Blackened sand was lapped at by frothy white waters, filling the quiet beach with a never-ending score of waves smacking against the shore mixed with the cry of sea-faring birds and gulls skimming the skies overhead. The late evening sun was starting its descent over the western horizon, casting the seas surrounding Boreas in a blend of inky blacks and fiery oranges. The usually cold lands were comfortably mild thanks to the summer weather, and the lone black and red wolf basked in the cool ocean breeze that swept over the coastline, rippling through his fur in the most pleasant way. A wide smile spread across his face as the smell of salt and sand surrounded him. Hmm... Yes, this will do nicely! the monstrous wolf thought to himself with glee.

When Alastor had suggested that he and Lurid partake in a proper spar to make sure neither had lost their edge, he had chosen this location solely for its impressive name. Now that he was here, he was happy to see that the terrain had lived up to his expectations. The beautiful blood-red sunset cast the sky in an impressive canvas of flame in the sky, and the peculiar obsidian sand would be soft enough to absorb impact and offer an interesting challenge when it came to footing. After pacing the area to ensure no one else was near to interrupt their spar, Alastor threw his head back and released a long, low howl for his empress, signaling where in the cove he was. The smiling onyx demon then sat down on the black sand, silhouetted by the burning sky, and waited for his ghost to appear.

The last time he had engaged with Lurid, she had him dead to rights. He had put up little to no fight against her dominance other than a few errant snaps at her snout, but this time the playing field would be much more level. No holding back, no pulling rank or dominance, just pure skill and strategy. Already Alastor couldn't wait, practically salivating at the chance to get to spar with his lifelong friend for the first time in months. He had kept up with his training; he had to in order to keep their pack safe. But had she? Only time would tell...

"Speech" — Thoughts

Lurid Amarix

Alastor wanted a proper fight, one where she didn't pull her rank on him, a thought which made her want to laugh. Perhaps he was still a bit sour at her for pushing him into snapping, either way, Lurid could use the practice. No doubt she would have to prove herself to each of her littermates. Besides, she needed the out of a physical workout to bring her out of her sour mood. She'd been growing more and more irritable as the days went by, needing to do something, but unsure of what that something should be. Half of her wanted to go out and gather as many of the deranged as she could, but even monsters could be wary of a gift horse. Either way, she needed this. Alastor was presenting her with an option to release some of the tension inside her mind. It wasn't a surprise to her that he had followed her to the black sand beach, though it did catch her off guard that he would call so close to her location. Lurid grinned, her paws dancing against the sand as she began a flowing trot in the direction of his call. She used the distance as a warm up, the brisk motion of her legs making it so that her muscles would be more reactive. She gnashed her teeth in time to the cadence of her paws hitting the earth, loosening her jaws and readying her mouth for impact.

It wasn't only that she wished to prove herself in battle, but also to use the practice . There was a paranoia to the woman that her siblings would try to challenge her, and she wanted to be in top shape for when they got here. While she hadn't been actively picking fights with the natives, Lurid had been keeping up with herself, practicing more and more every day. But, she hadn't sparred with another who could truly match her in her skill. Upon rounding an outcropping of rocks, Lurid spied Alastor sitting in wait for her against a blood red sky. The darkness was something both wolves were well adjusted to, both out of necessity. She took in the solid look of his frame, knowing full well what he was capable of in a fight. Motherhood had taken up a good portion of her time, and when she was not off hunting or fighting predators, she had been searching for like-minded wolves to help her raise her empire here.

The pale demon didn't make a habit of formalities, though in this case she would wait a few feet across from him and smile. "This is a great spot, Alastor." She said the words with a purr in her dual vocals, watching for him to make his move against her. She could feel the steady thump of her heart against the cage of her chest, standing there she readied herself for him. She kept it subtle though, wondering if he would indulge in pleasantries or just get right down to it. Was he still mad at her for pulling rank when their earlier fun had only just started? Lurid gave a smirk at the thought and settled on watching him instead.

|| Word count: 535 words. ||
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: Oh it sucks, I know...my brain is tired though XD

ART by BRIENA

When he eventually did see Lurid appear from around an outcropping of the dark igneous rock formations, his smile widened in greeting, jet black eyes shimmering with anticipation. She stopped a few feet away, complimenting him on his choice of arena. "Why, thank you!" he remarked, rising to his large paws and giving a quick shake to release the obsidian sand from his fur. He stretched and rolled his shoulders to pop the joints, loosening up his body in preparation for what was to come. He was not mad at Lurid for her earlier display of dominance, nor did he harbor a grudge against her. He was, however, going to show his alpha just why no wolf ever forced him into submission. "Before we begin, I want you to know..." he said, stretching his neck to pop his vertebrae in a similar fashion to his shoulders, ""...I take great pleasure in this..." He fixed Lurid with one last wide grin, and then the dire wolf kicked off of the sand.

