He needed to tone his skills more, and he knew he was doing good so far. He hoped his alpha had noticed his efforts, though he would have never asked it of him. He came home tired after these long trips just for the practice spars. He knew Azzurra was in good hands back with the pack, he didn't have to worry about her being in danger compared to when they were traveling alone. He had to admit he missed being back in Abaven with his other siblings, but even more he missed being alone with Azzurra. At least he knew she was protected.

Ready for a practice spar, he called out and took a seat waiting to be answered.

Balthier vs Inoki for Spar
Round 0/x
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

Inoki had been lazing about nearby, torn between exploring the mines of the mountain, and heading southward to go looking for some more herbs, so when she heard the call for a sparring partner she shot up to her paws excitedly. Perhaps a quick friendly spar would be just the thing she needed to help her make a decision, as she often felt her mind was the most clear after something as invigorating as a fight between two strangers that didn't really mean the other harm. She moved at speed to the battlefield once again, her short legs making surprisingly quick work of the distance, and it didn't take her long to come upon the familiar golden-toned form of the wolf she had sparred with once before. She pranced over to him, delight shining in her eyes, and offered up a friendly bark in greeting. "So we meet again, eh?" Inoki  squared up her stance, this time taking a more offensive stance compared to the first time they sparred, readying to push off with her hind legs to meet him halfway, wanting to test out her ability to make quick attacks, rather than dancing around at the edge of her opponent's reach.

When the familiar smaller woman showed, Balthier smiled in greeting, "It is nice to meet again." It was genuine, and he was feeling a little better this time going against her almost like the ice had broken from the last time. He still didn't want to hurt her, but he was more willing to spar against her this time.

Balthier was giving her a moment to prepare but it seemed she had more plans this time around. Once she took off, he did too. To meet in the middle, he raised his front paws up off the ground and attempted to wrap his legs around her form at her shoulders. He hoped he wouldn't give her too much of the advantage for this spar compared to the last.

Balthier vs Inoki for Spar
Round 1/x
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

"And the same to you," she said with a cheery grin, noticing that he seemed to have less apprehension this time around. That was good and bad, good as she'd really have to think quickly on her feet, but bad as that meant he'd likely be more sure of his actions. But win or lose, a spar was simply good fun, and she would learn something new regardless. This time instead of waiting for him to reach her, Inoki ran to meet him, not quite sure what she wanted to accomplish. He surprised her by raising himself up to wrap his front legs around her shoulders, and she was so caught off guard she had no time to skitter to the side before she felt him make contact. Her opponent was heavy, much heavier than her, and she felt her front legs buckle with the added weight on her shoulders. Inoki's chest hit the ground, but she'd managed to keep her front legs extended and so began to shake her body wildly in an attempt to slip out of his grasp and back away out of his reach. Her head tipped back to snap the air around his face, not close enough to make contact with the delicate skin, but she wanted to stop him from getting in too close around her in the hopes it'd give her a better chance at escaping the hold he had on her. If she did manage to get free she wanted to spring up on her paws and dance around him. Her only advantage was her speed and agility, and she'd be damned if she didn't use it. Inoki vs Balthier for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Healer & Novice Fighter

The girl wasn't expecting his grab which was good for him. Though when she started squirming under him, it made him worry that he was hurting her. As her jaws came up and started snapping up near his face, he backed up off of her completely, stepping back to make she was okay. Evidently she was, and was probably able to come at him with her own attack while he was worried about her physical state. This time, he leaned down and stretched his front legs out in attempt to pull both of her paws out from under her using his own paws to pull from behind her knees.

Balthier vs Inoki for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Expert Hunter
Specialty: N/A

"Balthier Destruction"

For all her squirming, she was only able to back up and get free when her opponent straight up stepped back, and she rushed backwards so fast she almost stumbled back onto her ass, ears perked forward in a confused manner. Why had he stopped? He wasn't hurt, and he hadn't said to stop yet, so she took a moment to catch her breath, and in that time the male seemed to decide he was back in the spar again. She watched as he flashed forward, legs extended, and felt him pull her limbs forward from the knee joints. Inoki moved forward with him, taking the opportunity to dart forward, even as she felt a paw trip on the dirt as he pulled her closer to him, but aimed to push off with her back legs to squeeze between his own legs. She felt that she was small enough to make it through, and he was likely expecting her to put up some kind of resistance, so maybe he'd be thrown off by the exact opposite. She wanted to go for his right hind leg, and use her shoulder to ram right into it to try to topple him over. Inoki vs Balthier for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 year Size: Small Build: Light Skills: Beginner Healer & Novice Fighter

And the winner is...

Balthier

Inoki must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Balthier : Attack Roll: 97 Defense Roll: 68 Agility Roll: 70 Perception Roll: 81 Total: 316 Attack[97] + 25% Bonus[24.25]: 121.25 Defense[68] + 5% Bonus[3.40]: 71.40 Agility[70] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 70.00 Perception[81] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 81.00 Total[343.65] + 15% Bonus[51.55]: 395.20 Inoki : Attack Roll: 20 Defense Roll: 37 Agility Roll: 68 Perception Roll: 83 Total: 208 Attack[20] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 20.00 Defense[37] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 37.00 Agility[68] + 10% Bonus[6.80]: 74.80 Perception[83] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 83.00 Total[214.80] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 214.80