Seeing as this was his first fight, he couldn't relate to the attacks overly used in spars. The Azat spoke of body slams, bites and paw stomps, and as ingenious and tempting as they sounded to his ears, it seemed he couldn't use them. As the pack assembled themselves into their designated pairs, his fretful gaze scanned the scattered crowd in search for attacks he could copy. Alas, his hopes were unsuccessful because of the different starting positions everyone else had organised themselves into. Besides, he'd hate to waste his sparring time and make himself look like a complete dreamer in front of his partner.  Fortunately the other pup was in close distance and so they had a small yet open space to themselves. Ebony paws shuffled closer awkwardly until they lightly made contact with Starling's. His head slowly lifted to meet his eyes, startling himself on how close their faces were. Starling was noticeably younger with only an inch or so shorter in height, which meant the fight would possibly be more fair. He personally would have preferred a fight in a more easier position like from the behind because of the element of surprise. Who started face-to-face in a distance so close that one opponent could lick the other? A weird fight was better than none at all, especially since he was trying to make a good impression on Bass.
"I guess you can go first." He chirped optimistically after a few moments of silence. There was nothing else he could say, other than offering his opponent the first move. In a way, he felt weak by allowing the other boy to go first so generously and kindly. But to be honest, he had no idea how to start!

Starling stood with his toes to the other boy who he...oddly didn't really know. But then again, Starling always seemed to have his head tucked in a flower bed, than learning the names of his pack mates. With a timid smile he'd look up at the boy, his ears pinned in anxiety rather than defense. This...was a bad idea. This was a bad idea! But he didn't voice it. He merely smiled, his eyes shifting from around them to his opponent....this was a bad idea. Swallowing against his anxiety he lowered his head just a bit, defenses falling into place smoothly. He was always afraid, and so his body seemed to move so naturally into position. His tail would tuck, ears would pin and his head would lower as much as possible in this close proximity. His legs, parted at shoulder width, would bend and his weight would settle on his hind limbs so he could spring away. But that wasn't the point of today. Starling wouldn't run, he had to fight. Swallowing around his nervousness again, he laughed slightly. It was an awkward sound, like he didn't know how to make it, as Tinaro suggested Starling go first. No, this was a bad idea! He wasn't used to fighting, he was always on the defense....it was like today was backwards day. But he remembered how he felt when Bass made the call, remembered how much he wanted to prove more to himself than anything that he wasn't just a timid lanky flower boy. He wanted to be able to compete...no, that was wrong. He wanted to keep up with Lark, wanted to have something he could discuss with his bigger brother, cause lord knows Lark probably wouldn't be interested in his flora. "I have no idea what to do.." He whispered timidly, for once not stuttering as he glanced around. No one was face to face, toes touching. Why in the world would anyone start a fight this way? But he thought about it, felt his basic instinct as he stood with Tinaro. The hairs along his neck raised as he felt his bubble so...rudely trespassed. It caused a defensive feeling in Starling, but how would he feel if maybe...perhaps, he wanted to attack. His heart raced in his chest as he turned to look at Tinaro again, laughing awkwardly before he lifted himself up just slightly. Breathing deeply to settle his anxiety he would then lung (weakly) in attempt to push his body weight against the boy, his muzzle moving to grab the thick fur along Tinaro's left side (Starling's right). His bite, if it landed, wouldn't be hard, nothing more than a grip of teeth on flesh, nothing more than he had felt when he was a puppy and his siblings insisted on playing with teeth and claw. His tail would swish out behind him to hold him steady, but that was the extent of his move, not knowing what else to do. "Burn Baby Burn"

Hesitantly, he observed what the other boy did as he tried to copy the pose shown before him. Why this was necessary for fights, he didn't know, but it seemed right. Almost instinctively, his skull lowered to align with his straightened tail, legs bent slightly, hackles raised and bristled, silver tipped ears pinned to his head, chin tucked and alert eyes narrowed. While he wasn't aware of it, his limbs happened to be firmly placed on the ground at an equal distance apart with his weight evenly distributed. To be on the safe side, his toes splayed out while his claws dug into the soil for grip, just in case his opponent hatched any ideas along the lines of pushing him over. He assumed the other pup knew what he was doing because of the defensive stance he had readied himself into. However, he let out a whisper and an awkward chuckle that confirmed he was just as clueless as Tinaro himself. At least they would both engage in their first fight. Whether it was because of his excitement or nausea, adrenaline pulsated through his form as his muscles tensed.

