Sleeping Dragon From each according to his ability; to each according to his need

Merc thread for @Gristle c: Sorry for short post

Goliath had spent the better half of the day sleeping. Lately, he had been doing far too much exercise, and the ability to lift such a large mass of fat & muscle to pounce and whatnot required plenty of energy. His great strength and endurance is negated by his average stamina and agility; for the longest runs he would simply use the momentum of his weight to propel himself forwards.

Now, instead, he slept a deep and unbroken slumber by the geyser fields. The warm ground was artificially heated by the stream of hot water below, and the magma below that. Steam rose from the boiling water beside him, creating a light fog that surrounded the snow-dotted fields. While it had snowed before, the warmth of the hot springs melted any ice that came too close to the pools, and thus allowed for him to stay warm and away from the annoying sludge that pooled in at this time of the year.

That's okay :D Thanks for starting!

Breath coming out in laboured pants, the brute continued to rush forward, dark eyes aimed on the plump little rabbit that bounded ahead of him. He had singled it out when it dared poke its head above ground back in a grassy plain and now, he was closing in. At least, in Gristle's mind he was. In truth, he was slowly losing to the much speedier creature, his long strides unable to keep up with it. Drool fell from his lips, stomach churning in anticipation as he sped straight towards a geyser field.

The rabbit almost seemed to disappear amongst the white steam, its own pale fur blending into the low-lying mist. The man snarled in frustration as it darted behind a rise in the land, breaking the line of sight between it and the predator. Gristle followed, ready to charge after it again, before suddenly he saw a large, dark figure slumped in amongst the pools. The rabbit had disappeared and, with it, his concentration. The scent that lingered here suddenly registered in his mind upon seeing the other wolf — he had entered packlands.

Hearing footsteps from afar, Goliath's large ears perked up. Turning around to lie on his belly, he lifted his collosal weight on four paws and reared his head to face the source. It was hard to see, but he could make out the faint silouette of another wolf, rather stockier and much larger than any of the wolves that were in his pack. Maybe it was a new recruit? Stepping forwards, his thick stunted nose finally started to work, and past the smell of salt and sulfur that clouded the air, he could not find a single trace of Thuringwethil or Wildfire anywhere on the brute, who was still several meters away and partially out of sight.

Stepping forwards, he gave a low, rumbling growl as a warning, but part of Goliath was actually quite excited. Finally, maybe there was true, worthy opponent. Physically, he had never been bested in combat since arriving in the Teekons, and there was no thrill in a curbstomp fight.

Finding that it was finally the right time to speak, he lifted his massive chest high and roared a single, booming word.

 "HALT"

The other roused quickly and turned his massive head in Gristle's direction. When the stranger got to all fours and revealed his true height, his heart began to thud in his chest from excitement — and maybe the tiniest amount of panic. The other was a colossal giant, one even a burly wolf like Gristle aspired to be. Despite the loner coming up only a little short compared to the other, they still almost mirrored each other in looks.

Yet that didn't stop the tension from rising between them; Gristle was, after all, within pack borders. He stared the other down, hackles bristled, as he announced a single command in a thunderous voice.

"No," came his deadpan reply, before he began to stalk forward with a challenging snarl.

Goliath lashed back at the Barbarian's display of defiance with a deep, guttural growl, but as the other wolf came into clarity, he couldn't help but notice the striking similarities between them. Mixed, meerkat-esque hazel fur, warm chocolate eyes and large, brutish stature... One with a rather inferior intelligence could mistake them for siblings, and Goliath, with his walnut-sized brain, might have made that assumption, but his head was already filled with thoughts of bloodletting.

Taking one tremendous step after another, they came closer and closer, eyes locked onto the other in what could be seen as a silent battle of dominance.

Once closed in on each other, Goliath pushes himself to seem even larger and bellows as loud as he could:

"Fite me mate"