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Post by Meds on Nov 15, 2017 16:34:34 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
A reluctant smile sprouted onto Kailypso's face. Kanga noticed it immedietly, which only fueled his fire, of course, and he sat even taller. Manaaki eyed him once, but stayed silent at the sight of his brother's ear-to-ear grin. Manaaki didn't know how big of an accomplishment it was to have made Kaily smile, but Kanga did, even after spending so little time with her, and it went straight to his head. When she snorted in laughter at Manaaki's comment, however, Kanga's face fell as if afronted, though only held the face long enough for his brother to see. Just where did Manaaki get off, making her actually laugh? Kanga's face melted back to civility soon after, however, because he realized that, after all, it was him that had technically made her laugh. Good. He caught her eye and smiled once more.
But then both brothers felt the shift in attitude when Manaaki grasped at the latest topic of conversation. If he could have, Manaaki would have gone back and changed the topic—but it was too late for that. In any case, she handled her response well. Manaaki cleared his throat and chuckled deeply, picking out the least-troublesome point of what she had said. "I'd say our sibling experience is different from everybodies." He met his brother's eye and gave a half-lunge and snapped his teeth. Kanga met his expression with a deep growl of his own, though his smile was broad and content.
She switched topics then, and the twins decided that steering clear of names, history, and family was probably what would make her most comfortable. Kanga was perfectly happy with that and watched her saunter over to the (now) stump. As she went, Manaaki caught sight of what was possibly a limp—but if so, she was hiding it well. He wanted to question her about it, but knew that such a thing wasn't exactly appropriate on a first meeting (something that was missed by his brother).
"It's not something I make a habit of," Kanga said honestly when Kailypso asked him about knocking over trees. He got up and went to sit by the stump, and for once, the female was at his eye level. He huffed, meeting her eyes on common ground and hitching the smile she seemed to fond of onto his face. Manaaki watched them, saying nothing, wondering if she would bring up her possible limp on her own. He doubted it, but that still didn't mean he would ask about it. As it was, both brothers were content.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 16, 2017 14:33:47 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Though she despised sympathy, if there had been any, she'd missed it and Manaaki didn't press a point, merely agreed with her observation that everyone's sibling experiences were likely different and she turned in time to see him half-lunge at his brother and snap his teeth, Kanga whirled and growled, but both were grinning broadly, (or as broadly as Manaaki's subtle half-grin went anyway) and she could only gather that it was a game of sorts between them. She'd seen males roughhouse and shove each other, this was likely no different, so she didn't comment.
Kanga smiled at the suggestion that knocking down trees might have been a hobby of his and frankly shrugged and declined the idea - on the contrary, it was a new sport for him and something he didn't make a habit of. She briefly toyed with the idea of pointing out that he was indeed making a habit of something with the stump she was sitting on, but she recalled when Manaaki had tried to banter with Kanga, he'd turned it into a moot point and so she kept her mouth shut about that. Kanga sauntered over and plopped himself down beside her and she was pleasantly surprised to find herself finally at his eye-level! At last! This was better for conversation - and a nice change for her, she often had to look up no matter who she was talking to, but with the twins it was looking up a little further, finally being able to see them eye-to-eye was a treat, and only reinforced how small she really was. Their eyes were finally at the same level, but seeing them that close only accented how petite she was: her snout wasn't half the length of Kanga's, her brows were smaller and lighter, both of her ears could have fit in one of his, her head was smaller and keener - basically he was huge, and you could almost see it more easily now that they were up to the same height.
"No?" there was nothing else to follow up on, so she went with it after all. "Well, you do a pretty good job of it anyway." Blast it! The conversation was lulling, how did one pick it up again? She'd never been good at this, it was a miracle it had lasted this long! Ummm... she glanced over at the twins again, they really were so much bigger than she was... what would have happened if she and Kanga had fought? Obviously Kanga would have won, obviously, he was huge.
But she was not a "thistle burr" for nothing.
She didn't think about it before it came out, that was what came of being a fiery copper, she was impulsive and didn't think things through, but she often didn't care until after whatever new brand of stupidity she'd come up with came out of her mouth. "Okay, so we know you can knock down a Redwood, but can you knock down a Kailypso?" she hopped of the stump, "C'mon Kanga, want to go a couple of rounds?" she turned to face him and bowed her torso down, an invitation to play, a gesture she'd not made to anyone in a very long time. She didn't necessarily want to goad him, but now she was curious, and as conversation wasn't her forte and she didn't want to bring up anything else stupid (although this was probably stupid in it's own right), a little competition would be fun. She didn't want to leave Manaaki out of it, but- let Kanga accept or decline first, maybe he could referee.
