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For Matrix and Jesile =)
Skoll breathed deep of the morning air as the scent of travelers came to his nose. He had sent out the word over a month ago, for all competitors to attend. His old friends from the War of Shadows and anyone they wanted to invite were welcome. Matrix had been invited, and Phoenix too, though he had fallen ill and would unfortunately be unable to participate. The smell of water was thick in the air of the Yawrah River Territory as the first competitors arrived.
Aivyr was the first to show up, with five wolves at his side, two thickly built male youths who Skoll took to be entrants into the contest, and three smaller wolves (two women and an old male) who might be spectators, though they might have come to try their luck as well. The white wolf Aivyr smiled up at Skoll who gestured for them to take a seat in the wide circle he had formed using stones and sticks. This would be the arena eventually, but it would serve as a gathering ground for now. The now three-year-old white wolf had done well in bringing so many. Apparently the pack he'd joined wanted to prove themselves to the people Aivyr had told them stories about. The eldest wolf--a gnarled grey with white guard-hairs who must have been at least ten--extended a hand for the warrior to shake in a very odd, decidedly human gesture.
"Well, you must be Skoll Axehand. We've heard a lot about you from Aivyr, our latest member. I'm Kilborne, my sons were hoping to enter your contest, and I came to watch how they did. I hope an old wolf and his family coming along to watch isn't a problem?" Skoll--whose weapons were in the pack at his side, now closed to prevent alarm--smiled and shook his head.
"No trouble at all, Kilborne. You and your family can take a seat on the far end while we wait for the other entrants to arrive." He had set things up with Aivyr so that someone was waiting outside of Bleeding Souls to give instructions on how to get to the fighting area. They were to give explicit instructions on how to avoid cutting through, to go around Storm and come down the river to where the fights were to take place. Spectators were of course welcome, though he would need lettered wolves to fully organize something approaching a bracket. He had engaged in fighting for sport once or twice before, but nothing this elaborate. He was sure that Twilight or Apache could help any attempt at that.
He could smell many more coming, they had gathered at a place outside of Bleeding Souls during the nights prior so that they wouldn't cause a ruckus by loitering in the lands. This was designed for fun, but Skoll hoped to have the procession in and out within a day. All organization had taken place outside of the valley, meaning that it could run smoothly as soon as it came inward. The fact that things were going well implied that Matrix's parents had already taken charge of the situation, and were guiding the guests in. Vaguely he wondered where Matrix was, he had told her the date and the time. Hopefully she would be along before her parents arrived.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Long, sorry. D: Lots to write about!
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 Her reunion with her family had exceeded her expectations. An independent sort, and one inclined to preoccupy herself with the present lest she become trapped in the past, the older teen had proven to be very "out of sight, out of mind" when it came to missing her family. When she thought about them she had missed them, but she knew they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. She had never gotten "home sick" (although this term was to be used liberally, as Twilight and Apache never really settled anywhere). Now that they were back, though, she realised just how nice it was to see them again.
The morning had been eventful, to say the least. The reunion with her mother, father, and Niyol was accented by her introduction to her new five month old brothers and sister: Cyril, Takoda, and Maple. Takoda reminded her somewhat of Niyol--very friendly and gentle, although perhaps a little more outgoing. He was somewhat wolfish in appearance, although he retained the traditional coyote colours. His eyes were a unique swirl of yellow and light green. Maple was brown with chestnut and reddish tints, and greatly resembled a coyote, especially with her sharp yellow eyes, flecked with orange and brown. She seemed easily distracted by other things in nature, and had been delighted as Matrix showed off her greenhouse. She quietly sniffed around the plants and lay off in a corner, gaze fixated on the heavens, and her mind far from the meeting at hand. And last but certainly not least, Cyril was proving himself to be the star attraction of this litter, much as Matrix had been in hers. Cyril was strong and dominant, and was already paying close attention to Matrix and Twilight's sparring and combat techniques as they fooled around outside of the greenhouse. His coat was predominantly black with deep brown and reddish tints (much like his sister, Maple), and his eyes were an unusual blend of orange and red (apparently a gift from Apache's father).
They had been together for nearly three days now--the first night they had feasted as a family on a large deer as they excitedly caught up with each other. Matrix had shown her father her work on the greenhouse, and he had been largely impressed. He warned her not to put all of her eggs in one basket, however, and advised her to collect and store additional seeds--and not to simply plant them all. She had taken this advice to heart and resolved to act on it once the tournament was over. In the morning the next day, while Niyol tended to the litter and Apache went off to the river for some meditative time alone, Matrix practiced her techniques with her ever-experienced mother. She had been keeping herself in shape by demanding certain amounts of exercise every day, both for strength and endurance, but nothing could compare to one-on-one experience with a seasoned fighter. Nearly all day they went at it, with Cyril persistently paying attention. The next day they had practised some more and traveled closer to where the tournament would actually be held--which was quite a haul from the greenhouse for the kids. Needless to say, their sleep that night had been deep and peaceful.
Now was the day of the tournament. They had separated early on, as Twilight and Apache had agreed to help usher in guests. Matrix didn't know exactly where they had gotten to, but she was with Niyol and their younger siblings. They had decided to give the puppies a fishing lesson--and Matrix had used the opportunity to snap up some quick nourishment. She knew it wouldn't be good to engorge herself (as they had done earlier on a few days ago), but some amount of nutrition and food would be beneficial. She had to admit she was most pleased with Cyril's progress--he had been the first to catch a fish, and quite a big one. His stubborn independence and fierce determination were matched and then exceeded by Maple and Takoda's teamwork, however--working together, they managed to catch three fish between the two of them. Good sports that they were, they still split some of the third fish with their feisty brother. She smiled at the puppies then nudged her brother. It was time for them to go find Skoll.
Trotting ahead on four legs, she began the transformation to her bipedal form along the way. Pausing for a few moments, she completed the shift and rose to two legs. Less than a quarter of a mile later, she spotted a number of wolves she didn't recognise... and of course Skoll. Letting out a whoop of hello, she waved her arm wildly and a big grin spread across her face. She was looking forward to this day. She trotted quickly ahead to him, and Niyol and the pups caught up a short time later. "Skoll! Hey, I guess you haven't met these three yet?" she asked. Niyol greeted the warrior as well, and at his prodding the pups introduced themselves in turn, although they quickly became distracted by the excitement in the air and general milling about of strangers. "I guess mom and dad aren't back yet?"
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Charlie, come on in whenever you want your character to make an appearance. We won't get the main event started without you.
Shortly after Aivyr and his guests arrived had come a second group. A big wolf, close to eight feet tall with shoulders set so wide that he appeared stocky despite his height, led a group of eight wolves down along the river toward Skoll's arena. As the massive were approached, other distinguishing features became apparent. His fur was a contrast of whites and near-blacks, with smears of grey and some lighter brown, all laid over one another into patterns that seemed to shift from dark to light as they went down his body. An eyepatch clung to the left side of his head, and a bearskin hung from his shoulders, fastened around his torso down by the collarbone. As this giant of a wolf and his seven comrades came closer, Skoll cracked a smile.
"Skoll! What happened to your eyepatch!? We were supposed to be cyclopses together!" the leader boomed, and Skoll laughed lightly.
"I'm sorry Jantus, but my sight wouldn't stay gone. How have you been, my friend?" Skoll patted his large friend on the back, made merry by the reunion. Jantus had been one of the leader figures of their group, alongside himself and Twilight. The bronze male had started the pursuit of the Shadow Priests, but without the help of some of these very wolves, their goals would have been unachievable. The Snow-Capped Pine, the pack to which Jantus had originally belonged, had dedicated most heavily of its fighting wolves, sending over a dozen off to war. He had been Gamma of the pack at the time, but had survived where his alpha and beta had not, and returned home the leader of the pack, or so Skoll had assumed. Those around the big warrior suggested as much.
"Well, the war hit the Snow-Capped Pine hard. You know that only Samson and I returned?" Skoll nodded somberly, he had heard the reports. "We lost a lot of good men, and a few good women as well. The news of Tymara's passing struck us especially hard. We pressed on through the trials, though. The cause they died for was a worthy one, and there is no greater honor than to give one's life for the betterment of one's brothers and sisters. Their names have been carved upon a stone of reverie, as is the tradition in our land." Skoll dipped his head in a gesture of reverence. A moment later, however, Jantus became almost inappropriately jovial. "I've got to be true with you, though, Skoll, it's good to be alpha. Vera and I are hoping for pups of our own come autumn." Skoll smiled at the end, though he couldn't so quickly shed the memories of their fallen allies. Though he observed the rituals of his people, Jantus wasn't the most sympathetic, or even understanding individual.
The alpha of Snow-Capped Pine proceeded to introduce his seven guests: his mate Vera as well as her two sisters as spectators, and four fighters who included his younger sisters (they were a year younger than the three year old alpha but built strong like their brother...save a half-foot shorter), and two seemingly unremarkable male fighters who were apparently friends of his younger sisters. He motioned them all into the circle with Aivyr and his guests. Of the two, Skoll had little doubt that Jantus's company would do better in the contest than Aivyr's, though the old warrior thought that Aivyr would win any match with one of Jantus's guests, though definitely not Jantus himself. It was as they were passing him that Matrix, her brother, and a gaggle of children descended upon him.
He had never seen her so happy. He had thought that leaving home at her age had to be hard on her, but her hardened facade had allowed him to dismiss such thoughts. The sight of her jubilance made him happy. Acknowledging Niyol as well, he turned to the three smaller creatures that had tagged along behind their sister, kneeling down to their level.
"I can't say I've had the pleasure. I'm Skoll, a friend of your mom's." As he was introduced to Twilight and Apache's latest litter, a smile as he had not shown in years was clear on his face. Turning up to look at the still standing Matrix, he shook his head.
"Your parents are still helping people find their way in without cutting through any claimed territory. From what I've heard, there should be another group or two coming along, and then your parents will be with us and we can get this started." He rose from his kneel and looked north to see any new comers in the distance.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Okay, after talking with Eva, it seems that we need to just forge ahead. I'll go ahead and bring in the rest of the guests and then we can get this party started.
A few minutes passed before the next group arrived. A tawny female approached the gathering, hair flowing behind her down to just below her shoulders, a sword at her back and gauntlets over what Skoll had seen previously to be small but strong hands. Behind her walked two males, one her size--a coyote like her--the other some sort of hybrid, big like a wolf, but with more dog-like coloration. Smiling, Skoll spread his arms in welcome, walking out from the gathering to meet them.
