Secret Woodlands rise

Kite had idled long enough at the bottom rung. She had done her duty, and now she even had a role; but Kite had every desire to rise now. Mirren had done so, and his ambition ignited her own. The woman had thought long about this, but in her bones she knew that this was right. She also knew it was not personal, and would strengthen the bonds of this pack. If she lost, ah, she lost. Kite would live to fight again. But losing was the last thing on her mind. No, instead, she thought of the strength of her family. How things were meant, and not meant. Kite had never before felt the bite of ambition, the desire to be more than she simply was... but it was here, and Kite could not chase it away.

And so she moves throughout the Woodland, searching for a small clearing. When one is found she lifts her head, remembering the day she heard Mirren call for Rayne... except now it is her own voice, powerful, rising over the tall treetops, summoning the pale @Ashanti to her. Tonight, Kite would begin in her quest to rise, to be who she was meant to be. She was not sure who that was, yet, but in the fight Kite was sure she would be able to have a taste of it. The woman waited, weight distributed equally and eyes watching the woodland. Her packmate would not know why she had called, but Kite was prepared to tell her. Perhaps, already, it was even clear.

@Kite

When the call reached her ears, Ashanti rose with grace as she pushed off from the ground. Her paws kissed the thicket floor as she responded to the call. Was the wolf calling hurt or was it a different matter? Her tail would rise as she showed up to the scene. She held herself tall as the large femme waited for a few seconds. "You called? Are you sick? I have herbs in my den..." She explained softly with a kind look in her eyes. The dominance was more of a formality but it felt... right. She liked power even though she hadn't found it in herself to take it from the wolf above her and above that. She wanted to be Nina's loyal second but she just wasn't ready yet.

She could feel the stirring in her heart as it started to beat faster. She knew as well as Kite did that it wasn't herbs this woman before her needed. It was power. She was going to challenge her for her rank. "If you are going to challenge me, I at least deserve a name." She suggested to the female with that same kind look in her eyes. She was sassy that particular day. She fell back a few steps as she sat down on her back haunches. She wanted to talk to Kite before it resulted in a fight. Ashanti did not lack the confidence or power to fight. The large wolf was a decent fighter to note. She just preferred to do things peacefully.

A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

The other did not delay. Kite could appreciate this, and nodded to the other as she approached. At the others display, Kite did not falter. Her nostrils flared and her own tail lifted as Ashanti's did, and Kite squared herself off. Kite gave the woman a sweeping once over to assess any damage already done from, well, anything. The woman licked her chops, and at the others question, prepared to respond. But Ashanti seemed to already know what this was for. Before Kite had the chance to answer, Ashanti spoke again... and Kite had to grin.

Ah, it's Kite. The youth shifted her weight and began to prepare herself. She distributed her weight to all fours and her ears thrust forward in an aggressive, dominating fashion before melting defensively atop her crown. Kite narrowed her eyes in preparation, and her plume lashed outward. Kite's shoulders moved forward to protect her neck, jaw draping over her throat. Vitals minded, Kite let out a low rumble. There was no talking her out of this to the Tainn, or even about it. Her mind was as set as her defenses. Will you fight for your rank? She asks then, and Kite expectantly waits, her posture speaking for her. Your move.

What's this? Some Asha memories? Impossible.

The woman left no room for talk and Ashanti saw it as her downfall. Why would a scout need a high rank if she was to constantly be gone from the territory to do her job. Her name was Kite and Ashanti did not like her so far. She arched her back and let her fur bristle in annoyance softly. "You seem to leave no room for talk. I will not give up my rank to you. I've already lost too much." She hissed as she prepared her attack. She thought of @Miccah and parts of her memories started to fall into place. They were small memories but they were important memories about Miccah and @Nina. They were things she never thought she would recover but she had. There was Nina comforting her like a mother would her child. There was Miccah who was hanging out with her as wolves who were good friends might.

They were fragments of her past but they were happy fragments and so she would launch herself, not at Kite, but an aim to move to behind Kite. She skidded her paws to stop right before a nearby tree but she could not stop in time and so she hit her head. A small pain shot through her but she shook it off as she turned to face Kite. "I will not be ousted to the bottom." She said simply as she would await Kite to move first. There was an anger in her but there was also a prideful feel to herself as well.

(This post was last modified: Jul 28, 2014, 04:20 AM by Ashanti.)

:O

IF ANYTHING IS CONFUSING LET ME KNOW

Kite hadn't meant to offend Ashanti with her promptness, but it was visibly evident that she had. It was nothing personal at all; why make it that way? As Ashanti seethes out her words, Kite tilts her head wondering what it was, exactly, that she lost. Although Kite would be out and about due to being a scout, it meant nothing to the rank she ought to hold. If she were higher in rank, she would be more esteemed and respected by other leaders as opposed to being on the very bottom. More than that, Kite knew her place in this moment ought to not be where it was. She would be by her mates side soon enough, but by earning it.

