Healing through fighting

Artorias' maneuver had been successful, and using his brother's own momentum, he was able to sweep Rudyard right off his paws and throw him to the ground, albeit careful to not hurt him as he went. Once Rudy was on the ground, Artorias placed both paws on his brother's chest to pin him in place. This was nothing new for the two brothers—Artorias had pinned Rudy many times in the past—but this time, a primal fear and panic overtook Rudy's wide golden eyes as he struggled to get free. His brother's sudden panicked flailing freaked Artorias out, blinking rapidly while he stared wide-eyed at the mottled gray brute. He didn't resist or try to restrain Rudy when his brother shot up like a rocket, backing off to allow him space and air. The terror that he'd seen in Rudy's face in that moment... That was like nothing he'd ever seen in his usually bold brother's face before.

"Rudy-" Artorias started to apologize, but Rudyard cut him off by demanding another round. Art stood and stared at Rudy, considering his brother's demand for a moment. He weighed the benefit and risks with sparring again. Something had freaked Rudy out something fierce just now and it made the dark-furred Carpathian hesitant to continue. The only thing that convinced him to oblige Rudy's demand was when he recalled how he'd felt after his battle with Oxx. Artorias wanted to get back to his normal life as quickly as possible, get back to training and reclaiming his strength and confidence. Rudy was going through the same thing—except his little brother's trauma was significantly more damaging.

Fixing Rudyard with a resolute look, Artorias nodded and once more resumed his fighting stance. This time, Artorias took the initiative, kicking off the dusty ground of the arena to launch himself at Rudy. Artorias didn't try anything fancy to start, going for a straightforward tackle with his larger form charging at Rudy shoulder-first. He aimed to catch his brother in his chest and send him sprawling to the ground, keeping his head low and chin tucked in to shield his throat and prevent Rudy from trying to get any sneaky bites in there.

Artorias vs Rudyard for Spar rematch
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Argent"