So you are leaving then?

@Kenneth placed it at the borders. :3

Burke was back to his full limit. He was happy in his life and fully recovered from his bloat situation. He was relieved that order was over. The only thing he wasn't satisfied with was the whole ordeal with Potema. But it had been such along time that most of the others seemed to have forgotten. Burke trotted past the border. The pack had been quiet lately add the fact that there were other wolves leaving. Maybe it was because Meldresi's young were off to Bearclaw Valley.

That is when Burke saw the dark male Kenneth. They had never really talked and he knew that the male was leaving. He wished he had spend more time with the male, although, now he didn't have a connection with him he wasn't that bothered with him leaving. But Burke still wanted to know why. He let out a low chuff for the male to know he was here and hoped that he would stop walking and face him.

He's still Kenneth here since he hasn't arrived at the North yet :)

Though he didn't show it, Kenneth was sad that he couldn't spend more time with his nephews and nice, Damien, Cicero and Potema. But then, they didn't know their father anyways, he'd left like the irresponsible bastard he was before their memory of him were firmly planted in their heads. They were better off without knowing their northern lineage, without knowing how their father was like, without knowing that he was related to them. They were living happily enough without knowing who he was, he wouldn't like to ruin it now.

After the howl rang through the air, Kenneth looked back once before trotting away at a slow and steady pace, so he would not grow tired easily. The journey North would take sometime, a few weeks at best, and he wouldn't want to waste his energy so soon. This departure reminded him of the time he left the Roman Legion, though this time wasn't as hard as the last. 

A low chuff caught the black male's velvety ears and so the exiled prince paused, conflicted, not knowing if he should turn around or keep going. He had the choice now, he was a loner after all. Finally, with a long inaudible sigh, the northerner turned around and waited.

Okay! So here he is already a lone wolf then!

Burke frowned when the dark wolf didn't turn to greet him. Was it that easily for him to forget the pack that supported him? Burke brushed forward, as the male stopped. "Kenneth?," he called out and moved further forward so he could face him. He wondered why the male was leaving. He could have said goodbye. Now he was a lone wolf and basically be seen as an enemy. 

The tank of a male didn't interact much with this wolf, frankly he didn't even know that this was Bane's brother, but he would like to know the reason. "Why are you leaving us. Were you unhappy?," Burke asked. It would be good feedback to know, maybe there was something he could change in the pack that would make it an even better pack. 

Yep!

The Beta of Blackfeather Woods called out his name, the name his parents gave him when he was born, the name he took back when he left Borealis Legio, when he stopped being a Roman Gladiator and chose the life of a lone wolf once again. The moment the dark furred male spoke his name, Kenneth realized that he did not wished to be called the name he was born with anymore. It did not define him, it meant nothing to him, it was time he took a new name, the name of the Gladiator he was. Now wasn't the time though.

The exiled prince turned around and faced Burke, wondering why the charcoal male was confronting him now. He had sung a song of farewell, said goodbye even though he hadn't personally met all of his packmates and said 'goodbye' to their faces, that was too time consuming. "Hey Burke," he simply said, wanting to get this all over with. The Beta peppered him with questions and Ken sighed, ears splaying back against his skull.

"Blackfeather Woods was a good home to me, but I don't belong in the south. The North calls for me, and I have to answer. Besides, I don't want to mess up the life of the pups, my nephews and niece. My twin brother, Keith, or Bane, whichever one you know him by, conceived the kids, its better for them to think of you as their only father. Better for them to never know their northern lineage and who their biological dad was, better for them not to know their relative, their uncle lived with them in the Woods," Ken replied quietly. "Its nothing personal, I'm sorry Burke."

Burke's pale eyes fell on the dark male, ready to question the wolf but he already started explaining why he was leaving. Burke had not expected that reasoning. Hell, he didn't even know the dark male was Bane's bother. He would be far more on to him if he would have known this. But Kenneth had joined around the time he was in the infirmary which was his reasoning for not really bonding with the male. He did take it as a compliment that the male thought he was a better dad than Bane. 

"I need to apologize for not spending much time with you," he spoke honestly, Burke could be fair if he thought some wolf deserved his fairness. "And I will thank you for the compliment. I didn't know your background but I can't help but agree with what I heard about Bane and how he... changed? Meldresi was vague about it. I don't mean any offense." Burke glanced at the other, now seeing the similarities. Burke snorted softly. "How about a friendly spar before you set off to this North of yours."

To the Northerner's utter surprise, Burke apologized to him for not spending much time with him and thanked him for the subtle compliment he had given the charcoal male, the Beta said that although he did not know Kenneth's background, he agreed with him and how he had changed. The exiled prince smiled when Burke said he did not mean offense, truthfully, Ken did not really care. He loved Keith because he was his brother, but...the silver prince had never really treated him well, none of those in Ziragon Bosk did. Hell, he'll love to hear offense made to them.

