Content Warning for language.

Damn it was cold – too fucking cold, honestly. Even though the air was still, the continent had finally succumbed to a late-winter bitterness that had Rosemary questioning her judgement as she picked her way down the snow-and-ice crusted path. Her toes tingled in pain, despite somehow also being numb, and every breath she pulled into her lungs felt as though winter itself had entered her body and was attempting to freeze her from the inside out. All four of her ears had managed to be pressed back into the longer tresses atop her skull, but it only offered a small warmth in the greater chill of this afternoon. It was cold, and there was simply no avoiding this truth.

A grimace weighed at the corners of Rosemary’s mouth, and her brows were furrowed over narrowed eyes, and she found ways to both exacerbate and entertain her aggravation with the unkind thoughts of “if only’s” and “should have’s”. She knew better than to follow such lines of thought too deeply, but in this moment of solitude with nothing but the stone for company, she found it easy to wish she had made more of an effort to explore a fate outside of the one she had chosen. Or maybe if she stepped outside of her reservations to connect with the locals, she might now be enjoying the warmth of a shared den, her sense of discipline and motivation perfectly diverted by some pretty face. Her toes would be warm, and it wouldn’t hurt to breathe.

Regrets aside, however deep or shallow, the Catalan woman knew why she was here: she needed practice. Distant observation of the occasional spar was not going to sharpen her skills, and she did not want to wait until the season’s end to train. She knew from previous experience that this hole-in-the-ground was the best place to encounter like-minded individuals, even on days like this. Had she made more of an effort to be sociable, she may have even been able to cherry-pick an appropriate partner, but alas she had not, and now her conviction to train suffered the consequence of being dealt a random partner. Hopeful, but not enthusiastic, she angled herself towards the center—away from the deeper, colder shadows—and would chuff into the empty space, traces of her effort expanding in an opaque vapor around her face. Silent then, she would wait with a slight frown and guarded attention for any sign of life.

+5 Complete a spar or fight
+5 Lose a spar or fight / +5 Win a spar

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish

Her plans were becoming more finalized, and she knew she would need all the practice and training she could get if they would come to fruition. Of course, they still might not despite all of her best efforts, but at least she could say that she had tried instead of just doing nothing in the Bluffs all this time. She needed something to spice up her life a little bit. That too was part of the reason why she came down to the Pit once more, seeking another to test herself against. There was already someone there, it seemed, which made things just that much easier for her.

A low rumble left her in answer to the woman's chuff as she descended into the pit, moving to stand across from the other woman. Surely introductions weren't needed, she thought. Battle was introduction enough. Words could come after.

@Rosemary

code by corvus

An answer was received and the low rumble drew her attention to an obsidian wraith barely visible against the deep shadows and stone backdrop of the arena. Rosemary watched in silence as the lioness ventured in her direction, her intentions made clear despite the lack of pleasantries. Beneath the cherry mahogany of her fur, she felt her muscles tense with anticipation, the stiffness of the winter cold easing a bit as adrenaline began to feed heat into her veins. She offered the other woman a smile, brief and impish as enthusiasm finally resurfaced within her. “For a moment I thought I was the only one mad enough to be out in this cold.” She quipped in her accented alto as she shifted into a crouch, her motions deliberate and pointed out of courtesy towards this dark stranger – a signal that the spar would begin. A pause, less than half of a breath, existed after her words before she launched herself towards the other woman – attempting to close the distance between them to (attempt to) snap her jaws around the other woman’s neck/lower chest area while attempting to hook her right paw around the other woman’s left forelimb in an effort to gain influence over the others balance.

@Rosemary vs. @Dysnomia
Spar/Dominance
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 6 + 1 + 20 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 1 + 13 + 12 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 12 + 4 + 19 + 8 + 9 + 20

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish

+10 Use a creative move in battle

There's plenty of madness to go around, she replied, settling into her own ready stance in preparation for the explosive movement that came shortly thereafter. She tucked her chin, protecting the most vulnerable area of the throat, but could do nothing about the teeth sinking into her neck or the claws in her leg. All right, this was manageable so far.

Dys lifted her own right leg, attempting to slam her paw down on the other woman's left front paw. Not the most common of moves, she didn't think, and she was hoping the woman wouldn't be able to see what she was doing with her teeth in her neck. Speaking of... She turned her head slightly to the side, attempting to bite the woman's cheek with the side of her mouth, not wanting to risk baring her throat. The chances of the other trying to severely wound her didn't seem high, but she wasn't going to take the risk.

Dysnomia vs. @Rosemary
for Dominance
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 13 + 6 + 2 + 8 + 10 + 4 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 20 + 17 + 9 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 13 + 18 + 8 + 10 + 7

code by corvus

+5 Learn a new fighting move (paw stomp)

Both tooth and claw had made impact within the obsidian fur of the woman she battled, and Rosemary markedly resisted emphasizing her grip in a way that may cause harm unjustified for a simple practice match. A thrill rushed through her, adrenaline heating her blood and banishing the stiffness that existed in her frame just minutes ago when she had been a lone presence in this stone pit. And as the heat of battle burned through her, she felt a paw come down against hers—an unforeseen reaction–forcing her to release her grip with a burst of pain and surrender a portion of her balance in the process. Even as she struggled to regain her footing upon the cold earth, she felt the other woman snap at her cheek, those teeth finding purchase on the surface of her skin. It was enough to hurt, but not yet enough for Rosemary to release her grip. Instead, with her forelimbs now splayed, she would utilize her haunches to push herself forward and up in an effort to barrel against the woman—attempting to topple her or offset her balance. As she made this effort, she would relax her grip minutely and attempt to snap her jaws around a different part of the woman’s neck– her ultimate aim being for the woman’s hackles. It was a risky and painful move, potentially bringing more damage to her cheek than was already caused by her efforts, especially should her opponent not release her grip.