Rather expectantly, his opponent weakly lunged out and pushed his body weight into Tinaro's chest (I asked Arin about this and she said Starling was aiming for the chest). Because of the softness of the attack, his chest laid untouched by any bruising as well as his balance which remained the same. Next, his opponent's teeth sought to grip the left side of Tinaro's neck (Arin confirmed this as well) so before his bite could land successfully on his flesh, Tinaro lifted his left legs (left foreleg and left hindleg) off from the ground to dodge the attempted bite. He redistributed his weight to shakily balance upon his right legs (right foreleg and right hindleg) and because of this, he leaned slightly to his right, facing Starling's left shoulder. He would only balance himself like that for another moment before attempting to head butt his forehead into the centre of Starling's lower chest, just where it began to curve into his underside (and also in between Starling's forelegs). He would put in his full force in this particular attack in the hopes he would disrupt his opponent's balance. At the same time as this, his raised left legs would return to the ground. After his head butt, Tinaro would turn his skull to his right to face Starling's left foreleg. His jaws attempted to clamp down on the upper part of Starling's left foreleg and bite with mild force while also attempting to weakly pull the leg outward from his opponent in the hopes to sprain a muscle or disrupt his balance again.

Tinaro vs Starling for TRAINING SPAR
Round one of two?
Defences: First paragraph
Reactions: Second paragraph
Attacks: Second paragraph
Injuries: Serious bruising to forehead

Starling would gasp as his teeth didn't make impact, feeling Tinaro shift and lean to his right side. Left limbs would lift but Starling was too surprised to counter act. Naturally he'd take a few steps back from Tinaro, his legs shaking as wide blue eyes watched for movement. It didn't take long before the older boy would push forward, throwing his forehead into Starling's lower chest. (Painful bruising, requires Dandelion, can possibly find in the plains) He yelped loudly, feeling the fire of his blood rush to the point of impact, his tail tucking under him as he tried to hunker down closer to the ground. But he didn't move, he didn't back away or run (as much as he wanted too). He tried his best to growl, lips curled over unsure teeth, brows furrows and ears plastered against his skull. He'd aim with open jaws towards the back of Tinaro's neck, along the top of the Trapezius muscle (Reference), hoping to get a solid grip in the muscle. It was surprising what pain or fear could get a young child to do. His legs would shift, shaking but spreading to hold his balance. In the seconds it took for Tinaro to hit and for Starling to try to counter, he felt teeth rip into his flesh. A loud squeal would pull at his throat, eyes wide as his flesh opened. (Open wound, horsetail to bind, possible spiderweb to hold in place, find along the rapids) The blood would seep and he'd whine, pulling away from any grip he might have been able to get, trying to sink to the ground as quickly as possible to try and keep Tinaro from spraining or straining his limb, to try and hold his head in place to keep the damage minimal. He wanted to forefit, but he merely gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes despite the tears and the scent of blood in the air. No, he decided, he couldn't do fighting. Starling vs Tinaro Round 2/2 "Italian"

Success gleamed in his narrowed emerald eyes as his head-slam to his opponent's lower chest landed according to the improvised plan he was making up as the fight progressed. This attack, however, left Tinaro's neck exposed because of the sloping angle his body was positioned to reach his opponent's lower chest. Without realisation, Starling's teeth seized the muscle along the back of his neck (the trapezius muscle, to be exact). Although his head ached from his first attack, he had never experienced pain as strong as the bite he had just received. Still, his own bite to Starling's upper left foreleg had also landed successfully. While he tried to weakly pull the limb, of which there were no positive results because of his opponent's lowered position, the odd taste of someone else's blood came to his tongue. It was disgusting and it at once made him feel pity for his presumed hurt opponent. Was there supposed to be blood? It didn't seem right, which was why he released his grip of his opponent's foreleg. From there, he mirrored Starling's lowered position, remembering to keep his ears flat on his head, chin awkwardly tucked, hairs upon his neck lifted for protection, paws spaced evenly apart, weight equally distributed upon his four legs and tail raised in a straight line behind him. As a way to make himself look more intimidating, his lips curled back to reveal snarling teeth.