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Post by Meds on Nov 17, 2017 23:51:08 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
The twins were silent. Kanga looked first from Kailypso, then to Manaaki, back again, and through the whole thing once more. She wanted to what? Manaaki met his brother's eyes and winked once, not stooping so low as to laugh at the female. He had met a good many smaller wolves that could give him a run for his money; then again, he hadn't met any that had challenged him when he was quite as big as he was nowâand Kanga was even bigger. It was all in fun, of course, made even more fun for the older twin as the russet one continued looking back and forth in mystified silence. He paused on Manaaki's face a little longer on this time around, as if asking him to step in. Manaaki took a step back and sat, mimicking Kanga's crooked smile and shoving it right in his face.
"Far be it from me to make you step away from a challenge," The silver brother responded to Kanga's look. Kanga's brow rose, but then a smile started playing around his lips and he swung his big head back to look at Kaily with a devilish light in his eyes. It certainly would be interesting to see what she would do.
The brooding, aggressive, angry little female that he had met when he first entered the clearing now seemed far in the distance. Kanga had to admit to himself that this version of Kailypso was a lot more fun. He nodded his head slowly, looking meaningfully at the stump, as if to say that yes he would grapple with her, but she would have to get off of her little chair first. He walked backwards a few paces, swinging his body from side to side and dragging his front paws as he did so. When Manaaki was in his field of vision to the left, and Kailypso was on her stump directly in front of him, he stopped.
He reared onto his hind legs once more, then brought his body crashing down with a great force. It was almost as if the ground moaned under such strength. Kanga's rump rose into the air, lifted on massive hind legs and flashing red all the time, and his front legs splayed in front of him on the earth. He lifted one paw and brought it down with a deafening smack, and threw in a playful growl—a would-be playful growl, but from Kanga it may as well have been a snarl, for it was so loud. If she wanted to go for a few rounds, then they woudl go for a few rounds.
Manaaki sat back on his haunches and looked from Kanga's war display, over to Kaily, still sitting on her stump and couldn't help but smile. He knew Kanga wouldn't let it get out of hand (well... with Kanga was one ever really sure?), but he would certainly let the play go on for as long as he could. The grey twin shook out his silver mane and then prepared for the action.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 18, 2017 12:26:58 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Kanga's face was brilliant, and if she'd been the giggling kind, she would have laughed heartily at it. In utter disbelief he swung his huge head between the silver giant and the small ginger shadow as though asking his brother if she were serious or for permission, or something. The look on his face was priceless and she was pleased to see that Manaaki seemed to have no intention of interfering - on the contrary. Kanga finally lingered on his brother as though pleading for guidance and Manaaki calmly got up, and walked out of their way, sitting just beyond the main part of the clearing to keep out of the ring, then put on his best imitation of Kanga's crooked smile. Indeed, karma sucked.
"Far be it from me to make you step away from a challenge," Manaaki insisted, politely and demurely and all that, like the steady, level-headed older sibling that he was. Kanga looked for half a second like he wanted to protest, then considered it all again, and swung his massive head back to look at his would-be opponent. A slow smile tugged at his mouth and the devil's light from before when he'd knocked down the Redwood and had taunted Manaaki came back. He nodded slowly, deliberately as though still considering it to some degree, and looked pointedly at the stump as though to say she coudln't reasonably fight him perched on the throne. He turned and walked to one side of the clearing, swinging his body around and dragging his paws - probably showing off, she wouldn't put such a move past him.
He then whirled around, reared up and brought his body down with a crash. She could have sworn the surrounding trees shuddered, recalling that this beast was one that had knocked down one of their brothers and dreading to see what damage this little sparring match would do. Or...was it still a sparring match? Kanga spanked the ground - accepting her invitation for the game, but a low growl - almost a warning snarl grumbled from between the bared teeth. Basically, he was all up for the game, and it was on. Good! It they were going to have a fluffing party as well as a little spar, she was all in. Fluidly and delicately she descended from her stump and stood opposite Kanga, cocking her head for a moment, as though studying him, trying to understand his little display of play aggression.
Her ears snapped back, lips curled, she bent her knees to crouch back and fluffed her ruff and tail. A wailing hiss cried from between her parted lips and her eyes narrowed to dangerous, golden slits. She let the snarl curve up in a grin and wagged the ridiculously fluffy tail behind her - this was going to be fun - then briefly turned to Manaaki. "If you ever feel like you need to jump in and rescue your brother, feel free," she challenged with a smirk, then turned back to Kanga, eyed his stance again, and lunged towards him.
