After the meeting with Kotori, and the fight with that damned big cat, Alaois had decided that it might be better to do a little wandering. He had a lot to think about, after all, what with the alpha’s offer, his decision on that, and Calida. Ala had lingered long enough to turn the black pelt of the puma into a cape for himself, deciding that if other wolves might use accessories than he may as well do the same. Now all he needed was a weapon to go along with it. For now, however, the man began to trail into the south and towards the west almost certain that his end destination, when he was through with his musings, would be back to Valta.

Alaois had made it into the Soulless Forest, a place he had visited once prior, and he let his thoughtful blue-green gaze shift over the trees and thick vegetation that littered the earth. As if that wasn’t enough, though he could bartely see it for the fog rolling in, he could hear the crunching of leaves beneath his paws as he stepped. Autumn was truly in full swing here in Boreass. He flicked his ears forward thoughtfully, jaws parted ever so slightly as he took in the scents of the area.

For the moment it seemed that the man was alone. His tail gave a thoughtful swish back and forth behind him with each step he took. He didn’t mind the solitude, at least for the moment. His mind instead turned towards the recent events that he’d gone through. Kotori seemed like a strong male, a man who would make good use of his strength. Still, he couldn’t fathom why Calida had seemed to up and disappear. He shook his head, a grunt leaving his lips. Her decision wasn’t any of his business, he supposed. It would have been nice to have been made knowledgeable of this but…

Ah well.

Alaois focused on the crisp crunch of the leaves beneath his paws as he padded forward. For now all that mattered was that he was here in the Soulless Forest, making his way through the landscape alone. He could focus on where his future was going when he returned back to Valta.

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Word Count: 377 Words

Thick humid air seemed to wrap around the babe as she moved through the fog. Crunch, crunch, crunch... The fallen, dead, leaves caved in beneath her quick pad falls. The noise tickled her inner ear in a rather pleasing way and the Trygg gal began to purposefully go out of her way to step on them. The big leaves were the best as they produced the loudest crunch of them all. A small smile stained her inky lips as she trotted along, destroying each large leaf she could manage. After pouncing on a good pile of leaves she became very aware of another Wolf in her vicinity due to a scent making it's way to her nose. Eyes squinted as they scanned the area until they found the source. Thyri took in the sight of a male painted in mostly charcoal hues but with vibrant blue-green accents. She raised a brow as she witnessed a small shake of his head and a grunt. It seemed like this stranger was going through some sort of internal battle. But, what amused her was the crunching of leaves beneath his paws. It seemed like he enjoyed it just as she had. With little hesitation Thyri drew closer to the large male. A small grin stained her lips as she moved through the trees. Once she was closer accented vocals filled the air, "Seems like somethings on your mind." She eyed him for a moment before cocking her head to the side. "How about a distraction?" With an anticipatory wag of her tail she looked around for ideas before suddenly perking up. "A spar in the leaves sounds hilarious to me. Let's see falls on their ass first?" Thyri was a bold creature and totally understood the male may not want to brawl with a stranger. But, he looked like he needed a pick me up and she wanted to have some fun. wc: 696

Focusing on the leaves started as a distraction, each step crunching up bits of dried leaf, breaking their natural forms, but for Alaois it was not enough. He was stuck in his head, the thoughts buzzing in his head with each step. He was desperately trying to focus on the sound, however, not wanting to let himself get so far as to think treasonous thoughts. Calida would return, he told himself firmly. There would be none of that doubt. He just had to keep himself distracted in the meanwhile and wait faithfully for her return. She would not abandon the so-called soldier, no, not after his declaration of loyalty. He looked up just in time to see a lovely monochrome fae coming closer to him. She wore a grin while his look was more thoughtful, brow furrowed as she spoke. Yes, something was on his mind. Had he been so easy to read? Perhaps Sin had been right when he made that comment about them when they were kids. He let out a chuckle, dipping his head. He could have been mad, could have been frustrated in the fact that this woman seemed to easily read him, but instead, the dark gentleman was amused. She offered a distraction as well, a spar in the leaves. He had certainly been making enough noise in them, and sharpening his skills wasn’t such a bad idea. “Sounds as though you know how to have a good time, miss.” His tenor vocals were smooth, that hint of amusement betrayed in his tone. “Very well, let's see who kisses the ground first. But what sort of gentleman would I be to not at least offer the good lady the option to take the first move? If she will take it, of course.” Alaois’ finished, slipping into a defensive stance. He would leave the woman to decide if she wanted to move first, or if she wanted him to do so. Either way, it mattered not to him. --------------- Word Count: 1,028 Words "Speech," 'Thought.'

