Lingering in and out of the shadows, Zagan walks beneath the canopy of pines, following his raven companion as it leads him toward the eastern shore of the Sparse Pines. His panther was lingering behind him, surveying the area for signs of danger or concern. It was a formidable, ferocious creature who could protect him from harm- but Zagan felt no connection to the beast. But with his raven - the witty, intelligent bird who chose him to be its master - the young Saxe was building a bond. So when it came to him, beckoning him to the shore with palpable interest, Zagan followed without hesitation.

Stepping onto the rocky beach, Zagan stops beside his raven, inspecting a carcass on the shore. It’s cawing at him, clicking its beak, and motioning for him to analyze the rotting thing. Using a paw, Zagan slowly flips it over, studying it with interest. A dead harbor seal, washed up on the shore. He’d never seen one before.

"Speech"

Xina had found a strange rock. It had weird lines in it. It was rather large, big enough to climb on. What made those lines? Why were the lines all going in one direction as if they were layered? Hmmm... She wondered if the rock had come from something bigger, like one of the pebbles that fell from the den wall when she kicked it.

As she was observing said rock a smell drifted over her nose. Ah! One of her not-brothers was around and wandering! Did he get a raven recently? She asked herself as she heard the telltale call of a raven talking to someone. It was a familiar sound to her, she was constantly surrounded by the black birds. She saw them as background noise. Thinking everyone had a flock of ravens around them while they grew up.

Her nose crinkled as she found his trail, the rock suddenly forgotten, she needed to know what he was up to. She saw him and his raven looking over a funny looking corpse. Suddenly she wanted it. It was hers now.

"Hey! Gimme! What is it?" She told him, butting herself in between her new prize and his quills.

Zagan didn’t realize Xina was already nearby, investigating a rock on the beach before toddling over to him and his discovery. Whether it be jealousy or ignorance, something was compelling her forward, her smaller body shoving between himself and the carcass. Zagan’s tall, elongated ears flicked to the side, his quills starting to rise out of reflex. Hey! Gimme! What is it! She said, and Zagan growled a disapproving grumble, his head lowering to align with his shoulders. “I saw it first.” He said, bi-colored eyes narrowing at his adoptive sibling, eyeing her with the intent to make her leave. If she didn’t tuck tail and back off, he would engage- lunging at her with unsheathed claws, swiping at her shoulder with a snarl. His raven hopped backward, removing itself from the impending brawl.

"Speech"

Zagan vs Araxina for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: < 6 months
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Obsidian blade
Companion 1: Black panther, female - battle
Companion 2: Black Raven, Male - Flying
Mutation 1: Quills - Defensive
Mutation 2: Eland horns - Defensive
Mutation 3: Retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

Her nose was deep into the carcass, her paws already investigating it roughly, it was slimy and oozy and the juices ran through the gritty pebbles along the shore. The water lapped at the stones and the puppies' toes. Perhaps the friends of their prize were watching the gruesome show from beneath the waves

Zagan claimed he saw it first and she scrunched her nose at him with a scowl, flicking her tail dismissively. Completely unphased by his aggressive show.

She pulled away as she heard his snarl, a half moment before his claws would have met their mark. She kicked back with a growl putting space between her and him, she knew his spines would protect his nape. She dove back in aiming to bulldoze and shove him into the waves, her teeth aiming for his jowls to flip him down.



Araxina vs Zagan for Dominance
Round 1/2
Age: under 6 months
Size: Large
Build: Balanced
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Navigator
Specialty:

Xina leaped backward, avoiding his swiping claws. Another growl bellowed from him, disappointment etched into his features as he continued to glare at her. Pesky Xina. She was smaller than him, which meant she was more agile and swift- and dumb enough to try and bulldoze into him anyway.

As she came barreling forward, Zagan growled again, baring his quickly-growing saber fangs and bristling his pelt, quills standing erect. He lunged forward, meeting her assault, attempting to slam their chests together. Her snapping jaws caught his chin, and Zagan quickly retaliated, swiping a full set of claws directly at her face while she was holding onto him.

His panther was pacing behind him, panting heavily and distressed. But it knew better than to attack one of The Syndicate children. All it could do was watch the battle progress, waiting for an opportunity to pull the kids off each other.

