Loss upon loss, Azure was struggling with the realization that possibly he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was. After all, if he was even half as strong as he considered himself he would have been able to beat Indigo, or perhaps even the young girl from Abaven. Permanent reminders of his failures were notched into each ear, something he'd be forced to carry with himself for the rest of his life. Sirius did not have markings like he did, even though the warlord had been involved in countless battles he still came home unscathed. Azure was taking advantage of the raid that was ongoing in the Tall Grass Plains. All his usual babysitters were currently occupied, his mother and father as well as their companions fought against Venom's intrusion, Resin was there too. Iolaire was setting up a station to heal wolves who may receive injury, and Deathbelle and Hannibal were both focused upon watching to see how the empire was managing - attackers and defenders alike. Nobody was there to notice his absence, and the first chance he got he snuck out of the territory. The prince had heard mention of a battlefield that existed somewhere nearby, supposedly it was a place where wolves just showed up and found opponents to practice against. It would be perfect for him, he could train against someone who had no idea who he was and if he lost again... well, he could pretend it didn't happen. The tale wouldn't follow him home. While not as directionally challenged as his mother, Azure was not an expert navigator in the slightest. He knew he should be walking north-west and once he got to the mountain range he would need to skirt closely around it as to not intrude on the nearby pack territory that was there. Then it would be as easy as looking for field and recognizing it as a place where a hundred battles had been fought. It didn't sound too difficult to Az. The walk only got more difficult however when the snow began to fall. The blizzard would have forced him to return home, had this not been his only opportunity for unsupervised exploration. He'd never seen snow before nor been so cold in his life. The world around him seemed to change through the flurries, and he found navigating the way he'd expected to be impossible. Inhaling for a scent only forced cold air to fill his nose and the shock of it was painful. He could barely see three feet in front of his face. Azure followed the mountain as best he could, but with no way to know if he'd reached the Battlefield or perhaps even passed it. "Hello?" He called out against the blizzard. "Is anyone there?" Word Count: 462 "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Two forces struggled within Mæva. The force to get up and take advantage of a brand new day and the force that wanted to stay curled up, warm, in the makeshift den in the Mile High Woods. The winter weather was proving a struggle for the journey and the terror of the previous day was forgotten when the strands of golden sunlight that had filtered in. Her dad would rescue her. He'd proven that yesterday and in that moment she was a young pup who was content to do nothing more than cuddle.

At least until the sound of movement outside the den caught her attention. Birds were singing and oh what was that? Mæva quietly got up and slipped out of the den into the morning. Maybe she'd just go ahead and start her day now. It was gorgeous out. Sunlight cast down on the snow drifts sparkled like gems and the wild life about her was busy. Yes, she better get busy to. She was flush of the victory of the previous hunt. First she'd brought down a rabbit by herself and then a fawn. She was getting better each day and anxious to practice more. The band encouraged independence, even early in life so it wasn't all that strange, especially for one who was a season away from being a yearling. As long as she stayed within a few territories she shouldn't cause her dad too much stress. She just needed to be sure she stayed in earshot.

Bounding through the snow she went about her day, chasing squirrels and having a good time til she came on the border of the battlefield. It felt like ages since she'd worked on her battle skills. The clouds were starting to darken again and she squinted at the sky then around her to get a sense of the territory and where she should turn to head back. It started to snow but she worked her way into the battlefield anyway. She should learn how to navigate winter weather and hunt in winter weather and fight in winter weather. She wanted to make her dad proud.

Mæva stood there on the battlefield uncertain what to do when she heard a voice call out. It sounded young and not far from her. She followed the voice, approaching slowly in a crouch as though she were stalking prey. She knew to be wary of strangers but to her surprise the call came from a pup about her age. He was huge! And had strange fangs and paws and spikes. Oh he looked cool to fight. He'd probably kick her ass but now she was curious and nothing stopped Mæva when she was spurred on by a large dose of curiosity.

"Hey! Are you here to fight to?" She stood and shook her coat. The wind had picked up and the snow was falling heavily again. She had no idea how to fight in this kind of weather but it was worth a try.


