Ouroboros Spine Stay Still And Breathe
141 Posts
Ooc — Kara
Offline
#1

Kivi was back and ready to rumble. She kept to the outside of the boarders and waited for the right opportunity to strike. The last time she was here, the female was met by two wolves but the ebony female was all that mattered. Kivi had a feeling she was the leader of this pack, and after being of no help Kivi wanted to kick her ass. She could have atleast been a bit nicer or said something other than just no.

The wolfess lifted her head and called for the leader or the Spine. The message was clear. I challenge the leader of this pack, and the leader only. The dark female would be a coward not to face Kivi. She was larger than the Dotharan wolfess and probably thought Kivi was some weakling. However the brown and gold female couldn't wait to defeat her enemy, and so she waited for her call to be answered. One way or another Kivi would face that midnight female, even if she had to trespass and go through all of her pack.
c o n q u e r
916 Posts
Ooc — Steph
Offline
#2
Tonravik strode through the territory with an easiness that asserted her experience and aptitude with the mountainous terrain, lurking near the borders, ever a devoted servant to her task. She was near enough to the wolf that had visited once before to scent her, and when the call came, a challenge, Tonravik bristled. The alpha truly thought nothing of their last encounter, and if it were possible to, would think even less of the tawny plains wolf herself. The outsider and her visit was irrelevant to the dark leader. The other had been as obnoxious as a gnat; buzzing until swatted away. Tonravik could see, now, that said gnat needed to be put out.

The leader approached the plains wolf slowly, at first, assessing the enemy plainly with her dark eyes. The leader hardly thought the leaner wolf to be a weakling; only their battle would tell her that. Surely the wolf before her was quick on her feet given her size; but the attacks Tonravik would rain upon the stranger would bring far more damage to the other if landed than the lighter wolf would do to her. And, for an instant, Tonravik would have plenty of speed lent to her by the Spine itself, giving the leader herself a greater advantage than she would have for the rest of the fight. And, ever an opportunist, Tonravik sprung to motion, letting the descent lend her bearish body the speed necessary to truly knock the woman off her feet if given the chance to. Tonravik sought to ram into the body of Kivi, to literally sweep the wretch off of her feet. For the moment, her fangs did not seek purchase, knowing that if her attack landed, there would be little point in grabbing hold. In the cover of the night, the two would fight.
932 Posts
Ooc — Soap
Offline
#3
Permission granted from Kivi and Ton's players! Kero is observing.

The call rang out. He recognized it. Kind of. A howl was vastly different than one's speaking voice, but the flavors were similar enough that he had to see. That... and it was a challenge to his new alpha. Curiosity struck him more than anything else. He cancelled his journey outward and turned back towards the pack lands at a sprint. This, he had to see.

Kero slowed to a halt as he approached the scene. Eyes narrowed, watching as Tonravik charged the challenger. The bear of a wolf was built like a tank and he wondered just how well the lone female would support herself against such an attack. So far so good. For her, but Tonravik's skill... Wait. He recalled this lone female was a bit of a warrior herself, but she'd also lost to him when they'd sparred not long ago.

He wasn't sure which way this would go, but he lingered, allowing both females their space as he watched them duke it out.
89 Posts
Ooc — Kris
Offline
#4
Also has permission!

Kodiak had just broken a rabbit's back between his jaws when the howl of the female from the plains, calling his dark Alpha out for a fight. He instinctively growled around the limp form of the rabbit, and turned to make haste to this challenge. His ears listened, but detected no rallying call from Tonravik. His Alpha was asking for no assistance, so he would observe out of curiosity, and be present should she have need of him later. By the time he reached the borders, he saw that Iqniq seemingly had the same idea and that Tonravik had already charged the buffalo wolf. He strolled to his russet packmate's side, giving his head a shake to split the rabbit in two, a large brown paw shoving half to Iqniq.

"Have a bite," he said as he took a seat, eyes focused on the fray. "This should be good." His brutish leader versus a more lithe plains wolf. Kodiak was confident in Tonravik, but that did not mean she was immune to defeat. He wanted to jump in, but knew not to interfere in a one on one fight that his Alpha had accepted, so he busied his teeth with the rabbit. He tore a chunk from his catch, and watched.
141 Posts
Ooc — Kara
Offline
#5
Attack after attack, and the battle kept on going. Through the entire fight somehow a wound had appeared on her flank and a peice of her ear was missing. The strange thing was, she had never felt any damage being done to her. Kivi assumed it was the adrenaline coursing through her, but she wasn't positive. It was a close fight, one that the dark alpha should remember for a long time. Kivi had almost defeated her and thanks to one lucky blow in the end, Tonravik had won. However it did not matter to Kivi that she had lost as it proves that this Alpha is not as strong as she seems to be. She had almost lost to a wolfess probably three times smaller than her.

Kivi looked over to see two familiar faces. One was the brown wolf who was probably some lost puppy always kissing up to this pathetic wolfess they called Alpha. The other was a male the Dotharan female liked, the stranger she had gone swimming with. She smiled at them and then looked at Tonravik for a second before focusing back on the male's. "I bet your leader is not as strong as you expected."
c o n q u e r
916 Posts
Ooc — Steph
Offline
#6
It was a good battle, Tonravik would give the other that; but it hardly mattered, and it was not luck, but skill that caused the snarling Tonravik to win and the other to, inevitably, lose. Kivi was small, but any wolf with any true skill knew that size meant very little. Her own size was not always to her benefit; she was slower, but her attacks certainly dealt more damage until the very end. Tonravik would not let the other speak, and instead let out a guttural bark as the other began her speech to her two wolves, to join her in their latest hunt and newest chase. Her chance had been had, and lost; and that Kivi had not turned tail when she could meant, ultimately, her demise. With the wretch still close to her, Tonravik moved to push against the Plains wolf, attempting to shove her down the rocky earth.

It was stupidity that would keep Kivi here, and Tonravik knew beyond any benefit of a doubt that this girl was just that. Her arrogance would do her no favors, and the other had a chance to turn and leave safely (enough)... but now, now Tonravik would send her off with more than a torn shoulder and ear. Tonravik had been more than fair in not killing the other, but well, that chance had come and gone. If any of them managed to get a hold of the slippery Kivi, her life was forfeit... Tonravik would make sure of it. Her muzzle stung, and her ear bled, but Kivi herself was just another wolf to Tonravik. The other had certainly not been the first to challenge the dark leader, and perhaps Tonravik might have thought more of her if Kivi had gone and remained silent. As it was, this wolf meant nothing to her, and never would.
932 Posts
Ooc — Soap
Offline
#7
Kero watched. His gaze intent upon the scene, he almost didn't notice when Kodiak moved to join him. And then there was blood. His eyes widened, flicking down to the half of the rabbit that was offered his direction. He swiftly turned his gaze back towards the challenge with a grunt. The offer was kind, but he didn't want a meal to distract himself from the serious nature of the duel at hand.

Blows went back and forth. Just like that, it was over almost as quickly as it began. Tonravik was victorious. Thank the skies. It was far easier for her to win and for things to continue as were than for the plains wolf to usurp what he was starting to consider somewhat normal. He hadn't wanted to be placed in a situation where she might win. It would have been... awkward.

Alas, she recognized him all the same. Kero stood, shaking out his fur as her words were nearly lost over Tonravik's none too subtle urgings for her to leave before death truly found her. "I've won against you before," was all he said in return, lowering his head as hackles rose upon his nape. His muzzle wrinkled, leathered lips curling as his voice dropped to a brassy growl. "Time for you to go." He stepped forward. Another step and he'd be nipping at the girl's heels.
89 Posts
Ooc — Kris
Offline
#8
Once he swallowed his first bite, his attention became so locked on the fight that the rabbit at his feet was all but forgotten. His muscles soon tensed, and he could no longer sit. His hind quarters rose from the ground, tail straightened behind him, but his paws held firm their perch. As the battle ramped it up, it became even more difficult to watch when a powerful combination of instinct and aggression urged him forward. But Kodiak was firm in his control, though a growl rumbled in his throat like distant thunder.

His confidence in his leader was not misplaced, for Tonravik in the end was the victor. The brown bear stepped forward stiffly when the defeated plains wolf faced him and Iqniq. She uttered words meant as insult that succeeded only in insulting herself, for she had still lost, and it said little of her that she would lose to someone who was supposedly 'not as strong' in some sense. Kodiak's opinion of Tonravik was unshaken, regardless. He had fought along side her and knew her strength, and she showed it here, sustaining only a torn ear and a cut muzzle.

Kero spoke, and Kodiak's muzzle crinkled into a teeth baring snarl as he stood shoulder to shoulder with his russet comrade.
141 Posts
Ooc — Kara
Offline
#9
Her ears pressed against her skull when she felt something begin to push her. Kivi tripped and felt against the side that had the wound on it, and little rocks became stuck inside the injury. The Dotharan female stoo and listened as the male she went for a swim with said how he beat her once and that it was time for her to go. Kivi hoped he was just saying that because he didn't want to be kicked out of his pack, but why would he? He barely knew her, and now any time of friendship she had with him was crushed. Kivi growled at the two male wolves before turning and running from the Spine.

She knew she was not welcomed here anymore, and that if she returned to this territory she would most likely be attacked on sight. However none of that mattered, Kivi would return one day and she would try and kill this dark leader. Unfortunately that would have to wait. She had a Khal to follow and a student to teach the ways of the warrior. One day she would return, even if it meant her death.
c o n q u e r
916 Posts
Ooc — Steph
Offline
#10
The other stumbled, and Tonravik loosed a snarl when the other hit the earth. Tonravik lurched forward to go for her again, but Kivi was wise enough to rise, to go when she had the chance. And as the other set into her sprint, Tonravik moved after her, snapping hellishly at her heels. Tonravik would kill the bitch if she caught her, but Kivi was quick enough to leave in a timely manner. At length, she stopped to watch the other sprint into the distance, listening for her subordinates. A grim expression remained on her face, blood emerging from the fresh wound left by Kivi.

The wretch herself was now out of sight. Out of mind, too. Her relevance to Tonravik was nothing, as was her worth. "She will die." Tonravik would do the dirty work herself, if given the opportunity. But that they dispose of her if they could was now known to them. She threw her head up and howled to her pack of this wolf, of their loss, and how much more the other would lose if seen. She sang of their unity, their strength. The strong survive.
932 Posts
Ooc — Soap
Offline
#11
The plains wolf stumbled. Ton snarled at her, snapping at the girl as she rose and swiftly darted for the trees. Kero loped towards the pair, throwing his presence into the fray to make good on Tonravik's promise. She would die if she returned. She would have to. One didn't so fool heartedly challenge an alpha and not expect such repercussions. He'd thought the plains wolf talented. He hadn't the slightest idea why she'd make such a bold move.

Confusion riddled him, but he did his best to keep his face neutral. Kero watched her flee then skidded to a halt, straightening his face as he turned outward from his packmates and circled back around to glimpse them. "What was that all about?" he asked, looking between them before his gaze landed on their savage queen. She paid him no mind and instead tossed her voice to the wind, proclaiming her victory. Strange. For a woman who wanted no wolf to know about them, she certainly made a habit for announcing their presence to the world.

Very well. Kero lifted his head and spilled his song to the air. He'd witnessed this challenge. He'd seen its outcome and knew the results. The Spine remained as was. Tonravik reigned.
89 Posts
Ooc — Kris
Offline
#12
She stumbled, and as Tonravik charged forward so too did Kodiak and Iqniq, the brown bear's jaws snapping shut at the plains wolf's fleeting tail as she turned to run. A growl continued to rumble in his throat, but ebbed as his intense gaze watched the foolish girl's form shrink into the distance. The black Alpha spoke, and he nodded firmly, his tail flicking as he entertained the desire to sink his teeth into her throat himself. He would not hesitate should the opportunity rise, but for now, he threw his head back and sang with his packmates, Iqniq's question lost in the cry of victory.

When at last theirs howl died, he turned to Tonravik, his fiery eyes momentarily focusing on the blood welling across her muzzle and dripping from her ear. Although it was the black bear that normally investigated others, in this moment it was the brown bear that stepped in to do it, giving his leader a quick one over with eyes and nose, his tail low behind him and his ears slanted back in deferrence to her despite his forwardness. He may receive a snap for his proximity, but instinct implored he do it. But the only wounds that needed tending were those about her face, and he leaned in, bathing her muzzle first with a cleansing tongue, moving after to her ear if he was not chased back for his ministrations.

