The morning after the yearling party, he awoke to a pounding throb in the back of his head and the feeling of nausea churning in his gut. Narrowing his eyes to the pain, he was eventually able to fight his way out of his sleeping quarters- eager to get some fresh air to hopefully help his foggy mind to clear. But once out in the sunlight, he wasn’t sure if leaving the shadows had been the right call or not.  Regardless, he wasn’t going to turn back now, and his body would just have to acclimate. However, with his first hangover in full swing, it helped him to forget the rest of his aches and pains. Rolling his shoulders, he still felt the twinge of protest in his muscles. While he was still sore in spots, he was certainly relieved to put his injuries from the crocodile fight mostly behind him. But now, for the next round of trouble.

It seemed the ebb and flow of the tide kept marked time with the pulse of his headache. Even still, he didn’t want to entertain the thought of not getting anything accomplished today. With his attention drifting out over the ocean, he tried to make a plan. Even if it only came to intuition one step at a time.

His own hangover racked his skull as if he had been by a branch. Or a boulder. Didn't matter. Whatever it was, it fucking hurt. Even opening his eyes was difficult. Last night had been a doozy of a time. Now that all the pups were of age, the second yearling party had been a lot more fun. With more than just his siblings to party with, Scald had been a tad unhinged. Perhaps he enjoyed the booze a little too much. What had his dad said would cure the hangovers though? Saltwater? Was that it? Or the opposite? He couldn't remember but it was worth a try. So the scrawny teenager laid himself in the shallows of the rolling tide. Allowing the cold water to wash over his legs, belly, and chest, he focused on his breathing. In, two, three, out, two, three. Over and over again until he thought that maybe the headache was gone. His belly still churned and his chest was still on fire no matter what though. Succumbed to the depths of his mistakes, Scald only just barely noticed the yearling approaching. Lifting his cheek slightly off the beach so the sand was clinging to him, he squinted at the boy. Aresenn? He was surprised the boy even made it out alive. A smirk pulled at his lips as he woozily stood to his paws. "Aye!" He called out as his throat nearly gurgled with vomit. "What you doin' out 'ere so early?" Scald called as he stumbled toward the other boy. S C A L D

It seemed that orienting his thoughts was a much more difficult task than he initially thought. His head was so foggy, he couldn’t think straight. And this only made him angry. He kicked at the sand as he approached the tide. Letting the water wash over his paws as he was left in a daze.

It seemed that he was so disoriented- or inwardly focused, rather- that he didn’t notice the vibrantly marked obsidian brute that he vaguely identified as Scald only a short way down the beach. The sudden movement of the other boy rising out of the tide was what caught his attention. Blinking through a narrowed gaze, his ears perked just as an acknowledgment was called out. Just as he drew an inhale to answer, he was met with a question. Did he have to talk so loud? Aresenn grit his teeth a moment to repress the desire to cause a confrontation. “It seems I might have went a little too hard last night.” He answered after a couple of slow breaths.

“… You?” The Praetor boy eventually asked in response. Not that he was particularly invested in the condition of the other yearling. However, it seemed to be an appropriate response for the moment.

He had to bring a paw up to rub away the salt and sand from his eyes. Even as Aresenn approached, he could swear the other yearling was stumbling. Or maybe it was just his hangover playing tricks on him. Either way, Scald figured it would be better for him to get farther away from the water. Less potential of drowning ya know? Taking a few shaky steps himself toward Aresenn, Scald ended up tripping over a rock and taking a tumble toward the boy. “Oh fuck,” he yelped as he falling toward him with legs flailing like a fish out of water. S C A L D

Scald never answered him, not that he cared. However, judging from the look on his face, Aresenn couldn’t tell if Scald remembered something concerning, or if he was about to succumb to nausea. Regardless, the boy didn’t look too good. And in fear of the latter, Aresenn would take a couple of steps backward to avoid being in the splash zone.

However, as Scald staggered towards him and ultimately started a frantic descent on top of him, Aresenn simply couldn’t hold back his annoyance anymore. His head hurt, and he wasn’t about to deal with an idiot on top of it. With as much force as he could muster in his weakened state, he made the attempt to shove Scald back, not caring if the other yearling lost balance or not. “Hey! Could you learn how to walk!?” Aresenn spat at him. Tensing his muscles for whatever response he would receive.

