Mount Apikuni a spar for your thoughts

So far, Corvus had impressed Grezig the most out of all the other recruits. Perhaps it was part pride, since she had been the one to recruit him, but she also remembered their hunt. He had shown competence and skill. The others… Well, she didn’t even want to talk about Thorleif, Illidan was too young, and Elixir she was still a little unsure of. Everyone else, besides Liri and Kavik, she’d had barely any interaction with. So, yes. It was Corvus she thought who showed the most potential. Of course, there was only one real way to test this claim, and that was with a spar.

Feeling a little giddy, which was strange for her, she tilted her head back and called for him. A spar would show how good he was at fighting, and his mindset while doing so. Was he more defensive or more offensive? Did he bide his time or go all out? These things were important for her to know if she ever needed to fight beside him… or, gods forbid, against him.

The shadow had taken to exploring the nearby area, needing time to himself. While an expert of tuning others out, he preferred not having to do so―especially when it came to that one particularly mouthy idiot. Still weary from being up midday and their journey up the mountain, Corvus was looking for a nice spot to nap in when Grezig's howl summoned him. Disappointment was the immediate emotion that followed, but it quickly diminished into nothingness. He liked Grezig's relaxed, no-nonsense nature and the fact that she wasn't a fool. Besides, he was curious about what she wanted now, and curiosity drove this creature on.

A short trot later, the agouti woman came into view. You called? Corvus asked, coming to a stop just before her.

Corvus heeded her call and now stood before her. ’You called?’ he said, a question in his voice.

“I did,” she replied. She got right down to it. “You showed me when we first met that you can hunt. I was wondering if you can fight with the same level of competence. If the pack is to succeed, it will need good warriors to defend it. I am one of those. But are you?” She lifted an eyebrow and studied him, wondering how he would take her question. Wondering if he would be up to the challenge, or if he would back away, offended.

Grezig didn't outright say it, but the fact that she called for him only to question his ability to fight screamed challenge. Corvus admired her boldness and the confidence she had to call herself a good warrior; it drew genuine laughter from his lungs until words finally found him. Are you going to test me, good warrior? Was all the mercenary said, answering her question with a challenging question of his own. Amusement was clear in his tone and the expression on his face, a gleeful grin finding its place there. Corvus wasn't a boaster, as his actions spoke far louder and truer than mere words.

He hoped dearly that she said yes.

He laughed at her question. She did not know how to take that response. Was he laughing at her for questioning him? Or was he excited to spar? Or maybe he was laughing because he did not believe her to be a good warrior, as she had said?

’Are you going to test me, good warrior?’

Ah. Perhaps he did not believe in her skill. Well. That was fine. He had not seen her fight, either. How would he be able to trust her words without witnessing a fight? Or without sparring with her himself? Good. Perhaps he would agree.

“Yes, I am,” was her response to his question. “If you are willing,” she added, not wanting to force him. She did not want to start trouble between her packmates at this early stage, when they were not even true packmates yet. If he refused her, then so be it. Her view of him would suffer, but she would not force a fight out of him. “Understand that this would be a friendly spar. No eye shots. No blood. We fight until one of us surrenders or is unable to continue. Agreed?”

"Yes, I am."

Corvus felt his body come abuzz with energy at the affirmation, though the only outwards indicator of this was the size of his grin increasing. Interestingly, the woman added, "... if you are willing."

Though his toothy smile remained, the nosferatu's eyes burned with fiery intensity, voice low and serious when he replied, I cannot deny a challenge―I am a creature designed for battle. It was part pride and part obsession that made him this way. While it bothered Corvus deep down that he no longer had close ties to give his life greater meaning, he coped by not dwelling on the thought. It was easy for a shadow like himself, who let most things roll right off his back. He wasn't one to mope, but Corvus still hurt deep inside―so deep that no other soul could see the pain. He dearly missed his brother, his mother, and his friends, who now rested eternally. Though the mercenary loved to fight, one needs a purpose to fight for past mere survival to give life true meaning.

