ooc: this thread takes place immediately after "I'm Weak, and What's Wrong With That?"

When the final cries had ceased, and the coyotes she had pursued back to their cover had vanished out of sight, all that there were left to account for was the roaring silence between them. Talyssa stood blinking a moment, before turning around to face the carnage that littered the surrounding patch of forest. She counted three carcasses, but she knew that there were at least three more out there somewhere that had been run off. Part of her was concerned that they would regroup and return ... but after seeing what happened to their companions, perhaps not.

It seemed that the boy was in an exhausted state of his own, but as a symptom of a different origin. He was in a particularly gory state, but even she could admit that it was necessary in this instance. As the dust settled, she had the sudden realization that it was now close to dark and she knew that there was no way she'd make it back in time. But looking down to her wrist, she looked over the punctures she had obtained. The blood drained down her leg and soaked into the ivory fur. The girl came to the conclusion that it likely looked worse than it was. But she definitely thought it would be best if she could clean it before going home. So when she heard the masculine tones of the boy's voice suggesting that they go to the river, she slowly began to nod before answering. "Okay,"

The river wasn't all that far away, and when they reached the bank, she was quick to thrust her arm into the water.  Splashing it around until the white fur around her forearm turned ‘kind of’ white again. As she did so, she replayed the attack in her mind, the presentation of the carcasses they left behind. "You handled yourself well." She commented, casting a glance at him through the corner of her eyes- not entirely sure she was ready to thank him for saving her just yet.

To Sephiran, it felt as if they had traveled far from the river in pursuit of the coyote pack. But their journey back to the river bank ended up being shorter than he had anticipated. He was still slightly out of breath when they reached the waters, but that didn’t stop him from dropping his head to connect his lips to the surface. He took a few long drinks of water, sloppily lapping it up with his tongue and washing away some of the blood in the process. The girl walked past him to submerge her limb into a shallower part of the river. He paid her no mind, aside from a single flick of an ear in her direction, and a gruff snort as he blew away the droplets lingering on his nose. She was splashing her arm around, trying to rinse away the blood there, to look at the wound he assumed. He wondered just how badly she had been injured, and how susceptible to more… devious acts, it would make her. ”You handled yourself well.” His head lifted from the surface of the water, dual gaze narrowing slightly as it settled on her. “You expected anything less?” He retorted, lips twitching into a sly and haughty smirk. As he looked down at her, he couldn’t deny the tingling warmth that was starting to brew within his stomach. There isn’t anything better than fucking after a battle. His father’s voice chimed inside of his head, and he took a few steps towards her to come up beside her. He thought back to the slaves his father had in their kingdom, and how after each training session, he would send Sephiran to pillage whatever woman he pleased. His pelt started to bristle, but not in a display of dominance. It was driven by lust. He took a deep breath before asking, “Do you know what you’re doing?” His head dipped lower, so he could bring her wound eye level to his gaze. He studied it, noting how many puncture marks there were. He didn’t have extensive medical knowledge, but he knew the basics. His grandmother had been an expert herbalist and healer, and her knowledge had been passed down through her son, and then him. ”Speech”

His cocky response didn't surprise her by any means, yet it still began to edge its way under her skin. Looking to the opposite bank across the river, she rolled her eyes- subtly shaking her head side to side as she bit back a barrage of insults. The coyote attack that they just managed to come out relatively unscathed- loosely put- was enough fight for one day ... she wanted to avoid being backed into an argument even if the boy would prefer such conflict. With a tired sigh, she pulled her paw from the stream, giving it a more thorough exam before the blood began to well back in the absence of flowing water. "Is it that hard to accept a compliment?" Talyssa asked, half-heartedly curious as to what his answer would be- but still not enough to look his way. She was glad she had held back on thanking him for being her 'savior' to avoid feeding the ego he clearly had difficulty managing.

However, when he asked if she knew what she was doing, she could no longer keep her inquiring eye at bay. Talyssa turned to face him then, speaking before she had time to draw a conclusion of her own on the stranger's sincerity. "I know that I'm trying to rinse off the blood." She answered bluntly, a little more pointedly than she had originally intended. As she noted that he seemed to be genuinely trying to look at the condition of her wrist, she held it out to offer a more unobstructed view. "My aunt is a healer back home, I was just going to get it good enough to travel back." She explained in a softer tone. Hopefully, Aunt Gwyn wouldn't mind being interrupted after dark- or on second thought, maybe she could manage until morning ...

