His paws carried him to the battlefield, with a renewed, confident sense of purpose. He was going to create a kingdom of his own, build it up from the dirt beneath his paws. The morning sun barely peeked from beyond the horizon, the summer air still somewhat cool. Xephyris wasn't one to waste time, and he knew he had much to do in order to prepare. Who could waste time sleeping when there were lands to be scouted and wolves to consult with. He needed followers, but he didn't expect them to follow him blindly - no, he wanted to prove himself to them. He wasn't just a sucker looking to hold a fancy title; he was a warrior, and he would fight for the honor and prestige of wearing the crown. The desire had been building in him for days, now that his home had been ripped away from him, and not for the first time. No more of that, and he'd see to it! The silver-eyed brute was determined. His resolve was strong. So, stopping on a dried out, grassy patch, he tilted back his head and howled. He would see who came, find out what they were about, and then he would test them, but mostly he would test himself. He had to earn this. OOC: Looking for a quick spar. And, as you can tell, Xeph is looking for followers so please only enter if your character is considering joining a pack - they don't have to be deadset on it yet, but hopefully through interaction they will feel more compelled "Talk" "You" Think

After his reunion with Shiki the male figured his best course of action was to begin training again. For what? Thanatos wasn’t entirely sure. He knew that he wanted to become stronger, a better fighter so that he might be able to protect Shiki if it came down to it. He offered for his beloved to follow him to the battlefield if he so desired but said that if he chose to remain where they were staying he’d be back for him. Poe flew above Thanatos’ body higher in the sky, gaze searching for a potential opponent. Finally the raven winged down, just as the call sounded into the air. The man perked, grinning at his raven companion before he continued on at his leisurely pace to where the other wolf had called from. Gaze met silver hues, his own shining with interest as he looked upon the other male. He tilted his head to the side, a soft smile on his face. “You called… for… a challenger…” His slow drawl came out as Thany prepared himself, getting into a defensive stance. He knew once the battle began he would switch into his serious mode, taking things at a swifter pace. Such was his way. “I am… Thanatos… I will… spar… with you.” He tilted his head to the side. “You… are…?” Poe had settled onto the ground nearby the two wolves, gaze focused on the male who had called. Who would come out the victor? "Talk" "You" Think

Silver, blue-flecked eyes tilted to the sky as a handsome raven circled in the sky above him, before dipping low in his direction, landing a short distance away. Curious, Xephyris watched the brave bird, wondering if the raven suspected he might have some food to scavenge off of. The brute shrugged his shoulders; the raven would be out of luck today if that was what he was seeking. His attention shifted as a wolf approached him from a different angle. The brown and white marked wolf meandered at a leisurely pace toward him, and Xephyris waited patiently. He was in no rush, although his determination was high, and he hoped that the approaching wolf had come for a spar. Perhaps he might be a good candidate for the base of wolves that Xeph wished to build the foundation of his kingdom upon. Now would be a good time to determine that. As the wolf finally arrived, Xephyris watched as the man began to set a defensive stance, and just a whiff of the man's scent told him that he belonged to no pack. Ah, good, he'd come for a spar indeed, and he wasn't chained to any place in particular. Perking as the man spoke, he found the wolf's manner of speech curious, a little bit on the slow side. He hoped that didn't represent the man's intelligence, nor his abilities in combat. He supposed he'd find out soon enough, as he began to slowly match the other man's battle-ready stance. "Indeed, I'm hoping for a good match," he responded, before a polite greeting rumbled from his throat, "Pleasure to meet you Thanatos. I am Xephyris. Do you have a lot of fighting experience?" He was buying a bit of time, curious to know just a little more about this man. "Talk" "You" Think

Thanatos found himself smiling. He was glad to be on the battlefield once more, and no doubt Poe was glad to see him back as well. The man knew well enough that the sickness had worried the raven as well. He had already lost his mistress in battle… but this potential battle did not call for death. At least Thanatos did not believe so. No, if this man sought blood he would not have wasted his time with small talk. The man’s ears perked again for a moment, surprised with the chatter, but not against it. “A… bit… though it… has… been… a while…” Though his speech was slow his gaze was sharp, moving over his opponent’s body as he seized him up. The other male was a bit bigger than him, though Thanatos wasn’t one to judge a victor merely based on sized. No, it seemed like they could be pretty evenly matched as a matter of a fact. Well, if you relied on height. The other man, Xephyris, was bulkier than he was by a good bit. He’d need to be careful. “With respect… Xephyris… do not… be… fooled.” Thanatos found a grin upon his face. “You’ll… see… I am… capable.” Thanatos shifted again, head cocked to the side. “For what… reason… did…you… call? To… become… stronger…?” "Listen to me talk," 'but read my thoughts.'