"I was never treated well by my natal packmates, since I was not dressed in a coat of white but one of pure ebony. Keith, I mean Bane, was the apple of my parents eye, he didn't treat me that well either, I don't really care about the comments you give him, as far as I'm concerned, they're all true," Ken shrugged his obsidian shoulders, a sad smile curving up his lips. 

At the suggestion of a friendly spar, the exiled prince smiled and nodded, "I'll be honored," he said simply, splaying his ears back against his skull as he readied his defenses.

I feel like they would have made such excellent friends xD Damn it. 
Sparring Pits Thread: http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=9789
Successful Attack for Burke.

Burke was not surprised to hear that Kenneth hadn't been treated well. He had known Bane only shortly, always been polite really. But the Dark King wasn't very fond of him for the reason he seemed to be mated to Meldresi. Now he knew otherwise but in the beginning they seemed pretty close. Funny, that he already wanted Meldresi in the beginning. Should have been a sign she was special like that. His dark queen. Burke pushed his attention back to the black wolf before him and not the black wolf that he was mated to. "Well good to know we are on the same page," he pointed out.

Burke instantly got into position, ready for another spar. He hadn't fought in awhile, only trained Damien which he was starting to see more as his own son rather than Bane's son. Damn he didn't even take his position but also became the father of his children. The dark male readied his large body. He would be disadvantaged by wolf with greater speed than him, yet Burke had the more brute force a tank hand. The male wasn't going to wait. Once her was ready for battle he instantly attacked, charging at the other like a raging bull. His nose tipped down to protect his neck. Burke did managed to lower a bit of of the impact so it wouldn't break any bones in the shoulder he targeted. It was a friendly spar after all. 

They can still converse outside of BFW on neutral territory :) unsuccessful attack 0/5 for Spartacus; 1/5 for Burke

His brother hadn't been too bad, to be honest, Keithen had always treated him better than his other former packmates, but the silver prince hadn't exactly treated him well for that matter. He supposed it wasn't his twin's fault, after all, he had to be perfect for their father and mother and treating his black brother well wouldn't exactly come off as good. Whatever happens, Kenneth would always love his white brother and no matter what, in the end, Ken would forgive him. They were twins after all, they were family. "He's still my brother though," the exiled prince said. "I'll love him no matter what," normally, that might have sounded terribly wrong coming out from a male's mouth, but Kenneth did not care what others thought. 

Kenneth's ebony snout dipped to protect his vulnerable throat, white eyes eying the Blackfeather Woods Beta as he charged at him like a bull. Ken attempted to sidestep but the charcoal male still managed to hit him hard. Grunting from the blow, he immediately threw himself forward, jaws snapping for his forelimb, hoping to unbalance him but making sure his grip (if he caught Burke at all) would be gentle and would not break through skin.

True! Unsuccessful Attack = 0/5 for Spartacus; 1/5 for Burke

Burke was surprised how well his attack worked mainly because he didn't think he was hitting him that hard. But nevertheless, he had a hit. One point for him. The large tank of a male instantly moved away from his target Kenneth had claws and teeth that could hurt him he was too close. Because of that decision. Kenneth's counter attacked barely missed him. Burke admitted his speed.

Burke wanted to try to be just as fast and instantly went for the hind leg that was closest to him. Now he was careful not to give the male any permanent injury. It was just a playful spar after all. He didn't want the male have troubles on his travels.

successful attack 1/5 for both of them

Kenneth's jaws snapped at air, his attack missed but only barely. It didn't upset the ebony gladiator though, every wolf missed sometimes, every wolf lost. But this time, the lone wolf wanted to win, to prove that he had been worthy to join Blackfeather Woods in first place. He did not know where that notion came from, perhaps it was because he had been wanting to prove himself his entire life that even when he didn't need to prove his worth, he wanted to show that he had skills.

Burke attempted to go for his hind leg but Kenneth was fast and quickly drew it away from the burly man's reach, immediately, he charged at the charcoal Beta, feinting a strike to his shoulder before quickly attempting to once more unbalance the tank by pulling a forelimb away from the large wolf. Unbalancing him would be the key to winning the spar.

Succes! Burke:2 Ken:1

Burke let out a soft grunt when he missed. He wasn't the youngest wolf, but it did mean that he had more experience fighting. The large male didn't see it coming though that Kenneth would pull his paw from under his body. His tank body fell against the ground but Burke decided to make work from it and roll over, trying to steal Kenneth's trick. He grabbed Kenneth's hid legs close to the base of his paw and pulled it as Burke got to his feet. 