"Tanya, how have you been?"
"Just fine, Skoll," she said, smiling happily, not hitting him with her usual sarcasm. "It's great to see you! Come here, Nikolov, say hi to your friend!" she commanded of a coyote behind her, who walked forward and shrugged to the tall werewolf in a way that said 'nothing ever changes', before giving a more subdued grin to his old commander.
"Have you been doing alright for yourself, captain? Haven't been working too hard, I hope? I'm not sure we could survive you working too hard." Skoll was drawn up short for a moment while the mated coyote couple shared a laugh at his expense; he cracked a smile himself before Tanya introduced the third and largest member of their group.
"This is Xark. We met him in our travels, took up residence at an old human residence nearby ours. When he heard we were heading out, he was interested, so he tagged along." The beige and grey male kept some distance between himself and Skoll, but nodded in acknowledgement of the introduction. Skoll would have preferred a friendlier face than Xark's, but the world had all sorts. Maybe Xark wasn't social, or just couldn't be friendly with those he was about to fight...he certainly wouldn't be the only one. The bronze warrior nodded acknowledgement to Tanya's guest, before turning back to her.
"He is of course welcome. You know that you can't bring your sword or your gauntlets into the arena, don't you?" She rolled her eyes and her shoulders fell in an exaggerated sigh.
"Of course I know, Skoll. I wasn't about to leave without them, though. I'll leave them on the outside of the ring when I go in, is all." Nodding, Skoll stepped out of their way and extended an arm in the direction that they needed to go. They had met with all of their friends previously, so the reunion between all of these members of the resistance had occurred already. Skoll regretted having missed that.
The trail of guests ended with the next group, led by Twilight and Apache. The two of them were talking with Samson, a member of the Snow-Capped Pine who Skoll assumed had hung back to talk with his old friends. The black wolf was average-sized, seven foot, and the same age as his leader Jantus. He had been a valiant enough fighter, though Skoll had never known him personally. The two of them nodded to one another as they came close together, but Skoll let Twilight and Apache go to meet with their kids. A rugged brown wolf was traveling with them, who Skoll assumed to be another entrant into the contest.
The arrival of Twilight and Apache marked the last of the guests, meaning that the tournament could begin. A general quiet took the crowd as Skoll approached the circle, and explained just exactly what was going on. The competition would feature sixteen individuals, those who had already communicated the desire to be a part of the contest and who were ready to fight for the title of Champion of the Yawrah River Tournament. The rules were simple: stay within the forty-foot-wide circle that had been marked by stones as the arena, claws could be used to grab but not to tear, and fangs were not allowed. All fights were shifted fights, and no weaponry or other extra gear of any kind were allowed. Opponents would either volunteer to fight one another, challenge, or fights would be arranged by popular selection. If everyone understood the rules, and there were no questions, then the battles could begin.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Powerplayed the general group some, hope it's ok?
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Matrix nodded and rounded the puppies up with her brother and escorted them off to the side. Skoll seemed to be busy enough, and she didn't have much to say to any of the strangers. She didn't know any of them well enough, and if nothing else, she figured they wouldn't care to talk to her. Besides, Niyol needed help keeping everyone together until Apache returned. Cyril's eyes were glued to the centre ring and the hoards of powerful wolves, but Maple was prone to wondering off... and perhaps bringing Takoda along with her.
Before too long, her parents arrived with the last of the guests. Vaguely she wondered if there might be any stragglers... or even random inhabitants of Bleeding Souls drawn in by the excitement and commotion. She smiled as her parents approached, however, although she and her mother soon moved away from the boys (what lovely dynamics in this family) and the kids. They would be sitting back to watch, but they would not be participating.
The bronze wolf then stepped forward into the circle, and Matrix stood at her mother's side and listened quietly as the rules were explained. They were simple enough and instinctual for a non-serious fight such as this. Essentially they read: no permanent damage, this is a sparring competition, not an arena befit for a Roman emperor's amusement. She had to admit she was excited... and she could sense Twilight's excitement, as well. Shifted, unarmed combat were what both of the girls excelled in, and although Matrix had a relatively laid-back outlook on the event, she could tell that her mother was taking it more seriously.
Once the rules were explained, the gathering began to buzz with excitement as everyone studied their possible opponents. The throngs of strangers began to pair up into their first brackets, Matrix and Twilight included. A coyote named Tanya approached Matrix, although the hybrid wouldn't have known the difference if she hadn't overheard Skoll's banter earlier. Tanya and Twilight recognised one another and Matrix felt a vague pang of familiarity, but she certainly wouldn't consider herself well-acquainted with the female. The two shook hands and stood off to the side to await their turn in the arena, and Matrix glanced about as she had managed to lose track of not only her mother, but the rest of their family as well. Perhaps they had just taken the kids on a walk, and would come back when Matrix and Twilight were actually involved in a match.
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- Sorry it took me so long to reply.! Dx
Remedy was walking around because she needed to stop thinking and find something to do. Because of all her thoughts, she couldn't control them anymore and all she did was think now. Needing a break, this was where that was going to happen. The reality was, she was no longer capable to handle herself. It was hard to be happy knowing that her father was out there somewhere and she had no idea where. It was hard to realize that he was probably settling down with a new family even though he left Remedy behind along with Fatin and their family together. Fact is, he could be laying somewhere dead and she didn't have any idea about it. It made no sense at all.
Quiet all around her and outside of her head, she heard faint sounds in the distance. The stupid wolf she was, she followed. She made her way through Cuore Di Anime and found herself with a bunch of wolves around. Who was everyone? They all looked familiar in a sense but did she really know any of them? They all looked like they were getting prepared to fight and that made her wonder what sorts they were up to. Quietly she looked around and noticed a once-familiar-face, Skoll. Of course she didn't know him in personality wise but she knew he was part of Clouded Tears...or was it Storm? It didn't matter she was in her luperci form, as everyone else and made her way or to Skoll, he probably didn't even know who she was. "Uh, hey there... what's going on?" the lady was curious, she wanted to know and eventually she'd find out.
Remedy was midnight black with piercing red eyes, she had some body on her, in between six or seven feet tall, she had an interesting look to her, several gazes normally fell upon her wherever she was. She was mysterious and felt magical when she told stories or just looked around and seen all the beauty to everything. Although, she was a terrific fighter, she had been through many fights before, on amazing adventures as well. Remedy sighed, her mind just couldn't stay in one place today and between all this crap going on, trying to figure it all out she didn't really have much choice.
[html] Okay. My replies are going to be really long, my apologies...I've gotta cover six fights. Don't worry though, it'll get better in the later rounds where there are fewer competitors. Now, to prevent us from having to make oodles of replies, I figured we might have it be one round of the contest for every round of replies, meaning that I'll post the fights between Skoll and the NPC's, then in your posts you guys can write down any reactions you want them to have to the previous fights, any dialogue you want to have, and your character's fight, thereby finishing the round. These are only fights one through three of round one, the second half of the NPC fights will come before the end of the night! Edit--> I'm going to label the fights so that you guys can locate smaller amounts of information...I get the impression that people will just skip 90% of it if I make them read through it all to get to the important parts.
As the crowd made its way out of the arena, the host of the contest was approached by a peculiar young woman, clad in black. She wasn't terribly tall, she only reached his chest, but he was used to talking to shorter wolves. The strange woman with red eyes inquired about the event, perfectly reasonable as such a congregation of apparently rowdy canines deserved an explanation. It seemed, however, that one of the guests beat him to the punch.
"It's a contest for fighters," the young grey wolf said, casting her a dismissive glance. One of Kilborne's sons, nearly seven and a half feet tall and very robust, he talked to her while his body faced the arena as two people entered the ring of sticks and stones. One was his brother, the other was one of Jantus's sisters. The female was a hair taller, but not put together as solidly. She had a mean look in her eyes that made Skoll wonder just what exactly lurked behind them. The gray beside him made an indication with his hand, twirling his finger one full rotation in the air. "You should probably turn around, we don't want to be interrupted, and you'll probably get hurt." Skoll snorted. He didn't approve of this kid's attitude, he wasn't yet two himself, where did he get off talking like he had any idea what he was doing? Despite which fact, his response was needlessly offensive.
"The truth is that it's a fighting contest, yes, and some real fighters are attending. We have a lot of less experienced entrants here too," he said, indicating the grey wolf on his other side. "The two that just entered the ring do not lead a fighting lifestyle by what I can tell, but they'll still give it there all...they should, anyway, considering how far they came to attend." He turned his attention fully to her for a moment. "Anyone is welcome to join provided they can find an opponent."
Invitee vs. Invitee
It was just as he said this that the fight began. Jantus, through no official authority, shouted "Begin!", and his little sister flew at her opponent. The elaborate pattern of the female's fur blew by as she leapt at the more solidly built male. Her form impacted the upper portion of his body in an attempt to topple him, but he had set his feet firmly into the turf, and though he rocked back and was forced to throw his forward foot back to catch himself, her momentum failed to take him to the ground. A moment later, a surge of power rippled up from his legs and forced her backward, spoiling her landing and sending them to the ground.
There was a moment of hesitation after the heavier wolf solidified his positon, where the son looked up to his father, and his father in turn looked to Jantus. The hulking wolf saw the exchange, and looked down at his sister. From her position, she wasn't going to win this, but just as he was about to call the match, she began striking at her enemy with her free hand. Kilborn's son fought back from his superior position, until he pinned down her arm, and looked to Jantus as his father had done. The big wolf declared the match over, and the novices got up and retreated from the field. The entire thing had only lasted a minute or so.
"Like I said, not a fighting lifestyle, but you could see in her eyes that winning was still important to her. It's a friendly competition, we plan to end any match where the winner is clear, provided that the losing party doesn't insist on continuing." There was a general murmur that went around as the fighters left the ring. The fight hadn't been that impressive, it had ended quickly, and the only thing that looked like it really hurt had been when the girl hit the boy in the head those few times. Generally lack-luster. Looking at the ring, he saw that one of the boys from Snow-Capped Pine entered, tall like the girl he'd come in with, but not particularly muscular or ferocious in appearance.
