Kaj did not often lose his temper. Rather, he exploded in rage – the cathartic, protective response seeming to make up for his eternally peaceful attitude. Still, he was a mortal, with limits even to his own patience. He’d waded through the brindled maiden’s self-despair since he’d first met her, but her words cause something old and weary inside him to snap. Even her attempt at reminding him of the invasion did nothing to quell the sudden exasperation he felt. “Just stop, Resplendence! You’re not useless! Damn it!” he growled, the bellow of his voice anguished and frustrated. He hated her sometimes, and it wore and grated on his equal love for her. He wanted to shake her until she stopped being so flimsy, so boneless, because he could not continuously prop her up. He didn’t want her to fall apart when he couldn’t be there for her. It was somewhat selfless, in that aspect.

Her silence gave him peace, solidarity against the buffeting force of her self-deprecation. It numbed him until all he felt was the solid whip of his hair against his neck as he ran for her, chasing his own words of warning. She came to life as if electrocuted, scrabbling away from him, but with a certain hesitation that seemed to clasp her in one general area. Kaj grit his teeth, peering at her form through a curtain of writhing hair. She’s nothing like his past opponents; frail where they stood mountainous, tentative beneath the bluster of their force. He doesn’t know how to fight her, how to handle her. His entire approach to fighting has been turned on its head, and he fears that will lead to his ultimate, humiliating defeat. Kaj would rather duel with Maskan and Bronze at once than force himself out of his comfort zone into an arena that required restraint rather than ferocity, delicacy over severity.

She seems all the more like a china doll as he bears down on her, small and breakable. It helps him pull his punches, slow the throw of his shoulder towards her. Even so, he cannot help but wince as their bodies connect. Discordant, jarring, it is sure to be sore by the time they limp off the sands. She careened away to his left, moving with the force through instinct rather than honed experience. He fights to find his own balance, in turn. Left foreleg shot out to catch himself, and so preoccupied with reestablishing his center of gravity he nearly misses the sudden swing of her hindquarters. It is the sand that draws his attention, stinging his face from where she had kicked it up in her movements, causing him to squint his eyes against the onslaught. The blur of color forces him to act, as he sees her kick out at him.

Momentum dictated he keep moving to the left, swing with his body and chase after her on steady ground. Instead, the left leg he’d just thrust out to catch himself was planted more firmly, halting that process entirely. Kaj threw his head high simultaneously, keeping his delicately boned muzzle out of range and jerking it to the right against his momentum to efficiently halt his own body. Kaj internally cursed as he then tried to belatedly throw himself to the right and away from her attack. But she was quick and limber where he was slow and stocky, and he tensed the muscles in his legs and shoulders for the blow he knew would land. Rounded hooves slammed into the curve of his left shoulder, where his breast and shoulder were united. It was solid enough with their combined movement to leave him momentarily winded, a small laceration opening up beneath the force and sluggishly beginning to drip blood. Her hoof slid past and off his body in moments, leaving behind the sting and smart of a well-place blow. Surprised pride bloomed inside his breast. It may have been instinct to lash out, but his muscles protested and blood had slowly begun to stain his hide. She had done well.

Valiance swooped down from above, drawing his attention back from where he’d thrown his head high. Snorting, Kaj ducked it once again. He hadn’t fought with a flying companion, but he didn’t want to expose his face too much. He used the strength of his hindquarters to renew his momentum, swinging back to the left only to find Resplendence turning to face him already. Deciding to use his superior height against her, Kaj reared up and kicked forward, lunging for her. Massive hooves poised for her already injured left side, seeking to rake down the length of her left leg. Perhaps immobilize a joint and ensure moving in the sand would be even harder, slow her faster frame for him.