After the free fall into the snow drift at the bottom of the gorge, it seemed his whole world had shifted. In the aftermath, he had been able to drag himself off and into some semblance of shelter. In his rattled state he couldn’t remember seeing Sephiran there or not, but had imagined they had an understanding of every man for himself. While he had no visible injuries, he certainly felt like he had taken the worst beating of his life. But, he was alive. Either that or hell was really similar to what he had come to endure thus far.

After laying in cover for several days, he finally recovered to the point where he could walk. It was then he had his run-in with his brother … Vulcan- in the neighboring pine forest. And while he had debated making his way back toward Obsidian Beach, now he wasn’t sure he want to go home right away, thinking of the confrontation over Vulcan, on top of the Armada interaction. So instead, he doubled back through the gorge where he and Sephiran had made their plummet. With a clearer head, he could see that the Saxe boy’s tracks heading to the west, so he spent that afternoon trailing him through the Redwoods.

After hours of making ground, that familiar violent frame came into view. “Ahh, there you are.” Aresenn said in a lower tone. There was a twinge of pain he felt in his side with each stride, though he did his best to ignore it.

Several days had passed since his run-in with the insolent little girl who had patched him up. He couldn’t get their encounter out of his mind. The jeering giggles and sardonic expression she wore as she defined him was so clear inside of his head, and continued to haunt him even in her absence. He had stalked out her home for several days, arriving and departing at random times as he sought her out. What he would do with her once he found her… well, his mind ran wild with possibilities. But each time he tried to find her, it was like she had vanished into thin air.

This was why Sephiran had stayed in the redwood forest, despite how much he hated the cold. Because that’s how obsessed he already was. Aresenn hadn’t crossed his mind in a while, and nearly a week or longer had passed since their last encounter. And yet, he couldn’t help the sneer that tugged at his lips as the pirate boy made a sudden appearance. Ahh, there you are.” Sephiran pivoted to face him, revealing the lacerations that were still healing along his side. “Enjoying the afterlife?” He retorted, lips curling tighter as he flashed him a toothy smirk. The two of them had faced death so many times now, who could be certain that they were actually still alive?

"Speech"

As he drew forward into a more conversational distance, Sephiran turned to face him without skipping a beat. The other boy was pretty beaten up judging by the look of him, but again … alive was a good start. Clearly, he wasn’t too bad off to put his blackened humor away. On the inquiry of how the afterlife was going, Aresenn couldn’t help the snicker of laughter that escaped through his nose. “Hell was talked up a lot more to me than this. If this is it, I’m disappointed.” He answered with his own joke, though as he spoke, he allowed his attention to drift. With a quick panning glance through the forest around them, he sought out any points of interest that would be worth sticking around for. Nothing stuck out to him. Clearing his throat, he realigned his fiery gaze to meet Sephiran’s. “Have you had anything eventful happen?” The Praetor boy asked, not sure where to even begin in describing his own absence.

"Aresenn Praetor"

His comment brought on a bout of snickering laughter from Aresenn, which made his smirk widen even more. His gaze settled on the boy’s fiery gaze, ears perked forward in interest when he asked if Sephiran had anything eventful happen in his absence. His head twisted so that he could point to the wound on his side with his muzzle. “Just waiting for this to heal.” He started, his mind already replaying the night with the girl. “I let this girl patch me up.” His pelt was starting to bristle, as he heard her laughter echoing inside of his head. “Bratty little thing… thought she could take a jab at me.” He turned slightly, to reveal the scratch marks that had almost disappeared on his chest, but could be seen if one looked hard enough. “I had fun teaching her a lesson.” The words slipped from his jaws so effortlessly, it was clear he felt no remorse for what he had done. In fact, there was a shimmer of excitement in his gaze, as he thought about how wonderful it would be to do it all over again. “And what about you, Aresenn," His head cocked, as he flashed a sly smile to the boy. “What have you been doing without me?” Surely nothing exciting.  

"Speech"

When his co-conspirator drew attention to the wounds leftover from their encounter with the bears, he offered a nod in acknowledgement. However, his follow up to how he was working healing it had his complete attention- a smirk cracking his features as Seph went on. “She treated you … and fought you?” Aresenn echoed. His first impression was that she was crazy. But on second thought, he didn’t doubt that Sephiran had the ability to bring that out in a wolf. When he exposed the scratch marks on his chest, the Saxe boy made a humorous implication that he enjoyed himself dealing with her. Aresenn had no problem imagining what that meant. “I guess you came out on top then?” He questioned in amusement, hoping that Seph would catch the double meaning to his dumb joke. But then he thought of something else to add, leftover from their run-in at the Armada marketplace. “Or did her dad come out of the fucking woodworks?” He was still not over that whole interaction. Obviously, he hadn’t left with Diablo- sending his brother home to likely go alert their father. So he was sure that was a lecture awaiting him at home. Speaking of.