Nikolov vs. Invitee
Hesitating for a moment, Nikolov sighed and entered after him. Apparently, the younger male had selected the coyote as his opponent. Not exactly sporting, Skoll thought silently. If this kid was trying to impress Jantus's sister, choosing such a small opponent was the wrong move. Then again, maybe Nikolov had been the only person left to challenge? The look on the young male's face seemed to imply irritation...it seemed he wanted this over quickly. Not the glorious fight he wanted, then. He doesn't consider this a worthy foe. Nikolov didn't show any trepidation past the first delay to enter the ring. Now that he was inside the forty-foot diameter of the arena, his face was impassive, he gave nothing away, but held himself like he knew what he was doing. The wolf who was facing him seemed unimpressed.
"Begin!" This time it was Skoll's voice, and as it resonated over the river the young wolf took off. "Take his head off, Nik!" Tanya's voice rang over the hush of the crowd. The coyote hopped backward, setting himself up for a leap by getting his legs behind him, before launching himself at the running wolf's legs, taking them out from under him. Nikolov rolled back onto his knees and looked behind him to see if his ploy had worked. The wolf had plummeted to the grassy earth, his legs taken out in Nikolov's dive. His fall had landed his head mere inches from one of the stones that formed the border of the fighting area. It had been a dangerous plan, one which Skoll wasn't sure if he approved of. Luckily, the small coyote had miscalculated.
As both of them rose, the wolf took the initiative again, though he was careful this time, and abstained from racing into a second trap. Nikolov began bouncing lightly from foot to foot, his hands up in a guarding position. He was putting on a good show...Skoll knew that both he and Tanya had fought with weapons during the war, he thought he knew at this point that Nikolov didn't think he could win. The wolf boxed the little coyote in, backing him against the edge of the arena, and then closing in the final meter or so. Three punches were thrown, both of Nikolov's struck, but to little effect. A dull thud sounded as the wolf's fist impacted the veteran's shoulder, and then the two of them crashed to the ground as the unremarkable grey and tawny wolf brought Skoll's friend to the ground. Arms up to shield his face, Nikolov accepted his position more readily than Jantus's sister had. The other wolf brought up his fist and began striking the downed coyote as Tanya rushed out.
"It's over!" she yelled, before pushing the wolf off of her mate and helping Nikolov to his feet. The wolf fell over gracelessly, picking himself up as the two coyotes left the field. Looking around, he sighed deeply. There was no glory in defeating such a small opponent...seven and a half feet of werewolf against just under six feet of were coyote just didn't make for a very good fight. Skoll felt sorry for the coyotes. They had every right to attend this event, and they had fought valiantly in the war...given his weapon of choice, Nikolov would have done just fine against the young whelp, but this was friendly, and he couldn't let Nik start popping heads. After a moment of silence, the second male who'd come in with Jantus's group took to the field, apparently deciding that he wanted to show up his counterpart and earn a victory himself. The black-furred form of Samson walked out from the crowd just behind him. The two faced off for a few moments, waiting for the go ahead. Skoll called out to start, and they obliged.
Samson vs. Invitee
Both approached the center carefully, and then burst into motion. The gray contender opened with a poorly aimed strike, it was meant for speed and panache more than effect. Samson dodged, and as he did so, a far more powerful blow came from the gray wolf's right fist. Skoll didn't catch what exactly happened, the adversaries were turned just so and he couldn't see what transpired between them, but he guessed that Samson had caught the gray's fist. A muted impact could be heard, Samson ramming his knee into his opponent's gut--a shuffle of feet through the grass as the younger wolf tried to escape--a blur of gray and black as the stocky veteran shifted his footing and propelled his enemy by the trapped arm into a throw that landed him back first and rolling over the ground.
Resilient, not yet out, he got his feet back under him and stood, slightly hunched in pain from the blow to his stomach. He kept his distance from Samson, but caught the eye of Jantus's other sister briefly...Skoll barely saw it...and straightened up, heading back to engage the wolf who was willing to give him as much time to recuperate as he needed. The next and final exchange was mercifully quick. Samson's left fist struck low and quick, his right came around in a powerful swipe, impacting the younger wolf's temple and sending him to the ground. The victor stepped away to let him get back up, but the gray wolf did nothing more than raise his hand to his head.
Jantus entered a few moments later to help the boy up, and escorted him to the side lines, where he propped him up against a tree. There the brown wolf looked him over...not a competitor but in fact a medicine wolf. There was general cheering. It hadn't been a close fight, but they'd gotten a show out of it thanks to the loser's persistence. Skoll saw Nikolov walk over to the fallen wolf and sit down next to him, probably helping to make him feel better about the situation.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Like I said, long. I'm covering all of the fights that no one else is involved in, though, so I guess it makes sense. It won't be as big a deal for the coming posts, though, since I'm covering six fights this round, but only two fights next time, round one was just crazy since there were so many extras whose fights needed to be covered. Remedy, feel free to have your character announce that she's entering before all this stuff happens, or you could also have her announce that she's fighting Kilborn's other son just after the last fight, surprise challenger!
The cheering had died down, and several people looked around, wondering who would be the next to enter the ring. Jantus's younger sister stepped forward, and a heartbeat later, a very cool and very collected Twilight followed suit. They were both had a lot of gray in their fur, but the younger wolfess had a more distinctive coat. This didn't matter to Skoll...Twilight had a beauty all her own, one which it was possible that only fighters could truly appreciate. There was a pragmatism to her appearance and how she carried herself. She was very practical, and very lethal also, Skoll knew. The bronze warrior, the host of the contest, called out for them to begin, and begin they did.
Twilight vs. Invitee
Cautious after watching the other fights, the young wolf approached the center of the ring while Twilight delayed a moment, moving forward only after her opponent started forward. Jantus's sister stopped two paces from the center of the arena, and Twilight stopped also, a little further out. The younger female's eyes began to smoulder, similar to her sister's...Skoll couldn't imagine what exactly was going through her head to illicit a glare like that one...and she began to walk forward, cold and confident, bringing her hands up from her sides and curling her fingers into fists just as...
Twilight blurred into motion. Spinning, one foot went from the air to the ground as the other went from the ground to the air as she turned her back to her enemy for one instant. It wasn't long enough to capitalize on--at least not in an unarmed fight--and it accrued extreme centrifugal force which propelled the heel of her foot into the other fighter's abdomen. The entire movement occurred so fast that he had trouble believing how complicated it was. He had seen her do it before, of course, but it still seemed amazing how complex some of the moves in her style could be. It didn't stop, though. As the full-blooded wolfess stumbled backward, the hybrid Twilight shifted her weight, such that her left leg no longer bore it and could go from its position behind and below her to above waiste-level to impact the girl just above her pelvis.
A shout of pain rose from her, and Twilight halted as her counterpart hopped backwards, clutching her side. The young wolfess held her hand out in a stopping motion, shaking her head as Jantus made to enter the ring. Obviously pained, she approached the martial expert again, her arms in a guarding position, waiting for any sudden movements. When Twilight didn't react, she pushed forward. The older woman had given herself enough space to do the spinning kick from before, and repeated the maneuver, striking the girl in the hip this time. Another follow up kick landed the mother's shin into the inside of the younger girl's knee, and she collapsed. This time Jantus did enter the ring, and he carried his little sister out. Seeing the massive were's concern, Skoll wondered just what had possessed him to let them come in the first place. He could see in their eyes that they had a passion to compete...maybe their older brother just couldn't keep them away. From what he'd heard of the Snow-Capped Pine, it was possible that they were simply trying to prove their mettle. Jantus escorted her off the field, and then turned back in, the grin on his face extremely peculiar given the worry that had been there only moments before.
Jantus vs. Skoll
"Skoll!" he called out across the fighter's ring. "I challenge you!" Some clapping from the more knowledgable wolves in the crowd went up. Every fight thus far had been one-sided. Kilborn's son had been bigger than his opponent; Nikolov had been too small to make for a very good fight unarmed; Twilight's moves had been fancy, but the audience's sympathy for the girl on the receiving end had stopped there from being more than minimal applaus at the end; Samson had soundly defeated his enemy too, without receiving any kind of real counter-attacks. This was the first fight that seemed truly even, and seemed to guarantee a real show. Skoll smiled slightly, before stepping in himself, removing his effects from his waiste and dropping them off outside of the ring.
The two of them stood at opposite ends of the arena...Skoll, lean and terribly scarred, tough and wiry, the wolf many of the people here associated with the fabled leader of the resistance against the Shadow Cult. Opposing him was Jantus, a veritable mountain of bone and sinew, the one-eyed giant of that same great conflict, hulking and massive, a bear of a wolf. As Skoll had removed his packs, the gray and white and brown wolf had removed his bearskin, though his eyepatch stayed in place.
"Fight!" Aivyr yelled, and it began. They both approached the center slowly. They had both seen the other fight, and knew that any mistakes would be taken advantage of. The bigger wolf moved closer, and the bronze wolf waited a moment before jerking to the side. His right fist shot forward to his enemy's blind side, and hit home even as he skipped to the right, preventing the bigger wolf from bearing down on him. The blow was solid enough to be audible, but it didn't slow him down any. He wasted no time, immediately trying to back Skoll against the wall as his sister's friend had done to Nikolov. Skoll ran around him, just missing getting boxed in. Once, twice, three times, taking jabs at him each time, usually from his blind side, but sometimes switching up to throw him off. By the fourth pass the crowd was getting bored of watching a smaller wolf try to escape the inevitable. His jabs were ineffectual, only one had actually landed since the first...blind on his right side though he was, Jantus could put his thick arms to good use when it came to guarding his head.
Skoll jumped backward...he would need a little room for what he wanted to do. He wasn't getting through his opponent's defense this way, he would need to try something different. The hulking wolf smiled, seeing that the renowned warrior was done running, and he closed in. Skoll broke into a run, he only had a few steps to build up speed, and he brought his right knee forward as he kicked off from the ground with his left foot. Jantus read the intent of the attack too late, and couldn't move his arms from his head in time to protect his torso. He received the full force of the flying knee into his abdomen, just below the solar plexus. He gave ground, one step, and Skoll rebounded from him. His left fist lashed out, his right followed right after, both impacting his enemy's head. Jantus replied with a powerful left hook just as Skoll struck him a third time. The world spun and the yellow warrior backed off. His adversary wasn't as skilled as he was, but he was a lot stronger, and could throw a lot of weight into those punches.