As Ashanti moved to go behind her, Kite is swift to counter the movement by moving with her, hoping to become parallel to her. Kite's ears were slicked backward as her eyes narrowed, her defenses still up and her muscles preparing for some sort of onslaught. But Ashanti did not stop soon enough for a tree to be her downfall, and Kite thought she might use it to her advantage. As Ashanti went to speak—something Kite did not expect—Kite squared her shoulders to attempt to ram into her side to get the woman off balance while Kite presumed she was off guard. It would be the only time she could use anything weight-related to her advantage while Ashanti was already off-kilter from stopping too late and—Kite presumed—frazzled from the mishap. Kite had moved to be parallel to the woman, but there was no telling if Ashanti was as swift as she was. Kite was infamous for it, given her slight size; that, here, would be her strong suit.

The woman would note the confusion from Kite as to what she was talking about which only confirmed how new to the pack she was. Perhaps Ashanti would explain a bit later but they had a score to settle it would seem. She recovered from her failed attempt just in time to dig her paws into the ground to take the brute force from Kite slamming into her side. She felt a small crack but it might have just been her imagination. She narrowed her eyes as she barely remained standing from the force. Thank the gods for her weight and larger size. She would be quick about her next move. The woman would then move parallel to her and she knew she only had one shot at her attack.

When the woman had attacked her, it was while she was speaking so her ending to her speech had been a bit choppy. She would spin quick on her paws and launch herself at Kite's back in an attempt to grip onto Kite's back left leg with her teeth. Her eyes were narrowed. The attack would be short and simple and as soon as she made contact with any part of Kite she would retreat. She, as a healer, knew her way around a wolf and would use that plus her strength to benefit her in the fight for her rank. There was no way Kite would pass her until Kite proved to her that she deserved it. Ashanti was a pretty tough judge too.

TELL ME IF THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE SCREECH I don't know if counters are allowed like dis//////

Kite knew the bare minimum when it came to healing. But spars with her siblings had taught her plenty about important striking points, and more than that, keeping them away from it. Kite was often the willing loser to these intermittent challenges, not much caring then. But this... this was different. And it showed in her swiftness. Her equally distributed weight shifted with the movements of Ashanti. Kite had speed on her, and so she was able to keep on her toes. Ashanti's lunge for her rear-leg became a lunge for her shoulder. Kite was immediate in her response, lowering her whole body and thrusting herself upward toward Ashanti's mouth so the other would get a mouthful of her shoulderblade. The move would Kite's counter enabled Ashanti to break skin, though the woman was fortunately quick to withdraw; still, the intent had been to bruise the others jaw. Kite had seen her mother use the move with much more force and break the jaws of enemy wolves encroaching, trying to steal territory... but Kite was far less aggressive in her maneuver, only hoping to jostle Ashanti. Kite, as Ashanti retreated, turned in her direction so again they were face-to-face, lobes thrust forward and a low snarl bubbling in her throat. Her tail gave a stiff wave; she was enjoying this. May the best woman win.

She would hiss as Kite rammed her shoulder into Ashanti's mouth. Her eyes were blazing with anger as she remembered everything that Aideen had told her about her past. You have a son. You were raped. Miccah was your best friend. Nina was like a mother to you. Then you went insane and ran away. You lost your memory and found your way to Ipsum Falls. There Dractive raised you as his own daughter and you relearned how to heal. Then you found your way back after his death. She reminded herself about the facts of her life. She narrowed her eyes at the woman who appeared to be enjoying the fight and Ashanti spat at the ground in disgust. Who enjoys violence like this?

Her tail would remain curled above herself as she demanded the respect from the younger woman. Kite was little more than a yearling and Ashanti saw her as not fit for a higher rank just yet. The woman would do something she knew she shouldn't do as she dove down towards the back left leg of Kite. She was aiming to give a swift bite to the Achilles tendon though she had no intention of severing it. It was just something to hopefully throw the youth off of her balance. If Ashanti could make her fall then it would give her the upper hand and she could swoop in from behind and clamp down on her muzzle. That was the plan but it all depended on how Kite played her next move.

To Kite, this was hardly violence. This was how one found their true, intended place; and when Kite found her own, she aspired to be above Ashanti. Kite had no idea the thoughts her then-superior had, nor did she know her as a wolf at all so she could not even begin to guess the struggles and the inner turmoil the woman had faced in the past month alone. The wedded Tainn thought only of now, the moment, and only hoped that victory for her was something that was imminent. Adrenaline disabled her from feeling the fact that her shoulder would bruise, and she herself felt great. She was not tired, and felt she could go on like this forever. Her keen eyes were upon Ashanti at all times, and as the woman maneuvered herself Kite again kept up with the larger woman thanks to her swiftness. Had Kite been less observant and even Ashanti's size, perhaps the woman would have been able to access that area. She might have been too slow to make it. But thanks in part to her size and Ashanti's, Kite was thankful for the woman's tactic. Kite hoped the pale woman would exhaust herself.

Kite snarled and as Ashanti lowered herself, Kite thought to repeat her own previous maneuver. But this time, Kite propelled herself forward so as to not only force herself, her shoulder, into the mouth of Ashanti, but to cause the woman who was moving lower to lose her own balance. Kite kept herself squared, thinking to shunt herself forward straight on this time, keeping her throat low to protect it and moving into Ashanti now not from the side but from the front, a straightforward shove-punch. Her weight would not have meant anything were Ashanti not going low, and so Kite hoped to use the woman's attack against her here.