Amos was getting bigger, he wasn't small and fluffy and useless like before and he loved it. It was so cool to finally have legs long enough to carry him out of the orchard to new and different places. No one could stop him from going where he pleased, not that anyone seemed too interested in doing that anyways. His stupid family all seemed too keen on doing their own things and leaving Amos to his own devices lately. Whatever, he could just go make his own fun! Loping through the drying grass the dark boy climbed a bit of a hill and when he reached it's peak he found that an odd structure lay up ahead. Tri-colored eyes scanned the area carefully as though he might be able to pick out any traps that stood between him and the odd place. Once satisfied that no one seemed to be here he trotted over, nose working to take in all the new smells and eyes drinking in the strange sights.

Passing a few gnarled fruit trees and stepping over tangled vines Amos padded through the range slowly in order to take it all in. It smelled like there were lots of new plants to discover here. The precarious looking structure up ahead looked to be anything but sound, not that it stopped him from wandering closer and closer and eventually waltzing right in. It smelled weird here, like old things, and it was just kind of musty. Wrinkling his nose, Amos tip toed around in the hopes of finding something cool to talk about whenever he saw his parents or siblings again. Somewhere nearby a bird he'd never heard before was clucking softly.

The child was on the move again, a warm smile on her maw as her paws lead her across the cooling Earth. Her ears were perked, her blue eyes shining with delight as she took in each breath of cool, crisp, autumn air. Her mane kept her head warm as she wandered, though it could be a pain too, getting snagged on twigs and the like depending on where she was wandering. Today she was in the Range, a bit closer compared to where she had wandered prior. There had been a neat structure she’d passed on her way towards it. Whatever it was… was strange. Her nose twitched curiously, her head canting to one side.

It smelled funny. Looked funny… but Philly found it neat. She edges closer, pawing at the ground curiously. Even the ground was different here. Her tail began to swish back and forth the closer she drew to the barn. She could smell prey… mice. The little creatures were something that Philomena could easily catch… but something else caught her attention. Another animal she’d never seen before… or heard before. It was making noises… was it a bird? She paused, watching the chicken from a distance.

...It was going to be food.

She began to move forward, paws thudding on the earth as the large girl sprang for the creature none too quietly. Her stalking failed, and the chicken went scuttling away clucking it’s head off as Philly’s jaws snapped on open air.

“Mrr…” She sat down, feeling disappointed. Now not only was her uncle going to be disappointed she wandered off again… but she didn’t even catch the weird bird-butt.

“Well well well…” the black and gold boy sing songed tauntingly. “If it isn’t Lameos “ Rogdar jeered from his resting place on top of a moldy and moss covered pile of hay, clearly more than a little proud of the name he had created for his smaller brother. He slid with unparalleled grace down the side of the sloping haystack and gave a small skip away from the hill, flicking his golden tipped tail in a perfect arch. “What’re you doing Lameos? Being lame?” The larger boy teased, tossing his head proudly in the direction of his slate furred brother, a wide and sly grin on his face. “I bet you just found out about this place huh?” He asked rhetorically, never once dropping his haughty body language or his mocking tone. “I’ve been coming here for WEEKS! And I already found all the cool stuff.” In truth today had been the first day he had even thought to venture out of the orchard and away from his family, and had only arrived moments before his brother had, but Rogdar was cunning for a boy so young, and if his brother called his bluff he’d be able to weasel his way out of it. Speaking Thinking You

He thought he heard someone nearby and was going to go check it out when a voice froma different direction demanded his attention and Amos' ears flattened automatically accompanied by an irritable growl. If anyone could make Amos feel just like his perpetually irritable mother it was this asshole. He was going to just ignore his brother and go his own way, he really was, but that stupid voice, and that stupid tone just got to him. Snarling, Amos turned, fangs bared. Assuming a dominant posture with tail raised high and head up with ears firmly forward the boy growled, trying so hard to not dignify this with a response and failing miserably.

It was the last bit that saved him from launching himself at his sibling with all the ferocity he could manage. Weeks? "Bullshit, the heck you have! I didn't even smell your stinky scent anywhere when I got here, quit lying Rogdar, it won't make you cool" he huffed, turning away from this irritant and prancing away from the barn hoping his brother would just go away.

