D i m o s t h e n e s Hell, Dimosthenes was hungry. He was no skilled hunter, and there had been a significant lack of easy prey or carcasses to scavenge from. He'd hadn't eaten properly in... days? weeks? It depended on how you defined "properly". Did a squirrel count? His always light frame had become even scrawnier, until his bones were visible where his fur was thinner. It was annoying and painful, and Dime was about ready to make it stop. He was out looking for something, anything to eat that might fill his belly, traveling further than he usually would to do so. Eventually he came upon a large, flat plain that seemed like it might offer the salvation he was looking for. The sun glowed on his spine as he kept moving, looking around every few seconds and taking more sniffs of the air. There was the scent of a pack, though he was not so close as to be trespassing yet. He made his way to the river and took long gulps of water. Licking his lips, he contemplated waiting here until something came. Everything needed water; therefore, this would be a good hunting spot. He even sat down, settling in for the wait. His stomach rumbled loudly, as if to ask who he was kidding. He had never been the type to wait... for anything, really. If he wanted food, he was not going to sit around and hope it dropped into his lap. That was much too much chance for his liking -- and maybe that was why he wasn't a good hunter -- so he got up. A pack would have food, wouldn't it? And maybe, if he asked nicely -- or stole skillfully enough -- he could eat the food. That seemed a much better prospect than waiting. And so, Dime made his merry way towards the scent of the pack and kept going, fully aware that he was trespassing but without a care in the world about what might happen to him. He was a reckless, impulsive man. He never quite understood the danger of a thing until he experienced it personally. And he'd never known much of the ways of packs either. He was going in blind, just hoping that wouldn't be how he left. "Speech"

She was out on a mock patrol today! But only because she was feeling lazy (and was too young still) to do her own patrol. Mom said she could if she wanted to, but also that Mom wanted to teach her first so that Rue knew where the border ended. Her mother was strange, sure. But she was also smart when her brain allowed it. Did Rue know that difference? Nah. Her mother wasn't even strange in her eyes, she was perfectly normal just like her and the rest of her siblings, and they were all pretty far from normal! The young pup sauntered along without a care, not even sure if she was near the border or not but who cared anyway? Who would visit them? Insomnia was still new, and last she knew, there were some wolves out there that didn't like them for keeping...someone named Habari. She wasn't sure, she didn't care. Not her circus nor her monkeys! Nothing interesting happened on her little mock patrol (though honestly, she hadn't even been near the borders anyway) so instead, she made her way to the river for a quick drink and maybe a splash. Water to take back to the den also sounded like a good idea, but she didn't have anything to carry it in. So a drink and a splash would just have to do for now! As she neared the river, she spotted someone she hadn't seen yet. She wasn't sure if the other wolf she was seeing was a pack mate or not, but he smelled weird and he looked really skinny. With her chest puffed out, she raced up to the male with a few annoying puppy yips. "Hey! Who are you? Are you an Insomniac? You smell funny! You don't smell like us! Why are you so skinny? What're you doing?" "Speak"

D i m o s t h e n e s Suddenly a pup raced right up to him, her chest puffed up as if that scared him, and yipped a barrage of questions at him. Dime's fur stood up on his back as he growled out, not answers per se, as he'd already forgotten at least half of the questions, but a response: "I'm not from here, but I'm hungry and if you don't get out of my way, I may just eat you." As threats went, it was far from subtle. But then, Dime himself wasn't exactly subtle. He had no time or patience to deal with a kid right now. He wanted food, and to get it he would have to get in and out fast. If the pup didn't oblige and get out of his way, Dime would tense into a aggressive fighting stance, tail and ears high and his jaws open wide, a snarl rising in his throat. He wouldn't actually attack a child. Right? "Speech"

"I'm not from here, but I'm hungry and if you don't get out of my way, I may just eat you." She gasped. But a moment later she bared her teeth and her hackles bristled. "You can't eat Rougarou if my mom eats you first!" She cried out. She was equally reluctant to back off or attack him. She was a child after all, and he was an adult. But surely she could snatch a toe from his foot if he did try to eat her, right? Right!? She quickly glanced behind her as if checking to see if someone else was there that might either attack her or save her. She didn't know if this weirdo was alone or not, but she couldn't take any chances! She uttered a series of high-pitched yelps as if she were being hurt, even going as far as throwing herself on the ground as if the guy had attacked her and really was trying to eat her then and there. If that didn't get someone's attention, she didn't know what would! "Speak"

Crunch. Crunch. Crack. The sound of bone splitting apart was music to her ears. She was splintering apart a leg bone from something that had fallen into one of her traps just outside the borders, and she was keen on turning it into a tool to help her skin things. A series of yelps and cried caught her attention then. When she first heard her daughter's yipping, she assumed it was to annoy her siblings or something. But then when the barrage of yelps and cries intensified, Medusa abandoned her task and leaped to her feet and hauled ass to wherever Rue was. She ran at the speed of light, scraggly lithe form a blur across the landscape and she reached her precious little gremlin in no time. At the sight of a stranger that she did not recognize, Medusa snarled and moved to place herself between her fallen child and the trespasser. The club-like bone was still gripped firmly in her jaws as she squared off, eyes wild as she sought to protect her child! "Trespasser will not hurt Medusa's baby! Leave or Medusa will knock the stranger's head off his shoulders!" "Medusa"

