Imperium join thread <3

The man of strength and power had aimlessly wandered for far too long but he wasn’t done yet. He was still in the Pledge. He wasn’t yet to the next set of his plan. He wasn’t to the Turn. His entire life was a magic trick – the greatest magic trick. His life was the greatest trick known to wolf and prey alike. The light brown magician had been shivering from the cold and so he sought a reprieve by heading to the lower lands. The lands to the south and east gave a comforting cold that he could handle compared to the bitter and fierce cold that the north had provided. He squinted as he looked tracks on the ground that he was intent on following. Out the back door goddamn but I love her anyway. The truth to that statement was what made his life so significant. He could have sworn that his sister’s scent was on these tracks but it was impossible to tell because they were so faded. He frowned, thinking that Borden had exiled her to these stranger tides as well. That didn’t sit with him well.

The Turn – that was the key to any success he might have – and he was intent on succeeding. The Turn was a delicate process that he couldn’t even think about for the risk was too great. Was there a wolf in the cold hard world that could read Angier’s mind and see through his tricks? He hoped not. That was why he could not reveal his greatest trick. His trick was foolproof and would take time to set into place. It would require training, deceit, and betrayal. It would be totally worth it. Kiss the ring and let them bow down. He would be a king by the end of this trick. That was the great Prestige; he had to bring it back. He had to bring his name back to power. That was the price of a good trick. He had no time to spare for love or a family. He didn’t have time.

He brown man followed the tracks down and looked unto the borders. His mind instantly snapped back from his mind palace to the real world. These were pack borders and he recognized none of the scents to them. Curiosity flowed through his mind as he let a smile crack onto his muzzle with a swift thought. He supposed any pack would work – his passion was equal to that of his task. He debated howling. This pack, by the strong scents of the border and the hints of something else, was a strong pack to put up with. He let out a loud and strong howl for the leader of the pack so he might have a conference with them. Prepare to be amazed. He thought these thoughts as his mind flickered to the memory of Julia’s death. That was why Angier had been kicked out. Olivia knew it wasn’t his fault. Olivia was his other sister whom he thought he had scented earlier. Julia’s death had been Borden’s fault and Angier would never forgive him for killing their youngest sister. Angier had been her protector to make sure the princess and his sister had remained safe until she was of marrying age.

The realization about how he had failed was a fright. Abracadabra.

"Abracadabra" - My Secrets

A strong, masculine voice calling to him from the border pulled the young ruler from his hunt. He'd been stalking a coyote, one of the few who'd escaped his extermination efforts with Cascade. The creature was either too dumb or too bold to flee, choosing to stay in a land ruled by a higher power that rejected the presence of its kind.  It's decision to remain would be the death of it, the brute was certain. He was in no hurry to kill it and so immediately abandoned the hunt in favor of the call. Reaching the border, Valentine approached slowly. He looked the smaller brute over, scrutinizing him and the potential he held in an attempt to decipher his place in the world. Was this a fighter? A hunter? A healer? A spy? "Greetings," he boomed, "My name is Valentine and I am the Imperator here. What brings you to Imperium?" "Speaking" "Thinking"

It did not take long for a man to present himself in front of the eager magician. There was a name given and Angier would acknowledge the fact with a dip of his head while preparing his words carefully for the scrutinizing man to examine. He would be short, brief and to the point while providing ample information as to his skills and interests in the pack he stood in front of. "Hello there Imperator of Imperium. I will make my point simple and brief. My name is Angier I seek a pack. I'm looking for a place I can be myself. I am a fighter and hunter by birth. I fight that I am quite skilled in reading people as well so if you have a job for that, I'd be happy to fill it." That should cover it. He kept his tone steady and respectful while even going as far as to tuck his tail slightly to prove Valentine as the dominant man.

Angier had pushed his bigger plans into the back of his mind. His eyes stayed steady and had a lack of emotion to them. He had become an expert at hiding his plans in a shroud of mist and fog. He waited for the response of the ever so regal leader.

