Yet another night came and went, and the moon never set. Lines streaked across the sky, like stagnant shooting stars and Hattori found himself tiring of this all. Just wishing he could put an end to it, to the feelings of uncertainty the voices stirred within him. Ashen had always been enough till now, why did they insist it was not? Shrugging those thoughts aside, Hattori made his way over to the makeshift fighting ring and tipped his head back, letting out a rumbling call.

There was always room for growth and improvement, if he could not get the better of his thoughts than a spar would do just fine. Anything to give him a distraction, to put his mind at ease.

"speech"

And It's The Stars That Shine For You

Stjarna was having a rough time adjusting to the limited daylight and the seemingly never-ending night. It was making it harder to tell when it was time to sleep and when it was time to awaken. With a circadian rhythm thrown off Star was up and about in the middle of the night, just searching for something to occupy the time and perhaps make them feel tired enough to finally sleep. As they wandered they came across the alpha. "Lord Hattori, are you unable to sleep as well?" Star did not know if the man was out on patrol or suffering in the same way the star wolf was. Many animals also seemed to be having trouble adjusting. Ever since the strange phenomena had begun Star had been tracking the movements of prey. Everything seemed disorderly and unpredictable these days.

The Shogun couldn't say he was surprised when Ashen's lead scout showed. He'd always regarded them as the sort of wolf who liked to keep busy, had their nose to the ground as they kept track of the migratory herds that passed through this region. He imagined it was a hard task these days, it was as though the world was out of sync, leading to unpredictable behaviour. Prey creatures acting out in ways they should not, moving without much thought or reason, as though in a blind panic. Either way, he understood the difficult nature of Stjarna work and appreciated all they did, in his own way.

Hattori rumbled in acknowledgement, a dark cloud looming over his head.

"Spar with me again?"He requested, knowing the scout was good for it.

And It's The Stars That Shine For You

Hattori asked for a spar and Stjarna was quick to nod in agreement. That was just what they needed to try and work out some of the nervous energy and anxiety that had settled on their shoulders. Movement was key to Star's sense of being. They needed to be active in some capacity for if they lingered still for too long then it seemed so much easier to fall victim to their own thoughts. Especially, in such dark times. "I'd be honored. I could do with the distraction."

Stjarna faced off against Hattori and prepared, swiftly setting their defenses with practiced precision. As soon as the alpha was ready Stjarna lunged. They attempted to slip to Hattori's right, seeking to arc in to bite into the back of Hattori's left left, just above the elbow. At the same time as Star's neck twisted for the attack they would also seek to bring their hind end around to form a right angle to Hattori and thus, hopefully, bring their back side out of the line of attack if they were fast enough.

Stjarna vs Hattori for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked shoulder harness
Defensive Battle Accessory: Helmet and chain mail cowl
Companion 1: Jaguarundi, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Mountain Lion, Female - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

By now Hattori was fairly familiar with the scout's fighting style, how they were quick on the offensive and prone to feigning one attack whilst planning another. Knowing their intentions were twofold, Hattori didn't simply wait and react as he did before. Joining them in the fray, Hattori surged forward to meet them on his right side as he snapped his teeth, warding them off from their attempt leg grab. He noticed the way their form was twisting, preemptively reacting to Hattori's counter-attack and in turn shoved his form at them, shoulder first. His reinforced bones meant he hit hard, enough to bruise should the hit land.

At this time of year their winter coats were nice a thick, even if one of them managed to grab a mouthful he doubted any real damage would be done. And even then, it wouldn't be anything Ashen's healers couldn't fix.


Hattori vs Stjarna  for spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Tanto
Defensive Battle Accessory: Shinobi cuirass
Companion 1: Asian Golden Cat, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Mountain hawk-eagle, Male - Battle
*Companion 3: Akita, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Eagle talons - Offensive
Mutation 2: Antelope horns - Offensive
Mutation 3: Reinforced bones - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Cooperative

And It's The Stars That Shine For You

Hattori surged forward to meet him and Stjarna shifted the course of attack to avoid the other man's fangs. Instead of aiming for the back of the alpha's leg, Star sought to push underneath Hattori, coiling their legs sharply to slip underneath Hattori's right side, jaws aiming for the back left leg while at the same time seeking to push up. Hattori was much larger but Stjarna hoped to set Hattori off kilter and cause the other man to lose balance. As they attacked Star attempted to keep their defenses set as tightly as possible, making sure to keep their tail tucked to protect more sensitive bits.

Stjarna vs Hattori for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked shoulder harness
Defensive Battle Accessory: Helmet and chain mail cowl
Companion 1: Jaguarundi, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Mountain Lion, Female - Battle
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

The Shogun noticed how the scout coiled down, sinking low to dodge his attach and in turn using the motion to dip beneath the Shogun. Well that was a risky play if Hattori had ever seen one, a sort of all or nothing act. He could respect it, he'd seen stranger plays and sometimes it was worth the risk. The urge to just crush him with his bulk was a tempting one, but instead the Shogun opted to simply weave out of the way, using Stjarna's lowered posture against them as he went to grab for the scruff of their neck.

Hattori vs Stjarna  for spar
Round 2/2
Age: over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Tanto
Defensive Battle Accessory: Shinobi cuirass
Companion 1: Asian Golden Cat, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Mountain hawk-eagle, Male - Battle
*Companion 3: Akita, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Eagle talons - Offensive
Mutation 2: Antelope horns - Offensive
Mutation 3: Reinforced bones - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Cooperative

And the winner is...

STJARNA

HATTORI must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Stjarna: Attack Roll: 5 Defense Roll: 15 Agility Roll: 30 Perception Roll: 82 Total: 132 Attack[5] + 60% Bonus[3.00]: 8.00 Defense[15] + 15% Bonus[2.25]: 17.25 Agility[30] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 30.00 Perception[82] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 82.00 Total[137.25] + 40% Bonus[54.90]: 192.15 Hattori: Attack Roll: 43 Defense Roll: 11 Agility Roll: 7 Perception Roll: 49 Total: 110 Attack[43] + 95% Bonus[40.85]: 83.85 Defense[11] + 20% Bonus[2.20]: 13.20 Agility[7] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 7.00 Perception[49] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 49.00 Total[153.05] + 25% Bonus[38.26]: 191.31