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Post by Meds on Nov 18, 2017 18:47:34 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
Kanga was still chuckling when Kailypso morphed into attack-wolf. Her lips were suddenly drawn in a fearsome snarl and her ears were safely pinned to her head. Kanga's eyes widened and his laughter died in his throat. Uh oh. Even a thorn could bring down larger creatures than him. And Kailypso was a lot bigger than a thorn. His own smile returned quickly though, as he realized it may actually be an entertaining spar. Manaaki, from the side, laughed deep in his chest when he saw Kanga's expression change from humouring to excitement. He gave a cracklig exhale, a warning for Kanga to keep his head, no matter how prepared Kaily seemed. He knew his younger brother would feel awful if he made that limp any more pronounced, or worse.
"If you ever feel like you need to jump in and rescue your brother, feel free."
This brought a much heartier laugh forth from Manaaki. He nodded deeply, noting her warning. He would not forget. Apparently, Kanga's life depended on it.
Then, all at once, Kailypso lunged Kanga. He whooped in surprise as the tiny ball of fur came at him, her teeth finding his leg. He had to admit, she came on quickly. He rocked back on his haunches and batted at her with his free leg, aiming for a powerful enough hit to send her packing, though not so hard as to hurt her. His tail tucked between his legs, not at all out of fear, but in a proper fighting posture, because he was sure Kaily would love that. His own big ears flicked and bent against his head, and he flashed his own great teeth. He leaned in close to her as she continued biting him, and snapped his jaws closed in the space beside her head to try and startle her. His teeth banged together and a resounding clap echoed out from his mouth. He grinned wickedly.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 19, 2017 0:44:47 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Manaaki laughed at her invitation to help Kanga out should the need arise - a deep, throaty laugh, not quite as hearty or rich as Kanga's signature chuckle, she noted, but for Manaaki it a golden laugh all the same. She took a moment to let it all sink in, let them enjoy their fun, then she lunged for her target. Kanga whooped as her teeth found his leg and immediately wrenched his body around and raised a paw to buffet her away. Granted, going for the leg probably wasn't going to do much and she surely couldn't hold the position for long, it was the first thing she could reach, it really was the only logical first move she could make, until she could better gauge how far she could push her luck with this little sparring match.
A solid, heavy, bear's mitt of a paw hit her solidly in her "gimpy" shoulder and sent her tumbling, or rather in half a roll as her teeth were still tightly latched to whatever she could grasp of Kanga's leg, but with all his thick fur she wasn't sure if she was making any headway. She growled at him, letting him know it would take more than a few whacks to dissuade her and in return his own large ears snapped back and he bared his teeth and crouched down, snapping his huge jaws unnervingly close to her face. That and the momentum of his still turning body finally shook her off, she snarled again, twisted around, briefly came up on her rear legs and fiercely batted at his maw, buffeting it away with her paws and snapping her teeth in return. Oh! Rearing up almost got her to eye-level too, she'd have to remember that...for a conversation of course, right now she was having fun.
She gave his grinning, snarling muzzle one last fierce bat and then ducked under him. Yes, just under him. In a minute she was down on all fours and had twisted her body even with Kanga's and was walking crouched, almost bellying and on her toes beneath the giant. She wanted to see how he'd react to that: firstly, he couldn't see her - feel her, yes, but not see her, not unless he wanted to look down and she was prepared to give him another whack over the head if he did. Secondly, she could follow him - or could try anyway, she'd seen how swiftly and smoothly he could move and her little crouched tip-toe had been slow enough before her injury and her bad shoulder had become a thing, she wasn't sure how long she could really keep up with him, but at any rate he was temporary shelter...and she could get a few more good hits in. One white-mittened paw struck out at one of Kanga's with as much energy as her upper body could muster. Tripping him might have been hoping for a bit much, but she could at least try to knock him off-balance. Something furry brushing over her rump caught her attention and she whirled to find Kanga's big, brush of a tail between his legs in true fighting-form. Well good for him! She briefly batted at that too and snapped her jaws, aiming for either the brush or one of his rear ankles, she honestly didn't care which one, the element of surprise was all part of the game.
