Mneme's ears fell flat against her head as she listened to her sister and brother's shaky words, their sorry pleas - often Mnemosyne liked to think of herself as the oldest of the litter, and although she was just as frantic as Philotes and Aether in that moment, she sucked in a deep gulp of blood-scented air and shut her eyes in an attempt to calm down. There were so many emotions, bubbling up all at once and screwing with her head that it was becoming very hard for the child to keep her thoughts from scrambling together. She was confused mostly, hardly sad or disgusted, by the sight of her mother in battle - it was the sadness and fright that she heard in the voices of her siblings that ignited a new feeling in her heart, anger.

She listened as her aunt vaguely explained the situation, her mother had a score to settle. Mneme's tail slammed against the ground and she hopped to her feet indignantly, she was about to say something, to wail and scream, until the scent of her father met her nose. She turned instantly, watching as Helios came towards them and sat down beside Phoebe, and Mneme ran to him. She buried herself in his side, and eyed Aether as he spoke, her heart burning as she heard his voice shake. Mnemosyne didn't understand why there was a fight in the first place, all she could understand was that she didn't understand anything at all - she was not afraid, or saddened by the sight of the battle though, she was confident that her mother would be fine.

Mneme knew nothing of the illness that plagued Natalya, and although the pup could see her mother was frailer than other wolves, she had never known her mother in any other way; the child did not see the true extreme of her mother's plight or the stakes of this fight. Her eyes moved to watch the combatants once again, pink eyes ablaze as blood spilled before them. The initial shock of seeing her mother in such a dangerous dance faded away and burning aggression took its place, mixed with the ever present confusion as to why this was happening at all.

Adrenaline bombarded her system. Her heart pounded in her chest. She thirsted for blood and she was determined not to stop until she got what she wanted. Her desire to move would be met as she successful aligned their bodies to a nearly head on position, her left shoulder aligned with the center of her opponents chest. The severe lacerations at her neck bled freely, but her opponent did not hang on, immediately recoiling to protect her (nat) throat. Similarly, the ebony womans left forepaw would leave her own left silver forepaw to reestablish her (nat) balance. Cat's own defenses remained solidly intact: eyes narrowed, ears pinned, hackles raised, lips peeled back, head level with her spine, chin tucked, neck scrunched, shoulders rolled forward, legs spread equidistant and bent at the joint, toes spayed, claws digging into the ground, weight evenly distributed, and tail aligned with her spine. Her own fangs would nearly meet their mark. But her opponent would surge forward, counteracting her own push forward. Her (cat) top fangs would connect with the top/back of the womans skull, partially over her opponents left ear, while lower fangs sunk into her opponents left cheek and left eye. It was a sweet victory, but wasnt enough to deter her opponent. As her opponent pushed forward, she hoped it would cause worse damage to her face and eye. But she would not linger long for she was far from threatening the womans life. As they collided, a moderate bruise would form across the left portion of her chest. As her opponents head and neck began to rotate to her (nat) left, the silver queen would immediately recoil, removing her fangs from the womans face and allowing her neck to once again fully scrunch to push more fat and fur around her throat and neck, as well as her chin tucking tightly against her throat. In an attempt to redirect her opponents jaws, her upper body would curl to her right, so that her left shoulder jutted slightly farther forward and she was curled into an obtuse semi-circle to her own right. During this, the rest of her body sought to remain aligned with her opponent, only her shoulders, head and neck moving to arc to her right. Fangs would connect with the left upper portion of her neck, sinking into fat and fur, enemy fangs threatening to pierce muscle if she sought to further the attack. Moderate puncture wounds bled, staining her silver pelt. Her enemy would grip several inches from the corner of her left sided jaws. As her own right foreleg left the ground, her opponent would rear up, causing the attempted grip on the ebony womans left foreleg to still meet its mark, but her opponent would counter by curling her left ebony foreleg around the silver womans own lifted right foreleg, just at her ankle. She would strike mercilessly. Hind legs spread wide and bent deeply, her grounded right foreleg bending deeper as well as she sought to lower herself by an inch, her weight also shifted to be evenly distributed mostly across her hind legs. It was her goal to use her opponents lifted height against her. Silver crown tipped to her right, neck turning to her own left, so that her jaws pointed to her own left, splayed jaws sought a hold of the womans neck, just above the bone in her chest. Fangs thirsted for the womans trachea. Top jaws sought to puncture the left side (nat left) of her opponents trachea, while lower jaws sough to puncture the right side (nats right). In sync with her bite, she would seek to use bent hind legs to shove herself forward and up into her opponent. She wanted to know the woman her back so that she might rip her throat open. Following this, she would seek to snap her lift left foreleg back tot he ground, hoping that the abrupt  movement would disrupt the womans balance and only aid in bring the bitch down. ”CATALEYA vs NATALYA for DEATH: round 2/3" OOC- eve has started judging it ^^ and then luns is gonna start as soon as she has a chance for the second verdict

