Spark of the Ademre Soon would come races, and the young warrior was intrigued though scarce anyone around her could tell from her eerie stillness, not even her tail twitched, instead her paws dancing across the ground, though she knew the barbarians around her could not understand the emotions she displayed. Lots were drawn and with a grace that spoke to Spark's lithe build and confidence in it, her gaze landing on the young woman who would be her opponent. She blinked, and couldn't help but feel that she had a clear advantage here. Already used to using her speed to her advantage it seemed to Spark that her opponent would only be held back by her superior heft. Though perhaps her long legs would outpace Spark's own skinny twigs. She would silently approach the starting line and wait to see how her opponent would react. "Speech"

Art by Fox!

Grace? Kaija didn't know her. She nearly barreled through the crowd of wolves that had gathered in search of her opponent for the race she'd randomly decided to sign herself up for. She seemed to have little idea just how big she was, or how she moved with little regard for those around her. Nearly stepping on someone's paw, she apologized quickly before heading to the starting line, catching the gaze of her opponent in the process. She looked nothing at all like Kaija; she was slender and small, the picture of femininity. If Kaija seemed at all intimidated she made no sign of it, giving her a toothy grin as he tail gave a hard wag behind her.

"Hey! I'm Kaija. You ready?" She'd only ever raced Ophie before and though she'd tried to win, and really wanted to win, this felt differently. She really, really wanted to win this race. She liked the thought of being applauded by her victory, and she hoped Ophie was winning too, whatever she was getting up to. The thought of being able to brag about it later definitely appealed to her. She tried to catch Spark's eye again, kicking off hard once the signal was given for them to start. Though she assumed the smaller yearling was faster than her, she hoped she could use her raw strength to pull ahead faster and maintain a good pace as they ran.

Kaija vs Spark for Race
Round 1 / ?
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Skills: Advanced Navigator & Novice Fighter

Spark of the Ademre Up close Spark felt her breath catch, her silvery gaze ran up the much larger young woman and for the first time in her life Spark's impassiveness slipped for a moment, blood rushing to her face and she blinked a few times, dropping her head for a moment to collect herself. It wasn't much, her mouth never even twitched but for Spark it was a lot. Her paws tapped out embarrassment. Settling herself Spark would tip her head back now, her face settled in an unreadable expression again and her tone flat as she spoke, only the signs of her paws revealing her emotions, unknowable except to herself: Flustered, friendly. "I am Spark, and I am." Her face flushed again when she spotted Kaija trying to catch her eye and admittedly took a moment to start to run when the start signal was called. She dug in, feeling her claws dig into the earth and gouging it out as she blasted after her opponent. Kaija had a slight advantage as Spark had been distracted and clearly packed a punch as she started out stripping the much smaller girl. Spark grunted, and dug deep. It hadn't really been her intention to go into an all out sprint too early but she had to at least recover some ground and so put on more speed than she would have other wise wanted to, starting to close the gap between her and the tusked girl. Spark vs Kaija for Race Round 1/2 Age: 1+ years Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Intellectual & Beginner Fighter "Speech"

Art by Fox!

Fortunately for Spark, Kaija noticed nothing at all out of the ordinary. Generally she was far more excitable and boisterous than most wolves she met and she knew sometimes it caught strangers completely off-guard, and not always in a good way. Instead of dwelling on the reactions of others she'd long since learned to not care how they received her; whether it was her tusks or her size or her loud personality, there was always something about her that stood out, and she wouldn't let any of it weigh her down. "Great!" was all she chirped as she readied herself and waited for a sign, and that sprang forward as fast as she could.

The other girl was much, much smaller than her and likely wouldn't get tired as quickly so Kaija had to hope she could gain a lead on her and somehow keep it. Spark was no doubt faster, but maybe if she pushed really hard she could get ahead of her. She felt the burn in her legs already as her paws drummed hard on the ground, splayed paws gripping the dirt with each hard step she took forward. It was a clear, crisp day, the perfect sort of weather for a race, and she relished in the feel of the cold wind whipping against her face. Only occasionally did she glance to her side, searching for the fiery pelt of the girl she was racing - shit, had she somehow passed her? Kaija really hoped not. Even if she lost, she wanted to at least come close behind...

Kaija vs Spark for Race
Round 2 / 2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Extra large
Build: Heavy
Skills: Advanced Navigator & Novice Fighter

Spark of the Ademre Spark's paw beat against the ground and she tucked her head, ears pulling back flush against her skull as the girl tried to streamline her own body, by proxy it mostly meant she shut out the rest of the world, the only things she could see was what was in front of her. Her vision seemingly narrowed, focusing on the path in front of her as she leapt over a fallen tree branch, not even sure where her opponent was in relation to herself anymore. Spark had always been capable of a very single-minded drive but she'd never run quite like this before, the only thing she was even aware of was herself and the track she flew across, the end of the track the single thing she cared about. Spark vs Kaija for Race Round 2/2 Age: 1+ years Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Intellectual & Beginner Fighter "Speech"

Art by Fox!

And the winner is...

Kaija

Spark was left in the dust! Totals: Kaija: Speed Roll: 77 Stamina Roll: 12 Balance Roll: 57 Total: 146 Speed[77] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 77.00 Stamina[12] + 15% Bonus[1.80]: 13.80 Balance[57] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 57.00 Total[147.80] + 15% Bonus[22.17]: 169.97 Spark: Speed Roll: 9 Stamina Roll: 78 Balance Roll: 9 Total: 96 Speed[9] + 10% Bonus[0.90]: 9.90 Stamina[78] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 78.00 Balance[9] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 9.00 Total[96.90] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 96.90

Kaija pushed forward hard, finally skidding past the finish line with a triumphant cry. Once she halted she whipped around, looking for Spark who had surely beaten her. But she couldn't find her anywhere, not until she came barreling from the way Kaija had just come. Hah! She'd beat her! Though she'd been determined to win, the other girl was quite a bit smaller than her so she was surprised she'd managed to pick up her pace enough to pace her. "Hey, good race! That was fun," Kaija admitted, beaming widely all the while. "My name's Kaija, by the way." She couldn't notice any pack smell from Spark, though she wasn't close enough to be certain. "You from around here? Or just here for the party?" Maybe she could hang out with her after, if she was just visiting too - Kaija's future was a blank slate now and she was eager to see what it had in store for her.