Zee stepped into the field once more, head held high as she tried to give off the pride of a warrior rather then that of a slave. Servant. She corrected herself mentally. No longer was she a slave to all Kleins, but now she belonged willingly to the Empress herself. She'd trained for this, killed more then her share of predators and been pushed to the ground more times then she could count during spars. Today however she felt good - she felt strong. One day, she'd challenge for her freedom and win herself the honor of a rank that she deserved. Something that would earn the Klein's respect, and Sirius' too. Her viper climbed her small form easily, coiling around her shoulders and neck in preparation. Zee also wore her thorny wrappings around her forelegs, prepared in all ways for battle. She took a moment to center herself, then lifted her head to release a booming howl. It was not fragile and unsure like the last time she'd summoned a challenger. She was ready. "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Maybe she was spending too much time at the Battlefield. With Rhyme and Poem searching for Motif and her heir training begun in earnest, getting stronger was all she could think about. She had to make Shaye and Abaven proud. She had to be worthy. As she answered another call, she found herself facing a somewhat familiar female. They had run into each other during the festival, but they hadn't spoken for any length of time. "I remember you," she said brightly, wagging her tail. "I'm here to train. Let's spar, right?" Theory said, offering Zee an excitable play bow. Although she had leadership on the mind, she was still just under a year old and still coming into her majority. It was hard to ignore the playful impulses that still plagued her. "Speech"

Her challenger approached and Zee did her best to not show her excitement for what was to come. She'd be insulted enough on this battle field, she definitely didn't want to seem like an over-eager pup during this spar. Oddly enough though, that was exactly who answered her call. A small pup - possibly a year old if that - who she'd met at the Firefly Festival. Zee let herself smile at the girl, sighing slightly and shrugging her armor off her back to fall upon the floor. "Hello again." She greeted softly, looking down at the pup. "I'd be glad to spar with you, do you mind if I make the first move?" Luckily the pup was growing into her size, and with Zee so small it wouldn't be an entirely unfair fight due to the normal size difference in a bout between an adult and a youngling. Regardless, she decided to leave her armor and thorn wrapping behind and signaled her viper to stay back, so that the fight might be more fair. She waited for the young girl to respond, and then struck. She didn't intend to go easy on the child, she'd surely learn better in a real spar rather then one where she was allowed to win. Zee came in head on with her - a technique she'd not often used because of how much bigger everyone was then her - and aimed to enclose her jaws around the base of Theory's left ear, hoping to gain control of her head. At the same time, she lifted her left paw and aimed to swipe it against Theory's right leg, hoping to knock the pup off balance as Sirius had once done to her. Zeitgeist vs Theory for Spar Round 1/? Age: Over One Year Size: Small Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Expert "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Although Zee did her the politeness of leaving her companion and accessories behind, it wasn't like Theory could have instructed Alouette to back off if she'd wanted to. The raven hardly ever left Theo's side and was her constant companion. All of Rhyme's children had been blessed with ravens of their own, and she was no exception. Most (if not all) of the birds came from his own pair's clutch of eggs, creating a further layer of family dynamic. Alouette flew high above, observing the pair of wolves below. She was still a novice like her canine friend, but at least she could provide an eye in the sky. Theory was surprised when Zee rushed at her head on - it seemed like a foolish move. Her head was tucked down to protect her neck like she had been taught and her paws were squared and braced for impact. With her larger size, Theory was able to use her weight advantage to stay on her paws when Zee swiped at her front legs. She wouldn't be moved that easily! Unfortunately, Zee's jaws closed around her ear. She rumbled a low growl and attempted to close her own jaws around Zee's exposed shoulders and neck. It seemed like a mistake to reach up towards her ear - it left the other woman terribly out of bounds. Using her size to her advantage, Theory stepped forward into Zee to get a better angle of attack. Theory Cavaliere-Destruction vs Zeitgeist for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Under 1 yr Size: Extra large Build: Medium Disability: Pup Companion 1: Alouette - raven - perception Fight Skill Level: Intermediate "Speech"

Zee's attack landed upon Theory's ear, but the younger wolf was not moved by her swipe at her paws. The pup may have been young but she was still large and more weighty then Zee had anticipated. The other moved into her, aiming to bite upon Zee's shoulders and neck and from the way her head was situated Zee could not see to know where the blow was coming. Jaws still clamped firmly upon the other's ear, she felt teeth puncture her neck and immediately drew upwards. She moved to try and wrap her legs around Theory's shoulders and stand herself as high as she could upon her so that for the other wolf to maintain her hold she'd need to angle her head awkwardly upwards. At the same time she attempted to tug the ear which she held down and away - not trying to rip it off by any means, but to apply enough pressure that the other would not want to follow Zee's body movements with her head and perhaps release her neck. Zeitgeist vs Theory for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over One Year Size: Small Build: Light Fight Skill Level: Expert "Speech" "Thinking" "You."

Theory was elated when she felt her grasp tighten on the other female's neck. After two humiliating lost fights against the white wolf from Winterfell, would she finally be able to secure a win? Zee scrabbled up on her, climbing her like a tree. The sensation was strange and uncomfortable, but not necessarily unpleasant. Theo grunted and leaned away from her while still trying to maintain a grip on her neck. Unfortunately, she couldn't do both. Her jaws relaxed enough so that Zee's skin slipped past her incisors, and her poor ear was still held hostage! Theory whined in the back of her throat, then vigorously shook her head, trying to dislodge Zee's grip with the sudden movement. Hopefully her ear would withstand the motion without tearing, but if it did... well, she supposed it would be a reminder of a lesson learned. Theory Cavaliere-Destruction vs Zeitgeist for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Under 1 yr Size: Extra large Build: Medium Disability: Pup Companion 1: Alouette - raven - perception Fight Skill Level: Intermediate "Speech"

And the winner is...

THEORY

ZEITGEIST must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Zee: 181.68 Theory: 269.33