The call was all too familiar and all too clear. Natalya was calling for a death match. Hani didn't know of the history between the two women, and she had left Natalya after the meeting, but she found herself on her paws as soon as the call reached her ears. Her pace was a wandering walk towards the battlefield at first. She imagined Natalya fighting to the death. She imagined the woman falling. Her pace quickened. Her paws hit the ground faster. Hani's ears pricked and she moved faster still.

Her mind played out an imaginary battle. She saw Natalya die. She had left thinking she would never see the woman again. She had felt miserable and had been taking medicines regularly. The call had startled her out of a sleep. She was sober. Her friend was alive. Her friend, Natalya, was going into a death match. She had left her only friend knowing she was going to die. Guilt wracked the woman's body, pulling tight at her stomach.

She entered the edge of the battlefield in the fastest run she could manage. She stopped short at the sight of the battle, her paws skidding on the rough ground. Sea-colored eyes opened wide, overflowing with tears from her previous thoughts. Her heart clenched. Before her, the two women fought roughly. She couldn't breath. She should have been there for Natalya. She should have talked to her! She should have tried something- anything- other than running away! Choppy breaths shook through Hani's body, half panting, half sobbing. She knew she couldn't do anything. She knew Natalya would die from this or from her injuries and sickness. Suddenly, Hani wanted to throw herself at her friend's paws. She couldn't believe she had forsaken her only friend, and now it looked like it would be too late to make it up to her. Stiffly, Hani stood, her attention on the fight only.

speech

The battle between the two continued to rage, feeling as though it was taking hours when it was only a matter of a few short minutes.  Natalya felt each movement in slow motion, her thoughts speeding up to keep time with her actions.  She felt the teeth over her head pull break contact and, as their chests had just connected, Natalya felt the shift in her opponent’s shoulders and realized that Cataleya had turned slightly to her own right.  There was an urge to flicker her left ear as she felt the stinging pain of the air hitting her wounds, but she kept both ears flat against her head in an effort to avoid further damage.  The air also felt different on the upper portion of her face and Natalya realized with a mild horror that her left eye had been removed along with Cataleya's teeth.  What the air touched now was a gaping hole with blood flowing freely from it, and the sensation had her narrowing her eyelids to protect her remaining right eye, despite her understanding that it was unnecessary.

Natalya felt her her teeth sink into the upper left side of the woman’s neck and mentally shrugged off her disappointment at her failed strike.  She elected this time to maintain her hold, rather than let go right away, so that she could feel the movements of Cataleya’s head and neck.  She attempted to tighten her jaws, hoping the added pressure would deepen the damage to her opponent.  She also tried to shake her head slightly, hoping to add to any further damage she caused.

At the same time she had attempted to counter her opponent’s effort to take her off balance by pushing her weight toward her backside.  Her right leg had raised off the surface of the ground only slightly in that effort but she immediately returned it to the surface and shifted her positioning and weight.  Her shoulders rolled forward again as she ceased her momentary backward pull, adding protection to her neck.  A pull at her teeth told her that Cataleya was moving as well and instinct kicked in to prevent her from over-thinking.  She pivoted, moving her hind legs about a foot to her own right in an effort to put her back at a slight angle to Cataleya’s form.  She widened the stance of her hind legs slightly more than before, spread her toes and bent at the knees as she shifted, her abs tightening in anticipation as she continued to focus her weight slightly more on her hind legs.  Her tail remained level with her spine and added balance as she struck.

