Rudy was filled with an inner frustration that felt like it was burning up his insides.  The reasons should be obvious enough but they were things hard to voice.  He was one who always tried to put things in a positive-sounding light, or how to get past any problem situations that came up.  For all of Rudy’s talents, his best had to be talking and right now that was failing him.  There was also no hunt he could go on or enemy to best that would make things better.  Bigger now and more helpless than when small it seemed.

He had just left the castle’s entrance as he looked at the plains before him.  Chasing and taking down prey might help him vent but the searching and stalking would do nothing.  He didn’t want to focus on the tedious part at the moment.  Normally they were things he’d enjoy but now he felt too impatient.  With a small sigh, Rudy reminded himself training was important.  Rudy imagined going to check on his brother or sisters but again he lacked the words.  They had all dried up inside of him and the boy wondered if they would ever return.  

Damn it.  The more Rudy thought about it the angrier he got.  The anger was caged up deep inside, hidden as surely as he use to hide and spy on others for fun.  Rudy wanted a fight.

Rudyard Carpathius

Avantika felt strange. Her consciousness was fuzzy and gray, and everything seemed to take more effort than it had Before. Before Resin's sickness, before her death, before everything she knew collapsed in on itself. She barely seemed to have emotions anymore, except for anger, which tore through her hotter than it ever had, sparking at the most minor inconvenience. And fear. There was fear, yes. Fear was ever-present. She was afraid of so many things. She'd been given the role of Knight, and she was worried that she wouldn't be able to rise to the responsibilities of that position. Responsibilities. She was beginning to hate that word. It wasn't like she didn't want to be the best for her pack. That would make it easier. No, she just... couldn't. A part of her, a hidden, ashamed part of her, wanted to run away and never come back. She wanted so desperately to forget about all of this. But she couldn't. She was in an impossible fog with no correct answers. She was helpless. She hated that she was so helpless. She hated it so much that her vision went red sometimes. But, of course, that still didn't help. She was going out to patrol the borders, as she was doing an awful lot these days, when she saw Rudy. He was standing close to the castle's entrance. Avantika wasn't exactly in the mood for talking, but an idea sparked. She used to spar him a lot. Both of them liked fighting. And fighting never made her feel helpless. In fact, it made her feel the opposite of helpless. She hadn't brought her birthday present armor with her, but this was Rudy. She doubted he would go for her throat or face. Even if he did, maybe the danger would make her feel more alive. "Hey, Rudy." Her voice wasn't excited, but it wasn't exactly flat, either. She couldn't keep a little growl of anger (at life, not at her adoptive brother) out of it, though. "Up for a spar?" She needed a good fight to break the monotony. "Avantika to Kaata telepathy" "Kaata to Avantika telepathy" "speech"

Rudy was snapped from his thoughts as he heard Tika approach.  What Rudy had decided he wasn’t in the mood for was now the situation he was in, talking.  A weak smile that never touched his eyes flicked towards, old habits battling inner anger.  “Tika,” a simple statement of name to acknowledge her.

She’d come a good ways from the young pup they had found.  He remembered the small scared Tika that had first been brought to the pack and acknowledged she had grown in size and confidence.  Sure, she wasn’t brimming with it but she spoke openly and certainly wasn’t shivering shyly away either.  That was good.  Rudy should have really been happy with the thought but all it came with was a sort of dullness.

Her bit of snarl wasn’t lost on him emphasizing she also was upset.  Who wouldn’t be?  Rudy felt protective of Tika most of the time but right now as he looked at her and heard the suggestion of a spar he wanted to start the fight with a lunge right away. “Sure, but, let's move a bit farther away from the entrance.” Rudy didn’t state it as a question just a fact before he ran away out into the prairie.  No distractions of others coming and going this way hopefully.  He assumed Tika would follow and suddenly it was easier to be patient.  He’d even wait till she attacked to start the fight.  Knowing the fight was here, knowing he could fight something, someone, let him be patient for her to come at him.  Rudy would win, he refused to lose.

Rudyard Carpathius

Rudy's weak smile almost surprised Avantika, although it shouldn't have. She was so used to peppy, childishly happy Rudy. But he couldn't be that anymore. She felt a twinge of pity for him. For as much as Resin's death was hurting her, she at least had experienced hardship before. Not like this, not at all like this, but she'd never been naïve like he had been. Her parents had never loved her, and she had never loved them, so it was only fear she had to deal with when they left her, not grief. The situations were not the same. But Rudy had never experienced being abandoned by a parent before. His childhood had been happy and safe, full of kind people and good days. He agreed to the spar, and she followed him away from the entrance, kicking herself for not thinking of that. As soon as they arrived at their fighting grounds for the day, she threw herself into her fighting stance wholeheartedly and stalked in a slow circle. She didn't have to fake the glare and growling today. She simply let her limits go and embraced her anger. It was freeing to drop the pressure to be good. She lunged forward suddenly, twisting her neck to attempt to grip Rudy's muzzle sideways, coming from the right side, in her jaws and hold it tightly closed. If blood was spilled, well, so be it. She wouldn't try for it. Yet. But if it happened, then it happened. She wasn't even sure if she really wanted to win or just to prove that she was alive. She wasn't sure of anything right now. Avantika Carpathius vs Rudyard Carpathius for spar Round 1/x Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Companion 1: Sharp-shinned hawk, Female - Flying Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Intellectual Specialty: N/A "Avantika to Kaata telepathy" "Kaata to Avantika telepathy" "speech"

