Violet-tinted ebony and white paws pranced in a pitter-patter pattern across snowy fields stained with dark crimson spatter, Cascade's mismatched eyes turning hither and yon as she grinned around her. Fun! She'd had a lot of fun with Valen the other day. Her grin turned wicked at the thought. She hadn't done a very good job of proving herself to him by killing coyotes as the whole test had quickly degenerated into a rather enjoyable romp, and she as the one who'd killed the fewest had been stuck with hunting duty. Well, that wasn't going to happen again! She'd be getting a rematch for damn sure, and to ensure she'd win this time she was going to get herself some practice. Thus, the Saxe girl was in the battlefield. Letting the stench of blood invade her nose she sighed in happy anticipation before loosing a call for an opponent to face her. She didn't seek out bloodshed, not like some did, but oh the thought of beating Valen this time... before jumping him again... Her grin intensified. ""

Wandering around in the white waste proved to be less interesting than Esti had initially thought. Luckily for her, things did not stay boring long. A call rang out for a spar, nothing major, but a spar. Fun, maybe trouble, would soon follow, Esti knew. She approached the challenger's call and found a raven woman with ismatched eyes waiting for her. The girl's tail swayed lightly,  "Called me?" she hummed, her blue eyes searching to meet mismatched ones as a grin stretched across her face. The thought of a fight was enticing, and Esti felt her heart start beating faster for all the wrong reasons. Her grin became toothy, and Esti lowered her head, her angular shoulder blades becoming visible beneath her skin,  "Your move whenever, Honey," she sang. Honey, huh, that was a new one, even for her. No matter, Esti readied herself for what was sure to be a great time. "Speech"

Her call didn't take long to be answered, a blandly colored but quite tall young girl swaying up. Cascade returned the girl's grin with a lopsided one of her own. Oh what an absolute sweetheart this little girl was with her adorable little paws and her big blue eyes, acting all tough and stuff. Awwwwww. "Oh sweety pie honey bunches it is my pleasure," she giggled back, batting her eyelashes at the girl in mock flirtation. And well, the girl had offered her first go so why not? Languidly Cascade adjusted her stance in the manner she'd picked up from her year of wandering - a rogue girl pup had to protect herself after all or she'd end up knocked up before she even reached adulthood. Her paws shifted to come up even with her shoulders and hips, spreading slightly further apart for balance with her joints loose and slightly bent, and her toes spread, the dull claws clinging to the dirt for traction. Her head and tail evened out to the level of her spine, though her tail still wagged in excitement it would not effect it's use as a rudder for balance. Her shoulders rolled forward as her chin tucked in closer, bunching up her purple-tinted scruff and protecting her throat all at once. Her hackles raised, the motion of the banded hairs giving the impression of rippling between purple and ebony though a closer look in this light would reveal the silver banding that caused the effect. Mismatched ears pressed back against her head to protect them, eyes narrowing to make them less of a target, and her mouth gaped in a grin that was half-manic and all tooth. Then with a jaunty bounce she was leaping forward, attempting to angle herself to come toward Esti at about a forty-five degree angle toward the front of Esti's left shoulder. The girl was quite a bit heftier than Cascade so rather than smashing into her like running into a rock wall she opted for a sneakier approach. As she attempted to come in at Esti Cascade bent her joints still further, lowering herself and at already six inches shorter this movement would put her below Esti's chest at a normal standing height. Tucking her head down slightly and bringing her right shoulder forward the Saxe sought to slam the front blade of her shoulder into the front of Esti's left foreleg at the elbow joint, hoping to buckle the joint and throw the younger girl off balance. As she did she shifted her weight off her own left foreleg and sought to hook it around the front of Esti's right foreleg at the ankle and pull toward her chest. She attempted to bury her fangs into Esti's right foreleg as well, coming from the inside and aiming just below the elbow there, also hoping to gain a grip with the intention of jerking the leg out from under Esti. Her whole goal was to dump the younger, larger girl into the dirt, and a giggle bubbled up from her chest at the thought. "CASCADE vs ESTI for SPAR" "Round 1/?"