At the moment her feet touched the ground when she swung right, Natalya released her hold on Cataleya’s right foreleg, hoping for freedom for her own left foreleg from her opponent’s grip, and sprung forward and up.  She was aiming to try and wrap both legs around her opponent’s shoulders so that she could try to pull her to the ground.  Her forward movement would act as a counter to Cataleya’s own, preventing any loss of balance.  She fought to maintain her grip on Cataleya’s neck as she moved, hoping that the position of her jaws would limit her opponent’s movement.  Her change in position, moving up and forward, would redirect Cataleya’s strike to the upper portions of her left shoulder and chest.  She felt teeth leave deep puncture wounds in those areas as she pushed, and she was certain that the impact of them from both forward movements damaged both the pectoral and sternomastoid muscles there.

(ooc;;my extremely artistic representation of what position nat is trying to get into up to this point, step-by-step:
here)

When Cataleya’s jaws made contact with her body, Natalya released her grip on the female’s neck and tucked her head again, her chin lowered over her throat.  She was abruptly pulled downward as Cataleya returned to the ground, due to her enemy’s grip on her shoulders.  Natalya would return her right foreleg to the ground to catch herself as she tried to extend her jaws again to clamp them over Cataleya’s throat, her bottom set of teeth aiming for the throat a couple of inches below Cat’s jaws and top set aiming for the left side of Cat’s neck.  Perhaps the second time would be the charm.

Round 3 of 3  |  for death

ooc;; sweet! thanks eve and luns for judging and thanks saf for a great fight :)

Her aunt's side was only abandoned once Helios had arrived. Each breath she took was full of fear, breathing in the scent of blood and gore. Philotes would pull away from Phoebe’s side to move to her father, pressing beside her sister as she sobbed. She was scared -- terrified. There were wolves fighting... Her mother and a brother. She would shudder heavily, her tiny voice begging her father. "Daddy make them stop! Please make them stop!” She didn’t want this to continue. The snarls and fighting sounds were scary. The metallic scent of blood was making her feel sick. How she wanted to just curl up and wake up back at home. The tears rolled down her cheeks, and she choked back a sob, leaning into her sister.

"Speech"
'thoughts'

Art by Evelyn

He heard the call and yet he had taken his time in arrival. No, he didn't want to arrive to see her whole. His damned dam, his so called "mother" who threw him away. The young man would come however, in hopes of seeing the bitch die. His seagreen eyes, once so full of innocence, burned with hate. He knew the truth now... and though he was an Olympus by birth, technically by name, he was not of them. When he arrived he even recognized some of them. Even his sire. Ah... what a shame he wasn't suffering as well. The boy would brood as he stalked closer, at least until he saw two familiar beings. Kapra and Katja! Hypnos felt his mood lighten some as he strode over to the two vikings. He would set himself beside Kapra, a man whom he had respected for quite some time. "Has it been a good show thus far?" The boy asked, turning his attention to the fight. Oh how he hoped Natalya fell in battle. Such a sweet taste of justice that would be. "Talk" Think

