Surreal Adravendi

She padded smoothly toward the meeting boulder, her chosen place to test Castiel for his rank. She had little doubt that he'd qualify, but it was part of the laws she herself had formed and set. It was good to have him back, and she hoped he would stick around this time. As she stopped in front of the meeting boulder, she stretched lengthily, shaking out her coat before turning to gaze across the plains. Finally, as the sun reached its zenith in the sky, she raised her muzzle and called for her brother, summoning him to her location. She had never sparred with her brother, sadly enough., He had disappeared with their father when they were pups, and then he had returned, and before they could ever have gotten a spar in, she'd gotten pregnant, happily. Not long after the births of her first litter, he had disappeared. Now he was back, and now, they would finally be able to test one another's skills. As she waited, she settled into a balanced stance, tail flowing level with her spine, and her toes stroked against the warm soil under her paws. She was ready to dance. Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think

How strange it was indeed, to think that the brother and sister had never once sparred. From disappearing time and again, to Surreal’s pregnancy, to searching for Faite... There merely hadn’t been the opportunity. But now that was all about to change, and honestly Castiel felt both excited and even a little intimidated. The time to test each other’s skills was near and Castiel truly hoped that he would be able to live up to Surreal’s expectations. The sun was high in the sky when his sister called him to her. Her location was evident by her howl and, wasting no time, Castiel set off towards his destination at once. While not rushing he certainly didn’t want to keep Surreal waiting. Not after she’d been waiting for so very long to begin with for this day to come. How... Ironic it was, really. But Cas had made a promise that no longer would Surreal have to wonder where her brother had gone. This time he was here to stay, and, starting today, he was going to show it through his very actions. Today was important for another reason as well. It marked a test, a test to see where he fell in pecking order of the pack. Castiel did not necessarily wish for a high rank -- if he earned it then it would be through hard work and determination, rather than something handed to him on a silver platter. Actions spoke louder than words, and he would show all of Celestial his loyalty and determination. As an angel seeking redemption he would come to stand before his dear sister, his golden eyes alight with eagerness. “This has been put off for far too long, Surreal.” Cas would dip his head, tail swaying casually back and forth behind him as he seized her up. His sister would be no pushover of an opponent for certain. “So how shall we do this then? After a certain number of rounds you’ll judge more performance or...?” A light smile graced his features as he threw up some of the basic defenses. Here went something. "Speak"

Surreal Adravendi

For once, her brother was prompt to arrive, rich golden eyes bright, eager. Her mismatched gaze ran over his form, larger than her own. The deft once-over was that of a warrior inspecting another, taking stock of what was to be fought against, before a smile graced her features at his words, her eyes lighting with a challenge. "It has indeed, deartháir." Her uniquely accented tones were warm. To his question, she nodded briefly. "I want to get a feel for where your skill is, especially since I've never seen you fight. If you impress me enough, you get the rank. If not, you remain as a Unit until you've improved and trained enough to test again. I don't doubt you'll have enough skill to gain this rank, however." A slow grin crossed her face as her voice took on a sisterly, teasing tone. "Tá súil agam go bhfuil go léir go mórchóir fionnaidh agus ní saill!" With that, she lunged, claws digging into the turf for extra propulsion and traction, seeking to close the ten foot distance between herself and her brother with little warning for her brother, choosing to conduct the spar at the skill level she expected of Castiel. Her defenses fell into place over the course of the first stride and a half; her head and tail flowed at a level with her spine, her face pulled into a wrinkled canvas and painted with a snarl, teeth bared, eyes narrowed, ears pinned to her skull. Her chin tucked slightly to guard her throat as her shoulders rolled forward over the base of her neck and she scrunched her neck back into her shoulders. Her scruff rolled accordingly into a layer of fur, skin, muscle and fat to defend her vertebrae and the nerves therein as her hackles rose in a stiff defense from the base of her skull to the base of her tail. Her paws fell squarely with each large stride, toes spreading wide and claws grasping at the ground for traction as her elbows and hocks bent slightly to lower her center of gravity and loosen her joints for fluid movement and, lastly, her abdominal muscles tensed, core tightening in preparation and excitement. She sought to come at Castiel head on, veering slightly to her own left as she sought to drive the forward point of her right shoulder squarely into her brother's windpipe, near the center of his chest and base of his neck, putting the brunt of her charge into the force, while simultaneously striving to tilt her head outward to her left and aiming to snap parted jaws for the right side of Castiel's head, wishing to hook her lower canines under his right lower jaw and obtain a tight grip over his right ear with her upper canines. She sought to snap her right foreleg forward, weight shifting fluidly to her other three limbs, hind legs widening their stance to maintain a firm base of balance as she strove to hook her right front paw around Castiel's right front leg, aiming to grapple with the main bend in the leg and drag the limb toward herself and gain an advantage. Even for her brother, she wasn't one to hold her blows all that much, and she had a feeling her larger sibling wouldn't disappoint her and lily-pad his way through this spar. -:: Surreal vs Castiel for Legionary Rank Test Spar::- Round 1/3 Defenses: Attacks: Injuries: Extra Notes: Ten feet of distance agreed upon between Keno and myself :P *Edited round count, overseen and approved by Arin <333