Despite the girl's reluctance to accept his company, she moved her limb to better expose the wound on her wrist. Is it that hard to accept a compliment? He had ignored her comment until now, a huff escaping his closed jaws as he leaned in closer to study the wound harder. “If that’s your way of thanking me,” His gaze shifted from her wrist, trailing up her leg and following the curvature of her chest before it settled on her abdomen. There wasn’t much to see given their positioning, but his mind was quick to fill in the gaps. “Try harder.” The movement of his eyes was suggestive, and combined with the almost hungry expression on his face, he made what he wanted obvious. But perhaps she was just too naive, or completely uninterested, as she quickly shifted the conversation back to the problem at hand. He huffed again, tongue pushing past his fangs to slide across his lips. He couldn’t help but be drawn towards the droplets of blood that wept from the punctures on her wrist. He wanted to taste it. “Put something on it.” He commanded, not waiting for her response before he suddenly pivoted to turn away from her. He attempted to press his shoulder against hers in that moment, wanting to slightly push her with his momentum, so she could feel his brawn against her smaller, more fragile body. If only for a moment. Then, he strode away, looking for the small white flowers with yellow centers that grew in clusters. He couldn’t exactly remember the name, but he knew they started with a c, and when chewed up could be put on wounds. Using his sense of smell, and given that chamomile was a rather common herb, he found a cluster nearby and quickly dug it up. He returned to her side with the bundle in his mouth, and dropped it at her feet. “Chew it up.” He instructed, trying to lean towards her to invade her personal space. It felt natural to give her commands. Hell, it felt good even. Because it was something he was used to doing. And it felt even better when she heeded his commands. ”Speech”

Talyssa watched him as he seemed to be investigating the damage. But when his line of sight clearly began to stray from the wound, she quickly looked down herself, to see if she had sustained another injury that she hadn't immediately recognized. After a quick inspection of her own, she huffed in annoyance as she came to the conclusion that he was just messing with her- making her look for something that wasn't there. "I think my thanks was adequate." She answered sharply, returning her attention to him with a narrowed gaze.

When he refocused on her wound once more, he insisted that something needed to cover it. "Just wha-" Talyssa began to ask just what it was he had in mind, because her knowledge of healing was very little. But clearly, he had an idea as he spun on his heels to leave- shoving her in the process. With a huff of surprise and annoyance, she caught herself with her opposite paw. Only to quickly attempt to push him back as he walked away. She fell through, as he was moving away voluntarily, but still. She had brothers that she grappled with all the time- she wouldn't be intimidated in this instance.

When he returned, he had dropped some flowers to the ground at her feet. She looked up to him with a questioning glance, but he was quick to give her instructions. They obviously had some sort of medicinal properties- though he didn't elaborate. Even if it had been Aunt Gwyn to ask her to help with preparing the salve, she didn't think it would sound as oddly demanding as this boy did. Begrudgingly, she leaned down to collect the flowers and began chewing them to a pulp. In the process, he pressed forward- closer. With narrowed eyes, she took a step back to surrender the space at the same time she pressed the ointment into her wound. "Do I rub it in?" She asked expectantly, seeking out further guidance from the boy.

As expected, the girl obeyed him. Though there was a moment of reluctance, as she peered up at him with a questioning glance. At that moment he said nothing. He just kept looking down at her with an expression that made it clear this was her only option, unless she tried to leave. Eventually, she took the herbs into her mouth and started to chew them up. Of course, this was something he could have easily done, if he wanted to take full control of the situation. But in all honesty, those plants tasted disgusting. So he made her do the dirty work. His ears twitched upon his skill, flicking in her direction as he listened to the sound of teeth grinding against one another. His gaze moved to her wrist again, studying the droplets that had started coagulating to form a poorly fabricated scab. Saliva started to pool inside of his mouth, as goosebumps rose to the surface of his skin. He really, really wanted a taste. Do I rub it in? She has taken a step back, and he took one towards her, trying to keep them close. “Yes.” His head lowered, and he tried to bring his muzzle close to the wound, trying to sniff at the pulp she had placed over it. “But you needed to do this first.” His tongue slipped past his fangs, and he tried to remove the coagulated blood that was now mixed with some of the salve. This step wasn’t entirely crucial. But she didn’t need to know that. ”Speech”