Skoll recovered from the single blow about the same time that Jantus came back from his salvo, and they were at yet another stand off. Jantus approached again, moving faster to prevent another charge that had given the golden wolf the upper-hand last time. Skoll leapt aside again, feeling the larger wolf's claws slip through his fur...it had been close, and he only had a fraction of a second before the giant rounded on him again, no time to get behind him, no time to think. He opened up with another salvo of punches, but they were all deflected or absorbed by those massive arms. A surge of kinetic force met his chest as Jantus finally caught him, which would have sent him to the ground if he had not instinctively clutched at the ogre's upper arm as it came to bowl him over.
The bear of a wolf threw his arms around his victim, bringing his bulk to bear on his adversary. To the giant's surprise, Skoll didn't try to escape, he actually pushed himself forward, almost like he was trying to push Jantus back. Jantus laughed at this realization, Skoll was big as far as werewolves went, but Jantus was far larger, he outweighed him by more than one hundred pounds. The cocky confidence of victory persisted for a moment until Jantus felt Skoll's arms lock behind his head, and a dread entered him as he felt Skoll's weight shift. His head was dragged down and he felt Skoll's shoulder press in on his throat.
The massive were brought his hands up around Skoll's arms, but they were conjoined tightly behind his neck, where Jantus couldn't summon enough strength to break the hold. He moved forward, trying to bring them both to the ground, but Skoll's legs locked, preventing them from doing so. Anywhere he turned, the same thing, and he was feeling the cartilage in his neck warp...it was painful. An agonized choke erupted from his throat as he pulled them both sideways. The relief it bought was fleeting, and consciousness began fading. Skoll couldn't see his face, but he knew what was happening. He hadn't used this hold more than a few times in his life, it was risky to attempt and hard to pull off...if it failed, the user would be right in the clutches of the opponent. It would get the job done here. A few more moments passed, before the Giant of the Evergreens patted him twice on the shoulder, an acknowledgement of defeat and plea for release.
The bronze wolf, exhausted, released his grip...his muscles had been screaming. He rolled onto his back and heard the massive lungs in Jantus's chest inflate with his first free breath. A roar of applause rang through the air. Not everyone was necessarily pleased with the result, but it had been the closest fight so far, and they'd certainly made a show of it. Skoll was the first to rise, and stood a moment while Jantus stay on his back, enjoying his breath. He accepted Skoll's hand up, and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"It's a shame to go out so early, but I came to this thing to fight you, and I wanted to make sure we were both at our best when we fought, no previous injuries to make us wonder, heh," Skoll nodded.
"They liked it well enough," he said helpfully, indicating the crowd as it discussed the events of only moments before. Jantus smiled and nodded, before heading back to his seat beside Vera and his sisters who were already out of the contest. There were three fights left, he wasn't sure who all of the remaining competitors were. It didn't surprise him when he turned around from the congratulations of his friends to see Aivyr standing in the circle. The mutt that had come in with Tanya and Nikolov stepped silently out from across the field.
Aivyr vs. Xark
The two began circling one another immediately, their blood still hot from the last fight, perhaps. Aivyr wanted to show his teacher how much he'd grown, Skoll felt sure. The white-furred male zig-zagged closer to his opponent while Xark approached more slowly...the hybrid's yellow eyes belying something fell and dangerous that Skoll couldn't quite place. Aivyr struck first, a white arm darting out faster than Skoll's could, but the effort was spoiled by the forearms of the opponent, set into a guarding position. Aivyr struck twice more, he was blocked each time; the fight had taken itself close enough to Skoll for him to see a smile creep onto Xark's face.
The white fur on Aivyr's face rippled from an impact that had been almost too fast for the old wolf to see. Xark had moved in a little closer, his advance facilitated by his excellent defense, and delivered a strike so quickly that the outline of his hand was the only thing he had ever seen. Aivyr backed up, but the dog hybrid did not relent. He kept in step with the retreating werewolf perfectly, and delivered two more blows directly to his face, around his arms which hadn't yet formed a solid defense.
Switch gears, Aivyr... Skoll thought to himself. His pupil had fought mostly with an axe in the war, a skill that he'd taught him, but he'd had less opportunity to practice unarmed techniques. One thing that Skoll had always noticed during their training sessions was that the young wolf would focus on one thing at a time, if he was on the attack, he was on the attack; if he was on the defense, he would often hesitate to shift into an attacker's stance when the enemy presented a weakness.
The white wolf's arms came up to protect his face, but the dog's fists shot lower without missing a beat, impacting his solar plexus and then getting around his defense with a hook shot as he doubled over. Aivyr continued trying to back-pedal, but Xark remained on top of him, merciless in his attack. Eventually, frustrated and in great pain, the three-year-old wolf roared in exasperation, charging forward and catching Xark in the chest with his shoulder. As the dog got back up, he brought his arms back up for another go at the exchange of blows. He's too fast for you, Aivyr...you need to use something else. Grab him, tackle him, do something differently.
As he neared again, the same thing happened, he took several blows, tried to back off, and received several more in the retreat. The audience was quiet as it became clear that this match was of a different tone than the rest had been. The wolf was being beaten ruthlessly, and though he was persistent, will power didn't compensate for speed. Finally, Aivyr grabbed for his enemy, trying to get a solid hold with which to take him to the ground. Skoll could see the clumsiness in his movements, though...he'd sustained too much cranial damage, he shouldn't have still been fighting. Still, Aivyr had brought his packmates here, he was probably respected there, having his teacher come to protect him or call off the match would make him look bad. If he surrendered...it had to be of his own volition.
Xark shook off his awkward grappling attempts with a frenzied fervor, cracking him in the head several times. His opponent was slowing, obviously seriously damaged, but Xark didn't slow down or let up. The abuse kept on coming, until finally Aivyr stood, swaying dangerously as he struggled to keep his balance, and Xark backed up to view his handy work. A sickening smile crawled onto his face, as conspicuous as a spider descending down a web from the ceiling. Skoll recognized that gleam in his eye, now...it was malice. He shot a look to Tanya, whose eyes were glued to the mutt she'd brought along, wide in disbelief at what Skoll assumed to be a huge shift in personality.
Skoll stepped into the ring to put an end to it. It was clearly over, Aivyr just wasn't thinking clearly enough any more to see his situation. As he entered, Xark flew into motion. While his other blows had been swift and calculated, this one possessed all the power he could generate, and was thrown with animal fury into Aivyr's gut, doubling him over. Before he fully fell, the hybrid brought his elbow down onto his spine, sending his back into spasms as he collapsed face-first onto the grass. Skoll got there a split second later, the beige and gray mutt backing off from his destroyed victim. Skoll heard a disgusting sound and saw a wad of spit hit the dirt by Aivyr's feet. There was silence from most, uproar from others. The brown wolf rushed out to tend to Aivyr. Skoll helped move him out of the arena.
"Skoll! Skoll Axehand!" The bronze wolf turned to see the old wolf, Kilborn, approach him. Xark had gone off to a secluded portion around the ring. Everyone gave him his space. Kilborn's face was concerned and angry.
"I don't want my sons facing that psychopath! You said this was a friendly competition. It is clear that this is not entirely true. If he stays in, we head out; I'm not letting my sons die here!" Skoll fixed him with a stare that would have shaken most people, but the outraged father was fearless in the face of this new foe.
"Don't worry," Skoll said, turning his gaze to the vicious mutt who had cast doubt on the whole event. "Your sons won't be facing him. In the next round, I'll make sure of it."
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Matrix watched most of the fights with a passive sort of interest. Many of the competitors were big males and their techniques did not apply to her, although she did note what sorts of tactics she may have to face. Already she was developing possible counters that she might be capable of pulling off. Her mother's fight was particularly interesting for her, even though Twilight seemed to storm right on through the match. Those powerful kicks were some of the main forms of self defence that she had been taught as a child, as well as how to effectively block or defend against them and other kinds of attacks. She smiled at her parent as she left the ring, then watched the next two fights with rapt attention. Skoll and Jantus were really going at it, both determined and quite powerful. She didn't know how the fight was going to go, but she saw that Skoll's hold was quite effective. She tucked the idea of it away for now and decided to ask him about it later.
Up until now, things seemed to be going along alright. Perhaps some of the rounds were a bit uninteresting, but everyone seemed to more or less be enjoying themselves. This all changed when the strange hybrid entered the ring and began to pummel his opponent. Matrix's hackles rose and her eyes flared with rage and distaste. "Hey asshat!" she bellowed at him from the side-lines, much to her family's dismay, "What the fuck are you doing? What part of friendly match don't you understand?!" Her yelling was punctuated by a growl, and her hands had balled up into fists. Everybody else who had been silently milling about now began to murmur amongst themselves and Matrix received a number of looks. For some time, everybody simply stared back and forth between the two. Xark simply sneered in her direction, at which point she lifted one finger--the middle one--and waved it at him. Perhaps sensibly realising that if he flew off the handle at the young girl he would be reprimanded by a number of fighters (Twilight being one of them), Xark chose to ignore this and stalked off into the background somewhere. Everyone got out of his way as he made his way through the crowd.
Rolling her eyes, Matrix sighed and shook her head, then glanced over to Tanya. They would hopefully be a fairly even match; Matrix's hybridised blood made her bigger, but it wasn't quite as unbalanced as the pairing that Tanya's mate had to deal with. "You alright, kiddo?" Tanya inquired. "Yeah, I guess. He's just such an asshole," she said, but the fury had drained from her voice. Now she mostly seemed disappointed. "You ready then?" "Yeah, let's do this."
As they entered the ring, Matrix did her best to watch Tanya's subtler movements. Almost everyone had some sort of weakness--it was her job to find it and exploit it. Matrix bounced forward a few steps, enticing Tanya to react, then bounded back. Tanya had begun to brace herself and raised her arms to cover her face and chest, then became slightly confused when Matrix backed off--until she realised what she was doing, simply testing the water. Friendly matches could afford this sort of opportunity. The coyote now chose to do the same, and came forward at Matrix, poised to strike. Matrix wasted no time in reacting, and charged back, not allowing her opponent the same opportunity to study and retreat. Instead, she aimed an underhanded blow with her left hand while reaching out with the other to restrain Tanya's right. Tanya realised what was happening after a moment's delay and reached out to strike Matrix's face with her left palm.