When the other boy asked him what he had been up to, Aresenn shrugged. “I had an interesting encounter as well … I met a half-brother of mine.“ It wasn’t as entertaining of an anecdote as Seph and the girl. But it was something.  “I knew about him, just had never talked to him before.” Aresenn clarified … not that it mattered. It just left him wondering if he would mention it to his father or not. He had learned quite a bit from Vulcan in their short conversation.

"Aresenn Praetor"

However Aresenn would interpret the story was up to him. Although Sephiran wanted to share every disgusting detail of his morning out with the girl, he would leave it to Aresenn to fill in the gaps with his own imagination. And given that they were both so passionate about carnage and the abolition of those that opposed them… well, he could only imagine what was going through the pirate’s head. Because of this his comment, which was meant to be a crude joke, didn’t surprise him. Maniacal laughter bubbled from his jaws, and he thought back to how her yelp resonated off the log walls when he forced the air out of her lungs. It was so amusing to him now. How easily he had grabbed her, subdued her, thrown her against the wall, and shoved her beneath him. He came out on top all right.

And his laughter increased in pitch when Aresenn mentioned a dad appearing, tongue rolling out to hang out of the side of his mouth. “Wouldn’t be the first time,” His tongue slid across his fangs before he withdrew it back into his mouth. “And it won’t be the last.” Given his salacious appetite, he would surely get himself into trouble again. He was just waiting to run into the antlered girl or the girl who lived in the hallows, to show them what having fun really meant.

The conversation shifted to Aresenn, who gave an update on what had happened in his absence. He met a half-brother of his for the first time. At that moment Sephiran couldn’t help but think of his own family, and the absurd amount of siblings and cousins he had. “Were you stronger than him?” He asked, genuinely curious, as he assumed Aresenn’s family must have functioned like his did. Any time he came across a Saxe descendant, he would fight them to assert dominance. Surely Aresenn did the same?

"Speech"

He couldn’t help but join Sephiran in the outburst of laughter. As he was ensured that it ’wasn’t the first time, and wouldn’t be the last’, a momentary smirk cracked his features as he nodded along in acknowledgment.

Of course, the first thing that would come up at the mention of meeting a relative would be status. They didn’t fight, but they didn’t have to. “Yeah, but he didn’t have a chance.” Aresenn answered curtly. While Vulcan was much older, his brother hadn’t given him the impression that he had spent much of his life training. To be fair, Aresenn hadn’t been much better off, but at least he could generally hold his own. That wasn’t the interesting part though. “He said my dad was previously a ruler of a pack that had claimed territory not far from here. It had been made mostly relatives- Praetors mainly, but others as well.” The Praetor boy began, thinking of the sparse pines in a different light as he had come in on. “It was called Incendium, I guess. But it sounded a lot better than these idiot pirates.  Ranks weren’t handed out, they were earned through battle. Loners that got too close to the border were either taken hostage or killed. Deserters were hunted down. And if you didn’t pull your own weight, you didn’t last from the sound of it.” Aresenn said, with a fire flickering behind his amber gaze, but it quickly hardened as he continued on with his next thought. “The point is, they weren’t nearly as soft as where we are at now- which disappoints me why my dad has fallen into their ranks if he could lead a group like Incendium.” That was the real question. He had no idea how the Praetor pack had ended, it didn’t come up in his encounter with Vulcan. But why his father never fought to reclaim it, he would never understand.

Aresenn looked away for a moment as the thoughts churned in his mind. Returning his attention to Sephiran, he continued. “I’m thinking about confronting him on it …” Though he wasn’t entirely sure how that conversation would go. He wondered what the other boy would do had he been the one in this position. “Would you?” He asked thoughtfully, wondering what the answer would be.

"Aresenn Praetor"

Although it had nothing to do with Sephiran, he couldn’t help but feel pleased that Aresenn was stronger than his older brother. The two of them had been training frequently the last season, so there was no excuse for failure. Unless they were being outnumbered at a packs doorstep. He listened with half-hearted interest as Aresenn went on. Not because the explanation was boring or lacked important information, but because Sephiran cared little for family dynamics other than his own. Unless it served a purpose for him, he didn’t care. But Aresenn was his co-conspirator, and had proven himself useful. So he listened.