Now that he'd dwelt for just a moment, the mercenary determined that connecting himself to a group would be good for him. Only time would tell whether this one suited him or not, but Corvus had a desire to belong somewhere―to a pack, a family, an individual. Anywhere.

"Understand that this is a friendly spar." Oh, Grezig was speaking again. Shoving the sudden reflux of emotion down into oblivion, he fully tuned back in. She went over the rules, which were fair enough.

Of course, Corvus agreed with a nod. Injuring a pack mate would be unacceptable. Eager to start, he took several steps back and said, Now... show me what you've got! Excitement was clear in his voice and his expression, the hot coals within his wide eyes glowing brightly. Impatiently, he would wait for Grezig to get into position so that the spar would commence.

’I cannot deny a challenge―I am a creature designed for battle.’

Grezig could not deny the feeling of chills traveling up her spine at these words, and for a moment, she could see why Liri, or anyone else, might be uncomfortable around Corvus. But she, herself, was all right with the male. She had never been easily intimidated—by anyone or anything. The very worst that could happen to her was death, but death meant a great and forever emptiness. At least, that’s what she believed. And what was so bad about emptiness? She wouldn’t know about because she’d be dead, like trying to remember a time from before she was born. It was impossible; she remembered nothing. So, no, death did not scare her.

Besides, they had agreed on a friendly spar, not a challenge to the death.

Grezig shook her head, realizing she was thinking far too heavily about this, and got into a ready stance. With a nod to show that she was about to begin, she ran at Corvus, lunging for his shoulder, attempting a bite-and-shake tactic. The bite, if it hit, would be soft, of course. She would not draw blood.

With a nod, Grezig leapt into action, dashing straight for him. He expected her to go for his throat right off the bat and tried to dodge according to this prediction, but she seemed to settle for his shoulder instead. It'd been so long since the mercenary had been in a true spar that he expected her teeth to sink right into his flesh with a fresh sting, but this did not happen. There was pressure and discomfort, but nothing more―even as her head shook to and fro. Well, a fight was a fight; he'd take what he could get.

Corvus bent his head down to retaliate with his own bite, aiming for the side of Grezig's neck to try and dislodge her from his shoulder. He had to practically chant in his mind that this was a spar to prevent himself from truly injuring her. It'd have been so much more satisfying when he thrashed his own head if he bit down with just a bit more pressure, feeling the blood trickle into his mouth that welcomed the precious liquid so openly. The nosferatu resisted the temptation, tuning back into how Grezig would react.

Grezig felt her head pulled away from Corvus’ shoulder, pressure on her neck from his teeth, but it wasn’t bad. He was following the rules—no blood. He was still holding her neck, so she attempted to slam her face into his, hoping that that would make him let go of her. It didn’t work as she had hoped. His hold on her neck prevented her from having much force behind the head-butt.

Grezig butted her head against his jaws, but there wasn't much force behind the action. His grip faltered but was ultimately not lost, so he kept his jaws where they were and continued his oddly gentle assault. In an attempt to prevent the opponent from being able to gain an upper hand, Corvus swept a leg under her forelimbs and shoved his weight into her to send her to the ground with a thud. He followed her down, trying to keep his hold on her, though Grezig could wriggle out and retaliate. Still, being on the ground would leave her at more of a disadvantage than before.

Grezig growled in frustration when Corvus was not dislodged from her neck. He wasn’t hurting her, and yet even with his gentle grip, she couldn’t dislodge him. He was bigger than her, despite her thick and muscular build, and that was too his advantage. She grunted and expelled breath forcefully from her lungs when he knocked her legs out from under her. Her body hit the ground, but luckily it wasn’t a long fall. Now he was on top of her and she growled again. Unsure of what else to do since she was now pinned to the ground, she tried to slam her head upwards and butt him in the chin, but there was too much weight on her body and she barely knocked into him at all. This was quickly becoming embarrassing for her, but she was determined to learn from this no matter what.

If only this awkward position were not so fucking suggestive. She shook that thought away immediately, focusing back on the task at hand.