When he confirmed that her intuition had been correct, she offered a light nod as she prepared to lean in to coat the wound with the salve she had made. However, she was intercepted. At first, she thought he was just taking a closer look- at the wound or pulp, she wasn't sure. But when he insisted that a step had been missed, she sat back waiting for him to go on in offering further instruction. What she did not expect, was the sudden touch- the rasp of his tongue causing a stinging sensation as he exposed the wound to the herbal remedy. Talyssa hissed in sudden pain as she withdrew her wrist from his grasp. "Ow! That hurts." She said accusingly, looking at the punctures that the sensation radiated from. As the feeling subsided, she returned her attention to the boy for a moment, before glancing upwards. It was nearly dark, and she dreaded the trouble that was awaiting her at home. "I need to be going …” The girl announced before straightening herself up to leave.

Artorias tore through the cedar woods like a bat out of hell, Briar following close by at his side. What had been a peaceful evening of relaxing in the summer gardens for the Aegis and Queen had abruptly changed into something far darker when Corbin arrived in a hurry to alert them of Talyssa's predicament. The raven barely had time to croak out "Talyssa", "the falls", "coyotes", and "purple boy" before Artorias was on his feet, Embershard snatched up in his jaws and sprinting out of Hearthstone bound for the Cedar Falls. Coyotes had very nearly killed Dusk and Caladia already, and it seemed the scavengers had not learned their lesson yet. But what worried him even more was the presence of that violent stranger from the beach. Thankfully, Taly was one to follow the rules and had brought one of their companions with her, so Corbin was able to direct them straight to the sight of the ambush. The sight they found was a bloodbath. Decimated coyote corpses littered the clearing, the ground soaked in blood, but neither Talyssa nor the stranger were amongst the dead. Artorias' panic increased tenfold. Had his daughter been taken by the degenerate? Amber eyes burning with a fearful determination, the dire wolf sniffed about the ground with fervent urgency, looking for his child's scent. It wasn't easy to find amongst the coppery smell of blood—especially when that smell was intermixed with her own.

Talyssa was hurt. Artorias' heart pounded in his chest as he took off after the scent trail, following it along with the stranger's smell until they reached the river. The sight that greeted the two parents was one that made Artorias' skin crawl and his hackles raise. Even from a distance, his enhanced vision picked up on the way the larger male was looking at his young daughter, the way his gaze roved over her form in perverse ways, the way his tongue rolled over his fangs and the way he kept pressing his body closer to hers. Fear transformed into fury in his smoldering fiery eyes, and Artorias sprinted straight for the two. His masterful navigation skills kept his paws light as they tore across the ground, the wolf bursting from the trees just as the stranger began to lick over Talyssa's wound and provoked a pained reaction from the pup.

No words were said as Artorias charged the brute, fangs bared and a vicious snarl growling deep in his throat. The dire brute aimed to throw his shoulder into the younger male, putting all of his weight and momentum forward to throw the offender as far away from his daughter as physically possible. Briar would tend to Talyssa; he would take care of the pervert staring at his child with lust in his revolting gaze. "Get the hell away from my daughter!" Artorias growled at the offender, fangs bared and hackles bristled while he placed himself firmly between the stranger and his injured pup. The enraged father had murder in his burning eyes, prepared to respond as violently as he needed to in order to keep this unknown deviant away from his young and innocent daughter. So extreme had the Aegis' worry and anger been that he hadn't even drawn his sword before charging in. He didn't care. He would have fought the world with claw and fang alone to protect Talyssa.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

There was not a single moment of hesitation between Corbin flying in to alert them to the situation Talyssa had found herself in to her and Artorias rushing out of the castle to find her. She only took a single moment to tell Marigold to go alert Ezra and Rudyard that they were to look over the castle for a bit while Artorias grabbed his sword, but otherwise it was only a matter of moments before the two of them were sprinting across the plains to the cedar forest on the other side. She had known going into motherhood that there would be no shortage of heart attack inducing moments brought on by their children, but their pups in particular seemed to really have a way with finding trouble. It was difficult for her to not jump to conclusions and fear the worst as she ran, worry etched across her features. While Artorias' first reaction was rage, hers was concern.

