Haunted Wood sleight of hand

@Vanity ^^

It had been several days since he and Valour returned from Ursus, and Clarence was feeling better after some rest and relaxation. But still, there were issues that needed to be addressed...

Like why had that lady with the white face looked so angry at the meeting? Vanity was her name, wasn't it? She had puppies, like Serem. 

Clarence wouldn't waste time looking for her. It would be easier to call her to him, so that's what he did. The wolfdog tipped his head back and howled, waiting for the she-wolf to answer.

She was relaxing outside the den, looking after Arwen and Leshen.
A call ricocheted through the expansive forest. For her.
Without too much hurry, she put her children safely in the den, giving them pointed looks as her strict instruction not to leave the den.

She loped through the woods, ready for the number of situations that she may come across.
A demon from her past, someone she'd once met? No, this was inside the borders. Her ears lay back, expecting a rank challenge as she approached the piebald fox-wolf.
Valour's plaything.

She slowed, chin dipping and ears pressing forward, tail waving high.
He was only an inch taller than her, but she has more experience. Maybe they would be matched.
"You called?" She inquired expectantly, wanting to get back to her babies as quickly as possible.

Clarence's own tail was curled - naturally, of course, not out of dominance, but he also didn't really enjoy the way she was looking at him. It made him uneasy, and with everything going on recently the boy had had a boost in confidence. 

"I did," he confirmed, tipping his head to the side. "You... looked at me weirdly back at the meeting. Like you were angry, even though we'd never really talked." He was concerned, brows crinkling a little. "Is there a problem?" 

Maybe that last question was asked with a bit of testiness tacked on. What had he done to this woman?

Sorry I made pizza xD

She lifted her chin slightly, looking at his tail, curling in retaliation. He was just a soldier.
She inhaled the air, smelling Santiago. Oh yes, Serem quietly talked to her of the matter.
This boy had split the mans heart into wanting Serem and him.
Vanity was all for having many lovers, but to have two mated was another thing to her. A mate was wholehearted and dedicated.

"Well it irked me that you seemed so proud of turning Valour into a mouse, rather than the wolf he was raised to be."
She stalked closer to him, all the while uncovering the layers of scents on him.
"No more fighting, he said. Don't use the pit he said. Weak child." She spat the spanish like she were a basilisk.
 "What thoughts have you been weaving into his little mind, huh?" Her ruby eyes met his, noting how they would look like the burning hell. Her gems, his burning forge.
She remembered her stance and tucked her chin again, making sure not to be stagnant. 

lmao you're totally fine ^^

Clarence tilted his head to the side, still scanning her over. Their eyes were the same color, he realized, meeting her gaze evenly. This would not have been the first time a wolf or dog had approached him like this, and it wouldn't be the last. It seemed some individuals were just so attached to the idea that fighting was the only way to go. 

Perhaps she was one of the monsters Memory spoke of. 

"What Valour did was brave," he said decisively, his own chin tucking defensively to protect his throat on instinct. His limited understanding of Spanish allowed him to understand what she'd called the Warlord, and his eyes narrowed. "I haven't been giving him ideas. He's not weak. The pit was... evil. It's time for a change." His brows rose then, and then he spoke again, fueled by confidence and the need to defend his friend. 

"Estas asustada."

Was she begging for a fight?
Probably. But she had children, and perhaps that parental instinct was cutting her edges.
"The Nightwalkers are evil." It was evident to her now that he knew what she said in Spanish. Or at least enough.
"Venny was, but only to look scary. To protect us." Fear was protection. Fear was an omen, a ward.
She and Venny sang the same song when it came to protecting this pack.
She was never his Consort, but she was his lover. Was Serem ever a love?

"And you have, you wanted the change." How could he say he wasn't the source of the blight when it was obviously his idea. "Your smugness, it was because you wanted it to happen."
An idea streaked through her mind, causing her to advance from the distance she'd grown in her movements, beelining for Clarance. 
"You were sent by Ursus to spy on us, to get close to Santiago, to kill Valour, to stop their other spies being captured."
She stopped a couple of paces away from him, a low snarl rippling from her.
Despite who thought she was cute, or sexy, or too insignificant to not hurt anything, Vanity had a temper.
And it was focused solely on poor, battle-worn Clarance.