Hopefully pulling the paw up and away from the body it would make the dark wolf lose his balance. It was a marvelous trick. Which was the reason why Burke was stealing it. That was the one thing he disliked about fighting that others could take over your technique. 

miss 1/5 for Spartacus; 2/5 for Burke

While Kenneth would not claim to be the best fighter and warrior around with the best experience, he could not deny the fact that he did have much more experience in fighting for survival than many. Being a Gladiator was no easy experience and in a way, it did leave many scars on the exiled prince, physically, emotionally and mentally. While Burke probably had more experience in battling, Ken was no stranger to sparring either. He might lose today, but he would learn how the other wolf fought, and the next time they met, the Gladiator was sure to win.

His blow connected and Burke fell against the ground, but immediately, he rolled over and grabbed his hind legs, pulling as he rose back onto dark paws. Cursing, though a small smile crept up the youth's features, Kenneth lost his balance and his left hip fell to the ground. Quickly, he rose back onto his paws and leapt forward, snapping at the other wolf's face.

 Succes! 1/5 for Spartacus; 3/5 for Burke

Burke had to admit that he was learning a lot from Kenneth. He was really trying and Burke had to give in some extra effort to keep himself on his toes. His large frame wasn't easy to take down at all. The tank watched how his attack was successful and how he took down the smaller but not lesser male. Kenneth clearly had knowledge where to place his feet and how he could have more successful attacks. Burke watched as he charged at his face, the male managed to side step the wolf.

As he sidestepped he hoped to grab the top of the other male's neck, not too painfully of course but he knew there was a pressure point in a wolves neck, pressing on it with his teeth wouldn't be painful just uncomfortable. It was perfect to disable someone in a fight.

successful hit 2/5 for Spartacus; 3/5 for Burke

Even though Spartacus was both strong and speedy, he preferred using his speed to win fights. To dodge and skip away from attacks then to strike suddenly like lightning. But if it came down to it, he could use strength but it wouldn't be his first tactic. Burke was making it harder for him, after all, he was large and strong and he wouldn't be easy to push to the ground. He would have to resort to cunning, to his wits, strength would do nothing against this tank of a male.

The Blackfeather Woods Beta's teeth fastened on his nape and pain shot through him, but Spartacus was as slippery as a fish and quickly twisted himself out of the other wolf's grasp, immediately charging forward to snap at Burke's nape and push the older male's head to the ground.

 Miss. 2/5 for Spartacus; 3/5 for Burke

Burke was pleased with his successful grab but he hadn't expected the other wolf to get out of it so quickly, he blamed himself for not holding him tight enough. But then again. This was a friendly spar not one to kill, or where one would flee. So Burke also couldn't really avoid Kenneth's next attack. The large wolf was slow compared to the other. Burke felt his head being pressed down against the ground. Burke tried to get out of it.

He would turn his hips and try to unbalance the male with his weight. He had a lot of weight so it might be good to use that. As he pressed his side against the other he also tried to push with his neck, testing the others strength.

missed! 2/5 for Spartacus; 3/5 for Burke

While a stereotypical Gladiator might be seen as a burly and robust wolf, that wasn't always the case. Spartacus himself was a mix of both, and he was as good a Gladiator as any large and brawny wolf, to him, speed was more important than strength. After all, what would strength do if there was a pack closing in on him and he was too slow? He would die. But a speedy wolf like himself would get away. That was one of the reasons why he preferred being quick.

The Gladiator's jaws clamped gently around the older man's nape as he pushed the other wolf's head to the ground, forcing the Blackfeather Woods Beta to show submission. Burke tried to turn and attempted to unbalance him with his weight but Spartacus wasn't entirely weak, so he pushed back, keeping his stance well balanced. It wasn't that he was stronger than the other male, but simply because the older wolf's head was being pushed to the ground so a good part of his strength had gone to resisting the push.

Spartacus kept pushing the Burke's head to the ground, it was going great so far, why not keep going for a while longer?

Miss. 2/5 for Spartacus; 3/5 for Burke. I was just thinking Burke is higher in level does he get any advantages? :P

Burke snarled when his head was held lower and in a more submissive stance. He opened his jaw and tried to bite the other, actually getting mad now. He started to struggle more instead of letting the wolf hold his head down. The large male then got himself freed, knowing the grip wasn't too strong but still dangerous. The tank shook himself to get the fur on his neck back in the right position. He backed off a bit, starting to circle the other wolf, trying to find any weak points. Surely Burke had several, slow and being old. But this young wolf seemed to have both speed and strength?

