♣

Perhaps, had this been a job in his old life he would have opted for a sneak attack. But there was no reason for secrecy in this fight. He would meet Iblis head on, no fanfare or fancy tricks or intimidation. Him and his partner used to spar all the time, but they screwed around with it, it had never been a real or honest battle. In truth, this was the first proper test of his abilities he'd had in a long while. Vincent saw Iblis calculating him, judging his movements with an eye that only a seasoned warrior would have. Good. He was glad that the pack that he had chosen to join was under good hands.

Iblis had taken the slight hesitation and ran with it, quite literally. Vincent heard the chuckle and a second later Iblis was gone. The slight taste of fur in his mouth told him that the little king had allowed for his attack to hit. He let the momentum of the attack die out as Iblis darted away, his muscles relaxing as he took a few loping strides, turning around again to face Iblis only to see the smaller male charging directly for him. Vincent was beginning to learn the Iblis's style. In, then out, then in, then back out again. It wasn't an unfamiliar style of battle, especially for wolves of a smaller stature. No worries, Vincent's got this.

He dug his back claws into the ground, bracing himself and preparing to take the full brunt of the attack. If Iblis wanted to play this game, he would just have to find a way to keep him close. Vincent was like a brick wall, his firey eyes were fixed on Iblis as the smaller male came charging towards him. The tuxedo-marked brute grunted as Iblis made contact; he felt his teeth on his skin, pinching down. Vincent hardly winced as Iblis bit down, it was nowhere near a bad injury, though he was sure it would smart later the adrenaline of the battle kept it from hurting much. Perhaps it would seem foolish of him to not try to get out of the way, but the slight injuries he sustained from the attack would work in his favor in the end.

Now it was his turn. Hopefully before Iblis had a chance to get away, Vincent moved his head to bite at the soft skin of Iblis's neck and scruff area, aiming to fasten his teeth around the skin there and hopefully bruise the skin or leave a shallow wound. Vincent wasn't afraid to take an injury to further his own plan- Iblis would dart away after each attack, but if Vincent didn't try to dodge it would leave Iblis open to a counterattack.