His dad had been an alpha, ruled over a familial hierarchy, and was cutthroat with their laws. It sounded similar to the Saxe hoard, which piqued his interest. When Aresenn had finished, he rumbled out a low hum of acknowledgment, trying to figure out where this was going. And then the boy asked him a question, to which he hastily responded. “Without hesitation.” He sneered, arrogance welling up inside of him. If his father had kept something like that from him… he would have been furious. But Apollyon wasn’t like that. He would die before he lost his pack. “The real question is.” He cast his gaze towards Aresenn, trying to align their gazes. The boy was looking off into the distance, but Sephiran was trying to draw him back in. Trying to bring out some egotism. "What are you going to do about it.” He fell silent then, waiting to see how Aresenn planned to go about this.

"Speech"

When Sephiran assured him that he would absolutely confront his own father if such information came to light, Aresenn nodded in acknowledgement. Something told him there would be a pretty heated discussion when he finally made it back home- across all the things that have happened in the past few weeks. However, maybe this information could be a bartering piece of his own. Who knew- a sentiment that was only echoed by the other boy when he inquired how he was going to go about handling it. Aresenn debated internally for a moment … but he didn’t have a good answer. He would have to spend more time thinking about it- weighing out options- before committing to an approach. “I don’t know yet. I guess … it depends on how he reacts. I’m definitely not interested in a lecture or excuses.” He could already feel his eyes glazing over at the thought. He wondered if Ignis would try to punish him for pursuing such information. Honestly, he had no idea how things would unfold.

There was a good chance that his sire would answer his verbal challenge with a physical one. If that were the case, Aresenn wasn’t sure he could win a fight against his father- a far more seasoned warrior.  “I’ve never fought my father before- outside of training purposes, that is. I’m not sure I could take him yet, but if he came at me I would certainly try.” The Praetor boy echoed his thoughts. Even if he was fairly confident his own loss would be inevitable, he wouldn’t even consider forfeiting an altercation like that. He wondered if Sephiran had ever stood to challenge his own father.

"Aresenn Praetor"

When Aresenn stated he wasn’t interested in a lecture or excuses, Sephiran’s gaze shifted towards those amber orbs of his, a single brow raising. Did that mean he was looking for confrontation? Sephiran hoped so. So when he mentioned something about fighting his father, Sephiran couldn’t hide the smirk that spread across his face, as he flashed his stained teeth at the pirate boy. The mention of violence excited him. “Looks like you need to practice then.” He crooned, tail raising to align with his hips as he pivoted to the side to take a step away from Aresenn, to put some space between them. He also turned to directly face Aresenn, as his ears folded against his skill and his eyes roved over that crimson pelt of his; looking at him from a different perspective than he usually did.

He was smaller than Sephiran, and most likely weighed less too, but the Saxe boy hadn’t thought much about it until now. They were equally toned in terms of muscle mass, given that they trained together so much. “Go on,” He said with a nod, trying to provoke Aresenn. “Attack me.” The command came out as a croon as he braced himself for an oncoming attack, figuring Aresenn would take this opportunity and be grateful for it.


Sephiran vs Aresenn for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: >1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear leather bracers
Mutation 1: Saber teeth (Offensive)
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Healer

"Speech"

It seemed that Sephiran had no more advice to offer, not that he expected much help in the rational decision making department. A smirk spread across the other boy’s face, earning a raised eyebrow in question from himself. But at the implication he needed more practice, a wave of mock tension rolled through the space between them. Sephiran began to insert some separation between them, to which his hackles began to reflexively rise.

At the formal invitation to attack, he needed very little prompting. Flexing his nails into the ground, Aresenn lunged forward. Bounding across the distance head on until the last possible moment when he shifted to the side in order to thrust his left shoulder forward to grapple for balance with as much strength as he could muster. Each stride had sent a twinge of pain through his rib cage. However, when he collided with Sephiran, he wasn’t prepared for the shockwave of agony that shot through his body. He forced a sharp inhale through open jaws just as he aimed a shot at his opponent in the side of his neck. It wasn’t a blow meant to break skin- too badly. But in hindsight, maybe this was a bad idea considering they just had their asses handed to them by a massive white bear, which they had promptly evaded by throwing themselves off a cliff.

