The Warlord found Kotori training on the Armada beach. Lithe, lean form moving through the motion of his attack. An adult now, his second birth a season past. The tall, motivated wolf shredded the dummy in short order. Very little of the tiny pup that had clambered over the Warlord and chewed his toes remained. It was hard, painful even. To acknowledge how quickly they grew.

“Come on Ko, stop punishing straw and giving your old man a shot” he teased, motioning for the other wolf to follow him into the ring. He had no doubt the other wolf would follow. “Where do you want to be now, Kotori? A ranked warrior still?”

"Sirius"

A straw dummy was at last something to strike out at and go through motions but had no real satisfaction that came from a real fight.  Turning his head from the dummy he looked at his dad, tail lifting a bit in a small sway.  While it could be a friendly greeting to see his dad it was mostly looking forward to a better fight than against a still object.  He still needed to beat his dad after all.

“What status?” Kotori snorted as if the answer should be obvious, “I’m a Fatalis, a prince.  General will work, nothing less.”  Humility was clearly not a lessen that had ever sunken into the boy's head.  If anything time and growing up had just blown up his head all the larger.  Kotori would be under no one who did not hold the Fatalis name.

Moving into the fight ring, he stood across from his dad, a challenging grin on his face.  “Now, you gonna give me the rank I deserve or do I have to thrash you across the ring before you give in?”

"Kotori Fatalis"

The Warlord grinned at Kotori as the other wolf stepped into the ring. His ambition as clear as day to see. As Sirius settled himself into a ready stance, he appraised Kotori and considered his words. “Very well. A challenge, then. Something a little different…” he warned, a teasing glint in his eyes.

“Three rounds, with the aim of pushing the other wolf out of the ring. For each strike you push me out of the ring you go up in rank. From Howler, to Lieutenant, to General.” He said, as he began to lay the ground rules. “If you only manage it once, you get one promotion. Every time I push you out of the ring, I get to give you a task you can’t refuse. First to three wins. You game?’

"Sirius"

Another challenge huh? Well, this time Kotori refused to lose! The dark-toned wolf gave a firm nod, “I agree.  I’ll take on any challenge.”  Kotori listened to the rules, a slow nod, eyes looking about the ring in a slow roam considering how he’d strategize this new sort of goal.  

“Alright, if you don’t mind losing so many rounds in a row.” Kotori squared up, a smug confident smile on his face. “If you tell me to get any more bees though I’m leaving them all in your den.”  Saying his piece Kotori waited for an inner count of three then charged his dad, head-on as if planning to make it a straight attack for head-to-head battle.  He’d aim to pivot enough to try and slam his bulk into Sirius's shoulder instead.  

He needed to get dear ol’ dad to get pushed back behind the line.  This was Kotori’s chance to prove himself and get the rank he deserved.  By skills, by time worked, and by his blood, the right to be of high status was his.  No one was going to deny him of that.  Dad could try to push it off all he wanted but that rank was his.  

"Kotori Fatalis"

The Warlord tossed back his head and laughed a great bellied amusement at Kotori’s threat. Somehow, he thought the boy might make true on it, too. He’d bare that in mind after he’d kicked the boys ass three times. He grinned as the laughter died and Ko got himself into position, and charged.

He pivoted last minute, and slammed into the larger brute, hitting his shoulder hard. The Warlord grunted, but this game played in Seers favour. He was larger, heavier, and took the hit. The Warlord was a tank, and held his ground. He wrapped his arms around the boy instead, pulling him closer in a bear hug and rolled with the entire weight of his body, throwing the boy to the side, and just out of the ring. Match.

The Warlord grinned and settled back into the centre of the small ring. He made a ‘bring it’ motion with his paw

"Sirius"

So much for trying to get his dad off balance for a chance to get him out of the ring. Kotori was grabbed, brought down to roll on the ground, and a paw outside of the ring.  Glancing at that the proud boy’s ears flattened in anger.  The challenge was fun but his own pride was bruised now.  It didn’t matter that his adversary was dad who he’d never been able to beat up to this point, it still wasn’t acceptable that he lose.  Kotori couldn’t let himself fail!  

