The Floodlands wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight

@Natashe

Not all of her time was spent hunting and patrolling the borders, though with the birth of Eshamun's children rapidly approaching she found herself doing so more and more. She could patrol all she wished, but unless she tested her skills against another, Ragna's skills as a warrior would dull like a forgotten blade left to rust. It was this that drew her from the copse, seeing the tempering of her body as just another part of her skills. She picked the battlefield, verdant floodplains to the west of the copse and the south of the plateau. Then, itching for a fight, she tipped her nose up and let out a howl to challenge any who heard her to a spar.

Natashe was walking nearby, trying to find a good catch for a meal. She had eaten earlier and was used to eating a lot less than normal, but you never know when you will be able to get another meal. She'd probably bury it and save it for later. After a while she grew tired of sniffing around and plopped herself down on the ground. Huffing a heavy sigh she almost went to sleep when a howl sounded not too far from where she was. The tone spoke of a challenge and a familiar excitement creeped through her. Without hesitation she lifted her muzzle and replied, her low howl crooning through the air. She stood up and followed the path the howl made for her. Moving quickly she arrived, fighting to keep her tail at a more respectful position, even though she naturally kept it up. She had learned before that around these parts it wasn't acceptable to just show the natural dominance she felt. Golden eyes met the female and she picked up the scent of someone she had previously met,though it didn't belong to this female "ah. You know Aru'nikra" she said, surprised despite the fact that she was aware of the starting pack "The Malkaria am I correct?" She asked her ears twitching and muscles tense and ready to fight. "I would give my name, but we are strangers.. forgive me" she said and shuffled her paws eagerly.

Friendly spar!

A response came almost immediately. Ragna's stomach clenched in excitement, and already adrenaline was building up the drumming of her heart. She itched for a good fight, and hoped her challenger would provide one.

The wolf that came was, like so many she knew these days, a red-furred woman. She was not built of the angles the Sunspear Arunik'ra was, but was stockier and better built for brute strength. Her eyes were aflame, and in them Ragna saw a wolf equal to the task of sparring with her. The woman spoke, and Ragna's ears twitched irritably. They were not here to speak, but to spar. However, she would confirm that she was one of the Malkaria's numbers. I am. No more words, stranger. We will not injure, she said, laying out the rules for the fight. We finish when one of us surrenders. Begin. And with that she charged forward, aiming to knock the challenger to the ground.

Natashe nodded to signal she understood. She watched the female's muscles tense as she was about to lunge, and quickly made the decision to move away instead of bracing for the hit. Powerful legs pushed away, launching herself to the side and rolling to her paws. She stood up, her eyes calmly calculating where to hit her. Quickly she raced forward, changing direction at the last minute and positioning her shoulder to slam into the female's side. Head turned toward the side so that she could snap with her jaws if her opponent tried to bite.

They began. Ragna charged past the woman as she dodged, and on light feet she turned again to face her foe. Already the firebolt was charging. Rather than dodge, Ragna braced herself. When she felt the weight of the wolf crash into her and stumbled, unbalanced, for several steps, but did not fall as she might have were she unprepared. Quickly, Ragna regained her footing and snapped at the woman's leg, hoping to wrench it from the ground and knock her off balance. As she did this, she threw her full weight into her, hoping to knock her down again.

Natashe let a snarl escape as she lifted her leg and tried to move far enough away to remain standing. The female threw her weight into her far too quickly however and Natashe stumbled and rolled over onto her side. Using the momentum she continued to roll away, pausing briefly to take a breathe before beginning to stand. She stood up and circled her opponent waiting until her face was facing her hips. She darted forward, pushing off the ground for extra speed and as she reached the female she rose up on her hind legs and hovered above her for a moment before her front paws came down hard toward the female's back where the end of the spine was. She wasn't going to hit hard enough to do anything but stun her.

Though her jaws snapped on air, Ragna succeeded in knocking the other wolf down. As Ragna went to pin her, though, the woman rolled away and sprung back to her feet. The firebolt began to circle her and, snarling, Ragna turned with her, so that when the woman finally sprung, she made contact with Ragna's shoulder instead of her back. Pain burst in Ragna's shoulder, and she stumbled, distracted. She tested it on the ground quickly and found that though it ached, it was not injured. The pain would fade, and though she was growing tired, Ragna wouldn't back down just yet. Again she lunged, teeth bared, now aiming to take the firebolt by the scruff of her neck.

Natashe backed a couple of feet away and kept first eyes on the female. Her tactic seemed to have worked,and in a moment of pride she didn't prepare for the other female's attack. She felt teeth grab her scruff, and she snarled, yanking at the hold on her neck. The girl had her, but Natashe pulled back and aimed to slam it back into the female's head as hard as possible, a move that would cause pain to both, but might shake her free as well. As she moved to slam her, Natashe opened her mouth to attempt to grab hold of the female as well.

Ragna's teeth closed around the firebolt's scruff, her grip firm but not punishing. She would cause no major injury. She braced herself to try to wrestle the woman to the ground, but just as she felt steady enough to do so, the woman reared back. Their heads collided, and in her shock, Ragna released her grip on the woman's scruff and backpedaled. Her head throbbed, and Ragna was uninterested in continuing their fight with a headache. Yield, she declared, and saw no shame in it. Well fought, firebolt. She stood and shook herself of the dust of battle.

Natashe stumbled back after being released and sat down panting slightly. She caught her Breath and dipped her head"not so bad yourself. Firebolt? I think I'll keep the nickname" she said calmly. If she were younger her pride would've caused her chest to puff out and her tail to rise, but there was no obvious reaction other then the fire in her eyes. " If you would, please tell Aru'nikra that I will decline the offer to join The Malkaria. Thank you for the fight, it was needed" she said.

thanks for the thread! i'll archive.

Ragna's breaths began to even out, adrenaline dissipating. Apparently the woman like the name, which Ragna had only given her for lack of any other moniker. Keep it, she agreed. You fought well. I will take your message. And, as quickly as they had met, Ragna turned back towards her forest home and began to lope easily across the floodlands. The loss did not smart, and all she had was a few nicks and bruises. Still she played over in her head, analyzing shrewdly and pinpointing where she had gone wrong.