They stumbled upon the scattered bodies of dead coyotes first, her brows pulling together as her worry only deepened while she sniffed the air carefully and found Talyssa's scent intermingled past the metallic scent of blood along with the scent of another. Without a word to one another, she and Art moved together along the trail once they picked it up to find their daughter, bounding through the trees as fast as their legs would take them, until finally she spotted the cream and tan form of her little girl with a violet, striped boy standing over her. While he still seemed young, he very nearly matched her height and was clearly older than Talyssa and the look on his face made her skin crawl as they ran in to intervene.

Artorias of course immediately rushed the young man, knocking into him and putting himself between the boy and their daughter, while Briar hurried over to Talyssa's side, putting herself between her innocent daughter and this brute as well, looking Talyssa over for any sign of wounds or that this male might have done something to her. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly, wrapping her foreleg around Talyssa's shoulders and gently holding her injured leg with the other so she could examine the bite as well. The teeth marks seemed to be too small to have come from the wolf so they must have come from the coyotes. While that didn't make the injury better, necessarily, it did at least reassure her that they had arrived before this unknown male had done anything worse.

"Briar Carpathius"

The moment his tongue met her flesh, and the taste of blood and her sweat spread across his tastebuds, Sephiran had a moment of ecstasy, Given their closeness, he could also smell the scent of her pheromones, which further enticed him. But her sudden gasp of pain, the yelp that came from her as she pulled her wrist away from him, was the icing on the cake. The warmth that had settled within his abdomen increased in ferocity, spreading down into his hind limbs and up into his chest. The lust he felt at this moment was nearly insuppressible, and as she pulled away and stated she needed to leave, Sephiran was quick to push himself toward her. He pivoted, trying to place his larger body in front of her. He didn’t want her to leave. Not until he was done with her. But, unfortunately for the young Saxe boy, his night with the girl would be cut short. Just as he moved to place himself in front of the girl, a sudden flash of blue irrupted from the tree line. Sephiran’s head instinctively turned towards the sound, ears falling flat against his skull as a vicious snarl filled the small clearing. With only seconds to spare, the boy leaped to the side, trying to avoid the large wolf that was hurtling itself at him. But, he wasn’t able to avoid it completely. The man’s shoulder clipped his own, which made him stumble away several feet before he sloppily regained his footing. Get the hell away from my daughter!  His tail dropped to align with his spine, pelt bristling as his eyes narrowed to match the man’s body language. Sephiran may have been in the wrong, having preyed upon someone’s kid. But that didn’t mean he was going to roll over and take a beating either. He took a few seconds to observe the newcomers who had interrupted his playtime. The male, who was the girl’s father given his threat, had protectively placed himself in front of her. A woman had descended to her side, and was speaking to her but Sephiran couldn’t understand what they were saying. He kept his attention on the blue wolf, who was much larger, and older than himself. His eyes were ablaze with anger, and behind that, was worry. Worry for his daughter's safety, Sephiran presumed. He had seen that look in his mother’s eyes before, but never his father’s. He couldn’t help but wonder how Apollyon would have reacted, should the tables had been turned. Clearing his throat, Sephiran spoke out against the man who was guarding his daughter. ”She was being attacked,” He said, a low growl accompanying his words. “And would have died if I hadn’t shown up.” His eyes never left the man standing before him. Though it may have seemed like it outwardly, he wasn’t trying to win over her father by playing the knight in shining armor role. Even though he was unintentionally doing so. No, in his grandiose mind, he had played the role of god. If it weren’t for him, she would have been ripped to shreds by those coyotes. If it weren’t for him, they would have pillaged her lifeless body, and used her death to threaten whatever wolves trespassed into their territory. If it wasn’t for him, her father would have found her decimated body, instead of the coyotes he had left behind. And, if it wasn’t for him, her little wrist wound, which he had tended to, would be the least of her worries. Fucking him was the least she could have done to show him some appreciation for what he did... Or so, Sephiran believed. ”Speech”

As she pulled away, telling her ruthless company that it was time she departed for home, she certainly didn't expect him to intercept her. It was clear they had very different mindsets, and she was sure that he held the same distaste for her that she had for him. But as he pressured her space with more force than he had before, Talyssa staggered back, glancing up to see a look on his face that she truly didn't understand outside the fact that it left her feeling uncomfortable. Her pupils shifted ever so slightly to peer at the space around him. She was still confident that she was faster than him, even in an injured state- he was injured too. But if she could just get around him ...

