Xephyris had distanced himself from the rest of the sparring wolves and was waiting for Cypress to join him. He couldn't wait to get this started. Finally he felt like he was doing something in this pack. And with Sin a part of their pack now, he would try even harder. He had to prove himself, and he had to build himself into the warrior he wanted to be. He had to be noticed. This would be his first step of many to come. He hoped that Cypress would be able to put up a fight even with his current injuries. Silver eyes glared impatiently as he waited...

He was aching, but did that mean he wouldn't participate? No, far from it. It was because of this loss, this failure, that he wanted to try. Try harder than before. He would breathe in when the spar pairings were announced. So it was him versus Xephyris? Very well. The man would breathe in as he stepped apart from the rest of the group, giving himself roughly five feet apart from the other. Cypress would let his mismatched eyes fall on the other man, speaking in a clear tone. "I'll take the first move, if you don't mind." Giving his opponent only a limited time to speak out in protest the man would make his move.

Cypress would charge forward like a bat out of hell. His shoulders rolled forward, head aligned with his spine and chin tucked close. His ears were pinned back, eyes narrowed, and tail tucked beneath him. His stance was widened, his legs spread and weight evenly distributed across his four limbs. His hackles were raised, lips snarling as he threw himself at his opponent in a headlong charge.

Cypress would change direction at the last moment, veering off to the side. He would hit the ground hard, claws biting into the soil as he veered off to his own left, his opponent's right. Then, as he tried to come alongside the other, he sought to slam his right side into Xyphyris' own to knock the other off balance. In addition he would raise his right forepaw to attempt to strike down upon Xy's back right forepaw squarely upon the toes, shifting his weight back to his other three legs as he did so.

Cypress vs Xephyris || Round:: One Out Of  Two

Xeph watched as Cypress approached him, and his silver orbs met the duo-toned gaze as the other man spoke. So Cypress would take the first move. Xeph was not bothered, and merely grunted in agreement with a quick nod. The speed with which Cypress moved suddenly caused his eyes to flare open for a second, but he would prepare himself quickly for the alter's first strike. His lips curled back in an ugly snarl, revealing his fangs while the skin around his eyes and snout wrinkled up. Ears folded back carefully, while the hair along his neck, shoulders and spine rose defensively. He took on a predatory stance with shoulders braced, his head slightly lowered and chin tilted downward to protect his throat; his bristling tail was held even with his body, ready to assist in keeping his balance. Each leg would bend and flex, offering him flexibility as well as stability as he distributed his weight evenly, claws digging eagerly into the ground.

Xephyris braced himself as Cypress came at his right side to slam him, his left legs bending further to take the impact of the other male's body slam. Cypress' right shoulder slammed into Xeph's ribs, causing the wind to be knocked from him momentarily - the strike would probably cause some bruising and soreness. Although he had braced, he still shuffled a couple of steps back and to his left from the force of Cypress' strike - Xeph's right hind paw narrowly missed the crushing stomp that Cypress was aiming for. With a gasping breath inward, Xephyris turned the front of his body to the right and readjusted his weight to his hind legs before lunging toward Cypress with all of his might and speed, the meaty part of his right shoulder trying to ram against the alter's right shoulder, directly where the joint met in the crook of the lower neck and upper forechest. He hoped to jar the other slightly and put him off balance as well. At the same time, his neck craned to the right, head tilting to the right, his jaws opening and aiming toward the right side of Cypress' face - his incisors aimed to catch the male's cheek where there was plenty of loose skin, below the eye and just back from the edge of the jowls. He didn't intend to make a deep bite, only to get a hold if he could.

As his hind legs did all the work and his jaws tried to connect, his right forepaw would lift upward and come crashing down toward the alter's right forepaw, hoping to make them sore with a good crushing. His weight would redistribute once more to the three paws remaining on the ground, while his face remained crinkled in a snarl, ears pinned back and hackles raised, tail swinging to help him shift his weight appropriately.

Cypress vs Xephyris || Spar || Round:: One of Two

His opponent would bend into the ipact of his slam, his {Cy’s} right shoulder slamming into the ribs of his packmate. His paw stomp, due to the nature of the slam, would of course miss, but Cypress had attempted it regardless just in case the man had not shifted as much as he hoped. Cypress would redistribute his weight across his four legs as the last limb came to the ground, toes and leg spread to give him a better stance. Tail would remain tucked, as would his ears, and eyes remained narrowed. Claws would bite into the soil as the man shifted his direction to his own right, coming to face his opponent once more.

Hackles were raised across his body, shoulders rolled forward as he threw his weight backward to rise off the ground. All the weight of his body would be balanced on back legs, front legs aiming to wrap around Xephyris’ head in a bearhug around his neck. The other man would crash into him, causing Cypress to stagger back a couple steps, but fall towards his intended target. The jaws of his opponent would meet the soft, delicate flesh where his right foreleg met his chest. His opponent’s jaws wound sink in about three quarters of an inch deep, gaining the hold he sought. Though, thanks to Cypress’ shift in position, the paw stomp would completely miss. Tail remained tucked under his body, a snarl ripping from his throat.

In addition to the bear hug Cypress would aim to latch his jaws onto his opponent’s head, top jaw landing above his opponent’s left ear and bottom jaw hopefully latching below the jaw of the other.


Cypress vs Xephyris For Spar || Round:: Two Out Of Two

Edit Authorized by Tea. ;w; {x2}

A growl erupted from Xephyris as he felt himself crashing into Cypress - as the alter raised up onto hind legs, Xeph's original aim at Cypress' right shoulder had changed, though he was still successful, and with his own right shoulder he struck the underside of the other man's chest, right between both forelegs. He felt Cypress shift backward just slightly, and Xeph shifted his weight to his hind legs again so that he could push forward and keep up his momentum, his tail whirling to help keep his balance. The movement of the other man didn't stop Xeph's jaws from meeting flesh, although the target had shifted from the side of Cy's face to the front of the right foreleg, in the soft skin directly where it met with the front of the chest. His lower jaw met in edge of the armpit and upper jaw struck the frontal bony part of the foreleg where it met with the chest. Upper and lower incisors pinched a good fold of skin, to which he gave a good shake with his head, trying to leave a small tear and good bruising where his teeth had clamped down.

Just then he felt the other man's paws wrap around his neck, and though Xeph didn't release the grip he'd found with his jaws, he shifted his weight back slightly, knees and elbows bending slightly and legs spreading out to hold himself up as the alter's weight came down on him. His tail swept from side to side as he adjusted his weight, toes spreading and claws digging into the ground to support himself. His ears remained folded and muzzle wrinkled up, narrowing his eyes as Cypress aimed his jaws towards Xeph's head. Cy's jaws would meet their mark. He felt teeth strike the top of his head directly in front of his left ear, and teeth hooked just underneath the line of his jaw on the same side, puncturing the skin, shallower under the jaw and slightly deeper on top of his head.

With a rumbling growl, adrenaline surging through him now, Xephyris would shake his head harder, jaws still clamped down on Cy's skin, trying to dislodge the other male from his body. As he thrashed, both of his forelegs would bend significantly, muscles coiling before springing upward, hoping to jar the alter's jaws and get him to release his hold - as he did this, his weight shifted to his hinds (as well as parting his own jaws and releasing his grip on Cypress), and with the hind legs he sprung straight forward, further making an attempt to dislodge his opponent and get out of his grip, hoping to put a little distance between them once more.

