The pair had been making their way together well up until now but winter had begun to sweep in and with it came cold, and hunger. The pair were competent hunters and their large size afforded them an advantage rare for other lone wolves, but the pair would still go hungry long before a pack would and they'd certainly be less than comfortable. Together they had reached the decision to take the risk of approaching a pack, but caution had led Björn to urge them toward a smaller pack, one that was less of a danger if they were to find themselves on the wrong side of the pack's laws once again. Rather than travel at night and alienate the alpha by waking them at night they'd chosen to approach the border in the morning, so Björn's pale lavender eyes were nearly shut against the painful light as he paced by his sister's side. Meeting her gaze questioningly he murmured, "If you feel at any time this will not work, tell me and we will leave no questions asked." They had to be in this together or not at all - he wasn't going to be leaving his sister's side again. ""

 

 

Birna followed along next to her brother, keeping her paw steps even with his and her body close so that they might share in each others warmth.  Winter had burst onto Alacrits, bitter and harsh and while she was built and clad for this weather it didn't exactly fill her with confidence that the weather had turned nasty so soon.  This could only fortell a particularly brutal winter to follow.  Birna and Björn had both discussed joining a pack.  It was far more work for the pair of them to survive then it would within a group and perhaps then they might be able to get some leads on their family. Sapphire gaze turned to Björn with a gentle smile.  "Of course, thank you, brother. Now then… shall we see what is awaiting us?" She waited for a moment before tipping back her head to howl for the ruler of this pack.  Hopefully, they could find themselves a home here. "Speech"

 

The first call arises and she diverts her path in her patrol, twisting her form and sweeping steadily towards the cry. Mercury scuffles beside her, his short legs trained over the course of years to keep up with this measured pace. Idly, nostalgically, she tries to remember the first wolf that called for her on these borders almost five years ago, but time has purged her memories of such details, chipped them away. The thoughts are brushes away nonchalantly as she nears the source of the call, pace slowing to a professional but affable gait.

Celestial orbs fall upon the two massive beasts with mild interest, noting their similar size and close stance. They are likely either mates or siblings, the latter more probable, and she tucks this possibility into the back of her mind. Despite their towering size, her stance remains authoritative, though not overly so. Lips are graced with a small, affable upturn as she regards them for only a moment before her dial bobs in a minuscule nod.

"Jupiter Illiadis, Sol and Queen of Ludicael, at your service," comes her low rumble. Already neutral-toned voice has deepened slightly with her age and taken on a rough edge, dropping her octave to only a notch or two above masculine. The battle-scarred phoenix feels her heart pang slightly at the feeling of the words on her lips and how naturally and habitually they fall, leaping to her through the years with a bitter familiarity. The pluck of those strings remains undetectable to her smooth, outward visage, however--a seasoned actor from her youth due to the outward guise she had long ago abandoned, veiling her emotions came naturally also.

"speech"

 

Bjorn tipped his head in a nod of agreement at his sister's words, but remained silent as she sent a call out for the alpha, instead letting his gaze rove around the area while she was occupied with it. They weren't left to wait long before a fiery orange female appeared. He was surprised to hear her introduce herself as the queen of this pack - truly it was a different place than the Ebony he had left, if their queen deigned to patrol the borders alongside the common soldiers. Or they were desperate. He shifted to send his sister a meaningful glance before speaking up, his voice an edgy rumble quite unlike the relaxed, soft way he spoke to his sister. Even his words and phrasing had changed, becoming shorter and more sharp, not quite belligerent but definitely on the rougher side. His tall, ursine body was set like a bear unsure whether or not it would need to charge as he peered at the brightly colored woman. "Bjorn. This's my sister Birna. We're looking for a pack - we're both of us trained warriors. Interested?" She'd be a fool not to be interested in two potential fighters of their size, unless she was from some soft-bellied pack or something. He could play that angle too if he needed to, to get them in, but somehow he doubted Birna would be all right with hanging out with a bunch of goody-goody types all the time. Just wait and see which way the dice fell. ""

 

