Sleeping Dragon i am made of shrapnel

For anyone that would maybe like to spar? :) Also tagging @Dio, @Hush, @Thyri, @Eske for visibility but no more than two others please. <3 decided to make it just one in one!

For the last several days, Thuringwethil finds herself a little more tense than usual. Wildfire is doing well in her healing but the changes she has been going through puts the dark woman a little more on edge. She remembers her first cycle but it had come upon her quickly and without warning but her own agitation has been growing with that of her mate. Ever since the announcement of their mateship, she feels far more under the scrutiny of her wolves than before and with @Chessur and @Tanja having made themselves at home, has only amplified.

While her two old companions from Seageda have managed to settle in well, living with the wolves that have been faithful to her, she still worries that their acceptance will not come as easily as she will like. Not being able to force them, since their loyalty has yet to be questioned, they are simply doing what she has asked of them but the frustration isn’t any less present. Building up in her chest, Thuringwethil struggles to release some of the stress. As she trots through the geyser field, one erupting in the distance, she stops and stares at it for a long moment. A rumble roils through her chest and she turns, feeling her lip curl as she moves back toward the lagoon in the hopes of finding someone to distract her.

The pikas were scarce, but the ones he did find were plump and juicy. He wished he had caught more while they were plentiful, but these would have to do. They weren't congregated in one place in particular, so he travelled far and wide to find the little things. The one he held in his maw was near the geysers, to his distaste, but the taste was too good to pass up. The hybrid was ready to trot back towards his den with his prize when he saw Heda. Not one to be rude, the mute trotted to her, chuffing. He dropped the pika, rolling it towards her, a questioning look on his face, all but oblivious to her restlessness.

Hush's approach catches her attention and she turns to face him, watching him drop his kill and offer it to her. Instead of taking it, for fear of it upsetting her stomach, Thuringwethil grunts and shakes her head. She even goes as far as to take a step back to allow him to pick it back up if he wishes. Her nose jerks upward once with a chuff of her own and stomp of her feet. Should be wish to temporarily disregard his kill and instead invite him for a little rough housing.

She rejected his gift, to his disappointment. He whined with confusion; was she not hungry? It seemed a waste to just toss it aside. Perhaps he would have to put it in the cach— Oh. Hush's ears flattened at first, but he straightened up and accepted her challenge. His stance widened and his eyes hardened slightly, huffing in the affirmative. He would spar with her.

Thuringwethil watches the disappointment cross the smaller wolf’s face but she can’t find it to give it a second thought. Eating is the last thing on her mind as the tension in her shoulders increase and, perhaps, she’ll take it later but for now she hopes the intention will come across in her actions. Instantly, the coywolf squares up and she does the same, moving in a circle as she watches him. She has not had a good practice session in a while and she does not know the extent of the male’s skill set. Now is as good a time as any, she supposes, and soon she flashes her teeth in welcome.

Heda offers no other warning as she charges, aiming for his shoulder as her teeth snap for scruff. Hard and fast is where she angles first, wondering how quick his reflexes will be to avoid her.

He mirrors her movements, beginning to form a sparring circle with their movements. He feels as if she would take the first move, and he waits for it, eyeing her body for any sign of tension — there!

She goes for his shoulder, and Hush knows that if he doesn't dodge this, or soften the blow somehow, it'll hurt. Even if this was a spar. He ducks under the blow, shrinking his already small form and removing her target from sight, letting Heda tumble over him, if she doesn't catch herself first. From there his head turns back to aim a weak blow at what is hopefully her passing flank, hoping to inflict the little attack and wriggle back to a stance.

He sinks faster than she anticipates, causing a leg to falter and she takes half a stumble to the ground but she’s up quickly. She feels the tug of her flank and her head swings around with a snarl spitting from her lips. His curve away from her puts him out of reach but she does not wait for long, launching at him without planning for the long run. All she can do is listen to the frustration accumulating in the back of her mind that only throwing her weight around can sway.

Hush laid a blow to Heda, making her stumble, but that victory was short-lived. He is quickly charged at, giving him little time to recover. Hush attempts to duck under her again, but his delay is more likely to have him trampled under Heda's feet than narrowly dodging her blow.

Hush does not move this time—at least not quickly enough—and Heda easily bowls him over. She does not find purchase though she does not try hard enough to grab for him. As much as his frustrations wishes to tear something apart (maybe she should have hunted), she keeps her teeth inside her muzzle and for a while longer they tussle. Later she can reassess and understand what kind of warrior the mute is but when their tumble is over, she doesn't linger around and instead leaves him and his kill.