Serenity cringed when she watched Torleik so easily lower his thick, muscular neck, and she tried to put on the brakes. She tilted the angle of her wings so that they caught the wind, and she tucked under her hips, skidding through the sand. The force of the wind hitting her feathers halted her rather quickly. With a gasp, she dodged out of the way just in time as he pulled his head away, narrowly missing getting scratched by the two, demonic cow horns on top of his crown. Barely, she managed to avoid his horns, quickly tucking one of her wings to her side, and she still managed to land a bite on his neck. He tasted rather… clean. Hm.

Not wanting to hurt him too badly, she released his skin quickly from between her teeth. Something about biting him seemed far too intimate, and she wondered now about how so many called battle a dance.

His words would definitely be considered from here forward, and she quickly rounded to be able to face him again, simply waiting. The cold weather did not bother her very much, as she was accustomed to flying at high altitudes where the warmth of the earth did not reach. Serenity, still very novice at fighting, had no concept of continuing to move or keeping her head in the game. While she had watched foals box for fun, this was entirely new.

As such, she was unprepared when Torleik leaped in her direction, and she tucked her wings to her side, trying to jump out of the way. Still, her reactions would never be quite as fast as his actions – not if she wasn’t ready. Moving from a standstill took half-seconds too long, and she felt one of his strong, muscular forelegs catch on one of her back legs. He looked to have been aiming to run into her, but she had moved out of the way fast enough to avoid being tackled completely.

His knee caught in the junction of her stifle and belly, and she felt the ache of the delicate area as she yanked her hind, left leg away from him. Serenity grunted at the ache and then caught her balance again, feeling the muscle there tighten in response to being stretched too far. She shot him a look. “Hey, you don’t have to run me over!” she barked, a little bit of attitude hiding her embarrassment.

She remembered not to run at him head on again, so instead, she lashed out with her back hooves, aiming to hit his chest with the brunt of her small, feminine hooves. The starry mare had no idea if that was the right move or not, but it seemed to fit the level of her temper. With a quick turn on her haunches, she flashed out her wings again, not caring if she buffeted him in the face (even though that wasn’t entirely her intention). She pushed downward with great force, lifting her off the ground and sending the dry sand flying in all directions, and she gave herself more space between her and Torleik to plan her next move. This way, at least if he ran at her again, she would have more time to react.

Running was something she knew very well. She had spent her entire life running, but now, she was here to stay. And staying meant fighting. Fighting for what you cared for. Serenity took a deep breath and tried to calm her temper, remembering what this was all about. Helovia was her home, and she needed to learn how to protect it.

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[2/3] [604 words in word]
Summary: Serenity's back, left leg is caught by the motion of his knee, and then she kicks out at him and glides away.