A new day had risen and with it Alaois rose with the intent of working on his skills. He set off from the forest with the intent of finding another, someone that he could challenge so that he might be able to better himself. Someone he didn’t know, someone that wouldn’t be predictable like his family and friends had started to become. Not that they were bad fighters by any means, particularly Sin, but his tactics had started to become noticeable for the man. He hummed thoughtfully to himself. He missed Sin every now and again, but he didn’t regret leaving his mother and their friends behind. He could not wait to see Boreas and see this land that his friends had spoken of. Now that he was here? He found himself growing excited. Yes, perhaps this place would do nicely.

Ala moved with the plan in mind as he made his way through the forest though he did pause long enough earlier to catch himself some breakfast. The meal he had gotten Calida last night had been for her alone, and though he was not the lightest of men, he was still a gentleman of sorts. The princess deserved such offerings, his loyalty, his obedience, and so much more. There was a future beside a woman such as that, whereas with any old female he had the hope of what… joining some pack while others called the shots? No thank you! He was an ambitious creature by nature and would only ever serve under Calida, perhaps her father or brother, as a form of respect should she ever choose to leave these lands.

After some time, taking his pace slow, yet purposeful as he sought out a stranger. He tested the wind regularly, his ears twitching thoughtfully to catch the different sounds of nature. That was when he came to a rather… strange opening in the ground. The scent from it was old, musty… bringing with it the scent of decay and even death. What poor bastard, or bastards, had gotten themselves lost in the darkness of whatever it was? It seemed to be a rather large opening, more than spacious enough for him to descend, and so… he did.

The man walked down cracked stone steps to the entrance of the crypt, observing the way the ground had been dug out curiously. What a strange place… The dark of the area stretched on before him, only a bit of light from the outside getting in. He stood there, blinking his eyes as he adjusted his gaze to it. Whatever this strange place was, it reminded him of more of a graveyard than anything. Massive, open… he could make out bits of bone here and there. A skull, some other bone, possibly a leg bone of sorts? They were pretty much scattered near the walls of the place and in the middle of the room, or starting room rather, there were large pillars from the ceiling to the ground. Weird…

“What is this place? This is no place to bury a warrior, that is for certain.”

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517 / 1,500 Words

Zagan had left Aerie lands for the first time in what felt like forever. Or rather...the area where they usually stayed. Things were different now that they were a band, so he didn't exactly have borders to patrol or people to chase out (not that anyone bothered to bother Aerie very much to begin with). He was tired of the quiet life Aerie had. He wanted something...more. Something exciting. Something that was worth it. He had no idea what that was, but the dull and quiet life definitely wasn't for him. Weren't the Abraxas supposed to be great? Conquering the mortals that plagued the lands or something? So much for that. He hadn't talked to Eli about his feelings about the whole thing, but Eli would probably consider it as no big deal. He wasn't sure. Zagan hardly talked to anyone since his mother died, and that included his own estranged littermate. Iroh was gone. Good riddance he supposed. Him and his stupid teapot. One less wolf to worry about, right? He had made it to a strange cavern and had gone to explore its depths. He had heard about this crypt from Ina...and so he thought it wise to leave some sort of trail by way of carving some shallow markings into the ground so he could find his way back out when he was done checking things out. It was dark down here, yes. But when he heard a voice echoing around him, he had become somewhat familiar enough with the place to be able to at least find where the source was coming from, or close to it. "Welcome to the Crypt." He said gruffly as he approached from another room, dark pelt nearly blending in with the shadows. He eyed the stranger, noting the impressive-looking markings upon his form. He was no Abraxas, he was sure. "It's unwise to come here without a plan. You might very well be the warrior that gets buried here." He growled, approaching just close enough for the little bit of light to show his face. WC: 862/1,500 "Speech"

A voice called to him, welcoming him to the… Crypt huh? Alaois’ gaze swept the room, barely making out the form of the other male as he stepped into the chamber from another room. It was his blue eyes that Alaois had noticed the most in the darkness, which was enough. The height of the other male was smaller if his eye height was anything to go by, and Alaois focused on him his own voice cool, yet calm as he answered. “I do not intend to explore its depths in full by any means. A place such as this… there is no telling how deep this land goes. It could go for miles for all I know, twisting in the dark, and I’ve no supplies… It’d be foolhardy to make an attempt exploring blindly.” The other’s voice was harsh but Ala didn’t really mind that. He’d met harder wolves before… this stranger was no different.

