The tournament had been called to start, and as soon as the announcement was made, Artorias hurried over to the arenas to see who he and Briar would be facing first. He grinned with excitement to his love; this would be the first time they were fighting together as a team, and he couldn't wait to stand side-by-side with her in the arena as the alphas of the Hallows! The first few rounds of fights had already begun, and while they waited for their team name to be called, Artorias snuck a quick kiss to Briar's cheek. "Ready to show off some Carpathius-Fatalis teamwork?" he said with a playful smile. Then their team was called, along with the uncreative name of Team D, and he headed into the ring, an eager look of determination on his face.

From the other side of the ring, two wolves Artorias didn't recognize entered. One was a black and white male, similar in size to Briar, and a smaller tawny brown female. Not knowing who they were made things both easier and trickier. On the one paw, he wouldn't have to worry about holding back anything. On the other, he had no idea what to expect from them. "How about a little gender equality?" he suggested to Briar in a quick moment of strategy. "I'll take the girl, you go for the guy."

And then Artorias kicked off the fight, charging for the earthen-hued woman. He ran straight for her, looking as if to go barreling into her, but then at the last possible moment used his agility and fleet paws to divert around to the woman's left side. He didn't draw his sword yet, not wanting to make the fight more violent than it needed to be. Instead, he used his momentum to kick off the dirt and launch himself at his opponent from a diagonal, aiming to throw his forelegs around her smaller frame as he charged in an attempt to tackle her off her paws.

Artorias and Briar VS Finan and Thalia for Tournament Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Common raven, Female - Flying
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar's braided tail swayed gently behind her as she walked into the arena alongside Artorias, giving him a grin as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You know I am," when he asked her about showing off their team work. They had fought predators and the like together before, but this would be their first time in a more formal fight on the same side so she was eager to see how they did. With her armor in place and spiked helmet strapped firmly around her antlers she felt ready to face whoever they were assigned. Marigold was close behind her at her heel and with a glance over her shoulder she looked to Willow before she gave the falcon a small nod, watching her take flight to keep an eye on the fight from above.

They were placed in front of a pair of strangers—a earthen-hued woman and a monochrome male. Her ear flicked toward Artorias as he suggested that he go for the woman and she take the male that was similar in height to her and she glanced at her partner with a smile and a nod in response. That suited her fine. Artorias wasted no time kicking off the fight so she followed his lead, bounding forward with long, reaching strides. She kept her head tipped down as she approached the male, using her antlers as a bit of a shield and a measure to prevent him from biting anywhere near her face or neck. He didn't have any bracers or anything preventing her from going for his legs so with her lowered head she reached for his front left leg once she was close enough to do so, attempting to grab onto the limp without really slowing her strides in hope of pulling the leg out form under him and throw off his balance.

Briar & Artorias vs Finan & Thalia for Tournament Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Prairie falcon, Female - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Fox with antlers, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Antlers (small) - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bulwark

"Briar Fatalis"

He was ready and eager for the fighting tournament to start, so when he was paired up and called to meet the opposing team, he wasted no time in showing up. His partner was an earthen-toned woman, a stranger to him. Then again, almost everyone he met was a stranger to him. He didn't have friends, and his only companion was his uncle that he'd been tailing and training with for the better part of the last couple of seasons. He offered a nod to Thalia before turning his attention to their opponents. Wasting little time, if any, on formalities, the other side opted to move first without so much as a nod or anything towards his side.

Fair enough. He supposed nobody was really here to make friends anyway, so when the antlered woman came charging at him, Finan braced himself for a moment before deciding to kick off instead of standing there, waiting for her to reach him. She seemed to aim for his legs, and so with narrowed eyes, Finan aimed his charge slightly towards his own left to avoid her teeth, dancing neatly out of the way as he sought to slam his shoulder into her right hind leg, head-turning in towards her thigh as he aimed to plant a bite there.

Finan & Thalia vs Briar & Artoria for Tournament spar
Round: 1/2
Age: Over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Mutation 1: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

Thalia suddenly found herself wishing she'd found someone within Aerie to team up with. Her partner seemed like a competent fighter but there wasn't anything quite like working with someone she already knew and trusted rather than a stranger. She hoped they wouldn't be put at a disadvantage, noting their opponents looked like they had just that - though strangers to her they moved like a team, and she studied them quietly as they approached and initiated their fight. The male charged her, looking like he wasn't about to hold back. Thalia could work with that. Settling into a defensive stance, she was fully prepared, already feeling her heart rate begin to quicken at the impending fight. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the female going for Finan, so she knew she could focus solely on Artorias. Instead of charging straight for her, he sidestepped to her left and aimed to tackle her. He was larger, so it wasn't a thing she could entirely avoid, though she tried to swing her hips around to her right and avoid the brunt of his blow. Effectively pinned beneath him and swaying on her unsteady paws, she pushed her slighter weight back into him hard, jaws unhinging and aiming to grab hold of his front left leg as her own hind legs scrambled in the soil and tried to push back against him. Thalia  & Finan vs Artorias & Briar for Spar Round 1 / 2 Age: Over 1 Year Size: Large Build: Heavy Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather chest harness Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

Artorias felt his body make contact with his opponent's—not as much as he'd aimed to do thanks to a well-timed pivot of the woman's hips, but enough that he was able to get her somewhat underneath him. Despite dwarfing her in size, the littler fae didn't go down without a fight, and all of a sudden Artorias found dense muscles pushing back against him. He blinked in surprise and began a game of sumo wrestling with his opponent, growling while he aimed to push his own weight into her as well, seeking to destabilize her more than she already was in an attempt to topple her over. With her being virtually underneath him, he didn't notice her jaws going for his leg until it was too late. Art felt teeth clamp down around his front left leg, drawing a snarl from the brute who retaliated by bearing his teeth and bearing down on his opponent from above. He aimed his jaws to try and grab her by the scruff, seeking to push her head down into the soft soil while he pressed into her, hoping to get her in a pin on the ground.

