It had been some time since she'd been in the battlefield. The woman came in the hopes of bettering her skills, and so she sought out an opportunity to do just that. With the summer heat bearing down on the lands, and her own personal heat, she knew she was more then fueled for whatever came her way. Her shaggy coat bristled with anticipation at who she might meet next. Lifting her head, she called out for an opponent. The woman set her self defensively, just in case someone decided they wanted to try an unexpected attack.

Katja, slim once more with consistent exercise in the months since her children had been birthed, trotted along without much effort as she made her way south to the battlefield. She knew the value of leading by example - she could not very well require her vikings to continually hone their skills if she herself rested upon her laurels. It did not take much time at all before the call of another female caught her attention, and she adjusted her course. The sight of the caller made her blink a moment. She'd met the woman once before, but she did not hold herself in the same meek, timid way she had when Vereux had sought to bring her into Yfir. "You seem to have done well for yourself, girl," she told the other woman dryly, settling into her own warrior's stance to show acceptance of the woman's open challenge.

Avalon

Katja. The woman faced one who she'd only met once before. The Yfirian alphess greeted her and she was rather surprised that she'd remembered her. The first and last time she had seen her was when Vereux sought to bring her to Yfir, but he had neglected to tell her much about the pack. So in the end, Avalon had not joined because it was not the right kind of pack for her at the time. But after being a part of Sonticus, and then Imperium, she had the taste of what a stronger pack was like. Yfir was definitely one to be respected, and the way her previous alphess always seemed to cower in fear of the stronger packs almost seemed laughable. "Katja, it's been a while." She shook her body to loosen her muscles, noting the other woman's stance. Today she would have the opportunity to test herself against a strong warrior, and win or lose she would leave knowing she tried her best. Fiery gaze locked on Katja's mercury look. Her stance widened slightly as she stood tall and confident. "Your move, if you wish." She would give a few moments for the alpha to decide if she wanted to go first. Otherwise, she would take it upon herself to make the first strike if she took too long to decide. Avalon VS Katja for Spar Round 0/?

The larger female turned to face her, and spoke briefly. Katja tilted her head in acknowledgement, her own face a neutral mask. "A while indeed - long enough for a girl who was too good for Yfir to decide Imperium was good enough." There was nothing of accusation or bitterness in the tone despite the words themselves, merely an observation. It did not take a keen nose to detect the pack-scent drenching Avalon's coat, after all, and even had she not known the pack personally their reputation among the wolves of Alacratia was plain enough. It struck her as odd that this female would have rejected Yfir's fighter's path in favor of a far more militaristic, if equally murky one - she could not see the moral justifications for one over the other. Then again, the minutiae of morality in these lands often escaped her. It did make her wonder, putting together the pieces of a puzzle begun by Vereux's previous relationship with the girl, and his subsequent disappearance. She let her eyes narrow as she filed the thought away to pursue at a more leisurely moment. She did shake her head at Avalon's offer of the first move. "At your convenience," she murmured instead.

(OOC: Since you're moving and I figured you might not have as much time, feel free to start it whenever is a convenient time for your schedule.)

Too good for Yfir? No. Had she known she would grow to be who she was now, she had no doubts that she would be among Katja's own. But it took some thought and aid from the events that passed to make her realize she had a good warriors potential among other things. It took the reality of being in a weaker pack, to make her realize her true potential. "It took me a while to realize where my path truly led. So here I am." She waited a moment to see if the alphess would go first, only to find that the offer would be declined. No matter, she would gladly take the opportunity and see how much she improved, and how much more she could improve. Avalon would begin to set her defenses then. Her hackles raised along her spine, her head lowering to align as her tail leveled out to line up as well, flagging out for balance. Her chin tucked to protect her throat, ears pinning against her skull. Eyes narrowed into amber slits to protect her eyes, lips peeling back to reveal her fangs as she snarled, the skin around her face scrunching  up to help protect her face and eyes. Legs spread evenly apart for better support, knees and elbows bending. Her toes spread apart, nails biting the dirt for traction. Her shoulders rolled forward, head pulling back slightly to bunch her scruff. She flexed her muscles a little, and soon after she was off. Avalon kicked off, attempting to go head on and close the distance between them. She would aim to thrust the center of her chest straight into the top half of Katja's chest in an attempt to push her back and knock the wind from her body as well as bruise the woman. She knew Katja was not one to go easy, so Avalon wouldn't hold back in her charge. Shifting her weight to her hind legs, she lifted her right paw and aimed to hook it around Katja's left forepaw in an attempt to pull it forward towards her chest and unbalance the woman. Simultaneously, she opened her jaws and tilted her head to the right, jaws aiming towards the left side of Katja's muzzle. She would strive to gain control with top teeth latching onto the top center of Katja's muzzle, and her bottom teeth aiming to latch beneath Katja's lower jaw right in the center as well. She wanted to try and gain a grip and lacerate, but she would keep in the back of her mind that the Viking woman may not fall for such easy tricks. AVALON VS KATJA for SPAR ROUND 1/2 "Talk" "You" Think

She paid little heed to Avalon's words in favor of settling into her own defenses, as comfortable as an otter slipping into water. She cared little for the girl's justifications, and she was rather certain that they would make little sense to her. One could simply not have sensible justifications for jumping from one extreme to the next, and since she could not understand Avalon's - or any one else's in these lands, really - reasoning for having embraced a soft life to begin with she could hardly understand this. She simply shook her head and readied herself.

Slim legs slipped slightly wider into a stance just over hip and shoulder width apart, elbows and knees going loose for freer movement and bending slightly to lower her center of gravity. Jet paws spread wide to increase their surface area, toes flexing to drive her claws into the earth beneath her. Her head dropped to be level with her spine, her tail raising to meet the same level, and her chin tucked in towards her chest slightly to protect her throat. Her shoulders hunched forward to drive her scruff into protective folds, while silver-ticked hackles raised. Her ears pinned back against her skull, and silver eyes narrowed though she did not take them from her opponent.

Having prepared her own defenses Avalon charged, and Katja readied herself. Not to take the hit, no - Avalon was larger and heavier, and if Katja let her close there was a good chance of being taken off her feet by the charge. Instead, the viking chose to sidestep to her own right, avoiding Avalon's attempt to hook her foreleg entirely, and when Avalon's left shoulder instead struck the front of Katja's left shoulder Katja let the momentum spin her slightly so that she faced Avalon's shoulder at a slight angle. The sudden ache of moderate bruises blossoming on her shoulder was easy to ignore, and turning her head to her left Katja sought to duck her head - already lower than Avalon's with the height difference - beneath Avalon's attempted bite, seeking to gain a grip on Avalon's lower jaw with her lower fangs to the right of Avalon's jaw and her upper fangs to the left and crush the bone (counter). Keeping her right forepaw planted she also sought to lift her left forepaw in an attempt to sweep Avalon's left forepaw out from under her.

KATJA VS AVALON FOR SPAR ROUND 1/2

OOC: edited to remove random part of another post with permission from Arin

And the winner is...

KATJA! Due to Avalon not posting in the allotted time the fight has been defaulted in Katja's favor. Avalon must now give up by either submitting, fleeing or passing out.