He was no healer, but he understood the need to clean a wound, and it was this that compelled him to lick, not affection.
c o n q u e r
916 Posts
Ooc — Steph
Offline
#13
It was all well and good for others to know of their existence. They were not invisible, and she did not pretend to be. Tonravik was a wolf who was strong, and that knew this. Surely others would know of this pack. But only that it was there, and that it was intolerant to stupidity. Anything else? They would never know. When her howls quieted, and the pack as a whole had finished their warning, Tonravik looked to Kerosene. She had heard him, but the priority was for this insolent being to know she was only welcomed here by death. Now, she responded.

"I have seen her one other time. She came to the borders. Asked if we knew of Plains, or Bison." Tonravik looked back to where the wolf was headed, bloodied and beaten. "I said no." Tonravik did not know nor care to know why the other had come back to challenge her; this land had no bison, or plains. "She was not pleased when we suggested she leave." Tonravik snorted, imagining then that this other wolf had probably not heard the word "no" before. Well, she was chock full of them, including denying the other victory here. Hopefully the other now understood that there was nothing here for the plains wolf but death, and Tonravik would await her with open jaws. This wolf was no different than any other lone wolf, and so was not treated as such. What had the little one expected? It was about that time she noted Kodiak approaching in a deferential manner. Her eyes fell upon him immediately, sharply, and the furs around her nape rose and she let out a low rumble.

She was disinterested in this. But she saw its necessity. She let him remove the blood from her muzzle, but when he made a move for her ear, she jolted backward and shouldered past the two, less keen on letting anyone access the sensitive area. Her own tail was stiff behind her, and Tonravik narrowed her eyes...

Once, twice, she let his tongue brush against her ear. But this stung more than her muzzle, and she could only tolerate someone near her face for so long no matter who the wolf. She jolted backward and bore a tooth: leave it. She then shifted, going off to travel the borders some, the bleeding of her ear not so terrible, now, but still a nuisance. Tonravik would need real assistance of stopping the blood, although it was far from life-threatening, but she had stubbornly resisted the first go around.
932 Posts
Ooc — Soap
Offline
#14
Their howl finished and Tonravik took a moment to answer his question. The explanation was a simple one, but it was not reason enough a wolf to challenge Ton's claim over this land. Or maybe it was. Pride was a complex and stubborn thing. There was a reason why it was considered the father of all sins. Perhaps today's display was merely one example as to why.

"She is of one of the roaming packs," he informed his alpha. "Their followers seem proud." He thought back to their meeting, wondering if she'd dropped any other information worth sharing. He thumbed through his memory, picking at the details of the scenario from before. "They train warriors," or she did. There was something about her demeanor and her hesitance to play that had struck him as though her society may be more rigid. "And speak another tongue."

It was all he knew, but it was enough. Tonravik would do with that information as she pleased. He lingered, watching as Kodiak moved to clean the wounds upon their alpha's face. Kero watched, noting the extent of the damage and stealing back a mental sigh. Tongues were rough. They'd only reopen the wounds.

Saying nothing more, Kero turned and removed himself from the immediate area. He'd find Tonravik soon enough and check on her injuries, but for now he offered space.

-Kero exits-
89 Posts
Ooc — Kris
Offline
#15
Kodiak was aware that his tending brought her pain, but it was needed, for his tongue would gently cleanse any debris and dirt that had lodged in the wound. And though he had no such knowledge of it, his saliva contained compounds that aided in defense against infection while promoting blood clotting and healing. There was a reason this instinct had evolved with the wolf; if it was a detriment to survival, it would have died with the first to practice it. It was true, however, that there could be too much of a good thing and indeed, excessive licking could worsen a wound and encourage infection, but Tonravik would hardly allow the brown bear a few licks, let alone enough to have the opposite of the intended effect.

He pressed on, pausing only as she sprung backward and then shouldered past. But he dared another try, and she tolerated him, but only just. He managed a couple passes against her ear, before she jumped back again and warned him against another round with a bared tooth. Kodiak dipped his head, averting his gaze as he stepped back to allow her space. His attention then drew to the place where Kivi had fallen, and he cocked a leg over it, pissing an insult and a warning onto the ground, before he bid his Alpha a farewell with a wave of his tail. Iqniq had already gone.