WHAT ELSE MATTERS?
Sliding into a battle stance felt as natural as sliding into his den after a long day. Aros' muscles ached for the want, the need of it all. The rush, the passion, the red haze that would cloud the corners of his vision. Every paw step, every shift of balance was an experience that would make him better. Stronger. It was not his goal to beat Impra, not necessarily. He did not need to dominate her, nor did he want her maimed, gods forbid! But... there was something he was after. Recognition, perhaps. Be it Impra recognizing his worth, or Aros reconnecting with his own. As his alabaster companion sank into her own stance, he mirrored her, and waited.
It seemed as though she was going to wait for him to make the first move. It was his challenge after all, it only made sense. His ears pressed flat against his skull and his bared teeth flashed in the weak winter light. He spaced his paws out around him, placed evenly for the best balance, claws digging into the soil. He shifted his wait from side to side, tail swinging slowly in time, so that he could leap away if she decided to charge, and so that he could move quickly without her predicting him. Through squinted eyes he eyes her larger form, and all the lessons of his youth came back to him.
A larger opponent will almost always be slower than you, his father's voice growled within his mind. He remembered the impact as if it was yesterday, when his father had charged him with no warning. Almost always... He would have to stay on his guard. As quickly as he thought it he acted, leaping for Impra head on, so that she could not see it in his eyes. He aimed to barrel his entire weight into her neck where it connects to the shoulder. It would not draw blood, but he hoped it would off balance her both physically and mentally, give him an advantage from this point on. In the event that she spun away and he missed, he kept his paws level so that he could land and turn at a moments notice, ready to block or dodge.
"Speech," Thoughts,