Table by:: Chrono

This is what she lived for. Her body steadily began to ache with the rigors of battle. Adrenaline kept her heart racing. Her defenses remained solidly in place: eyes narrowed, ears pinned, hackles raised, head level with her spine, chin tucked, neck scrunched, shoulders rolled forward, legs spread equidistant and bent at the joint, toes splayed, weight evenly distributed, tail straight and aligned with her spine, and her lips curled back in a snarl. The smell of her opponents blood was heavy in her nose and delicious on her tongue, but she wanted more, she wouldn’t be satisfied until her opponents blood washed over her silver paws in a crimson river. Ebony jaws would clamp down on the left upper portion of her neck as her opponent maintained a grip. Moderate puncture wounds deepened, bordering on the line of becoming severe. And those wounds would become severe when the ebony bitch thrashed her head back and forth, puncture wounds becoming lacerations. Scars would litter her neck, trophies of the life she had taken. Again her shove was neutralized as her opponent pushed back, a moderate bruise forming across the front of her chest. As she (cat) moved, her opponent was pivoting to her (nats) right until her opponent stood at a slight angle to her own left shoulder. Her opponent would release her grip on her own silver right foreleg, allowing the appendage to safely land back on the ground, and thus allowing her weight to fall evenly across her grounded limbs. However, this would prevent the Queen from disrupting her opponents balance. But her opponent was quick, wrapping her ebony forelegs in a bear hug around her (cat) so that her opponents forelegs rested across both her own shoulders. Her opponents movement to put them at an angle would cause her jaws to miss their intended target. Dark jaws landed across the enemies left shoulder/neck. She would seek to immediately clamp her jaws shut, wanting to deepen the damage. Fangs flashed in a flurry in the corner of her eye as the woman released her grip. Her enemies right foreleg would slip from her shoulders to land back on the ground. The Queen would seek to shove forward and slightly to her own right with all her weight. This would cause her opponents to fang to still land on upper left portion of her neck, a few inches behind her left sided jaw, but not nearly as lethal as the woman wanted. Again moderate punctures wounds would form, oozing blood. With her attempt to shove forward and to her right, her goal was to use her grip on her opponent to push and pull her opponent off balance so that she could force the woman to the ground. Following this attempt to disrupt her opponents balance, her left foreleg would seek to leave the ground, swiping at the womans right foreleg, near her right ankle. If she could successfully knock the womans forelegs out from under her, then she could bring the bitch down and end her miserable life. In sync with this, her head would thrash wildly, wanting to rip open the womans left neck/shoulder so that her opponent could feel her wrath before she died. "CATALEYA vs NATALYA for DEATH: round 3/3" OOC: great fight raii!! :)

She had heard a call from the battlefield just as almost everyone had. She had made her way to the border of Arcanum, head held high and ears perked in that direction. Would Aerndis be behind her? Was she lurking in the back waiting for her to cross her prison bars? But after waiting for so long, she could help it anymore. She knew it was her mother and she didn't want her to make the same stupid mistake she had. She would leap over the border as if jumping over a fence, and wouldn't look back even a second as she ran as fast as she could to make it to the battle field in time. Not even realizing that her paw was no longer damaged and that it was all in her head anyway. She would slow with a heavy breath when she came to the group of wolves surrounding the fight but wouldn't even look at her father for she didn't even realize he was there. Instantly she would look to her mother and her new queen who were at each other's throats and her eyes would widen, even her dysfunctional eye. "No, NO!" She would shout and force her way through the wolves in front of her and blocking her way. "It's too soon! NO!" She would jump too close to the wolves in battle but would pin her ears and bark at her queen though obviously mad at her mother. (She's not actually interfering just in range of the fight), "How could you do this!" They were probably too busy fighting to realize that she was trying to stop them, trying to save her mother so that she could go back home to her parents and die like it was planned. She may have been seeing her mother one last time, whether it was to see her death or walk away with victory. But she was sure Natalya wouldn't make it to the end of this fight, her condition when she left Pantheon was far from good health. It was ironic that she was so worried that everyone in Arcanum was hiding in the bushes staring and laughing at her and her new handicap. And now she was standing in front of a whole crowd and drawing everyone's attention to herself without even a single thought that they were there. Her ugly was nothing to her now that her mother was here and willing to die for her. She didn't know the purpose of it but it hadn't mattered to her. It would only come back to haunt her much later. But it couldn't be worse than Charon or the others... Walk "Talk" Think "Charon" "Voices"

