If you see me coming you better step aside, a lot of men didn't, and a lot of men died, I've got a fist of iron and the other of steel, If the right don't get ya then the left one will! Morning broke dreary and chill with thick gray clouds loitering in the sky above.  Birna shook the dew from her coat and strolled through the densite out towards the range.  Everything was eerily quiet and still and she turned her eyes once more to the sky, wondering if might start to rain soon.  Well, either way she was looking to get in a little sparring practice this morning.  Tipping back her head the warrioress howled for someone to come take her up on her challenge. Hopefully they could get a good match in before the weather started to turn.  In some ways though Birna was looking forward to the cooler weather and precipitation.  Her thick, woolen coat was a fierce burden in the summer months. Birna vs Seraphim for Spar Rd. 0 of ?

SERAPHIM IMPERIALIS Seraphim was making a concerted effort to stay closer to home now that he had so many younger siblings running around. He didn't want to miss out on their lives, and ever since meeting Chaos he had started to fear that they would grow up without ever really getting to know him. He loved the freedom Valentine allowed him, he loved the wolf he'd been able to grow into and he didn't want to lose that drive for the horizon, but he also knew that he would have time to see the world in the years to come... Right now he was needed at home. It had disturbed him, coming home to find his father had brought the pack in a siege against Hellstrom. Valentine and Cascade had tried to teach him and his siblings how to fight but the thought had never really appealed to Seraphim. Now... Well, he was starting to see the value in it. Angel and Vana were both fine, but what if they hadn't been. Seraphim wasn't even around to help his packmates if they'd needed it, and even if he had been he probably would have just gotten in the way. He sighed, deep in his thoughts, and nearly stumbled as a howl rang out over the surrounding fields. He looked up, ears pert and attentive while he listened. The calling seemed too good to be true and for a second his ear's pressed flat against his skull. Was this woman some sort of mind reader? He harrumped and took off towards the sound. If fate was giving him a shove, he wasn't about to shove back. His long legs carried him easily over the varied terrain until he found where she rested. He coat was pale, and he recognized her scent though couldn't remember seeing her more than once or twice before, and even so it was only in passing. He had heard her name swathed in impressed tones and a bit of fear from others, though. Birna Xanilov. She was quite the warrior. "You wanna fight?" he asked, without proper introduction. Admittedly after months of living in nigh solitude his social skills weren't really on par with other "normal" wolves. He winced and backpedalled. "Er, well spar, rather? I don't mean to challenge you, but I heard your howl- I'm not very good, you see, but I was thinking-" He bit down sharply on the inside of his cheek to halt his embarrassing word vomit. Wow, he was a disaster... "Sorry," he said simply, a hot feeling spreading under his fur along with the anxiety that came with speaking to others he didn't know very well. "I'm Seraphim. I don't think we've met properly before?" He squared himself with her, ready to begin whenever she was, unsure if she would cater to his embarrassment or just dive right in. "Talk" "You" Think

default time is like... weeks  xD

Birna waited in quiet patience, ears alert to the sound of an approaching challenger.  Her muscles were itching for the workout.  Something to activate her mind and give her a shot of adrenaline.  Her call was quickly answered by one of Valentine's sons, Seraphim Imperialis.  She knew of him but had no real knowledge of his fighting skills.  Well, there was only one way to find out.  She grinned at the boy and dipped her head in greeting.  "Yes, I'm looking to spar young Seraphim and how do you know you are no good until you try?  You are young yet, there is no need to speak harshly of yourself.  I am Birna Gyda Volkov-Xanilov.  But you can just call me Birna.  Ready your defenses Seraphim.  I shall get the match started for us." Birna moved directly across from the male seeking to leave a moderate amount of space between them.  

The warrioress set her defenses, fur and hackles raised, shoulders rolled forward,  head moved to align with her spine, neck scrunched back as her chin tucked slightly, ears pinning tight to her head.  Her muzzle parted as gleaming fangs pondered their target.  Brows furrowed, eyes narrowed and weight distributed evenly across her limbs.  Muscles coiled along bent legs, lowering her center of gravity as she prepared for the spring.  Her toes splayed, claws biting into the earth as her tail shifted to align with her spine, ready to shift at a seconds notice to help her maintain balance.  Now the attack.

