Still, Tori was free and she was whipping around once more as Ozark was 'shaking off the damage' to the kick in the face. Ozark feel onto her side with an "OOF!" and she rolled with it, onto her back and throwing out all four limbs at Tori's oncoming body.
Still, Tori was free and she was whipping around once more as Ozark was 'shaking off the damage' to the kick in the face. Ozark feel onto her side with an "OOF!" and she rolled with it, onto her back and throwing out all four limbs at Tori's oncoming body.
There was a satisfaction in fighting with the kiddie gloves off. Even with her siblings, she had to be careful because otherwise she’d get into trouble herself. She kept it measured. She knew it was possible that she’d still get in trouble for this, but she’d write it off as training that got a little too intense. Either way, she’d let nothing bad happen to the one who was finally able to give her some measure of a challenge.
She grinned wickedly as she knocked the woman from her paws, appreciating her quick turn, not quite expecting her paws flying at her, causing her to bounce off them with an oof as she felt the wind knocked from her, launching her back to slide through the dirt with an uncomfortable cough and an aching in her ribs.
However, for the time being Ozark didn't get up. Content to heavily pant as she tried to catch her breath. It had been some time since she had herself a good scrap. Her sister Annie was more then willing, but while they were on the road on their own, risking their lives by mistakingly hurting one another wouldn't have been very smart.
Tori panted as she pushed herself to her paws. She held a long pause, panting as a devious grin found her features. She felt as if none of the adults had ever really taken to challenging her or her siblings, at least not like this. She appreciated the girl’s mettle in actually fighting with her and not being afraid – afraid of hurting her, or even the consequences of what it might mean to give a pup a scrape.
“Not bad.” She offered with a panted breath. “Been awhile since anyone’s given me a good challenge.” She added in, making it clear in that moment that she was done with the fight, taking it personally as a draw.
The seafarer was content with remaining in a lay on the ground, shifting to relax her limbs as she took a break. "Glad I could be o' service." She said then, her legs stretching out in either direction. "So who be ye, anyway?" Ozark had met others, mostly in passing when walking the grounds. Yet she hadnt developed that much of a relationship with others just yet, having stuck mostly to getting settled in her new home with her sister, however long the stay may be.
She found herself excited at the prospect of someone giving her a challenge. She wasn’t sure what all the adults’ problems were… they were either yelling at her or all mopey. It annoyed her greatly, but as a pup she also knew there wasn’t much she could do about it either.
When the woman asked who she was, she stuck her chest out with a bit of pride, her chin up as she leveled her gaze at the woman. “I’m Torianna Valle.” She’d learned a long time ago that her last name had power. “My mom’s the pack healer, and my dad is a fierce warrior – all scarred up and everything.” Though Vayko even seemed grumpier nowadays.
"Be ye now?" The tawny wolf looked the other up and down. Surely she was. It was the Valle pack, after all. "Well nice t' meet ya then, Torianna Valle."
"Name's Ozark Valle. Me mom be an elder o' the family. Leads the crew at Shipwreck Cove.'"
That pride and puff of her chest did not fade when the woman revealed herself to be a Valle as well. It mattered little to her because while she may hold the name, it did not mean that she was better or even on the same playing field as Tori herself.
“Shipwreck Cove?” She’d question with a sense of indignation. Didn’t they not like the Cove wolves? She wondered what the woman could possibly be doing here if they didn’t like the Cove wolves, but perhaps that was the point.
Maybe she was a prisoner and trying to escape! Elder of the family or not, it mattered little. “Never heard of you.”
"Aye." Her raucous voice would bark out in confirmation. "By the sea." But she probably didn't know what that was, did she? They were far from the coast now. "Aye, I doubt ye would. Mom 'n Viorel didn' see quite eye t' eye." She said with a rolling back of her shoulders.
There was a power in being in charge… and power was all that Torianna had come to crave. Praise from her mother or a comforting touch did little to soothe her in the end. Instead, learning how to assert the power she found proved to be more important to her. It made her curious about it… until she mentioned the sea which caused her eyes to widen for a moment.
“My father talks about the sea.” She stated matter-of-factly, ignoring the part about her mother’s relationship with Viorel for the moment. “My dad is Vayko.” She emphasized the name as if it meant something grandiose because that was what she had come to believe. Her father was her hero.
“And I’m going to be even better than he is.” There was a confidence continuing to burn in her chest. As far as she was concerned, there was nothing to prove: she was already at the top. She was the oldest of her siblings.