This coydog that bounds in now stands out, not because of his short dark brown coat with it's black brindling, but because his ears are the long and floppy ears of a hound, and the gold-brown eyes that blink with a certain mournful anxiety at the wolves around him are definitely the eyes of a dog far more than a coyote. His tail, thinner than his "cousins" tails, wags at a frantic pace and from his open jaws lolls a long pink tongue. "Hi guys, hi," he yelps, and even his voice quivers with anxious energy as though every word that tumbles from his loose flews is in the hopes of convincing you to love him. His eyes rove the remaining group and alight on the forms of Melanthios and Valentine. He wag-wiggled his way over to them. "Hello, hi, I'm Spot and I'm going to be your guide today. Can you come with me please?" His sorrowful eyes gaze at the pair of wolves as though begging them to tell him he was doing well. Glancing back nearly every step to assure himself they are following, he makes his way to a ring made of stones set into the ground in a circle. "They said you can't step outside of the circle or you're disqualified," he tells them anxiously. "I'm supposed to decide who goes to the next round." His gaze is mournful, as though he's saddened by the idea that he has to tell someone they can't go to the next round. "Do you think you could go first?" he asks Melanthios, while his eyes beg Valentine to forgive him that he could not ask him to go first.

They were interested in this tournament that had popped up. A fighting tournament… it was right up their alley. A chance to resharpen their skills and learn the ways of battle once more. Win or lose… things could be interesting. They could meet other fighters that may or may or may not be better than them. Melanthios knew they weren’t the strongest out there… though that didn’t mean they weren’t going to do their best to kick some tail in their own right!

A coydog approached them and Melanthios canted their head curiously. Such a bizarre creature this one was… and did it say it’s name was Spot? The beast raised a brow. There wasn’t a damn spot on the creature… ah well. There was little to be done about that.

Melanthios focused instead on the male that spot said would be their opponent. They had been asked to go first as well… and Melanthios took a breath, rumbling out a greeting.

“Melanthios Kedieo. It’s a pleasure.”

The beast wasted little time after that. The creature widened it’s stance, head and tail aligning with it’s spine. Ears laid back and hackles were raised, shoulders rolled forward and chin tucked. At last their eyes narrowed and the tricolor creature shot forth.

The creature moved slower than a lighter built wolf but like a freaking truck coming at Valentine full speed. They snarled, seeming to head straight at Valen before veering suddenly to their right, Valen’s left, and throwing their weight into around, literally. Melanthios reared and attempted to slam the front half of their body into Valentine’s left side in hopes of toppling him over with their slightly bigger build and size. At the very least they hoped it would catch him off guard.

They also twisted their head to their right and aimed it downard, attempting to clamp their jaws on Valen’s side in the area before his thigh. They sought a hold, to break into the skin and taste his blood…

They could only hope this male was going to respond with as much enthusiasm as they had starting out.

Melanthios vs Valentine for Winter’s End Tournament / Dominance
Round 1 of ?
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Heavy
Offensive Accessory: None
Defensive Accessory: Collar with three big talons
Companion 1: None
Companion 2: None
Mutation: None
Disability: None
Fight Skill Level: Beginner
Specialty: None

""

Valentine was so distracted by the puppy-eyed coydog that he didn't immediately check out his opponent. A flash of red out of the corner of his eye drew Valentine's attention away from the overly enthusiastic referee and when he caught sight of his opponent Valentine had to wonder how he hadn't seen the jolly red giant sooner. His opponent - no joke - looked like the love child of Regulus and a shetland pony. Or maybe a lion. Something with a lot of hair. Was a polite pony/Regulus hybrid, though. Valentine returned his opponent's greeting with a polite nod. While he found his opponent peculiar, he wasn't picky. Valentine would happily fight anybody. When Melanthios dodged to Valentine's left, Valentine dodged to his right and then spun on his heels so that he was hopefully facing his opponent head on but off center. Without missing a beat Valentine surged forward, aiming to run down Melanthios' right side. He rolled his right shoulder forward and tried to slam it into Melanthios' right knee. Simultaneously he reached up and attempted to bite into the bony top of his opponent's right hip. So that his opponent couldn't use it against him, Valentine tucked his tail as he moved. MELANTHIOS versus VALENTINE for DOMINANCE Round ONE of TWO Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Expert

The man dodged.

Everything happened so quickly that Melanthios that spectators would know that these wolves were relying on instinct rather than thought. As Valentine started down their right side Melanthios kept coming at an angle, twisting their body as they moved. They wanted to stay ahead of Valentine, and despite their heavier build, they managed to keep their body more or less where they wanted it.

At the last moment Melanthios threw their weight upward and tucked their tail down, kicking their hind legs into the air in hopes of catching Valentine’s jaw. Had they miscalculated though, in the next moment Valentine could clip past them and end up on their opposite side.

---

Melanthios vs Valentine for Winter’s End Tournament / Dominance
Round 2 of 2
Size: Dire Wolf
Build: Heavy
Fight Skill Level: Beginner

His opponent twisted around as Valentine moved so naturally Valentine tried to as well. Both of his attacks failed, it seemed, but that was alright. He'd try again. With Melanthios turning and Valentine turning it appeared they were now going to chase each other in circles. Even though Valentine moved to follow his opponent's movements (striving to eventually be facing the large wolf's rump square on) he wasn't quite fast enough. Though at an angle, both of his opponent's hind feet struck Valentine in the chest. The blows knocked the breath from his lungs, but Valentine pressed on. Valentine raised his forelegs and attempted to scissor them around Melanthios' raised hind legs with the intention of tripping up the red giant. Simultaneously he reached out and tried to bite the top of Melanthios' tail. It had been tucked, sure, but the portion that covered his opponent's genitalia was still very much in reach. MELANTHIOS versus VALENTINE for DOMINANCE Round TWO of TWO Size: Extra Large Build: Medium Fight Skill Level: Expert

And the winner is...

MELANTHIOS

VALENTINE must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Melanthios: 229.1 Valentine: 75.21

- Judged with Love by Tea

Valentine wasn't quite sure where he went wrong. Maybe his forelegs got tangled in his opponent's hind legs. Maybe one of his creaky old knees decided to give him grief at the wrong moment. Whatever it was that tripped him, brought him down hard. Valentine saw what was going to happen as it was happening. He saw the border of rocks looming in front of him but was powerless to stop the roll that carried him out of bounds. He lay on the other side of the rocks for several moments and tried to catch his breath. When he caught it he laughed, the sound rich and booming, and then sighed as the ridiculousness of his situation settled upon him. He'd lost. Valentine shot his opponent a wry, but good-natured smirk before shrugging. What could he say and what could he do besides laugh? Perhaps he was too old for this. He got to his paws and shook out his coat before trotting off to watch the fight taking place in the ring beside theirs. He'd get another chance soon enough. -exit Valentine-