Here Matrix released her grasp and retreated a few steps, her cheek stinging a bit and her one eye temporarily forced shut. Tanya saw her opportunity and began to aim another blow, but here Matrix mimicked her mother's characteristic style and rotated her body so she had time to gain some momentum. Not quite as experienced as Twilight, the kick landed on Tanya's thigh as opposed to her gut or hip, but it was enough to through the coyote off and stumbling for balance. Matrix whirled around behind her opponent and placed another kick to the back of her other leg, which was enough to send Tanya to the ground. The hybrid now more or less planted her weight on the back of Tanya's legs, at which point the coyote began to violently thrash about. After sustaining several poorly aimed smacks to the face, Matrix managed to grab one of her arms and wrestle it behind her back. Now, Tanya needed the other to balance herself from face-planting into the earth, and Matrix tightened her grip and gradually bent her arm to more and more of an awkward angle. Tanya then began to thrash about with her full body, and Matrix loosened her grip out of fear of breaking a bone. Unfortunately, she then lost her strong-hold, and was eventually bucked off. She stayed low to the ground in a crouch as Tanya regained her footing and managed to get some distance.
Matrix wasted no time. She charged forward, more or less on four legs and then leapt up at the last minute to effectively shove Tanya from behind. Tanya's own momentum, coupled with the new force from Matrix, proved to be her downfall. Their sparring had taken them closer to the edge of the ring, and although the coyote saw her own misfortune, it was too late to correct it. She could either land dangerously close to the rocky perimeter, or she could keep going a few steps further to regain her balance more gracefully (and less painfully). Matrix perked up and watched, but it did not take long for her opponent to be ran out of their designated boundary. She trotted over now to help Tanya up, who had needed to brace herself with her hands and had wound up in a crawling sort of position. Tanya accepted her hand, and her mate had come over to offer his support. Matrix waved to them as she watched them go off to the side near Apache and Niyol, then turned to watch the next match.
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Remedy looked at Skoll and everyone. A fight? Of course he meant no good as they probably thought she couldn't fight. And truthfully she wanted in, especially if they all underestimated her. "I want in... I'll be up to fighting anyone." she was going to make sure she got in, she wasn't some little girl and she was probably older than most of them there to begin with. Fights went on and she was beginning to get excited, she wouldn't mind getting out there into this friendly competition. Even if she had a chance getting her head ripped off, she wouldn't mind. The fight would probably be a major stress reliever anyways.
Why was Remedy excited for a fight anyways? Violence is what got her cousin, Fallout killed. Because she couldn't find Hybrid to kill him, maybe she could take her anger out in a match. She never did anything like this before but she wasn't inexperienced. She had the ability, she could probably win if she wanted too. It was exciting to watch them all fight and break out, "I know I can do it." she said, making sure Skoll heard her, "Give me a chance, I can do it." was she reassuring him, or herself?
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There we go, finished! Remedy has dropped out of the thread and gave me permission to go through with the plans we had for her character initially.
Remedy vs. Invitee 1
"I don't mind, so long as you can find an opponent," he said, indicating the crowd around them. The ebony female immediately selected the younger male who had insulted her, and their battle began. He definitely had the size advantage, but she seemed confident. Skoll quickly saw why. Similar to Twilight, the black female seemed to utilize a fighting style that downplayed her size as a factor, using kicks of great strength to discount her smaller size. The young man tried to catch her several times, but while her kicks kept coming, she maintained enough balance to never be still long enough for him to take her to the ground. Skoll suspected that if he caught her, she might be out of luck...still, that never happened. A kick caught Kilborn's son just below the ribcage, and it toppled him. There was great applaus surrounding this last bout. This mystery challenger, who had announced herself so eagerly, had taken down someone much larger, and given the audience quite a show while she did it. A crowd favorite, the underdog black wolf took her place back on the side lines as the big wolf got up, hung his head, and stormed off the field.
"Intermission!" Skoll called, heading off toward the river. The fighters would want to rest before they commenced with the second round. He also wanted to devise a strategy against Xark. The lop-eared bastard was too young to have that much experience, but he thought he recognized his style. Whether he had been trained by Gabred directly at a time before Skoll killed him, or if he had been the child of someone involved in the Four Pack War, he was a dangerous competitor, and his skill most probably came from intense training, rather than a lot of real-life experience with war. What was strange was that he was considerably faster than Gabred. The scarred brown wolf had invested more power in his blows than this new menace, but had still be faster than Skoll. It would seem that wherever he learned it, Xark had modified it to emphasize speed over power...probably a better choice, since Skoll guessed his maximum speed exceeded that of his alleged teacher.
Still, what was he going to do to counter that speed? Taking him to the ground had to be the culmination of his efforts, he felt that was clear, but he would need to get close for that. His previous experiences with this style told him that it would be resistant to standard holds and grabs, and in the meantime he would be taking many high-speed, high accuracy shots...mostly to his face. It seemed like he would need to either rely on his longer arms to keep him outside of his enemy's reach, or kicking techniques...things he had learned but rarely relied on for lack of need and a fondness for keeping both of his feet on the ground. They would give him even more reach and power, though.
None of the other veterans or guests came to speak to Skoll during the intermission, such was the set of his eyes that most could detect he was deep in thought and did not wish to be bothered. He stared at the water, replaying the fight in his mind, remembering what he'd seen on the dog's face, the terrible abuse suffered by his white protege, and the technical prowess exhibited by his enemy in the next round. Looking down the river, he saw the dog drinking from the river as well. He seemed oblivious to the hate around him, and Skoll expected that he didn't know who he would be fighting next round. All the better.
Fifteen minutes later, the group had all congregated around the circle again, and Skoll had instructed all remaining entrants to stand side by side on one end of the arena. Looking down the row of fighters arrayed at his left, he saw Matrix standing next to him, then Twilight, Xark, the black form of Samson, the red-eyed girl who called herself Remedy, the gray and tan wolf who had defeated Nikolov, and one of Kilborn's sons. Eight. The fights weren't arranged, but other than Twilight, Skoll was sure most of them were worried that if they offered themselves as a participant in the first fight of round two, Xark would accept the fight. Remedy stepped forward, and almost as quickly the gray and tan form of the male who had come in with Jantus.
Remedy vs. Invitee 2
The two circled one another a moment, before the black wolf burst into action. The male raised his arms to protect his face, she had a penchant to kick high, and his quick reaction paid off. Protected from the first blow he launched a punch at her, which connected, but only lightly...she had been too far away. You're going to have to get closer for those punches, kid, Skoll thought, temporarily diverted from his dark thoughts. Not hearing Skoll, the inexperienced male never did think to close in, and was subject to her kicks through a full minute and a half before he finally fell. A second round of applaus erupted as the smaller female again defeated her larger foe. He had lasted a long time thanks to his good defensive instincts, but he only ever hit her three times, and none of his blows had been effective enough to slow her down. Her style really was similar to Twilight's, if a little less polished. The two retired, Remedy--winded--breathing hard after her fervor in the ring. Who would be next? He was about to step forward when...
Twilight vs. Samson
Twilight stepped forward, into the ring. Skoll was surprised that she didn't wait for Xark to offer himself. With her daughter still in the line up, didn't that mean there was a chance of Matrix coming to serious harm? Her eyes met Skoll's as she walked out. He understood the message. If he doesn't accept, it falls to you. She probably had expected him to fight the dog anyway, but now that Samson had decided to take her on, it meant that her daughter needed to be allowed a safer opponent. Matrix was no slouch in her fighting, but Xark was...well, Twilight took her responsibilies as a mother seriously. Skoll had the right to challenge Xark, as he was almost family with Aivyr, but he had to make sure to take him out before he could pose a threat to her daughter. He nodded slightly, and she turned her attention to Samson.
Jantus called to begin the match, eager to see his friend take on the martial expert, who they had all seen in action before. Samson had always been something of a mystery to Skoll...he had entered the conflict with the same background in fighting that Jantus had, which was to say higher than average, but by no means expert; the Snow-Capped Pine always made sure it had wolves that could fight, and trained its members to a limited extent. Over the course of the war, word of Samson's exploits had reached his ears, but he had never seen anything spectacular first hand. He had a personality that seemed to set him apart from the spotlight, but he had never failed in any mission he'd been sent on, and had survived it, which was more than a lot of them could say.
Twilight approached this fight much as she had the other. Reactionary. She walked cautiously, never over extending, always cool and collected, giving herself enough room to execute her widest maneuvers, in case she needed them. Samson mimicked her, giving her a wide berth, hanging back, his stance different from hers...it made sense, he certainly wouldn't be throwing kicks and spinning maneuvers like she did. Still, as the silence hung heavily in the air, Twilight decided to take the initiative. She was the more experienced fighter after all, she could afford to give him his defensive stance. At first, she moved forward slowly, then rapidly accelerated. They weren't more than a few strides apart, this process took less than two seconds, and her foot shot high, up by his head. It came away, leaving slight ripples through the muscles of his forearm. Blocked.
She hopped backward as he stepped closer, her arms launched out to strike him twice as she retreated further. He backed away himself, ready for a second pass. They repeated the entire process two more times, a powerful kick, block, fighting retreat to avoid getting trapped in the stronger wolf's embrace. Samson's eyes gleamed with intelligence, and Skoll wondered just what he was planning. A twinge of annoyance was apparent on Twilight's face. Was the black wolf taunting her? He wasn't a better fighter, but that didn't mean that he should never shoulder the burden of taking the initiative. This fighting style was obnoxious...he was good at defense, but he shouldn't turtle up so much.
She came after him again, spinning her body to gain strength and momentum behind the striking surface of her leg. There was a dull thud, but her foot didn't come back down. Two black arms had caught her leg, and pulled it away from its target, consolidating their grip as they did so. Skoll's eyes widened. So that's what he's been trying to do. The clever wolf hadn't made any false grabs, hadn't made the attempt until he was familiar enough with blocking her kicks that he thought he could manage it. Now that he had her leg--and consequently, her balance--under his control, he might be able to pull a win out of this, even against a superior fighter. He stepped in and swept her other leg out from under her. She managed to strike him twice about the head before he managed it, but she did go down, and now he stood above her with one leg still under his control.
As control of the fight was taken out of her hands, the tone of the fight became more serious. Skoll could hardly believe the speed of her reflexes. She hadn't been on the ground for longer than a moment when her free leg lashed out as his knee, even as he stepped forward to torque her knee into some sort of submission hold. He fell to a kneel, and as his body came closer to the ground, her elbows propped her up, and she was able to strike his head. His hold slackened as the blow rocked head, and in a rather uncharacteristic series of jerky movements, she was able to free her leg, then more gracefully roll back to her feet, rising at the same time as the black wolf did. The chagrin on his face told Skoll that the other wolf didn't fancy his chances of getting that close to victory again. Twilight backed up to the edge of the arena, and then launched herself at her opponent. In one of the fancier sequence moves he'd seen her orchestrate, Twilight hit Samson in the abdomen with her right foot, and again in the head with her left as she landed on her right. The move had turned her, so she whipped around, still a fluid motion from when she'd first started the move, to see Samson on the ground holding his head. The crowd applauded fervently. Twilight had won.