The female replied in a way that made Esti both want to grin and scowl and immediately Esti was torn between loving this fae and hating her. As the woman got into position, Esti did the same, bending her knees to keep springy while splaying and digging her toes into the ground for support. She pulled her tail level with her spine and moved her head so that it all made a loosely straight line. Esti made sure to cover her face, scrunching her eyes and pinning her ears as she pulled her neck back and rolled her shoulders to provide extra skin to protect her neck. Her fur and hackles raised and fluffed out as a barrier. Finally, Esti lowered and splayed her legs for better balance and for agility. It was show time. The woman came at a fourty-five degree angle towards Esti's shoulders. She was low and fast, like a raven stooping for a mouse. Esti reared herself upwards to meet the woman's attack, shifting her weight evenly to her back paws as her front lifted from the ground slightly. Used to fighting her brother, Esti tried fighting up, not down. The other was at her in an instant, ramming with her right shoulder into Esti's left foreleg, causing it to spring backwards and forcing Esti to either back up or raise herself higher. The woman's jaws closed around her right ankle instead of the elbow due to Esti rising up, and Cascade's left foreleg hooked with Esti's right. Cascade's fangs sunk in and Esti felt the burn all the way up her leg. Both of their forelimbs seemed tied up from Cascade's attack, except for the woman's right leg, and Esti's balance wavered. She had to take action quickly. Keeping her knees bent, Esti attempted to pull back against Cascade's left foreleg with her right. She hoped Cascade would give enough resistance for her plan to work. Though the woman's teeth stung, buried in her right ankle, Esti was able to work through it. Gathering her strength, Esti attempted to throw her weight forward and to her right onto Cascade, using the raven woman's attack as leverage. She aimed to knock Cascade back to twist Cascade to her left where she was weaker to pin her and hold her to the ground using her weight to her advantage. The girl's left foreleg sought to hook around Cascade's neck to help steer her downward while Esti attempted to use her right foreleg to guide the woman's head to Esti's right using Cascade's bite as both a leverage point and a coaxing point. While she planned on moving her weight, she would seek to swivel her head to the right and bite directly down from above on Cascade's left ear, aiming to get her canines at both the front and back base of the left ear, and to push it down and to her own right with her weight. Hopefully this would force the woman in the same direction, and while it would put pressure on the hold Cascade already had, Esti was betting on toppling the smaller woman and pinning her to the ground where Esti could really use her massive size and weight to her advantage.  "Speech" Cascade Vs Esti for SPAR Round 1 of 2

The already-taller girl reared up as Cascade moved to attack, resulting in Cascade's teeth fastening in Esti's ankle instead of her upper forearm. Her swiping paw missed it's intended target completely as Esti's paw was no longer anywhere near where she'd been aiming, and Cascade slammed it back down, adjusting her stance once more. With her right shoulder still forward her weight was distributed more to her other three paws, the better-grounded paws spread in a wider stance because although she could use the right paw for balance she was twisted slightly and the wider stance would compensate for that. The toes of all four paws were spread wide, the blunt nails digging into the dirt for traction and her joints loose and slightly bent for freedom of movement. Her shoulders were rolled forward the best they could be with their uneven stance, her head pulling back toward them to scrunch up the scruff. Her tail remained level with her spine, her head returning to the same level as she released her hold on the girl's ankle, not wanting to injure her too badly. Her chin tucked in to protect her throat, her ears pinning back tightly and her eyes narrowed to protect them, a wide grin baring her teeth in delight rather than a snarl. The girl's weight slammed forward onto her, the front blade of Cascade's right shoulder taking the brunt of it from it's forward position. Their close proximity meant there was very little damage, only very mild bruising along the front of Cascade's shoulder where there was little muscle and fat to cushion the sharp bone there. With her left leg safely returned to the ground and her stance widened the body slam failed to throw her, though her legs nearly buckled under the sudden assault. Esti's left forelimb wrapped over Cascade's neck just above her shoulders. The drop of Cascade's head for balance as the weight struck her caused the subsequent sharp press of teeth to pierce the skin high on her scruff, right behind her right ear rather than encircling the ear. With her scruff bunched up and the fur on her neck raised the wound was rather minor, but the attempt to push her over using that grip was more of a problem that would need addressing. With her upper body twisted slightly to put her right shoulder forward anyway, Cascade took advantage of her own position to press her weight onto her forelegs and attempt to pivot on them to swing her hindquarters to her right in an attempt to bring herself perpendicular to Esti and ease the sideways pressure. The intended position would put her partially under Esti's body, so at the same time she pivoted, the Saxe would seek once more to bury her teeth in the inside of Esti's upper right foreleg just below the elbow with the intention of jerking the leg back toward Cascade's chest as Cascade would either way try to continue the motion to throw her head down while seeking to bend her forelegs and throw her shoulders up in a rapid shrugging motion, the three (pivot, bite, and shrug) combined into one simultaneous motion with the hope of rolling Esti off her shoulders and into the dirt. The Saxe braced herself for the possible pain from Esti's hold on her scruff as she moved, for any attempt by the girl to maintain the grip would definitely be painful for Cascade. All the while, her tail - while remaining level with her spine for balance - wagged happily, and her expression remained almost annoyingly cheerful. "CASCADE vs ESTI for SPAR" "Round 2/2"