Artorias and Briar VS Finan and Thalia for Tournament Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Common raven, Female - Flying
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Weaponsmaster

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar's teeth bit down onto thin air as the dark-coated male jumped out of the way to avoid her teeth before he lunged past her shoulder toward her hip. She quickly pivoted to face him again and to avoid his attacks at her hind leg and in the mean time Marigold jumped into the fight to deter him and give her enough time to finish reorienting herself. The antlered fox leapt up at the young man's face, aiming to claw at his nose before she bounced away again with a swift leap. Briar immediately followed the attack from her companion with one of her own, reaching up to try and swipe her own claws across his left cheek as well.

Briar & Artorias vs Finan & Thalia for Tournament Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Extra large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Prairie falcon, Female - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Fox with antlers, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Antlers (small) - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bulwark

"Briar Fatalis"

He hadn't particularly considered finding a companion to help him in battle, but after this tournament? He figured it wouldn't be a bad idea. The woman avoided his attacks just like he'd done moments before, but an antlered fox had come running up at him and swiped him on the nose. It had caught him by surprise, especially considered he'd never seen an antlered fox before. Wolves? Sure. But not a fox. He snarled with discomfort as the scratch stung his nose and made his eyes water a bit, but he ignored the fox instead of going after it, realizing then he had to get his head back in the game. He swung his head back towards Briar in an effort to keep her in his sights, and the moment he did, he saw claws come swinging at him again. Though inexperienced in battle, he reacted more out of reflex than anything.

He lifted his body a bit and swung his foreleg towards hers in an attempt to block her oncoming attack, simultaneously shoving his weight forward as hind legs pushed him forward to try and throw his weight into her and push her away. Teeth snapped for that same foreleg she was using to try and catch it in his teeth should his own foreleg fail to stop her assault.

Finan & Thalia vs Artorias & Briar for Tournament spar
Round: 2/2
Age: over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Mutation 1: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

Maybe ducking down low hadn't been the best idea. Though she managed to hold her own against him, when she went for his leg it left her vulnerable in a different way. She let out a growl of her own as she fought back against his weight and tried to keep her bearings without being pinned down completely. It was a thing only made harder by his jaws clamping around her scruff and pushing her down. It seemed at this point she couldn't overpower him, given her position, so she did the next best thing - injuries be damned. Pushing backwards, in an intent to rip her scruff out from Artorias's clenched jaws, she tried to untangle herself from him. The pain was sharp and immediate but she ignored it as best as she could as she aimed to dive him again, this time aiming for his face. The maneuver likely was futile at best but her parted jaws aimed to clamp around his jaws and force his head down to the ground. Thalia  & Finan vs Artorias & Briar for Spar Round 2 / 2 Age: Over 1 Year Size: Large Build: Heavy Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather chest harness Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

And the winner is...

Artorias/Briar

Finan/Thalia must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ARTORIAS Attack Roll: 91 Defense Roll: 31 Agility Roll: 19 Perception Roll: 39 Total: 180 Attack[91] + 75% Bonus[68.25]: 159.25 Defense[31] + 20% Bonus[6.20]: 37.20 Agility[19] + 25% Bonus[4.75]: 23.75 Perception[39] + 30% Bonus[11.70]: 50.70 Total[270.90] + 25% Bonus[67.72]: 338.62 BRIAR Attack Roll: 66 Defense Roll: 36 Agility Roll: 20 Perception Roll: 84 Total: 206 Attack[66] + 55% Bonus[36.30]: 102.30 Defense[36] + 35% Bonus[12.60]: 48.60 Agility[20] + 5% Bonus[1.00]: 21.00 Perception[84] + 25% Bonus[21.00]: 105.00 Total[276.90] + 25% Bonus[69.22]: 346.12 FINAN Attack Roll: 85 Defense Roll: 84 Agility Roll: 74 Perception Roll: 9 Total: 252 Attack[85] + 5% Bonus[4.25]: 89.25 Defense[84] + 5% Bonus[4.20]: 88.20 Agility[74] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 74.00 Perception[9] + 10% Bonus[0.90]: 9.90 Total[261.35] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 261.35 THALIA Attack Roll: 22 Defense Roll: 13 Agility Roll: 3 Perception Roll: 53 Total: 91 Attack[22] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 22.00 Defense[13] + 20% Bonus[2.60]: 15.60 Agility[3] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 3.00 Perception[53] + 10% Bonus[5.30]: 58.30 Total[98.90] + 15% Bonus[14.84]: 113.74