Xark vs. Skoll
The dog nodded his approval as the brown wolf helped Samson off the field. Smiling cruelly, he stepped out to offer himself as an opponent, and as he turned around to see the looks on the remaining competitor's faces as they built up the courage or the hate to fight him, he was shocked to find the form of the bronze wolf having reacted so immediately that he had been only one step behind him. He frowned a moment, disappointed not to have illicited the fear he'd wanted, but then shrugged, and walked to the other side of the arena. A wicked grin emerged as Jantus called the start. He approached Skoll, who remained stationary.
Once the dog reached the center of the field, the bronze wolf took off. His eyes widened as Skoll descended on him, leading with his knee as he leaped at his enemy. The mutt managed to avoid it just barely. He raised his arms into their defensive positions as Skoll turned back on him, moving forward quickly again. A gold fist was blocked by Xark's gray forearm, but the impact could be heard a split second later as the wolf's shin dug into the side of his leg. Favoring it slightly, he backed up, but Skoll did not relent. Again and again he swung with his leg, Xark's return strikes sometimes connected, but the hybrid was too far away to fully utilize his speed or his strength. Skoll wasn't as proficient with his legs as his arms, but he knew how to invest power into it, and though he missed sometimes, he hit Xark again before the younger fighter learned that he wouldn't be able to handle this without closing in. The boxing dog came in closer, stepping inside of Skoll's kick, and delivered two bullet-fast strikes to his head. The second was blocked, but only because a golden arm had been raised to stop the first, which had made it in too quickly. Skoll backed up, the mutt kept after him. It was when Skoll backed off again and then suddenly surged forward that the dog fell into his trap.
Skoll's left arm wormed around behind the dog's head, trapping his neck. The strength of the bronze wolf forced the mutt down from there, allowing the warrior to grab his leg with his right arm, and to lift his opponent into the air. Xark was wrapped around him, the dog's head trapped by his left arm to Skoll's side, while his legs were held against Skoll's right side. Skoll saw Tanya look away. Despite her scrappiness, she still had a good heart, no matter what she said. The warrior summoned as much strength into his legs as he could, and jumped backwards. There was moderate spin on the jump, just enough counter-clockwise rotation to result in most of Xark's weight landing on his own trapped head. Everyone heard the impact as they crashed to the ground. Xark's body slackened as Skoll disentangled himself.
A pained sigh escaped the mutt as he lay sprawled over the grass. Skoll grabbed his arm and pulled him up. His legs were wobbly...he couldn't stand without Skoll's steadying hand on his shoulder. That hand strengthened its grip, and he struck the mutt's face with all his power. Xark's weight pulled against Skoll's solid grip, but there was no release. The bronze brought his right arm back once more, and delivered another full-power blow to the face. A fang dislodged...the dog's teeth were outlined in red as he grimaced in his suffering. He tried to raise his arms, but he could barely stand, and his entire body was pitifully weak after the compression in his neck from Skoll's make-shift pile-driver. Skoll delivered one more severe, crushing blow to his teeth, and the fang was sent flying from his mouth. The yellow wolf's hand released him, and he collapsed to the ground. The brown wolf rushed in to carry him out. There was less applause for this fight. Nevertheless, Twilight was secure that her daughter was safe, Aivyr was revenged, and Xark wouldn't hurt anyone else. Skoll walked somberly from the field.
"Good job before," he said to Matrix, approaching her spot in the lineup. "You were definitely saying what the rest of us were thinking. Don't know why I didn't cuss him myself." He offered a wan smile...he could do little more without feeling irreverent over these recent and unfortunate events. He got the idea that Kilborn had certainly second-guessed his choice to have his sons participate. Luckily, the only person left for his remaining son to fight was Matrix, and though she was quite capable, there was little risk of her using unnecessary violence like the dog.
"I didn't congratulate you on your first victory, so congratulations. Six people have already fought in round two, so that just leaves the big guy over there for you to fight," he said, working through the numbers himself. He looked off at Kilborn's son, the one who'd beaten Jantus's sister. He was certainly bigger than Matrix, but then again, Samson had been bigger than Twilight. "Just do what your mom taught you and I'm sure you'll do fine. Be ready to get some nonchalant comments about Tanya's supreme skill with a sword, though, you might have injured her pride some." He winked at this last bit. "Good luck, Matrix. Try not to hurt him too bad."
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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A young girl that she did not recognise participated in the next couple of fights, and Matrix watched with interest. Surprisingly, the strange wolf's fighting style mimicked her own. She also watched closely as her mother took on a larger male--she had a feeling she would need to put Twilight's techniques to work this next round. Tanya had been a little smaller than her, so some amount of force had been sufficient to force the coyote out of the ring. By the looks of it, the same trick would not work again--the remaining competitors were all much larger than she was. Her heart dropped as her mother was restrained, but then she offered a whoop of encouragement as Twilight regained her footing. Once the elder Thirteen had won, her tail swung back and forth lightly in silent congratulations and awe. She would always respect her mother's skill... this was for certain. Sometimes she considered studying with Twilight further, but it seemed a little strange to abandon Inferni right now.
The next fight she also watched with rapt attention. Frankly, she wanted to see Skoll kick Xark's ass. What an arse, she kept cursing, over and over again in her mind. The hold on Xark's head and the subsequent slam even made her flinch somewhat, though--there was no possible way that didn't hurt. Ears pressed forward now... Xark could barely stand. Still, a series of blows assaulted the mixed-breed and he lost a tooth. She shook her head now--even for her, it seemed as though that would be enough to avenge the boy Xark had pummelled earlier on. Teeth never grew back, but other wounds would probably heal. Still, she wasn't going to question the bronze warrior's technique. A quick glance at her mother's solemn gaze reassured her further that this was justice, pure and simple. If you don't play by the rules, you are going to be reprimanded.
"Nah, you took care of the real asshole," she said simply--her own form of a congratulations. Off to the side, Twilight nodded to Skoll as well. "Thanks, though," she said with a grin before jogging into the ring's centre, where her opponent was already waiting. She had to admit that his superior size intimidated her somewhat, but she did her best to brush it off. On the surface, she showed nothing but nonchalance--her mother had taught her (well before she could shift to train for two-legged fighting, even) that showing weakness or insecurity was a self-fulfilling prophecy. The unfamiliar wolf waited for her to strike first, much as he had in his first match, but she only did circles around him for a brief while, waiting to see if he might take up the initiative to strike first.
Dizzied by her pacing, he eventually did. Matrix reversed direction, going from counter-clockwise to clockwise, and struck out with her foot as she did, offering a quick kick to his side before jumping back out of striking distance. Quickly he went after her, and he managed to throw a few punches--those to her face she blocked, those to her side she did not. She jumped a few more feet away before circling him again. Anticipating that he would anticipate her doing the same thing again, she kept going in her initial direction--but he had guessed that she wouldn't pull the same trick twice, and a leg shot out down low, aiming to knock her off of her feet so he could pin her down, much like Jauntus' sister. For an instant, Matrix moved so fluidly and expertly that there was no doubting who she was--she was Twilight's daughter. She was going to fall on her back at this rate, but with her other foot she did not attempt to slow down, but add to her momentum. Enough force was given to somersault through the air, landing lightly on her hands, which she used to push off the earth and complete the back flip.
Not waiting an instant for the shock of her manoeuvre to wear off, she charged forward now with lightning speed, took two quick jabs at his stomach, and once his hands lowered to protect himself, she spun and offered a quick kick to his head. He clutched it for an instant before realising that he would eventually need to take up the offensive, and he threw his full weight at Matrix, again aiming to bring her to the ground. He caught her around the waist and they both toppled to the ground, both struggling for control. Her mother might invest more into looking graceful, but she did not--she thrashed and flailed about wildly, her hands flying this way and that to slap him in the face, her hips and knees bucking as she beat against his weight. He managed to restrain one of her arms, but in a remarkable bout of flexibility that put the karma sutra to shame, she flung both knees against her shoulders, than kicked out against his chest with the added force of the recoil. His grasp on her arm faltered and she yanked it free, sprung up to her feet, then began a series of kicks to his side and head while he tried to regain balance. One powerful kick to the head was enough to send him down for good--and here she backed off. It seemed as though he had surrendered, and she flashed a winning smile to the crowd before meandering out of the ring.
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Yay! Got the post done. Just a few more after this! PS: Powerplay done with permission by Remedy.
Applause exploded from the crowd. This had--without a doubt--been the showiest fight so far. Matrix, not as skilled as her mother, hadn't been able to end the fight quickly, and so they'd gotten an excellent, prolonged bout. What was more, the show was flashy, involved many twists and turns, and had been simply spectacular. Kilborn and his other defeated son welcomed the loser back to the sidelines, a little disappointed, but the father tried to be supportive. Skoll and Twilight turned to the victorious girl.
"Wow. Where did you..." Skoll caught himself. "Right, of course. I didn't know you guys could do acrobatics like that. Congratulations, Matrix, you've made it into round three! Just us three and the newcomer left." The audience began meandering away, some of them going off to get a drink from the river or discuss what they'd seen so far, while the brown wolf tended to those wounded badly enough to warrant treatment. While he'd looked at a few wolves, only Aivyr and Xark remained under the shade of his 'hospital' tree. It was the second intermission, the third round would transpire after everyone was refreshed, and after the fighters had an opportunity to rest.
"I guess we get a ten minute break until we go at it again. I'll meet up with you at the beginning of the next round, I'm going to go talk to Aivyr." Leaving the mother and daughter, he began to approach the shaded earth beneath the one-tree canopy when he was intercepted by a wolf who he recognized from the tournament, but had never met formally. One of Jantus's multi-hued sisters stood before him, a blaze in her eyes, though the fire was not so fierce as before. There was a quality in those eyes that he couldn't quite place.
"Mr. Axehand?" He was surprised to hear a slight quaver in her voice.
"Skoll. What can I do for you?" This was certainly peculiar.