She saw her father coming nearly the same time the boy did. And while she was only vaguely aware of the answering snarl, she was met with a mixture of relief, shock, and a small amount of fear. Never in her life had she seen him that angry, and even though she knew she wasn't on the receiving end of his fury, it was very unsettling to witness. Even more so as the Aegis struck the stranger in the shoulder- the transfer of momentum casting the pair back settle feet. Talyssa made another attempt at propelling herself backward, but it seemed she had a difficult time getting her legs to work.

The presence of her mother didn't register right away, but when it did, she was desperate to cling to her. The exchange between the boy and father was momentarily forgotten, all she wanted was the familiar embrace. But as she was asked the status of her condition, she offered a more clear view of the now salve-covered coyote bite on her forearm as it was manipulated to achieve the same result. "Yeah, I'm alright" She answered softly. It was then she noticed that the stranger was offering some sort of explanation, in which she tuned back in.

No way was she about to defend him to her parents. Had they not shown up when they did, she wasn't sure what would have happened. But at the same time, her candor wouldn't allow her to keep quiet on the matter. Afraid to address her father at that particular moment, she glanced back up to her mother with an uneasy look filling her expression. "He isn't lying ..." she whispered, thinking about what could have been had she been alone.

His initial attack had not been entirely successful, but it had made enough contact to put space between the purple brute and his young child. That was all Artorias had hoped to accomplish and he had done so, now forming a barrier of muscle and fangs between the would-be predator and his daughter. The boy bristled, growled, leveled his tail, gave every sign of refusing to back down, which was the wrong move to make. The dire brute elevated his tail, fangs fully bared in a vicious snarl that asserted dominance and commanded submission from the whelp. Artorias did not want to harm a youngling, but he would have no qualms about cutting the stranger to the quick if he tried to challenge him when it came to protecting his family. With the moment of pause where the two males squared off against one another, Artorias was able to assess the threat in his entirety. The boy—most definitely a boy by the youthful look about him—was notably younger than him, likely either about to be a yearling or freshly turned adolescent. Far too young to be engaging in this sort of sordid behavior with a pup half his age. His scent wasn’t blended with others, suggesting he was a lone wolf. He was also quite large, heavy set with developing muscle, but not quite as tall as the sapphire and obsidian wolf was. If it came to violence, it would be more of a bloodbath than a skirmish.

Artorias could hear Briar comforting Talyssa behind him, only vaguely paying attention to their voices. His focus was entirely on keeping the stranger at bay by any means necessary. The boy began to offer a growled explanation for what had happened, but it seemed he was conveniently leaving out a few important parts. Artorias had no doubt the lad had stepped in to fight the coyotes with Talyssa given the amount of damage caused to the corpses back in the woods, but he severely doubted the boy's intentions were purely altruistic when he had saved his daughter. The lecherous look that had been on the adolescent's face when they'd arrived had already told the Aegis all he needed to know. He did not see a hero standing before him; he saw an opportunistic hunter looking for easy prey, a degenerate monster that lusted for raping and degrading women. The stranger reminded him far too much of the other monster he had put down to keep his family safe. He thought he'd seen the end of fiends like Oxx when he slew the demon, but as he glowered at the stranger in front of him, Artorias saw the same kind of monster again.

Another snarl rumbled in the dire brute's throat, his fur bristling and hackles raising higher. Flaming amber eyes burned into the piercing two-toned gaze of the younger brute, scrutinizing everything he said. "And so you decided that entitled you to her innocence? Or were you leering at her like some toy for you to use because you enjoy skulking around the edges of my pack looking for trouble?" Artorias snapped back, accusations harsh and venomous with keen suspicion. "The only reason you're still alive is because you aided her. This is all the mercy I will show you after the way you eyed her up on the beach and again here. She's a child for gods' sake!" Yeah, Artorias had seen the way the boy had looked at her then too, and now again in the aftermath of the slaughter. He would not thank this wolf for the part he played today. It was clear to him what kind of man this wolf was going to become and he would not permit his degeneracy to infect his family. There would not be another Oxx so long as he lived.