Kotori got up, a fierce stare at his father.  He loved dad but right now he wanted to thrash him good! Kotori ran in, mouth open and lowering his shoulders as if he might be getting ready to jump for another head-on clash.  This time Kotori aimed to slam his horns into his dad’s chest if his chest was still there.  If his dad’s head was in the way Kotori would at least try to shift his target to his dad’s shoulder, not wanting to stab him in the eye or anything.  Once again it was trying to get his dad off balance to get him out of the ring.  

This was in a number of ways harder than just a regular fight.  Easier to try and win with some well-aimed bites than having to move his bulkier father and his dad already knew what Kotori wanted, to move him and that was also in dad’s favor.

"Kotori Fatalis"

The spotted wolf’s ears flattened now, seriousness falling over him. It was clear for all to see that Kotori wanted to win. The Warlord wasn’t going to give him one inch he didn’t earn, but his dad was still rooting for him anyway. As Kotori came racing in for round two, blood high and vision perhaps a little too tunnelled. The Warlord waited until Kotori was right about to hit… and then he leaped to the side. Kotori’s horns still scrapped his shoulder on the way past as the Warlord didn’t fully miss the attack. But it was enough, Ko’s momentum dragged him onwards, and the Warlord gave him a gancing kick on the butt just to ensure he didn’t stop before he touched the line.

Round two, to dad.

This time, after settling back into the centre of the ring, the Warlord made the opening move. He lunged for Kotori, slamming his shoulder into the base of the other wolf's neck. Aware of how his own shoulder freely bled from Kotori’s horns. He attempted to graze his teeth across Kotori’s skull as the other wolf bent his weight into the Warlord's onslaught… and then suddenly pivoted. The Warlord laughed even as he crashed to the ground, hitting the line. His own move used against him. Clever. Kotori learned fast.

"Sirius"

Kotori grunted a bit from his dad’s shoulder in his neck but this time it was his turn.  Pivoting had been all it took for dad to go forward and land on the line.  A smug smirk spread on Kotori’s face and sure, that was the third but it also wasn’t what Kotori had wanted.

“Well, that’s one.  Thanks for the promotion.”  Kotori walked about to get the opposite side of his dad, squaring off again, “but I’m not done.  C’mon dad, time to get up.  We got another three rounds to go.” Asking if they could do another three rounds could have dad shut him down, probably with one of those classic laughs about it.  Now Kotori was throwing down the next rounds as a challenge and surely dad wasn’t going to turn away a challenge.

“Unless that shoulder’s bothering you too much?” Kotori knew his dad wasn’t a weakling, it was a taunt clear as day.  “I’m not done till you give me that general rank.  Hope you can hold out.”  

"Kotori Fatalis"

The Warlord snorted in amusement at the brass nature of the boy. The Warlord had given him an inch, and Kotori wasn’t going to quit until he took a mile. He had to admire the tenacity of the boy. But Kotori was good. He trained hard, he put in the time, and he took his crap when he had to. He had gotten the beehives set up with Halo, exactly as he had been told. Now he was going to earn his rank, whatever it took. “I see two terrible tasks aren’t enough for you. I’ll have to make sure they're worth this” he teased lightly as he pulled himself back to his feet.

He ruffled the boy's ears on his way past. “Shoulder, what shoulder? I’m not crying over your love tap, Howler” He quirked a brow at Kotori, and waited for the other wolf to set his stance, and then he launched in again. Careful to only put as much momentum into that he needed to reach Kotori, aiming to wrap his paw around the other wolf and draw him into a bear hug.

"Sirius"

Kotori snorted, “Just remember, my sisters can give you something for the soreness those old joints probably gonna give you tomorrow.” The taunting was becoming a requirement in this back-and-forth trade-off of jabs between rounds.  The taunts were especially required if dad planned to ruffle his ears like Kotori was still some small pup.

Dad came in towards Kotori again and the young man lowered his frame, bunching up his muscles then springing to meet Sirius, already knowing dad was gonna probably try to hug him again as it was becoming classic.  Kotori was twisting his body as he went up, trying to roll the pair of wolves over so that he could end up on top of dad, and hopefully with half of dad outside their fight ring.

"Kotori Fatalis"