Venny? Did she mean Vengeance? If so, he'd heard from multiple sources that that was a bad guy.

"He hurt people," Clarence insisted, angling his ears forward. "Of course I don't want to hurt anybody. That's what made me happy - that Valour said we didn't have to do that for no reason anymore." This lady had it all wrong. 

He barely flinched as she rushed at him, accusations flung from snarling lips, but his own maw wrinkled up when she finished. "I'm not here to do anything like that. I just met Ursus a couple days ago, and it didn't go well," he huffed back, fur bristling on his shoulders. His body coiled for a fight that he didn't even really want. 

Something switched in his brain and Clarence bared his teeth, head lowering a bit. "Are you just going to complain all day, or are you going to fight me?" he demanded, red eyes narrowed harshly. "If you're just going to accuse me for no reason, stop wasting my time."

He claimed to not want to hurt anybody. So what did he do when Ursus rained down on him and Valour? Curl up and cry like a whelp?
Her tail lashed the air like it could command lightning.
More insults came, well really it was him begging to fight.

Vanity wasted no time.
She darted to the left of him, feinting a bite, and barreled straight for his forelegs, aiming to flip him upside down with surprise and the fake attack.

 

Damage Dealt: 11

Of course this was a bad idea. Clarence was torn up already, not as quick as he would be otherwise. Vanity lunged at him, and maybe if he wasn't healing he'd be quicker to react, but the woman swept his legs out from under him. 

Thinking quickly, Clarence attempted to wrap his forelegs around her body and take her with him, not using his mouth just yet. 

damage dealt: 6

She swept him over easily. Obviously he needed footwork training and was the likely cause of the damage he'd already have taken.
She rolled over his body, and his legs wrapped around her, probably in an attempt to tangle her up and immobilise her.

She went for his face, latching briefly onto his muzzle in nothing more than a reprimand. His teeth hadn't come flying for her yet, but if he was of Ursus alignment, then he would be put in the pit.

Damage Dealt: 7

A maw fastened over his own, which was surprising - he'd never been reprimanded like that before. The worst thing that had happened to his face was when another male raked his teeth across it, resulting in the perpendicular scars across the bridge of his nose. 

He pushed his forepaws up, aiming to shove her face off of him in a purely defensive move this time. 

Damage dealt: 3

It seemed that her reprimand was done, and he batted his paws in her face, warding her away.
She backed up a few paces, tail lashing still.
Not bloodied, perhaps bruised.
A good first fight, she thought.

"You're not such a wimp after all." She mildly complimented.
She stalked around him as he took the time to gauge whatever he needed. She thinks this fight is over, though, and no more needs to come of it.
She was the Leitenient, and he'd learn to listen. For now, the wild thought of his being an Ursus spy was now a quiet whisper she'd contemplate.
She wanted to get back to her children, but she refused to turn her back on an opponent without closure.
Finality of the fight.

Yeah, it would likely be stupid for him to continue fighting. He wasn't even that mad anyway. The physical activity had whisked it out of him, wearing his beaten body down further. 

He didn't hate her. That was odd.

Was that a compliment? Clarence hummed in acknowledgement, checking to be sure the cuts along his stomach stayed closed. There was no bleeding to be seen, thankfully. He would've felt really stupid if there had been. 

"Please, don't call Valour weak," he said, turning his eyes toward her again. "Fights don't have to end bloody. He's trying to do what's best for the pack." 

He'd wait for her to say something. If not, he would leave without another word.

No, they don't have to end in blood. This fight proved that. 
"But the victory is much sweeter when you can taste it." 
In her mind, it was true and she didn't think he had any idea what she was talking about. 

But she was done here. He was done here. She turned away, walking with her tail still arched, so all bystanders knew she was more dominant. She'd one, she had her rank.
Injuries or not, she believes the outcome would be the same. 

Her ears tilted back, ready to catch any muttered retorts to hold onto for the next time she decked him. 

She would get no retorts from Clarence. Vanity could choose to believe how she wanted to, and Clarence would do the same. Perhaps they'd never see eye to eye. Perhaps, when he was better, Clarence would have to challenge her again. 

Perhaps it wouldn't be necessary. 

The wolfdog turned around and headed in the opposite direction, posture neutral. There wasn't any shame in losing a fight from time to time. 

fade