The gladiator hummed as he tread across the dark sands of the cove. The setting sun brought warmth to the otherwise chilly beach, reflecting orange and yellows across the glass-like sand and resembling cooling lava. The ocean even looked purple with the vibrant warm tones of the late autumn sunset. He hadn't come to the cove to admire the views, unfortunately. As he has left his den, he had sent his monkey after the newest member of the Armada, a white man that fancied himself some kind of warrior. Grimshaw would have to see about that. Hopefully it wouldn't take the monkey long to find him and escort him to the beach; Grimshaw was patient, but he didn't want to wait all night.

While he hadn't introduced himself to the wolf or made a habit out of testing the newest members, something about him intrigued Grimshaw. Why not test him in battle and see if he's up to snuff? He'd been busy working in the bar and doing patrols to do much training anyway, it would be good for him.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2022 | Art © Kianxiety 2022

Gabe hadn’t settled for long in the Armada - in fact, he’d kept a distance from others the first night or so, tucked away in a den that was modest and further away from the rest. He was curious about the pack, though, and yearned to understand how mortals spoke to each other, communicated in words and body language - how they showed their emotions in their eyes and on their lips, how they snarled or barked or yipped or shouted and whatever it was that they showed what was on their mind. How utter;y fascinating. His family of brothers and sisters - many of them, fur and feather and wing - didn’t need any of those to communicate and form bonds with each other. It was hard to explain, and he understood those of this pack would not understand. It was beyond this world - something that made him realize he was stuck on the earth indefinitely. Especially with no wings - he wasn’t sure he’d ever get revenge for his family’s deaths without them. His ruby eyes fluttered open - he hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep, a concept he was still bewildered by at his age - to a strange little creature standing at the mouth of his den. It wasn’t a wolf, obviously, and he wracked his brain for what species it was. A curious little thing, it beckoned him with a little hand-paw as if to escort him towards the sandy cove of the Armada’s beach. He nodded in understanding to the creature, donning his alabaster fur cloak and slipping on the golden sword in sheath beneath it. He silently followed the monkey, finding the sunset most peaceful and easy on his eyes. His family were all identical - pale furred of cream and ivory, soft mauve and ruby tinted eyes and flesh, and the strangest aversion to the sun as mortals. He didn’t even need to squint, unlike the brightness of day. Perfect timing. The phantom padded on near-silent feet onto the beach, the sand sinking between his toes. A dark figure - a wolf of Armadan scent as well - stood there, watching him. Expecting his arrival, it appeared. Gabriel nodded in thanks to the little monkey as it would likely scurry back to its owner, his sharp salmon eyes casting themselves with great intrigue on the dark-furred man before him. His fangs were peculiar, but the Warlord who’d welcomed him had several spurs and fangs as well, so he didn’t find it particularly disturbing. He himself was a strange enigma to others. ”Your companion is most interesting,” Gabriel spoke, voice soft and low. Completely uphased, entirely calm. He had not a speck of fear, or concern..or really any discernable emotion. Half-lidded eyes lifted towards the man again as he added, ”I am Gabriel, by the way. I am a new member of this pack.” His words weren’t entirely naturally flowing, as if he was reading off a script, yet his eyes bore into the man in front of him all the same. Perhaps a glimmer of curiosity lay in his gaze - who knew? But he was curious. Very much so. "speech"

Grimshaw wouldn't have to wait long, that much he was thankful for. He hadn't been aware the new man would be sensitive to the sun, but as he approached he was glad that he did. It wouldn't be fair to test one's skills while throwing them into the worst possible situation for them. Grimshaw wanted to know where he excelled, mostly. He might already be a warrior appointed by Azure, but Grimshaw wanted to take part in growing their warriors. At the very least, it kept his skills honed all while sharpening the new members.