Aresenn vs Scald for Spar
Round: 1/2
Age: Over One Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear Leather Bracers
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Intellectual

What Scald hadn't expected was Aresenn to physically push him. As he came tumbling to a stop, his body suddenly went careening the other way. Flopping over onto his side, he glared up at the other yearling. "It was an accident!" The words left him as the other kid spat in his direction. Scald let out a growl as he leaped up onto his paws. "What the fuck dude" He seethed as he felt fury build up as adrenaline in his body. His ears folded back and lips lifted up in a flash as he let his quills flare up with his hackles. Before Aresenn could get another word in, Scald was lunging forward, jaw open, and aimed for the kid's muzzle. Scald vs Aresenn for Spar Round 1/2 Age: Over 1 Size: Extra large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Leather Gloves w/ Bear Claws Defensive Battle Accessory: Elf ear hat Companion 1: Female Roseate Spoonbill, 50" - Battle Companion 2: Male Scarlet Kingsnake, 20" - Battle Mutation 1: Spine Quills - Defensive Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator Specialty: Marauder

In the end, the oppositional force was too much for the other yearling to counter. Without even an attempt to catch himself, Scald landed on his side in the powdery sand. It couldn’t have hurt that badly. The other boy’s pride probably took the brunt of it. When he was met with an excuse- Aresenn immediately tuned out. The reason didn’t matter to him. The result was what had been important, and Scald being knocked to the ground was a result he could live with.

With surprising tenacity in his hungover state, the Praetor boy watch in surprise as Scald suddenly sprang up to his paws. Due to his own clouded mind and slow reflexes, he felt the collision of teeth against his face. An enraged snarl rumbled from his chest as he lunged forward- trying to shake Scald’s hold with a quick toss of his head, all the while trying to shove his shoulder squarely into the other pirate’s chest in an effort to grapple for balance.

Aresenn vs Scald for Spar
Round: 2/2
Age: Over One Year
Size: Large
Build: Medium
Defensive Battle Accessory: Bear Leather Bracers
Skills: Expert Fighter & Advanced Intellectual

His teeth lashed against Aresenn's face. He wasn't typically such an outright violent kid, but the other boy had fucking asked for it. Pressing down to add more force to his bite, he soon had the wind knocked out of him. The resulting gush of air whipped from his lungs and caused him to release his hold. Scald's own snarl rippled from his throat as he righted himself and glared down at Aresenn. "You got a fuckin' problem kid," he hissed before lunging back in with an aim to check his own shoulder into Aresenn's chest. Tit for tat one would say. They probably could've been friends, but now? Scald wasn't sure he cared for the boy. Not that Scald really cared for anyone anyway. Scald vs Aresenn for Spar Round 2/2 Age: Over 1 Size: Extra large Build: Light Offensive Battle Accessory: Leather Gloves w/ Bear Claws Defensive Battle Accessory: Elf ear hat Companion 1: Female Roseate Spoonbill, 50" - Battle Companion 2: Male Scarlet Kingsnake, 20" - Battle Mutation 1: Spine Quills - Defensive Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator Specialty: Marauder

And the winner is...

Aresenn

Scald must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Scald : Attack Roll: 33 Defense Roll: 11 Agility Roll: 29 Perception Roll: 10 Total: 83 Attack[33] + 30% Bonus[9.90]: 42.90 Defense[11] + 25% Bonus[2.75]: 13.75 Agility[29] + 30% Bonus[8.70]: 37.70 Perception[10] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 10.00 Total[104.35] + 25% Bonus[26.09]: 130.44 Aresenn: Attack Roll: 60 Defense Roll: 66 Agility Roll: 77 Perception Roll: 61 Total: 264 Attack[60] + 5% Bonus[3.00]: 63.00 Defense[66] + 15% Bonus[9.90]: 75.90 Agility[77] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 77.00 Perception[61] + 15% Bonus[9.15]: 70.15 Total[286.05] + 20% Bonus[57.21]: 343.26