Thryi was pleased when the male took her prying positively. A nod and then a chuckle confirmed as much. A swish of her tail displayed her pleasure in this as she listened to his response. The first words out of his mouth drew a thick grin from the woman. A small laugh of her own was heard as she began to speak, "You have no idea." Thyri nodded as he accepted her proposal of a spar and even offered to allow her the first move. The babe sucked her teeth slightly as she thought it over for only a moment before shrugging, "I'd be a fool to deny an advantage... Especially since I have no intentions of losing." The Viking stared at her opponent with a tad bit more attitude, she was ready to brawl. With that the Trygg femme settled into her usual defensive stance. Ears flicked back, eyes squinted, and lips curled upwards slightly. Thyri's striped hackles rolled upward to protect that precious flesh beneath and she evenly distributed her weight between four sturdy legs. Lastly, she dipped her head down a tad and flagged her tail to align her spine, assisting in balance and mobility. After a moment or two she was prepared and focused on steadying her breathing. Thyri had to work with what she had. This male was taller and heftier then she was. Thus, the babe definitly had speed and agility on her side. Thyri would have to make this a dance and try to be swift with her assaults. - The fight began as she broke out in a sprint. Careful with her footing and taking the path with the least amount of leaf coverage as possible. This led her to his right side and thus she decided to try and dart past his frontside and aim a quick bite to his back right leg, just above the elbow. Her intentions would be to get a quick snap in and then squirm away, if possible. It would be totally possible for her opponent to stop her, but she'd try. Thyri vs Alaois for Spar Round 1/?? Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter

The woman was proving to be an intriguing one. Alaois kept his blue-green gaze focused on her, ears perked forward to catch every bit of her voice. She said she’d be a fool to deny an advantage, and though the first move was an advantage to the one who made it, Ala was not worried. Even if he were to lose to the woman he would not make this an easy match for her. If her words were anything to go by, she had no intentions of letting him have an easy win either. Perfect, then the stage was set and they were ready to take each other on. Alaois let his ears fall back to protect them from any coming bites, as well as prepared some of his other defenses. He widened his stance, his weight evenly distributed across his legs. He raised his hackles, lowering his head to align with his spine while his tail raised to do the same. His tail would be able to aid in balance while he would focus on what attacks he could land with his jaws. He narrowed his eyes, ready for her to come. She would have this move, and, with it, she would set their field of battle. It was a spar, but the gentleman hoped she might not mind just a little blood. If only he knew the sort of woman she was in her background. He knew he was heavier and taller than she was, so he expected swift attacks. She broke into a sprint, aiming to close the distance between them. Ala let her come, digging his claws past the leaves and into the soil beneath. He'd need to be mindful of them - moving on the leaves could be risky. A compromise to his balance. So he'd wait for her to get close. As she neared, Alaois curled towards her, reading her feint as she attempted to slip past his front and aim for his back leg. Her fangs found purchase, blood welling up from the bite, but while she moved, his jaws were moving toward her hunch to chomp down. While she seemed to be attempting to bite and run, he hoped with his attempt to latch onto her and force her to stay in close quarters. He anchored himself down as he did so, letting his weight fall across his limbs, but would he manage to get ahold of the woman before she put distance between them once more? ------------- Word Count: 1,787 "Speech," 'Thought.'

Alaois vs Thyri for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over One Year (Two Years)
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Defensive Battle Accessory: Melanistic puma cape
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Hunter

The tiny victory of her bite landing caused adrenaline to soar through her veins. A small amount of blood made it's way to her tongue, urging her to keep going. She was mindful not to bite down too hard, this was a spar after all. That being said, as her jaws let go of her opponent's limb and she tried to scramble away pain was felt at her haunch. The bite not only caused her a decent amount of pain but her attempt at getting away was stopped in it's tracks. Having to rethink her game plan Thyri took a moment to ensure her defenses were locked and loaded. The girl tucked her tail in between her hind legs to protect it from any further assaults to her rear, her weight was evenly distributed, and hackles remained raised. - Without notice Thyri bent her front two legs, lowering her front half to the ground a touch. Suddenly she jolted her upper body up, tucking her head off to the side away from her oponent, and jutting out her shoulder. She was attempting to slam that shoulder bone into his abdomen. Hopefully, if the move worked, she'd be able to knock the wind out of him and he'd end up letting her go. Thyri vs Alaois for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter

Alaois’ teeth found purchase in Thyri’s haunch, and he felt flesh give way, a bit of blood welling up from the wounds his teeth had caused. It was a small victory for him, but a victory all the same. Behind him, his tail aided in his balance in this awkward curled inward position. It might not have been the brightest of plans to attack this way, but Ala had made the move and the male was going to keep with it. The downside to this angle was that it made it harder to evenly distribute is weight, so when Thyri moved to slam her shoulder bone into his abdomen, not only did he release her, but Alaois stumbled. Mentally he cursed. He should have no better than to expect an easy attack. He quickly found his footing again but now his jaws were too far away from the Viking woman to land another bite. Instead, Alaois attempted to do a sweep with his foreleg, hoping to trip the dame up before she managed to regroup for another attack. "Speech," 'Thought.'

Alaois vs Thyri for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over One Year (Two Years)
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Defensive Battle Accessory: Melanistic puma cape
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Beginner Hunter

And the winner is...

THYRI

ALAOIS must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ALAOIS Attack Roll: 32 Defense Roll: 34 Agility Roll: 57 Perception Roll: 21 Total: 144 Attack[32] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 32.00 Defense[34] + 20% Bonus[6.80]: 40.80 Agility[57] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 57.00 Perception[21] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 21.00 Total[150.80] + 15% Bonus[22.62]: 173.42 THYRI Attack Roll: 98 Defense Roll: 68 Agility Roll: 61 Perception Roll: 37 Total: 264 Attack[98] + 5% Bonus[4.90]: 102.90 Defense[68] + 5% Bonus[3.40]: 71.40 Agility[61] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 61.00 Perception[37] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 37.00 Total[272.30] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 272.30