Swiftcurrent Creek but dreams come slow

@Njal

The pale female trotted along the creek's bank, one ear tilted forward and the other straining back. She held her neck level with her spine, and her tail waved at ease against her hind end. In all ways, she was the picture of tranquility, a wolf whose life was becoming clearer by the day. The pack had been feeding well; she had even gained a pound or two, her sides feeling rounder than they had in many, many months. Perhaps moreso than ever, she thought. She was sure it was adulthood catching up to Jinx, making exercise all the more important, that allowed the food she ate to pad her body. In her youth she had been almost skeletal, healthy but rail-thin... Now, she was rounding out a little, and chocked it up to a healthy appetite and plenty of sparring.

Jinx put her lope around the eastern side of the creek on pause when she caught sight of a wolverine lingering at the edge of a stand of trees. She had just been following the waters back to the territory's perimeter, hoping to complete one circuit before lunch... But the wolverine drew her eye. It was no ordinary wolverine; its eyes were pale blue and luminescent, and Jinx recognized it in an instant.

Her spirit guide had not come to her in some time. Before the wolverine spirit acknowledged her, Jinx's totem had been a porpoise, compassionate and gentle. Hers was a wilder heart now, as the wolverine reminded her. It watched her, making no move from its position along the trees... But its presence goaded her enough. It approved of her activities of late; she was returning to Sos and Atka, and returning to her warrior roots. Its silent eyes demanded more of her...

Without any further ado, Jinx put aside her patrol and lifted her head to howl into the creek's crisp morning air. It was a summons for any who would attend her in a sparring session, to train and warm their bodies for the days ahead when they might need to use them.

It was not often that Njal had a chance to truly let loose and fight. The winter chill demanded more of him, and he was eager to give it. To rouse his heart and work his body. Being a lowly fisherman had been invigorating enough upon his discovery in to the creek pack, but he wanted more.

Something powered Njal on this day that he could not name. A sense of purpose had started to wane within him, as it always did when he ascribed to the ideals of pack life; but he was resistant to these whims as well. The man was happy here. He had found a land much like Kindred in territory and filled with quiet, stoic individuals. Beings that reflected his own reserved nature.

Still, he wanted. He desired. A deep level of Njal was not satisfied and he would continue to hunt for that piece which would fill the hole in his heart.

As he patrolled along the river's edge, his steps were sluggish. His figure drooping with a growing lethargy. A man could only spend so many hours staring at the water before wishing for a fish; however, much of the river's shallows were frozen over at this point. Frost crept along that water's surface and scared away the fish within. Njal thought up many reasons why he was not flourishing at his job; but they were only excuses. The Gamma heard a sound behind him -

somewhere in the grass, amongst the snow and crispy grass. He turned sharply - leaping in to action. Large paws caught against the earth and pulled him forth, crunching the snow as he pursued. Njal had a feeling something was watching him. Just as his lungs began to burn from the running, he heard a new sound - a howl, perched in the winter air. A summons for a spar.

With a sharp breath, Njal headed in the direction of the call. The running had warmed him, thawed his stale state. He spotted the wolf after a short trek across the territory; and with a grunt, he observed her movements.

As the last note of her howl faded into the airwaves of the open wetlands, her gaze sought the wolverine once more. It was nothing but a spectre, a soul taken from Sos' Underworld and fashioned into the likeness of a warrior's animal... But nevertheless, it both lent her strength and enraged her. The wolverine was faster than her, and fiercer; no doubt it symbolized all her potential, but Jinx never reached it.

Just as she had fallen short of Koios, and what she could have been with his guidance. Just as she had fallen short of Nanuq, and been a lesser leader, incapable of taking the title of Warchief alone.

So wrapped up in her thoughts, and in staring down the wolverine whose very presence challenged her, was she that she failed to notice Njal until he was upon her. The gritty grunt of acknowledgement pulled her out of her reverie, and for a moment she forgot why she had summoned anyone. His was a figure she was familiar with: he reminded her of Nauja and Nanuq. Of Siku. There was nothing elegent nor sleek about him; in all ways, he was square. It was easy for Jinx to assume he was a battering ram in combat, with slow but heavy hits. The misjudgement was as much due to her youth and naivety as it was to her presumptuousness.

