It had never been a question of whether he would stay or go. To leave the mountain was not an option. Someone had to remain, to serve as sentry. It had been clear that many of his family would leave, unable to bear the thought of remaining in a home desecrated by the deaths of their steadfast leaders. Rather, Sleekwing had questioned what his motives were for staying. He had pledged his allegiance to Purge, confirmed his desires to remain as a leading warrior of the mountain. But did he have ulterior motives? His lineage was part of him; it could not be taken from him or stripped from him. Even so, he was a wolf of the mountain and he would not leave Spirane. It would take time for him to respect Purge, but he would view her as the alpha she was. She had killed his mother, and in doing so also taken his father from him. Had it been intentional? No one would ever know. Could she be trusted? It was hard to say. But could Sleekwing himself be trusted? That was what he was here to prove.

He paced the familiar clearing where he had once sparred with his father. Today he waited for Zildjian, a long time member of the pack. The two would duel to show their new alpha what capabilities they each held. Perhaps it would be good for Sleekwing, to have someone to unfurl his frustrations onto. He would not strike to maim or injure, but the opportunity to uncoil his muscles would not be taken for granted. Heather painted sides flexed easily as he turned at the end of each path he wore into the dirt, warming his muscles as he awaited the arrival of his partner in the forthcoming joust.

Lowering his jaw to protect his throat, he assumed a protective posture, carrying his body slightly lower so keep his center of gravity well balanced if Zildjian were to rush him unexpectedly. He did not think the wolf would do this, but it was better to be prepared – as he had learned in his sparring lesson within Diveen when he had first met Malina. She had taken advantage of his lack of preparedness. And he would not make that mistake today. He had a feeling that Purge was somewhere above them, resting on an outcropping of rock and watching their every move, gauging who she thought would be best to lead the warriors of her pack. And Sleekwing was determined to make sure that was him.

[Shall we keep this simple and to the point?]
Sleekwing intro
Zildjian attack 1
Sleekwing attack 1 & defense 1
Zildjian defense 1 & attack 2
Sleekwing defense 2 & attack 2
Zildjian defense 2 & conclusion
Sleekwing conclusion