"Speech"

Zagan vs Araxina for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: < 6 months
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Balanced
Offensive Battle Accessory: Obsidian blade
Companion 1: Black panther, female - battle
Companion 2: Black Raven, Male - Flying
Mutation 1: Quills - Defensive
Mutation 2: Eland horns - Defensive
Mutation 3: Retractable claws - Offensive
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Intermediate Intellectual

Her powder white chest slammed into his. Score! Her teeth met his cheek if only for a half moment! Her breath was hardly panting as her paws flailed to knock him back. She shrieked in pain as his needle fine claws raked across her face! It incensed her further and she brought one paw to push him solidly on the nose away from her. With a snarl, she kicked backward, hopefully against him, and bounded away. She then came flying back at him. The water sprayed at her heels as she dove back into the fray. Her teeth aimed at his shoulder and her paws were intent on tripping him into the water. She wanted to hold him down!



Araxina vs Zagan for Dominance
Round 2/2
Age: under 6 months
Size: Large
Build: Balanced
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Navigator

And the winner is...ZAGAN

ZAGAN

ARAXINA must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: ZAGAN: Attack Roll: 53 Defense Roll: 20 Agility Roll: 44 Perception Roll: 80 Total: 197 Attack[53] + 45% Bonus[23.85]: 76.85 Defense[20] + 15% Bonus[3.00]: 23.00 Agility[44] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 44.00 Perception[80] + 20% Bonus[16.00]: 96.00 Total[239.85] + -20% Bonus[-47.97]: 191.88 ARAXINA: Attack Roll: 1 Critical fail! Defense Roll: 71 Agility Roll: 81 Perception Roll: 37 Total: 190 Attack[1] + 5% Bonus[0.05]: 1.05 Defense[71] + 5% Bonus[3.55]: 74.55 Agility[81] + 10% Bonus[8.10]: 89.10 Perception[37] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 37.00 Total[201.70] + -15% Bonus[-30.25]: 171.44

Their bodies collided with a thunderous crash, the impact reverberating through the air, forcing the air from their lungs but the two pups were relentless in their grappling. Zagan was determined to put Xina in her place, to dominate the girl and remind her who ran the show in this kingdom. The Saxe ruled them all.

His claws raked across her face, blood trickling from the wounds which roused Zagan further. She tried to kick backward, bounding away from him but Zagan was quick to leap after her, growling and snapping at the air behind her until he descended onto her. Before she could bite him, Zagan was shoving her over with his larger size, slamming her against the rocky shallows and pinning her down beneath him. Her face went beneath the water, the waves crashing over her but Zagan was relentless- he sank his claws into her shoulders, using his weight to keep her pinned down until she admitted defeat. Until she submitted.

He’d step back, allowing her up before his waterboarding caused any real harm. He just wanted her to be afraid- to question if he was deranged enough to kill her. Narrowing his eyes at her, Zagan bristles his quills and snaps in her direction. “I told you it was mine.” A final warning. If she tried to shove her way between him and his discovery again, he would viciously attack her.

With a final glare, Zagan turns away from Xina, toddling back to the carcass. Flies were buzzing lazily around it, its flippers splayed outward, its back partially carried in the wet sand. Using a paw, he pushed it over until its on its side, so he could reach its ribcage. He didn’t care if Xina wanted to watch- hell, she could help him if she wanted to. His raven wanted him to investigate the carcass further, because there was a use for it. The bones could be made into weapons.

"Speech"

She bounded away and he was after her in a flash. Suddenly the wind was knocked out of her as her face met the pebbles of the shoreline. The shock overwhelmed her as the saltwater washed over her face as she struggled to breathe, the sting of the salt washing the fine scratches clean and stinging with relentless cruelty. She sputtered and scrambled and pushed against his heavier body, trying to scream but her nose was full of seawater. His claws sank into her shoulders and she clawed against the shifting pebbly terrain. She was held fast as another wave ran over her nose and face and still she scrambled for a breath and against her brother. Her mind was screaming with rage as her eyes stung and her nose blew. Another wave overcame her and finally, her mind told her to submit. Give in. Go limp or she'll die from drowning.

Finally, he relented and she pushed against the shore coughing and spluttering, her tail between her legs. He nearly killed her! She coughed and sneezed and her golden eyes watched him from the side, wide with the new sense of fear. Not even the polar bear had scared her into facing death this close.

She reflexively snarled as he bristled and snapped at her, claiming the carcass as his.