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Post by Meds on Nov 19, 2017 3:18:03 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
Kailypso knew her way around a fight, that was for sure. Kanga succeeded in bashing her off of him, but she was quick to retaliate with a few smacks to his maw. He flicked his neck back and around, avoiding most of the hits and exhibiting his speed, but one landed square in his nose and made him snort. A light was glowing in his eyes though, and it was going to take a lot more than that to slow him down. He glanced once at Manaaki, which meant taking his eyes off of Kailypso, which in turn happened to be a mistake.
Manaaki watched from a safe distance. Kaily did what he often longed to do and batted Kanga's snout—or at least, the lower portion of his snout. Sometimes he wished he could just tell Kanga off like a naughty pup; then again, he was big enough that teeth and claws worked in much the same way. He met his younger brother's eyes and shook out his silvery mane. Kanga could look all he wanted. He had gotten himself into this mess, and so he could get himself out, too. Manaaki wasn't going to bail him out of this one. The older twin smiled sweetly at the younger, whose eyes narrowed dangerously.
But then, because he hadn't been watching, he suddenly felt a harsh kick to his front paw. It didn't exactly knock him off balance, but he did lift the law in surprise, only to see Kailypso dash back under his great form. His eyes widened still more, and this time the look he sent Manaaki was bordering on panic. What was he supposed to do? Never in his life had he been in a situation like this. Either the opponents he was sparring wth were too big to do such a tactic, or it was a real fight and his opponents would never dare get that close to him. He was in uncharted territory. Off the edge of the map. Manaaki's eyes twinkled in delight as Kanga floundered.
A few more attacks to his under side later, however, Kanga suddenly grinned. Well if she wanted to play that way, he would, too. He winked once at Manaaki, who noticed Kanga's suddenly smug face and took his own turn at looking concerned.
"No, Kanga, don't you dare!" But it was too late.
Kanga flopped.
No offensive moves, no real defensive moves either... he just flopped down. Kaily was under him somewhere. He was heavy enough that she would probably be incapacitated, but the under side of his stomach was soft enough that she probably wouldn't be in pain.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 20, 2017 10:29:43 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Lying on her bad side so her good shoulder had a little more freedom to move and maybe cause some semblance of annoyance (she truly didn't seem to be making much of a dent on Kanga - not that she really wanted to, but he could have the decency to act hurt or winded or something) she batted away at his front paws, not sparing her rugged claws from the attack. He hadn't really been able to react to this - she was mystified as to how he hadn't yet tried to side-step: apparently no one else had ever attempted this position, that or he was busy chuckling at the attempt - either way, she had a few extra seconds to attempt at some kind of real attack and yet, all she could come up with was what she was currently doing. She already knew it wasn't effective, Kanga was a rock if there ever was one and no amount of her smacks and slashes would budge him, but it was all she had at the moment.
She felt Kanga shift slightly overhead and Manaaki suddenly called out in panic: "No, Kanga, don't you dare!"
Kanga's solid, coppery shadow descended and landed perfectly (and none too gently for the sake of the fight) on top of her. She yipped a shriek of surprise as she suddenly found herself encased in the brown red fur with Kanga's rib-cage above her and in a way where she could hear his massive heart beating. It wasn't even going that fast: hang you Kanga! He could have some sporting decency! What kind of a move was this? Sitting on your opponent like a brooding hen? It was completely ridiculous! Well...to be fair her little strategy of ducking under him had been pretty ridiculous too, but somehow she felt justified - she was after all handicapped (by size, not by her gimpy shoulder).
This all ran through her mind in less than two seconds and she began thrashing and writing, squirming with every bit of energy she had. Blast! Why had she been on her side when he'd come down? She squirmed and shrugged and shook her head at the beast trapping her from above and managed to angle her snout up.
A sudden, terribly wicked, terribly unsporting idea came to her. If she had ever attempted such a thing and her mother had known of it, she would have been grounded for days. If her father had known of it, he would have given her a stern talking-to and then grounded her for days. Her parents weren't there to tell her 'no', and she didn't have a Manaaki (Kanga hadn't listened to his either at any rate). She worked for another degree or two to angle her snout up, found where his rib-cage ended and the ridiculously thick fur thinned a little, curled back her front lips, opened her maw and none-too-kindly nipped as hard as her jaw would allow in the confined space of Kanga's prison.
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Post by Meds on Nov 23, 2017 12:35:20 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
Kanga fixed Manaaki with a smug grin as he squished Kailypso underneath him. Manaaki didn't see the look, as his eyes were closed out of the sheer embarrassment he was feeling for his brother. He sighed quietly, a little sound, as if to say that he had expected as much. Kanga heard the little sound and chuckled richly, rolling his shoulders and really squishing her. But then, then, the power with which she was fighting back dimmed some. Kanga's ear twitched and he cast a glance downward. What was she doing under there? And then he knew.