From behind him, Art caught the soft whisper of Taly saying something to Briar, but he couldn't make out the words over the pair of growls emanating from both brutes. Talyssa's presence was the one thing keeping Artorias in check. He would not engage in direct violence in front of his child without provocation or reason, but he was not about to give the pervert a pass on making aggressive sexual advances towards his very underage daughter. Holding his ground between the stranger and his mate and pup, Artorias lifted his head in a show of dominance and strength, staring down the boy. The sapphire brute was giving no misconception that he very much an alpha taking charge, and this whelp was threatening his wolves. "Who do you think you are, boy? You’re lucky I don’t tear your balls off right now." The alpha’s words were snarled through clenched teeth, practically daring the young man to try his luck with him with a snide answer.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

Briar held tight to Talyssa as her daughter clung to her, shielding the young girl from the violet boy that they had cut off from going any farther than he had. The cyote bite Taly showed her wasn't too serious and it looked like some sort of salve was already applied, but of course she would have Gwynevere look at it as well. Her daughter's assurance that she was alright made Briar relax a bit, and she dipped her head down to press a kiss to the top of Taly's head in response. She was just glad that they had reached them when they had or they might have been breaking up a very different kind of interaction–one that would be far more difficult to console their little girl through.

She overheard the stranger insist that Talyssa was being attacked and that she would have been killed if he hadn't shown up, which might have very well been true, but even as Taly tried to softly back up the claim a small frown still pulled at her lips. "Even if that's true, that doesn't excuse how he was behaving afterward," she told Taly quietly in return, her expression more stern, but still softened with maternal concern. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Artorias still in a stand off with the young brute, her ears flicking slightly. She wasn't sure how this was going to play out, but she was certain that she didn't want Talyssa to witness whatever fight was about to occur if the adolescent kept pushing his luck.

"Come on, Talyssa, lets get you to Aunt Gwyn," she insisted, gently scooping the pup onto her back before she rose to her paws. She was sure that the bite wasn't bad enough to keep Taly from walking, but she felt more certain that she could get her back to the castle faster if she carried her daughter instead and having her safely back behind pack borders would make her feel infinitely better. She had no concerns about leaving this in Art's paws, but she still looked back at her husband and told him, "I'll send Ezra this way once I get back to the castle." Even if Art didn't need help with the fight, it would still be good to have an extra set of eyes for patrolling the border after they chased this kid off to make sure he stayed gone. With that, she trotted back toward the castle with Talyssa on her back, moving swiftly but not so fast that she'd jostle their pup too much.

-exit with Talyssa unless stopped-

"Briar Carpathius"

He could hear the girl talking to the woman, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. Her voice was a whisper, and given that her father was standing in front of him, snarling and spewing insults, he couldn’t focus on anything else. He just kept his eyes on the larger male, trying to watch his every move, to predict an oncoming attack to the best of his ability. Everything the older male said buried its way beneath his skin, insulting his ego, and igniting his anger. He was ready to retort, unable to subdue his urge to argue back. But when he said something about tearing his balls off, Sephiran tipped over the edge. His tail rose to align with his spine, the hair along his neck and back already erect in a display of dominance. His ears pinned back against his skull, and his knees bent slightly to make himself more steady on his feet and center his balance. He answered the male’s snarl with one of his own, baring his teeth in a display of aggression. The expression on his face could be read loud and clear. He wasn’t going to back down. He was more than ready to face the fury of a father trying to protect their child. Which in reality, was a dangerous choice for the teenage boy.


Sephiran vs Astorias for Dominance
Round 0/2?
Age: Under 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation 1: Saber teeth (Offensive)
Skills: Expert Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Speech"

Talyssa was vaguely aware of her mother’s own hushed response, reiterating the fact that action didn’t excuse intention. And for that, she wouldn’t have an answer- not that one was needed from her or even necessary. Instead, she offered a silent nod- allowing her attention to hone in on the exchange between her father and the strange boy. She had never seen her sire that angry before. And that was every bit as shocking as anything else that had happened this evening. She could practically hear the venom in his words as he set in on the younger male. There were things that were said that she didn’t quite understand the meaning of. However, as the final threat echoed through the clearing, she looked away- not gathering the explicit details as they were expressed, but understanding the context was to inflict injury. Something she didn’t want to witness any more of tonight.