Alastor launched into combat like a rocket, fangs bared in a macabre smile with black eyes narrowed and focused on his opponent. He lunged for Lurid, attempting to wrap his jaws around one of her forelegs. If he succeeded, he would move to pull her down to the sand in a bold opening attack. His ears folded to his skull, snarls rumbling in his throat. If she leaped upward to avoid him, Alastor would kick back off the sandy ground, aiming to bring his thickened skull up into her jaw in a brutal headbutt. He wanted to remind Lurid how he fought: fast, hard, relentless. If she had been keeping up with her training, the two should still be evenly matched. If she hadn't, he was going to teach her very quickly why she should have been.

"Speech" — Thoughts

Alastor vs Lurid for Spar
Round 1/3
Age: 1+
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Lurid Amarix

With each pop of his various joints, Lurid found herself unable to help the mirrored popping of her own neck and rolling her shoulders forward. Keeping her eye on him, she kept her paws moving, bouncing on her toes like a prized boxer. He vocalized his pleasure with the opportunity, an admission that hadn't been needed. Obviously, he would enjoy this, he'd been drooling for it since he got here. A simple, "As do I," barely left her ivory lips before he was coming at her. With the force of a freshly shot cannonball, the burly demonic man came at her, Lurid's shifting paws reacting easily to his first reaching grasp. Dancing gracefully to the left like a matador dodging a charging bull, Lurid snatched her forelimb away from her friend's reaching grasp to leave him clacking his teeth on empty air and moved slightly left of him. This would hopefully keep him on her right, with his right facing her. As she moved, she simultaneously snaked her head forward to reach for the sensitive area just behind the right side of his jaw, seeking to snap down on the spot with a ferocity she hadn't had earlier.

Lurid had been pulling her punches when she had doled her punishment out, she hadn't wanted him incapacitated then. Even now she couldn't risk hurting him too badly. Hopefully, she would gain purchase in his flesh. The contact would be brief, but she would aim to puncture and tear a bit, then move off a few paces to the left. The exuberance with which she moved would make her seem almost puppy-like and helped to keep herself limber and ready for his next attempt at contact. Those holographic eyes stared keenly at his glorious form, knowing enough to keep a bit of space between them, anything to keep the bit of advantage she did have over him. Relishing the thought of having first blood, Lurid felt a bit blessed for the lessons her father had given her.

|| Word count: 335 words. ||
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Fight form:
Lurid Amarix vs Alastor for Spar
Round 1/3
Age: 1+
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Battle Accessory (offensive): Serrated saber mouth guard [not in use]
Battle Accessory (defense): Diamond-studded armor [not in use]
Companion 1: Mini Polar bear, Male - Attack [not in use]
Companion 2: Buzzard, Male - Perception [not in use]
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Intellectual
Specialty: N/A

ART by BRIENA

His initial charge had missed, much as Alastor had expected. He would have been disappointed if he'd gotten her on the first blow, but thankfully Lurid did not disappoint. His eyes followed her as she danced to his right, then lunged for him. The dire wolf made no effort to avoid her attack this time, allowing her to catch him with her teeth with a pained growl—and then he grinned at her. Once he felt her fangs make secure purchase into his skin, he twisted and went to snap his jaws at her upper leg, knowing she would be unable to retreat in time with her close proximity. It was a trap that had required him to endure a small amount of pain, but ultimately, it had left her exposed. If he got his jaws around her leg, the larger wolf would use his weight and her momentum to collapse to the sand and bring her down and bring his weight down on top of her head. Alastor knew where he had the advantage against Lurid: his weight and his strength were the key to overpowering her, so long as he could keep her from putting any distance between them. If he managed to get her to the ground, Alastor would squeeze his jaws tighter, hoping to keep her within his grasp while he tried to get on top of her and start a pin.

