This coydog that bounds in now stands out, not because of his short dark brown coat with it's black brindling, but because his ears are the long and floppy ears of a hound, and the gold-brown eyes that blink with a certain mournful anxiety at the wolves around him are definitely the eyes of a dog far more than a coyote. His tail, thinner than his "cousins" tails, wags at a frantic pace and from his open jaws lolls a long pink tongue. "Hi guys, hi," he yelps, and even his voice quivers with anxious energy as though every word that tumbles from his loose flews is in the hopes of convincing you to love him. His eyes rove the remaining group and alight on the forms of JUSTICE and VALDIS. He wag-wiggled his way over to them. "Hello, hi, I'm Spot and I'm going to be your guide today. Can you come with me please?" His sorrowful eyes gaze at the pair of wolves as though begging them to tell him he was doing well. Glancing back nearly every step to assure himself they are following, he makes his way to a ring made of stones set into the ground in a circle. "They said you can't step outside of the circle or you're disqualified," he tells them anxiously. "I'm supposed to decide who goes to the next round." His gaze is mournful, as though he's saddened by the idea that he has to tell someone they can't go to the next round. "Do you think you could go first?" he asks JUSTICE, while his eyes beg VALDIS to forgive him that he could not ask them to go first.

_________________________________________________________________________ Justice had been in enough matches so far to be used to the strange little coydogs, but she still was taken aback by the more-dog-than-coy that yelpingly chose her an another woman. She shook her head, then glanced at her new opponent as they stepped into the ring. Something was vaguely familiar about her, and Justice squinted at her measuringly. "The Talis wolf that crippled Regulus," she said aloud suddenly, and would have snapped her fingers at the sudden realization of she had had them. She grinned. "Always did want to try you." Their doggish judge indicated she was to go first, and Justice gave a curt nod and a grin to show she understood. Her claws dug in and the short, bear-like wolf threw herself forward in a leap, aiming to collide chest to chest with her opponent, her jaws seeking a hold in the right side of Valdis' neck high up by where her jaw met her throat. JUSTICE vs VALDIS for TOURNAMENT SPAR Round 1/2 Size: medium Build: heavy Offensive Accessory: N/A Defensive Accessory: N/A Companion 1: N/A Companion 2: N/A Mutation: N/A Disability: N/A Fight Skill Level: Advanced Specialty: N/A ""

Valdís took stock of her injuries, doing what she could with the time she had but all to soon she was called off to another match. This was proving to be a real workout, the little coydogs certainly seemed to enjoy putting the wolves through their paces. She faced off against a familiar looking dark-pelted woman. The woman spoke and it suddenly clicked. She returned the other's grin. "And the woman who blinded Dragon, trust me the feeling is mutual." It was hard to believe how long ago the raid had seemed when Talis descended on what was then Celestial. A lot had changed since then but she did feel a stab of nervousness at facing this particular opponent. Valdís sought to push the feelings from her mind as she set her defenses, making sure to pin her ears and tuck her tail. Justice charged toward her and Valdís kicked off to meet the other woman seeking to come in slightly off center, a step or so to her own left. She sought to crash the center of her chest into Justice's right shoulder, seeking to hit with enough force to jar the limb, accepting the risks that came with such an attack. This was no time to be skirting about like a waif, she really wanted this fight. Her head dove down violently as she sought to shred the flesh of her opponents right shoulder, seeking the area higher up on the shoulder where the trapezius met the deltoid. All she wanted was a hold. In a more dangerous fight she might seek to sever the tendon joining the muscles but this was just practice. The movement of her attack prevented Justice from gaining a hold but the other woman's fangs still left moderate lacerations on the upper right side of her neck. Valdís vs Justice for Tournament Spar Round: 1 of 2 Size: Large Build: Medium Skill Level: Advanced No accessories, companions or other items of note. "Talk" "You" Think

_________________________________________________________________________ Valdis shifted her path so that when they struck, it set Justice back on her heels and sent a numbing shock through the limb. Grunting, Justice took a step back to compensate for the shock and twisted her upper body slightly to bring the front of her shoulder towards Valdis, putting the bony part in the path of her bite rather than the tendons and muscle at the side. It unbalanced her, so she had to slide her right hind leg out farther to compensate, but she slammed herself upwards hard, driving into the bite rather than avoiding it to try to hurt teeth and jaws alike on the sharp bone of the shoulder - though it would undoubtedly cause harm to the shoulder as well. As she did, she snapped again at Valdis' neck, this time aiming to grip the back of her neck while she was biting down towards Justice's shoulder, hoping a grip behind her ears would allow her to force Valdis down to the ground. All the while a low rumbling chuckle vibrated her throat and chest of enjoyment and excitement. She didnt bear the woman I'll will for what she had done to Regulus, but the chance to potentially prove herself against the wolf who had crippled him made her giddy. JUSTICE vs VALDIS for TOURNAMENT SPAR Round 2/2 Size: medium Build: heavy Offensive Accessory: N/A Defensive Accessory: N/A Companion 1: N/A Companion 2: N/A Mutation: N/A Disability: N/A Fight Skill Level: Advanced Specialty: N/A ""

They collided, sending a shock of pain through her chest that would no doubt leave bruising but it wasn't enough to wind her. The woman lanced her shoudler forward but Valdís did not retract her bite and instead sought to push forward. In these close quarters she wasn't as worried about dislocating her jaw or injuring her teeth. While it certainly wouldn't feel great it wasn't enough to get her to turn away. As Valdís was still continuing her original bite her head was already diving down when Justice attempted her second bite which snagged the flesh on the back of Valdis neck, tearing flesh and getting a hold but it was far back enough it wouldn't prevent her original attack from continuing. Valdís vs Justice for Tournament Spar Round: 2 of 2 Size: Large Build: Medium Skill Level: Advanced No accessories, companions or other items of note. "Talk" "You" Think

And the winner is...

JUSTICE

VALDIS must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Justice: 202.8 Valdis: 154.22

Justice backed off as the coydog called them apart. She was grinning in delight even before he declared her the winner, purely out of the excitement of the fight, but having won made it all the sweeter. "Good fight," she panted, turning her broad grin on her opponent. "Maybe next time we meet it'll be your win, yeah?" Maybe she'd gotten a little addicted to the thrill of a fight, but she wasn't going to complain, and if the woman wanted a rematch another time, well, it just made the idea all the more appealing. "See you around, I hope," she added as she trotted out of the circle to let the next pair have their turn.

In just a few moments it seemed like the battle was over. Her opponent was declared the winner and Valdís stepped back. She'd done her best but this woman was truly a fierce opponent and it didn't really surprise her. After all Justice was the wolf that had taken Dragon's sight. She dipped her head as the woman spoke and offered a smile. "Real good fight. I would be honored to battle you again." She would certainly like a shot at a rematch but that would have to come at another time. She was now out of the tournament. Valdís left the ring to go tend to her wounds.