Alaric had entered the boneyard with intention. Behind him strolled his two cane Corsos, Maul and Cinder. He had entered the boneyard to spar a specific someone. Atreyu. He strolled to a good clearing in the boneyard, well, as good as a clearing he could find. With bones and skeletons scattered everywhere, finding a clear spot was a bit challenging but not impossible. Once he was in place, he lifted his head out and howled a specific howl. It was calling for her. Once the signal had been rung, Alaric would wait patiently for Atreyu's arrival to the familiar boneyard. They had battled here before; he had been victorious. He wondered how much she had grown and wanted to put it to the test.

She moved through the boneyard with all the confidence of a woman coming into her own, her graceful, fluid strides carrying her over the terrain as if she didn't touch the ground. She seemed to float almost, a bouncing trot making metallic-looking fur shimmer in the sunlight. Though everything seemed to be encapsulated in ice, Atreyu found herself feeling rather warm from her jog. That's when she heard it, a call that made her stop dead in her tracks. A smile formed on her face and she changed direction, heading toward the caller.

Alaric sat with his dogs in a clearing, seemingly waiting for her arrival. She came to stand before him, moving in a bit of a semi-circle around him first. Atreyu then nodded to him with a smirk, watching the trio as Bigs came trotting up behind her. "You're ready for some more, huh?" She asked him playfully, knowing good and well that she had lost to him once already. This time she hoped it would be different, though she knew by his many scars that he was well versed in fighting. The frozen landscape around them would make things a bit more challenging, the icy dirt beneath her paws threatening to turn into slush and get her pelt stained.

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

It wasn't long until a familiar pink pelt strolled in from the icy horizons and into the boneyard, along with it a smaller, familiar, dog. Maul and Cinder wagging their tails at the sight of Bigs, causing a brief smile to form on Alaric's maw that quickly faded shortly after. When Atreyu was within hearing distance, he dipped his head towards her as a sign of respect. "You know I am." He answered back, taking a moment to pause. "No companions this time. Only us." He told her. He felt the crunchy iced over dirt beneath his feet. This would make navigating the cluttered terrain even harder. A challenge for both of them.

He would wait for her response and casually set his defenses into place. He would widen his stance slightly for balance, his claws dug into the earth for stability. His chin tucked to protect his jugular, and his hackles raised along his spine. Without saying a word, Alaric would then charge straight for the taller woman. His upper body would lower as his black maws splayed open and sought the left forearm of Atreyu. He was attempting to grab ahold of the limb and twist it, combined with his momentum and strength, he was hoping to knock Atreyu off balance and onto the slushy ground.

Alaric vs Atreyu for spar
Round 1/?
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Cane Corso, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Cane Corso, Male - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: Berserker

Atreyu smiled at him when he suggested no companions be used, and she nodded her head, telling Bigs to go and get in some play time if he wished. She then faced Alaric and narrowed her eyes while lowering her head and splaying her paws a little to keep her balance. Her tail and spotted hackles raised watching him closely. He leapt forward suddenly but Atreyu saw him coming and danced gracefully away from him.

Just a second later, hopefully before he could react, Atreyu lunged at him with jaws agape and aimed for the back of his neck where she aimed a punishing bite. She wasn't your cotton candy princess, she would never be that again. Atreyu respected Alaric, but she wouldn't take it easy on him, she hoped he wouldn't take it easy on her - she needed the experience.

Atreyu vs Alaric for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Five-inch long hawksbill blade
Defensive Battle Accessory: collar with spikes
Companion 1: Chinese Crested mix, Male - Battle (not used)
Mutation 1: Retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Expert Fighter & Expert Healer

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

Alaric's jaws snapped on air and clashed together, fruitless from his attempt. However, he was quick too. His orange eyes snapped to Atreyu who was already coming for a bite for the back of his neck. Alaric pulled his head back just enough to avoid the bite, feeling the hot breath of Atreyu's mouth near his head. But the seasoned warrior wasn't done with his apprentice. He would take his hard skull and attempt to bash it harshly, directly into the nose and front mouth of Atreyu. A nasty headbutt to show that he was not playing games with her nor was he taking it easy on her. He let out a low growl as he attempted this, his eyes locked directly on her. Watching her every move in case she tried to dance away once again.

