Back to her regular duties, Widow had tasked herself with evaluating the children's fighting ability. Of course, not every child was up for the task nor seemed to specialize in fighting, but for those that did she wanted to see where they were, their individual strengths and weaknesses. Today was Rippers turn, the first of the children she would be assessing and teaching if they needed it or had questions.

She had a plan today, and while it was good to practice on familiar grounds especially to protect against raids and any threat that may loom at the borders, everyone could do with a lesson in different terrain. Guiding the young man to the nearby dunes, she carefully set the water bladder they would most certainly be needing down and sat atop one of the dunes, looking out over the sandy valley before them before casting her glance onto Ripper.

"Tell me, the possible advantages and disadvantages of a fight taking place here," she prompted with a light smile before looking back out over the sandy wasteland before them.

"Speech!"

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He followed Widow out to the desert, bounding along and checking just about everything he passed! A neat looking flower here, a dead animal there (and rolling in it for good measure)! He didn't really think why they were going into the desert, but he was just eager to go on whatever adventure was available to him, so he followed without complaint! He raced up a sandy dune until he reached the top, mouth hanging open and tongue lolling from his mouth as he panted, staring out over the sandy valley below. Widow came up and addressed him then. "Tell me, the possible advantages and disadvantages of a fight taking place here," His mouth partially closed in thought as he seemingly stopped breathing for a moment. HHMmm...he squinted against the sunlight as he stared hard at the sand. "Uumm....the sun is very bright here! That can blind you in a fight, so..." He looked at the ground, noting the way their shadows fell ahead of them before glancing back behind them. "Keeping your back to the sun can help you!" That was one thing, right? A breeze blew over them, blowing away some of the sand beneath his paws and he watched as they sunk and slowly lost traction. Aha! He never considered the ground before! "Oh! Oh! Oh! You can probably slip in the sand!" "Ripper||"Menace"

She didn't pay much mind to the child and his antics besides ushering him along when he got too distracted by something. She couldn't really complain when he rolled in something dead though, other than she would have to now put up with the smell, but it was a good defense mechanism. No one is gonna want to get close to him smelling like that, much less attempt to take a bite out of him likely believing him to taste as rotten as he smells.

Her request was followed shortly by very good points. The sun was blinding and the sand was slick. One could easily turn their back to the sun to avoid being blinded for certain, however fights seldom stuck to one directional position. While the slippery sand was a downside, it could also be beneficial should the opponent slip.

"Very good. Additionally, the sand can be used to temporarily blind your opponent either with a swipe of a paw or skidding to a stop. Second, there is seldom any water in a desert. It's always best to be more prepared than your opponent, so always stay hydrated when you're in the desert. You never know who could come up and challenge you," she said with a nod as she looked out over the dunes and the valley between them.

"Can you think of any more?" She asked, though she didn't expect him to think of the frigid winters and nights or the blistering summers.

"Speech!"

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Oooh! He hadn't considered the other points she brought up about fighting in the sand, nor about keeping water with you for traveling through the desert! This was his first time in the desert after all, and had only really gone through places that had some source of food and water somewhere. He wondered then, what sorts of prey could be found out here, and his gaze snapped back to observing the sandy dunes laid out before them, but he didn't think on it much before she asked him if there was anything else he could think of. "Uum..." He glanced down to the sand shifting beneath his paws, the sun beating on his back, the breeze that swept the sand around them. Well heck, what else was there? He didn't know anything about the desert! Gah! Why was thinking so hard!? In the end, he shook his head, unable to think of anything else. "No, Ripper's got nothin'" He exclaimed with a frown. "Ripper||"Menace"

Widow hadn't expected him to know about the weather patterns or the temperatures of the desert, he'd likely never been. There wasn't much exciting about the dunes to a child, but he was growing up and learning these things were vital for him, for all of the pups. They lived close to the dunes sure, but anything could happen at any time and one couldn't be too prepared.

"The summers are blistering hot, and the nights are frigid cold. The winters aren't great either. You must always be prepared with water and covering if you plan to be out long. Or if you're injured, you must find a way to keep yourself safe," she said with a stern smile before taking a deep breath. "So how about you take what you've learned today and make use of it. Let's spar, though be warned, I won't go easy on you."

"Speech!"

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He listened to what all she had to explain about the desert. Huh...he didn't realize how hot or cold it got here. He was curious to see just what the temperature differences were, and why it didn't feel like that drastic of a difference back home even though they weren't terribly far from the desert regions. It did get him to thinking though...maybe he oughta keep a cloak or something on him when he traveled. He was pretty bad with directions after all, it was likely he'd end up making his way to the desert...sure, he could always turn back he supposed. But what if there was buried treasure and things undiscovered in the deserts!? Things that only he managed to find since it was unlikely other wolves were prepared for such a biome? He quietly cackled to himself before his ears perked and his attention snapped back to Widow. A spar!? He jumped up to his feet and tippy-tapped the sand, his eagerness and enthusiasm clear in his soulless gaze as he backed up a few steps to give them some space! "Ripper won't go easy, either!" He exclaimed, though he didn't quite think about how much more experience Widow would have compared to him. He didn't really think at all, in fact. Do now, think later. Or not at all. He sucked in a deep breath, coughing as he accidentally inhaled some dust, and then he charged! Ripper came at Widow head on, paws slipping a bit in the shifting sand, but he dug in with his talons to gain a little more traction as he came at her at an angle (leaning toward his right) and aimed to check Widow's left shoulder with his left shoulder. He laughed as his jaws opened, head turning toward the top of her shoulder as he then aimed to land a bite there. Ripper vs Widow for Spar Round: 1/? Age: under 1yr Size: Extra large Build: Light Companion 1: Egyptian Mongoose, Male, Battle Mutation 1: Shark Teeth - Offensive Mutation 2: Talons - Offensive Skills: Expert Fighter & Novice Hunter Specialty: n/a "Ripper||"Menace"

Ripper was growing and would be quite large, however he wasn't her height yet and she doubted he would ever be unless he hit a wild growth spurt. That was really the only advantage she had over him aside from age and experience, but she didn't doubt Rippers power.

She braced herself and spread her legs, her toes even spreading for a better grip in the shifting sand. Shoulders rolled forward to create a sharper target for him to hit, though since he was coming at her towards her left side, she quickly bent her elbows and lowered her shoulders down and away from his teeth as he snapped. With her chest hovering just above the sand, her own jaws parted and she reached underneath the boy and sought out his back right heel as she pushed off with her own hind legs to launch herself beneath the child.

"Speech!"

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Widow vs ripper for spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
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

Teeth snapped on empty air as his chest hit the point of her shoulder. He yelped with surprise from the stabbing, shooting pain as he was not expecting that! Then again, he didn't quite have any rhyme or reason to the way he fought. He just did it with wild abandon. Head empty sort of deal. He staggered back a bit as he stumbled in the shifting sand, and that's all that Widow needed to get underneath him. He felt her jaws close around his back heel, her body pushing up against his and practically lifting him off his feet like she was about to give him a piggyback ride! "AAAAhhhh!" He screeched in yet even more surprise, forepaws instinctively reaching to grip wherever he could (in this case, her haunches), talons looking to sink in and keep him steady. Ripper vs Widow for Spar Round: 2/2 Age: under 1yr Size: Extra large Build: Light Companion 1: Egyptian Mongoose, Male, Battle Mutation 1: Shark Teeth - Offensive Mutation 2: Talons - Offensive Skills: Expert Fighter & Novice Hunter Specialty: n/a "Ripper||"Menace"

She felt her jaws close around the boys heel and smiled around his limb. His scream as she lifted him onto her shoulders amused her, though she wasn't playing a game and intended to shake him loose the first chance she caught. Unfortunately, she felt his talons dig into her haunches and hissed.

She kept her grip mostly gentle to prevent from severing or breaking anything important, but kept it strong enough that if he tried to break free might tear the flesh. Widow only dropped her left shoulder and sent herself crashing to the ground shoulder first, her hips following quickly behind as she sought to shake the young boy loose by also sending him into the sand onto his right side as she landed.

"Speech!"

Art & Code © Skelle/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Widow vs ripper for spar
Round 2/2
Age: over 1 year
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

And the winner is...

WIDOW

RIPPER must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: WIDOW: Attack Roll: 69 Defense Roll: 68 Agility Roll: 56 Perception Roll: 88 Total: 281 Attack[69] + 75% Bonus[51.75]: 120.75 Defense[68] + 10% Bonus[6.80]: 74.80 Agility[56] + 5% Bonus[2.80]: 58.80 Perception[88] + 25% Bonus[22.00]: 110.00 Total[364.35] + 25% Bonus[91.09]: 455.44 RIPPER: Attack Roll: 32 Defense Roll: 1 Agility Roll: 82 Perception Roll: 33 Total: 148 Attack[32] + 30% Bonus[9.60]: 41.60 Defense[1 Critical fail!] + 5% Bonus[0.05]: 1.05 Agility[82] + 5% Bonus[4.10]: 86.10 Perception[33] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 33.00 Total[161.75] + 5% Bonus[8.09]: 169.84