Now that Cryptis was back home, she felt like she could finally breathe. She'd gotten some much needed sleep and with her daughter continuing her rest at home under the watchful eye of Phantasm, Widow allowed herself a brief vacation from Insomnia to give herself the chance to think about something else for a few minutes. Of course she was grateful to have her daughter back, but she needed a bit of space from everything for a moment. Honestly, she wanted a drink, but she didn't know where to get any around here. So instead, she settled for walking. A nice walk would do her some good, probably, so with her ravens, staff, and cloak, Widow crossed the borders and moved east. Almost as if she was headed to where she should consider home, but she wouldn't dare wander that far. If she went west there was nothing but ocean, but there was a nice oasis near the pack and that was her intention. She could relax by the little pond and perhaps dip her toes in, but the woman easily became distracted by a glowing cave.

Strange, she'd never seen a glowing cave before.

Changing her course of direction, the blue woman trod over and dipped inside the cavern. Argent eyes widened in awe as she took in the immensely bright blue glow of the interior of the cave. Her eyes didn't even appear silver anymore, her entire body aglow with the bright light. Was this bioluminesence or something else? She was intrigued, but she had to be careful with mushrooms. Certainly there was a reason they were glowing like this, and it couldn't be a good one. Harvesting any today wouldn't be smart, she would probably need some protection... besides, Rou would probably be pissed if she didn't bring her along for some foraging. So for now, Widow just carefully stepped through the cavern and scoped it out. She would at least make sure it was safe to bring the young girl along, though she doubted Medusa would be so worried. Maybe Cryptis could come along if she wanted, certainly she'd like to see the interesting phenomenon regardless.

Widow sighed pleasantly and moved back towards the mouth of the cave, carefully avoiding any of the mushrooms. She paused when she heard a sound outside of the cave however, a crunching through the grass that alerted her to someones presence. Her hackles raised as her tail curled over her back, though he left her staff at her side for now. Perhaps whatever was outside the cave wasn't a threat, it was probably just a deer, but after her daughter was kidnapped, she would never be too careful again.

"Speech!"

Art © LadyAmaris & Code © Skelle 2022

Long had his pack and band been abandoned. The Abraxas had scattered to the four winds, and he wasn't even sure that they'd ever resume the path they once walked. The teachings of the Fallen God had seemingly died out...Though honestly, the Saxe male never quite gave a damn about what the Abraxas tried to teach. He was free of their teachings. Free to do as he pleased whenever he felt like it and without repercussions. He didn't know where his path would lead him, or who he'd come across on the way, but he quite enjoyed his freedom. Even his tiny sister had gone off on her own, and he hadn't seen her or his mother since. He wasn't particularly close to them anyway, so it was all for the best in his opinion.

He remained mostly in the western lands, however. Hovering close to the former bands last known location since he had been too lazy to really den elsewhere, but with Ashen having moved into the old lands, he had slowly wandered outward to new destinations. He was heading east to see if those lands had anything to offer, though on the way as the chill began to seep into the air, he figured he ought to find shelter for the night.

Not too far off he had found a cavern. Teal-colored eyes studied the opening for a moment, and he swore he'd seen this cave before but he doubted he'd ever really been inside. Or perhaps he was thinking of another cave...they all looked similar in the end, didn't they? Shrugging, he moved not so quietly through the grass. As he neared, he almost didn't notice the silhouette of someone else already inside. Watching him. Waiting. It was only by the sound of some scraping and the light of the moon did he look up and notice the gold tinges of fur in the near darkness.

He paused, his steps slowing for a moment as he squinted. Whoever it was appeared hostile, and he'd be damned if he let someone bully him out of shelter. "What's your problem?" He barked, ready to fight for the space if he needed to.