Philly was swallowing her disappointment, about to resume exploration when she heard the first of two male voices. She twitched her ears, shifting her mane back away from her eyes as she scanned the area curiously. Then, realizing where the source of the noise was from. It sounded like they were arguing? Huh. Philomena began to trot curiously around the edge of the barn when she almost bowled right into one of the males. The large girl jumped back, fluffing up her fur and wrinkling her nose in an adorable little puppy growl. “Gruuuuuueeewww!” That was when she realized… he wasn’t all fluffed up she was. He seemed annoyed, sure, but not with her…

“What’cha doing?” Philomena asked, straightening back to her full height. Her blue eyes curiously peered around the other, seeing another boy there sure enough. All in a matter of a few seconds she went from grr to curious again, a big grin on her face. “Do you live here? Why are you grumpy? Is it his fault?” Philomena was immediately talkative, completely ignorant of the fact these two were strangers. They looked alike too.. Were they siblings? Oh! Maybe they’d wanna play?!

“You’re just jealous that I’m cooler than you!” Rog fired back, grinning only to have his thoughts come to a grinding halt as a growl radiated from behind him. He gave a shrill “Eek!” and scampered behind his brother, hair on end and tail between his legs. He looked, wide eyed between his brother’s ears attempting to make sense of just what had been behind him- it had touched him for Pete’s sake! It looked like a girl…Sort of. He couldn’t quite make sense of what was on top of her head, he knew his father had a small patch of fur between his shoulder blades that was longer than the rest of his fur, and he knew the fur on the sides of his mother’s face hung down past her neck, but neither of them had as much long fur as she had and certainly not growing out of the tops of their heads. It made her strange, but more importantly she had embarrassed him, which made her worse than strange; it made her a freak. “And what the fook are you supposed to be?!” He barked, narrowing his olive eyes, and stepping out from behind his brother with his hackles raised, emboldened from using one of the grown-up’s-only  words he’d heard his father say once or twice. Amos had already used his mother’s word; “Bullshit” so if he threatened to tattle he would just tattle right back. Speaking Thinking You

Amos was about to try and remove the end of his brothers nose when the other boy just about jumped out of his skin at the sound of a girl growling behind him. Amos quirked a brow and couldn't help but stick out a leg as his brother ran to cower behind him like a scared baby, hoping to trip stupid Rogdar. If it didn't work he could play it off as stretching, not that he'd have to since Rog-dumb was bein' a fraidy-cat. "Sooo cool,"he mocked with a devlish grin, shaking his head at his sibling then looking over at the girl.

Woah. She sure was different! It would have been enough for her to just be a girl, since he was so used to being with his brothers and the only female he spent any extended periods of time with was his mom. This wasn't just a new girl though, she had this odd looking long hair coming off her head. It was kind of nice looking to Amos, despite how very unusual it was. Her fur was also pretty nice, white and brown instead of the muted tones his relatives all shared. Smiling at her he said, "Ah, jus' explorin' and stuff." Padding close to her he added, "I'm grumpy cause my brother's being a buttface again," confirming that it was indeed Rogdar's fault. As usual. As if to prove his point, Rogdar went and did something mean again.

"Shut up!" he growled, leaping at his brother in an attempt to bowl the other boy over, aiming to place both forepaws on his chest and shove. Ears pinning slightly, eyes narrowed the way his mom's always were when she looked like she was about to kick someone's butt, he barked, "There you go again bein' mean. Stop being so awful already or no one's gunna like you!"

These boys were nothing like her brother Ulric. They reminded her a little more of her uncle… and Philomena grinned widely at the reactions both gave. The one was startled by her, and Philly couldn’t help but giggle with delight. She’d scared someone. She was on her way to being a mighty Hellstrom yet! But she was a little confused when she saw how quickly the other boy tried to shove the one she nearly run into. “He’s being mean?” She didn’t mind he’d insulted her… what caught her attention was the fact they were brothers!

“Siblings aren’t supposed to fight like that, sillies.” Philly dropped her front end to the ground again, giving a little bark. “...and sides, if he wants to be mean and find out what I am… he can come get me for himself!” Her bright blue eyes danced with a challenge, the large girl wiggling her butt in the air. “I’m Philomena Lore, a Hellstrom wolf, and I’m not scared of nobody!" She flicked her head, her mane shifting away from her face again.