NATALYA vs CATALEYA for DEATH Round 1 NATALYA: 6 for clarity: “then turning and attempting to sprint at Cataleya from an angle” You're making it sound like she is trying to fully close the distance, although later you make it sound like she stops without really saying that she stops. Just a bit confusing. -1 “bite deeply into the side of Cat’s neck.” Where is she biting into? I know you say where her bottom jaws are aiming, but where is her top jaw aimed? -2 “when she made contact with Cataleya” Is this supposed to be an attack? To make contact makes it sound like an attempted shoulder slam or something, but no mention of it. -1 2 for powerplaying. “she began to move in a semi-circle, stepping slowly at first to her right, then turning and attempting to sprint at Cataleya from an angle” A lot of movement here, you're not giving her enough time to respond to the initial movement before she charges in. -2 “close the distance of a few feet between them quickly.” You cannot assume that Cataleya has not moved and has kept them at a few feet apart. -2 “She would aim to dig her claws into the ground when she made contact with Cataleya” You cannot at any time assume that you come into contact with your opponent, even though you added the 'when she did', because you're still assuming she actually hits her. -2 “and then would attempt to rip the flesh by abruptly pulling her head back in toward her throat.” Conditional, you cannot assume that her bite lands. Also too much movement. -2 9 for defences. Hackles raised, legs bent, legs spread, toes spread, ears pinned, tail aligned with spine, chin tucked, shoulders rolled, claws dug in ground 3 for attack. Bite to neck +2 (lost points for pp) paw slam +1 10 for injuries. First round Round one NATALYA Total: 30/50 CATALEYA: 8 for clarity: “right foreleg, extending the limb forward with the intent to wrap her left foreleg” Which is it, left or right foreleg? -2 10 for powerplaying. None seen 8 for defences. Eyes narrowed, ears pinned, hackles raised, head level with spine, chin tucked, neck scrunched, shoulders rolled, legs spread, legs bent, toes spread, not making up for tripod state -2 5 for attack. Bite to left side of face + maim attempt +4, chest bump +1 (like a bro), 10 for injuries. First round, moderate bruise on left shoulder, severe lacerations on left side of neck, moderate bruise on top of left forepaw. Round one CATALEYA Total: 41/50 Round 2 NATALYA: 4 for clarity: “the top set plunging into the top-to-back curve of her head partially on her still-flattened left ear, while the bottom punctured her left cheek and eye.” How severe is this wound? Also, where on the cheek did she bite down? -3 “Immediately she felt Cataleya’s right forelimb hook around her own left foreleg and she sought to counteract the move by bending her back legs further and pushing off with her front right leg to focus her weight in the rear.” A little but unclear if she has reared up or not, just got lost a bit in the wording. -1 “She attempted to bend the knee of her left leg tight around Cataleya’s right leg as well. It was an effort both to prevent Cataleya from pulling her forward, and to hopefully trap her opponents leg and pull the bitch off-balance instead.” So this was super confusing, and impossible for a wolf to do. She would really need to twist her leg into a very strange positions to get this. -2 6 for powerplaying. “She tore the flesh open as she wrenched her head back,” Needs to be attempted -2, “Natalya made an effort to push off with her hind legs and surge forward, knowing it would worsen the damage of Cataleya’s bites and probably cause the actual loss of her left eye once the teeth were removed,” You must attempt to remove yourself from a grip, you cannot assume that you will tear away. -2 10 for defences. Head aligned with spine, chin tucked, shoulders rolled, weight distributed evenly, legs spread, toes spread, legs bent, ears pinned, balance fixed for rearing 2 for attack. Bite to neck +2 (lost points for PP on the movements) No points for the leg grab, as its not really possible. 