Border duty had always been a favored chore of hers--knowledge is power to the woman and she personally felt it important that her scent prove the most prominent on her borders, lest someone be mistaken to think that she was neglectful of her duties. They also lead to things such as this--opportunities to capitalize upon. The scarred phoenix feels the beginnings of a grin pulling her lips taut at the other's words. "Naturally," she responds, stance shifting. Defenses fall into place--hackles begin to rise, chin tucks, jaws gape minutely. Paws shift to distribute her weight, knees bending. Shoulders roll forward to guard the base of her throat and scrunched neck, audits tipping gradually backwards. "You are welcome here. I have been looking for the fighters in the land of cowards," she responds, voice light, but then fading to a mischievous tone as she continues. "Care to show me a bit of your training, warriors?" Gaze flicks to either. They seem to be siblings, no doubt, and she is willing to allow for the skill of one to pledge for the prowess of another, confident in their similar training. Besides, a little fun never hurt anyone. ooc. round 0/2. Won't be judged and the fight will be interrupted by Jup after the last round if one of them accepts. She's just seeing how willing they are to fight/get a small scope of their skill. :DD Also, permission gained from Lunar to skip because she's busy with finals. <3

Birna sat back and let her brother take the lead while she observed the woman before them.  She seemed a capable combatant despite her small size… though most wolves seemed small to the massive duo.  Ludicael.  She let the name linger in her mind.  The name of what might become their potential home.  She nodded at Björn's words.  There wasn't much else to say really, no flowery speeches just a pair of wandering warriors looking for a home and either they were of use or they weren't.  Birna watched as the woman slowly smiled and welcomed then.  A soft smile graced her face as well.  Excellent.  So she'd been looking for fighters.  Birna got to her feat and stretched before looking at her brother than back to Jupiter.  "I'm glad to hear it.  Would you like to take us both on at once or perhaps my brother?  We're equal in skill." "Talk" "You" Think

(( oops!! forgot that i was given permission to skip <3 sorry ))

She takes pleasure in their willingness to fight and gazes with a soft smirk at the woman who rises and stretches. Chuckle slips from her throat at the inquiry. "One at a time," she replies evenly. An unfair fight wouldn't give her an accurate gauge of their skill. "Perhaps at some point, if the need to test your skill as a team arises, I'll grab my mate and we can dance." In fact, as she says it, the idea seems infinitely appealing--she puts in a mental note to suggest it to Medusa at a later date. "I can test both of you, or one of you. Doesn't matter to me." She's willing to take their word for their skill unless both feel the need to prove themselves at the moment--eventually, she'll have sparred with both of them but for now, one would do. "Whenever one of you is ready," she encourages, enticing the one wishing to fight the most to attack when desired. She is attentive and focused, previous defenses holding firm.

Birna turned her face to her brother and nodded.  She would take the first battle and prove her worth to the alphess.  Rolling her shoulders she stretched lightly before facing across from the woman. Defenses flew into place.  Fur raised, hackles lacing down her back.  Shoulders rolled forward as she scrunched her neck back, chin dipping down over her chest.  Birna's stance widened as her legs bent and muscles coiled, distributing her weight evenly amongst the four limbs as well as lowering her center of gravity.  Charcoal toes splayed as claws gripped the earth for the traction she needed to launch her attack.  Snowy ears pinned to her head, jaws slightly parted as her head and neck aligned with her spine.  Brows furrowed and the behemoth growled. Muscular thighs rippled as she pushed off, launching her self directly at the smaller woman in a bid to close the distance between the pair.  She attempted to approach Jupiter nearly head-on, her body shifting about a foot to her own right.  Birna's neck twisted to her left in an attempt to bite onto the left-side of Jupiter's neck, just behind her left ear in hopes of getting a grip with which she could control the other females head.  Weight shifted evenly to her hind legs, tail streaming out stiffly behind her for balance as she lifted her front limbs.  Her right front limb sought to fall across the base of Jupiter's neck, right in front of the russet femme's shoulder blades.  Birna's left forepaw hoped to wrap around Jupiter's left front leg midway between the ankle and elbow in an attempt to jerk the limb back towards Birna so she could use her massive weight to drag the other woman to the ground. Rd. 1/2 for Test ooc:  quick and dirty, skype me if you've any questions, I'm ill but trying to do this anyway.  xD ""