"Jantus talks about you a lot. Says you're brave and strong and a good fighter. In Snow-Capped Pine, we think that those things are really important. My brother told me that that white wolf that got hurt was your student, and that you were brutal because you had to make even with that jerk. I guess I just...I know I'm not a big warrior or anything, I lost to a yearling in the first round--" she choked on the last words, it was clear that she had felt it to be a grievous blow to her pride that she had lost so quickly. "But you're a great warrior, and there are a lot of stories about you, and I was just...I won't have any victories to boast about back home, and I thought if..." Her tail wagged anxiously as she frowned in an extremely flustered fashion, she would be blushing if such things could be seen through a wolf's fur. "Could I...shake your hand maybe? Or...something?" she nodded over to Kilborn, maybe the first person she'd ever seen use that gesture.
Skoll had no idea what to say. What did one say to that sort of adulation? It was alien to him, especially since he spent so much of his time in Bleeding Souls. He was sure that her brother had embellished some stories for around the fire at home, but the two of them really had been through a lot...it could be that he'd told them the truth. He was reminded vaguely of Art, who--in his youth--had idolized Skoll as well, though the bronze wolf had done little to deserve that kind of praise back then. It felt wrong to be approached so. It was dangerous to indulge such illusions. Arrogance followed such people like a poison, they let their stories sweep them away and let them forget their weaknesses. Still, he smiled. He took her hand, and led her over to the synthetic pack he had left on the ground. Rummaging through the blades within, he withdrew one of his favored carvings, one which he had packed to look at later. He had considered refining it further, but it was as good now as it was ever going to be.
"This carving is of a woman named Galdra. She was a great warrior, whose bravery in battle was exceeded only by her love for her students. She died in a battle called the Four Pack War four winters ago, a warrior, a teacher, and a craftswoman. She fought with honor, and died to save the life of one of her students." He offered her the four and a half inch figure, and saw her rapt attention as she looked down at it. His skill with a carving knife was not exceptional, but he had labored over that particular statue for dozens of hours, and it was by far the best he had made. "Take it. I knew her well, and had the utmost respect for her. She was a talented warrior, as you can be one day, if you choose that path." She looked up to him.
"Thank you..." he waved a hand, dismissing the awkward gestures that followed such a transaction.
"Think nothing of it. Now I need to talk to Aivyr, please enjoy the end of the contest." He made his way hurriedly away, seeing out of the corner of his eye as Jantus and his other sister approached the young woman he'd just left. He approached Aivyr, who was propped up against the tree, staring down at the limp form of Xark a few feet away, laying on his side and facing away from the competition.
"You've gotta switch tactics faster, Vyr. You know that Gronnor's style depends on knowing when to change tactics."
"Yeah. I'm best at punches, I thought that it was my best bet to go with what I knew well."
"You've just been training with the punches, haven't you? I told you to work on your grapples."
"Grapples are hard to practice with no one skilled to spar with. I practiced them on those two who came in with me until I thought I was proficient with them, and then got back to what I knew best. I improved my boxing. He was just too fast."
"I know. I think I knew his teacher. I told you about Gabred. He was using the same style. Not quite as much technique as Gabred, but faster. It's understandable that you lost at fisticuffs, your teacher couldn't beat his that way, after all."
"Why didn't you grapple him?" the white wolf asked with genuine curiosity.
"I did. He was just better at getting out of grapples than this guy was." He smiled thinly.
"Thanks for getting him."
"No problem."
The intermission came to an end as the audience, a few at a time, migrated back around the ring. As the time to begin again grew closer, Skoll and Remedy approached the competitor's side of the ring, with the two Thirteen's in the middle of the row. Jantus stepped forward and raised his arms, to bring quiet to the congregation.
"Alright, everyone, it's time for the third round! The remaining competitors are as follows: Skoll Axehand, the golden warrior asnd leader of the Resistance! Matrix Thirteen, the war child, and daughter of Twilight Thirteen! Twilight Thirteen, master fighter and Resistance Sergeant! And Remedy Acidic, the mystery fighter of Bleeding Souls valley!" Skoll looked at the big man incredulously. Where the hell did that come from?
"Now, who will get the third round started?" Still standing in the ring, Jantus looked at the four, awaiting a response. The black wolf soon answered.
"I will!" she said, stepping forward from the lineup, before turning and looking at golden wolf. "Skoll, I challenge you!" The crowd looked to him expectantly. He nodded and stepped forward as well. The audience clapped subduedly. Quiet descended as Jantus stepped out of the arena and the two of them took opposing sides of the forty foot circle. Skoll's yellow eyes met Remedy's red ones as the two assessed one another, and they began to circle around the outer arena.
Remedy vs. Skoll
Skoll had seen her fights, and she had seen his. Her style was more rough around the edges, less practiced than his was, though it was more spectacular to watch, certainly. The fact that Remedy was fighting him meant that he would likely be fighting Twilight next round, unless she let her daughter win, meaning that he would need whatever experience he could glean against the similar fighting style that he could get. Their styles weren't identical, but used many of the same principles, if appearances were any indicator. Skoll took a step forward...
The black she-wolf sprung into action! Taking the distance between them in five quick steps, her foot came up for a powerful blow to his side. Skoll blocked as he skipped to the side, away from the offending leg. Spinning around she brought the same leg around in a back swing, catching him in the ribs. He wanted to take a step back, but he was already nearly to the edge of the ring. Springing into the air with her right foot, she brought the left--for the first time--into an arc to connect with him. It would have reached his head had he not rushed forward at the moment of her jump.
From her airborn position she couldn't catch herself, and crash-landed onto the grass in front of Skoll, but she began rolling almost immediately, and retrieved her footing as the larger wolf rushed her again, his knee impacting her shoulder as he attempted to bowl her over. Rather than sprawling backward from the blow like last time, she managed to keep on her feet, and backpedaled an exaggerated distance, giving her room to re-analyze her approach with this larger opponent.
Skoll was analyzing her, as well. The blow to his lower ribs pained him, it had been a few inches away from his old bite wound, but thankully had missed. She seemed very sure-footed, his guess was that she'd retrieved training from someone, given how young she was. Then again, Twilight had developed her techniques more or less on her own, motivated by the desire to go on living through the pit fights of her youth. This red-eyed girl was quite mysterious indeed. He was far her senior in the world of fighting, and larger than her. He also had the best trainer he could have ever wanted, a wolf who knew more about fighting than anyone he'd met before or since. What was throwing him for a loop was how unfamiliar these moves were. Kicking like this didn't seem very natural, it was a very deliberate style, and one that likely did not arise from natural impulses.
Remedy rushed him again. A kick came in like a bullet, directed straight out from her side-facing posture. He side-stepped, and blocked a follow-up kick from the same leg meant to cover her from a counter-rush. He aimed a low kick of his own--one of the only kicks he was usually willing to do--which missed its mark as the leg it targeted came in a wide sweep up at him. He raised his arms to protect himself, and felt her shin smack against his upper-arm. She would have trouble with someone as tall as he was. He was more than a foot taller, and short of that jumping kick she had done, his head would be a difficult target to reach. He had seen the other fights, how these smaller fighters defeated larger opponents generally involved delivering brutal force to the head area. Without easy access to his skull, she was in more trouble than he had previously realized.
Skoll moved forward. Because he was larger, she didn't have much choice but to give ground when he approached. So far, she had always jumped back to maintain space between them, as her kicks lost efficacy when they closed in. A series of quick jabs and low kicks slowly corralled her closer and closer to the edge of the ring. As he employed this strategy, he favored blocks over dodges which might sacrifice his positional advantage, though it meant he received more bruising and punishment to his arms. As she neared the edge, she couldn't backpedal any further, her body spun, the beginnings of a round house. Skoll managed to step inside of it, caught by her leg close to the knee, escaping the awesome momentum at the heel of her foot.
Hooking his right arm around her leg, grabbing her neck with his left hand, he kicked her left knee out from under her while pulling her down by the throat. He sank to a kneel as she fell onto her back. Keeping his hand at her neck, resting his knee on her stomach, he knew the fight was over. Her black-furred hands wrapped around his left wrist, but as they attempted to push it off of her throat, his weight pressed down. She tapped the ground quickly as his weight on her trachea quickly became unbearable, and he relented, getting up and offering her a hand. She had only landed a few hits around his guard, but he felt the strain of her fervored attacks on his arms. Applause came up from the crowd. The two of them walked to the outer edge of the circle.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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-Posts under this account since she accidentally posted with Matrix for Anselm before.- :x Or maybe I'm just lazy. -Cough.-
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Somewhat modest, Matrix's flesh turned bright red beneath the fur of her cheeks. She offered a slight smile to their congratulations but said nothing--she may have won, but she was now fairly exhausted. Once Skoll wondered away, she made her way down to the river to take a deep drink. She missed most of the conversations going on around her--all of it sort of melded together into an unintelligible babble. Still, she understood and snapped to attention when the next fight began. Skoll and the random 'Souls wolf, whose style seemed to be reminiscent of that which her mother taught her. Interesting. Like her mother, Remedy relied on a series of kicks... although the larger golden male seemed to be absorbing them alright. Still, it was impressive that things went on as long as they did. She knew she personally stood no chance against Skoll (or her mother, for that matter), but at a first glance she was tempted to think herself and the mysterious black female were about on par.
Before too long, Skoll finally managed to get a hold on the quick, sure-footed girl, and Matrix knew it was over, too. The fight concluded peacefully enough, and she offered a smile and a thumbs up to both of the combatants. There was little time to think about it, though, for now it was her turn to step into the ring. Her mother remained, and both of the Thirteen girls knew which way the fight would tip. That wouldn't stop Matrix from giving it her all, however. No time was taken to consider styles, strengths, or weaknesses--they already had trained together for months, and they both knew exactly what the other was capable of doing. Thus, they sprung into action immediately.
A flurry of kicks were sent either way, and both frequently jumped back, to the side, and generally away to avoid being hit. Twilight was bigger than Matrix so her blows hurt more when they landed, but the older female was also more settled into her ways. Deliberately, Matrix would begin one attack sequence that she knew her mother would recognise and change halfway through, effectively catching the matron off-guard and allowing her to plant more kicks over all. This tactic worked at least several times, but eventually Twilight caught on to the general lack of predictability and retaliated with more improvisation, herself. Matrix was definitely moving forward for an attack, so Twilight managed to grab the girl's arm, spin her around into a general submission hold, and force her to her knees. The fight was over--hypothetically she could try to work her way out of it, relying on the fact that her mother would never severely hurt her, but this would be cheating in Matrix's mind. Twilight released her grip and turned to face Skoll. Ultimately, this was what Matrix had really been waiting for.