2 for injuries. Moderate bruise on left shoulder -2, severe puncture wounds to left cheek and eye -4 Moderate chest bruise -2 Round two NATALEYA Total: 24/50 CATALEYA: 8 for clarity: “Silver crown tipped to her right, neck turning to her own left, so that her jaws pointed to her own left, splayed jaws sought a hold of the womans neck, just above the bone in her chest.” The way you worded this makes it really hard to try and picture it, and its pretty confusing. -2 10 for powerplaying. None seen 10 for defences. Eyes narrowed, ears pinned, hackles raised, lips snarling, head aligned with spine, chin tucked, neck scrunched, shoulders rolled, legs spread, toes splayed 4 for attack. Bite to trachea + severity +4 5 for injuries. Moderate bruise to chest -2, Moderate puncture wounds to left side of neck -3, Round two CATALEYA Total: 37/50 Round 3 NATALYA: 7 for clarity: “Her right leg had raised off the surface of the ground only slightly in that effort but she immediately returned it to the surface and shifted her positioning and weight.” Is this Natalya or Cat? Had she not reared up fully? -2 “the upper portions of her left shoulder and chest” Where abouts? Be more specific. -1 2 for powerplaying. “She pivoted, moving her hind legs about a foot to her own right in an effort to put her back at a slight angle to Cataleya’s form.” Is she still clinging on to Cataleya? If so this would need to be attempted because it would effect the opponent. -2 “and sprung forward and up. She was aiming to try and wrap both legs around her opponent’s shoulders so that she could try to pull her to the ground.” You cannot assume that Cataleya has let go of her leg to attempt this attack. -2, “She fought to maintain her grip on Cataleya’s neck as she moved.... Her change in position, moving up and forward,” This is a lot of movement all while trying to bite in the same spot. This would put a lot of pressure on Nat's neck from moving this way, since she is twisting around to try and hold on. Plus this much movement is just way too much, you're not giving her enough time to respond to the attack. -4 There is way too much movement in your post, you give no time for Cata to react. -2 6 for defences. Ears pinned, eyes narrowed, shoulders rolled, toes spread, legs bent, tail aligned with spine, 5 for attack. Grab and shake +2, hug/hold +1, second bite to throat +2 (lost points for too much movement) 1 for injuries. Severe wound to left eye and cheek (worsened last one. More than severe? Super severe?) -5 Severe bite to the left neck/shoulder, damage of the muscles -4, Round three NATALEYA Total: 21/50 CATALEYA: 10 for clarity: All clear 10 for powerplaying. None seen 8 for defences. Eyes narrowed, ears pinned, hackles raised, lips snarling, head aligned with spine, chin tucked, neck scrunched, shoulders rolled, legs spread, toes splayed. Did not make up for tripod stance -2 5 for attack. Harden bite +1, Shove +1, Ankle swipe +1, Head thrash +2 1 for injuries. Severe puncture wounds to left side of neck -4, moderate bruise to front of chest -2, moderate puncture wounds to upper left neck -3 Round three CATALEYA Total: 34/50 Totals: NATALYA: 75/150 CATALEYA: 112/150 And the winner is... Cataleya! Natalya must give up by either submitting, or passing out. Cataleya now as the right to end her life. Damage: Natalya: Faces death, wounds will not matter. Cataleya: Moderate bruise to the left shoulder, left forepaw, left side of chest and front of chest will all take 1 OOC week to heal. Severe lacerations to the left side of neck, as well as the severe puncture wounds will take 3 OOC weeks to heal and will most likely scar. Moderate puncture wounds to the left side of the neck will take 2 OOC weeks to heal and might scar. Notes: Tips for both writing, and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here) Notes For Raii You struggled a lot with your clarity and power playing. Everything that you should be attempting are the moved that have a direct effect to your opponent, such as moving towards them, spacing between them, or pulling out of a grip. Also be more clear about where attacks land, have landed, as well as how deep they are. You're attacks were pretty solid though, just make sure to list all ten defenses! Easy points there! For Saffie You lost points for not making up for shifting of balance, and you could have thrown some more attacks in there as well. Watch your confusion with left and right, and also about just how you list your movement. I get that you are trying to explain it well, but its coming off as very wordy and oddly specific, which makes it seem like you're doing a lot more than one movement. Also sorry for the wait! I started a new job and worked a 6 day week, so awl the tired. Good fight, ladies. Contact me with any questions as always. ;) - By [Evelyn]

