Swiftcurrent Creek VR zombies

x@Clarence ! Maybe spar or scout?

Whatever about this place, @Zephyr avoids it akin to the plague—something happened here, what he doesn’t know, and will likely eventually question directly about, as he often does. For now, Kratos doesn’t shy away from it. If anything, the reluctance for his mate to travel here makes him all the more curious. He plunges right in.
Nostrils flaring to take in the scent of various wolves traversing through, as well as an abundance of prey and the mid-morning spring air. The stench of recent rain hits him next, though the clouds have since departed, and simply left the sky overcast for now.

There was a song playing in his head. Clarence couldn't think of the name of it, or where it came from, but he did remember a man in all white when he thought of it. A sting at the back of his neck. Weird, rubbery hands grabbing him. But it wasn't bad, he thought. The song was good. Soothing.

So, he hummed it, splotched body traveling down beside the river. It was nice to be out after spending so long in... where had he come from again? It hurt his brain to think about. 

Large ears angled forward at the sound of footsteps up ahead. Good hearing on this one, echoes a voice in his head. But his eyes follow where his ears pointed and there was a very large and very red wolf, much bigger and spikier than Clarence. There was no fear in the boy, though, as he trotted forward. Absently, his ears registered the clinking of metal on metal from his bracelet.

"Hello," he said calmly, a smile stretching onto his lips. How long had it been since he'd spoken to another soul? Long enough for his ribs to show. "You're very big, sir. Is this your river?" Maybe he was tresspassing and the mud clinging to his fur belonged to the wolf in front of him. Clarence didn't know what to think about that, but he figured he should at least clear up who owned this place first. If he needed to leave, he would.

‘Cept it never is a quiet stroll in the woods with the birds chirping and the gentle trickle of the creek over rocks. Nah, there is always someone else lurking about. Kratos is quick to wonder the relation to Mal, due to the patchy markings. But Mal doesn’t look dog the way this one does.
Their attitude is similar though—smile and greet people and likely expect a smile and a greet back. Kratos gives a snort in lieu of one, deciding to look bitter instead.
The question though, that’s what gets him to ease up with a long arch of an eyebrow. Is this river his? He questions that himself— Maybe. What are you doing here.

Maybe? That was an odd answer. But it made Clarence think - if the river didn't belong to him, maybe it belonged to Clarence instead? Did it belong to anyone? Did anything belong to anyone? 

"I'm just walking," he responded, curled tail waving just a bit behind him. "It's pretty here. I like it." The smell of petrichor and the humidity and cool air all mixed together was soothing, even with this big and red wolf looking at him like that.

Red eyes flicked back up to make eye contact with the other wolf. "What's your name?" he questioned, tipping his head to the side.

Wanna do a tabletop spar or? I usually use this system, but I’m opening to trying others

Yeah, no, if he wants to try claiming this plot, he’ll definitely have to deal with boxing Kratos. Although Zephyr avoids it like the plague, it is close to where they are currently setting up camp and surprisingly Kratos has a territorial streak.
Sure, he replies nonchalant, obviously not caring much for what the speckled male likes or not. He doesn’t care much for the way he’s unafraid to meet his eyes, either—a challenge of dominance if anything. Kratos raises his tail.
Kratos. Firestorm, “you with the face”, name doesn’t matter much, but it still feels empowering to have one now when he’d been without for the first year of his life. You want this place? Fight me for it. Hunkering down, the red and black male braces himself.

Beginning of spar - Clarence attacks first.

Did Clarence want the land? Maybe. He wasn't sure what he wanted, really, but he didn't particularly want to fight the other boy in front of him. He was very big, after all, and Clarence wasn't a huge fan of violence. But here they were, and maybe this could be fun. Maybe.

Even if he was unused to it now, his body remembered how to move in the way it needed to to be able to fight. Clarence lunged forward and flung himself at the large red wolf's shoulder, mouth closed. He was almost using his body as a missile of sorts.

Link to tabletop thread — let the fun begin

He’s hyped up for it now—sinking his heels into this fictional purpose, even if these lands are far from becoming his and there is an uncertainty if Kratos himself even desires it. He just wants to be an ass in a way. It’s been awhile since he’s been able to unleash on someone and fight.
Unnamed splotchy guy takes him up on it, and Kratos would purr like a kitten if he could. He’s that happy. Instead, he keeps braced, watching the lunge—the dude’s obviously done this before, but Kratos has too many fights under his belt he knows what to look for. The slight angle and the shift in momentum, Kratos shifts his hips in the opposite direction, enough so that the collision hits his shoulder but doesn’t shatter it with the male’s weight behind it. Missile splash damage.
With their close proximity, Kratos goes for his favorite target; the neck. Jaws agape and chomping away.

Clarence slams into the large wolf's shoulder and it's a little jarring, but he does manage to slow his own momentum enough to where it doesn't hurt that bad when he does hit. The fighting isn't that fun for Clarence, but this guy really seems to like it, he thinks. 

Jaws snapped at him, and it's a blessing that Kratos connects with his shoulder and the side of his neck instead of his throat, because Clarence would have had a harder time keeping his grasp on reality. This wasn't a real fight, they weren't really going to hurt each other.

The boy twisted his body in such a way that his forepaw - the one not attached to the side Kratos was grabbing - looped over the other boy's back and he attempted to grab hold of his scruff.

The brawl is his favorite thing outside of Zephyr, who has quickly dethroned the sport. Thrashing about allows his mind to go blank, thoughts no longer plaguing his rotten brain.
Both of them have a hold of each other, Clarence makes for the move of wrapping an arm around him—a hug, how sweet. Kratos is not so kind, he uses his grip to attempt bulldozing into him, putting just enough pressure that would force the splotchy male downward.

This person was huge. It felt like he was being smashed into the ground with just the force of his weight. And Clarence was too tired and overwhelmed to be enjoying himself. The boy wasn't thinking clearly.

His attack was light this time, just kicking his feet as the other wolf shoved him into the ground and attempting to push him off. But it was pretty obvious who the victor of the spar was going to be.

Kratos is able to pin the lad, and though he remains unruly, the hound knows victory has been seized. Tail arched in dominance, he uses his forearms to keep the pressure down while he releases the grip with his jaws. Leave. And with that, Kratos gives him the chance to flee. This creek is his, for the day at least.

Feel free to wrap or archive here! Thank you for finishing this up

It wasn't that Clarence was afraid of the guy, because he definitely wasn't. He just didn't feel any desire to fight further, and when he was let up, he turned to leave. Best not to cause any more trouble here.

He hadn't even wanted the creek in the first place.

fade <3