At length, she remembered why he was here; she blinked once to signal recognition of his intent. Without sharing any words (unbeknownst to her, this was a common theme in Njal's interactions), she began. Jinx spurred her legs into quick motion, seeking to come at him from his side and strike quick as a viper before dancing out of reach again. This underestimation of his speed—and assumption that he would be slow on his feet—could cost her the match. She was unaware of this reality as she sped at him with jaws wide, aiming not to maim or hurt, but to grip, harmless yet firm.

There were no words, no formalities, as the bear-like girl came at him. She was eager for this spar and showed a certain prowess, even in the fleeting initial moments. Njal was quick to lower his head, but it was the only thing he was able to do before the full intent of her teeth gripped at his quickly-thrusted shoulder. It had been a while since Njal had a proper spar - and he was not expecting the younger wolf to be particularly skilled; her size was the immediate threat, not her ability. The combatants had misjudged one another. He let out a breath as he twisted his head, positioning his body as best he could despite her firm grip, and snapped his teeth. He tried to pivot and thrust his fangs in to her vision - a relatively easy feat, as Jinx was so close to him. The warning snap caught at nothing for he was not intending to catch her, only shock if it were possible. And as his teeth slid behind his lips, he thrust his nose in to her neck as hard as he could; trying to aim for her throat or the edge of her jaw, but it all depended on how close she actually was, and his own maneuvering.

Dice Rolls: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=1271
Current HP: 24 - (5-2=3) = 21/24

The bridge of Jinx's nose wrinkled as her body thudded against his, but though her aim was true, he was too quick for her. Her jaws snatched at air as he whirled away from her attempt to grab him, displaying an expert confidence in his abilities. Their bodies touched in the blur of combat, yet neither wolf took offence to this; it was the way of things. She hissed a seething growl, somewhere between disappointment and approval, but it was short-lived. Njal seized this advantage given him. His growl caught in her ears, garnering a response in the form of her own curled lips and rumbling snarl, but the snap of his jaws was a ruse.

She realized it too late to stop him; his nose cut upward for her throat, and though Jinx pulled her head away as best she could, she could not avoid a sharp jab to her neck. This would usually signify a fatal hit, and a fatal mistake on her part, but they were pack. Though it would have ended a true fight, should the nose have been teeth instead, it did not end this one. Tucking back her head and thrusting up her ears, the female darted for his muzzle, hoping to clamp it in her jaws and win back some of the respect she had no doubt lost.

Current HP: 20 - 3 = 17/20

When in battle against a foe, perhaps Njal would have used his teeth. He had never been faced with such a situation though. In Kindred, he learned to fight with the intent to train; so his blows were well placed but hardly damaging. It was a habit that would take time to break.

Even now as his snout thrust against the meat and muscle of Jinx's neck, he kept his teeth away from her. The rumble of her chest spurred him to react, goading him even if it wasn't her intention. The bestial noise was soon met by his own rumbling tones, as he tried to circumnavigate her close body. Her teeth flashed in his vision but he could not duck out of the way - still, too slow, too rusty - and the spectre's canines caught upon his nose.

He felt the skin tear slightly. It wouldn't be much, just superficial. Njal reacted with a quick lift of his snout (which was probably a poor decision) that exposed his neck very briefly. He was trying to knock at her exposed teeth before they could vanish from his reach. Again he snapped his teeth, but this time the man drove his body toward Jinx with the intent to strike her shoulder-to-body, and bowl her over. With a squared stance and the scent of blood upon each inhalation, Njal was thoroughly invigorated.

Njal's glancing attack (2 HP damage) + Jinx's partial defend (2 HP mitigation) = 0 HP net damage.
Current HP: 21/24

Though an apology danced on the tip of her tongue when he lifted his muzzle and the skin tore, she did not give voice to it. He had to have been aware of what his action would do to him. Still, he succeeded in knocking away her teeth, for the sudden upward jerk of his snout wrenched her jaws and she released him. It was instinct to do so, for the wolf would take no chances for damage by nature.

He found his momentum even in such close quarters and came at her, ready to bowl her over. Jinx read these movements—one of few lessons by Nutaaq that had stuck with her—and prepared herself. Her legs splayed and her paws found purchase in the snow, so that when he crashed into her, it ached but she did not fall. Though naive and out of practise, Jinx knew the basics of keeping one's feet, and though she was quite tall and lengthy of leg, she knew how to square herself well.