D i m o s t h e n e s A spark of relief burst through Dime as the child's first reaction was one of fear. But he was not given much time to hope that she would just turn tail and flee -- instead, she bristled and bared her teeth. He wanted to roll his eyes and so he did. Did this brat really think she could fight him? She could give it a not-terrible try, he realized, which was the worst part: he was not nearly as fit as he had once been. He'd win, but he didn't want to deal with the kid or actually kill her. He wasn't that morally decrepit of a wolf. But then she started whining like he was tearing her to shreds. Dime was frozen still for a moment, then lunged forward, teeth flashing, as she flopped on the ground-- not intending to hurt her; really, all he wanted was to just shut her up -- stopped in his tracks by another wolf. A wolf with a bone in her jaws no less. He leapt backwards, stiffening to a more defensive position, though his tail and ears remained resolutely outstretched. "What is it you weirdos have about saying your own names?" he snarked. "Worried you'll forget them?" "Speech"

It looked like her little facade had worked. Medusa had come flying through like a bat out of hell, her wild mother swinging a bone and threatening to knock the skinny guys head off his shoulders if he didn't leave Rue alone! She stopped her writhing and whining for a moment to stop and stare, sticking her tongue out at the stranger for good measure before returning to her act. She flipped onto her feet, raising a paw as if it were injured and whimpered. "Mama! He was mean to meee!" She wailed, lip quivering as crocodile tears began to spill. When her mom wasn't looking, she shot a you're gonna get it now buddy! look at him. He thought he could scare her? Ha! Her mama was scarier than anything she'd seen when she was mad! He didn't know what kind of wolves Insomnia housed. Guess he'd find out the hard way! "Speak"

"What is it you weirdos have about saying your own names?" The words rolled off her back. In one ear and out the other. She was used to such insults, after all, she had been like this her whole life. Sure, she was aware she wasn't normal like others considered normal to be, but after a while, it didn't bother her anymore. She quickly glanced at Rue as her daughter whimpered and wailed, holding a seemingly injured paw off the ground that made Medusa return her wild-like rage back to the stranger. Her teeth threatened to crack and splinter the bone held between her teeth, but it would be a shame to waste such a nice piece of material...if she was going to destroy it, best to do it in a way that'd be worth it, right? Without warning, the look in her eyes grew wilder as she burst forward without further warning. The Wraith aimed to close the distance between her and the skinny male, head swinging as she aimed to bash the bone club against the side of his head to knock him out. She had no mercy for those that dared harm a child, especially her precious little cretins! No way, no how! he'd not get off scot-free for his assumed crime! Medusa vs Dimosthenes for Force Claim Round: 1/? Age: over 1yr Size: Extra large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Sharpened claw covers Defensive Battle Accessory: Wolf skeleton Companion 1: Wolverine, Female - Battle Companion 2: Cougar, Female - Battle *Companion 3: Lesser yellow-headed vulture, Male - Battle Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter Specialty: Weaponsmaster "Medusa"

D i m o s t h e n e s The brat tattled to her mother -- of course -- and now it seemed that the hot water Dime was in was rising. Sure, maybe he deserved a bit of a telling-off for trespassing, even he could admit that, but pretending she was hurt for no reason other than to delight in his suffering? That was low. Now he wished that he had burst in and tore the kid's throat out right when he'd first seen her. He'd been merciful, and now he couldn't even tell the goddamn truth about what had happened. The bitch would take her hellspawn's side, and he'd be even worse off than before. Life is unfair. And then she swung a bone club at his head! Luckily, Dime was able to drop to the ground and evade the attack, flopping onto his stomach and attempting to roll over to his back in time to kick upwards with his outstretched legs at her neck and chest. Dimosthenes vs Medusa for (fight type) Round 1/2 Age: over 1 year Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Novice Navigator "Speech"

Now, one might say that Medusa might be a hypocrite for trying to force claim this stranger on the sole basis of trespassing like she had been once upon a time. However, the circumstances behind this reason were vastly different. For one, she had trespassed without knowing she was trespassing. She hadn't threatened or hurt anyone. And she had no clue about packs, borders, and everything that came with them. Now this guy though? He was well into Insomnia territory, had threatened her child, and as far as Medusa knew, had hurt her sweet little Rue! That in itself was justification enough to try and force claim him. And another difference on top of it all, was that he wouldn't be a slave. Nope! Just a Curse, and just until he realized that his transgressions against her dear little girl were wrong. Her swing with the bone club missed, and the skinny guy had dropped to the ground to fully avoid it. The wild look in her eyes and in her movements didn't cease, however. While he may have rolled over onto his back and aimed to give her a good kick, Medusa twisted weirdly to the side like a dog with the zoomies, the side of her body half-catching his legs and felt them thump against her ribs. Did that stop her though? Nope! She growled as the kicks did little to deter her, and she instead quickly rose onto her hind paws, lifting her front feet off the ground and aimed to curb stomp the guy, swinging the bone in her mouth like a mallet as she aimed to drive him into the ground like an angry horse trying to flatten its attacker! Medusa vs Dimosthenes for Force Claim Round: 2/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Extra large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Sharpened claw covers Defensive Battle Accessory: Wolf skeleton Companion 1: Wolverine, Female - Battle Companion 2: Cougar, Female - Battle *Companion 3: Lesser yellow-headed vulture, Male - Battle Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter Specialty: Weaponsmaster "Medusa"

And the winner is...

MEDUSA

Due to not posting within the time limit, Dimosthenes loses by default and has been force claimed by Medusa. They must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out.