Stavanger Bay let me check my itenerary... alright

@Ford <3

Today Saucy was itching for a spar. She had been robbed of a good fight when she hadn’t been able to catch up with Dalia’s attacker, and since then she hadn’t found many opportunities to blow off steam in the best way she knew. Also, it was just so much fun- and she could use the training. With all those reasons in mind, the white lioness trotted along the shoreline, searching for a good spot to act as the battleground. She decided on an section of the bay where the sand wasn’t as thick, so she could move easier. She then tipped back her head and let out a howl, which spread across Stavanger Bay. It sang for a fight, and whoever dared to be her partner in it.

There was a call from within the territory that requested the presence of a fighter. The warhound moved from his place on the borders of the bay with a swift step. The length of his limbs allowed for him to close the distance that stretched between them without issue. The sand was of no issue to the sea wraith – he was made to roam in the golden granules and bathe in the lapping touch of the swell. All of his training in the fight had taken place close to the sea, and he was eager to approach whoever wished to test his mettle.

The sight of Saucy was a familiar one. The titan drew his crown upward at her for a few moments, trotting in her direction without any sign of showing pause. After a few paces, the stormblessed creature lowered his skull to protect his throat and peeled the dark leather of his lips over his canines. With a few sure strides, Ford had closed much of the distance between them and stood in a guarded position to see if she would accept the warrior that had emerged.

It didn’t take long for the warrior girl’s request to be answered. The wraith emerged in all his regality, her black lips curled into a half snarl half smirk. The girl was glad it was him, as she was up for the challenge she was sure he’d bring. She had never sparred with this titan before, but she was confident in her abilities as always, perhaps a little too much so. His arrival was aknowledged with a dip of her head, then turned into a similar protective stance when he took up his. She watched him carefully as he closed the distance between them.

There they were, the lioness and the shark, facing each other with the fight in their eyes before it had even begun. She gave no verbal confirmation to begin, she simply let out a growl and charged forwards with her pearly white teeth bared. She aimed for his shoulder, a brute force attack with the goal of perhaps catching him off guard, and pushing him back.

The woman stood with a confident flash of her teeth and a sharp glint in her pearly blue gaze. Ford was unreadable, as always. And just as quickly as he had arrived, their battle had started. There was a primal pleasure in the appearance of her as she dove toward him, fangs ready to strike. He saw her aim for his shoulder and did not shy away from the hit – the strike was something that he craved. So, Saucy connected with his brutish frame and forced his body backwards with a sharp slice of her weapon teeth. The titan surged beneath the weight of her and relished in the fierceness that she held within her – perhaps she had been a perfect recruit for their lot.

Ford was knocked back through the sand and staggered on his limbs slightly. The warhound allowed for his shoulder to take the brunt of the damage so that he might have a reasonable means to fight back. The art of war was decided by the shots one was willing to take in order to make their own. With a savage snarl, the skeletal brute swung his head toward her and aimed with rapid snapping jaws at the bridge of her muzzle.

Saucy let out a guttural huff when her attack landed, she watched as Ford stumbled backwards but took it fully. He wasn’t much dazed by her move, but she still felt off to a good start. She sturdied her base for the anticipated retaliation, lifting each paw them stomping the ground of keep rooted but warm. He moved back towards her and with a mighty swing his teeth were upon her. She had prepared for it, her own maw moving to meet his before he could grab her muzzle. She attempted to push him aside, but he was forcing from above, and she was shoved down and away a few steps, having to catch herself from tripping.

The lioness caught her breath, then darted towards him with her skull aiming for his chest area. If she could throw him off balance like this than she would attempt to bare him to the ground.

The girl seemed to release her hold against his frame in order to avoid the snapping of his teeth on her muzzle. He had hoped that she would make this decision. With enough time, Ford moved like a prowling wildcat to position himself out of reach of her figure. The wraith’s mismatched gaze was glued to her frame to watch for signs of where she would aim to attack him next. His shoulder felt the burn of her previous move, but not nearly enough to have cast him out of their scuffle. Instead, he had only just started.
 
With a savage snarl, the titan watched her aim for his chest with the force of her moving body. Ford found it peculiar but would not have argued her out of such an action. Instead, he lowered his skull toward the sand to protect his throat and chest. Instead of baring his front to her, she would have been aiming for his broad shoulder blades and the long stretch of his back.

Saucy's charge met his shoulder again, the same one from before. This wasn't her original plan, but somehow it was perhaps effective. It would certainly cause a strain on that shoulder, and then maybe the whole leg. However it also cause a strain to her head. The impact, however not as hard as if this were to be a true fight, shook her, and she had to back up a few paces to straighten her senses. Fuck, she cursed under her breath as she wished she hadn't done that.

For some, frustration was a downer, that would make them want to give up. For Saucy it only made her more determined. The lioness shook off the stupefied trance and decided to play defensive this time, preparing herself for whatever move he might play next.

The shoulder took another strike, but she was visibly distressed that she had not landed her mark where she’d intended. The hit caused some pain to echo through his limb, but he had endured far worse in his youth and he knew that he would know worse still in the years that would come. Still, the movement was enough to detract her from the attacks that she had been placing on him. She backed herself up and put distance between them, looking at him through pale eyes.
 