Now, the thing about the twins was that they were very used to pain. When wrestling each other, it almost wasn't fun unless one of them ended up bleeding. But that was nothing to be said for surprise pain, especially in such a soft spot as his lower stomach, and with such force as Kaily exhibited. Kanga didn't yelp, for he never yelped—but he snarled. In one fluid motion he had leapt upward and donkey-kicked backwards without a second thought. Now, when play-fighting with Manaaki, it was alright if either one of them got actually-hurt and responded instinctually. They were both huge. But to a wolf Kailypso's size, when Kanga reared and pummelled the area where she was with his big back paws, there was a chance that she would be seriously hurt. When his lethal claws ripped through the air toward where the pain had initially come from, there was a good chance that they would catch her.
Kanga didn't mean any of it, of course, but when one tangled with a giant, there was always that chance.
Kanga swivelled quickly, his lips pulled back over his teeth and ready for the real fun to begin before he saw Kaily. Before he knew if she was alright. Manaaki's voice rang out in a level-chorus. "Kanga..."
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 23, 2017 14:03:58 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Hang Kanga! He didn't even have the decency to yelp and give her a fair warning that he was about to react, but in traditional Crooked Smile fashion he jumped up and with his mighty rear paws lashed out at the little thistle burr poking his vulnerable underside. Rugged rear claws scraped her cheek and she felt a slight dampness and a pummeling as her little body was forcefully pushed away by Kanga's counter-attack, but she took a trick from the giant and rolled with the impact, never minding the bruise she could feel forming on her good shoulder and bounded back. She was faintly aware of Manaaki calling out a warning to his brother, she coudln't see why, Kanga was ready and waiting for her, ears back, lips curled with a vicious snarl of delight on his face. She grinned back her own dagger-toothed grin and launched at him again, leaping up right behind his cheek - yet another blind-spot she'd identified on the giants.
She'd noticed on her stump throne how much bigger Kanga was than her, even his head and facial features, and now it was going to give her an edge if she could hold onto it. Leaping up, snarling and spitting she found the part of the neck just behind his jawbone and right cheek and got a firm hold on it. She didn't necessarily want the meat of it, grabbing for meat on the side of the neck was a ridiculous idea, the strong muscles and false bones that supported it were thick and firm by make and hard to sink your teeth into. All she needed really was a good mouthful of fur and for Kanga to not react before she got that close, for once she was up to his neck, he could no longer see her, nor would he be able to lift his right leg without her being able to use the move to her advantage. She would be too close to merely be batted away as Kanga had done earlier, this close and he would have had to shake her off, but if she moved quick enough, even shaking wouldn't help.
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Post by Meds on Nov 23, 2017 15:23:56 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
She was alright. Thank the power. Manaaki bellowed softly from the side of the fray, a deeper warning to his wild younger brother. He knew exactly what was happening, and that was what had him worried. Kanga was operating at about 20% of his capability at that moment, because he was afraid to hurt a friend. Unfortunately, Manaaki knew that this would open him up to more attacks than usual. He was not a machine—he still felt pain. And being open to more attacks by subconsciously wanting to keep Kailypso safe would just bring about more instinctual reactions from the burly brother. For Kailypso, it was all go. She was holding nothing back. But for Kanga it was more difficult. He had to hold back. She was too small, too fragile, all wolves were when compared to the twins. And that was why Manaaki knew that while Kailypso would physically land more hits, she was in far greater danger than Kanga.
To prove his point her cheek had now opened up and was bleeding all over the snow. She seemed relatively unbothered, but it had been a close call. The more wary brother watched through shielded eyes. Kaily was up again quickly and did a clever little move. Normally, hooking into a cheek and shoulder would not protect the attacker; but Kaily was smaller than most other wolves. She was so small that by clipping her teeth onto Kanga in such a way rendered her almost invisible. Which Manaaki knew, would only further Kanga's drive to play and worse, to win. With every new injury that opened up on him, the competitive giant got closer to ending the interaction.