Whoever it was outside the cave, she wouldn't be unprepared. She left Insomnia with her staff, cloak, and companions in tow for this exact reason, and she wouldn't allow herself to falter now. Even as the man came around and into her view. He was certainly not a deer, nor was he anything else harmless. Instead, he was a large man, though he seemed a bit shorter than her. That would be good, should things turn more sour than she had already made them with her defensive, yet ready to launch, stance.

"What's your problem?" he asked, as if it wasn't obvious. He had effectively trapped her in the cave with little effort, though Widow felt anything but trapped. Perhaps a bit cornered, but she had confidence she could fight this man off if she'd need to.

"You," she snapped back in response to his silly question. Why was it always the cute ones that asked stupid questions? She felt silly for thinking he was attractive, especially considering Cryptis had been taken by some unknown man and while he was skinned and making a lovely throw rug, she wasn't sure who she could trust. Would this man now try to take her away from her daughter? At least Cryptis would have Medusa then, but she would be returning home to her daughter today, though perhaps with another pretty pelt if she were so lucky.

"Speech!"

Art © LadyAmaris & Code © Skelle 2022

His ears went flat at the single word she said. "Me!?" What the hell had gotten her fur in a twist? He showed his teeth just a bit, eyes narrowed as he moved closer, making it clear that he was going to get his ass into that cave whether she liked it or not. "If you have a problem with me then why don't you do something about it?" He scoffed as he stopped just short of the entrance. All he wanted was to find shelter, and he wasn't about to turn around and find somewhere else. She smelled like a pack, so she should be the one to go somewhere else and let him take shelter in the cave! The nerve and audacity this woman had!

And while yes, she was pretty as fuck, there was no way in hell he was going to back down and let her push him around. He already had his mind made up. "I'm going into the cave. If you don't like it, leave, or else..." He growled. Was he in the mood for a fight? Not really. But would he if he had to? Obviously.

Her ears pressed back as he briefly snarled and started to get closer, tempting her to take a few steps back but no, she couldn't let him win! This was her cave for the night and he could just go on and find somewhere else! If he'd picked up on the scent of her pack, maybe he'd realize that it wasn't exactly around the corner from here and it would be a long walk back in the dark when she could just as easily wait it out until the early morning. Besides, she had already picked up on the early signs of her heat, so traipsing around in the dark and alone wasn't exactly safe considering she had a daughter to get home to.

She snarled when he did, though her lips curled more as her tail thrashed at his approach. It'd wave her faint scent around, but if she were lucky perhaps this man would be a gentleman and give her space. She doubted she was that lucky though, just as much as she doubted her safety with this man alone in the cave. She wouldn't flee though, or go down without a fight, but she had to be smart.

There were definitely a few things she wanted to do about it, but most weren't smart. "Or else what?" she hissed through her snarl, eyes narrowed as she held her ground.

"Speech!"

Art © LadyAmaris & Code © Skelle 2022

She was still hostile. Which made him retain his hostility. He bared his teeth, hackles bristling and his ears pinned back to his skull. "You lay no claim to these caves! You should've made the wiser choice and scurried off back to your pack!" He hissed, giving her no more warning than that before he jumped the short distance between them. He didn't need much provoking, but she seemed to just get under his skin and he was in no mood to be courteous when he was tired, cold, and just wanting to fucking find a place to sleep!

Ravage snarled as he aimed to throw his right shoulder into her chest, jaws snapping toward the side of her neck as he sought to shove her out of the way. He didn't give a damn if she was a girl, everyone was treated the same in his book! Or at least...elders sort of had more leeway with him, but she wasn't old, so tough luck!

Ravage vs Widow for Dominance
Round: 1/?
Age: Over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

Widow snarled at his words, lip curling around sharp teeth in a warning that he wouldn't heed. What did it matter that she was in a pack? She wanted to be alone, and here she was alone... well, at least before he came. "So what? You think you own these caves, then because you don't have a pack to scurry home to?" she mocked before he lunged, though she was able to dodge the worst of his hit.

