Taking the long journey at that easy, ground-eating lope that wolves did so well, Yfir did not take overly long to near Threar's borders, reaching it in the middle of the night when they could blend more easily in the darkness. It would not hamper them overly much, as wolves could see fairly well in the darkness, but the other pack could very well be sleeping soundly. Katja slowed them at a fair distance out, her tail flicking a silent warning to be silent as they approached the border. On cautious, quiet paws she moved forward, nose testing the air for the presence of border guards. Finding only cold scent, she led the raiders over the border and into Threar's territory. By gestures she indicated they were to move single file to minimize their scent profile, allowing each wolf to step in the pawprints of the one ahead of them to make the slog through the slushy early-spring snow easier, far enough apart to not blunder into each other and make noise, but close enough that they would not get separated. Thus arrayed, she set off deeper into the territory to seek prey. RAID YFIR vs THREAR for HUNTING (OOC: idk something like that. woo first raid)

OOC: Everyone please remember to treat your opponents with respect and keep IC separate from OOC throughout this. Have fun!

Kassander followed along nervously as the pack set off for Threar. He hadn't really known the alphas of Threar, but he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. They were going there to steal from the other pack. Born a pack wolf it was ingrained in him that pack borders were sacrosanct, that you didn't just go into someone else's claimed territory. It had been difficult to step over Arcanum's border when he'd led the siege there, and then it had been to protect his family, not to take something that belonged to them. It felt wrong. But - he reasoned - they weren't setting out to hurt Threar. They were just taking a prey animal, and if someone had to suffer from a shortage wasn't it really better that it was someone he didn't know rather than his packmates? Yfir was his first priority, not Threar. Threar could take care of themselves.

So arguing with himself, he took a place near the end of the line as Katja indicated for them to fall in.

Novella was pregnant, and as such he'd been more paranoid than usual. Though he'd let himself relax a little with the coming of spring, vacation didn't last very long. He had to prepare for the coming of his newest children, and with that came extra patrols on the border, more hunting, to feed his wife and the pups that grew within her. After their rough winter Frith needed to be vigilant about the prey that lived in his borders. These were his animals and more than ever he wanted to keep them as so.

He was half asleep as he started out for the midnight patrol, the borders were usually quiet and he had no reason to suspect any ill will from any of the other packs. He really hadn't expected to find was he did. They were silent, and he might have missed them had they not come into the territory at a point that was relatively close to his den. His alarms would go off, and Frith would go from blundering half asleep, to a spitting ball of fury. He'd charge up to the leader of the group, knowing full well he could be completely alone in defending his home. He'd made a commitment to the wolves within, not just his children, to keep them safe. He would prove those vows now.

"Halt. You have crossed into Threar's borders. Turn and leave now." Hackles bristled and his voice held a commanding tone that rarely filtered through his throat. He'd hold himself proudly, ready to take on the whole of this thieving group.

Things felt oddly fallen out of place, as he followed behind the others. His green eye would come to glare accross Kassander. Inside a little piece of him resented the alpha. Weakness was a growing act within the male. Though, Yfir was his prison Vereux would remain. Constantly trying to find his place in a world where he no longer belonged. He saw that now even at Katja had said something about Arian he had never realized. She used others for her benefit.... she was no leader. As he came to fall beside the others, his single eye marked on Frith. Stop, halt. They needed to eat, right now with his blood boiling he didn't care about his own body. He just wanted to do his pack proud, his main priority was making sure that everyone was alright. He let his teeth pull back, waiting for Katja to give some sort of signal now that they had been discovered. Although maybe he'd be the only one to show up and it'd make it easy. ?I speak?

A rolling, slinking gait propelled the giant after Katja. He wasn't exactly what one would call a stealthy beast, but there was something about being in a quiet line of warriors that made him pay closer attention to his movements. The brute occupied a space near the front of the line. Should there be resistance he wanted to be up front and in the mix the moment the word was given. Suddenly the form of another was rushing forward and Laufey bristled, nearly stepping from the line and propelling himself towards the defender. But he held back, sidestepping only once so that he was technically still in line, but out enough so that he could lunge forward without taking the person in front of him out with his shoulder. The brown brute's words brought a booming chuckle from the giant and he licked his lips in anticipation. Oh, this was going to be so good.

