smack down show down

Avantika was looking forward to a day of simple, worry-less fun. The event was a week long, but that felt like pushing it for Avantika's annoying separation anxiety with her pack, so she figured she might return early. She was doing better, lately -- that was evident from the simple fact that she was pretty much as far as she could be from her home in the castle in Auster as possible, and she was okay. She was okay. That in and of itself was miraculous. Only recently, she'd had a panic attack from leaving Hallows lands and that had been only a land or two over.

When the melee fight was announced, she took a deep breath, feeling the nerves in her gut smooth out to something like excitement, and she stepped forward to join the small group that was forming. She was representing her family today, but she was confident in her skills -- if nothing else -- and she knew she would not let them down. Not today. Not ever, if she could help it. "Avantika Carpathius. Vanguard of the Hallows," she said as her introduction. Even as she spoke, her eyes darted between each wolf's form, looking for possible weaknesses or strengths, scouting for who she might want as her partner in this fight. Of course, there was only so much you could guess from physical first impressions. Two of the wolves seemed to be choosing each other, and so Avantika glanced to the other, a bluish wolf the same tree-tall size as Artorias. Maybe it was that simple familiarity of color and height, but she decided she had enough bravery to reach out. "You got anyone to partner up with yet?" she asked, twitching her tail in a friendly-enough manner.

"Speech"