She would now return this attempt unto him, with the exact same motion: a test, as it were. Could he keep his feet as well as she could? She would soon find out, for with a rumbling snarl she aimed her own shoulder for his chest and came in low for an awkward wolfish uppercut.

Current HP: Jinx does a Partial Attack (5 damage). Njal rolls a Partial Dodge (-5 damage). Jinx's attack does 0 damage.

17 - 0 = 17/20

An individual who was able to thwart his burly body was a rare one indeed; Njal had not encountered someone like Jinx in Kindred, or anywhere in between. She managed to withstand his thrust of momentum upon her, which made him quickly reconsider his style of battle. If she could handle that, then she could probably retaliate - so he did what came naturally, and ducked away from her. This was partially successful, as her pale body collided with his shoulder but did not make him lose his footing. He did stumble a step, but was quick to rebalance. Njal's new stance and position placed him farther from her neck and closer to her middle, so he dove towards her body with teeth gaping - slamming at her with his thick skull and trying to grab at the tender flesh of her hip. It was not something Njal usually did in battle; he was more adept at bowling over his opponent and simply pinning them, but that had proven to be difficult when faced with Jinx and her indomitable weight. The man found himself commending her mentally for her ability, while snapping his teeth so close to her flesh.

Njal's partial attack (5 HP damage) + Jinx's glancing defend (1 HP mitigation) = 4 HP net damage.
Current HP: 17/24

She lacked in anticipation what she made up for in quickness. Jinx had never been a terribly hard-hitting wolf, but despite that, Nutaaq had found a way to train her for speed. There hadn't been enough time for her to properly fight one-on-one with many opponents, however... So she often missed the key signs that revealed their intentions. She would have expected Njal to continue with his present strategy, but in the blink of any eye he had changed it. Jinx tried to move, tried to swing about and catch him with her jaws, but she hadn't been ready early enough to prevent his teeth from digging into her hip. She growled, something between quiet wolfish applause and personal outrage at having missed altogether.

Current HP: Jinx missed her attack and Njal had a glancing defend.
17 - 0 = 20

The woman's murmured growl was met by his own bestial sound; Njal was overtaken by the joy of the spar, which was something he missed. He hadn't been entirely aware of how badly he missed fighting like this, but it had been a long time between such exploits. It was good to get his blood pumping - and the invigorated male was ready for more. Jinx reacted as any wolf would, when faced with an unexpected attack; she retaliated as best she could. Teeth snapped and bodies drew close to one another, but the woman failed in her efforts. This left a gap within which Njal could place himself. He saw her teeth flash near his face and responded in kind - baring fangs and snarling with the gnashing of his pearly whites, which were meant to ward off further attempts. He wanted her distracted as he rose up a few inches upon his back legs, and draped his heavy chest across her back. It would be easy enough for the wide woman to snap at him now - he was exposed - but Njal would take this chance to try and end the fight. He wanted to force her down and pin her, the way he often tried to win his battles. The rumble in his chest extended to his belly (and he couldn't help but feel a masculine satisfaction that spread like heat along his belly. Jinx's attempts at freedom did not help this sensation).

Njal's partial attack (5 HP damage) + Jinx's partial dodge (-5 HP damage) = 0 HP net damage.
Current HP: 17/24

She was not allowed long to be frustrated about her failure. Njal's breath whistled through his fangs into the air near her face, warding her away, and she failed to see it for the distraction that it was. Jinx was unpredictable in some ways, but often forgot that other creatures might also be unpredictable. To her, his snap was his offensive move. So when she felt his legs press upon her spine and felt his weight hoisted above her, adrenaline rushed through her system and she growled a warning, uncertain what he was doing. It didn't seem that he was mounting her maliciously, however, and with a few wriggles she managed to pull herself out from under him and paced a few steps away to give both wolves extra room.

From here, she spun about and began a head-long charge at him. Her mouth gaped open, her tongue and gums flashing pink warning signals as she closed in on him and struck for the side of his neck. Her intent was to grab and hold, firmly enough to keep him there but not enough to draw blood or otherwise injure. It was not prudent to harm a pack mate, even when the heat of battle pumped through their veins and invigorated them as it did Njal and herself.

Current HP: Jinx had a successful attack (10 damage), Njal had a partial defend out of sheer luck wow (-2 damage).