Supple legs uncoiled, sending the femme rocketing across the terrain as she attempted to close the distance between herself and the boy.  Birna attempted to approach the boy nearly head on bu several inches to her own right.  She twisted her body in an arc to her left her fangs attempting to seize the left side of Seraphim's face, upper fangs for the flesh along the top of his left cheekbone, just below the eye and the bottom fangs hoping to hook under the corner of the boy's left-sided jaw.  Birna desired to get a firm hold on the boy's face that she could use to control his movements and maybe prevent him attacking her with his own jaws.

In addition to attacking with her fangs, as Birna's body arced to her left the front of her right shoulder jutted forward, targeting the boys upper left arm as she attempted to ram her shoulder into the outside of his arm where the base of the shoulder blade connected to the upper arm bone.  She hoped to jar the joint and muscles and cause it to sprain.  As her shoulder would launch forward her weight would shift evenly to her right foreleg and hind legs as she attempted to use the arcing motion of her body to give the attack more power.  With her weight shifted she was able to simultaneously lift her left paw as she sought to lash her left forepaw forward in a sweeping motion in an attempt to hook it behind Seraphim's left wrist with her paw and pull it back towards her in the hopes that her combined attacks would unbalance the young man.

-- You Can Bury My Body But I'll Never Die --
Birna vs Seraphim for Spar Rd. 1 / 2?

Birna accepted his challenge with grace, garbled and mangled as it was. She would even go so far as to offer him a few mild words of encouragement, which came close to lifting his spirits but one heartbeat later the fight would begin. The blue youth felt at once gawky and out of place, but he forced his veins to fill with steely resolution. He thought of his father and mother, his siblings, their own accomplishments... He had ground to make up for. Birna's body would slip easily into a fighting stance. Seraphim did not need to be a seasoned warrior to tell that it felt as easy to her as breathing. He did what he could to mimic her, guessing he had only a few heartbeats to spare before she would be on him. He centered himself, adjusting the way his weight was dispersed from head to tail, ensuring he wouldn't be toppled over too easily. Each paw was quickly adjusted so that they bore him equally. He lowered his head and rolled his shoulders forward, ensuring that his scruff bunched up around his neck in case she tried to take hold of him. His ears would pin against his skull, and he narrowed what were once wide and frightened eyes. He tensed his body, ensuring that if he needed to move quickly he would be able to do so, half believing she would be coming at him from all angles at once. In thinking so, he tucked his chin in the event one of those angles would be from the ground up. His time was up. Birna would come at him on his left side, closing the distance between them rapidly. Fear took over immediately, and as she arched her body towards him he would recoil down and away, shifting his weight towards his right side and ending up in a crouching position with his hindquarters still raised. As his mass moved, it seemed only natural to him to lift his left paw and slash at her. He would aim vaguely at her eyes, but his faith in doing any sort of damage should the attack land was menial. Birna was not done yet, it would seem. Before he knew it her shoulder was moving towards him, set to land now square on his flank. He could not avoid the blow, and felt the pain of it explode just behind his armpit on his left side, where the foremost of his ribs began. It nearly knocked the wind from his lungs. From the corner of his eye he realized that her left forepaw was reaching for his own, which had already become airborne in his swipe. The young male would use this as an opportunity to make use of their tight quarters. He would push forward and upward off of his hind legs, aiming for the chunk of flesh just in front of Birna's shoulder blade on the left side of her neck, perhaps four inches of so down from the top of her mane. His intent was to take a tight grip and lock on, while using the remaining momentum of his leap to topple her to the side, or at least throw her off balance. They were of a size, which was unusual in wolves outside of his immediate family, but given his inexperience in fighting he supposed it didn't matter much anyways. SERAPHIM vs. BIRNA for SPAR ROUND 1 of 2

ooc:  talked with Fox and confirmed that Birna's jaws completely missed

Seraphim would recoil from her bite and cause her jaw attack to miss.  However, she would not be dissuaded as another target readily presented itself to her.  Seraphim's left forepaw would raise, darting for her eyes, the movement causing her own attempt to sweep his left wrist with her left forepaw to miss.  Birna's head would dart forward in an attempt to seize the boy's paw between her jaws, her lower fangs seeking the underside, her upper fangs seeking the back.  She wanted to get a powerful grip on the limb and cause severe punctures, possibly straining the toes from the pressure.  Birna's right shoulder hit the boy's left side just behind the armpit, leaving her mild bruising in return for her efforts.  