Diagram!! :: Link {This is to my understanding of the fight.}

Ahh ha. So this was it. A feel for each other’s skill and, should he impress his sister enough he would gain his rank. If not he would need to remain a Unit until he could prove his worth to her. It sounded like a fair enough deal, though sometimes the “easiest” path could turn out to be the hardest one to take. Hearing her teasing tone a smirk would cross onto his face, and his own tone becoming teasing and light. "Ach bealach amháin chun a fháil amach , aon?" Though the time to find out was upon them. There was ten feet of distance between them, distance that Surreal saw fit to try and cover fast. The moment his sister moved his own defenses would fall into place; head would align with his spine, ears flicked back against his skull, eyes narrowed, and neck scrunched. Chin would tip forward to protect his throat, tail would lash out behind him like a banner, and legs would be spread with his weight evenly distributed across them. Claws would bite into the soil, hackles raised and jaws parted. He would not go easy on Surreal just because she was his sister. Castiel would side step quickly to his own left by two steps, just enough to displace the brunt of his sister’s first attack. Her slam, intended for his windpipe, would instead have the point of her right shoulder digging into his right forechest to cause severe bruising. As her jaws came for his head Castiel would attempt to shift his head slightly to his own left and away from her jaws. Surreal’s jaws would not find purchase, but instead slice into the flesh of his lower right jaw and the right side of his forehead. The lacerations in both places were a quarter inch deep and about two inches long. Luckily his sister’s right foreleg would miss his own as he had been in the middle of a sidestep {his leg in the air} when her own leg made the sweeping motion. While Surreal had gained first blood, this battle was far from over. Castiel would seek retaliation, shifting his weight into his hind legs as he pushed on the ground, going forth. He would attempt to spin his torso towards his right, to hook his left foreleg over the right side of Surreal’s neck. He was attempting to use the push with his hind legs to drive the middle of his chest into Surreal’s right forechest. In addition to the slam he would twist his own head now towards his right, aiming to hook the top jaw across the right base of Surreal’s muzzle and the lower jaw across the bottom right of his sister’s muzzle and clamp down upon it so she would not be able to bite him further. Furthermore his right paw would now attempt to dig it’s nails into Surreal’s left brisket to cause some lacerations of some sort. CASTIEL vs SURREAL for SPAR FOR RANK ||| Round ONE of THREE "Speak"

Surreal Adravendi

This was going well enough, in her mind. He showed skill, which was promising. Her driving right shoulder smashed into his right breast, and severe bruising welled in the flesh on and around the point of her right shoulder; pain to be set aside and felt later. For now, adrenalin swept the pain aside, leaving her mind clear save for the rush of blood in her ears. Her canines sliced into the rught side of his face, but found no purchase, and she came away with only the taste of her brother's blood on her tongue. Lastly, her right front paw's swipe for his right foreleg met futility, his paw having been lifted in his sidestepping movement. First blood, but not the last for this spar. All the while, she sought to keep her defenses intact; her right forepaw returned to the ground, all four limbs taking her weight evenly once more, while her hackles maintained a stiff guard along her frame from the base of her skull to the base of her tail. Toes spread wide for balance, claws digging into the ground for traction as her elbows and hocks bent slightly, loosening her joints and lowering her center of gravity. Her tail flowed level with her spine, ready to act as a balancing rudder as her eyes continued to remain narrowed, her ears remained pinned, and her face curled into a wrinkled snarl. Her chin remained tucked to guard her throat as her shoulders rolled forward over and inwardly scrunched neck and rolled scruff, to guard her neck from deep bites. Lastly, her abdomen remained tense, her core tight. She spotted the shift in his weight as he drew back slightly, his weight going into his hind legs. Pivoting quickly on her hindquarters as he did so, her tail flicking behind her for balance, she sought to turn her front end a half pace to her right. Castiel's paw dragged instead over her shoulders at the midpoint between neck and back, gaining no purchase as their combined movements threw off his attempt. His canines scraped over her muzzle, leaving moderate lacerations behind on either side as she sought to duck her head drive forward into his mid-throat with the dome of her head in a thrust of a headbutt as he shoved forward. Parted jaws sought to grasp his left foreleg, high on the limb, close to the breast, aiming for a tight hold with which to unsettle his balance. -:: Surreal vs Castiel for Legionary Rank Spar::- Round 2/3 Defenses: Attacks: Injuries: Extra Notes: Sorry this took so long, Keno, but Here we go! If you have questions, please do skype and ask.