"Abracadabra" - My Secrets

Briskly, the rogue would explain his reason for being there. That was fine with Valentine. The pleasantries and whatnot that usually garnished meetings were well and good, but they got a bit tedious. It was nice to put it all aside and get straight down to business. "Well," he murmured, "What are you most skilled at? What do you prefer doing?" Regardless of what he chose, Angier would need to prove to Valentine that he was worthy of the position. If not, it was likely that he'd still be accepted, however, he would be placed in a lower rank and required to work his way up to the position he desired. "If you are to join this pack, I want you to choose a path that fits you and what you think you are capable of." "Speaking" "Thinking"

The questions which followed here understood given the fact that Valentine did not know Angier. It was probably a good thing that the man didn't know him as a matter of fact. Angier continued to think because he spoke because he was treading dangerous waters even if the other man did not know it. "I am best in my hunting however with a brush-up on my offensive tactics, I could soon replace that role with that of a warrior." Honor and honesty at this point were strongly held. He wasn't lying about his skills or his name but that is about all he wasn't lying about. He was lying about his posture, demeanor. He was lying about who he was. "While hunting is my best, I'd like to be ranked as a warrior if you would permit me to join and approve."

"Abracadabra" - My Secrets

A warrior, eh? He could use more of those. "Then let's see what you're made of." Immediately his defenses began to fall into place. Valentine's head lowered, his shoulders rolling forward as his stance widened, his knees bent and his toes splayed. His ears fell flat, his eyes narrowed and his hackles lifted. For balance, his tail rose until it was level with his spine. The massive brute tensed in preparation of the coming fight.  Powerful limbs propelled him forward as he moved to close the distance between himself and Angier. The aim was to come at him head on and appear as if he intended to ram into him. This was a feint. At the last second he dove to his left, taking two quick sidesteps in that direction before straightening in the hopes of coming up at Angier's right shoulder at a 160 degree angle. He threw his own right shoulder forward, intent on driving the front of it into the front of his opponent's right shoulder. Simultaneously, his head tilted to the left, his neck arching and his chin curling in as he leaned forward in the hopes of sinking his teeth into the right side of Angier's neck at the base of his jaw while protecting his own throat. With his right shoulder rolled forward in the hopes of making contact, Valentine's right forelimb lifted, his weight distributing along his other three paws as he attempted to reach out and snag Angier's right forelimb at the wrist with his own wrist. The idea was that the motion of his shoulder combined with his raised forepaw would result in a sweeping motion that would pull his opponent's right forelimb to Valen's left and throw him off balance or even throw him over completely. VALENTINE vs ANGIER for RANK Round ONE of TWO(?) "Speaking" "Thinking"

The challenge was met with enthusiasm and a wicked grin as Angier set his defenses into place. His knees bent and hackles rose whilst his haunches did the same. His neck became scrunched as his head lowered and his shoulders squared. He had brought his head back as far as he could to create tension to make it more difficult to strike him in the neck. His head had lowered to protect his throat. His entire body tensed as he prepared for the attacks that were about to come head on. The other man raced towards him just as he had leveled his tail to aid in his balance. His eyes instantly narrowed. There is always a catch. He had come to accept that saying as one of his many mottos and he knew things were not always as they had seemed. Alas, he underestimated the leader before him for reasons clear only to the better magician.

He caught the side step at the last second and moved in correspondence. He took a quick step to the right though not in time as he felt a shoulder hit his own from the underside. Thanks to Angier’s tensed appearance, most of the shock had been absorbed and distributed throughout the body. His toes had sunk into the ground as the hit made contact to help keep him on his feet. This man was good, there was no doubt, but he was better. With the sidestep that Angier had made for compensation to the same attack, Angier took a quick step forward to allow for some lenience as to where the other man had tried to bite. His neck was safe and sound while his right shoulder had a nasty bite in it. He winced. No doubt the other man’s attacks would leave significant bruising and a need to ward off infection. The last move in the trio that the man had put together was an attempt to throw Angier over or at least off balance and it had failed. It was with his speed that Angier moved his leg forward in a fluid motion over Valentine’s in order to avoid the attempt and he set his leg on the ground unharmed.

