After crafting and obtaining some much needed armour, with one single win under her belt... Wren decided to go to the Battlefield. Euryale flapped in the sky above her head, cawing a challenge to any wolf in the vicinity. The brunette already had her bracers on those front limbs, covering her ankles and legs. She'd also use her falcon in the fight. Pacing the location, she waited and waited.

It wasn't until she spotted Medusa of all wolves, that she stopped. Wren turned to face her, tail wagging. "Oh hey, you're here" she chirped with a grin "Habari can't keep you down, can it?" she didn't joke about it, even if her tone was light and positive "would you like to spar, Medusa?" she also asked the woman, flashing the woman a smirk. She needed all the practice if she was going to gun for something.

Wren, that is. Maybe down the road. She didn't wanna make plans about anything, even if she heard some land had magically opened up to new claims. By the time she was ready, it would surely be too late. "Make the first move" she added to Medusa, snapping out of her stupor.

"Speech"

She was wandering around the battlefield, looking for someone to spar with, only this time, she wasn't in the same dark spirit that she had been in last time. She was a little more jovial all things in her life considered. But when she spotted a bird in the sky, she couldn't help but feel a little...sad. Just for a few moments. How would it feel to be free again? Or at least, not feel like every little step you made was going to earn you a punishment when you got back to your pack? So far, Habari had either been ignorant to her constant escaping lately, or they were simply biding their time and waiting until her guard was down to punish her. She snorted at the idea. She was all too aware of them. She never really left her guard down around them...even Ghoul. He hadn't been mean to her yet but who's to say he wouldn't someday? Continuing her walk while keeping an eye on the bird, she didn't notice that a familiar face was just up ahead until she heard her. "Oh hey, you're here" She looked ahead to find Wren a short distance away, and almost immediately her tail set to wagging. Wren was a familiar face. She was a nice face. Medusa wasn't afraid of her, she had been nice and friendly and they had fought things together, crafted things together, and not once did Wren try to hurt her. "Habari can't keep you down, can it?" She shook her head, a grin on her face. Habari had yet to break her spirit. They would have to do more than just break her toes and ignore her! Wren asked if she wanted to spar, and she nodded with excitement. "Medusa would love to spar with Wren!" She exclaimed with enthusiasm. She stopped a good few feet from Wren, tail still wagging until she thought about how to approach. It wasn't going to be a spar to hurt one another, and she definitely wouldn't be fighting to protect herself against someone who really wanted to harm her. Maybe she could take it easy with someone else for once...maybe she'd learn something new. "Ready or not, here she comes!" She shouted before kicking off and racing towards her. The pair were almost equal in height, so this would be more or less even in terms of build. If Wren chose to use her gear, Medusa was okay with that. But she personally had left hers hidden on the outskirts of the pack lands for now. Medusa aimed to come head-on, seeking to get her and Wren chest to chest. Should she get close enough, she sought to hook Wren's left foreleg with her right in an effort to unbalance her. It was a straightforward move, not her best one, either, but she needed to try to learn different ways to fight and counter and all that jazz. With Wren hopefully distracted or winded or whatever, Medusa open her jaws and lunged, seeking to grab the side of Wren's head just below her left ear. Medusa vs Wren for Spar Round: 1/2 Age: Over 1yr Size: Large Build: Light Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Hunter "Medusa"

Medusa came in typical Medusa fashion. Her way of speech didn't seem so strange to Wren anymore. The woman lunged at her, and Euryale proceeded to protect its mistress. The falcon dove at the other wolf, shrieking and flapping its wings at face value. Wren, content that Euryale's attack would distract Medusa's jaw, focused on the legs. They were both of almost equal size, so this would be a fair fight compared to most. All she had been fighting were Dires this and Dires that!

With her companion at Medusa's face, Wren made use of her new armour. The hooking felt weak compared to bare ankles. It barely tickled her. She retaliated by barking a sharp command to Euryale, who raised itself upward before Wren struck back. Her foreleg wobbled but did not give out from Medusa's attack. She lunged back, snapping her jaws in hopes of gaining a scruff of fur caught in her teeth. She also shoved her weight against the woman, trying to gain the upper hand.
"Speech"

Wren vs Medusa for SPAR
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather Bracers
Companion 1: Peregrine falcon, Female - Battle
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

She was definitely not prepared to find a bird in her face. It seemed that the bird she had been watching earlier turned out to be Wren's friend, and it threw Medusa off completely. She turned her head away as the falcon beat her face with its wings, causing Medusa to falter back and fail in her attacks. She shook her head, teeth snapping at the falcon instead of Wren as she tried to get it to bug off. It was enough though. Because next thing she knew, the falcon went away and Medusa found herself in a position where Wren had managed to grab her scruff, gaining some control over her while simultaneously pushing her weight into Medusa. Medusa growled a bit as she tried to figure out how to get out of this. The falcon had been a pretty good distraction, at least enough to have gotten her focus off of Wren. With Wren's hold on her scruff and her head in a weird position, Medusa decided she was going to do what she usually did, and make a last-ditch effort to get out of her situation. She twisted her head downward, attempting to force Wren with the movement. Even if she received worse damage on her scruff, it wouldn't bother her much. She practically started to try and dive between Wren's legs, and whether or not Wren kept her hold or let go, Medusa would seek to wipe her opponent's forelegs out from under this time. If Wren kept her hold, then hopefully Medusa could force her head to follow to her chest and strain her neck, while Medusa herself would likely look like a cat trying to shove its face into a too-small space. If she let go, well...then Medusa wouldn't look like a squinty-eyed cat trying to shove its face into a too-small hole and hopefully, would succeed in her attack. Medusa vs Wren for Spar Round: 2/2 Age: over 1yr Size: Large Build: Light Skills: Advanced Fighter & Advanced Hunter "Medusa"