"Thank you, he's a Howler Monkey," Grimshaw informed, finding the primate to be quite interesting himself. "Welcome to the Armada, Gabriel. I'm Grimshaw, the Gladiator. I deal with anyone who breaks laws and I run a bar in the marketplace," he casually introduced himself, wondering how familiar with the pack he had already gotten. Grimshaw didn't want to waste much time though. He was bored and wanted to spar the newest member of the pack before anyone else got the chance.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2022 | Art © Kianxiety 2022

Gabriel wasn't the type to eagerly bounce a conversation back and forth, so comments based on his replies were often left to the wind and his half-lidded eyes were void of any discernable reaction. Most unusual, even for the most stoic of wolves whom were used to living in social pack settings. So when the man mentioned his companion was a Howler Monkey, a most interesting species and one the angel himself remembered at some point in his lifetime, he nodded simply. He really did have a fascination for a sheer variety of organisms in this mortal plane, something that wasn't a feature of his birth-home. It was pale, bright, just like his pelt and the pelts of his mother and father and brothers and sisters. They all looked the same, thus, he realized he was seeing so much more color and unique flora and fauna than he ever had. Even if he already knew what they all were, in some sense. The dark-pelted man continued to introduce himself as Grimshaw. An interesting name, befitting the massive male. All the more intriguing, and his tilted his head ever so slightly, as if he was trying to study the man's features. He likely wasn't being super subtle about it - it was clear the angel-like man was not accustomed to being around other wolves, at least in a long time. He also mentioned his rank - compared to the Warlord, he was a Gladiator himself. Gladiators, Gabe vaguely recalled, were fearless warriors themselves, but he supposed of a different kind than one would consider a 'normal' warrior like him to be. Though considering his family, they weren't normal at all. How could pale-winged, courageous wolves of the skies be considered generic? But he lost them all, and was himself doomed to remain wingless. He was beneath this man, he knew that. In both rank and skill. "Nice to meet you, Grimshaw. You must be fearless to be a Gladiator," Gabriel said simply, his ruby eyes flickering up at Grimshaw's face. He knew little of the marketplace - he could weave decent baskets himself, but whether this was a trade the pack would consider useful was another story. Right now, his eyes were studying the man inside and out, all within a rather unexpressive face. He really didn't show much - it was as if he was seeing everything for the first time, yet had already been here before. A rather strange case of deja-vu. He then paused, only glancing away to see the expanse of the beach around them. It wasn't really a custom for wolves to bring a singular person to a more secluded area of a territory unless they wanted to do something. Seeing as Grimshaw was a fierce warrior himself, that he could tell if nothing else - he took a guess at the man's intentions. "You brought me here to test my skills. Is that correct?" Gabriel inquired, his voice void of any discernable emotion, yet soft and whispered in such a way that it could send chills down one's spine. His social skills were strange, off-putting, as was his way of speaking. He noticed this in the few loners he interacted with while he wandered - wings burnt into his back, cloak covering his greatest flaw and a golden sword the only remainder of his family he had left to bear. He pulled out the sword itself, a hefty thing that appeared to be made of solid gold. But despite his slim build, he held it in his maw with the precision of someone born and raised to wield it. He lowered his body ever so slightly, forelegs shoulder-width apart. At attention and ready to spar. He was a man of few words and Grim appeared to be similar, so why not get to know each other this way? Gabriel vs Grimshaw for Spar Round 0/? Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Gold, Double-Edged Sword Defensive Battle Accessory: Santa Coat Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual "speech"

The cloaked alabaster man had little to say and that was fine with Grimshaw. He was a man of few words himself, but given his rank did his best to come off as otherwise to those that hadn't earned a visit from him for their actions. He spent most of his time in the marketplace either running his bar or patrolling, so it was nice to get out and do something different, even if it wasn't necessarily part of his job. If anything, it was a spar for himself. He couldn't let himself get rusty while his duties remained unused.

"Quite the opposite, actually," he shrugged. His fears made him who he is, gave him the strength to rise through the ranks to protect what he feels is his. This wasn't need to know information for Gabriel, however, and so Grimshaw kept it to himself. There was something strange about the man that he couldn't quite place, but it wasn't as off-putting considering the man seemed to be otherwise friendly and intuitive.

