i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

She paced, her paws beating a dusty path on the floor of the pit. The cold winter air bit down here just as much as it did elsewhere, trying to dig into her very bones as she trotted along to keep warm, making sure her muscles kept moving, moving, moving. A rock reared up in her path and she leaped on top of it, turning around and leaping back down to the dusty rock floor. Extended claws scraped the stone. Her irritation was evident in the tense shape of her muscles straining against her skin.

Tiamat was angry.

The seething hatred for Alizabeth, the self-proclaimed king of the Lagoon - she found that quite amusing at least - had been carefully contained at the challenge and was now, days later, spilling over into her appearance. Her furrowed brows and narrowed eyes were a clear indicator of someone who wasn't in the mood to play nice today.

She swiped at a rock and sent it bouncing away from her, then turned her face to the rest of the pit and, pinning her ears flat against her skull, roared a challenge to anyone who would meet her on the battlefield.

Tiamat vs. ???
For spar/dominance
Round 0 1 2 3

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

He had descended to the pit again, and at least this time it wasn't a lion from the Mire that he found. She was from any pride that he could tell, from what the faint wind brought him as he came down to join her. He didn't know if she was wanting to challenge someone of his stature, but she seemed angry enough that she likely wouldn't care. Well, he wasn't opposed to being a punching bag while he got some practice in.

"You are welcome to start," he offered, planting his paws and bracing himself for whatever attack she might begin with, should she choose to take him up on his offer.

@Tiamat

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

The male that answered her call had to have at least a hundred pounds over her, as well as several extra inches in height. In short, he was quite massive. Tiamat was not a small beast herself, but this lion was much bigger than many others she had met as a warrior.

Oh well. It just meant a bigger challenge.

Tiamat shrugged her shoulders at his offer and stalked towards the larger male, her tail lashing side to side as she studied his position and formulated a plan of attack. It would be difficult to catch him off guard since he was facing her and ready for a fight (as was often the case with spars), so she threw out the idea of circling him and trying to rush him from the side. Likely he would only turn to meet her.

Instead she remained facing him. Stalking forward had put her close enough that she wouldn't have to run or leap to get closer during an attack. Tiamat sprang forward, her right paw reaching out as she came near to try to snag his left front paw and pull it out from under him, hoping to offset his balance. At the same time, she allowed her trajectory to continue, hoping for their chests to slam into each other as she reached forward with her neck to try and snag some of the skin of his neck with her teeth.

Tiamat vs. @Seraphiel
For spar/dominance
Round 1 2 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 20 + 1 + 3 + 12 + 4 + 8 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 13 + 20 + 11 + 18 + 5

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 16 + 19 + 2 + 3 + 11

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

+10 Win a fight/+5 Lose a fight
+5 Complete a spar or fight
+5 Practice a defensive maneuver

She was more than welcome to refuse him, and he wouldn't have judged her for it, but she came forward to fight him. He remained where he was as she readied herself, meaning what he had said that she would be granted the first move. It would be dishonorable to tell her as much and then attack her before she was ready, and Seraphiel was anything but dishonorable these days.

She came at him in a rush, and since he wasn't built for speed there was nothing he could do to stop his left leg from getting pulled forward. Seeing as she continued her forward momentum, he decided to turn that to his advantage as best he could, turning to his left side and letting the front of his shoulder take more of the brunt than his chest, though her fangs still sank into his neck. He would let his mane dampen some of that attack naturally, though he still knew he was bleeding.

He attempted to pop his right shoulder up, hoping to catch her in the chest if she was still close enough. He also reached down and out with his head and jaws, not caring if it pulled where she was gnawing on him, attempting to clamp his own jaws around the front upper portion of her right leg, just below her shoulder.

Seraphiel vs. @Tiamat
for Dominance
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 2 + 7 + 8 + 12 + 3 + 13 + 5 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 13 + 11 + 20 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 17 + 8 + 14 + 11

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

She pulled his left leg forward successfully, but it seemed like he wasn't all that off balance as he shifted himself to the left, despite his left paw not supporting him, and let his shoulder take the brunt of their collision. There would be bruises on Tiamat's chest later from hitting the boney part of his shoulder, but she simply did not care.

Her fangs met their mark, but she was rewarded with a mouthful of mane as well. She sunk enough to do some damage, but the hairy mass lessened the blow and she removed her jaws immediately, not wishing to suffocate herself any farther than she already had with the first bite.

The male moved his shoulder, slamming it back into her chest where she'd already been hit and knocking a bit of the breath from her lungs. She stepped backwards a bit, the force of the blow knocking her away, and so his bite towards her right leg just barely missed, his teeth scraping the skin but not latching on.

With his face momentarily in reach, Tiamat put her weight on her left leg and lifted her right leg back up, lashing out towards his cheek with a strong blow, her claws mostly sheathed. She was angry, and remembering that this was just a spar was difficult. If she met her mark, her claws would do superficial damage at best. She was not entirely seeking to savage her opponent.

Tiamat vs. @Seraphiel
For spar/dominance
Round 1 2 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 10 + 17 + 15 + 4 + 16 + 12 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 11 + 16 + 13 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 9 + 19 + 16 + 10

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

+10 Win a fight/+5 Lose a fight
+5 Complete a spar or fight
+5 Practice a defensive maneuver

She let go of his leg as he pushed her back with his attack, and he staggered as she moved back and he was no longer able to brace himself however slightly on her through their repeated contact. He would have to remember that for the next time he tried that little maneuver, he thought as he planted his paw again.

