Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 15, 2006 2:49:04 GMT
Mara adopted her usual defensive posture, but saw he'd done the same. Her wolf coiled through her, warm and ready for this. He's testing me. I think ...I think I like this.
A slow smile came over her face. With a fluid motion she launched to the side from her back foot and used the momentum to try to land a kick under his guard. When he moved to avoid it she came through with a punch that, if it landed would stop just short of his jaw. She planned to pull her punches - that's all this was, and her wolf was happy with that. For now.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 15, 2006 3:00:18 GMT
Cole anticipated the swing, and managed to divert it in time, batting it away and smiling faintly; not mockingly, or in a cocky manner, but calm, and prepared. The Alpha didn't mind if she pulled her punches or tried to land them; either way, they were sparring, but if she was going to hold back from actually striking them, then he supposed it was best to know in advance, so he knew whether or not to return the courtesy.
He said nothing, simply held his ready, defensive posture, and waited for her to try again.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 15, 2006 3:11:41 GMT
Mara skipped once to keep her balance after the bat and took no time to reassess, simply relying on instinct to dart in again. He'd parried the first easily - a combination would be required - that was obvious enough. It was foolish to throw one, maybe two things anyway - one never did that in a fight. Giving a smile, she threw a few throwaway punches, which he easily parried - she just assessed his movements. He was so fluid - like Greg had been. Time to get serious.
Coming in with a roundhouse kick, she anticipated his move to the side and kept her knee up, flicking her foot up again to put a hook kick across his nose. That was a move she'd practiced for months, and she hoped he wouldn't see it coming. Her eyes flecked with gold, but she was still in control - and it was becoming exhilarating.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 16, 2006 0:29:11 GMT
He almost missed the sudden move, and it very nearly caught him off-guard. At the last second, he snatched his hands up, and grabbed her about the ankle, holding it tightly, but not so much as to hurt her, or potentially cause any damage if she tried to jerk herself free.
Instead of giving her the opportunity to do that though, Cole changed his hold quickly, and proceeded to give a firm twist; it would be enough to spin her off her feet. If she righted herself appropriately, then she would be able to land without penalty, but if he managed to surprise her with the move, then there was a good chance she'd fall to the mat.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 16, 2006 13:29:35 GMT
Mara's eyes flicked when she felt Cole's grip on her ankle. The twist came and surprised her, but as she went down to the mat, she brought her other knee up and her heel planted in Cole's chest. The impact obviously was not what he expected and the release of her ankle came as she continued to the mat. She landed face down with her back to Cole, and her wolf realized the folly in this situation before her brain could process it.
Rolling hard to the side, she was up, but she knew he'd have had her if he'd chosen the move - unless this was a real battle and she'd put some power into the thump to his chest that point would be his. Her eyes pulled full gold, and her lip curled up almost unconciously. Her wolf was embarrassed by it's slip, and while the artist in her knew his skill, her wolf's pride was reacting.
But yet he was not reacting to it. She adopted a defensive stance in an attempt to calm the wolf and waited for him to move - she was not out of breath, but she took great amounts of air through her nose as though that would keep the wolf at bay - if he was going to go offensive in this fight she'd know very, very quickly.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 16, 2006 17:01:08 GMT
He hadn't been expecting the kick as she had been falling, and it showed. He recovered quickly, compensating for his balance after stumbling back a little. Smiling, he nodded his head. "Good." It wasn't condescending or mocking; it was sincere, and he nodded again, impressed. For wolves as young as Mara, it usually took a little bit longer before they landed a hit, but she had experience, after all - he knew it was this that had helped her. She'd had training, and as such, wouldn't be such a pushover.
Cole studied her stance, seeing the defensiveness of it, and how she was waiting. She was anticipating his going on the offensive, but he hesitated... if only for a moment.
