She was uncertain about what it was that had kept her in the Basin once she had stepped into it. Perhaps it was the promise of being able to live comfortably in the midst of a herd that promised to be ignorant of whatever lies she had been fed since she was a child, or maybe she had simply grown a little lonely in her wanderings. Whatever it was that pulled her in a little deeper was seemingly irrelevant now, as she had started taking steps towards becoming a more important chess piece in the cooler sector of Helovia, and with that came different sorts of responsibilities.

On top of being needed to be helpful and being willing to learn more at the hands of others, it was understood that there would come a time when she needed to protect herself. As she wandered in the direction of the field that she had been told to meet the stallion in, she pondered over just what was likely to swoop down on the Basin during her stay there, and whether there were unpleasant wheels in motion or not. It seemed as though she had gotten a little lost in thought and had managed to find herself before the bearded stallion shortly after the mid-morning sun had risen.

Liit isn’t entirely sure what to think of learning how to defend herself as she had lived a very passive, peaceful life right up until this moment. The acknowledgement of her timeliness is appreciated, and she gives Torleik a small nod in greeting before they get down to business. The pale mare understands everything that the stallion explains, quickly becoming aware to the sort of desperation that seemed to come hand in hand with battles and invasions, and just how impertinent that it was that she stay on her feet during such situations.

Now, as the real lesson begins, Liit heeds the stallion’s guiding words, and starts to correct her stance. Ensuring that her hooves had a sturdy footing on the grassy ground beneath her, she lowers herself a little bit. It almost felt similar to being ready to bolt or take off in any random direction, and for a second she is grateful to be able to position herself in a way that she was accustomed to. When Torleik tells her to attack him, she feels a rock drop in her stomach and she stares at him for a moment, completely uncertain of how she was to attack him. “I’ve… Never attacked anyone before.” She thought she sounded foolish, admitting that she had never participated in a physical struggle before and that she had never had to defend herself. Taking a moment to process just what to do, she tries to remember what she had seen other horses do in her herd, and how they had gone about striking out at each other.

With a quick, forward burst she starts her attack. It is a clumsy movement, not as fine-tuned or carefully calculated as it should be, but it is an attack nonetheless. As she pushes forwards, she rises up as high as she can on her hind legs before reaching out with her hooves in the direction of the stallion’s chest. The stallion was much taller than herself, and perhaps it would be dumb luck if her beginner’s attack had managed to strike against his breast at all. She wasn’t entirely certain how this would end, and if she would receive more tough lessons than the sort of soft-handed guidance she was used to.

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