The alpha jumped forward, trying to nip at his feet and chase him into a new sparring spot than they were now. Maybe another, lighter surrounding would shed some light on the male and his weak points.

miss No, I don't think there can be any advantages with this kind of sparring method

A guttural snarl rumbled from Burke when Spartacus pushed his proud charcoal crown lower and lower in a submissive stance. It was obvious that the Beta disliked being in submission, that was natural for a man of power but it did nothing to impressive the northerner, it was unimpressive to feel him growing angry just because he used a tactic to force friendly submission in a friendly spar. But the Gladiator did not speak, Burke was still a wolf worthy of his respect, something as small as a spar didn't change that.

The Beta finally got himself out of the exiled prince's grasp, immediately, he placed some distance between them and moved in tandem with the Blackfeather Woods male as he began circling. Circling was good. It was the dance of the wolves, the dance that all wolves knew, and the dance would only end when one wolf lay dead beneath the other, or in this case, when one wolf was utterly helpless and yielded.

Burke rushed forward, attempting to nip at his heels but Spartacus was one step ahead and easily evade the blow, without hesitating, he moved forward, attempting snapping at the Beta's face, not close enough to damage his features but enough to hopefully make the older male back off and stumble.

Success! 2/5 for Spartacus; 4/5 for Burke. Hahah, I figured as much! (Sorry short writing this while others have presentations!)

Burke knew by now that if the his attack missed the other would be back to attack him. So when his teeth closed around nothing he quickly braced himself for another attack. He saw the male coming and tried to grab him by his neck, he wanted his teeth on the other's pressure points so he couldn't move and would surrender. This friendly spar was taking too long for his liking. He did like to spar but he wasn't the youngest and he was tiring out.

The large male also didn't like it that he was held in submission for so long. So he made sure that the pressure points were pressed well enough, so the male would really feel the impact without being hurt too much.

miss again. honestly, when I need evens to win, I roll odds. When I need odds to win, I roll evens. I swear the dice has something against me. 2/5 for Spartacus; 4/5 for Burke 

Spartacus lunged forward with the grace of a cat, but Burke did not back off, instead, the dark Blackfeather Woods Beta grabbed him by his ever vulnerable neck and pressed his teeth into one of his pressure points, causing him to yelp in pain. He gasped, disoriented, by the sudden, unexpected and painful blow. Burke's teeth were sharp, but he kept true to his word and did not draw blood, though Spartacus kind of wished he did because surely, small cuts would be less painful than this slow, painful, pressure point strangling. But he wouldn't give up yet, not now.

Spartacus bared his fangs in effort and attempted to struggle, hoping to squirrel his way out of the older male's firm grasp. But while his posture might be aggressive, with bristling hackles and bared fangs, it was clear by the twinkle in his pure white gaze that he was enjoying the spar.

Miss! Same Score!

Burke was pleased when he held Spartacus down by holding onto one of the pressure points. These kind of spars were fun because one could enjoy the spar instead of thinking too much. It was clear that he was holding Kenneth down. He was winning. But his grip slipped with the slick wolf struggling. Burke let him go before his teeth would catch his skin and rip him open. He stepped back, giving a court nod to see if Kenneth was going to give up or attack him again. Burke would respect it either way.

He fought well, it made him pleased that they had such a wolf amongst their ranks but also sad that he was leaving. Still he understood. His pale eyes on the other, ready to block an attack if he wasn't going to admit defeat. Burke was clearly on the winning side of this friendly spar.

last post

Spartacus could be as slippery and as sleek as any sea animal when he wanted to. It was a skill that he had acquired from a young age, it was a skill any black furred wolf from his homeland had. There were bullies, all kinds of bullies that sought to choke the air out of you, that sought to suffocate you. There were bullies that sought to give you pain by using the most painful pressure points, and if you did not have the skill to slip away from their iron grasp, then you would not survive there. Spartacus was here now, so obviously, he had survived.

He managed to wriggle out of Burke's grasp and quickly placed a good amount of distance between them, acknowledging the curt nod the Blackfeather Woods male gave him. This spar had taken out a good amount of his energy, and his time. He needed to be on his way, or else he wouldn't be there for a very, very long time. He would let the other wolf win this time, next time, however, would be a different story entirely.

"Good game," he said with a brief smile and a nod. "Goodbye," he dipped his head respectfully before turning around, making his way back home. Back to the North who called for him.

Thank you!

Burke was pleased to see the other give in to the fact that he won. The grey tank looked really pleased with win and raised himself up high. The black male soon vanished with a quick goodbye. Bet he didn't want to look into his winner face for a moment longer. Burke was pleased, very pleased. He showed that his old body could still handle a fight. The large male bid the other goodbye too and then turned to instantly vanishing under the undergrowth of their dark woods. 

Yes, he was still king and he was amazing. Burke always got a boost of confidence after he won a fight.