Tea and I decided to ignore the default I believe.

Esti felt the bite on her ankle release and the girl immediately took the opportunity to steady herself. She shoved her right paw down, her claws sinking into the earth for balance, making sure her joints stayed solid but slightly bent for flexibility. The act stung a bit, but Esti needed the extra balance. Her ears were tucked and her face was scrunched as her slam and bite made contact. Her teeth missed by a bit, digging into the scruff right behind her opponent's right ear, but Esti's left foreleg successfully wrapped over Cascade, just above her shoulders. The girl checked to make sure her shoulders were rolled, pushing extra skin onto her neck and scruff. Her fur remained raised to buffer attacks Esti's tail remained straight out and level for balance while Esti's back legs widened in a slight squat, ready for another attack. With one motion, the raven woman pivoted under Esti towards her (Esti's) left, placing her at a right angle from Esti's body. Esti tried to keep her hold on the woman's right scruff as Cascade moved to bite. Esti attempted to twist her head to her own left in order to prevent Cascade from getting a good grip by using her scruff against her. Cascade's bite hit Esti's right leg on the inside, right under the elbow. Esti winced as the teeth cut into the less meaty areas of her leg. Cascade attempted to pull Esti's leg towards herself (to Esti's left), but Esti, being heavier than her and above her, would resist. The woman also pulled a heavy shrug, sliding Esti's leg further up onto the woman's neck, threatening to tip the giant. Instead, Esti attempted to keep her left twisting motion, putting more pressure on Cascade's neck with her left foreleg while her bite would hopefully hold. At the same time, Esti would aim to throw her weight down and to the left on top of the smaller woman, trying to force her to the ground once again so Esti could pin her. Esti had to remember that this fight was a spar and that she didn't need to try and snap the woman's neck with her weight. With that in mind, Esti would aim to make the pressure gradual instead of all at once to avoid unfortunate injuries. In forcing Cascade down, Esti knew that the woman would possibly rip her teeth down Esti's right leg, and Esti braced herself for the pain, digging all her claws onto the dirt to help with her planned attack of forcing Cascade to the ground. If the woman was grounded, Esti wouldn't let her get back up.  "Speech" Cascade Vs Esti for SPAR Round 2 of 2