Euryale was doing a great job in spars lately. Wren would no doubt feed her a juicy supper later on, but now was the time to focus on the attack. Medusa was no pushover. This was a practice bout, but she fought like she had something on the line. The brunette knew she'd better be careful, else her fangs turn deadly. Medusa was still a slave to her knowledge, and of course, the woman would fight wildly when backed into a corner. It made sense to preserve oneself, even if this was practice. Wren felt her hold slipping as the woman squirmed.

Euryale shrieked again and dove, batting her wings around Medusa's head. The falcon was to the back this time, trying to distract the wolf with wingbeats against her skull. Wren took the opportunity to let go of the skeleton-clad woman. She breathed in a quick inhale through her nose before diving again. She didn't try to step back, away from the swiping and attempts to knock her over. She lifted herself to her back legs, attempting to crash down on Medusa's front. One final attempt to go, and it would be over. The two females were in the thick of things.
"Speech"

Wren vs Medusa for SPAR
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather Bracers
Companion 1: Peregrine falcon, Female - Battle
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

And the winner is...

Wren

Medusa must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Medusa: Attack Roll: 57 Defense Roll: 57 Agility Roll: 88 Perception Roll: 11 Total: 213 Attack[57] + 15% Bonus[8.55]: 65.55 Defense[57] + 5% Bonus[2.85]: 59.85 Agility[88] + 5% Bonus[4.40]: 92.40 Perception[11] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 11.00 Total[228.80] + 15% Bonus[34.32]: 263.12 Wren: Attack Roll: 43 Defense Roll: 57 Agility Roll: 63 Perception Roll: 77 Total: 240 Attack[43] + 40% Bonus[17.20]: 60.20 Defense[57] + 15% Bonus[8.55]: 65.55 Agility[63] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 63.00 Perception[77] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 77.00 Total[265.75] + 30% Bonus[79.72]: 345.48

The bird was back, and she was having a hard time trying to figure things out with the bird distracting her and beating at her. She snarled out of frustration, shaking her head to try and shake it off. Although Wren had let go of her scruff, Medusa had put herself in a compromised position because of the distraction she hadn't been prepared for. She hadn't fought someone with a bird that did that before, and it was all that was needed this time around for Wren to get the upper hand. Which honestly, was no surprise to her. She had lost more fights than she'd won, so she was used to it. So when she felt Wren's weight on her, she tapped out. "Wren wins! Medusa gives up!" She exclaimed while wriggling out from under the she-wolf. She flopped back on her butt, shaking the dust off her fur as she giggled. "Medusa isn't used to fighting others with birds attacking, too. Medusa thinks that was smart!" "Medusa"

She won.

Medusa conceded the win, and Wren got off the other woman. She felt her tail wag with the compliment as Euryale flew down and landed between the wolves. The peregrine fixed Medusa with a clever and kind eye. "I always fought alone" the brunette confessed "my other friend, he gifted me this bird. Her name is Euryale" The bird squawked a greeting, ruffling her feathers once "I've seen other wolves fight with ravens, owls... You name it. When you're free from Habari, you should befriend some flying companions. They will help you."

And maybe Medusa didn't have to be alone all the time either. Wren gave the skull-marked woman a grin, stepping around Euryale to tap her with a tired paw. Her limb pressed against Medusa's shoulder before she called to her familiar. The paw receded and she backed off. "It was a good match!" she added as the pair began to walk - or rather Euryale taking flight - away "I expect another one, one day! See ya!" And that was that. /end

"Speech"

Wren's tail wagged at her compliment, and Medusa was happy to see her happy. She explained that she always fought alone and that a friend had gifted her the bird. Medusa couldn't help the tilt of her head as she looked at the pair. She had never been given a gift before, so she couldn't really comment on the feeling of it, she supposed. The bird offered a greeting, and Medusa smiled in return. "I've seen other wolves fight with ravens, owls... You name it. When you're free from Habari, you should befriend some flying companions. They will help you." Hmm...she didn't have any companions like that. And considering the way Euryale had fought alongside Wren, maybe it would be in her best interest to try and befriend another creature or two as opposed to killing them all. Nonetheless, she nodded in thought.

Wren touched her shoulder with her paw for a moment before she left, telling her it was a good match. "Yes, Medusa had fun," She exclaimed for a moment before nodding a farewell to the earthen she-wolf. She stood there for a few moments, watching as Wren left before she headed out herself. Now she was heavily considering what Wren had said...

-exit-

speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy