Cast off the crutch

Thanatos gave a firm nod, feeling himself slip into readiness. He might have been “slow” in pace usually, but as he prepared for battle his eyes took on a sharper look. The wolf named for the God of Death was going to do what he could to impress the other man as well. Thany did not consider himself a pushover and would certainly do his best in battle. The only way he was ever going to get better was if he practiced more, right? The man could feel his blood beginning to heat, a certain level of excitement rising within him. This was going to be interesting.

The fact that the other man was going to take the first move didn’t bother Thanatos in the slightest. He spread his legs apart, shifting his weight equally across the four limbs. The young man also spread his toes, biting his claws into the soil to either brace himself for the impending attack or attempt a swift and hopefully powerful counter. The male’s muscles were tense, head lowered to align with his spine, and his shoulders were rolled forward. His tail was tucked, more for defending his belly than out of submission, and his chin too was tucked inward just a bit. His hackles were raised, lips snarling as his eyes narrowed and ears pinned back. He was ready to see where this spar with Xeph went.

When Xephyris charged forward Thanatos decided to wait, biding his time until the male had managed to successfully close the six or so feet between them. The other male kept low to the ground, something that could definitely benefit Thany seeing as how he was a couple inches smaller. It was just as Xeph started shifting to his right {Thany’s left} that Thanatos moved. Throwing his weight back into his rear legs Thanatos lunged forward and about ten degrees to the left offsetting the slam that his opponent had planed. Xeph’s shoulder met with Thanatos’ left flank, knocking into him for the moderate bruise he hoped for while also knocking Thany back towards his own left {Xeph’s left as well, as they are sort of parallel-ish}. This caused the male to be back alongside the other male, facing Xeph’s flank. Thanatos gave only a couple seconds to right his balance before he also felt his opponent’s fangs graze the left side of his rump, closer to the back {as in near the back of his leg} and middle part of the area. Thanks to his momentum his opponent did not get the grip he sought, though the mild lacerations were something he’d need to keep an eye on later so they didn’t get infected.

Thanatos didn’t waste any further time. He’d already moved forward, his jaws close to Xeph’s rear left thigh. Without any hesitation Thanatos opened his jaws wider and turned his head to his own left to attempt clamping down moderately but firmly upon his opponent in hopes of gain a hold. He also made the attempt to push his back legs forward again, to ram his opponent’s leg into his mouth and worsen the bite, though some counter damage from the attack could potentially pend as well. At time same time Thanatos also lifted his left forepaw in an attempt to slam it down upon Xeph’s left rear paw and cause moderate bruising. Thany might have been playing a bit hard, but at least it wasn’t a maim. It was a matter of who could impress the other more.

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Ooc:: Defaults on this are lax if staff couldn’t already tell. xD;; Good luck Shadowed and sorry for the wait. <3

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Thanatos vs Xephyris
Round One of Two