CASCADE vs ESTI for SPAR Round 1 CASCADE: 10 for clarity: All clear to me 10 for powerplaying.  None seen 10 for defences.  legs apart, legs bent, toes spread, claws dug into ground, head aligned with spine, tail aligned with spine, shoulders rolled, chin tucked, hackles raised, ears pinned. 6 for attack. Shoulder slam to left foreleg +1, tripping out right foreleg +1, bite to right foreleg plus attempted grip +4 10 for injuries.First round Round one CASCADE Total: 46/50 ESTI: 3 for clarity: “...causing it to spring backwards and forcing Esti to either back up or raise herself higher.” Which is it? Since it is your own character it is up to you to decide which happens. -1 “...ramming with her right shoulder into Esti's left foreleg...” Where on her foreleg? Cascade was aiming for her elbow joint, so if she had raised up it may have hit around her ankle or just in between the two joint. -1 “Cascade's fangs sunk in and Esti felt the burn all the way up her leg.” How severe is the damage? Minor, moderate, or severe? You generally don't have to state how deep it is, only some do that and points aren't docked if you don't. However, you do need to state how severe the wound it, otherwise the judge decides. -2 “Esti attempted to pull back against Cascade's left foreleg with her right. She hoped Cascade would give enough resistance for her plan to work. Though the woman's teeth stung, buried in her right ankle, Esti was able to work through it.” How can she be pulling against Cascade's leg while her teeth are holding her ankle? Remember that she was going for a grip attempt, to hold Esti's right leg. Did she pull free of her grip, furthering damage in order to do this? -1 “Esti attempted to throw her weight forward and to her right onto Cascade...” Where on Cascade's body is she trying to jump into? Left shoulder area? Head on? Remember that at this point, you have yet to say if you have tried to get Esti's right foreleg out of Cascade's mouth. -1 “...and Cascade's left foreleg hooked with Esti's right.” Did she succeed in pulling it out? I would assume since she is slightly reared, that it would miss completely. -1 10 for powerplaying. None seen 10 for defences. legs bent, claws dug into ground, (You said “digging her toes into the ground” and I would watch the wording a bit, since digging claws into the ground is one defence and splaying toes is another. I gave it to you anyways, but just watch it a bit for next time!) tail aligned with spine, head aligned with spine, eyes narrowed, ears pinned, shoulders rolled, hackles raised, legs spread, stance made up for rearing. 4 for attack. Knocking over +1, bite to left ear +3 10 for injuries. First round. Minor bite to right front ankle -1 (pending tear damage) (Decided by judge) Round one ESTI Total: 27/50 Round 2 CASCADE: 10 for clarity: All clear 9 for powerplaying. “...would seek once more to bury her teeth in the inside of Esti's upper right foreleg just below the elbow with the intention of jerking the leg back toward Cascade's chest...” A bit of a conditional -1 10 for defences. weight distributed, toes spread, claws dug into ground, legs bent, shoulders rolled, tail aligned with spine, head aligned with spine, chin tucked, ears pinned, eyes narrowed 4 for attack. Bite, pull and shrug +4 8 for injuries. Minor bruise across right shoulder -1, minor bite to scruff -1, Round two CASCADE Total: 41/50 ESTI: 6 for clarity:  “Esti attempted to twist her head to her own left in order to prevent Cascade from getting a good grip by using her scruff against her.” Is she biting and twisting her head, or did she let go of her scruff? -1 “Esti winced as the teeth cut into the less meaty areas of her leg.” How severe? -2 “....but Esti, being heavier than her and above her, would resist.” How did she do this? Shifting weight? Pivoting? -1 10 for powerplaying. None seen 7 for defences.  claws dug into ground, legs bent, ears tucked, shoulders rolled, hackles raised, tail aligned with spine, stance widened, 5 for attack. grip attempt on scruff +4, knocking over +1 8 for injuries.  Minor bite to right front ankle -1 (Decided by judge), minor bite to right front inside of leg -1 (pending tear damage) (decided by judge) Round two ESTI Total: 36/50 Totals: CASCADE: 87/100 ESTI: 63/100 And the winner is... Cascade! Esti must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: Cascade: Minor bruise will fade after 1 OOC week, minor bite to scruff will heal in 1 OOC week, will scar if tearing occurs. Esti: Minor bite to front ankle will heal in 1 OOC week, minor bite to inside of front right leg will heal in 1 OOC week, will scar if tearing occurs. Notes: Tips for both writing, and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here) Notes For Tea Overall great fight from you! Good solid attacks, maybe toss in some more complex ones here and there. For Iko Alright, so I tried to give you as much notes as I could, Tea told me it was kind of a training thing for you. You did really well for a first time fighter! Just watch your clarity, make sure that you are clear where attacks hit and how much damage they did, and be more specific about your own attacks. You always want to say how you are doing so, but you were good with declaring the intent of the attack, which some don't! You did better in the second round, things were more clear, but just make sure to always list 10 defences, those are easy points there. If you want a list of defences just PM or skype me and I will be happy to give them to you. Also if you want to go through anything, don't be afraid to ask! - By [Evelyn]