Theatricality and deception are powerful agents.
You must become more than just a man
in the mind of your opponent

There was no symbolic darkening of the sky or gathering of colossal storm clouds heavy with the forecast of a great clash between warriors. There will be no momentous scattering of wild life or any frightened screams of the innocent about to witness an invasion that would decide everyone’s fate. No, it’s only a spar and Cineviam stood in stoic and analytical silence as she turned to face him and seemed to weigh his attributes carefully. At least he wasn’t about to fight a completely clueless mare. In his father’s army, a female warrior was few and far between and until Faelene proved she was up to snuff, he would continue to doubt her abilities.

Not that her physical appearance lacked the potential for the battlefield. From this distance, she appeared to stand only a few inches shorter than him. A wicked looking horn protruded from her forehead, the color of her coat led one to imagine she was carved from stone and drenched in blood. However, Cineviam was built of superior stuff. The Iberian half of his bloodline was known for its prowess as a warhorse and bullfighting and the draft blood gave him dense bone and additional power.

Grey ears dart forward and caught her answer. It seemed that he wasn’t the only one uncertain of her skill and since she was a fellow member of the World’s Edge that was unacceptable. “Peace won’t last forever, if the lady needs practice then she shall have it,” he growled, slipping into a fighter’s mindset with ease. The trick is to be detached - to think both in the moment and the future - and play, not merely a game of strength and speed, but a game of wit and strategy as well. Like a participant in a chess game, one must think the battle through to the very end - anticipating every choice of oneself and one’s opponent, as well as the consequences of such choices, all done within a split second.

Having been trained since birth, Cineviam had a deep well of experience to draw from. He already had a possible course of action planned and the mare asking for him to go first played right into his hands. Dipping his head in acceptance, he felt anticipation mounting in his veins but he doesn’t let it get the best of him. Instead, he transitioned smoothly from a standstill into a balanced canter. He does not approach her head on but in a roundabout way, as if meant to circle her counter clockwise at a closer distance than from where they had started conversing. But his motives are never so one dimensional. Cineviam would position himself purposefully so that the setting Sun would be behind him and his fellow herd mate would get the full glare while trying to watch for his first assault

Though there are many attacks that he could make, Cineviam has long decided that starting with the hindquarters would be the most beneficial. A closer look at the hindquarters would reveal several strong and important muscles, that if bruised would sap the power out of any attempted attack from them, from then on. He had completed a half-circle as he came around the back of Faelene, the soot-stained stallion dove in close than faced himself away again at an angle to Faelene’s right side. Clearly seeing his body within excellent range… and that was all the confirmation that the cinder beast needed. He threw his weight to the front of his body, and lifted his hind legs out of the mist blanketing the ground. Like a gunshot, he let his legs fly. There was no fear of retaliation, he didn’t move immediately into safety, but allowed his legs to extend to their fullest – the most devastating. Only when they grounded again did Cineviam scoot out mare’s kicking zone. He didn’t move far, only giving himself enough breathing room to see an assault coming.

Your move.