The front of Ravage's right shoulder collided with the front of her own right shoulder, but with the slight adjustment she was able to lean out of the way of his fangs. Using the leaning motion to swing her head back around and dip her head and torso down, parted jaws sought to reach underneath him and behind his right foreleg to grab onto his left foreleg, hoping to end this before it really began by flipping the man onto the ground.

"Speech!"
Widow vs Ravage for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Witches staff
Defensive Battle Accessory: Hooded cloak
Companion 1: Common raven, Female - Battle
Companion 2: Domestic short-haired cat, Female - Battle - boosted
*Companion 3: Common Raven, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Dexterous paws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Professor

Art © LadyAmaris & Code © Rex 2022

He didn't like her tone. Though he had to admit, she was a spitfire. He snarled in retaliation to her words, not quite realizing that they did cut a little. He did miss being in a pack, and held some anger that Aerie had disbanded in both forms it had been in. Had he done more to help, perhaps his family wouldn't have dispersed. Maybe the pack would have still stuck it out. He didn't know. Her words stung though, and it only served to piss him off.

Unfortunately for him, he didn't realize he probably picked the wrong opponent. She had moved just enough to align their shoulders, the pair colliding, though his fangs missed their mark. He was inexperienced when it came to fighting, that much awareness he had, at least. And now that he was closer, he could smell a strange scent coming from her. A scent that was vaguely familiar, and one he hadn't smelled since Aerie. Shit. He got distracted enough to the point he forgot to pay attention to where the girl's teeth were, and by the time he realized, he felt them close around his left foreleg, and the limb was pulled beneath him.

Widow's tactic had been successful, and he lost his balance and nearly fell face first, but had managed to twist himself to where he fell sideways. Shit! Shit! Shit! He thought. As a last-ditch effort, the Saxe male lunged toward her, teeth seeking to grab anywhere he could while he kicked up and out with his hind foot, hoping to kick her throat or face to make her back off and give him some room to get back to his feet.

Ravage vs Widow for Dominance
Round: 2/2
Age: Over 1yr
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Intellectual

So far, her plan had worked! Her jaw wrapped around the forelimb of the man she was quick to pull him. So close to landing on his face, too, that would shut him up! Unfortunately, he had managed to twist just in time to avoid that however, distracting her from the kicking hind feet that collided with where her jaw connects to her skull, effectively sending her into the fangs of the other man. She snarled, determined to not let him win so easily! She already had him down, she just needed to finish it!

She roughly pulled the fur and flesh of her neck that was trapped in his teeth away, caring little about the wound it left behind, and positioned her fangs towards the mans chest now. A ballsy move, but if she could get a mouthful of his skin, then pushing her off would only cause him more pain. Meanwhile, her hind feet remained spread, repositioning as necessary to keep her balance.

"Speech!"
Widow vs Ravage for dominance
Round 2/2
Age: over 1
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Witches staff
Defensive Battle Accessory: Hooded cloak
Companion 1: Common raven, Female - Battle
Companion 2: Domestic short-haired cat, Female - Battle - boosted
*Companion 3: Common Raven, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Cat claws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Dexterous paws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Professor

Art by SkeletonDragoness Code © Rex/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

And the winner is...

Widow

Ravage must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Ravage : Attack Roll: 53 Defense Roll: 92 Agility Roll: 71 Perception Roll: 33 Total: 249 Attack[53] + 5% Bonus[2.65]: 55.65 Defense[92] + 5% Bonus[4.60]: 96.60 Agility[71] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 71.00 Perception[33] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 33.00 Total[256.25] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 256.25 Widow: Attack Roll: 67 Defense Roll: 76 Agility Roll: 86 Perception Roll: 56 Total: 285 Attack[67] + 75% Bonus[50.25]: 117.25 Defense[76] + 10% Bonus[7.60]: 83.60 Agility[86] + 5% Bonus[4.30]: 90.30 Perception[56] + 25% Bonus[14.00]: 70.00 Total[361.15] + 25% Bonus[90.29]: 451.44