With her left forepaw back on the ground she swiftly reset her defenses.  Birna's skull and tail would align with her spine, her chin tucking slightly, neck scrunched back and shoulders rolled forward.  Her hackles remained raised, her limbs spread just slightly wider than shoulder width and bent to lower her center of gravity.  Her weight distributed equally among them, toes splaying and claws digging into the earth.  Her jaws were still parted, ears pinned and eyes narrowed, watching as Phim's jaws would snake forward but she would not back away, intent on seizing his paw.  As such Seraphim's jaws would meet their intended target, sinking into the flesh on the left side of her neck, just in front of her shoulderblade and about four inches down from her spine leaving moderate punctures and gaining hold.  The bunched fur and fat from her defenses saved her from more severe damage.  Her grounded limbs would widen her stance, her tail flagging out behind her for extra balance as the boy tried to push her with his jaws but she would not fall.

Birna's attacks would not stop with her jaws as she attempted to launch her body forward and down seeking to slam the front of her right shoulder into the boys left side, just behind the armpit, the same place she'd struck earlier.  She sought to worsen the bruising as well as counter his upward motion with her downward motion.  She wasn't going to let this boy topple her to the ground.  She was also aware that the move might cause her neck injury to worsen if Seraphim didn't let go, but the Imperium healers were always complaining about needing to practice.

-- You Can Bury My Body But I'll Never Die --
Birna vs Seraphim for Spar Rd. 2 / 2

Seraphim figured his paw flailing was a mistake only seconds after he committed to doing so. Birna's eyes locked onto it in the same way a hawk's do when it sees mice scuttling around. He winced even before her teeth grabbed hold of the limb, but it was too late. Her bite land squarely in the center of his large paw, teeth gaining a firm grip there and he hissed in pain. Still, he could not afford to lose focus. Miraculously, it seemed to him, he'd managed to land his intended bite. Still, he could not allow himself to get confident or overly excited (the latter he felt brewing in his gut even then.) He forced himself to calm down and go over his defenses instead. His remaining three paws were still well grounded, and in addition he widened his stance to accommodate the shift in his balance. He leaned forward, attempting to press more weight into Birna in the hopes that he would not to be toppled backwards by any sudden motion. His ears had come forward during his attack, and he quickly flattened them back against his skull, yet his eyes remained narrowed. He tensed his muscles, attempting for at least an instant to become immobile while he got his bearings. He rolled his shoulders  up, freeing the loose skin around his throat. Just because she had her teeth buried in his paw didn't mean she'd settle for just that, and one couldn't be too careful! He dug his claws into the earth, and aligned his spine. Then his moment of peace was over. Birna did indeed launch herself into another attack, pushing back against him in a sudden rush. He was ready for it this time, and saw her begin to move from the corner of his eye. Phim would attempt to tighten his grip around her neck, furthering the damage he would potentially do as she lunged at him. Next, he would attempt to drop his own right shoulder in the hopes it meet hers, instead of his squishier bits like ribs or guts. He hoped that they would collide dead on, and that his preparation would help him absorb at least a bit of her impact. He shifted his weight to the right to accommodate for her oncoming force. It would probably hurt like hell, sure,and he expected moderate or severe bruising, but he also hoped to give as good as he gave. Phim loosened the muscle in his left forearm so that it would be free to stretch out, trying to keep the tension between Birna's teeth and his limb to a minimum if required. That hurt like hell, and he wondered in the back of his mind what his sister was up to at the moment... "Talk" "You" Think