Though in Kailypso's defence, she really did have a good hold on Kanga. Growls mingled with smiles as he tried to paw at her; unfortunately his legs didn't bend backwards and he couldn't get her. Shaking his powerful shoulders did nothing, either. It wasn't until Kaily's bite tightened that Kanga's eyes flashed. Manaaki tensed. The more fun Kanga had, and the more that Kaily showed herself to be a competent fighter, the less likely the brute would be to control himself. Barring shaking her off, an idea came to Kanga's warriors mind. He knew he couldn't actually hurt her, for even the playful (and not so playful) nips that she was subjecting him to could not be returned—for Kanga's playful bites would quickly turn serious. But the part of his mind commanding himself to keep control was quickly getting quieter as he started wondering if maybe Kailypso could handle herself after all. Kanga's next move would be the tell all. He knew he couldn't shake her off, but that wasn't what he tried. He lifted his head and neck, and raised on his front legs with lightning quick speed. As he did do, he swung his neck away from Kailypso. While swinging his neck, he brought his head back down, landing back on the ground with a mighty force. If Kanga's calculations were correct, Kaily (while still firmly biting him), would be swung in towards his other shoulder by her own momentum. He figured it would work, because her firm hold on his ear would create almost a hinge, and with power like his, swinging the hinge would be the next clear corse of action. If he is successful, Kanga would then dip his neck and open his jaws. With such a large bite on him, it would be all too easy to catch Kailypso between his teeth while she swung towards his mouth. Kanga would aim for her middle, closing his jaws around her entirety and holding her there, suspended in the air. Whether she continued to bite him or not was irrelevant, for she would be in his trap.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 23, 2017 20:23:36 GMT -5
Kailypso:
Manaaki made a concerned sound in his throat and she caught a flash of silver in her peripheral vision, and then she was on and all information her senses were picking up were concerning the fight. She tugged and bit deeper into the loose fur - she could only think that she would have liked to have had this fight when Kanga was still growing for more loose ruff to grab a hold of, but Kanga looked closer to her brothers' age, she would have been a clumsy little pup of a few weeks when Kanga was the size she would have preferred, and that wouldn't have done at all, she would have to make do with what she had now. As would Kanga it seemed. Despite how it only made sense he couldn't reach her where she was, he still tried. She couldn't help but smirk to herself, maybe she wasn't so gimpy after all, maybe her smaller size and limp were a good thing, they certainly forced her to be creative with her thinking, and maybe creative was all she needed for this little scrap.
Kanga then surprised her. He reared up again. Holy! She almost yipped out and opened her mouth and let go! To suddenly feel nothing under her paws and to feel Kanga's weight shift in her teeth from his four paws to only two left an awful feeling in her stomach, like it had been left back on the ground and was racing to catch up. She grit her teeth and bit down harder, just in time too as he slammed his massive body back down, tossing his head and swinging her around. Still reacting to the cold nothingness and air between her paws, she scrabbled for a better fix against Kanga's shoulder. Her body was bending the other way! She turned her weight in the other direction. Kanga was clever, she had to give him that, whatever tales he made up of his having a gimpy head were entirely false, meant to lull his foes and sparring partners into a false sense of security. He had a good, fighting head on his shoulders, if anyone ever tried to convince her of less, she would have quite a story to share.
She was still swinging! The force of her momentum was too much for her to stop without anything else working in the other direction. Like...like-! She needed extra help, some leverage or something to push off of...her paws touched Kanga's shoulder again and she jumped. Not off mind you, her jaw was still firmly holding onto the loose skin and winter scruff about Kanga's neck, but her grip was higher up now, her forepaws slung over his back and she looked like a pup trying to benefit a piggyback from an aunt or uncle. Her rear paws were still dangling and still going in the wrong direction, she could feel herself slipping and clenched her jaws until her jowls bulged with the effort - she wondered how much longer until one of her teeth went through his ruff. She braced her forepaws against his other shoulder and tried to dig in her claws. It wouldn't be easy to mount Kanga again if he caught this tactic, she couldn't afford to lose the grip she had, because she didn't know if she could get it back again if she did.
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Post by Meds on Nov 28, 2017 13:25:51 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
Kanga's supposedly foolproof move failed, and though Kailypso did go swinging as he intended, somehow his jaws snapped closed on empty air. How hadn't it worked? Everything else had. It wasn't until he noticed a throb in his shoulder did her realize that she must have kicked off and away from him, which did nothing but infuriate him. That was how Kanga got when he was focused. He wouldn't even notice pain, if he was touched, or even if he had been kicked. His silver-ringed eyes bulged and he swung his neck again, trumpeting, the very picture of a giant versus a mouse, and getting annoyed fast. A sudden pitter-patter of blood on the ground told him that Kaily's teeth must have punctured him by now, grating against his skin, but the blood was the only way he would have known. Suddenly, he felt as if through a fog that her claws were digging into his shoulder again. He quickly deduced everything she could accomplish by doing that, and though he wasn't sure what her end-game was, it involved her getting back onto his back. Curse this. Kanga hated friendly sparring with somebody who was so much smaller than him. He could land no real hits if he was to remain friendly. He imagined that any of his bites would break her. But his irritation was mounting—not because of Kaily herself landing hits, indeed she was doing very well—but because he could not retaliate.