His opponent was making her frustration clear, and he couldn't help but chuckle―even as her head collided with his jaw again. Corvus quickly recovered from the blow and aimed a bite at her throat just below her jaw. He succeeded in landing his mark. Having his jaws over such a vulnerable area excited him further, but he would not harm Grezig. She must have trusted him quite a bit to agree to spar despite only knowing each other for a short while. Corvus would not destroy that trust.

Okay. Grezig had had enough of this. If Corvus wanted to fuck her later, fine, but she wasn’t in the mood to continue being mounted. This was a spar, not an affair. She got her paws underneath her and grunted with the effort of standing up, carrying his body with her. His jaws were still on her neck, and even though he hadn’t bit down too hard, it was beginning to feel quite tender there. Well… if wanted to have his jaws around her neck, she’d just have to take him for a ride! Without any warning, just as she stood up completely, she suddenly, forcefully, threw herself sideways, back onto the ground, in the direction of Corvus’ body, so that when she made impact with the ground, his face would slam into it as well. She grinned with satisfaction as she landed halfway on top of him, pinning his face into the forest floor with her neck and shoulder.

When she lifted herself off of the ground with himself on her back, he was utterly confused. He kept his hold on her, but that did not matter―what Grezig did next was a move he'd never seen before. She threw herself back to the ground at such an angle that he landed first and she right after. Her weight slammed his upper body into the ground hard, and he grunted from the blunt trauma to his head.

Dazed, his vision was swirly and blurred for several heartbeats. When Corvus came to, he realized that Grezig was weighing his face down. Oh, how the tides could turn. He had to truly ponder for a moment to think of how the hell he'd get himself out of this. It wouldn't be a graceful escape. Corvus scooted his body away from Grezig, head still pinned under her shoulder and neck. He then twisted himself so that his belly was on the ground, causing uncomfortable strain on his neck. Then, he shoved Grezig's front half off of him with his forelegs.

Head finally free, he held it upright and shook the tension out of his neck once on his feet. Several chuckles passed through his panting breaths before he breathed out, Impressive. Not a second later, the mercenary launched himself at her as she presumably made to get back to her own feet. His fangs met flesh once again, now at Grezig's scruff. Corvus kept his body angled away from her own teeth and shook his head around, though his teeth only made little indentations in her skin.

Grezig was getting back up from her amazing body slam and barely had her paws underneath again when Corvus lunged for the back of her neck. She was going to have some serious bruising there for the next week, probably, what with all of his neck biting. At this point, she was just annoyed that that was all he could think to do — bite her neck. Didn’t he have any other moves? His teeth hurt, but she suddenly had a well of strength inside of her. She shook her head hard, dislodging his teeth, and then turned and rammed into him as hard as she could, knocking him to the ground and pinning him there, her fangs gleaming, hanging right over his face.

She managed to dislodge him, which was fine. However, Grezig then suddenly rammed into him with brute force. Before he knew it, he was pinned, and her fangs were aimed at his face like a cocked gun. All this being jostled and slammed around like a ragdoll had him spent. He was panting hard, and while he didn't want to truly give in, his body was begging for a rest―head throbbing, muscles aching, and body hot from the sun.

Corvus laughed gleefully, glad to have been able to spar with someone he now deemed of respectable fighting prowess. I cannot fight any further. I concede, good warrior, He said truthfully, tone not holding the teasing tone it did before. After all, Grezig had proven herself worthy of the title.

Grezig panted hard, staring down at Corvus, waiting for his next move. What she was not expecting… was a yield. She sat back with a huff, one leg sticking out a bit awkwardly. She was absolutely exhausted, but satisfied. She gave Corvus a broad grin—something she did not usually give anyone, ever. She was too tired to speak for a time, but eventually, she forced words out of her mouth. “You fought well. I am glad we are allies.” It was true; she was not sure she could have beaten Corvus if it had been a real fight. “I hope I did not hurt you too badly early, when I slammed your face into the ground.” There was a touch of gloating in her voice, but it was tempered with true concern.

When Grezig sat back on her haunches, he pulled himself to his feet. She was grinning, which was new to Corvus, but he welcomed it. "You fought well. I am glad we are allies," She eventually said.

As am I, He agreed, grinning back.

"I hope I did not hurt you too badly early, when I slammed your face into the ground."

His head still throbbed, but his thoughts were clear and the pain was dull enough. I'm fine, Corvus assured. Are you? He then asked in return.

Grezig exhaled a breath and took one in slowly, trying to force her heart rate back down to normal. When she exhaled again, she said, “No lasting damage. Perhaps some bruising on the back of my neck.” Here she turned and looked at Corvus rather sharply. “Tell me, were you trying to mount me halfway through our fight? Grabbing my scruff like that and pinning me to my stomach on the ground… If you had wanted a fuck before the spar, you could have just asked.” Her voice had been completely and utterly serious, devoid of all mirth, but her eyes twinkled a bit at him before she turned her head away again.

"No lasting damage. Perhaps some bruising on the back of my neck." He nodded in acknowledgement but didn't apologize―she was the one to ask him to spar, after all, and while it was not a true fight, mild scrapes and bruises were to be expected. Grezig's gaze suddenly turned sharp, though, and then she said the strangest thing: "Tell me, were you trying to mount me halfway through our fight?... If you had wanted a fuck before the spar, you could have just asked." Her face was completely deadpanned, save for the gleam in her eye. The agouti woman averted her gaze soon after, though.

Once the look of initial shock left his face, it was replaced by utter mirth. Corvus wheezed, and cackling laughter erupted from his lungs. After he recovered, he answered honestly, I'd intended for you to land at least on your side, but I worked with what I had. The shadow tilted his head as he spoke. His shit-eating grin and the mischievous glint in his fiery eyes told that he was unapologetic, though truly he hadn't even thought about the sexual nature of his assault. Corvus always got caught up in the fight. He wasn't sure if Grezig was joking about being able to "just ask" or not with her usually serious nature, but it was amusing to hear nonetheless.

Corvus laughed at her question, a sound she wasn’t sure she had heard before now. She looked at him again, amusement gleaming in her eyes, as he explained what had actually happened. “I see,” she replied. “You are making up excuses now.” Then she laughed, too, a sound that was foreign to her own ears. After a few moments of allowing herself to laugh, she sighed and stood up. “Thank you for the spar. It was refreshing.” Now she was back to her old self, all joking about sex aside.

In reality, she was not a woman who gave herself to any man who came calling (not that Corvus had been doing so). Grezig believed that she should wait for a male who would stick by her side and help her in raising pups before she gave herself. It was not so much view about modesty—she could not care less about sex or what other people thought—but about making sure that whoever she raised her pups with would stick around. Imagine thinking you were settling down with a loyal partner, only to have to them go and fuck the next female they saw. No. She could not allow that. Whoever gave her her first litter of pups would have to swear to be loyal for life, or she would not let it happen.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked to Corvus again. “Come to me if you wish to spar again. I will gladly do so.” With a dip of her head, she turned and was heading back to the others.

[Exit unless stopped.]

"You are making up excuses now," She said.

Perhaps a bit, He coyly replied. Grezig laughed, and he found himself appreciating the sound. Corvus laughed along with her, and the sound of their voices mixed in the air until they decrescendoed. Then, she stood, and the Grezig he was accustomed to returned.

"Thank you for the spar. It was refreshing."

The nosferatu dipped his head. It was, He agreed.

"Come to me if you wish to spar again. I will gladly do so." With that, she dipped her head as well.

I look forward to it, He replied with an eager smile, practically promising that he would seek her out to spar again in the future. Corvus was glad he had someone to regularly practice with. His respect for Grezig only increased from this interaction. She had turned to go her own way, and he returned to the napping spot he'd been looking at. The full extent of his exhaustion didn't hit him until he laid down in the shade of the tree, and he quickly sank into a deep unconsciousness.