Though things had been quiet within Abaven and Corvus was starting to feel more and more like himself lately, he knew sitting around idly wasn't doing him any favors. He'd been slacking on his duties as Blackthorn for awhile now. Soon he suspected he'd want to take on an apprentice from one of Abaven's youngest, but until then he wanted to make sure he was staying sharp. It'd been awhile since he'd engaged in a proper spar and today seemed like a fine day to do just that. Well - at least it had seemed like a good idea when he'd first started the journey this way.

By the time he reached the Battlefield the few scattered clouds overhead had darkened and grown in quantity. Any hint of the sun had disappeared, disappearing behind a sky that threatened to open up at any moment. Only a faint drizzle was coming down right now, though he hoped desperately the rain wasn't about to pick up.. though the darkening skies said his hopes might soon be shattered. Oh well, it was too late to back out now. Pacing a stretch of land for awhile Corvus finally lifted his head to the sky, in search of an opponent to help get him back into fighting shape.

Dimosthenes realized one lazy afternoon that it had been a while since he'd practiced his fighting. He attributed it to a lack of opponents then, although he knew, of course, of course, that he should have been practicing on his own. It was more exciting to spar when there was someone else, someone with motion and excitement to mix with his and maybe help him tune out his own brain for a little bit. Although that was harder to do than he liked. The next day, he was walking up to the battlefield as dark clouds settled over the sky.

The area itself was a pretty plain of grass and the occasional rock. There were bloodstains every once in a while, stains on stones and flecks on green blades of grass. It was very obviously a place where many fights had been fought and likely would be fought again in the future. A good place to look for an opponent, and Dime found one quickly: a brown male, much larger and heavier than himself. But Dimosthenes was never one to doubt himself, and he did not now.

"Hello, mister!" he called out, getting himself ready for the fight a couple yards from the stranger. It was drizzling lightly, and a big drop of rain landed right on his nose, which he swiped away with his tongue. A fight in the rain would be interesting, wouldn't it? He'd have to clean his pelt after, which would be irritating, but he didn't think about that.

Corvus was equal parts relieved and disappointed when someone showed up, his potential opponent not making him wait for very long at all. Part of him wondered if he really ought to be heading back home; the sky seemed to be darkening by the minute. A slightly stronger part of him, though, was glad when someone finally arrived. It'd been far too long since he stretched his fighting muscles and he was eager to get back into things. Abaven had been peaceful for quite some time now, but historically it hadn't always been so. The last thing he needed to do was let down his pack and his family because he'd been slacking on his own personal training.

He offered the younger male a friendly smile as he approached, his friendly posture and wagging tail hardly reminiscent of someone about to get into a fight. Dimosthenes looked like a fine opponent, he decided. He was younger than he was, but that could mean what he lacked in experience he made up for in youthful fervor, and his slender build told Corvus he'd likely be quick on his paws. "Hey there. Name's Corvus. You looking to practice?" He adjusted his stance to something a little more defensive, though his smile remained. "Make the first move, show me what you know!" Corvus was glad to be out and about rather than sulking around like he'd been doing for so long. Even the rain, which was gradually picking up, wouldn't totally dampen his good mood.

D i m o s t h e n e s The rain continued to pick up slowly. Dimosthenes didn't particularly mind it; in fact, he thought it would be pretty fun to run around in the mud and get all wet and mucky. He hoped that Corvus wouldn't have a problem with it either. He wanted this to be an easy, enjoyable spar, and he didn't want his opponent angry. He was mostly just playing, his usual approach to life. "Dime," he introduced himself, after Corvus had done the same. "And yeah, I want to practice." If there was the barest hint of condescension in his tone--why would he be here if not to practice?--then that was just wild imagination. Still, he was invited to make the first move, so he wouldn't be too rude. He adopted a casual defensive stance and dashed forward suddenly, trying to use his speed to catch Corvus off guard. At the last moment, he veered to the left and attempted to nip the back of Corvus's right front leg before backing away. Dimosthenes vs Corvus for Spar Round 1/x Age: Over 1 year Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Navigator Specialty: N/A "Speech"

His introduced himself and Corvus gave a polite nod. While he cared a lot about making sure he was prepared for anything that came at him, it was even more important to him to be respectful and make a good impression - he wouldn't tarnish Abaven's reputation even in the slightest, if he could help it. "Nice to meet you, Dime. Good luck!" There wasn't much time before Corvus hunkered down a bit and set his defenses, inviting the younger wolf to make the first move. Corvus knew that didn't necessarily mean he'd win - the wolf that initiated a fight did tend to set the tone of the battle though and Corvus was prepared to change up his tactics depending on what unfolded.

