It's Written In Gold [PACK CHALLENGE FOR TALIS]
More would flood in, but by the scent of it all, the Abraxas seemed to outnumber those of his pack who had arrived. No matter, it wasn't a war that was happening after all. It was a one on one challenge, and though he knew he might have a better chance at losing, he wasn't going to lie down and roll over for the yearling. What would they think of him then? A coward? No. He wouldn't let them see him as a coward. He would fight for his pack like any alpha would, to try and protect what he had built. But even if he lost, Talis would rise again. Valdis would arrive, it seemed. Dragon flicked an ear as she spoke, his own gaze hardening as he listened. So, she knew him too? He supposed it shouldn't really come as a surprise, right? He himself had been running into Abraxas left and right, and he recalled his time spent with Ana...however brief it might have been. And he had learned what had come of it. Did they know? He only wondered...Taking a deep breath, he heard Pyralis speak next, and he only felt cold anger and regret in his soul. So, she had used him too then? He had been kind enough to let them in thinking they were some sort of...friends, or something. But in the end, it seemed the woman he thought might be a friend, turned out to be no more than an enemy. Oh well, you lived and you learned. He definitely would learn his lesson after this. All they seemed to focus on was the fact that he was blind. They neglected the fact that his blindness didn't make him who he truly was. He was a fierce warrior. He had trained day in and day out until he couldn't anymore, trying to come up with new ways to defend himself to compensate for his lack of sight. Though having Kimahri and Shiva at his side helped a great deal, he hated the fact that all anyone saw was his lack of sight. He'd show them, one way or another, he'd show them that he was still capable of being a fearsome opponent.
Through all the back and forth, Dragon had remained quiet. He had been gathering his bearings, carefully tracing Ashiel's scent to where he stood. He and his companions had come up with a way to communicate non-verbally, and so he knew exactly where Ashiel and every other wolf stood. Not only that, but it seemed half the Abraxas wolves (if not all) were far larger than he was, and their footfalls were not hard to miss. With his blindness, came a more acute sense of hearing and smell, and he'd use his heightened senses to his advantage. Taking a deep breath, he was about to speak when he felt Iskra's presence stand beside him. He felt her nuzzle into his neck, and in turn he would nuzzle her back. He listened quietly to her words, and he hadn't realized that she had already met some of them as well. Had he maybe seen it sooner, he would have realized sooner. And maybe this could have been avoided, but alas, it was too late. "It's okay, Iskra. In hindsight I should have known, but..." He trailed off. He had been naive. Too trusting. He had let his guard down and in turn, they had decided to try and use his weakness against him. No matter, he'd still fight his hardest and he'd give Ashiel as much hell as he possibly could. What Iskra said next took him completely off guard, though he guessed she should have expected that at some point, too. Right? Even with all eyes on him, he couldn't help but turn to Iskra and bury his face into her neck, giving her a soft kiss to her muzzle. "I love you too, Iskra. I promise I'll do my best, and I'll come back to you." That was a promise he intended to keep.
As she moved away, he returned his attention back to the matter at hand. Eyes burning straight into Ashiel, "Y'know, as much as your family talks about being Gods, it's kinda sad when you decide to pick on someone else weaker than you. I would think Gods would prefer to fight someone worth a challenge, so where's the pride in that?" He scoffed. He figured that all their talk of being Gods was probably just some facade. He didn't get it. Were he a proclaimed God, he'd go around wiping out those who were seen as a threat, but here they were trying to take his pack because he what? Couldn't see? Would Ashiel still have tried even if he still could? He didn't know. They were just as mortal as he was. And he would prove it the moment he made Ashiel bleed. "Just know that should I fall tonight, Talis will rebuild, and we will come back stronger than ever. My blindness doesn't make me who I am, and the spirits I have spoken to can attest to that!" Yes, Talis would return in full force win or lose. If he won, they'd stand their ground on the lands they called home, or relocate...whichever the members of his pack felt more comfortable with. Should he lose, then he would work to bring them back together and raise the pack once more. Hoping that his pack members would choose to still follow him, or at least...some of them, anyway. He wouldn't blame them if they so chose to abandon him after this, but if he managed to rebuild, wouldn't that prove he was a capable leader? He had the heart and desire to lead, and when Talis rose again he would put an heir in place. Assuming he found someone suitable...there was so much crossing his mind, but for now he let his words hang in there between them. It was a promise to himself and to those who might still have faith in him in the future.
"Well now, I think it's time we begin."