Frost would be sleeping soundly in her den, although this was as soundly as she could sleep. Velex had taught her to sleep lightly, this was especially important when you were a loner. Her ears had just barely picked up the sound of paw steps outside of her den, she poked her head out of her den and followed them. She later picked up his scent, it was the alpha she believed his name was Frith. She would follow him to the border, there were two wolves and they had actually crossed the border. This concerned her, why were they crossing the border most wolves didn’t invade another pack on purpose. Then the female picked up another scent, these wolves were from another pack. What was this a challenge, whatever it was Frost knew she had to protect her pack she may not have done much in the past to provide for their pack but she could at least do this for them, she hadn’t yet lost her sense of duty. Frith would say a warning to the other wolves and then yet two more wolves would appear. Frost would make eye contact with Frith, whatever they had to do she would be waiting for any orders that may come.

Fate had found himself falling into a nighttime routine of learning navigation. Sometimes he would try and match stars to directions, though he admittedly failed at it, and sometimes he would just hide in the shadows. Carefully he would walk in the shadows, fading into them as he eyed his dad, who seemed on edge. He would gulp, slowly following him until the man started to spit with fury. What was wrong? That was when he stepped out and saw what was happening. There were trespassers, which meant Fate would also step in. Hackles raised and a fierce snarl on his maw, Fate would eye the wolves who dared encroach upon their land. He would say nothing because his expressions captured it all as he stood beside his father. He was pissed off.

It was on. He had shoved aside all feelings of doubt, all worries of self loathing and wondering what Mystic would think. Right now there was only one thought; participate. The raid was set against Threar, the pack he had helped voice his choice as a prime target for the raid. They were plentiful with food, something the North lacked quite a bit. But that was fine... He was willing, he was ready to take this challenge. This next step in becoming a viking. He could not let his emotions control him at this point. He had to do, had to be, rather than wonder. Now was the time for action. He would follow Katja into the territory knowing full well what was to come when they crossed into it. He'd breathe in, his eyes narrowing sharply. He'd snake out off to the side, his tail flagged out like a banner behind him. His mind was set, gaze scanning the territory. It would not take long for the natural resistance to show. Hypnos would let a bit of a smirk crawl onto his face, gaze passing over the scarred female to the boy and his father. Well now... so far not many had showed. But regardless how many dared to show their faces it would be Yfir that won. Hypnos would give a small snort, gaze sliding to Katja. All she needed to do was say the word. ""

Art by Tea

It had been far too long since he had raided. Kaprasíus moved quietly through the darkness, following immediately behind Katja, content to aid her in leading the rest of the group through the night. The darkness was comforting and he quickly grew calm as they traveled, slipping into a steady pace, feeling very much as though he was little more than a specter gliding through the night. Despite his single working eye, his vision felt clearer than ever - he had no doubt that he was being aided by the gods and that their raid would be a successful one. It didn't take long for them to reach the lands. His muscles burned pleasantly from the travel, though to say he was sore would be a vast dramatization. Though they made some decent headway into the land, perhaps aided by the darkness of night, their presence seemed to be noted far more quickly than they would have hoped. His ears would swivel attentively, his eyes focusing on the apparent leader that had approached them. His demand was clear - for them to leave - and his stance was quite defensive. "Leave?" he would echo, his scarred face tilting slightly to the side, a grin playing on his lips. "Make us." His tail twitched in anticipation, his muscles tensing beneath his coat as he reared back slightly. As much as he wanted to strike one of the wolves that had gathered, he would wait for Katja to direct them - this has been her idea, after all.

She recognized the male who appeared in the dark, spitting rage, to command them to halt, but she wasn't sure he would recognize her. They had met only once, briefly, and while he had distinctive markings hers currently blended into the shadowy night quite well. She stepped forward, seeking to close the distance between the two of them to mere feet, gesturing for her eager pack to remain where they were for now. She let her mercury eyes - like shining moons in the darkness lit by starlight - glide over the would-be defenders who had rushed to their alpha's side. A pale young female, who looked to the alpha immediately for guidance, and a snarling yearling, would be heroes. She turned her gaze back to Frith. She cocked her head to the side to stare at him. Halt? Turn and leave? "No." Though little else changed in her serious demeanor, her pupils dilated in excitement, and the smaller alpha raised her head and tail in a dominant stance. "We will not be leaving until we get what we came for. Which, it would seem, would now leave you in a bit of a quandary would it not? Whether to stand down and let these fine young wolves have what they want, or try to force us out with only three defenders." Her lips suddenly curled back in an eerie, fierce grin, and her voice dropped. "I would very much like for you to try." Her body slipped into a warrior's stance, the invitation clear to Frith - and to his sad little heroes. Come get me. See who would be dining in Odin's hall tonight when this was over. KATJA vs ? round 0/2