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Yay, final round! I did my best to make it interesting. Maybe one more reply from each of us?
The fight had ended as Skoll had expected it to. Matrix was no match for her mother, despite her quality training, she lacked the single-minded dedication and killer instinct of her mother. Nevertheless, though she lacked the desire and experience to be as good as Twilight, she showed herself to be quite bright in her approach to the battle. Her innovation in fighting patterns, changing things up to turn her mother's familiarity with her abilities into a disadvantage had been very clever.
"Good work, keeping your mom on the ropes like that. I think you exceeded everyone's expectations, given Twilight's reputation," he said with a grin, knowing that Matrix couldn't be all that disappointed, having known the outcome ahead of time. She deserved praise, he knew that he couldn't have beaten Gronnor straight out of training anymore than Matrix could defeat Twilight.
Twilight vs. Skoll
There was applause as the fight reached an end, but that died down as Twilight rounded to face Skoll, looking at him coolly. Skoll met Twilight's gaze evenly. Did she not even want a break? They had made the habit of taking a break in between each round to give every warrior a chance to rest before his or her next fight, but it appeared that Twilight either felt she was ready as she was, or she simply couldn't wait for the final contest to begin. He wasn't sure which, the latter didn't seem very like her, and he knew she had taken some abuse from her daughter...but maybe the damage she had sustained wasn't sufficient to necessitate a pause in fighting? Her blood was up, maybe she wanted to finish this while she was still in rhythm.
Flicking his ear as if in a shrug, he stepped into the arena. She knew enough about fighting that she wouldn't deny herself an advantage so carelessly, he expected that she felt ready to go now, and taking a break period would only serve to cool her down, force her to get her momentum back later. Jantus's voice boomed over the river, and the fight began. Twilight moved forward, sharp and eager, obviously she had been waiting for this moment every bit as much as her daughter. The two of them had been the most skilled in the Resistance, but because their joint strength was integral to their battle plans, they had never risked injury fighting one another. Now they could finally test themselves against someone truly worthy of their abilities. Skoll had fought such a battle before, against Gabred, but he didn't know if she ever had. It was invigorating, but the threat of death in a real battle put a dangerous edge on an otherwise exciting experience.
She moved with extreme speed, jumping into the air before extending her leg to deliver the impact of her kick. The bronze warrior moved to the side in time to avoid it, but got cuffed in the side of the head as she passed him. A kick went straight into the side of his left knee, as he shot a left hook past her guard and into her cheekbone. Both fighters stepped back, Skoll favoring his knee, Twilight's head slightly tilted to the right, indicative of the pain in the side of her head.
He was larger than her by a considerable margin, but her style was less familiar to him than his was to her...certainly she had never fought someone who used his exact style, but the techniques he'd learned from Gronnor weren't as outlandish as those she employed. Furthermore, the moves she used regularly mitigated his size advantage, the kicks she delivered were--for the most part--stronger than his punches, meaning that even though he was the stronger of the two, his blows probably wouldn't be inflicting as much damage. He had more training, he expected, but by what he'd gleaned, she had learned how to battle in the fighting pits of her native pack...or organization, or whatever it was. A monstrous practice, forcing a child to grow up in that environment. Nevertheless, while his training had been excellent, she was one of very few people who had more experience than he did, pitted time and again against enemies day after day, for the amusement of others. Organized violence, and not of the friendly sort they had (mostly) been experiencing here today.
She moved forward again, not dedicating to a jump this time, her aggression was more reigned in. The Storm wolf took a stance he'd learned from his teacher, something designed for people with greater reach than he possessed. He used it seldom, he didn't meet people with longer arms than he did very often, but Twilight's legs gave her the reach advantage where her arms would have failed. She came in with a sweeping kick from her right leg, which he countered by moving in, his stance putting his legs in the position to spring forward quickly. Her kick landed higher than she'd planned, but her reflexes were superior to his, and she managed to spring away with her one leg before he could throw his arms around her. They both knew one thing for certain: Samson had almost won the fight with Twilight by forcing her into a situation where her kicks could not save her. She had been more capable than Samson, on a different level altogether, and been able to force him to release her. That wouldn't be the case if Skoll took her to the ground. If he caught her, the fight was over.
She skipped back as he pushed forward, trying to salvage his intended move, but she rebuffed him with a kick moving straight out from her body--a kick that some humans had once called a Ti--forcing him away from the point of impact at his abdomen, and successfully killing his hopes of completing the grab. She was a keen woman, and she would recognize the stance the next time he took it. She took another outside kick, aiming higher, but he blocked successfully, and tried to close in. She backpedaled again, but knew the layout of the ring well enough the know that he was hemming her in. He was bigger, so he controlled the gravity of the fight, she had to react to his movements. The privilege of the bigger fighter. She began moving along the edge of the ring, trying to get around him back into the center where she wouldn't have the boundary at her back. He kept on her. Spatial strategy mattered. He wanted to corner her, put her back against something where her maneuvers were more difficult.
Skoll moved forward, and she performed the back kick which she had employed against her first opponent. His thigh jolted with the impact. He made to move back, but failed to do so before she could deliver another kick into his left knee, which sent spears of pain into his mind. Skoll backed off, enough to give the woman the space she wanted. She didn't greet him with any cocky smile, she was too professional to let her guard down, but they both knew that the tactic she'd attempted was successful. Not only was she free from the trap he'd been pushing her into, but her offensive strategy of weakening his left side was working. She had created a weakness as real as his solar plexus or head in his knee. He now had to keep this difficult-to-protect spot in mind when dodging her attacks. Thus far he'd barely connected with her. He needed a plan, he needed to...
No time. The hybrid woman moved forward with great speed, swinging out one leg in a maneuver he'd seen before. The first kick would contact, followed by a devastating second kick coming from the other leg as she finished the revolution of her body. His body moved before he had time to think about the action. His right arm protected him from her first kick, and his body moved in, fouling her spin. His left arm wrapped around her throat, his right around her arm. He would force her down from here, to the ground where he held every advantage in mass and technique...
A terrible pain shot through his body as her heel drove into his weakened knee. His strength failed him for just a moment, but it was enough for her to escape. Twisting away from his grasp, breathing heavily, she locked eyes with him. Had she failed to hit him as she had, the fight would have been over right there. Her planning had paid off, but it had still been too close for comfort. Still, she appeared cool as ever, and though she had come very close to losing, he knew that she was still unshaken, at least as far as her ability to fight was concerned. He rose painfully to his feet. His left knee would start failing with one or two more blows. She could tell. Moving cautiously forward, he read her stance. She had shifted her target from his body to his knee. If she could take it out, the fight was hers.
Suddenly, her speed increased. Her leg went high. Skoll dodged backward, noting that her foot hadn't quite reached the level of his head. He only had a split second to react to her real plan, which he would have failed to do had he not had it in mind already. Shifting posture, he moved his left leg back, moving her target out of reach of the second kick that came sweeping across, impacting his right calf, just below the knee. Working through a spike of pain as he pushed off with his left foot, he struck the woman in the head. She was too fast for him to grab, so he would strike. Her arms went up in defense, but his next blow went into her stomach, and the third was a hook around her raised arms and into the side of her skull. She countered the fourth, moved back outside the reach of the fifth, and attained a safe distance again.
The two stood at odds, breath coming raggedly in and out. The crowd had made encouraging calls through parts of the fight, but now all were quiet. The two were still for a few moments, before Skoll took the offensive. Twilight backed up attempting another spinning kick. The bronze warrior blocked with his right and struck with his left into her calf muscle. When the foot met the ground again, he didn't notice any limp. He had caused damage, but not enough. She leapt back, before moving forward lashing out with her fists. Skoll caught a blow to the chin, not expecting the tactic, but kept his left leg back, preventing her distraction plot from achieving its desired effect. A return salvo of blows rebuffed her before she could choose a different target.
Instead of pausing after pushing her back, Skoll pushed the advantage, leading with his right leg each time, driving his opponent back each time with the promise of punishing strikes. Twilight withdrew, further and further, her kicks coming in, but ineffectually as he continued to push her further and further, leaving no time for a solid return attack using one of her more complicated and devastating techniques. Suddenly, she turned, and sped away, toward the edge of the arena. Skoll followed. He hadn't anticipated an all-out retreat, but under duress fighters sometimes had no choice but to plan to fight in a different area, seeking some advantage. She slowed and stopped at the very edge of the arena as he continued, seeking to push her out, or continue the fight with her back against the wall. She stepped up onto the tallest flat stone marking the edge of the arena.
It was over in an instant. Before, her round-house hadn't risen high enough to impact his head. That was the problem fighting someone as tall as Skoll, his head was more difficult to attack successully. He had proven to have an extremely solid defense when he focused on it, and the attacks he launched were very potent as well. He could work through pain to an extreme degree, and could employ strategy as easily as she. He had been a good opponent. Nevertheless, the kick she delivered from the atop the boundary rock was seven inches taller than the one she had been able to deliver before. She had been paying attention to her surroundings, had decided that she could use this flat, upraised stone to her advantage. Her heel hit the bronze wolf in the side of his head. Skoll's world went black. The warrior's head jerked violently with the impact, his eyes closed and he collapsed. Knockout.
*****
There was no memory of it. His head was dominated by a black fog. It wasn't quite like the time he'd been knocked senseless by Gabred...that had been more severe, but less succinct in its effect...he had felt like was trying to think through pudding or something for a short time after that, but had luckily suffered no permanent brain damage. Skoll didn't know how much time had passed by the time he re-opened his eyes. When color re-entered his world, he saw the faces of Twilight, Jantus, and the medical wolf above him.
"Shit." he said after a moment. Jantus got up, and raised his arms.
"He's okay!" Applause and hollering came from the crowd, the contest had a winner, and that winner was Twilight Thirteen. Skoll gestured the medic away. He was alright. He wasn't a sore loser, though he did wish the fight had ended in another way. Still, he wanted Twilight to enjoy her victory. Choosing to remain on the ground for a few moments, he looked up at her.
"I'm fine," he said casually, "Go let your family congratulate you." He propped himself into a sitting position, hoping that the confirmation of his health would let her enjoy her victory, and let his other friends know he was alright.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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