"Yes, that would be correct. If not for the Warlord, then for myself." Finally a smile, bearing the slightly longer set of canines that sat just behind his natural set. The man before him pulled a golden sword from beneath the cream and golden glittered coat he wore. He was used to sparring against those with weapons, though he would admit it was much harder when all he had was a knife. Grimshaw was confident, though, he had beaten Azure for this rank.

He might be a tall man, but his speed is unlike the other large men of the Armada. His light frame gives him the speed he needs to approach quickly and with only a few steps, though his target isn't head on as it appears to be at first. His opponent has a sword that Grimshaw is certain he knows how to use, so he keeps this in mind as he approaches. A tactic he uses often against his weaponized opponents, Grimshaw suddenly skids to a stop and the black sand of the beach flies upwards and towards the pale man. If he would be so lucky, the sand would temporarily blind him and give him the opportunity to hook around to his side as he grabs the knife from the bracer it's held in. He didn't seek to hurt the man of course, however as his body turns to come up on the mans side parallel to him, the hilt of his knife is gripped tightly between muscular jaws with the sharpened tip between the tw

"Speech!"
Grimshaw vs Gabriel for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Leather foreleg bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Dire wolf skull head armor
Companion 1: Wolverine, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Black howler monkey, Male - Battle
*Companion 3: Melanistic flying fox, Male - Flying
Mutation 1: Elongated sharper teeth - Offensive
Mutation 2: Double upper canines - Offensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Knight or Mangler

Gabriel lifted a brow slightly at Grimshaw’s surprising reply to his mentioning his fearlessness. So this meant..he had fears? He didn’t seem the type to be afraid - a bold, dark-pelted creature of muscle and power. Or maybe the pale angel-like man was a bit naïve in his assumptions of others, assuming their characteristics based on purely what they told him. Yet at the same time, he recognized that being mortal meant wolves were afraid of things - mainly, things they didn’t know or understand. He could wrap his head around the concept of fears, he supposed. In fact, he did feel pure fear during the demon’s massacre of his family. Maybe..even as a warrior, he could hold that fear close, as Grim did his own, to carve a new set of strengths from it. Make himself stronger. He had to build himself up again, seeing as he, too, was another mortal soul. It was what made him a normal wolf, after all. His assumptions on the man’s wishes to test his skills were not without a foundation. The Gladiator did, in fact, desire to have a spar - nothing dangerous, just to see where the angel-like man stood in terms of how he could hold his ground. As he allowed his weight to spread evenly in his limbs, sword at the ready like he was taught, he realized the sand had a purpose - the location the dark-furred man had picked was intentional. A spray of dense sand particles was a quick but effective way to blindside an opponent. Even without sand where he used to live, Gabriel was used to sprays of snow and ice meant to distract for a sharp offensive. Compared to this spar, the ones he had with his siblings were brutal. The Gladiator approached on firm pawsteps, carrying himself with a build similar to his own - agile yet dangerous. The spray of sand as his opponent abruptly stopped in his tracks forced him to blink, stifling a cough, but he managed to quickly swing his hind end back and away from Grimshaw as he felt his body approach his side, parallel to him. His front end followed, so he essentially skidded to shift his position to face the man head-on, rather than leave his side exposed for an attack. His combst skills were merciless, direct, and he was taught to never leave himself open for an attack, especially from the side or behind. Such an attack would already give him a losing edge. Gabriel’s offensive would approach with the most direct - maybe even surprisingly so - movement, springing into a leap with the flat part of his sword aiming to clash against the Gladiator’s smaller knife, aiming to use his neck strength to push forward the man’s knife - and subsequently Grim’s whole head, towards the sand. Throwing off his balance was a simple attack of his own - would it work? Maybe not. But he didn’t shy away. He didn’t dance around, no. It was clear he had done this many, many times before. Gabriel vs Grimshaw for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Gold, Double-Edged Sword Defensive Battle Accessory: Santa Coat Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual "speech"