Something was terribly wrong. Félicien would breathe in, the scent of strangers were upon the land. He would move, coming to find villainous wolves right in the territory of Threar. Body would bristle as he laid eyes on the invaders. There was a snarky comment made by whom he assumed was their leader, the black and silver ticked woman, as well as the man at her side and Féli felt anger swell in his heart. He figured Frith would take on the leader... So the boy set his sights on the tan and brown wolf near her {Kapra}. “Make you leave? Gladly!” The boy roared. There was no hesitation on Félicien’s end now. In the heat where it counted most, the boy would drop into a defensive stance. Legs were spread, weight evenly distributed across them. Toes were spread, his claws biting into the soil for a better grip. Tail would tuck beneath his body, his muscles tense as hackles raised across his body. Head lowered to align with the spine, his jaws parted, eyes narrowed, and ears pinned. Lips were left snarling as he charged at his chosen target. They were going to get blood and vinegar! Félicien would close the distance of roughly five feet between them in a full out charge. His bi-colored eyes blazed with anger as he rose up on hind paws, shifting his weight to make up for his balance as he attacked. Front claws aimed to come crashing down on his opponent’s eyes, tearing the optics from him as he came down. For now this would be his sole attack, but was the boy finished? Oh hell no. There was going to be more to come once he landed on the ground again. Félicien vs Kaprasíus || Round:: I || II "Listen to me talk," 'but read my thoughts.'

Table by:: Eldarwen

Trailing behind Kassander, Warja was struggling to contain her energy. She was a giddy, jittery mess. This was so exciting! Their first raid! They'd never done anything like this in Secretua. So, so, so exciting! Her heart felt like it was going to beat its way free of her chest and take off galloping in search of a fight. She peeked around Kassander's haunch in the hopes of searching the packlands ahead for signs of life. A tall brute suddenly rushed out of the darkness and, staring daggers at Katja, commanded them to leave. Goody! They would be getting a fight! Licking her lips as other defenders began to arrive Warja's gaze darted from face to face as she silently willed one of them to jump at her. Come on guys, she wordlessly pleaded. Fight me. WARJA versus OPPONENT for REASON Round ZERO of UNDETERMINED ""

Walk | Talk | Think Sleep had claimed Miksa early on in the night but dreams woke him hours later. Visions of the home he had left in order to join Threar, of the cold but pleasant north, had filled his unconscious mind, and as he woke within his den in the east his homesickness settled in. Tightly within the den that he had chosen and fully carved out for himself, the young white wolf shifted, trying in vain to find a comfortable position though sleep now felt far off. His yellow eyes stared half-lidded as he turned to give himself a view beyond his den's entryway, out into the forest of Threar. Again he had to remind himself that this was home, and these kind wolves who had taken him in without a second thought were his new family. And they were currently up and moving. He heard one wolf travel past, feet swift but not exactly given to stealth, and his ears perked, waking further with a bit more attention. Another followed only a moment later, just as swift as the first and sounding as if they were hurrying toward something, and suddenly Miksa felt like he was missing something. Anxiety drew the timid boy from his resting place and out into the midnight forest, his eyes pale in the nighttime light that filtered through. He hesitated at first but eventually followed, taking up a slower pace. He could smell the scents of those who had passed before him, wolves that he could not remember names for, but as he followed them he caught other scents too, scents that did not belong to Threar but also did not belong to rogues. Stomach tightening with a knot, the white wolf quickened his pace, hurrying toward the confrontation that was happening on the border and entering onto the scene behind the others that had arrived to defend before him. He barely had time to recognize what was happening as one of his packmates lunged forward, attacking someone who stood within their border. Invaders? Someone was threatening their pack? The knot in his stomach tightened as his eyes went toward Frith, searching for some sign of direction as he moved forward to stand by the others. He was nervous, confused, but determined not to run away if Threar was being threatened. It was his home now too, and he intended to defend it with the rest.