WC: 501
Total: 963

Mortis was always eager to practice and learn. He wanted to be a great warrior, like their father one day. It helped that the pack had so many warriors, and the focus of the entire place was angled towards fighting. It meant he was going to have a lot of competition on his hands to be the best. He didn’t think he would be beating Azure any time soon, but so long as he got the occasional draw, or won as often as he beat his competitive brother, he didn’t actually mind. He didn’t know which of them was going to be Heir, but he knew that they would both be worthy fighters by the time that decision came around. He went with Azure to the battlefield, and almost lost him when the blizzard picked up. If Azure wasn’t out there, the boy would have turned around and gone home. Instead, he took a deep breath, and plunged onwards. If Azure could do this, then so could he. He fought the urge to stick close to his brother for warmth and comfort, knowing the other boy wouldn’t appreciate it. Where was the battlefield? The young Heir had no idea, and he was starting to despair that they would ever reach it. The wind was brutal in his face, and the snow was cold against his coat, and beneath his paws. He just wanted to curl back up into a huddle, and try to find some warmth. Only his brother’s determined gait onwards kept him going. He would prove himself to be the boys' equal. When Azure spoke out, Mortis tried to per through the storm, and find what his brother had. Had something prompted him to speak out, or was he just uttering words in a vain hope that there was something else out there? Mortis jumped in surprise when something answered back, the voice sounded like it came from a young wolf, and when he squinted against the moving snow, he could see she was a reddish wolf, half coated by snow. ”We are!” he confirmed for his brother both, feeling her ‘to’ meant that they might have actually found someone to fight with them. "Speech" Words: 368

When not only a stranger's voice called out in response but also Mortis', Azure was momentarily surprised. He'd nearly forgotten about the presence of his brother during the walk. "Yes, we are!" He agreed. They'd not discussed exactly how the fight would work, whether the brother's would take turns fighting opponents or find their own or perhaps engage in a melee. He looked to Mortis now, thinking quietly about the best way to manage their training. Just the idea of battling in a blizzard was a little frightening, and he glanced down to his wide paws that sunk low into the snow. "My name's Azure, and this is Mortis." The boy offered as the other pup came closer. A part of him was relieved that their opponent was to be one nearly as young as they were, perhaps it would be his chance to finally win a fight. The blizzard roared louder and Azure's ears pinned against his head to try and hide the sensitive skin from the cold. He could feel where the wind blew through the notches in them, and shuddered. Az wanted to ask if this was a good idea, if any of them knew what they were doing. They were so close to the mountain that who was to say the sounds of battle may not set off an avalanche? The prince gritted his teeth and tried to push away the nerves. "It won't be fair if it's us two verses you, so we can all fight each other equally." He offered. "Right?" Azure's head turned towards Mortis to confirm, and then nodded as if agreeing on his brother's behalf. A melee was something he'd never participated in, and he realized he wasn't sure exactly how it began. In order to not show his inexperience, he simply waited for another to initiate instead. Total Word Count: 1637 "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Another voice spoke out and she squinted through the snow, spying a dark colored male with… were those wings on his back? Wow, these were two of the craziest looking wolves she'd ever seen! It was rude to stare though so she tried to compose herself. Clearing her throat she replied.

"Ok, great. This should be interesting to fight in this stupid storm." The boys introduced themselves and she quickly moved to give her own. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mæva, kind of like map but with a vuh instead of a p. Or Mae, Mae works just fine!" She nodded as Azure stated they'd do a free for all. That sounded good to her. As excited as she was to fight she wasn't super thrilled with the idea of being ganged up on by a pair of boys with giant fangs.

"Ok then, ladie's first!" Mæva quickly set her defenses, grateful for the warmth pinning her ears and tucking her tail gave to her. The fewer appendages she had bared to the wind the better. It was hard to see through the snow but thankfully both her opponents were dark colored so she had a general idea of where they were. She rolled her shoulders, scrunched her neck back and finished setting the rest as she debated who to attack first. They were all a lot bigger than her. Curious about the boy's wings she dove toward Mortis, seeking to race along his left side as she sought to grab hold of the front of his left wing where it met his body.

Mæva Adravendi vs Azure vs Mortis for Seasonal Spar
Round 1/?
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Hunter & Beginner Fighter
Specialty: N/A

Mortis Fatalis

“Right!” Mortis managed to conceal his excitement at the fight, a melee sounded awesome! But if he wiggled too much, Azure was going to judge him. Instead the boy turned his attention to the blizzard around them, considered how soft the snow was beneath her feet. He thought of the way the wind was blowing the stuff around, and it kept getting in his eyes. He would need to remember all of this when he was fighting, or someone was going to get the better of him, well the blizzard was distracting him.

“Our sister makes maps!” he commented to the stranger, to Maeve who’s name sounded like ‘map’ not that it was in any way related, and she was already getting ready for battle.

As she ran towards him, some part of his rain would register that her white-top wasn’t snow, but actual pelt, and then she was grabbing for his wing. He aimed to ‘thwack’ the length of it down on her if he could. It was a solid thing, not something dainty like birds used for flying. He hoped it would dislodge her attack, but in the meanwhile the young boy would aim to reach over with his teeth, and see if he could grab her by the neck. His paw was almost vibrating with the need to lash out, expecting Azure to be on them any second.