Throwing caution to the wind, he moved forward, and feigned a blow to her right, swinging in with his left; if she didn't catch the second, real strike, then it would land against her shoulder, and likely throw her to the mat again. And if she did catch it, then he was preparing himself to spin up with a foot instead; he wanted to keep her on her toes, after all.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 17, 2006 22:23:47 GMT
Mara began to block the right blow, but the twist of his hips alerted her to the shift in focus - the left came in and she got an arm up just in time to block with her forearm. The impact was harder than she expected, and while she was ready for an impact, she was not prepared for the force this one came with. Had she sparred with Greg knowing he was a werewolf and had he ever given her a more powerful blow, she would have blocked and been balanced for the force behind it. But Cole was not Greg, and was ten times more powerful - so when their arms collided, the resounding thump was enough to stop her for the second he needed to bring his leg up to kick her soundly in the stomach, knocking her 3 feet backwards and on her back.
She was up in an instant, her wolf thrilled with the heat of a fight finally. But things were changing. Mara felt less control and more of her wolf's presence...part of her wanted to stop the fight, but her wolf's pride began to dominate. Her empathy sensed Cole's appreciation of a spar, and it only served to fuel the wolf's swirling presence in her mind. Darting towards him, she came back in close and with a growl, circled him, looking for a strike.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 17, 2006 23:09:32 GMT
Cole's own wolf was now fully awake, prowling within him, but no doubt in a more controlled, reserved way than Mara's. It was older, and knew how to keep itself at bay, but beyond that, the Alpha male was well aware of how dangerous getting too enthusiastic could be; not only for Mara, but for himself. He'd learned long ago the risks of losing control, and at his age, he knew better than to let his hold slip. He knew what it could cost.
Mara, however, did not. He watched her, reading her body language, and noting how her enthusiasm had, if anything, grown. Being knocked on her back hadn't decreased her urge to fight - if anything, it had increased it, and it was obvious to him.
Keeping himself light on his feet, and in a ready stance, he smiled at her faintly, letting a hint of amber flood into his normally-green eyes, hinting at the animal within. She was looking for an opportunity to strike; he was content to wait...
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 17, 2006 23:27:04 GMT
The change of Cole's eyes was not lost on Mara, and she tried to stem the flood of fight in her spirit. This was not a usual spar, and she needed to remember that - but so far her wolf seemed more than happy to ignore that. They circled slowly - her feet darting carefully to maintain a balance. Impatience grew, despite her best attempts to keep the wolf ready for attack.
She fiented a few times, but each time Cole did not react - her frustration grew. Finally it became too much to handle and she gave in to impulse. Leading with a right hook, she swung her arm in. he blocked that easily and she brought in another left - then a right. Her blows came faster, but she was not pushing him. Her anger grew and the blows came faster. Still nothing. With a yell she brought her left hand through with a high punch. He reacted to block and she brought her knee up to chamber a sidekick to his torso where his guard would have been. In any other situation, it would have worked. Even in this one, it might have worked, had she been faster and actually aiming to thump him in the ribcage.
But she saw the amber in his eyes and knew that she'd made a mistake in losing the control - and was about to find out what that meant. Her leg was extending and she was - in this particular case - now totally exposed.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 18, 2006 15:30:17 GMT
He could practically feel her wolf's eagerness as it ebbed and flowed around her, almost tangible. He remembered how he had been the same way in his youth, and as such, he knew how cautious to be around her; her wolf could cloud her judgement, and if he wasn't careful, she could land a blow that she might not really mean, in terms of force. Just because he was old, it didn't mean he was immune to such things... he was just more capable of taking it.
When he realised her control was slipping, he gave a very small, subtle growl, and felt his eyes shift colours, from green to amber; a warning, if only discreet. He meant to help her through this, after all, and they said one of the best ways to learn was through one's own mistakes.
And when she made one, he didn't waste the opportunity to teach her.
As her leg kicked out, he twisted his body accordingly, relying on agility and years of knowledge to help him do so, before angling a quick blow at her; she'd left herself vulnerable and exposed, and she'd realise that after the blow landed, he knew.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 19, 2006 2:11:13 GMT
The blow connected with her ribcage, knocking her to the ground with a force like she'd never felt before. Even as it connected, she knew that he had not lost his control - or her ribs would have snapped. She was definitely rusty in sparring - and her wolf was not helping things.
She felt an absurd urge to howl. She fought with the wolf for control, remembering what Cole had said in the music room. I didn't like that, and you didn't like that, but you're not helping me fix that! She was up quickly, with a wince. Her eyes were nearly completely gold.