Filthy pirates is what they were, sneaking into his home to try and steal from him. The leader of the group would deny his order, doing nothing but cause the man to more heavily place his defenses. As she spoke His hackles would raise even higher, his eyes would narrow and his lips would pull back to allow his teeth to shine in the moonlight. He'd lower his proud head to align his neck with his spine and tail (which was standing straight out behind him for balance) as he bent his knees and distributed his weight more evenly throughout his limbs. He'd roll his shoulders forward and tuck his chin. He'd spread his toes and sink his claws into the earth. "If it were only myself I would not allow you to enter with out first besting me." Though he would have liked to boast such great skill the reality was he wouldn't have ever been able to hold off all of her wolves on his own.

Before even Frith could react again Feli was on the one who had taken to voice besides their leader. (Who he might have recognized if he hadn't been so caught up in what they were doing.) Frith wouldn't hold back any longer, and giving the order his sons and daughters needed Frith would, "Charge!" Katja had closed the distance between them even before she spoke her demand. Frith was only a couple of feet from her, but he would still try to put as much momentum into the one stride he'd have to reach her. As he attempted to come at her Frith would dig his claws into the earth and push off with as much force as he could.

As he lifted his front paws to take his next step he'd instead want to continue lifting his front legs. He'd redistribute his weight, balancing with his back legs as he tried to use his displaced mass to enhance his attack. Frith would aim to simultaneously slam the upper center of his chest against the front base of her neck. He'd want to choke her with the sudden attack, hopefully collapsing her lower wind pipe as he aimed to wrap his upper limbs around her shoulders. His left front leg would aim to go around to her right side side to aim at her upper right shoulder while his right limb would aim around her left upper shoulder. Frith would want to use his claws to grasp hold of her scruff with both front paws on their respective sides.

As he attempted to draw near to her the Author would open his chocolatey jaws, he'd aim to take hold of the side of her face. He'd want to shift his features to his left swiveling his head so his upper jaw would aim to land upon her right eye, hopefully using his right upper canine to pierce the ball and take her sight while he was at it. His lower jaw would aim to land directly beneath her right eye, seeking intense lacerations.

Frith v Katja for Dominance round 1 of 2

With pacing thoughts of seemingly infinite energy darting through her mind, it was no wonder the young woman had fallen into a rather light sleep. Stress had taken ahold of her mind, never allowing her to relax and calm herself. In fact, she wasn't even tired, however, she knew if she was to stay up the whole night the exhaustion would catch her mercilessly, thus draining the productivity from her day. Constantly tossing and turning, she only dozed in brief yet uncomfortable intervals, and at her last awakening, her senses detected the commotion a short distance away from the border, but definitely inside the pack's territory. Since she hadn't been able to slumber smoothly, what harm would it do to investigate? After all, it didn't seem like anything alarmingly large was happening. Or so she had thought. Approaching from the behind, she saw the hinds of her pack-mates: Father, Frost, Félicien, Fate, Miksa, they were all there, but what were those forms in front of them? Were they other wolves? No, they couldn't be; why would foreign wolves dare to cross the border? An unfamiliar stench entered her nose - the thick scent of another pack. What was another pack doing on their territory? Confusion baffled her thoughts whilst her eyes widened in fear as she saw her cousin confidently charge at a random opponent, engaging into a brawl. Wait, these wolves were hostile? A part of her screamed for her to turn tail and flee whilst the other part felt the sense of obligation to help her family. They were being attacked; what a coward she would be if she ran from the problem and wished for it to have never occurred. Stepping into the line with her breathing shallow and quick and fear smeared all over her features, she glanced to her father after examining the intimidating invaders. Within moments, her father roared out at a single yet dreadful command and swiftly closed the distance between himself and the woman who she assumed was the leader amongst the others, making her gulp at the sight. At any second, one of these brawny warriors (as she presumed) would become her opponent, and she'd have to fight to protect whatever it was that they desired. Did they plan to take the territory? Take over Threar? No, no, no, no, no; this couldn't be happening!   "Speech"