Table by:: Chrono

He listened as the slow, thoughtful sounding man began to speak, stating that he had a bit of experience even though it had been a while. The man assured him that he was capable, to not be fooled by his demeanor. Xephyris smirked at Thanatos. He was glad to hear that the smaller man was confident in himself - perhaps this spar would be good, like he hoped. Gray ears perked as he listened for Thanatos' question - what reason had he called for? He was glad that that the man had asked. "I'm always looking to test myself and become stronger," he began, tail flicking, "But today, I have another purpose. I'm working toward building my own kingdom, a new pack, and I thought it would be a good idea to find followers at the battlefield. And what brings you here?" He knew wolves came to the battlefield for many other reasons than just to spar; some also came looking for a pack. He was curious to hear what Thanatos would have to say. "Talk" "You" Think

Thanatos gave a firm nod as Xephyris explained himself. To test himself, to become stronger, but also to work on creating his own kingdom. To search for followers. Thanatos closed his eyes as he considered the answer that he was going to give the silvery male. “I came… to… also… test myself.” Thany explained before open his eyes again. His teal hues focused on the other man, a sure gaze within them. “I… want to… be strong… to… protect… my mate.” Thany offered Xeph a smile. “Perhaps… I… may join… you.” The brown male wanted more than just to protect Shiki… he wanted stability for him too. He wasn’t as worried about Poe… the raven was capable of handling himself. But no doubt Poe would go where Thany went.

"Speech"

Xephyris listened with interest as the other male stated that he had also come here to test himself. It was a good thing to know that this man before him was also ambitious and determined. The last words he said caused Xeph's brows to raise - so, Thanatos might consider joining him? Well, he would have to make sure this went well, then. "It's good to meet someone who's also ambitious," he commented, tail swishing, "I'll try to impress you." A small chuckle passed his lips as he began to shift himself into a battle-ready position. "If you don't mind, I'll make the first move," he said, beginning to set his defenses. He pulled back his ears to protect them, as his paws shifted to an equal distance apart, his legs bending at the knees and elbows to lower his center of gravity. The toes of his large paws spread for extra balance, while his nails dug into the packed down earth of the battlefield. His tail flagged out behind him, aligned with his spine, while his head lowered to align with his spine as well, chin tucking to guard his throat. He rolled his shoulders forward, hackles rising and the skin of his scruff bunching up to protect his neck. Silver eyes narrowed, and muzzle wrinkled up in a snarl to expose his fangs. Setting into action, Xephyris attempted to charge toward Thanatos, hoping to close the distance between them. Keeping low, he tried to dart to his right and then, shifting his weight to his hind legs, attempted to thrust himself toward Thany, hoping to slam the front of his left shoulder blade toward the left side of Thany's ribcage, directly behind the left shoulder where the ribcage and shoulder met, hoping to leave a moderate bruise. Then he turned his head and neck to his left, parting his jaws as he attempted to land a bite in the middle of Thany's side, several inches behind where the shoulder met with the ribcage, hoping to leave mild punctures and gain a firm grip. Now, how would his opponent react? "Talk" "You" Think

Thanatos gave a firm nod, feeling himself slip into readiness. He might have been “slow” in pace usually, but as he prepared for battle his eyes took on a sharper look. The wolf named for the God of Death was going to do what he could to impress the other man as well. Thany did not consider himself a pushover and would certainly do his best in battle. The only way he was ever going to get better was if he practiced more, right? The man could feel his blood beginning to heat, a certain level of excitement rising within him. This was going to be interesting.

The fact that the other man was going to take the first move didn’t bother Thanatos in the slightest. He spread his legs apart, shifting his weight equally across the four limbs. The young man also spread his toes, biting his claws into the soil to either brace himself for the impending attack or attempt a swift and hopefully powerful counter. The male’s muscles were tense, head lowered to align with his spine, and his shoulders were rolled forward. His tail was tucked, more for defending his belly than out of submission, and his chin too was tucked inward just a bit. His hackles were raised, lips snarling as his eyes narrowed and ears pinned back. He was ready to see where this spar with Xeph went.

When Xephyris charged forward Thanatos decided to wait, biding his time until the male had managed to successfully close the six or so feet between them. The other male kept low to the ground, something that could definitely benefit Thany seeing as how he was a couple inches smaller. It was just as Xeph started shifting to his right {Thany’s left} that Thanatos moved. Throwing his weight back into his rear legs Thanatos lunged forward and about ten degrees to the left offsetting the slam that his opponent had planed. Xeph’s shoulder met with Thanatos’ left flank, knocking into him for the moderate bruise he hoped for while also knocking Thany back towards his own left {Xeph’s left as well, as they are sort of parallel-ish}. This caused the male to be back alongside the other male, facing Xeph’s flank. Thanatos gave only a couple seconds to right his balance before he also felt his opponent’s fangs graze the left side of his rump, closer to the back {as in near the back of his leg} and middle part of the area. Thanks to his momentum his opponent did not get the grip he sought, though the mild lacerations were something he’d need to keep an eye on later so they didn’t get infected.

Thanatos didn’t waste any further time. He’d already moved forward, his jaws close to Xeph’s rear left thigh. Without any hesitation Thanatos opened his jaws wider and turned his head to his own left to attempt clamping down moderately but firmly upon his opponent in hopes of gain a hold. He also made the attempt to push his back legs forward again, to ram his opponent’s leg into his mouth and worsen the bite, though some counter damage from the attack could potentially pend as well. At time same time Thanatos also lifted his left forepaw in an attempt to slam it down upon Xeph’s left rear paw and cause moderate bruising. Thany might have been playing a bit hard, but at least it wasn’t a maim. It was a matter of who could impress the other more.

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Ooc:: Defaults on this are lax if staff couldn’t already tell. xD;; Good luck Shadowed and sorry for the wait. <3

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Thanatos vs Xephyris
Round One of Two