"Speech" — Thoughts

Alastor vs Lurid for Spar
Round 2/3
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: N/A

He just stood there and took the punishing hit, only making a single indication that it had hurt! Too late, Lurid noticed her mistake. Alastor had set a trap for the brutal jaws of his queen, and her realization of such made those holographic lavender-white eyes go wide. Lurid was proud of him, at the cost of her own ego, it was a rare mind that could outmaneuver her own. With incredible effort, Lurid pulled her fangs from his pelt with a violent jerk of her head and backpedaled as his teeth sought to close around her forelimb. Pulling away wouldn't be enough however, as she would feel his teeth graze her skin with an electric fire as they scraped small red slivers on her upper leg, around her elbow. Cuts from his fangs appeared, small amounts of blood highlighting itself against the alabaster of her leg. Then she danced backward, barely missing the takedown move that would surely have followed. As she made her retreat, Lurid would try to make it to his hindquarters before snaking her head out once more. Jaws agape and ready, the ghostly warrior queen sought purchase in Alastor's closest hind limb. The hamstring was what she aimed for, making sure to keep the bite from being crippling, Lurid struck hard enough to make sure it did hurt. After this attempt, the pallid empress would jump away from him. She was tiring fast, but every effort was made to keep away from being put in precarious positions.

Lurid Amarix vs Alastor for Spar
Round 2/3
Age: 1+
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Battle Accessory (offensive): Serrated saber mouth guard [not in use]
Battle Accessory (defense): Diamond-studded armor [not in use]
Companion 1: Mini Polar bear, Male - Attack [not in use]
Companion 2: Buzzard, Male - Perception [not in use]
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Intellectual
Specialty: N/A

The coppery metallic taste of Lurid's blood tinged his tastebuds as she failed to fully avoid his counterattack. Wide tongue licked over his fangs, savoring the delicious flavor in his mouth while eyeing her like she were prey. The blood triggered the feral response in his brain, and suddenly Lurid had become prey for the dire brute. He could simply devour her right now! Lurid had avoided his takedown, an expected maneuver. Lurid knew his fighting style all-too-well, and getting her in one of his combination attacks would not be feasible, if at all possible. Time to change tactics one last time. The two wolves began circling one another again, Alastor's black eyes narrowed, pupils dilated from the rush of adrenaline and dopamine. This was what he lived for!

Lurid came for his hind leg, and Alastor pivoted to the side using the momentum of his circling motions, but his size did not allow for much agility in short sudden bursts. He was able to prevent her from wrapping her jaws around his leg, but still felt the sting of her knife-like fangs ripping across his skin and flesh, rending it enough to draw thin rivulets of blood to drip from the jet black fur. He hissed through gritted teeth, swerving to face Lurid head-on. It was time to bust out all the stops. If he wanted to win, it was time for honor to go out the window. In one move, Alastor dug his paw into the dark sand and threw a large cloud of the grainy earth towards Lurid in a smokescreen, then kicked forward like a missile, hurling himself at Lurid with paws wide to try and catch her around the chest in one last gambit. If he managed to grab her, he would attempt his takedown and try to hold her in a pin. If he missed, he knew he'd be exposed and vulnerable. This was his last shot.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Alastor vs Lurid for Spar
Round 3/3
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Lurid felt her pupils dilate with some unknown need as she watched his tongue catch her blood from his lips, enthralled at the sight of him taking her in. It was a moment, fleeting as she refocused on their spar. Like the key fitting into the lock on Pandora's Box, Lurid's blood unlocked the chains that held the beast beneath Alastor's smiling exterior, but Lurid was not prey. Holographic white flashed up to meet abysmal black as she drew blood from him in kind, her own pink tongue awash in red as she gave a sick, taunting smile to the demon who turned to face her. The mad man dashed his paw against the earth, spraying sand into her face. Backing away, Lurid closed her eyes against the burn of the grains in her eyes, as tears formed responsively, Lurid growled low in her throat and squinted hatefully toward Alastor. A cheap shot for sure, but one Lurid herself would have taken if needed. Still, adrenaline spiked and something primordial, undeniable washed over her as Alastor's dark form moved toward her with the force of a wrecking ball. When they collided, she was beneath his mass, feeling his weight settle neatly over her frame as her spine hit the earth in a brutal fashion. As they crashed, Lurid refused to simply let him pin her with such a cheap move. Even with the wind knocked out of her lungs, she used their momentum to keep them rolling, hopefully ending up pinning him beneath her in a reversal of his own pinning move. If she did manage to pin him, it would end there. Even with sand in her eyes, Lurid would find a way to win. Her own demons demanded it.