A fine sheen of sweat grew on her forehead - holding onto her control was costing her dearly, and she noticed a faint tremble to her hands when she brought them up again. Silently she vowed that it would be the last mistake she made this fight. Collecting every ounce of control she had, she came in with a move that Greg had helped her perfect - first a high axe kick, then a roundhouse, and in theory as the opponent moved, her final jumping kick would finish right on the side of their head. She took a breath and began.
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 19, 2006 20:41:30 GMT
In his years as an authority figure within the pack, Cole had come to teach himself the signs of a young wolf losing control; both the subtle, and the more obvious ones. Mara was exhibiting a few of those before she even lashed out in retaliation. Her eyes were one clue; the shaking was another. He could hear her heart beating in her chest, as if racing, and he took a deep breath, seeing the kicks coming.
The axe kick was dodged by agilely ducking back and out of its reach, and as she whirled into the roundhouse, Cole fluidically lowered his body to the ground. As he went, he spun his own body, tucking himself down towards the ground as one of his own legs swung out and towards her planted foot.
He wasn't trying to push her, per se, but if she was going to be in the pack, then he wanted her to be aware of how much damage an older wolf could do; true, he could really hit her, and if he had done a while ago, he would have certainly broken something, as she probably knew... but that was beyond what he wanted to teach her. There was a fine line between teaching and plain old beating.
He wasn't going to cross it.
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 20, 2006 0:18:46 GMT
Mara was stunned by how fast Cole moved and the sudden downward shift. It was enough of a surprise that when his leg connected with her own, she did not have the chance to break her fall, and went tumbling to the mat, landing hard enough to nearly knock the wind out of her.
She looked at him in something akin to awe as she stood up again slowly, her eyes paling back to brown a little. Putting her hands down, she leaned down and rolled up her pant leg. On her shin an angry welt was forming. Whether it would bruise or not she didn't know, but she'd never had anyone get that close in her training... and especially not since she'd become a wolf.
Stepping back for a moment, she put her hands up in a slow movement. "Funny, I used to think I was good. Ok. Now I've never seen something like that before. At the risk of sounding naive... was it because you're just older... or because you're... more than human?" And can I get to be able to do that?
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Cole
Alpha Werewolf
Cole's Pack
Fear of the unknown clouds our hearts today. Come into my world, see through my eyes.
Posts: 500
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Post by Cole on Apr 20, 2006 0:33:46 GMT
Having risen to his full height again, he noted her slight relaxtion as they took a break. He smiled softly, saying in response, "A combination of both. Remember, I was never human, exactly. Even before my first change, I was learning how to fight and defend myself. Every wolf in a pack, to some degree, needs to know how to take care of themselves, even if we do have specific individuals for that job, should the need arise."
Taking a moment, he studied her, hoping he hadn't hurt her by throwing her down to the mat the way he had. "Obviously, as time went on, new techniques became available, and we all learned them together. Dia's much the same as I am, and Steven too. Heidi, you'll find, is the only pack leader who wouldn't be in combat, should we have to fight for any reason." It wasn't that Heidi couldn't take care of herself. It was just that she preferred other methods, and she wasn't trained that way.
"Part of it is experience, and then there's instinct as well. Your wolf was probably concentrating on trying to land hits, whereas mine was more focused on dodging and avoiding them, if possible. In the end, most of the time, it's all about balance."
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Mara
Rogue Werewolf
Departed
Posts: 260
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Post by Mara on Apr 20, 2006 1:11:34 GMT
Mara nodded. Part of her was a little disappointed that she was not going to be at his level anytime soon... but wasn't that was martial arts was for? The long stage of never being satisfied with your work - and always improving? And if Cole was correct, she would have a long, long time to work on it.
With a nod, she acknowledged what he said. "I hope that I'll have the chance to possibly become one of those who protects the pack one day. With a certain amount of time and practice - of course." She moved her shoulders. "I'll say one thing though - a throw like that would have knocked my breath and completely incapacitated me last year. This additional strength and stamina is amazing - and to improve it..."
What was most surprising to her was how calmly she was acknowledging this... and denying the fear of the coming moon.
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