Haunted Wood Bah! You're all the same to me

Spar thread! :3c

This haunt, though his home for the past few moons, was full of threats. Competition, backstabbers, murderers. The breeding season was coming up, and he knew this lot of heathens would only become more violent once the hormones began to soar. He remained ever on the lookout for the man who sought to cut his story short and wary of the enigma that was Vengeance.

Black Hat wouldn't let any of them drag him down, and the best way to rest assured of this was to keep his blade sharp. He howled, challenging any who dared to put their skills to the test against him.

the call was sounded, immediately prompting abeja to respond. she gave a short response — wait! — before trotting from the border to find her packmate. there stood an unfamiliar brute, cloaked in black with an unsettling grin. the young scout grimaced inwardly, but took care to keep her shock to herself.

once close enough, abeja debated speaking. his intentions were clear in the call, so it was fair to assume that he wasn't looking for a conversation. rather, she began to circle him, waiting for his first move.

The reply he received was from an unfamiliar woman, which perplexed him. It didn't take long for her to appear, and he looked her over. Who the hell are you? He rasped, watching her as she circled him. His displeasure bled into his tone, as he wasn't keen on having more competition. Had she been a familiar face, he probably would've leapt right into the fight; but Black Hat's curiosity trumped all but his ire.

don't be so mean, abeja mused. she'd come prepared for a fight, not to get her feelings hurt. a smile twisted at the corner of her lips, teeth teasing between. 

the male was visibly irritated. she took this into consideration as she slowly raised her guard, hackles lifting by row. abeja held her expectant gaze, refusing to reply until the end of their battle.

The only answer he received was a tease. Black Hat was not amused, but it was safe to assume she was a new recruit. Her name mattered none to him. The stranger bristled, signaling that she was ready to get this show on the road, and he didn't keep her waiting any longer. He charged, chin tucked and head low. She'd likely anticipate him to bite right away, so he leapt back just out of snapping range before going in for his true attack in an attempt to fake her out and catch her off-guard. If successful in this, he'd seek out her neck with his snaggleteeth.

the attack came quickly, leaving abeja with little time to prepare. she shifted in an attempt to dodge the anticipated bite, only to be floored by a sneak attack. his jaws were quick to clamp down on the lower half of her neck, drawing blood from the tender flesh. 

abeja had to act quickly. he was on top of her with a clear advantage. she snapped out in an attempt to catch his foreleg, hoping to latch onto the joint.

Blood pooled on his tongue, and the metallic tang of it only fueled the high he felt from the utter success of his attack and the sensation of teeth in flesh. So caught up in those sensations, it took him a moment to register her teeth digging into his foreleg. The pain only shoved his arousal higher. A low groan escaped his lips, soaking into her fur.

He shoved his leg further into her maw, a seemingly counterintuitive action at first glance. However, it would prevent her from tugging it in a manner that would cause breakage, especially if he were able to shift his grip closer to the wolfess' jawline, teeth hovering dangerously over her jugular. Though far from gentle, his grip would not do permanent damage.

abeja took a second to think. in their current position, her options were limited. letting go of his foreleg and twisting around for a snap at his throat meant risking further injury, but what other choice did she have?

the target was the junction between shoulder and throat. abeja reached around, ignoring the burn of tearing flesh in an attempt to land a similar bite.

Smartly, she released his leg. He was surprised she had the pain tolerance to strain against his firm grip, but here they were. His hold faltered just enough from her jerking to allow her room to sink her fangs into the crook of his neck. The wounds stung like needles in his skin, drawing a growl from him before he was aware of its manifestation. But no matter.

His hold was superior to hers, having restricted her options to the point of making this an uphill battle for her right from the get-go. Black Hat thrashed his head about with what room he had, intending to cause as much pain as possible. As he did, he reared and bored down on the woman's small form with gravity on his side, hoping to force her to the ground and put this silly little spat to an end.

the bite was landed, though abeja hardly had time to celebrate. the brute took advantage of his position, shaking his head violently and tearing open a streak of gashes in the process. she released on instinct, giving him the leverage needed to knock her onto her back.

then, he was on top of her, and she was fully at his mercy. abeja, she spat, quite displeased with the results of this spar. the wounds would heal with time, leaving unsightly scars in their wake. her submission was made clear in hopes that he was finished with his attack.

She, Abeja, laid belly-up on the cold, hard ground beneath him where she belonged. Black Hat relished the rush that followed as he reached his peak, frozen in that moment for several heartbeats before he released her throat and spat out clumps of fur that clung to his teeth. Black Hat, He returned with the smuggest grin in the universe. After having his fill of her humiliation, he stepped off of her, leaving Abeja free to stand should she choose (or be able).

Why are you here? He asked with lidded eyes, in a splendid mood after achieving such an easy victory.

the only option was to stand, despite the pain that it caused. flexing the muscles beneath her wound made abeja wince, though she knew it was better than lying down and admitting defeat. these two would meet again, and when they did, she wanted to know that black hat knew she was more than an easy win.

even with her head cocked awkwardly to the side, abeja was able to muster a wry grin. same reason as anyone, she quipped, then straining herself to straighten. i don't to freeze on my own.

Through it all, she returned his grin with her own. Her answer was simple, run-of-the-mill. I think you'll soon find you've made an... interesting choice, He vaguely commented. Nightwalkers wasn't your average pack. He certainly wouldn't have chosen it for a place to hunker down for the winter. Actually, he wouldn't (and didn't) choose to stay here at all. It felt crowded with everyone squabbling for power, ready to step on anybody given the opportunity without a second thought. Of course, he was included in "everyone", but a pack full of power-hungry wolves made for poor company. But that was enough of his inner grumbling.

and why is that? abeja asked, curious about black hat's reasoning. was there really any good place to settle, aside from within one's own claim? the time for her rise hadn't come yet, so she saw no problem with playing along until it did. 

still, it was clear that he held seniority over her. the information that he could potentially divulge, it excited her. there was a wealth of information below their paws and she need only know the right wolves to get it.

i think i am fitted for this pack, you disagree? sure, abeja wasn't the best fighter, but the girl had spirit.

His expression morphed into something foreboding. Nightwalkers is not the friendly neighborhood pack. This is where the cruel, bloodthirsty, and vengeful gather. It's sink or swim, just the same as out there. He gestured to the border with his snout. Black Hat was bitter, to say the least, tired of his mandatory stay here. He wondered if Vengeance would ever let him leave in one piece. Probably not.

Her question made him chuckle. Yes, He answered simply. That didn't mean he thought she wasn't capable of adapting, but he saw no reason to voice that clarification.

black hat was right. it didn't matter if one had a pack or not; freezing behind a border meant death all the same. except here, abeja argued, if i freeze to death, i won't be hungry while doing it. a grim thought, but a realistic one.

there was a chance that he was right, that this wasn't the best fit. abeja smiled, offering a slight shrug of her shoulders (and subsequent wince). whether she proved him wrong or not, it didn't matter much. she started to walk away from him, finding no use in continuing the conversation.

I would've picked another pack to overwinter, but you're here now. Watch your back, He warned grimly. In seemingly good spirits nonetheless, she turned and disappeared into the shadowy underbrush. With a crack of his neck, Black Hat went his own way to rest and heal his wounds.