When her mother made the decision for them to leave, she couldn’t deny the relief she felt. She didn’t resist as she was picked up to be carried away. She rested her cheek against Briar’s shoulder as the soothing tones of her voice flowed between her parents as she promised to send Ezra back for assistance once they made it home. She dared a final peak to her dad before settling back in for the journey home. Part of her felt responsible for what had happened, and she couldn’t help the guilt that engulfed her as she recounted the decisions she had made for things to turn out the way they did. She wasn’t quite sure what she could have done differently, but she did know she was very sorry.

-Exit with Briar Unless Stopped-

There was a part of Artorias that hoped the boy would simply recognize the situation and leave without incident. There was another part of him that dared the strange teen to try his luck so he could show him why you don't fuck with a young pup when her parents were around. Neither brute moved, both holding their ground and staring the other down. There was some movement behind him, but Artorias didn't take his eyes away to look. He figured Briar was likely getting Talyssa out of here and back to safety, which was confirmed when his mate told him she would send Ezra out to back him up once she got their daughter back home. In perfect timing, the violet brute seemed to be done keeping his facade of placidness on his face, as something Artorias said shattered it and riled him up enough to coax snarls and bared fangs from the younger wolf. "Send any of the Vanguard. Tell them there's a mess to clean up," he called back to Briar just before she took off in the direction of home, extracting their vulnerable child back to safety.

Now it was just him and the stranger. The adolescent brute snarled louder and bared his fangs, tail lifting in a display of challenge and aggression. That was all Artorias needed to know this brute's intentions had never been altruistic and he had been a bold-faced liar, a degenerate, and a plague he needed to subdue. Artorias braced himself, legs bent at the knee with paws spread shoulder width apart, centering himself as muscles coiled and tensed. Behind him, both of his ravens flew to alight themselves on tree branches to the Aegis' sides, leering down at their opponent with hard stares. "Bad move, boy." There was no more mercy, no more second chances. Artorias was going to buy his family all the time they needed with violence. Although it was violence against a veritable child. The dire wolf couldn't allow that fact to dissuade his aggression as he charged the boy, powerful legs kicking off the ground and paws thundering over earth as he closed the distance between them in seconds.

Using his nimble agility and enhanced sight, Artorias kept his gaze focused on his opponent, waiting until the very last second of his charge to plant his paws and jerk to the left, leaping to the smaller wolf's right side and lunging forward, attempting to throw his weight forward into the violet wolf's while open jaws aimed to secure a grasp at the flesh and muscles between the shoulder and neck. He kept his sword sheathed—for now. Artorias did not want to maim or kill the lad, just thrash him about enough to teach him a lesson and discourage him from coming near his daughter and home ever again.

Artorias vs Sephiran for Dominance (identity reveal)
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
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight or Fleet-footed

"Artorias Carpathius"

His aggressive demeanor was mirrored by the man, the two of them sharing a moment of snarls and threats before his opponent abruptly surged forward. Sephiran had already set himself on the defense, as he had altered his stance already, knowing he would eventually provoke the male to attack. But despite this, he couldn’t match his opponent's speed. The distance between them closed so quickly, Sephiran didn't have a chance to avoid the body that was hurdling toward him. So, he decided to surge forward, following his opponent to throw his weight into the larger man. At the last moment, he pivoted to his left to try and avoid the full impact, but given his opponent’s sudden change in position, their opposing shoulders collided. Sephiran had to dig his paws into the earth to keep himself from tumbling back, his core tightening as he tried to keep his balance. The impact would surely leave a bruise on the boy’s right shoulder in due time, but that wasn’t something he could worry about right now.

A snarl rippled from his gaping jaws as the man’s fangs sank into where his neck connected to his right shoulder. He reacted instinctively, his head turning towards the male’s face who had just grabbed a mouthful. He attempted to viciously bite the right side of his head, wanting to force him to let go. In sync, he pushed off his hind legs to move forward, hoping to shove his opponent back or disrupt his balance. He kept up his defenses, making sure to keep his core tight, his tail aligned with his spine, and his ears pinned to stay out of the line of fire.

