Daphne drew a deep breath and puffed out her chest. She didn’t like the thought of ever deliberately hurting someone else, especially not when it could happen so easily, accidentally, with her size. But even at this young age she knew that sometimes you couldn’t always talk your way out of something. The bigs had all been very sad about Rue, and if her own connections to that name were fuzzy and distant, the new association was being watched much closer (the very large and very round cinnamon raccoon that tailed her even now was an ever constant reminder), and adults constantly on edge. It made her heart hurt. They were sad and angry.

Her brothers had been practicing much more than she had, and Art was the closest to her in size - less likely to be accidentally steam rolled if she happened to get a little lost in her own enthusiasm. She was getting better at using her sniffer, and telling her siblings apart, so when she finally caught sight of his blue tinged coat ahead she yipped out a greeting, tail flagging at her back. She didn’t bother calling out to him, instead only giving a playful warning growl before speeding up to tackle him from behind. Ambushes were all part of learning, right?

"speech".

have a little faith in me

There was only so much to the Hallows' lands to explore, and by now, Artorias had pretty thoroughly covered it all. While most of his time was spent at the falls, the Hot Springs offered an interesting and unique twist to his training environments: heat. The air around the hot pools of water seemed to constantly wisp and billow with steam from the natural baths, and the added warmth and humidity even in this late-fall day was a sharp contrast to the usual mild or cool temperatures near the falls. He had to get used to it as he worked on his footing, shimmying his weight side to side with every swing of his wooden sword. There would be no telling where he'd have to do battle in the future. What if it was somewhere hot and tropical, or on the edge of the volcano? Heat and cold could not be a hindrance to him if he was to be the greatest knight ever! Corbin sat perched up in a nearby tree, preening his feathers while keeping an eye on the little pup to make sure he was still safe while he trained. Artorias was silently thankful for the company.

Speaking of company, a sudden yip behind him caught Art's attention. The boy spun around, still dressed in his leather barding and clutching his wooden sword in his jaws when Daphne came barreling towards him. Ambush! Artorias' paws were already working as the word flittered through his brain. He swerved to his left, just barely avoiding his larger sister as she came charging at him like an enraged bull. While Artorias had heard of many fighters using momentum as part of a counterattack, he had not learned any of those moves yet, and instead contented himself to simply avoid Daph. He watched her with bemused eyes, cocking a curious brow. Was she trying to challenge him to a fight or play? With his dire sister, it was often difficult to differentiate, so he decided to ask directly. "Wha urh oo duhin, Daffee?" he asked, then let the sword fall from his mouth and catching it by the leather strap so he could speak more clearly. "So were you trying to ambush me or start a fight? Because I don't think either worked." Of course, if Daphne wanted to train with him or spar, he would be more than happy to oblige! He hadn't spent a lot of quality time with his bigger sister; maybe it was time to change that trend.

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

Arty managed to sidestep her charge, but she wouldn’t be deterred, allowing herself to slide for a step before pivoting on the point and holding her chest and tail high. The dire girl couldn’t contain the giggle that broke from her throat as she dramatically bowed down, slapping the earth with both oversized paws. "Boff! Now fight me you coward!" The declaration may have been detracted from some with the peals of laughter that accompanied her second attempt at a charge, paws stretched wide to try and wrap around her brother’s chest. If she could make it come down to a shoving match, maybe she could use her weight to force him down.

"speech".

have a little faith in me

Daphne vs Artorias for spar
Round 1/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Companion 1: Raccoon, Female - Battle
Skills: Intermediate Healer & Beginner Fighter
Specialty: N/A

Daphne's challenge was answered with a smile and narrowed eyes from Artorias, a low growl forming in his chest as he snatched his sword back up into his jaws and assumed a fighting stance. "Dun cahl me ah cahwad!" he retorted, but the smile peeking out from around his sword showed that no feelings had been hurt. Then the fight began. Artorias kept his head in line with his spine and eyes always on Daphne, just like Resin had taught him to do. The bigger girl came charging at him again, but this time Artorias was ready. He planted his teeth firmly, ready to receive Daphne's attack—until she actually made contact with him, and her heavier weight nearly threw him off balance. He grunted and went to place his paws on her chest from completing her grapple. He swung his sword with a twist of his head, bringing the wooden blade toward the side of her face. With her in his space, he was now more easily able to reach her with his weapon in the close quarters. Overhead, Corbin took to the air, circling the two pups while keeping an eye to make sure neither of them got out of hand with the roughness.

Artorias vs Daphne for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Wooden sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather harness armor
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Navigator
Specialty: N/A

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

Daphne could all but feel Pandora sighing and rolling her eyes from the sideline as Artorias’s sword swung towards her face. She was lucky it was just a wooden practice sword or she’d be sporting a new scar right across her eye and down her cheek. Wood or not it hurt! And her eye squinted shut, watering against the bruise she could already feel growing there... But she wasn’t going to let that distract her now.

Jaws parted wide to collect the thick fur of his neck, above the leather plates of his harness (little chance of piercing that skin, it was too loose and protected by thick fur). But it might offer her some leverage if she didn’t trip over their tangle of feet. She dipped her hind legs, gathering the muscles there to push forward, hoping weight would be enough to overwhelm her more experienced brother.