“Although,” A smirk played on Alaois’ features. “A man bold enough to explore such a place has caught my attention. Perhaps you’d honor me with a fight. If you’ve got stones enough to wander here, you’ve got them to fight, correct?” Alaois slipped into a defensive stance. His stance became widened as his limbs aligned with his shoulders. He distributed his weight evenly across all of his limbs and he dug his nails down into the dirt flooring to help him with some traction. He raised his tail and lowered his head to align with his spine respectively, raised the fur of his hackles, pinned his ears, and narrowed his eyes. It had been some time since he had a good fight, his spars with Sin the last that he’d truly enjoyed.

“If you accept, face me now and take the first move. Don’t worry about holding back; I am not afraid of getting down and dirty.” Fighting primarily in the dark would be an interesting change, but a challenge that Alalois was willing to rise up to meet. But would the stranger put his money where his mouth was? Or was he just another soft heart of the land, one willing to talk the talk but not willing to walk the walk.

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1,231 / 1,500 Words

The stranger spoke, and Zagan supposed he had a point. But he wouldn't admit that, of course. "I suppose mortals are both smart and dumb," He murmured more to himself, but his words would probably echo down here anyway. "I've marked the ground so I can find my way back. Though supplies for a deeper exploration is certainly needed, I'm sure." That was something he hadn't really considered before coming down here, but hey, at least he'd be able to find his way back. But then, the stranger said something even more interesting. A rumble of interest reverberated in his chest, blue gaze sizing up the stranger in the dim light. Zagan was smaller than him by a few inches, but that wasn't going to stop him from an all-out brawl. “If you accept, face me now and take the first move. Don’t worry about holding back; I am not afraid of getting down and dirty.” A smirk played up on his inky lips, "Neither am I. Challenge accepted." Without warning, he burst from his position and aimed to close the distance between them. The dark male's nails bit the earth as he sought to slam into the larger male, though not without setting himself in a way that the point of his right shoulder might hit the space between his opponent's left shoulder and chest. His left forepaw swiped out, aiming to hook around Ala's left forepaw and pull it towards him before jaws went swinging for the side of Ala's lower neck where he would try to grip and hold. It had been a while since he had fought, much less in the dark like this, but he never backed down from a challenge and was eager to test himself after so long of feeling like he'd been sitting on his ass doing nothing. Maybe after this, he'd be fueled to keep himself in tip-top shape. Not to mention, it was a nice distraction. His past and current life crashed around in his mind, but at least this, it made those thoughts and memories go away. Zagan vs Alaois for Spar Round: 1/? Age: over 1yr Size: Large Build: Heavy Skills: Expert Fighter & Beginner Hunter WC: 1,579/1,500 "Speech"

The other man accepted his challenge and Alaois braced himself. Zagan moved without warning, bursting forth from his position as he sought to close the distance between them. Alaois rose to meet him, leaping and hitting the ground hard just as Zagan came close enough to make his attacks. Alaois shifting his weight to his back legs as he sought to lift his front half off the ground and wrap his limbs up around Zagan’s neck. He wanted to get a hold of the other male so that, when he tried for his bite, he could make an attempt at getting control of the other male’s head. As a result he felt the wind of Zagan’s own paw swipe go past his leg as he lift it out of the way just in time.

Avoiding Zagan’s bite was not as easy, however, and Alaois felt the male’s jaws slide in where his neck met his shoulder, that lower area of the neck away from his throat. He grunted but fought through the pain as he felt teeth sink into flesh. He twisted his own head to the right, to the left of Zagan’s head, and strained it as he attempted to reach over Zagan to grab at the darker man’s scruff. He snarled, the sound vibrating through his chest and into the dark, but Alaois was not one to simply give in. He would at least make an effort to fight the other man. Though who would come out on top was yet to be seen.

—-

Alaois vs Zagan for Spar [Seasonal]
Round 1/1
Age: Over 1 Year (Two Years)
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Hunter

And the winner is...

ALAOIS

ZAGAN must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Zagan: Attack Roll: 12 Defense Roll: 42 Agility Roll: 22 Perception Roll: 64 Total: 140 Attack[12] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 12.00 Defense[42] + 10% Bonus[4.20]: 46.20 Agility[22] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 22.00 Perception[64] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 64.00 Total[144.20] + 20% Bonus[28.84]: 173.04 Alaois: Attack Roll: 71 Defense Roll: 88 Agility Roll: 65 Perception Roll: 92 Total: 316 Attack[71] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 71.00 Defense[88] + 10% Bonus[8.80]: 96.80 Agility[65] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 65.00 Perception[92] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 92.00 Total[324.80] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 324.80