Manaaki sensed his brother's mounting frusteration, and he was cautious. From his point of view it looked like Kaily was in fact winning—but if he knew Kanga, and he did, it was because Kanga wouldn't attack her back. He should have seen such an outcome from the beginning. This was fun in theory, but in application it was bad.
Kanga growled and brought his opposite paw up to rake his claws down Kailypso's spine. He was surely allowed to do something, or else she wouldn't have challenged him. Then again, she hadn't known his full potential. She still didn't, there was no way she could. Kanga was as weak as a pup if he didn't actually fight her. But Blaise had not made him a warrior for nothing. Kanga had never lost a fight—though usually, he could throw his weight around at least a little bit. When Kanga fought, unless it was against Manaaki, it was to win. He had thought that playing with Kaily could be the same, but it was so much different than he had imagined. It would be a never-ending battle if he couldn't do anything. Kanga was a wolf of action. He wanted her off. Now.
Kanga reared once more, this time on his hind legs, but didn't go for height this time. He was merely shifting his weight, preparing to spring forward with all the power he had. He bent his body towards the side that Kaily was holding onto. His back claws dug in, his front legs bent, and he shot forward like a coiled spring. As he did so, he heaved his neck and shoulders to the other side with dizzying speed. He felt Kailypso's teeth rip out of his flesh as she was thrown from him, but he didn't have time to look. He raced forward a few paces, as if in slow motion, then turned with massive fangs bared and dripping, and a snarl that could have shaken the trees. As Kanga turned, though, he was met shoulder-to-shoulder with Manaaki. The silver brother had streaked in, leaping over Kailypso as easily as breathing, and slammed himself into the russet monster. Kanga's forward momentum was haulted, and for a moment all was still as the twins pressed against each other.
Kanga was not extraordinarily out of breath, but he was panting. Manaaki was, too. Once everything was still, Manaaki released Kanga and turned back, looking to Kailypso in concern, hoping she was alright. Really, all that had happened was that she had been thrown off of his back—but what had Manaaki worried was that it hadn't exactly been a gentle toss. Kanga looked over Manaaki's shoulder as well, calmer now, hpoing he hadn't caused any actual damage.
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Post by Fierfly on Nov 28, 2017 17:35:32 GMT -5
Kailypso:
She almost had her chest up to the level she wanted when Kanga whirled around, snapping at her rear-quarters again, then his heavy mitt from his opposite shoulder raked down her spine. Her fur stood up in surprise and she yelped through her teeth - yow! That hurt more than she had been expecting. Still, good on Kanga, her methods had a hint of madness behind them, not usual tactics that wolves used, the very fact that Kanga could take them and turn them around to some semblance of his advantage was a great compliment to his intelligence and strategy. And it only fueled her desire to mount, she could climb, even if Kanga made it difficult, she could do this. She pushed off again, climbing higher reaching higher up to the position she wanted, riding on Kanga's back and holding onto his mane with her claws and teeth, a chance to enjoy the ride.
She had her forehalf over, one paw slung and reaching to grip on his other shoulder and her rear paws working on following when Kanga reared up again and swung his front half over to his right, where she was.
Oh shoot...
She didn't have a tight enough grasp on his left shoulder! She was going to fall! Snarling, she reached to sink her claws into the meat of his shoulder and secure a grip, but it was about time she learned how quick the twins were. Kanga slammed his body back down and wrenched his body the other day. Her jaw flew open in surprise as she came down with him. Her upper and lower teeth banged together on empty air and with one more twist, she felt herself rolling over Kanga's spine and spinning through the air until her body slammed down on the ground, just shy of a giant red-barked tree, all the air in her lungs torn out upon impact.