Lurid Amarix vs Alastor for Spar
Round 3/3
Age: 1+
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Heavy
Battle Accessory (offensive): Serrated saber mouthguard [not in use]
Battle Accessory (defense): Diamond-studded armor [not in use]
Companion 1: Mini Polar bear, Male - Attack [not in use]
Companion 2: Buzzard, Male - Perception [not in use]
Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Intellectual
Specialty: N/A

And the winner is...

Lurid

Alastor must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Alastor: Adjusted: 41.8    1.05    47    14 (38 1 47 14) Total Score:    103.85 Lurid: Adjusted: 79.2    96.6    67    13 (72 92 67 13) Total: Total Score:    306.96

He felt his body weight make contact with hers. He felt the world tumbling forward. Alastor grinned; he had her now! And then the world continued to tumble forward, and gravity shifted around him. Wait, what? Their momentum should have stopped once he had Lurid's back on the ground. A quick analysis of his orientation revealed that he was now rolling forward, Lurid using their momentum and his own weight against him to keep their roll going. No no no no no no no NO...! Soft sand met his back, and then a push to his chest had him slammed back to the earth. Black eyes blinked in surprise, opening wide to gaze up in stunned shock at the enraged lavender gaze glaring almost hatefully down at him. Lurid had him pinned to the beach without any way to successfully overpower her, if he even could at all. Alastor was left stuck in a vulnerable, exposed position beneath his alpha. Lurid hadn't been lying when she said she'd kept up with her training regiments on her own. A surge of pride welled within him, happy to see she hadn't abandoned her old ways in favor of playing house with her "adopted" son.

"Stop!" bellowed Alastor, his voice loud and commanding, but distinctly not yelling. The words were meant to halt not just her, but more so to reign in the snarling monster lusting for blood that was stirring within him. Being pinned beneath his lovely leader helped as well, as his mind was suddenly focused on lusting for something else entirely, the salty metallic tang of Lurid's blood all but fading on his tongue by now. The wide smile returned to the male's face as he snickered, then chuckled, then burst into a raucous laugh. "You've got me in a checkmate. Well done! I'm very glad to see you haven't been neglecting your training, haha!" Alastor wanted to reach up and touch her face, to nuzzle her cheek, to congratulate her in all the physical ways he had longed to do so since she'd left him behind, but he let her savor her victory pin first. Besides, he could think of far worse positions to be in than pinned by the radiant beauty that was the Amarix empress.

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________

Here, kitty kitty, come and tighten the leash;
How about a little discipline for the violent beast?

A wicked grin lit her face up, spreading from ear to ear as realization crossed Alastor's face. He would lose this time, and as she came to pin him, he bellowed. 'Stop!' It wasn't quite a yell, but gutteral enough to halt the assault. Knowing the purpose of such a tone, Lurid's tail shot up above her hips in victorious display, then promptly sat herself on his side. Next time he wanted to doubt her, he would think twice. She was glad for the spar, however, the practice was always welcome. "You are graceful in defeat, Alastor. I shall reward you..." The warmth of his body filtered up through their fur, making her suddenly aware of her precarious position. Coming down from the adrenaline high, Lurid didn't afford herself time to rethink her favor to him. Placing a chaste kiss to the tip of his nose and a series of nips along his jawline, Lurid hopped up after the brief moment of contact and danced away. High on her victory, Lurid moved to head back toward home, fully expecting Alastor to follow her.

-exit Lu-
Word count: 182 words.
"Talk." || 'Think.' || 'Hear.'

Note: Quick post LOL sorry XD

ART

Lurid's proud display of victory was well deserved, and Alastor allowed her to bask in her moment. He gave a soft 'oof' as she settled her weight down on top of him, smiling his unnatural smile as she looked down at him with an expression he couldn't quite place. The next thing he knew, Lurid's lips made contact with the end of his nose, stunning the man in his place. He took a sharp intake of breath on reflex when her teeth nibbled along the edge of his jaw, sending sparks of electricity through his body from ears to tail. Before he brought himself back to his senses, Lurid had already climbed off of him and was heading off for home. Alastor rolled back to his paws, watching her saunter off for a few moments, hating and loving watching her walk away. His wide smile creeping back onto his face, the black and red brute clambered up and shook the black sand from his coat before happily padding off after his empress.

— EXIT —

"Speech" | Thoughts

Warning: Alastor is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
As his mate, Manea may enter any of Alastor's threads not marked Private.
____________________