Ford was unreadable as he prowled in a circle, making sure to hold that distance like a tight string. His frame swayed with the knowledge of a jaguar, and his eyes glimmered like the lightless orbs of a great white shark. It was as though the hunt was all that he was made for. The titan did not attack her immediately, but held his ground and waited to see if she would cave to the anticipation or if she would have the patience to stay on her mark.

It was rare that Saucy didn’t play broadsides, sending attack after attack after attack. But this time she wanted to play the game differently, she wanted to show Ford that she was no mere brute. So far all she’d done was charge in recklessly, and she wasn’t going to this time around. He was a hunter when he fought, looking for her weakness the way one would scout out their quarry. But she was no mere prey, she was a predator too. Saucy held her ground, black lips peeled back, daring him forwards. He’d see how patient a lioness could be.

The titan still did not move to attack. It was not as though he was a stranger to the action – no – but only that he was testing the mettle of the young woman across from him. She was daring and brash, but she was no master at her trade; not yet. Saucy was strong and capable, and she had proven a great deal to the wolves of the rift, but Ford would not have found peace until she had inspired him.
 
He swung a single ear around backwards to listen to the crashing of the waves against the shore. That was where he wished to take their fight. Ford knew well enough that she could hold her own against him on the earth, but he did not know her capability in the water – in his domain – and so he began to move back. His long legs made quick work of the sandy beach until he could feel the water lapping against his rear ankles. Closer to the swell, he snarled at her to goad her toward him. “That all you’ve got?” the warhound asked in a sneering tone.

Ford refused to attack either, and for a moment they were at a standstill. It was almost funny, the silent glares they gave each other, each waiting for the other to make a move. A smirk worked its way onto Saucy’s features, her tail flicking side to side. The titan finally started to move, but not towards her. His feet were carrying him back, as if he were pulled by the tide. He goaded her foward with a sneer, and while that did make her want to attack it wasn’t that which made her move. She could see easily what he was doing, coaxing her to fight him on his turf. Better make her move now before he made it all the way out into the shallows.

So with a frustrated snarl she leapt forwards, teeth aimed straight for Ford’s knees hoping to pull him down.

There it was; she bought into his ploy and darted toward him in hopes of preventing him from taking any more steps into the water. Ford could not help but to allow a wild and savage smile spread along his features. His hollow eyes followed her movements and noted the aim of her fangs – she was hoping to latch onto his limbs. It was a clever move for her to have made, but his muscles had been taught and he had been encouraged by the touch of the sea water against his ankles. She did not understand what the swell did to him, but she would. Still feeling the ache in his shoulder, the titan swung himself around as she closed in and kicked back with his hind legs. The aim was to release a spray of sea water into her face.

Just as Saucy’s fangs were about to hit their mark, Ford did a 180 and sent a wicked splash of saltwater at her face. It went all over; up her nose, it her open mouth, in her eyes. What the- she started, backing off quickly to blow air out her nostrils, in hopes of expelling the water. It burned, and she made a half cough half snarl as she whipped her head back to Ford. The lioness fixed him a accusatory look, though likely looked sort of foolish squinting through the salt. Then in a fit of frustration she lashed out again, this time her teeth aimed at his muzzle. She wanted to grab him and pull him down into the water, see how he liked it.

The water struck its mark and was sent into the finest crevices of her face. Ford leered at her with a toothy grin that created a savage expression on his features. His rear still faced her, but she snorted the water from her nose and aimed to snap her fangs down around his muzzle. The titan reared his head back, but she was able to slice a mark through the bridge of his snout and sent blood droplets into the sea. That was a danger for both of them; blood would attract the wolves of the water, and the further that they waded into the shallows, the more likely it was that a shark could reach them.
 
Ford snorted and moved a ways deeper; the water moving past his ankles and reaching up to graze the underside of his chest. He fixed his sights on Saucy, down the length of his muzzle and past the notch that she had created there. The jagged hackles along his back rose upward like quills. Without question, he dipped his nose into the sea to cleanse the blood from it. It lasted only for a moment, but the salt from the water stung and urged him onward.

Saucy hadn’t meant to draw blood with her attack, but she miscalculated how hard she’d snapped. She’d just sliced his snout, a trickle of blood oozed out through his fur. She felt bad, and held off for a moment to see if he was alright. Her icy eyes followed him as he moved further out into the brine, but something in her gut paused her from joining him. She was way better at swimming than when she’d first encountered the Stormrift wolves, and while she might venture to swim out to him, she dared not tussle with him in that water.

She took a few tentative steps forward, trying to appear as though she wasn’t bothered by the mysterious dark water. She let out a few snorts, her eyes and nose still stung and her head still pinched from the earlier impact. Why can’t we fight on land, I was doing great on the sand. You know I’m not the best in the water, she said reluctantly, feeling the cold burn of the winter water along her chest fur now.

