There was only so much time until the practice raid was here, and he wanted to show his strengths the best he could. He really wasn't a sore loser, but he wanted to impress his alpha but also his sister. Their relationship had been kind of rocky over the last few weeks or months, but he acted like it wasn't. Though when lost in his own thoughts, he knew the feelings he was hiding and chose to drown them out with other things. He may not have known the destruction he was doing to Azzurra, but he knew he was wrong no matter what way he chose.

Venturing out to the battle grounds for a spar, his voice called out gently and he waited for an opponent to join him.

Balthier vs Astrophel for Spar
Round 0/x
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

The blood of a fresh kill still lingered on his lips, and he did his best to lick it off as he cleaned his the fur on his muzzle and paws, feeling quite satiated and ready to properly start his day. He found eating a small meal provided a good boost to his mental and physical capabilities, particularly if he had many things he wanted to get up to that day. And of course, sparring was included in that, so when he heard a somewhat familiar call for a sparring partner, Astrophel immediately jumped up and began heading in the wolf's direction. While not required as a daily occurrence, Astrophel liked to keep his skills sharp, and going claw to claw with a predator was a bit more dangerous than he was willing to subject himself to, so he found himself in the mood to spar frequently. He never knew when his skills as a fighter would come in handy, and a quick spar with someone was a good way to get to know them rather than simply having a conversation. Actions did speak louder than words in his opinion, and a wolf;s fighting style showed a lot of who they were. Astrophel came upon the same wondrous golden-marked wolf, and grinned widely at the male. "So good to see you again! This time I won't go so easy on you," he said with a waving tail behind him. It was always good to have a rematch, and ever the courteous wolf he stood back and rolled his shoulders back, motioning with his muzzle for the other male to go first. Seeing as he'd called for the spar it was only fair to let him make the first move.

Balthier was happy this time to see a familiar face come across the battle field to meet him. Some may have liked it because they had an advantage of knowing what to expect. He didn't feel that way though. He was genuinely happy just to meet again, even if he didn't know the male that well. He was a little more naive than may have been expected of him.

Given the first move again, he let the male get ready again in defenses. He started off nearly the same as the last time, thrusting forward on his feet to close the distance though this time he lowered his head and attempted to headbutt the man in the chest hoping to get under him enough to push him off balance.

Balthier vs Astrophel for Spar
Round 1/x
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

His opponent wasted no time in getting prepared, giving Astrophel just enough time to clear his mind and become focused before springing forward again. It reminded him of the last time they sparred, and he naively put the weight on his back legs in preparation for their chests to meet again. But it seemed the other male had changed his tactic, as instead of going chest first, he lowered his head as if he was going to headbutt Astrophel like a ram. There was no time to course correct and he felt the solidness of his opponents skull crash into his chest. The momentum was enough to lift Astrophel's front half up into the air and push him off balance, and he had to leave himself defenseless as he scrambled sideways to get his legs underneath him. For a brief moment his hind leg buckled underneath him, but with a grunt and a heave Astrophel picked himself back up, knowing very well that his side was open to any attacks, but did his best to whip his head around to snap his jaws at his opponents open shoulder. He only wanted to nip the skin with his front teeth, not even hard enough to draw blood, but enough to hopefully stop the other male from taking advantage and getting too much of an upper hand to force him properly to the ground. Astrophel vs Balthier for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

Balthier had changed his practice even just that little bit and it had thrown his opponent off which wasn't really his attempt but he was learning as time went on. The brute buckled under him which had made Balthier take a step back mentally from going forward. He didn't want to hurt the man, but he was here to train and learn so he couldn't just back off and retreat.

He didn't physically release the man though while lost in his thoughts, and it gave his opponent plenty of time to come back with his own attack, grabbing a nibble at his right shoulder. It seemed they were trying something new this time, and Balthier was okay with that knowing that he could control himself at least. With the snap on his shoulder, Balthier moved his face down and aimed to grab hold lightly onto the man's front right forearm. He wanted to have a hold on it, but he was careful not to bite down hard enough to pierce the skin.

Balthier vs Astrophel for Spar
Round2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

His opponent seemed to let up just a bit, only for a moment, but it was enough that Astrophel could properly get his legs back under him. And for another success, he felt his front teeth make contact with the fur and skin of the other wolf's shoulder. But just as quick as he bit down he let go, not wanting to really hurt his opponent. If this was more than a spar he would've gone for an actual bite, but sparing was more about learning how to properly fight than actually doing any damage. The other male made to grab Astrophel's leg in his mouth, and with them being so physically close together he didn't have enough time to back away out of reach. And yet the grab was gentle, or as gentle as it could be in a high-energy situation such as this. Astrophel didn't make to move his leg, and instead raised up his left front leg to push down on his opponent's already lowered neck, hoping to use their respective positions to his advantage and push the other wolf down beneath him. Astrophel vs Balthier for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

And the winner is...

Astrophel

Balthier must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Balthier : Attack Roll: 48 Defense Roll: 31 Agility Roll: 21 Perception Roll: 4 Total: 104 Attack[48] + 25% Bonus[12.00]: 60.00 Defense[31] + 5% Bonus[1.55]: 32.55 Agility[21] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 21.00 Perception[4] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 4.00 Total[117.55] + 15% Bonus[17.63]: 135.18 Astrophel: Attack Roll: 60 Defense Roll: 14 Agility Roll: 70 Perception Roll: 9 Total: 153 Attack[60] + 5% Bonus[3.00]: 63.00 Defense[14] + 5% Bonus[0.70]: 14.70 Agility[70] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 70.00 Perception[9] + 10% Bonus[0.90]: 9.90 Total[157.60] + 10% Bonus[15.76]: 173.36