It was Angier’s time to shine and so he would take the stage in order to prove his wits as a Guardian. He backed up a bit to put some distance between them. He was being honorable in a sort which could cause issues in a real fight (main, pack challenge, death match, ect) and he backed up to give Valentine a proper response time. He turned to face his opponent and rushed forward in an attempt to close the distance between them. His fangs bore as he ran to Valentine’s left, a feint in its own as the man attempted to confuse Valentine as Valentine had tried to do to Angier himself. With that, he rushed in a hurry towards the left side before attempting to connect his fangs with the upper legs of both the front and back left side legs that Valentine held with quick nips right where Angier predicted it would hurt near the center of the leg. The aim was to make the man flinch where Angier would attempt to ram his entire right side into Valentine’s left side to knock him on the ground. He could only hope he was successful in the endeavor. He took a deep breath as his eyes filled with the passion that he held. My passion is equal to that of my task. My passion is equal to that of my task. My passion is equal to that of my task. His mantra was repeated within his skull as he tried to make a name for himself.

Angier vs. Valentine = Round 1 of 2 for RANK
"Abracadabra" - My Secrets

His much smaller opponent was fast, easily moving to counter Valentine's attack. The shoulder slam was effective, making contact though not where intended. The blow blossomed across his shoulder and would later bruise lightly—a small sacrifice to pay in this fight. His teeth found purchase, sinking into Angier's right shoulder. The young ruler was quick to release it; if it were a more serious fight he may have held on and attempted to do more damage. Angier chose that moment to back up and Valentine seized the opportunity to adjust his defenses. His hackles stood up along his spine, ridged and protective, while his ears pressed flat against his skull and his eyes narrowed. He crouched down on bent knees, stance widening and weight centering over splayed toes. The brute's chin tucked, shoulders rolling forward simultaneously to guard his neck and bunch the skin over his throat. His lips curled, the tip of his tongue rasping against his nose as his jaws parted slightly in preparation of his next move. Valen's tail lifted, aligning with his spine for balance. Ready, he waited. Suddenly Angier was diving towards him, moving to come up on his left side. In response Valentine momentarily rolled his weigh onto his front legs so he could swing his hips to the right in a quick sidestep. In a matter of heartbeats all four limbs were firmly planted on the ground once more. This move put him at a 18 degree angle with his opponent. Angier dove to snap at his left front leg and Valentine felt his jaws close around the appendage. The wound stung, moderate punctures wounds forming under the smaller brute's jaws before he released and moved onto his next target. Sensing Angier's intentions, Valentine responded by lifting his left hind leg and kicking forward, intent on sinking his claws into the other brute's right eye in a blinding blow as Angier moved in to bite him (counter; damage pending). His opponent rammed into him, the height difference making it so that Angier's right side connected with Valentine's lower left side, along his lower ribs and shoulder. The blow was enough to knock the air from his lungs and with his hind paw raised, he stumbled a step to his right before catching himself. Moderate bruising would be the reward Angier got for his efforts. Seizing the opportunity to retaliate, Valen dug his toes into the ground and pushed off towards his left, intent on driving the side of his left shoulder into Angier's upper right flank between his ribcage and his haunch. At the same time, Valentine's jaws would fling wide, his head tilting to the left as he attempted to close his fangs around the smaller brute's spine just in front of his hips. A crushing blow here would force the other into submission or run the risk of incurring serious harm. VALENTINE vs ANGIER for RANK Round TWO of TWO "Speaking" "Thinking"

Default to Valentine

Due to Angier not posting in the allotted time, Valentine wins.

Angier must give up by either passing out, submitting, or running away.