OOC: -pants-

BIRNA vs SERAPHIM for SPAR ROUND ONE BIRNA: 10 for clarity: All clear! 10 for powerplaying. None seen! 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 6 for attack. +3 for bite +1 for grip +2 for shoulder throw +1 for paw swipe 10 for injuries. First round. Birna's round one total: 46/50 SERAPHIM: 3 for clarity: -1 “Each paw was quickly adjusted...” How exactly are they being adjusted? -1 “As his mass moved, it seemed only natural to him to lift his left paw...” Fore or hind paw? -1 “He would aim vaguely at her eyes...” I'm going to need something more specific than that, I'm afraid. -1 “From the corner of his eye he realized that her left forepaw was reaching for his own, which had already become airborne in his swipe.” So what happened to the paw swipe? Presumably it missed, but I'd like to see that stated. -1 What happened to Birna's bite attempt? Same as above. -1 How does he intend to use his momentum against her? Is he shoving with his jaws? -1 “...while using the remaining momentum of his leap to topple her to the side, or at least throw her off balance.” Which side? And how exactly does this shove work? 7 for powerplaying. -1 “He would aim vaguely at her eyes...” If Seraphim is in a low enough crouch to avoid Birna's bite I can't see him being able to reach her eyes with a paw unless he moves. -1 “He could not avoid the blow, and felt the pain of it explode just behind his armpit on his left side, where the foremost of his ribs began.” The way you worded his crouching makes me think he's in a position very similar to a play bow, in which case Birna, who isn't crouching, would have a hard time reaching the space behind Phim's armpit with her shoulder. Also, if the blow was originally intended for the outside of his shoulder and all he did was crouch down, how did the blow get moved behind his shoulder? -1 What kind of damage did Birna's shove cause, if any? Even though this is round one and no points are deducted for damage, you still need to state it. Taking no damage is acceptable provided you can explain why a blow failed to create lasting damage. 8 for defenses. +1 “He centered himself, adjusting the way his weight was dispersed from head to tail...” and “Each paw was quickly adjusted so that they bore him equally” seem to counter one another so I'm only giving you 1 point +1 for lowered head +1 for rolled shoulders +1 for bunched scruff +1 for pinned ears +1 for narrowed eyes +1 for tensed body +1 for tucked chin 5 for attack. +1 for paw swipe +3 for bite +1 for grip 10 for injuries. First round. Seraphim's round one total: 33/50 ROUND TWO BIRNA: 10 for clarity: All clear! 10 for powerplaying. None seen! 10 for defenses. +1 for each seen to max of 10. 6 for attack. +3 for bite +1 for grip +2 for shoulder throw 7 for injuries. -1 for mild bruising to right shoulder -2 for moderate puncture wound to left side of neck Birna's round two total: 43/50 SERAPHIM: 7 for clarity:   -1 What kind of damage was done to Phim's paw? -1 “He leaned forward, attempting to press more weight into Birna...” What's he pressing with? -1 “Next, he would attempt to drop his own right shoulder in the hopes it meet hers...” Birna is attacking his left side. 10 for powerplaying. None seen! 6 for defenses. +1 for widened stance +1 for flattened ears +1 for narrowed eyes +1 for tenses muscles +1 for rolled shoulders +1 for dug-in claws 0 for aligned spine – what is it aligned with? 5 for attack. +3 for bite +1 for grip +1 for counter shove (this point is deducted in clarity) 6 for injuries. -3 for severe punctures to left forepaw (damage assigned by judge) -1 for moderate bruising to left side (damage assigned because of ineffective counter) Seraphim's round two total: 34/50 Totals: BIRNA: 89/100 SERAPHIM: 67/100 And the winner is... BIRNA! Seraphim must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: Birna: Mild bruising will take 2 OOC days to heal Moderate puncture wounds will take 1 OOC week to heal Seraphim:   Moderate bruising will take 3 OOC days to heal Severe lacerations will take 2 OOC weeks to heal Notes: Tips for writing and some suggestions. (no points are deducted here): For both: Nothing to note, good fight guys! - By [Lazuli]