When the young male (Feli, not Frith) rushed, Katja reacted instinctively, dropping into a fighter's stance on the instant. Her paws slid to just over shoulder- and hip-width apart to widen her stance, her knees and elbows bending slightly to lower her center of gravity, the joints going loose to flow more easily into movement, and she centered herself, distributing her weight evenly to all four limbs. Her head dropped evenly with her back as her tail came to rest level with her spine. Her head pulled back slightly against her shoulders' forward motion, pushing the loose skin and fur of her ruff up in a protective barrier as her chin tilted down slightly to protect her throat. Her ears flattened to her skull, her silver eyes narrowing to slits as her toes spread apart and her nails dug into the earth and her hackles rose in silent readiness. The boy's fierce rush brought him past her to Kapra, but her preparation was not in vain for Frith gave a shout and threw himself toward her as well. She ducked her head and crouched further, sidestepping to her right and forward just slightly as he rushed the short distance and reared in an attempt to grapple with her. Her motion allowed her to escape his attempt to strike her throat, for her head and body were lowered enough to allow her to duck beneath his raised left forelimb as she sidestepped so only the left side of his chest landed upon the top of her left shoulder. His chest being softer than her shoulder, it bruised her only mildly as his greater weight came down on it. His attempt to wrap his arms around her neck caught only air, her sidestep causing his right foreleg to miss entirely to slide down her left side with no damage. Though his left elbow did land on the bunched-up scruff of fur between her shoulders where her neck joined her back, the sharp point leaving a moderate bruise there while the left foreleg draped diagonally across her back from there to her left side. His bite, aimed for her right eye, would have nothing to grasp with her head already lowered and beyond his reach with his own body between them. Shifting her balance to her hindquarters to take the weight off her forelegs Katja sought to snake her right foreleg beneath his belly - in front of his left hind leg - in an attempt to hook her paw around the back of his right hindleg just above his paw and jerk it toward her. In conjunction with this, her claws digging into the ground for traction she attempted to shove forward and up with her hindquarters in a sharp, powerful movement like the uncoiling of a spring as she sought to drive the blade of her left shoulder into his sternum just below his throat in an attempt to drive the wind out of him and overbalance him. As she did she twisted her head so her muzzle pointed toward her left and sought to bury her fangs into his left side, near the bottom of the soft area almost halfway between ribs and hips, in an attempt to open his abdominal cavity and spill his intestines upon the ground. See if he would be so eager to fight tangled in his own organs. A weird light shone in her shifting mercury gaze, and the guttural sound in her throat was only half snarl, the sound oddly rhythmic as she half chanted the names of the gods as she fought. Odin! Freyja! Tyr! Odin! Freyja! Tyr! KATJA vs FRITH for RAID Round 1/2 OOC Notes:

Saying this was fun would be an understatement. This was the way of the Finnvis, this was the life they were meant to live. Briefly he would turn to regard Laufey, a proud - and quite blatantly cocky - grin tearing across his lips. Even Hypnos seemed ready to fight, and he felt the thrill of battle flooding him like a river might flood an opened dam.

It seemed as though he'd caught the attention of one particular wolf, a rather young one, with pale fur and anger brimming in his eyes. His grin lessened, shifting into a wry smirk, his eyes narrowing as he shifted to a far more defensive stance. "Try me," the one-eyed viking would sneer, his grin growing, seeming to sink into the deep scar that had destroyed the sight in one of his eyes. He was unafraid of pain and he had no intention of being sent away - not now, not when they had just started. Eyes widening, his tail would spring out behind him for balances, his body instinctively lowering to the ground and his head ducking down as his shoulders tightened and rolled forward to better protect his vitals. "Til árs ok friðar!" he would mutter to himself with an excited snicker, perhaps a strange thing to pray for during a raid rather than a more traditional blót, but if he could wish for anything it would be for them to sacrifice these pack wolves to the gods. The peace he wanted

Without further hesitation, he would spring forward as the stranger did. The distance was but five feet, easily overcome by Félicien as he rushed forward, head on. A snarl ripped from Kapra's throat as he used his back legs to push his entire weight forward, not away from the other man's attack but directly into it. He had no fear, not for the dull claws that sought to claw at his eyes, for one was already useless, and he figured the other would make a fine offering for Odin someday. The pressure against his face was sudden but far from mutilating, and he would shift his own weight slightly to his front paws as he aimed to press forward, directly against Félicien. He would attempt to duck his head from the other man's grasp, pulling straight back and trying to duck below, aiming to tilt his head about fourty-five degrees to the left and upward, aiming his parted jaws at the area below his throat - aiming to bite with all his strength & to make this man suffer.

Round 1 / 2 for Raid

Damn this man and his gods! Damn them all! Félicien would snarl as well, lips parted as he kept his head aligned with his spin. Chin was tipped forward, to protect his throat. Félicien was not stupid as these vikings might have mistaken. Tail would flag out behind him now like a banner, shoulders rolled forward into his attack as front claws came crashing down upon upon the face of his opponent. Flesh would tear away on one side, someone else already having gotten the honor of taking the man’s eye, while the other went away with a grotesque squish of claw. But Félicien didn’t focus on that fact. He staggered on his back legs, trying to back away from his opponent as he came surging forward. He came down, bringing his head closer to his body and parting jaw jaws. Eyes were narrowed and ears pinned, fangs seeking to grab onto the gaping muzzle of his opponent as he came crashing to the earth [counter]. Like his opponent he held no fear, only the anger of these strangers upon his land. His body weight would shift to compromise with balance as his paws came back towards the earth. Félicien vs Kaprasíus For Raid || Round:: II/II "Listen to me talk," 'but read my thoughts.'

Table by:: Eldarwen

With narrowed gaze, ears pulled back to his skull, teeth bared, and his hackles raised the Author would seek to land his attacks. She moved so his teeth would not find purchase, his chest would slide off her shoulder as his forelimbs missed their mark. He'd catch her with his elbow, but that didn't do anything either. He wouldn't keep hold of her and Frith's paws would return to the ground as the man redistributed his weight as his knees bent and his shoulders rolled. He'd tuck his chin, align his tail with his spine, and splay his chocolatey toes.

The man would seek to pivot on his front right leg, redistributing his weight and aiming to rotate 90 degrease to make his and Katja's bodies into a 'T' shape. This movement would cause his opponent's attempted trip to miss, her shoulder attack would clip his upper front left shoulder, creating mild bruising on the muscle. Her teeth would grasp only air as his form was shifted away from her. He'd aim to use the momentum of his movement's to slam the point of his right shoulder into the soft middle of her left belly, much like where she'd aimed to bite him in her previous attack. He'd seek to cause her internal bleeding as he aimed for her gut in the very center of the soft flesh between hip and ribs.

With his left leg he'd attempt to lift it, again redistributing his weight to the other three paws that were on the ground. Each paw would splay their toes as he dug his claws into the earth with the three on the ground and aimed to use his dull claws to scratch down the back of her left leg and cause pain enough to cause her to stumble. With his opened jaws the Author would rotate his head to the right and seek to forcefully bite at her spine. His top jaw would seek the right while his lower sought the left side of her spine, directly behind where her ribs would end. He'd want to bite down and crush, hopefully severing her spinal chord and leaving her paralyzed.

Frith v Katja for raid/dominance/whatevesfightpost! round 2 of 2

Kapra had no intent of giving up. No, not on this fight. Adrenaline coursed through his veins like a raging wildfire, the pain of Felicien's failed attempt to ruin the sight on his other eye pulsating dully, but not enough to ruin his focus. His tail remained splayed out behind him, his legs bent slightly as he kept his weight spread between all of his limbs. His teeth were bared, stomach tight as he tried to snap upward at Felicien's throat but it seemed he would duck his head down and aim to grasp at Kapra's muzzle. His head would try to duck out of his grasp, feeling the other man's fangs digging into his muzzle, giving mild lacerations around his snout.

Not willing to let this be the end, he would aim to pull straight away from Felicien's grasp - uncaring as to what flesh might be torn from his muzzle in the process. A low growl bubbled from deep within his throat, his toes spreading to grip the soil and provide traction as he moved in for another strike. This time, he wanted to take the other man down, and he would try rush forward with all of his weight and head to plow straight into him, aiming slightly to Felicien's right and directing his parted jaws toward the crook of his shoulder and neck, hoping desperately to injure him.

Round 2 / 2 for Raid