While facing his opponent head on, Tinaro's muzzle swung to his right and with carelessly strong force, swung it back to his left and attempted to collide the left side of his muzzle with the left side of Starling's muzzle (Starling's left). For this move, he clenched his teeth and scrunched his cheeks to avoid any possible damage to the insides of his mouth. Only a second after his attempt to slam their muzzles together, he would rise to his full height only to plunge his head forward (still facing Starling head on) in an attempt for his jaws to bite the lower half of Starling's left cheek. At this point, Tinaro didn't know where else to direct his attacks in fear of causing more pain to his opponent, which was why his attempted bite would be struck with feeble force to create only a quick grasp on the flesh.

Tinaro vs Starling for TRAINING SPAR
Round two of two
Defences: Narrowed eyes, ears flat on head, chin tucked, hairs upon his neck lifted, paws spaced apart, weight equally distributed for his position, tail raised in a straight line behind him, lips curled in a snarl, clenched teeth and scrunched cheeks.
Reactions: First paragraph
Attacks: Second paragraph
Injuries: Lacerations to the trapezius muscle, serious bruising to the left side of muzzle

Starling v Tinaro for Spar ROUND ONE Starling: 6 for clarity: Where is Starling hoping to make contact with his lunge? What part of his body is he using to press against Tinaro? Where exactly is Starling aiming his bite? 10 for powerplaying. 5 for defenses. 4 for attack. +1 lunge, +3 grab for Tinaro’s side 10 for injuries. First round. Starling’s round one total: 35/50 Tinaro: 9 for clarity: I’m not sure how Starling’s attack to Tinaro’s side ended up on the neck, but since you two confirmed it among each other I’m going to let it go. Also, how exactly is the slight lean to the right avoiding Starling’s attack? More description is needed there. 8 for powerplaying. Points off for a nested attack. You need to give Starling time to respond to the headbutt before launching the bite. Both of these attacks required the same general body part so they are considered nested. 8 for defenses. You had all required defenses, but the maneuver where Tinaro lifted both of his legs on his right side resulted in a deduction. It’s very unlikely that a wolf could stand like that, especially in a situation like a fight. 4 for attack. +1 butting against Starling (he can’t put his full force in if he’s only on two legs), +3 bite/pull on Starling’s foreleg 10 for injuries. First round. Tinaro’s round one total: 39/50 ROUND TWO Starling: 9 for clarity: How bad is the bite to his leg? 10 for powerplaying. 4 for defenses. 4 for attack. +4 grip attempt on trapezius muscle 7 for injuries. -1 moderate bruising to chest, -2  moderate laceration (foreleg) Starling’s round two total: 34/50 Tinaro: 9 for clarity:   How serious is the injury to his trapezius muscle? You have to clarify this in the fight post, not just in the form at the bottom. 8 for powerplaying. Multiple attacks are encouraged, but often should be done simultaneously. The fact that you chose to slam their muzzles together and then bite means that Starling doesn’t get a chance to counter the muzzle attack effectively. 8 for defenses. 4 for attack. +1 muzzle collision, +3 bite to Starling’s cheek 7 for injuries. -2 injury to trapezius muscle, -1 moderate bruising to muzzle Tinaro’s round two total: 36/50 Totals: Starling: 69/100 Tinaro: 75/100 And the winner is... Tinaro! Starling must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: Starling: Moderate bruising to chest, moderate laceration to foreleg. Will take 2 OOC weeks to fully heal. Tinaro:   Moderate laceration to trapezius muscle, moderate bruising to muzzle. Will take 2 OOC weeks to fully heal. Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): For Arin:  Starling needed more defenses, but I understand your not using too many of them because he’s a new fighter. For Millie:  Tinaro fought well but made some moves that were unrealistic (lifting both paws from one side of the body off of the ground) and also some that were detrimental to himself as much as his opponent (slamming their muzzles together). For both: Great fight! - By [Andy]

This was a fight that he had been quite intent to watch. As he padded up to the two boys, he couldn't help but smirk at Starling's attempt at fighting. At least he was trying, and for that he was ever thankful. Golden eyes carefully watched the fight, and he knew who would come out the winner. Slowly coming closer, he let out a sharp bark for the two to separate. "Tinaro, you have one this spar." He called, eying both of them with pride. "Well done, both of you. I would suggest learning some new defenses, but that you can come to me for. Again, well fought." His gaze lingered on Starling then, leaning down to nuzzle the top of his head. "Now, it is your turn to truly shine my boy. I would like you to heal Tinaro's wounds, as well as your own." With that he gave a nod of his head, and with twist of his tail he moved on to the other spars.