@Rosemary vs. @Dysnomia
Spar/Dominance
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 8 + 18 + 17 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 16 + 7 + 10 + 6

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 11 + 16 + 4 + 2 + 10 + 15

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish

+10 Use a creative move in battle

Hmm, that seemed like it worked. She made a mental note about that as the other woman shifted her weight, but there wasn't time for much more than that as her opponent surged forward, and given that she'd just put her own paw back on solid ground she didn't have anything she could do about it. So she allowed herself to stumble back, falling into a partial crouch to catch herself as the woman's teeth sank into a different part of her neck. Too bad she didn't have a mane to protect herself there. Oh well.

She tried to brace herself, knowing she wasn't in a position to push back. Instead she attempted to sink her teeth into the front of the woman's shoulder like she'd had done to her a moment ago. Payback came around eventually.

Dysnomia vs. @Rosemary
for Dominance
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 15 + 13 + 17 + 12 + 7 + 6 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 3 + 4 + 13 + 20

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 13 + 18 + 14 + 8

code by corvus

OOC | so sorry for the delay! this week got away from me – if you want to default this spar, that’s 100% fine with me. But I am also down to use the dice, so we can both get that extra trade exp!

The paw move had been interesting in the sense of how simple it had been. Simple, yet effective; her toes still ached from where they had been stomped upon. Yet she did not have much more than that passing thought to devote to the move, since her opponent’s body had shifted and her efforts had allowed her to secure a hold on the others neck. In return, the gash on her cheek had begun to bleed freely and smarted hotly despite the adrenaline that flooded her veins and numbed her nerves. It was certainly not the worst injury to incur, but it also did not help when she felt the other woman’s fangs sink into her shoulder and she reacted with a rumble emanating from her chest. Ears pinned back against her head, Rosemary would attempt to utilize what momentum she had left to swing one of her forelimbs up and around the woman’s torso – claws extended from her toes in an effort to clutch but not tear into the other woman’s skin. Her jaws would attempt to keep the hold she had on the others neck, hopeful that she might gain an upper paw over the experienced warrioress.

@Rosemary vs. @Dysnomia
Spar/Dominance
Round 3 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 10 + 8 + 1 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 18 + 4 + 5 + 17

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 15 + 5 + 10 + 18 + 9 + 2

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish

((All good, I know how that goes!))

Oh, well, this was fun. Luckily for her they were much the same height and weight, but that didn't mean Dys was entirely comfortable with supporting the other woman's weight as well as her own as she was bear hugged. All right, there wasn't a whole lot she could do right now, but she still had a grip on the other's shoulder so she would work with that. And by work with that she meant she'd wriggle her head in an attempt to exacerbate the wounds. It was difficult since she was being held, but she would do her best. It had been a long time since she'd been held so closely, actually, but now wasn't the time to think about that. Not that she really wanted to think about that at all.

Dysnomia vs. @Rosemary
for Dominance
Round 3 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 4 + 2 + 17 + 8 + 18 + 16 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 10 + 11 + 16 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 19 + 12 + 18 + 7 + 1

code by corvus

@Dysnomia VS. @Rosemary FOR DOMINANCE
— RESULTS —

Dysnomia Hits: 1 + 4 + 3 + 5 luck = 13 hits
Dysnomia Dodges: 2 + 3 + 3 = 8 dodges

Rosemary Hits: 1 + 3 + 0 + 6 luck = 10 hits
Rosemary Dodges: 2 + 1 + 2 = 5 dodges

Dysnomia Successful Hits: 8
Rosemary Successful Hits: 2

DYSNOMIA HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR DOMINANCE!

The results of this fight cannot be acknowledged ICly until either both challengers have responded or 3 days have gone by — whichever comes first. Any posts breaking this rule will be removed.

+5 Complete a spar or fight
+5 Lose a spar or fight
+5 Learn a new fighting move (paw stomp)

Her efforts prevailed – for the briefest of moments. But it was the other woman’s hold on her shoulder that brought her downfall; the sensation of her teeth shifting beneath her skin as the other woman worked her bite was not only painful but also wildly discomforting. Had this spar been meant for more than simple practice, Rosemary may have summoned the strength to ignore the latch. As it was, she did not wish for the wound to be exacerbated and so with a grunt she would release her own hold on the woman and fall away with as much grace as she could muster – aiming to be out of reach of her dark opponents fangs.

Once standing, she would cringe as she assessed the wound on her shoulder, and her cheek still stung too, but when she would return her blue-brown gaze to the other it would be with half a smirk twisting her mouth. “You’ve done this before, I would guess.” She determined with a coarse laugh, intending the comment as a compliment despite the rough edges of her tone. “I’m Rosemary, by the way.” Incase she wished to know the name of the woman she bested. There was a pause between her words, curiosity glinting in the depths of her gaze as they rested on the shadowy figure of her former opponent. “That move at the beginning, using your paw to offset my balance, was clever.”

@Dysnomia

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by irish