"Fine! It's yours!" She huffed. Fucking prick. She shook her pelt to rid her of the salt water. Her face and shoulders were searing in pain from the marks on her skin and the saltwater that made its way into them. She was still curious about it and her incessant need to be included drove her back to the carcass, this time respecting his space and keeping a tail length back from him.

"What you gonna do with it?" She asked, eyeing the bones he was pulling out, wondering if she could make them into sharpened sticks to stick em in his shoulders like he stuck his claws into hers. Why were his claws so much sharper than hers and her siblings?

A creature of curiosity, Xina lingered behind him, driven by her incessant drive to be included. Zagan rolled his eyes, keeping his focus on the carcass. At least she kept her distance this time. With a final huff, he’d flipped the seal into the best position for his experimentation, Xina’s voice filling the space behind him but he did not turn to face her. Pulling out his blade, Zagan gripped it between his teeth, cocking his head and pressing the tip against the blubbery skin of the seal. He used his claws to anchor it down, methodically cutting into the fat and musculature, carving it away until he revealed the rows of rib bones beneath.

Satisfied with his carving, Zagan placed the bloody blade in its sheath and put his paws around one of the larger rib bones. “I’m going to sharpen them.” He said, finally answering her question. The sinew felt grimy between his paws, mushy and wet from the entrails he was digging around. With a huff, Zagan used all his strength to break the bone off of the sternum, stumbling back a few steps before sitting down to inspect his prize.

He looked at Xina, wondering if she was going to start copying him, or sit back and watch. Either way, Zagan began to clean the remaining flesh and fat off of the bone, using his front teeth to bite it off until it was picked clean.

"Speech"

She scowled when he didn't immediately turn to her and tell her. She lashed her tail. She watched him pull out the bones and feel them in his paws. The smell of the carcass was enticing and she wanted to see better what he was doing with them. How'd he already have a knife? Did he borrow one of Mom's? Oooo maybe she can tell Mom about it. It looked different than one of Mom's knives.

He seemed less interested in the carcass now so she pulled herself closer to it, testing to see if he'd *allow* her without telling her off. He didn't, so she went about copying him. She pulled out a strangely shaped bone down by the flipper. It was curved and smaller in the middle. Perfect for holding in her teeth. Maybe she can use this as a handle! Maybe she can make a blade out of the bones on each side! She glanced back at his knife, the blade was black, she wanted one of those, but she wanted her own style. She grabbed another bone and grimaced at the feeling of the slippering fat and skin around it. But the taste was all right. How would she sharpen it?

In his peripheral, Xina was hovering over the seal carcass, using her paws to extract a rib bone near the flipper. He didn’t pay her any mind- he’d allow her to copy him, to create her own weapon to be used in battle or hunting. She could learn a thing or two from her superior brother.

With the muscle and blubber picked cleanly off the bone, Zagan set it down in front of him, inspecting it with a keen eye until he was content with his work. Next, he picked up his blade, using an unsheathed claw to tap the obsidian, before running it down the length of the edge to analyze its sharpness. He’d never be able to replicate it without proper tools- but a weathered, smooth stone would help him sharpen his bone. Placing his blade back in its sheath, Zagan picked up his bone and walked along the beach, searching for the perfect rock.

Once he found a suitable sharpening stone, the young Saxe settled down in front of it, gripping the bone in his paws and pressing it against the stone. He’d lean forward in a fluid motion, applying pressure as he did, before pulling it back in another fluid motion. He repeated this, over and over, a smile curling his lips as the edge of the bone slowly carved away into a pointed edge.

"Zagan Saxe"

Araxina disliked the feeling of the sinew and fats clinging to her tongue. The oily blubber coated her tongue and her paws were slick and slimy. Worst feeling ever. Regardless she cleaned the bones, trying to get around the feeling of the fats making her want to wretch. Dipping them in the water did nothing, so dealing with the retched texture will have to do.

Once both bones were cleaned, she spied Zagan pushing his against a rock in a long sweeping motion. Ohhh so you take a rock and sharpen them! She found a stone that had tiny pockmarks and holes in it, with a rough texture. She ground one side of the rib bone against it, turned the bone and ground it the other direction. The rough stone was alright but it wasn't sharpening it very finely. She found a slightly smoother rock and was delighted at how the bone pulled and smoothed over the surface. It became shiny as she ground it into the stone and the tip became dangerously sharp. Excellent. A bone knife!