“...but if I win in a scuffle then you’ve got to be nice to your brother!! It’s uh… part of a warrior code or somethin’.” She straightened up, waiting to see what the boys would say to that. She could make the one boy be nice, well, potentially, AND even impress a new friend. Nevermind the fact that this could be her first “official” fight.

His brother managed to knock him on his side, earning a furious glare from the larger boy and a fierce snarl that showed off his sharp needle-like teeth. The girl started talking and he diverted his attention, locking his olive eyes on the girl’s. She had challenged him and her being a stranger meant that she was more subjected to his scorn than his brother. “I don’t care who you are Philadelphia- or whatever your name is! I’m an Allentide and no one tells me what to do!” He snarled, his fur bristling. He glanced at his brother, knowing there would be no help there, as much as he loved Amos- although his way of showing love was typical of his upbringing- he could never shake the feeling that Amos felt nothing for him and had been the prime reason he teased and taunted him. Hate was better than being ignored or alienated and so he had latched onto it if only because it was the only way his brother paid attention to him. “You want a fight? You got it!” He snapped furiously, spreading his legs to distribute his weight and spreading his toes to sink into the earth, he pinned his ears back and narrowed his eyes, he was going to rip that stupid fur right off her head and then when he was done he would give his brother a good shove to put him in his place. Speech Thought You

Sitting back, Amos switched to observer mode as the spectacle unfolded. The girl seemed ready to take anything Rogdar threw at her, so he wouldn't stop her from trying to get his brother to be nice, heck, he welcomed it. Grinning as Rogdar cast a glance his way, Amos just shrugged. He figured if need be he could referee and if Rog was reeeeally lucky Amos might just help him out if needed but for now he was content to see what his brother was gunna do. Grinning, he decided he liked this Philly girl. She seemed pretty cool. "Ought to tell Rogdar that, he doesn't seem ta know." he mused with a conspiratorial smirk.

Watching as Rog showed he was ready to roll, Amos sat down with a small thump and watched, still smirking with a look of amusement on his face all the while. "My bet's with Philly!" he announced playfully, hoping to motivate them both in different ways. The real question was if Rog would actually fight the girl or not. He somehow wasn't sure but was more than happy to see this all play out.

Philomena smirked at his comment. “Bet you’re Mama would!” Even as the little girl countered his words she was slipping into defensive posture. She could feel her fur rise, particularly along her hackles as she narrowed her eyes. She looked… more like a moderate sized fluffball than a real threat… but her size for her age was an advantage. She spread her limbs apart, perhaps a tad too far, and distributed her weight evenly across her body like her uncle had showed her {whether he knew it or not} when she spied on him hunting and practicing stuff.

“Least you’re not boring~” Her words were a slight compliment as she flicked her ears back. “With proper attitude maybe you’ll even make some friends.” Philomena canted her head to the side and gave a toothy smile before getting the rest of her defenses set in place. She dug her claws into the earth and raised her tail out behind her in a banner to aid with balance. Then she rolled her shoulders forward and let out another of her growls. The fight was on!

She didn’t wait for the boy to move -- Philomena took that opportunity to attempt to close the moderate distance {not sure what to put because I can’t ask Fen right now. xD} between them. She ran forward, shifting her head downward as she aimed to use it as a battering ram against the other pup. Continuing head on she tried to not only slam squarely into the center of his chest with her head but also aimed to throw her right forepaw even more forward and stomp on his toes. She didn’t know if the boy was going to fight back… but she kind of hoped so. It wouldn’t be any fun if he didn’t!

