The volcano's eruption had forced all the packs to pull in their horns and just survive, but the worst of all that was passing now, and packs were returning to their home territories instead of sharing the west. Greater distance gave the illusion of safety, but Justice suspected that most were waiting for time to lull the other packs into complacency. She wasn't going to let Valhalla fall into that trap. No, if someone was going to come skulking into Valhalla's lands again, she was going to make certain that they were prepared to send them fleeing with their tails between their legs again. Most of the wolves in the pack had at least some skill in fighting, but she was willing to bet a whole elk against a river rock that most of them hadn't been keeping up on practice. Patrolling or sentry duty were important pack duties, sure, and most of the pack did all right keeping up with that, but they didn't get you into shape and they didn't keep your fight skills from getting rusty.

Once she'd made the decision to start testing the pack's fight readiness, she wasted no time at all in looking for her first victim test subject. It happened that Artur was actually in pack lands for once, and she wasn't going to let the opportunity slip out of her grasp as often as Gwen's oldest managed to slip out of pack lands, so she metaphorically pounced and managed to catch him at the border on his way back out to his clear annoyance.

Artur stared irritably at Justice as the shorter, burly warrior hailed him. He'd almost made it out of pack lands without needing to deal with another pack member, but it seemed luck was not with him today. A fight readiness test?

His expression closed into a scowl, but he moved to face her squarely. "Fine," he said snappishly. "If you think you need to test me, I will play your game." At least she was taking her beta status seriously, which wasn't particularly what he'd have expected of the irreverent, irritating older wolf. He couldn't really complain about that, since the lack of training and care in the pack had been a large part of his complaints about it, but it was damnably inconvenient.

Still, he'd take advantage of it while it was offered. Soon enough he wouldn't need to deal with Valhalla at all. So he put a lid on his simmering anger and settled into his defenses. Justice was considerably shorter than him, and while her heavy build made her weigh more than others her height he still had a considerable advantage there. She was more experienced than he was though, so he remained wary.

Without waiting for her to be ready, he kicked off towards her, twisting his upper body and seeking to slam his shoulder right shoulder into the left side of the shorter woman's neck and, at the same time, aiming to clamp his fangs into her scruff at the back of her neck.


Artur vs Justice for spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

When Artur charged at her, Justice didn't bother trying to hop out of the way, even though he was much larger than she was. She wasn't any more agile than him, not really, and they were much too close together for her to leap away in time. Instead she dropped into a crouch so that his forelegs rather than his shoulder would be what slammed into her, and his bite snapped into the air over her head. She hoped it would make him stumble over her, and from her crouch she slammed herself upward and forward in an attempt to slam the top of her shoulders into the bottom of his chest and throw him. He was larger, but lighter weight for her size than she was for hers. Her strength might be enough to throw him if he was already off balance from stumbling over her. As she did, she tilted her head to nip at his belly, not enough to open the body cavity but aiming for a painful nip and shallow cut.

Justice Ancora vs Artur Adravendi for Spar
Round 1/1
Age: Over 1 yr
Size: Medium
Build: Heavy
Skills: Expert Fighter & Novice Healer
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

ARTUR

JUSTICE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Adjusted rolls: 61.95 74.55 53 70.4 ARTUR'S total is.. 298.89 Adjusted rolls: 71.4 78.1 13 8 JUSTICE'S total is.. 204.6

A few exchanges as the two fought back and forth, before Justice backpedaled and called out "Ok ok hold!" and they broke apart to eye one another as they panted and stretched strained muscles and tested injuries. After a moment Justice chuckled out loud. "Yeah ok, tough guy, you'll do. But don't think that this is an excuse to slack on training. We need all Valhalla's warriors to stay sharp." She worked her shoulder where he'd slammed into it in one of their exchanges, and decided it was just bruised. Kid really didn't pull his punches a whole hell of a lot. Well, she'd given him a thing or two to think about as well, and she nodded to his small wounds. "Go do whatever it was you were off to, but make sure you keep an eye on those and get them checked out when you get back. It's not going to do anyone any good if you let them get infected because you're too busy globetrotting to let the healers take care of them."

Artur stopped when Justice called for him to hold, panting lightly and licking the blood from his muzzle as they stared at one another. Icy anger still swirled through him like a faint mist as he started her down coolly, and unlike her he didn't so much as crack a smile when the tension broke. He lifted his head to stare down at her instead when she said that he'd do fine. "I don't neglect my training," he retorted icily. "I never have. If you're worried about Valhalla's readiness, look elsewhere." Her comment about his wounds would have earned an eyeroll, if Artur had been the kind to indulge in that, but instead just earned a disdainful snort. "I've had worse. Am I free to go now?"

Justice rolled her eyes at him, not even bothering to hide it. He had definitely managed to sour her own mood, despite the high of a fight. "Yeah ok, buddy, but when you get infected because you're off brooding wherever you go off to brood with whatever bugs and germs are hiding there with you, don't come bitching to me because I will have zero sympathy for your brainlessness." She tossed her heavy head towards the border impatiently. "Go on then, go do your brooding somewhere where the rest of us don't have to listen to your grumpy bitch ass. Be back in time for your patrol so all that trained warrior shit doesn't go to waste when I dump your ass in a muddy pit and leave you there for a few days."

Artur firmly suppressed the snarl that threatened to bubble from his chest at her mocking words, though he had to grind his molars together until he was sure he could hear them creaking. Once he might have respected her, as a fierce warrior and an irreverent thorn in Valhalla's side, but time had changed her. She was just Aurielle's attack dog now - what she said, what she thought was meaningless to him. Just yapping. Yapping he need not put up with much longer. He let his gaze go cool and remote, turning on his heel to stalk out of pack lands with his head and tail up, refusing to dignify her petty sniping with a reply.

-exit-