Cypress vs Xephyris || Spar || Round:: Two of Two

CYPRESS vs XEPHYRIS for SPAR ROUND ONE CYPRESS CLARITY - Not taking points off here, but this is just a fair warning to you! You NEED to list a reason for your fight, spar, maim, ect, or run the risk of being defaulted. - “...he sought to slam his right side into Xyphyris' own to knock the other off balance.” What is he aiming to hit, what against what? Shoulder to shoulder, or are you aiming for the flank? -2 Total: 8 POWERPLAY - None! Total: 10 DEFENSES Shoulders rolled, head aligned with spine, chin tucked, ears pinned, eyes narrowed, tail tucked, hackles raised, lips snarling, weight evenly distributed, legs spread. Total: 10 ATTACK + 1 shoulder slam + 1 paw slam Total: 2 INJURIES - First round! Total: 10 Total for Round One: 40 / 50 XEPHYRIS CLARITY - “...the strike would probably cause some bruising and soreness.” How much damage did he take from the hit? Is it a minor bruise, or more major? Without stating the actual damage taken, it is left up to the judge, who can end up giving you more damage than you hoped for. -2 - “Cypress' right shoulder slammed into Xeph's ribs...” Where along the ribs? Upper half, lower half? Between the first and second rib, forth and fifth? -2 Total: 6 POWERPLAY - “...lunging toward Cypress with all of his might and speed,...” This must be attempted, since you are assuming Cypress' position has not changed. -2 Total: 8 DEFENSES Lips snarling, ears folded, hackles rose, head aligned with spine, chin tucked, tail aligned with spine, legs bent, weight distributed, claws dug in ground. (I didn't count shoulders braced in this one, as it was a little vauge. Generally here we say that shoulders rolled is the best defence, unless you are bracing for impact. Because Xeph re braced in the next paragraph, I didn't count it.) Total: 9 ATTACK + 1 shoulder to shoulder slam. + 3 for bite to cheek plus hold attempt. + 1 paw slam Total: 5 INJURIES - First Round! - (Moderate bruising to right rib cage, decided by judge.) Total: 10 Total for Round One: 38 / 50 ROUND TWO CYPRESS CLARITY - “The other man would crash into him, causing Cypress to stagger back a couple steps, but fall towards his intended target.” A blow this strong would have left at least some minor, but it didn't seem to at all. -2 Total: 8 POWERPLAY - “Claws would bite into the soil as the man shifted his direction to his own right, coming to face his opponent once more.” Must be attempted, you are assuming your opponents position has not moved. -2 - “The other man would crash into him, causing Cypress to stagger back a couple steps, but fall towards his intended target.” This is a bit of an unrealistic hit, because without assuming that the bear hug had landed, a hit like that would have sent him toppling onto his back. -2 - “...top jaw landing above his opponent’s left ear...” Must be attempted. -2 Total: 6 DEFENSES Weight distributed, toes spread, legs spread, tail tucked, ears pinned, eyes narrowed, claws in ground, hackles, shoulders rolled. Total: 9 ATTACK + 1 bear hug. + 3 bite to face plus grip attempt (Geeze you guys like face bites.) Total: 4 INJURIES - Moderate bite to top of right foreleg. -3 - Minor bruise to the front of chest. -1 Total: 6 Total for Round Two: 33 / 50 XEPHYRIS CLARITY - “...and teeth hooked just underneath the line of his jaw on the same side, puncturing the skin, shallower under the jaw and slightly deeper on top of his head.” You need to be a bit more clear about damage here, its really hard to tell just how deep the bite is and therefore just how much damage was taken. -2 Total: 8 POWERPLAY - “Upper and lower incisors pinched a good fold of skin, to which he gave a good shake with his head, trying to leave a small tear and good bruising where his teeth had clamped down.” “...Xephyris would shake his head harder, jaws still clamped down on Cy's skin, trying to dislodge the other male from his body.” You cannot attempt the same body movement in the same post, you are not giving your opponent enough time to react to the initial movement. -2 Total: 8 DEFENSES Tail aligned with spine, weight balanced for rear, legs bent, legs spread, toes spread, claws in ground, ears pinned, lips snarling, eyes narrowed. Total: 9 ATTACK + 1 for worsening damage. + 1 shove. Total: 2 INJURIES - Moderate bite on head/lower jaw. -3 Total: 7 Total for Round Two: 34 / 50 Totals: CYPRESS 40 + 33 = 73 / 100 XEPHYRIS 38 + 34 = 72 / 100 And the winner is... CYPRESS Zephyris must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Damage: CYPRESS - Moderate bite to the top of the right foreleg will take 2 OOC weeks to heal, possible scarring. - Minor bruise to the front, middle of chest will take 3 OOC days to heal. XEPHYRIS - Moderate bruise to right rib cage will take 5 OOC days to heal. - Moderate bite to back of year, bottom of jaw will take 2 OOC weeks to heal, possible scarring. Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): Keno This was so close, holy man. Um most of my notes are listed above, but make sure you get 10 defenses in here! Its real easy points. Also watch your attack/dodge realism, and just how you word them. I know how hard it can be to be clear, but just take that little extra time to make sure that it makes sense. Just make sure that all movement that effects your opponent is attempted. SHADOWED Again most of most of my notes are above. But I am very impressed with you! I think this is your first fight here, and you did very well! Be sure to attempt movements that effect your opponent, and try to list 10 defenses in there! Also, only use one part of your body in each fight post, otherwise you are not leaving enough time for your opponent to react to the first movement. - By [Evelyn]