Sephiran vs Astorias for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: Under 1 year (to clarify, this thread occurred before the season change)
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation 1: Saber teeth (Offensive)
Skills: Expert Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Speech"

The collision of bodies was tectonic and catastrophic, like the very plates of the earth crushing together with the force of a thousand explosions. Artorias had not expected the boy to stand still and take the brunt of his attack, but the aggression he felt put forward into his opponent's surge towards him was surprising. The violet brute's shoulder shoved forward into his chest, colliding with the dire brute's sternum and knocking the breath from him, but did little to stop the advance of the larger male. Unfortunately for his foe, he wasn't able to pull away in time before Artorias' jaws found their mark on the boy's scapula and latched on, fangs sinking forward into fur and flesh, not with enough force to cause crippling damage, but enough to secure a strong hold on the younger wolf. Artorias saw the snarl on the stranger's face, saw the hate in his eyes—and saw him turn to strike down near his face. Too close, can't get away. Artorias braced for impact, folding his ears back to try and protect them.

The screeching cries of his ravens rose above the cacophony of snarls from the wolves as Corbin and Eira dove down from the trees to intercept the brute's attack, flapping large wings and aiming their scratching talons at his eyes to prevent him from securing his bite on Artorias' face. Thank the gods for birds! Another vicious snarl tore through the Aegis' throat as he redoubled his offense. Now the boy would learn why it was a bad move to tussle with an alpha. His opponent would feel the pressure of Artorias' stronger jaws and sharper fangs as they bit harder down onto his shoulder, aiming to draw blood and tighten his hold but not hard enough to shatter bone. Then he felt the brute push his weight forward, trying to throw Artorias off his paws. He managed to make Art shuffle back a couple of steps before he managed to set his paws and brace himself, core tightened and thighs and pecs flexing as he shoved his weight and strength back against his opponent, turning the fight into something akin to two sumo wrestlers struggling against one another. With his jaws clamped down, Artorias would go to shake and thrash his head, hoping to jostle and jerk the adolescent around enough to throw him off balance and take him down to the ground.

Artorias vs Sephiran for Dominance (identity reveal)
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
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight or Fleet-footed

"Artorias Carpathius"

What happened next, was something the teenager had not been anticipating. As his jaws opened and he outstretched to try and bite Artorias’ head, the sound of screeching birds and the flapping of giant wings erupted from above him, followed by the whooshing of air as two birds descended from the trees. He couldn’t exactly see them, given that he had been so focused on trying to bite his opponent. So, his reaction was based on instinct, and he ducked his head down to try and avoid an attack if it was coming for him. He felt sharp claws scrape at his folded ears and scuff, which caused him to snarl again. Not just out of anger, but pain too.

His initial attack had failed, and with the birds attacking the back of his head and neck, he couldn’t try to go for Artorias’ head anymore. So, he did what he could. With his jaws splayed, he attempted to use his shorter height and ducked down  head to try and bite at the right side of the taller man's neck. Luckily, he had already been pushing his weight forward, which made the larger man stumble a bit. But it wasn’t enough to knock him down. Artorias had also started to shake his head, trying to disrupt the boy's balance, making him jerk. Indeed this would offset his aim a bit, but he still intended on biting whatever part of his neck he could reach. In sync, he attempted to keep pushing his weight forward, but now, also upward, as he wanted to use Artorias’s hold on his shoulder against him. He hoped to uproot the man’s front paws, to further disrupt his balance. But given the brute's shaking, he had to hone in on his own balance to keep himself from helplessly tumbling at the same time. He kept his core tight, short claws digging into the earth with splayed toes, trying to keep himself from toppling over. And with his folded ears, he wouldn’t be left with any significant scars from the birds pecking at him. But mostly, it was his eyes he was trying to avoid taking damage to.

Sephiran vs Artorias for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: Under 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Mutation 1: Saber teeth (Offensive)
Skills: Expert Fighter & Intermediate Healer

"Speech"

And the winner is...

Artorias

Sephiran must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Artorias: Attack Roll: 61 Defense Roll: 68 Agility Roll: 57 Perception Roll: 77 Total: 263 Attack[61] + 55% Bonus[33.55]: 94.55 Defense[68] + 20% Bonus[13.60]: 81.60 Agility[57] + 55% Bonus[31.35]: 88.35 Perception[77] + 40% Bonus[30.80]: 107.80 Total[372.30] + 25% Bonus[93.08]: 465.38 Sephiran: Attack Roll: 81 Defense Roll: 58 Agility Roll: 94 Perception Roll: 55 Total: 288 Attack[81] + 10% Bonus[8.10]: 89.10 Defense[58] + 20% Bonus[11.60]: 69.60 Agility[94] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 94.00 Perception[55] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 55.00 Total[307.70] + 5% Bonus[15.38]: 323.08