He wasn't fast enough to avoid her paw coming at his face, so instead he closed his eye just to make sure she wouldn't accidentally catch it (not that he really thought she was going for it to be honest). The blow wasn't as bad is it could have been, leaving light scratches down his cheek. He already had scars on his face so what were a few more? It wasn't like anyone cared what he looked like.

Remembering how others had retaliated in kind when he had made a similar move, Seraphiel opened his eye again and attempted to grip her paw in his jaws, trying not to get any part of her toes so he didn't have to worry about damaging them. He too wasn't here to cause any lasting damage.

Seraphiel vs. @Tiamat
for Dominance
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 19 + 5 + 18 + 11 + 10 + 7 + 1 + 17

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 12 + 13 + 3 + 18

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 10 + 14 + 3 + 17

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

Some of her frustration had begun to bleed out during the fight as the adrenaline rushed through her veins. There was something about a head-to-head battle - perhaps not perfectly friendly, but certainly not vicious - with another lion, for practice or whatever, that seemed to help take the edge off of her feelings. It had the added benefit of helping her work towards a specific goal, keeping herself fit and ready for when the time came to snatch that crown right out of Alizabeth's paws.

He stumbled forward a bit when he could no longer rest his weight on her, but he was also able to place his paw back on the ground, making it a bit of a moot point. Still, his slower movements meant that her paw was able to catch her mark, hitting his face. She was careful to avoid anything vital, but he closed his eye anyways. A good defensive maneuver, just in case. She could appreciate that.

The scratches she left behind were minor and might not scar at all. As her paw continued in its trajectory, the male managed to grab her paw in his jaws, his teeth catching the skin along the side of the appendage. She hissed her discomfort, but she was lucky that no toes were caught into the maneuver. This put her into a delicate situation. If she tried to use her other paw, she's put all her weight on the one in his mouth, potentially causing more damage.

So, instead she pulled on the leg he had in his jaws. Since he was larger, it would most likely only pull her closer, but that was okay. She snaked out her neck to try to snap her jaws at his face, hoping to grab some flesh on his cheek, or perhaps even nick his nose with her teeth, forcing him to let go.

Tiamat vs. @Seraphiel
For spar/dominance
Round 1 2 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 16 + 19 + 17 + 6 + 13 + 4 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 11 + 4 + 10 + 12

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 5 + 19 + 6 + 11

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

+10 Win a fight/+5 Lose a fight
+5 Complete a spar or fight
+5 Practice a defensive maneuver

Between his little maneuver with his shoulder and closing his eye, he felt as though he'd prevented some damage he might otherwise have gotten. They were both good ideas, and he tucked them away in the back of his mind. As it was, he couldn't think of a good way to defend himself from her fangs coming at his face at high speed.

Her jaws closed around his upper jaw, just past his nose, and he let go of her paw because he guessed that was what she wanted, and again he didn't want to do any real harm. It would be too easy to accidentally crush something in her foot, and then he'd feel terrible. Teeth clamped on his muzzle, leaving furrows in the more tender skin and letting him taste his own blood as it trickled down into his open mouth. It wasn't enough to be of great concern to him, and it wasn't as though he hadn't done so before.

He lifted his right paw and attempted to gently cuff the left side of her face, claws in this time. More of a smack than a claw. He couldn't exactly see what he was aiming at very well with her face attached to his, and didn't want to risk accidentally putting a claw in her eye. Or her ear for that matter. That seemed like it would hurt too.

Seraphiel vs. @Tiamat
for Dominance
Round 3 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 19 + 20 + 4 + 18 + 16 + 1 + 15 + 12

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 2 + 18 + 3 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 15 + 13 + 10 + 7 + 1

@Seraphiel vs. @Tiamat FOR Dominance
— RESULTS —

Seraphiel Hits: 3+4+6=11
Seraphiel Dodges: 2+3+1=6

Tiamat Hits: 2+5+4=11
Tiamat Dodges: 4+3+2=9

Seraphiel Successful Hits: 4
Tiamat Successful Hits: 5

Tiamat HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR Dominance!

Please allow the challengers to respond to the fight results first. As per the site rules, if 3 days go by without a post from the challenger(s), they can be skipped. Whichever comes first! Any posts made before this will be removed, unless you are posting to another fight.

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

Her teeth found his upper jaw, above his nose, but she was careful to restrain herself. Her thoughts were clearer now and she wasn't here to hurt him. Only to let off steam. There was nothing she could do about the nicks in his skin, but she was certain to keep her bite soft enough that the wound would be no more than superficial. He'd be just as pretty as he had been before the fight. It had the added benefit of getting him to release her paw.

His paw smacked the left side of her face and she quickly let go, pushing herself away from him and breaking contact, giving them each their space. Her breath was coming heavier, but it had been a light spar and she felt more rejuvenated than exhausted. Working some of her frustration out had been the right idea after all.

She glanced over him and saw no wounds to be concerned about. She tried to save her vicious attacks for her enemies, but she was a warrior at heart and it was easy for her emotions to run away with her at times. "Thank you," she said to him politely, dipping her head his direction. "Tiamat Anatu." Perhaps it was strange to introduce oneself to a random sparring partner, but she felt he had earned a little respect.

@Seraphiel

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu