ooc: I'll be a bit busy next week, so I'd prefer if this thread is a spar :)

Following the announcement of the new partners, of which he felt a faint pang of disappointment for being split away from a friend, he made his way to a small clearing suitable for sparring. Tipping his head back, a brief howl cascaded from his throat, summoning his partner just in case they hadn't followed him. At least he had been allocated with Lark - a familiar face that comforted his eager nerves. Eventually it would get to the point where he would be paired with an unfamiliar pack member - a reality of anxiousness for the male though he pushed the thought well aside. Now wasn't the time to worry, it was the time to fight - the field that had always desired to pursue. And so he waited upon tingling paws, ruffling his coat several times though feeling no difference in his energy levels. Only a week ago he had been feeling too sick and drained to do anything, a satisfying surprise for the young fighter.

Lark wasn't the least bit disappointed that his training partner had been switched. Not at all. He liked Tinaro quite a bit, and it'd been awhile since he'd really spent time with him. Other than his family, he was one of his few friends - and the possibility of sparring with a friend brought a slight smile to his face. Once the short meeting was over, he would trail gladly after Tinaro, eager to fight once again. It'd been far too long since his last real training session, and he knew - especially since his conversation with his dad - that he had to work harder.

As he drew closer to face Tinaro, directly in front of him, he would not in greeting. "Ready?"   he'd ask his friend, a slight grin playing at his lips. It seemed he smiled more these days, especially in regards to the few wolves other than family that he appreciated, and definitely since his family had returned.  "You should go first." With that, he'd set his defenses, hunkering down and tightening his entire being as he awaited the assault to begin.

(No worries about meeting strict timers, give or take a day or two is fine by me)

Within moments, his sparring partner arrived, of whom he greeted with his own sly grin. It was in that split second the smaller male realised how tall his friend had grown to become, though he had beaten a similarly sized opponent when he was a yearling and so he remained faithful in this spar and his own advantages. "Yup," he answered simply with noticeable hype in his voice, soon nodding in acknowledgement for being allowed the first move. It had been a while since he had commenced a fight, being quite accustomed to reacting to the first move, however, he took this as an opportunity to be equally confident in both positions.

Normally he would take a few minutes to set his defences up, though since he was starting the spar, his opponent was sure to be watching ever move he made - where was the element of surprise in that? So after his acknowledging nod, he took a few steps back to create a distance of three metres (10 feet) between them. His paws broke into a run as he sought to close the distance between them, approaching his opponent head-on but slightly to his (Lark's) left. With his tail streaming behind him, the breeze and momentum pushed his ears back to his skull as his eyes narrowed, chin tucked and lips curled into a snarl. Shoulders rolled forward while his abdominal muscles tightened and raised hackles bristled.

A metre (3 feet) away from his opponent, he would brake, digging his claws into the ground and splaying his toes for grip. Without hesitation, he would pivot his body to his (Tinaro's) left in the hopes of confusing his opponent with the positioning. After pivoting, his left shoulder would drop as he attempted to ram it into his opponent's chest, just below the windpipe to avoid causing serious damage. He hoped to knock the wind out of the younger male as well as inflict bruising. Simultaneously, his head would snap to his (Tinaro's) right as his jaws unhinged in an attempt to grip the fleshy part of his opponent's lower right cheek, being the highest area he could properly reach with his jaws. Finally, his (Tinaro's) left forepaw would rise before slamming down on his opponent's right forepaw, hoping to dislodge a couple bones and perhaps render it useless for further activity.

TINARO vs Lark for SPAR
Round ONE of two?

He knew this was going to be much different than his fight with Limno. Tinaro wanted to be a fighter like him, and as his peer, he knew his friend wasn't going to go easy on him.. and the same went for himself. Even if he didn't win, he knew there was much to be gained in a fight even if he did not come out the victor.

As soon as he instructed Tinaro to go first, Lark would hunker down and settle into a defensive stance. He watched Tinaro move backward first, and he noted his own rapidly tightening posture - his legs spread, his weight settling as evenly as possible between his four limbs. His tail would spring out behind him, lying evenly with his back, aiding in his balance for the impending attack. His toes would instinctively spread, claws aiming to grip slightly at the soil for traction, his head slowly lowering to find itself level with his back as his shoulders rolled forward, trying to scrunch up his scuff to avoid being grabbed by that vital location. His lips twitched slightly as his nose wrinkled, eyes wide as he anticipated Tinaro's attack.

He hardly flinched when he saw Tinaro rushing almost head-on. He could try to dodge the attack, but he felt like he could take the hit;  his friend angled slightly to the left, coming to a quick halt before dodging to the other side (his own right), causing Lark to attempt to angle to his own right as well to face the attack more directly. He hadn't anticipated the attack perfectly, and he felt the sudden collision of Tinaro's left shoulder colliding with the center of his chest, below his throat. The impact was great, and it would likely form a moderate bruise by the end of the day. It threw him off slightly, and he found himself stumbling directly backwards a few steps before attempting to regain his footing and let his weight settle evenly across his four limbs once again.

A low growl began to bubble up in his throat when he felt Tinaro's teeth grazing the lower part of his (Lark's) lower right cheek. The force of the bite would pierce the flesh briefly, eliciting a slight wince of pain, though it did not hold as Lark attempted to jerk his head to the (Lark's) left, and away from Tinaro's grasp. He felt the pressure of Tinaro's forepaw coming down on his own right forepaw, and though the pain was great it was not debilitating.

His own body would attempt to shift, to pull back and slightly to the left to avoid Tinaro's jaws. Meanwhile, he would try to lunge forward, his head wanting to drop low - nearly even with Tinaro's own - wanting to push his entire weight into his attack, as his jaws parted and aimed at Tinaro's snout. He would try to move slightly to his own left, attempting to bite down around his friend's muzzle and use his weight to thrust his head downwards completely.

 
Lark vs. Tinaro for SPAR
Round 1 / 2

Success gleamed in his narrowed gaze as his starting attack played out as planned, though it would cause a moderate bruise to form on his left shoulder as a result of it. The pain was worth the experience, however, and the uncomfortable feeling was a mere barrier for him to push through. His teeth, however, briefly pierced his opponent's flesh while his stomp held a positive outcome. Momentarily, jaws bit down on his exposed snout as the other male applied extra weight to the attack. Slightly deep lacerations would form in its wake - another injury to add to the list though nothing serious for him to worry over. Being small did have its disadvantages, though the older boy wouldn't allow the thought to bring his focus away from the spar.

Limbs remained parted at an equivalent distance apart, bent at the joint with his weight distributed equally and abdominal muscles tightened. Toes splayed, his claws dug into the soil for grip as he fought the pressure of the weight pushing down upon his head, where he kept his ears pinned to his skull. To his misfortune, he would struggle and would allow his head to lower completely, overwhelmed by the weight. Shoulders rolled forward as his raised hackles bristled, hoping to protect his exposed scruff. This, however, brought his jaws closer to his opponent's forelegs, of which his head would lower as jaws would part and attempt to bite his friend's right foreleg, just below where the limb joined to the torso. Simultaneously, his right foreleg would snake forward, seeking to hook itself around Lark's left foreleg - above the elbow - and yank the limb towards himself (Tinaro). A disruption in balance was what Tinaro hoped to achieve.

TINARO vs Lark for SPAR
Round TWO of two

And the winner is...

TINARO! Due to Lark not posting in the alloted time, the fight has been forfeited in Tinaro's favor. Lark must now give up by either submitting, fleeing or passing out.