Aresenn vs Sephiran for Spar
Round: 1/2
Age: Over One Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear Leather Bracers
Skills: Master Fighter & Expert Intellectual
Specialty: Marauder (N/A)

It didn’t surprise him that Aresenn took his offer, or that he suddenly lunged forward with no hesitation. Whatever emotions were whirling inside of him were threatening to boil over, and this was the perfect way to blow off some steam. And if Sephiran got to draw blood, he wouldn’t complain. He had already braced himself for an oncoming attack, assuming the pirate boy would engage. A low growl emanated from his chest as he stood his ground, but only until the moment before impact. He attempted to swiftly sidestep to offset Aresenn trying to slam into him, but Aresenn had also shifted to the side, which caused their shoulders to collide. Given Aresenn's momentum, Sephiran had to shove his own weight forward to keep himself from tumbling over, as they started to grapple for balance.

His head twisted to face Aresenn, jaws splaying as he knew the boy would try to bite him. Given the shift in his position, Aresenn grabbed the lower part of his neck, where the meaty portion of his upper shoulder started. A snarl erupted from his opened jaws, and Sephiran used his height difference to snake his muzzle downwards as he attempted to bite the side of Aresenn’s head.

Sephiran vs Aresenn for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: >1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear leather bracers
Mutation 1: Saber teeth (Offensive)
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Healer

"Speech"

As their bodies collided and weights shifted at the sudden impact, Aresenn found a hold in the base of Sephiran’s neck only to be met with those wicked fangs to his face. Narrowing his eyes in defense, Aresenn pivoted on his front paws, forcing his hindquarters around in a couple of staggering side steps to adjust the point of contact. With any luck, he could use his chest, rather than his injured shoulder to push back instead. Once he felt he was at a more appropriate angle, he tried to hook his right forelimb over the larger boy's shoulder in an effort to win the duel of balance and shove Sephiran to the ground. But in the end, the teeth scraping his face made concentration that much more difficult, so he couldn't tell how successfully his intentions were met.

Aresenn vs Sephiran for Spar
Round: 2/2
Age: Over One Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear Leather Bracers
Skills: Master Fighter & Expert Intellectual
Specialty: Marauder (N/A)

And the winner is...

ARESENN

SEPHIRAN must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: SEPHIRAN: Attack Roll: 22 Defense Roll: 10 Agility Roll: 69 Perception Roll: 29 Total: 130 Attack[22] + 10% Bonus[2.20]: 24.20 Defense[10] + 35% Bonus[3.50]: 13.50 Agility[69] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 69.00 Perception[29] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 29.00 Total[135.70] + 20% Bonus[27.14]: 162.84 ARESENN: Attack Roll: 43 Defense Roll: 35 Agility Roll: 41 Perception Roll: 99 Total: 218 Attack[43] + 5% Bonus[2.15]: 45.15 Defense[35] + 15% Bonus[5.25]: 40.25 Agility[41] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 41.00 Perception[99] + 20% Bonus[19.80]: 118.80 Total[245.20] + 25% Bonus[61.30]: 306.50

As Sephiran snapped at Aresenn’s head, trying to detour him from grabbing his neck, the boy’s positioning changed again. His opponent pivoted to swing his hindered away, stumbling a few steps to the side which kept Sephiran from grabbing ahold of anything significant. With a growl he pushed forward after Aresenn, still snapping his jaws and trying to grab him while throwing his weight forward in a battle of brawn.

A flash of crimson appeared as a blur in front of him, as Aresenn threw one of his front paws over the Saxe boy’s shoulder. Their weight shifted again, as Aresenn pushed down in an attempt to pin him. Sephiran had two options: push forward and try to uproot him from the earth, or try and slip out from under him to attack again. He made the decision quickly, legs buckling as he brought his upper half down towards the ground before taking a step to the right, which allowed him to slip out from under Aresenn.

After stumbling a few steps, he found his footing again before twisting to face Aresenn, should he try to advance after him. Though Sephiran wasn’t the type to come to a stalemate so quickly, he considered Aresenn to be an accomplice. There was no point in tearing each other limb from limb. “If you confront your father like that,” He said referring to their spar. “He’ll know you mean business.” A smirk spread across his face, before his head turned to look over his shoulder and into the abyss of the forest. Surely they could find something to kill to quell the rest of their anger, if Aresenn was up for it.

-fade out exit-

"Speech"

Code by Sea