"Speech"

Mortis Fatalis vs Azure vs Maeve for Melee
Round 1/2
Age: under 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Snow leopard, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Kea, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Mutation 3: Wings - Offensive
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Introductions were quickly given and before long the battle had started. As soon as Azure stopped looking at the girl as just another wolf and instead as a threat, he realized how easily it was for her to blend into the blizzard and snow. His ears pulled back and he narrowed his eyes against the cold wind, watching for her move carefully and struggling to follow it with his eyes the same way he might during clear weather. She seemed to disappear as she moved around Mortis' side and Azure bounded forward to get himself involved. There was probably a strategy to be used during a battle like this but Azure had never participated in a melee nor been trained on how to tip one to your favor. It didn't help that through the blizzard and his narrowed eyes, it was difficult to aim precisely where he'd want to hit. To make up for the lack of visibility Azure decided to abandon precision for strength and to choose attacks that did not rely on perfect accuracy to do damage. He circled around the pair, coming around to Mortis' left the same way Mæva had. Instead of picking just one wolf to attack, Azure decided to charge the small girl where she stood and attempt to use his increased height and weight to smush her between himself and Mortis. Hopefully it would succeed in hurting both his opponents, and then the fight might finish that much sooner. Azure Keres Fatalis vs Mortis Fatalis vs Mæva Adravendi for Melee spar Round 1/2 Age: Under one year Size: Dire wolf Build: Medium Defensive Battle Accessory: Condor body armor Companion 1: Large flying fox, Male - Battle Companion 2: Clouded leopard, Female - Battle Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive Mutation 2: Bear paws - Offensive Mutation 3: Bone spurs - Offensive Skills: Expert Fighter & Master Hunter Specialty: Bloodletter "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

The snow was drifting and getting so deep that Mæva had to bound forward in little hops rather than just racing through. The snow also made it difficult to respond and change tactics so when she missed her bite for Mortis wing she wasn't able to get out of the way in time and it came back down smacking her in the head. Ow! She slipped and fell right onto her belly, unwittingly avoiding the boys fangs. From her lowered position she was also able to avoid Azure's body slam but she was very much aware that the bigger boys were likely going to squish her and she had little way out. At least the snow made for good padding.

Keeping her defenses set she angled herself in toward Mortis left hind leg. She sought to bite the hock and pull it toward her, hoping that maybe that maneuver combined with his brothers charge might send them both toppling over her and not on top of her.

Mæva Adravendi vs Azure vs Mortis for Seasonal Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Hunter & Beginner Fighter
Specialty: N/A

Mortis Fatalis

The girl-pup was a decent bit smaller than both of the boys, and it gave them some advantage in working in the deep snow. But perhaps that wouldn’t be as much of an advantage, working in close combat as they were. His wing hit Maeva pretty solidly, but before he had time to rejoice, his fangs missed her pelt. He just about lost her in the snow, with the way the blizzard kept tossing fresh stuff towards them, confusing his senses, and giving them all a light dusting of the stuff. With Maeva’s white tip, she blended in pretty well when she was crouching.

He felt her as she grabbed for his hind leg, and he aimed to kick her with the very limb she sought to pull. That was all he had time for before Azure’s form came crashing towards them and he had to brace. He spread his furthest wing out for added balance, and repeated his earlier manoeuvre as he sought to smack his other wing down on Azure, even as he came crashing into him and Maeva.

"Speech"

Mortis Fatalis vs Azure vs Maeve for Melee
Round 2/2
Age: under 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Front leg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Back leg bracers
Companion 1: Snow leopard, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Kea, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Mutation 3: Wings - Offensive
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A

He was charging, ready to slam the smaller girl into Mortis as hard as he could when poof, she seemed to vanish into the snow. Azure didn't want to step on or seriously injure anyone, and so he tried his best to slow down while she was blended in but couldn't slow himself in time. He crashed into Mortis and was propelled back out of the dog pile by the boy's wing, thrown over onto his side and quite possibly on top of Maeva he couldn't be sure. All he knew was that it was hard to fight in the snow, and even harder to tell which limbs were whos in the close quarter combat. Unable to do much else while he fell, he lashed out with his claws to try and land some swipes in on someone before he sunk into the snow and succumbed to the wolf pile. Azure Keres Fatalis vs Mortis Fatalis vs Mæva Adravendi for Melee spar Round 2/2 Age: Under one year Size: Dire wolf Build: Medium Defensive Battle Accessory: Condor body armor Companion 1: Large flying fox, Male - Battle Companion 2: Clouded leopard, Female - Battle Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive Mutation 2: Bear paws - Offensive Mutation 3: Bone spurs - Offensive Skills: Expert Fighter & Master Hunter Specialty: Bloodletter "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

And the winner is...

Mortis

Azure and Maeva must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Maeva: Adjusted rolls: 6.3    7.35    72    35 Total: 102.55 Mortis: Adjusted total: 135    57.2    2    83 Total: 291.06 Azure: Adjusted rolls: 41.4    91.3    66    22 Total: 264.84