He was all but ignored amongst the fray of battle. There was so much going on here. Children, crying as they watched this fight to the death -- for surely it would end no other way, judging by the intensity of the opponents.  "Silly little pups," he snickered softly, though he found himself laughing at the chaos. Oh, this was fun... he wondered how it was that all the wolves here were so soft, so emotional. Surely his own mother would've smacked him upside the head, had he been such a bawling fool as a babe. His mood lightened when a familiar boy approached him. Hypnos! He had hardly gotten the chance to mentor him as he had wished to, but he would turn to grin cheekily at him."A good show indeed," he commented with a chuckle. Wasn't this boy related to these wolves? Ah well, it mattered not -- and it was a good show indeed.  "You are welcome to join Katja and I after this, unless you have somewhere better to be?" A brow would cock as he faced him, ignoring the battle for a moment. He seemed quite malleable and willing to please, and he'd grown considerably since he'd seem him last. And if one of these wolves was family, and he could stand and comment so lightly, perhaps he was strong enough to travel with them... Behind him, his stub of a tail would twitch as he examined him. Surely Katja wouldn't mind the company?

The entire fight had been a flurry of movement, intense and violent.  Natalya had made a point to keep all of her focus there, but even then she felt as though it was an out of body experience.  She felt the pain from her injuries and the soreness in her muscles, but she didn't truly feel it.  Perhaps it was the weakening of her body as illness and battle ravaged it that made her feel like a ghost of herself.  Her strength and her ambition faltered as she long battle came to its end, and with hardly any realization as to how, Natalya was suddenly lying upon her side with blood pouring from gaping wounds where Cataleya's teeth had just been.  She growled low in her throat and bared her teeth, but she made no other movement, too exhausted to go on.  Adrenaline could no longer keep the sickness at bay now that death was surely upon her.  One way or another, she was done now.

There would be no sorrowful apologies or goodbyes, no acknowledgement of the family that surrounded her.  Natalya could only hope that her children would take something positive from this.  That they would see what it truly meant to be strong and honorable, what one should be willing to do for family, and what it meant to be an Olympus wolf.  She hoped that Apollo would find redemption and be able to earn the love of his family again.  She hoped that Chione would finally begin to fight for her life against the insanity that threatened her, she hoped that Hercules would grow ever more wise, and she hoped that her youngest three would never stop working hard to grow kind and strong.  She hoped that they would all support each other, and that they would support their father as well.

Helios and Phoebe were certain to understand, for they knew what she fought for and the cancer she'd battled throughout.  But Helios was also certain to feel a pain unlike any before, a thought that made Natalya wish death would take her faster.  He needed to remain a force for their family but she worried that he would fall apart.  She could only pray to the gods as she went that he would be the father their children needed, the uncle the others needed, and the brother their Matriarch needed.  And hopefully he would know that she would always be with him, for the gods would surely never truly let them part.  It was in these last few days that she had realized the gods had never been so cruel, that even when Hermes had died he had lived on in the world around them and within their hearts.  He was a part of the strength that had brought her here this very day.

She would not simply go unto death now, no.  She and her late son would be able to watch over them together now, and perhaps in this next chapter of her life she would finally be able to see everything she had loved and fought for.

Poe had been given specific instructions by his mistress on their journey to the battlefield.  Much to his dismay, she had made it clear she would die this day.  There would be no other end, she simply hoped to take another with her.  He had agreed to everything she had demanded - that he not show sympathy for the family, that he would not interfere in the battle, and that he would continue to serve her line.  


Standing quietly away from the other wolves he had observed with a keen eye the life leaving the she-wolf he was certain he was destined to be tied to.  She was a raven in a wolf's clothing, with all the wisdom and color of his kind but covered in that wretched fur.  As unemotional as he was, he had loved his mistress and he resented the pain that coursed through him as she fell, the end suddenly upon her.  It was time.


With a great flap of his wings, Poe pushed into the air and cried out in grief, lingering only a moment before moving on to his new master.  He would go to the most fiercely loyal of the children, the one who showed his capacity for love and strength before the rest, the one who had boundless potential.  Surely the mistress wouldn't have expected his choice to be made so soon, but it was clear from the moment of the boy's arrival that he had earned this.  Poe would serve Thanatos, his mistress's adopted son, until he no longer could.  And he would serve the offspring of Natalya until his dying breath.