The woman charges and she steels herself for the impact, hind legs bracing for if the other attempts to throw her weight into her. The woman begins to rise and Jupiter rises partially with her, locking her front legs to push her upper body a little higher. The other woman's right leg lands as she wishest, but Jupiter shifts her left forepaw and leg back slightly, having spied the trip attempt Birna makes with her other paw. The other's claws barely clip along the left side of her foreleg, leaving slight and minimal horizontal scratches, but do little more. The other's jaws attempt to go for the left side of Jupiter's neck. Jupiter attempts to intercept them, her lower teeth seeking to hook on the front of the other's jowls and the bottom of her nose, her upper teeth seeking to snap down on the bridge of the woman's nose in an attempt to gain full control over the other's head. Meanwhile, Jupiter's left shoulder attempts to jut upwards, the bony blade endeavoring to slam into the other's lower jaw from below, just behind the bone of her chin. She seeks the tender spot between the lines of her jaw. With this attack, she hopes to simultaneously push the woman's head into her jaws and close the woman's jaw at the same time. round 1/2

Birna's right foreleg lands as planned, falling across the base of Jupiter's neck, right in front of the shoulder blades.  Birna's left forepaw however fails to grasp the middle of Jupiter's left front leg and instead only her claws leave a few superficial marks on the left side of Jupiter's foreleg, superficial and worthless. Quickly she plants her left forepaw on the ground.  It rapidly becomes clear that her assault for Jupiter's neck will fail as she see's the other woman start to turn towards her.  Quickly abandoning her bid for the russet woman's neck Birna moves to readjust. As Jupiter's jaws move for her own Birna moves to lower and tilt her head to the right attempting to position the right side of her face nearly parallel with the ground.  She aims to catch Jupiter's lower jaw. Seeking for her upper canines to connect with the center left side of Jupiter's lower jaw right and her lower canine's aiming to land on the center right side.  Birna hopes to halt Jupiter's attack and gain a vital hold to strain the russet woman's lower jaw. [damage pending, sorry  xD]  Do to her shift in position the shoulder attack fails to collide with Birna's lower jaw. In addition to her jaw attack Birna distributes her weight to her back legs as well as her right foreleg which is drapped over Jupiter's shoulders, tail aligning with her spine and streaming out behind her for balance.  Birna attempts once again to lift her left forepaw this time she attempts to slam it down on the toes of Jupiter's left forepaw in an attempt to strain the digits.  Eyes remained narrowed, ears pinned to her skull and hackles raised.  The toes of all four paws spread though only the claws of her back legs dug into the earth to add more stability.   He back arched slightly, core tightening to give her added balance.  Shoulders rolled forward, neck scrunching back as far as she could to give her both added protection and time to maneuver.   Rd. 2/2 for Test ooc:  I'll deal her damage soon, sorry to counter with a counter.  Once I get an idea stuck in my head it's hard to let go.  Lol at least it's pretty realistic seems dogs are always meeting jaw to jaw  xD ""

The other's head tilts and so Jupiter angles her head upwards, but not quite quick enough--the woman's jaws clip the very bottom of her chin, leaving two or three narrow lacerations grazing left to right, drawing a small bit of blood. Simultaneously, she attempts to step to her own right, jaws re-honing as she attempts to lunge for the upper-left portion of her opponent's neck--hopefully left partially exposed by the tilt of the other's head. She seeks to take a grasp just behind the hook of the woman's jaw, lower teeth purposefully seeking to fall just short of the front of the other's throat and the upper teeth wishing to pierce right at the end of the jaw's crook. Her move attempt happens, coincidentally, at the same moment the other lifts her left paw. Jupiter throws her right shoulder fiercely toward Birna's left shoulder, hoping to seriously jar the other's balance. Her move also endeavors to have temporarily swayed or disturbed Birna's right arm rest as Jupiter attempts to catch her with both paws off the ground--and with nothing for the other to set them on. With the movement of Jupiter's paws and the hopefully-successful disruption of her opponent's balance, Birna's paw attack misses/is voided (damage pending?). Balance readjusts to compensate for her shift in weight. Legs not on the attack bend slightly, toes splaying. Hackles remain raised and lips stay curled. Eyes are narrowed, ears are pinned, and her throat remains as thoroughly scrunched as possible. Shoulders remain rolled forward. round 2/2 *** After her attacks land/carry through, Jupiter disengages, nodding with satisfaction. "Very well. Welcome to Ludicael, Warrior." Gaze turns to Bjorn, ears pushing forward curiously. She had offered and contemplated testing only one of them but now a desire to be thorough grips her. "Ready when you are." She says, defenses re-setting as she turns to face the warrior's brother. round 0/2

((Sorry for the PP, just wanna move this along. ^_^ We're closeee.))