For a moment she lay absolutely still, eyes screwed shut - like when you know you're about to collide with something and can't bear to watch and turn away so you don't have to see the disaster that's coming. Her mouth gaped like a fish's for a moment, no breath going in or out, red-raked sides still. How stupid this had been - why had she thought this would be fun? She was always looking for a fight, wasn't she? She was fighting anyway, why did she feel the need to seek out more? To win? Win what? What was she winning? What was she proving? What had she just proved to herself? Nothing, absolutely nothing, except that she was small and fragile and ought not to forget it.
She gasped and the air finally went back in (really barely a few seconds after she'd landed, it had only felt much longer as her aches and hurts had set in). She sat up and opened her eyes in time to see Manaaki literally body-check Kanga and for the two to briefly glare at each other. A few moments of absolute stillness went by and Manaaki stepped aside and they both turned to her. She struggled to her feet, wincing as the bruise on her good shoulder made its presence known and as the gouges from Kanga's claws spoke up along her spine. She shook her head to shake off her disorientation and turned to the twins. Why had Manaaki gotten involved? She'd only invited him in if he felt the need to rescue his brother, she couldn't have...a trickle of blood from Kanga's neck and dripping down his shoulder made her heart skip a beat. Had she done that? She'd...she'd been playing...she'd only meant to tussle with him a little... "I'm so sorry," she gasped, ducking under Manaaki and easily walking between his legs over to Kanga. She approached, slowly, hesitantly, then reared up and put her forepaws against his shoulder for support and balance as she examined the wound more closely. Yeah, she'd ripped the ruff up pretty good, probably banged his shoulder pretty nicely too. He didn't act too injured though and the angle wasn't bad, it would heal well...she hoped.
She backed off, tucked her tail closer to her rump and felt her ears tilt away sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" didn't mean he couldn't handle it for one thing, and for another she hadn't meant to let the game get so rough. Stupid? Oh no, this had bee beyond stupid, it had been a fool's game, and she'd been the fool for suggesting it.
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Post by Meds on Nov 28, 2017 19:12:08 GMT -5
Kanga, Manaaki;
Manaaki didn't move until he had caught Kanga's eyes. When the younger brother did look up and finally breathed more calmly, the older brother knew it was alright to let him go. Kaily's yelp was still ringing in Kanga's ears when he raked her spine—a dirty move at best. He wasn't very proud of it. Manaaki watched as she had a near-miss with a tree, which thankfully meant a concusion had been avoided, at least for the time being. She didn't move for what felt like an eternity, but then took a shaky breath and stood.
Kanga felt relief flood through him, only now remembering that not only was she smaller than him, by all accounts she was slightly crippled. How could he have raised a paw against her? Guilt flooded through his veins, but he tried to focus on the fact that he had tried to play nice. First with laying on top of her, then attempting to grab her (gently) around the middle—but she wasn't having any of it. The way she looked from brother to brother seemed wrong though, to Kanga. It seemed that she was the one who felt guilty. But why on earth? He glanced to his shoulder as another droplet of blood came free, then looked back to Kaily. It couldn't be because of that, could it? He rolled the shoulder subconciously, then tensed as she came closer, apologizing. It was definitly because of the bite on him that she was guilty for. Kanga's own ears twitched as the little female backed away.
"Why are you apologizing?" Kanga asked, squaring his chest and leaning back slightly in confusion. Manaaki looked from one to the other as Kaily apologized again. Suddenly, her telling Manaaki not to step in unless Kanga needed to be rescued came back to his memory. Oh.
"Er—" Manaaki started, frowning, unsure of how to continue. No wonder she was feeling guilty. There was some miscommunication that had happened there. He glanced to Kanga, who shrugged. Both twins were on the same wave length, it was just a matter of getting Kailypso there, too. "You don't have to feel bad," He said, for once awkward. He nodded back towards Kanga. "He's had a lot worse than that," To add emphasis to his words, he lifted a front paw and brought it against Kanga's shoulder, hard. Kanga winced, but no yelp escaped his lips. Manaaki was right. He had had much worse. "I didn't step in to save—him," Manaaki paused again. He didn't want to make Kanga sound bad. He knew his brother would be sensitive about that. But Kanga understood and spoke up instead, saving Manaaki the trouble. "He wasn't rescuing me, he was..." Blast, this was a hard one to breech. "He was stopping me."
Kanga cleared his throat awkwardly, not wanting Kailypso to be afraid of him. It wasn't that he wouldn't have stopped before things turned really ugly... but he hadn't been planning on stopping when Manaaki intervened. Kanga had gotten excited. His competitive spirit had taken a blow, and he had almost tried to instinctually restore the balance.
Curse... Curse... Curse...
What a turn the day had taken.
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