He would forever honor his ravenesque friend.





speech,

-exit Natalya via death when Cataleya strikes, exit Poe to go be Thanatos's companion (already paid for)-

ooc;;  It's been real everyone!  Thank you for a great two years on Ala.  I have been so fortunate to have been able to meet you all and to roleplay with such an amazing group of people and I hope that you will all keep in touch on Skype.  I'll be sure to pop in to say hi every so often, and maybe for the occasional Somnium thread <3  I love you all!

Hypnos would give a small nod as Kapra answered him, a little smirk playing on his lips. Oh how he was enjoying this, watching the dam who threw him away get what she deserved. Oh such a shame it couldn't have been he who was doing it! He would focus his full attention on the man as he spoke again, and Hypnos' gaze would shine gratefully. "That would be appreciated. I have nowhere better to be although..." His gaze would return to the fight. "I must admit I'm glad I got here before the end of it all. It would have been a shame to miss this." His claws would bite the earth as he watched the blood roll down Natalya's from her wounds. "Though I envy the silver woman for being the one who was called. It would have been such a pleasure to tear into that sorry raven wolfess' carcass myself." His gaze was hard. "But there will be fights for another day, eh?" Hypnos would glance at Kapra again. "Perhaps you could help me fine tune my skills, Kapra?" There wasn't much left of the battle. Natalya would soon fall, a beast who deserved nothing short of what she got. Whether sickness or wounds claimed her it didn't matter. Hypnos would feel a chill run down his spine. This was perfect. One down. Gaze would slide to the Olympians that had gathered. Father... siblings? He felt his heart clench and he would grit his teeth. What made them so perfect!? Oh yes... he had targets in his sights. "Talk" Think

Table by:: Chrono

The horror continued and Aether bit back the tears that were starting to well in his eyes. "Dad, please just stop them." He whimpered as he dared to take a peak and see that everything had come to a halt. His mother laid across the ground and panic filled him. "NO. Mum!" The little boy hollered as he ran towards her lifeless body. "No, you can't do this mum. You can't. You gotta wake up." He whimpered as he looked around at the other wolves about. You will pay for this strange lady. The words burned into his mind as he looked at his mother.

Katja rumbled her agreement to Kapra's grousing, eyeing the new combatants with a a neutral gaze. The one was Thanatos, Virgil's son and once her captive. Perhaps he'd gained himself a bit of backbone while in Yfir, but the childish way he put it to use could use some... refining. A pity he'd ended up back with the Olympians for them to ruin. Another familiar voice caught her attention, Hypnos the part-crippled youngling the Olympians had tried to kill, as he sat himself beside Kapra. She ignored their conversation, focusing instead on the battle before her. The Olympus woman fell, as Katja had expected she would - she was an ill, blind woman fighting a healthy trained warrior, it was only expected, though there was no honor in the kill. "I have seen enough," she said to Kapra in a murmur. Standing, she sent a hard, evaluating gaze to encompass what remained of the Olympus family. One by one they were falling, vanishing, and soon the bloodline would be gone altogether. A fitting end to her bloodfeud with Virgil Olympus, was it not? Seeking to catch the grieving family's gaze she lifted her lips to show her teeth in a dark promise. They didn't think it was over when she'd lost Yfir, did they? No... her grievance with Virgil ran deeper than that. With Olympus. The blood that ran in their veins was tainted with the deeds of their family and they would come to grief one way or another. Turning and trotting off without another word, she flicked her tail to Kapra and Hypnos, not in a beckoning gesture but rather in a fare-thee-well. Kapra would know where to meet back up with her - it was not necessary for her to drag him away from his conversation with the boy simply because she was finished. Perhaps the boy wished to watch his bitch mother bleed out. Perhaps he wished to watch the grief of the family she'd chosen to keep. She had no wish to ruin his fun. "Talk" "You" Think