"speech".

have a little faith in me

Daphne vs Artorias for spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Companion 1: Raccoon, Female - Battle
Skills: Intermediate Healer & Beginner Fighter
Specialty: N/A

The moment his sword made contact with her and he saw Daphne's eye close up, Artorias felt a pang of guilt. Sure, it was a spar and sometimes someone got hurt, and if this was a real fight he wouldn't give a flip, but that was still his sister. He'd have to be sure to apologize and help her get whatever healing herbs she needed so it wouldn't swell too bad and Mom and Mama wouldn't scold him. Unfortunately for him, his strike did little to dislodge the larger pup from him, and the next thing he knew, Artorias felt Daphne's jaws grab him by his scruff. He yipped in surprise, clutching onto his sword while he felt her shift their weight. In his last possible moment, Artorias aimed to stick his sword between them to try and sweep Daphne's feet as she pushed forward and he rolled his weight in the direction of her attack to build momentum. If successful, it would likely send them both toppling forward over one another, and then it would be a scramble for whoever ended up on top first.

Artorias vs Daphne for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Extra large
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Wooden sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather harness armor
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying
Skills: Intermediate Fighter & Beginner Navigator
Specialty: N/A

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

And the winner is...

DAPHNE

ARTORIAS must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Adjusted rolls: 56.25 63.8 88 75 DAPHNE'S total is.. 198.14 Adjusted rolls: 54.05 43.7 79 24.2 ARTORIAS' total is.. 160.76

That sword! It got tangled up in her feet and she pitched forward, barely giving Daphne a chance to drop the scruff of her brothers neck as she pitched into him. The ground connected with her shoulder, but she wasn’t done yet! He hadn’t given up and either would she! They were a blur of dust and limbs as they scrabbled for victory, Daphne only stopping when her brother’s squishy form was solidly beneath her own. She was beaming, panting and laughing. She had never had so much fun! With a lopsided smile she looked down at her pretty brother, pressing her forehead against his to look him in the eye. "Do you surrendah?"

"speech".

have a little faith in me

Unfortunately for him, his plan turned out to work out in the opposite of his favor. Artorias was able to sweep Daphne off her paws, but his sister's greater weight ended up stopping their tumbling short with her ending up on top of him. Despite the little blue boy's squirming and struggling, he was unable to dislodge Daphne's rump from his chest as she pinned him quite effectively. Left panting and stuck, Art blinked in surprise when his larger sister's face was suddenly right up in his, staring back into her dual-hued eyes with a playful smile and pushing a paw against her chest. "Okay okay, fine! You win, I surrender!" he conceded with a light-hearted giggle. "Now get offa me! You're kinda big, y'know!"

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

When her brother surrendered, she quickly pushed up, standing over him for a moment to plant a big sloppy kiss on his cheek. "That was so much fun!" She declared, her eyes shining with joy and excitement. "I think I wanna learn how to fight too. If I’m big, isn’t it kinda my job to protect people?" She questioned her brother with a tilt of her head. "But then I also wanna learn about medicine and stuff. Is it ok to do both?" She hadn’t really much thought about her future before now, but they weren’t little babies anymore and she wanted to be helpful for their mothers. "We should go find As-Kana, maybe he can teach us how to fight better!" Her tail waved excitedly at her back. The dark coated man always seemed to slink away whenever the kids were present but if they wanted to be big strong guardians, then maybe he would have some pointers for them?

"speech".

have a little faith in me

As obnoxious as losing to his sister was, Artorias couldn't be bitter when Daphne planted a sloppy wet kiss on his cheek. He groaned in disgust, but smiled and giggled all the same, pushing at Daphne's chest to get her off of him. Once free from her pin, the little boy rolled to his paws and shook his dusty coat out, only half listening to his sister's monologue about being a protector because she was the biggest of them while he gathered up his fallen sword and sheathing it safely away. "Askan can help, if he's not in a bad mood," he remarked. "Mom and Mama are also really good fighters. I bet they'd be happy to teach us all how to be the best fighters if you wanna learn with me!" He stood beside Daphne, looking at his larger sister with a determined fire in his amber eyes. "Our pack is gonna need warriors to keep the healers and any wolves we're helping safe. That can be our job when we get bigger. Wanna help me keep our family safe?" He didn't know if Daph's preferences ran towards the path of a healer or a warrior, but why not give her the option for both? Both roles would be highly valued in their pack's future.

"Speech" | Thoughts | "Corbin"

Daphne giggled when Art mentioned trying to catch Askan in not a bad mood. She wasn’t sure it was possible, especially since he found the goose (it still made her giggle when she thought about it while she was wandering around with Pandora) but she didn’t mind his abruptness either. At least he was consistent in his avoidance of the pups, she just wanted him to feel like part of the family. He’d always been there and she couldn’t imagine him being anywhere else. Ma and Mama were a good suggestion too. Teaming up with Art only made sense so the girl gave an emphatic nod. "Deal!"

"speech".

have a little faith in me