As Tika circled him Rudy felt pleasure finally coming to the surface.  He finally had a foe to fight since it seemed he couldn’t fight the one in his mind the way he wanted.  Rudy had never felt this sort of pleasure but after being upset at so much it was welcoming.  Tika’s anger and his own seemed to blend together and when she came at him Rudy leaped in to meet the attack.  He felt her teeth bite at the muzzle seeking purchase and jerked it away before it could be much more than lines of red against it.  The teeth had only torn flesh enough to see blood versus really spill it.

As Rudy jerked his head away he swung it about to aim a bite for her neck but he wasn’t overly picky, if she moved he’d bite into whatever was closest.  Rudy had always tried to be extra gentle with Tika, considering her like a little sister who needed protection.  This time he was biting to draw blood.  He wasn’t trying to kill her, but he also wasn’t making any attempt to control himself.  If he could connect to flesh he would bite down to draw blood.    At the same time he was lifting up so that only his back feet were on the ground, a paw lashing out at her face.

Rudyard vs Avantika for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Caiman hide armor
Companion 1: Tasmanian devil, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Red-tailed hawk, Female - Flying
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A

Rudyard Carpathius

Rudy pulled his head back from Avantika's teeth, leaving thin lines of red on his gray fur. She could barely even taste it, but she bared her teeth in dark relish at her success anyway. The foundling wasn't entirely proud of that feeling, but she didn't have the energy to spare to try and force it down. She was doing something. That was enough. She felt more alive than she had in weeks. Her brother's head swung to try to bite her neck. Avantika dropped low, nearly on her belly. She almost avoided his teeth, which landed on her ear, and took advantage of how Rudy's front paws were up in the air by attempting to stick her head under his chest and bite the highest inner part of one of his front legs, although she wasn't picky. She'd bite anything she could get to. Avantika Carpathius vs Rudyard Carpathius for spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Medium Companion 1: Sharp-shinned hawk, Female - Flying Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Intellectual Specialty: N/A "Avantika to Kaata telepathy" "Kaata to Avantika telepathy" "speech"

Rudy snapped into Tika’s ear and later would surely feel bad drawing blood from the sensitive area.  He showed some self-control in holding back from a hard chomp there which would have done much more damage to such a sensitive spot but ears bleed a lot and so the little damage had blood slowly flowing out.  

No time to worry about that as he felt Tika’s teeth snapping high up into his back leg.  She had ducked her head low to go for his leg so he’d take advantage of that.  Rudy pulled his leg back, teeth grimacing as he felt the tension of her teeth against his leg as he pulled his leg away but she would either have to let go or move with it, well, or bite in deeper.  Rudy angled his head down with an attempt to bite the top of Tika’s neck, trying to use his weight to bear down on it.  If he got ahold of it he’d have no plans to let go until she gave up.  Rudy wanted to win at something.  All he had done lately it felt like was lose.  Not this.  This time he’d win.

Rudyard vs Avantika for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Clawed leather bracers
Defensive Battle Accessory: Caiman hide armor
Companion 1: Tasmanian devil, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Red-tailed hawk, Female - Flying
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Hunter
Specialty: N/A


Rudyard Carpathius

And the winner is...

Rudyard

Avantika must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Avantika Rolls: 80, 77, 54, 18 Adjusted rolls: 84, 80.85, 54, 22.5 Total: 277.55 Rudyard Rolls: 24, 91, 53, 71 Adjusted rolls: 33.6, 104.65, 53, 78.1 Total: 309.75

Avantika let go of Rudy's leg as she felt his grip holding her down. Her head lay against the ground. She squirmed for a while but soon realized that her actions were futile. The boy wasn't letting go. Her ear was beginning to hurt now that she could pay notice to it, and she decided not to get hurt worse. Even if this was Rudy, he wasn't acting like himself at that moment. She trusted him completely, theoretically. But she had always been the type to play it safe. Right now, that meant surrender. "I give." She wasn't angry. She'd gotten an excellent fight, and that adrenaline rush mattered more than winning at the moment. Once Rudy let her up, she'd silently wonder what to do next. Her usual constant solo patrolling didn't seem appealing at the moment. "Avantika to Kaata telepathy" "Kaata to Avantika telepathy" "speech"