Alaric vs Atreyu for spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Heavy
Companion 1: Cane Corso, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Cane Corso, Male - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: Berserker

Her jaws snapped shut on empty air and she growled in frustration, looking into Alaric's eyes a fraction of a second before he aimed a nasty headbutt for her nose. His growl harmonized with her own as she pulled her nose to the side, taking the headbutt to her cheek instead. It was painful as hell, but less painful than her nose would have been. There would probably be bruising when all of this was said and done, but Atreyu would take it over being defenseless any day. While he was in close, Atreyu sought to grasp his face between her paws and extended her claws ever so slightly so that they would barely touch the skin of his cheeks. If she were a darker-minded wolf, or in a fight for her life the purpose of such a hold would be to tear at the skin with her claws. In this case, it was only to remind him of what she was capable of when pushed, though she would not purposefully hurt him this time.

Atreyu vs Alaric for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Five-inch long hawksbill blade
Defensive Battle Accessory: collar with spikes
Companion 1: Chinese Crested mix, Male - Battle (not used)
Mutation 1: Retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Expert Fighter & Expert Healer
"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

And the winner is...

ALARIC

ATREYU must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ALARIC: Attack Roll: 72 Defense Roll: 84 Agility Roll: 83 Perception Roll: 40 Total: 279 Attack[72] + 60% Bonus[43.20]: 115.20 Defense[84] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 84.00 Agility[83] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 83.00 Perception[40] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 40.00 Total[322.20] + 25% Bonus[80.55]: 402.75 ATREYU: Attack Roll: 16 Defense Roll: 65 Agility Roll: 73 Perception Roll: 10 Total: 164 Attack[16] + 45% Bonus[7.20]: 23.20 Defense[65] + 30% Bonus[19.50]: 84.50 Agility[73] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 73.00 Perception[10] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 10.00 Total[190.70] + 20% Bonus[38.14]: 228.84

Alaric felt the familiar feeling of claws against his cheeks, touching and threatening to reopen the scars that were laid there. Emotions flooded through him due to the scar being touched. Past memories flashed before his eyes. Anger, pain, fear....anger. Anger. Anger. His gaze grew hard, and he let out a deep, threatening, snarl. "I think we both know who has won. Release me." He told Atreyu, waiting for her grip to relinquish. He then would take several steps back and collect himself, sighing deeply. He took several quiet deep breaths, trying to regain composure. His gaze flickered to Atreyu. "I apologize." He rumbled quietly. "You did nothing wrong. In fact, you did well." He reassured her, feeling a small bit of guilt for letting his emotions nearly bubble over and burn his apprentice. "I simply...do not like my scar being touched." He explained with briefness.

Atreyu's cheek throbbed, but she shrugged it off the best she could. While she held his face in her claws, Atreyu looked straight into Alaric's eyes, watching as they dilated with his rush of anger. His rumbling tones demanded his release from her grasp and she did so immediately. Holographic silver to lavender flashed over his face, wondering what she had done to cause him to nearly lose it with her. The answer came soon enough, Alaric apologizing and explaining that he didn't like his scars touched. Of course he didn't, she had been careless with her handling of him, and she immediately felt guilty for it even as he assured her that she did nothing wrong. "Forgive me, it was all reaction. That headbutt got my cheek pretty good!" She gave a laugh despite the ache in her cheek, one paw coming up to her right cheek to make sure it wasn't swelling. It was just another one of those things that she would have to learn to get used to. Pain wasn't a friend, but she had a pretty high tolerance for it. Running her tongue over her teeth to check that none were loose or broken, Atreyu gave a crooked smile. "You did pretty good yourself. I need to practice more I think." The words were said warmly, Atreyu wasn't a sore loser. "Talking."

code by Bird & art by Resin!