, it would be a scar on his own soul to seriously harm this friendly young wolf. Cairo Lanze Adravendi vs Malalia for Spar Round 1/3 Age: over 1 Size: Large Build: Heavy Offensive Battle Accessory: Bear claw bracers Defensive Battle Accessory: Torso armor Companion 1: Barn Owl, Female - Flying Companion 2: Mandrill, Male - Battle Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Hunter Specialty: N/A Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

Cairo pivoted just as she did, and his hindlegs swung away from her snapping jaws, seconds before the brute's chest came rushing upwards. Damn! A little growl of frustration escaped her as her offense failed again. There was only so much the yearling could do now, the two being so close together.

But it was smart to have been wary. It kept her nimble, saved her precious seconds of reaction time. Cairo's chest would meet the air as she pushed up from her hindlegs, her own torso soaring over the male's lowered aim to slam her forelegs down along his shoulders. If successful, her jaws would snap out to grip the nape of his neck, while her forelegs dug in under his armpits -- mostly to secure her grip, rather than injure. Meanwhile, her own rump would slam downwards in an attempt to sit, pulling him further into her grip and making it harder to trip up her own back legs in the process.

Malalia vs Cairo for Spar
Round 2/3
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Steel claws
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Beginner Healer & Intermediate Fighter
Specialty: N/A

"Speech"

He hid a smile as his chest slam missed. As she went upward, he lifted his hackles, allowing her to drop over his shoulders. He watched from the corner of his eye as he spotted her head angling for his neck, then dropped slightly and abruptly, aiming to shake her aim. He still felt her teeth catch him, but she gained only a light hold. Suddenly he reared, aiming to throw himself underneath and upward and send her flying backward, or at the very least staggering as he twisted toward her, head twisting and jaws parting to snake for Malalia’s ribs on the left side, aiming to nip almost playfully and gain an uncomfortable hold on her fur there as his forelegs sought to return to the ground and readjust his weight to all four paws. His tail waved in almost a wag, though partially it was for balance. He was enjoying the spar, seeing how he matched up with a stranger. This would help him see where he needed to improve. Cairo Lanze Adravendi vs Malalia for Spar Round 2/3 Age: Over 1 Size: Large Build: Heavy Offensive Battle Accessory: Bear claw bracers Defensive Battle Accessory: Torso armor Companion 1: Barn Owl, Female - Flying Companion 2: Mandrill, Male - Battle Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Hunter Specialty: N/A Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

With the sudden drop, her teeth landed lower along his back than she intended, catching on his scruff... but they caught! The yearling was elated, her tail waving behind her.... when a sudden lurch and a tickling sensation on her side drew something between a laugh and a yelp out of her.

She'd been too distracted from landing a blow, and the male's lunge made her jerk backwards. But the weight she'd held in her rear ensured that she only staggered, rather than fall back entirely. Mala was left half-standing on her hindlegs, her forelegs sliding off his shoulders and headed fast towards the ground.

A second after Cairo's jaws caught on her side, her forepaws would touch the earth, and Malalia would immediately bolt forward, ripping away from Cairo's grip in a burst of speed. She would cleave to his left side, seeking to score her teeth from under his armpit to the top of his haunch, muzzle twisting up and inwards and paws pushing off from the right to follow him, should he try and leap away again. She would kick out her left hindleg for good measure, in case he tried to follow her as she dashed away.

Malalia vs Cairo for Spar
Round 3/3
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Medium
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Steel claws
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Skills: Beginner Healer & Intermediate Fighter
Specialty: N/A

"Speech"

His movements were halfway successful and, amusingly, she appeared to be ticklish. She staggered before she caught herself and was in motion a beat later. As she ripped forward, he released any grip he might have still had and kept an eye on her. As she swung in toward his left, and her teeth aimed toward his body, he dropped abruptly, haunches coiling underneath himself as he came nearly to his belly, forepaws out ahead of him. Her teeth scored only his armor from behind his left shoulder to midback before he went into motion. He twisted, still low, after her, and as she kicked out at him, he snaked his head forward, tipping as his jaws parted and snapped for her paw, aiming to get his canines ahead of her limb rather than digging into the paw. He dug in his paws and lunged backward, hoping to jerk his younger opponent off her feet should he have captured his target. Regardless of success, he wouldn’t maintain a hold, releasing soon after his backward lunge before pushing off on his hind legs to leap after her in a tackle that was, in that moment, pure, overgrown puppy in motion. He aimed to half-tackle the younger wolf, though most of his bulk was aimed to the side of her as his left fore-paw aimed to snag across her shoulder and topple her. Should she look back at him, she'd see one of those trademark, good-natured grins that said he meant absolutely no ill in the move, and even held a note of approval. He didn't care if he won or loss. Either way, he'd had a good spar with a possible new friend, and it would all go toward his learning. Cairo Lanze Adravendi vs Malalia for Spar Round 3/3 Age: Over 1 Size: Large Build: Heavy Offensive Battle Accessory: Bear claw bracers Defensive Battle Accessory: Torso armor Companion 1: Barn Owl, Female - Flying Companion 2: Mandrill, Male - Battle Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Hunter Specialty: N/A Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

And the winner is...

CAIRO

MALALIA must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Adjusted rolls: 3.75 57 47.25 16 MALALIA'S total is.. 136.4 Adjusted rolls: 6.5 100.8 51 19.8 CAIRO'S total is.. 204.82