17 - 8 = 9/20

It was a poor decision to rise up against Jinx in the manner that he did; she turned on him easily and quickly, delivering a series of winding, snapping attacks at his neck and chest. The movement caused Njal to slip off of her, and while he struggled to land and defend himself concurrently, he was mostly overwhelmed by her viciousness. She grappled with his body and the pinching of his neck signalled that the battle was almost over - he was overpowered, finally, and thrust towards the dirt. The man was exhausted and unable to do much else.

Njal's glancing attack (2 HP damage) = 2 HP net damage.
Current HP: 15/24

I'm not sure if you intended for the spar to end here or if Njal would keep going til the end (he could always turn it around if you roll an 8!) so I rolled again because I wasn't sure. >_>

A surge of satisfaction sparked through her core when she gripped the side of his neck. Though she did not wish to be overbearing and brag with her actions, she held on even as he battered her face. Their spar was friendly in nature, but they were wolves after all, and the only clear sign of victory was the showing of the underbelly. It wasn't a dignity thing so much as a mutual understanding amongst canines, and so it was not Jinx's way to gloating to try to encourage him to show her his. Rather, she wanted to be certain of intent, such that she would not release him only for him to seize the moment and retaliate.

Current HP: Jinx does a partial attack (5 damage) and Njal gets a glancing defend (-1).

9-4 = 5/20

He was caught and he knew it; as much as it infuriated him to lose a spar, Njal was simultaneously glad. That he had lost against someone so formidable (and so young) gave him a burst of hope for the pack as a whole. He struggled regardless, not wanting to lose outright, but Jinx had him in a good hold. The burly woman held his writhing self until he bayed a wheezing, tired call. Surrender, the sound implied. Njal was exhausted and there was little fight left in him.

Njal missed!
Current HP: 15/24

Njal struggled in her grasp. His teeth gnashed the air with wild thrusts and bucks of his head, but alas, he was too savage for his own good. Where he might have had the potential to do significant damage to Jinx in that moment, his thrashing was too unpredictable and sudden to land any hits. What contact he made lacked force, leaving no more than shallow scrapes if anything. No blood was drawn.

For good measure, the pale Kesuk sought to rearrange her grip and push his head down slightly. It wasn't enough to outright shame the gladiator, for that was not her goal. It was just enough to move his teeth out of range so he could not harm her. At last, he wheezed out a gentle cry to suggest he accepted his loss, and Jinx let go of him and stepped back to give him room to collect himself.

At the same time, she folded back into flawless submission, though it was borderline neutral. Jinx had always been one to push her boundaries. "It has been an honour to fight with you," she said between soft pants as she sought to gather her breath once more.

Efforts proved to be futile as Jinx's strength forced his head down; it wasn't an outright thrust of power, but enough for him to release a short and shallow rumble, and then she released. The spar was over and it was clear that Njal had lost, but both combatants were complacent. The grey man breathed raggedly for a moment or two, his mouth sliding open - lips across his previously exposed teeth - and tongue lolled out, licking at the air. Gulping it. When Jinx spoke he only gave a deep-breathed nod; clearly exasperated. His mouth clicked shut once, opened to gasp for more air, closed twice, three times, and he finally caught his breath. "You are more skilled than I anticipated," Njal commented. He did not want to be insulting, but his words were truthful. "I enjoyed that."

The man hefted himself to his paws, and shook his body; hoping to cool it with air at least a little, before taking to the trails. He passed by the white woman with a courteous nod - although his tail lifted and flagged in tired dominance, if only to reinstate his position despite the loss. As he passed he muttered, "Another time, perhaps?" And then passed in to shadow.

[exit]

She watched him recover, but said nothing to his words. Jinx had expected Njal to be slower than he was, but there was no point in mimicking his alarm. It had been clear in the midst of combat that she had underestimated his speed, and had she not corrected for it, might have suffered loss at his hands instead.

He passed by with a murmured farewell, which she returned with a calm, "absolutely." He reclaimed his dominance over her, which she allowed. Njal had been here much longer than Jinx had. She hadn't had an opportunity to prove herself... Yet. Soon, her contributions would outweigh her newness, or so she anticipated. For now, she moved off in the opposite direction, keen on finding Clarice or Lecter but unsure where either wolf might be.