The drawing of his blood was of little concern to him. It happened often enough; his frame was littered in an array of scars from his youth and his wars. It was the coarseness of his cloak that hid them from the naked eye, and he had not yet allowed anyone close enough to know they were there. He could see the look of concern that had flashed across her features. He knew that she hadn’t intended to actually harm him in any way; Ford did not mind at all, and he dipped his muzzle down to her and bathed the bridge of it in the salty wash of the ocean.
 
The next comment was an expression of displeasure at being forced to fight in the water. The titan drew his crown upward and smiled proudly at her. He knew well enough that she was a far more capable sparring partner when she was in her area of expertise. Still, the wolves of the rift were meant to overcome the weaknesses that they had. “You must learn to fight anywhere,” he instructed her. “Be an unstoppable force no matter where you fight.” It was the only way that she would grow as a warrior.

Ford raised his head when he replied to her, he looked massive even when chest deep in the colossal that was the ocean. His answer was akin to that of a mentor’s, and while Saucy usually hated getting input from others, from Ford it seemed natural. She didn’t want to snap back at him some defensive quip, but instead she wanted to prove herself to him. He had a strange effect on people, even on the strong willed Soleil.

She elicited a growl in response, her head bobbing down as she narrowed her eyes. The sea wraith beckoned her, and while her gut told her to stay where she was, her determination and perhaps bull headedness dragged her out. She had to do more hopping than he had to reach where he was, chest deep for him was a bit higher for her. But once she was near him she aimed her teeth for his snout again, this time from under it.

There it was; that glint that sparked a light from within her. He could only see it in the pale blue of her gaze, but he caught it nonetheless. That was the reason for them being there. While Ford was a cold and calculated brute, he had a knack for inspiring others to attain greatness. It was not all that he had worked in through his youth, but he had spent a vast majority of his social lessons practicing his understanding of others and their reactions. People were open books, so long as one knew how to read them. The warhound took a great pride in his ability to understand without feeling empathy.

Saucy sprung at him through the water and aimed for his muzzle again. The looming titan felt the adrenaline surge through his limbs and he rose up to meet her attack with his own spread jaws. The flash of his fangs was fierce, but only in order to meet her own strength. Ford reacted appropriately as the two clashed against each other with snapping jaws and rocking waves.

Teeth met teeth when Ford moved to meet her, they tussled for control, she pushed against him in a flash of white as her pushed back. Snarls escaped her mouth as she tried to grab at his cheek, the saltwater brimming around them sometimes splashing into her face again.  She took what he had said earlier about learning to fight in both, and tried to ignore it. She imagined that they were dry and on land, that her legs and chest were not submerged in frigid waters and slowed by a tugging current. It worked some, and she was able to hold her ground as they clashed.

do you want to maybe fade soon, and have another one whenever?

We sure can! Let's close it off in another round. :)

They clashed, but he did not falter. He was in his element, and it fueled him on; it ripped any semblance of exhaustion from his body and replaced it with a raging fire. She did well enough to hold her own, in spite of her lack of experience in the water. In fact, Ford was surprised that she was doing as well as she was without the same background that he had. It mattered very little. The titan wanted to show her what he was truly capable of. With a shocking turn, and speed that should not have existed in the lazy tugging of the sea, Ford furrowed his brow and aimed with a well-placed snap in an attempt to latch onto her muzzle and dip her beneath the waves. She may have been capable but fighting in the water and fighting on land were two very different feats.

Awesome! Last post for me then :)

Saucy was successfully holding her for a moment there, rooted solidly in the thick sand so that not even the waves could move her. However, Ford could. With an unbelievably quick snap, his teeth closed around her muzzle. The lioness lost her base, and was plunged into the water, only to inhale a large amount of water through her nostrils. This caused her eyes to pop open, and in moments they were burning with salt. She struggled against the water to resurface, forgetting completely about the fight at hand.

Coughing and spluttering she pushed to the shore, trudging through the water as quickly as possible until she no longer was surrounded by the sea. She spat and sneezed, blinking time and time again until finally she’d cleared up enough to shoot Ford a scowl. Big Bitch, she said, having decided on his nickname. Her scowl melted into an exasperated grin, teach me how to fight in the ocean and maybe I’ll let you a pick better one, she said. This was the highest honor she could offer, this was a very fair bargain (in Saucy’s eyes).

The fangs did not dig into her flesh. Still, he found success in his aim and braced himself to find his head submerged in the briny sea. She did not seem to like the unfolding of events and yanked herself free from his grasp to suck in air. He peered at her like a salt water crocodile waiting to snap. Instead, Saucy trudged to shore, dripping water heavily into the sands. She coughed and sneezed to get the salty water free from her nostrils and mouth. After a moment, the titan followed her to the sands of the bay and cast a crooked, ghostly smile that did not reach his eyes. She had granted him a nickname that did not bode well, but he took it the same way he would have from Rannveig.
 
“You will learn, yes. Then you will be formidable on both land and sea,” the leviathan remarked with a confident nod of his crown. They had scuffled enough for that day, though. Ford glanced up to the grey skies that seemed to roll on into infinity. Snow would fall soon, and they had thoroughly drenched themselves in the ocean water. It would do them well to find somewhere to dry off and to eat. So, Ford invited Saucy to get a bite and to settle down in the caves that were located to the west of their beach.