"Prepare yourself," Kimahri's voice was a low rumble, Dragon could feel his companion's tail tip flicking against his his left hind leg, Shiva's fur brushing against his right shoulder. "He's got a bird with him, feel like having a snack, Kimahri?" Her amethyst gaze followed Griff's movements, her tongue swiping out to lick her jowls as a rumbling growl emanated from deep within her chest. With the aid of his companions, they would fight off their challenger. Or so he hoped. If he did lose tonight, he was serious when he said he'd raise Talis again. He would hold onto that little bit of faith that his pack members would follow...or maybe they'd follow Ashiel should he win. He supposed he would find out. He would be saddened if they did choose to follow the Abraxas though, he cared a lot for his pack members and did everything he could to try and keep them happy. They had been through a great deal together, surely that would mean something to them, right? Of course, maybe it didn't help that his duties as an alpha often kept him from socializing, but each and every one of his pack members was special to him. He wanted to continue to help them grow, and by the power of the ancient spirits he spoke to, he would do his damn best to prove to them he was still capable. He would fight and show them today, and win or lose, he'd show them after. He wasn't just fighting for his pack, but for his family. All those within Talis he considered family, and some part of him hoped they thought the same...even if just a little. Then he smelled Lykos, what was he doing here? Had he come to mock him if he lost? Part of him wished his brother wasn't so...well, cold. But he knew that after having pushed him away before, it wasn't surprising. Lykos couldn't be there to support him, why would he? If anything, he wouldn't put it past his estranged brother to follow Ashiel if the younger male had won...
He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as he set his defenses. His hackles raised along his body, ears tucking tightly to his crown. Tail flagged out and head lowered to perfectly align with his spine. He spread his legs hip and shoulder width apart for even balance, toes splayed and claws curling into the earth for traction for when he made his move. His chin tucked to guard his throat, shoulders rolling forward and head pulling slightly back to bunch up his scruff. He was ready. As soon as he heard Ashiel's paws hit the ground running, Dragon's eyes snapped open though just enough to where they narrowed. His lips peeled back, teeth showing in a fierce snarl as the skin around his face and eyes wrinkled into something fierce. A guttural growl slipped past his teeth, letting Ashiel know that he wasn't going to play. Kimahri and Shiva slipped away, both in separate directions, aiming to put themselves on either side of the pair, waiting for their moment of attack. Dragon would hold his ground, hind legs coiling as he simply listened as Ashiel got closer...closer...
He listened intently to Ashiel's heavier footsteps, gauging his opponents position. Once he figured out Ashiel was attempting to come at him head on, he made his move. Finally with the last two feet of distance, Dragon lunged forward. He took a step to his left, hoping to keep them centered. His right shoulder jutted forward like a javelin as he uncoiled his hind legs and shot forward with all the power he could muster. He sought to drive his right shoulder straight into the upper part of the taller male's throat, aiming to drive Ashiel's breath right out of his lungs and make him gag, though he wasn't entirely sure if he'd hit his mark. His gut told him he was aiming in the right spot, or at least somewhere in that region. Due to his movement, Ashiel would fail in trying to dislocate Dragon's right forelimb. They would collide, a moderate bruise blossoming on the center part of his chest where Ashiel's chest had hit him. Dragon would then rise onto his hind legs, seeking to wrap each forelimb on either side of Ashiel's neck. His hind legs spread to offer him better balance, weight redistributed evenly upon them.
Right foreleg sought to wrap around the left side of Ashiel's neck, and his left foreleg sought to wrap around the right. As he attempted to pull this off, he would seek to thrust himself up and forward, attempting to smash the upper part of his chest into the underside of Ashiel's jaw. Maybe he'd get lucky and he'd smack Ashiel right in the nose. It was, after all, one of a wolf's sensitive parts, wasn't it? His aim was to bruise Ashiel's jaw, or snap it shut to where he'd bite his own tongue, or even bruise his sensitive nose and make him tear up. It was all or nothing, the possibilities were endless here. Thanks to his own change in position, Ashiel's attempt at slamming on his toes would ultimately fail the moment Dragon had lifted his forelegs.
At this point, Dragon wasn't completely sure where Ashiel would try to bite him. But given the nature of the fight, he wouldn't put it past the yearling to try and take advantage of something. Just like he took advantage of my kindness... He thought bitterly. It was this act of betrayal to his trust and sought after friendship that would drive him on. He growled when Ashiel's fangs cut into the topmost part of his left shoulder where it met his neck leaving behind moderate lacerations. He could feel the warmth of blood seep into his fur, but it wouldn't make him falter. With adrenaline coursing through him, Dragon tilted his head to his left with jaws wide open. He sought to drive his upper fangs deep across the right side of Ashiel's face just above his brow bone, while his bottom fangs sought to cut across the left side of his face just below Ashiel's left eye. His goal was to shred the skin on Ashiel's face, to permanently disfigure and severely scar his visage and hopefully making him bleed enough to blind him if even for a moment. Though he wasn't actively seeking to blind Ashiel, he couldn't help if he missed his intended target and accidentally hit an eyeball or something. He was blind, after all. For all he knew he could end up biting Ashiel's nose off, but that would be gross and hoped he didn't end up doing that on accident.
Dragon VS Ashiel for TALIS Round: 1/4 Height: 39" Build: Heavy |
Dragon never goes anywhere without his Dragon armor, assume he is always wearing it unless otherwise mentioned! He also has a pair of seeing eye jaguars, assume they're always present unless otherwise mentioned.