---

Philomena vs Rogdar for Dominance / ‘Protecting’ Amos
45” {Probably close to  30ish at this age? IDEK.}
Medium
Round 1/3

“I’d never be friends with a freak!” He roared furiously and braced himself as she began to close the distance. He squared his shoulders, lowering his head to cover his chest and tightened the muscles in his legs as she charged toward him like a bull, she was big but he was quick and although she had more bulk he had the teachings of his mother’s mentor to guide him. He waited as she drew closer then darted three inches to the right just as she threatened to collide with him, splaying the toes of his back legs and sinking them into the dirt before pushing himself off the ground completely to maximize the force needed as their bodies sailed past each other, a hair width apart. He tucked his left paw against his chest, shielding his chest with the stronger bone of his arm and twisted to the left, hoping to sink his needle sharp teeth into her neck or into her flowing mane, and stiffened his neck as he braced for the impact, his right paw outstretched ready to catch him as he sailed through the air. As soon as his right paw touched the earth he would pivot on his paw to the right; regardless of whether or not his bite made purchase and he succeeded in ripping away her fur, the thick  bones of his hips would swing with him and if all went well, would collide with her ribs and knock her off balance. As soon as his twist was complete he would dash away to the right, putting distance between them again and bracing for her next attack. Rogdar vs. Philomena for Dominance {Aka shutting Phili up lmao} Round: 1 | 2 | 3 Height: 40" {25 inches right now to keep the ratio between them even} Build: Light Speech Thought You

...and the other boy ended up sailing past her, so close that their fur was almost touching. The femme hit the ground hard, bounding forward an extra quarter body length as she twisted her own body to the right {Rogdar’s left}. At the same time she felt an immediate flurry of pain as the young male’s teeth caught ahold of her mane, pulling it and yanking away some of the fur. Though painful, it wasn’t the sort of wound that would leave her reporting to her uncle in a state where he’d come back out for blood.

Besides, this was her fight! The femme kept her ears flat against her skull, eyes narrowed, and fur raised as she continued on with the fight. If he thought that he could get away with pulling fur out of her mane than he was wrong! She parted her jaws in a snarl before snapping them towards his tail, attempting to grab it just before the end {about half a muzzle’s worth of length} with her bottom jaw aiming to grab the bottom of the tail and her upper jaw aiming to clamp down over the top… and hard. She hoped to cause some bruising at the very least.

Furthermore, as her own body swung to the right after Rogdar’s own she’d feel the whoosh of wind as his hips slipped and meshed with her own on the right side {his left}. Luckily thanks to her own movement she felt the bones grind against each other for but a moment, likely to cause some mild bruising later. On top of that it did throw her back end off slightly, as Rogdar had initially intended, but the girl quickly righted her balance with a bounce on her paws. With weight evenly distributed across her four limbs she also attempted to sweep with her left forepaw, hoping to grab the male’s rear left leg and yank it backwards to cause him to stumble. Her tail remained lashing behind her like a banner, aiding in her balance as she attempted to keep up with the male. She wouldn’t let him get away that easily!


Philomena vs Rogdar for Dominance / ‘Protecting’ Amos
45” {Probably close to  30ish at this age? IDEK.}
Medium
Round 2/3

Her teeth bit down on his tail and ripped away at his downy fur as he twisted away and knocked his hips into hers the pain was bad but tolerable, and no doubt his tail would look rattier than usual, but that was hardly his concern. Her paw pulled at his back left leg causing Rogdar to stumble but he quickly regained his balance by grounding his other three legs and pulling his left back leg close to his belly and brought it down firmly, hoping to catch her paw under his toes before she swept it away. Whether his rear paw came down on her front paw or the ground the successful landfall would be the start of his next move; with her head twisting toward his hips he would step in closer to her just around her midsection where her thigh began and Rogdar would rear back; twisting to the left in a controlled fall with the his shoulder facing her head. He would keep his paws raised at neck height ready to bring them down on her back as he fell and using them to guard his throat, rolling his shoulders forward and keeping his neck bunched close to his body, he would splay the knuckles of his front paws hoping to grip her fur as he came down and grip her like a cat, his claws might not have been sharp or hooked but they were strong and would at least leave some scratches on her flank. He would open his jaws wide, hoping to bring them down on the base of her tail just below her spine along with his paws, using his weight and gravity to hopefully cause a decent amount of bruising in addition to the bite. In the present he set his defenses; legs activated and evenly spread, ready to move and lock as he needed them, his ears pinned to his skull, tail parallel to the ground, hackles raised, eyes narrowed, lips curled upward, toes splayed, shoulders hunched, and his neck tucked. Rogdar vs. Philomena for Dominance Round: 1 | 2 | 3 Height: 40" {25} Build: Light Speech Thought You