Dime changed him, and Corvus made an effort to lower his weight slightly, keeping his legs just tense enough that he felt he could hold himself upright without them locking and sending him stumbling. Instead of coming straight for him though, his opponent shifted to his left, Corvus's right, and aimed for his front leg. He wasn't able to dodge the move in time, choosing instead to hold his ground and use the attack to try to get the upper hand - as Dime's head ducked lower and aimed to lean forward and grab hold of his scruff, using his taller height to his advantage.

Corvus Aadar-Destruction vs Dimosthenes for Spar
Round 1 / 2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Badger pelt front leg bracers
Skills: Expert Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

D i m o s t h e n e s Dimosthenes noticed how Corvus lowered his body to meet his charge and was glad to see that he'd been apparently surprised by his move to the side. But as he tried to attack, he only barely managed to nip the skin before jaws gripped his scruff. He growled in irritation at his attack failed and, not knowing what else to do, proceeded to try to throw himself to the ground to the opposite side of Corvus and roll away. Hopefully, the man wouldn't try to keep him still. That would hurt. More than tossing his own body would cause on its own, anyway. Dimosthenes vs Corvus for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Navigator Specialty: N/A "Speech"

The rain had begun to pick up as their little spar unfolded. What had been a steady drizzle had slowly worked up into a near downpour - and quickly, too. Corvus was too caught up in their fight to pay much attention to it but he was aware of the sound of rain drumming steadily on the ground around them. The field, dotted with sparse grass and vegetation, was slowly growing more and more slick with each moment that passed. This was another thing he was aware of, even though he didn't have enough time to compensate for it as Dime evaded his attack by dropping to the ground and rolling away, no doubt getting filthy in the process.

His reaction was to dive after him and the rain made that a feat he quickly regretted. He lunged forward and felt his paws give out under him, and felt the hard crack of his lower half hitting the ground. Quickly he tried to regain his balance and make another leap toward Dime, though he wasn't sure he'd make it to him without sliding all over the ground again. If successful he would throw his weight into him and pin him down, but he wasn't so sure if he'd be successful or not.

Corvus Aadar-Destruction vs Dimosthenes for Spar
Round 2 / 2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Badger pelt front leg bracers
Skills: Expert Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

Corvus

Dimosthenes must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Dimosthenes: Attack Roll: 43 Defense Roll: 51 Agility Roll: 23 Perception Roll: 21 Total: 138 Attack[43] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 43.00 Defense[51] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 51.00 Agility[23] + 10% Bonus[2.30]: 25.30 Perception[21] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 21.00 Total[140.30] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 140.30 Corvus : Attack Roll: 74 Defense Roll: 20 Agility Roll: 55 Perception Roll: 23 Total: 172 Attack[74] + 30% Bonus[22.20]: 96.20 Defense[20] + 20% Bonus[4.00]: 24.00 Agility[55] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 55.00 Perception[23] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 23.00 Total[198.20] + 20% Bonus[39.64]: 237.84

D i m o s t h e n e s The rain had made this fight difficult. The ground that he kind of wanted to call just waves of water in shallows like the world had become a shallow sea. That was an exaggeration, but the point still stood. The downpour lashed down on his pelt. He wanted to cringe as he rolled away. Cleaning all this muck out later would be aggravatingly tedious. It would probably happen in short bursts since Dimosthenes had always had trouble with staying focused on anything, especially long, boring tasks. Corvus tried to dive after him, slamming his body into the ground with a crack that made Dime wince. He was distracted for a moment, wondering how much that hurt and hoping nothing was actually hurt, and his roll was also slowing at the same time. In clear terms, he was slowing down so he could get to his feet, but he forgot to actually get to his feet. Corvus's next move took advantage of this. He threw his weight into him and pinned him down to the ground. Dimosthenes struggled for a bit, splashing some more annoying mud around in the process, but ultimately had to submit. He really, really hated rain now. "Speech"

Somehow he managed to time his tackle perfectly, skidding slightly in the mud - by now he was completely covered in grime, from his paws to his underbelly and everything in between - as he managed to wrestle control of Dime and overpower him. He sent the smaller man crashing into the ground, and he followed, managing slightly as he tumbled down so that his whole weight didn't fall down on his opponent. His victory was obvious, though he only got the smallest hint of quiet pride over his victory.

Mostly, he just felt gross now, and he knew Dime likely felt the same. "Alright, I think we're good here," he said with a chuckle as he untangled himself and stepped a few good yards away before getting a good shake of his coat. Cleaning himself entirely would be a different story, but he hoped to rid the loose mud from his paws before he headed back home. Hopefully the steady rain helped a bit on the way too. "Good fight, Dime. You have a lot of potential. If you ever need anything, or just want someone to train with, head southeast of here, almost to the sea," he explained. He hoped he wasn't being too presumptuous, but at the same time he wouldn't be offended if the other wolf didn't take him up on the offer."Abaven's the name of my pack down there, and I don't usually go far, so feel free to call for me if you ever want to."