Archibald and Loretta moved away from Circe, with Archibald reassuring her that they would return, that they needed to first meet and practice with a herdmate for the season. The Dauntless knew his mate would understand his dedication to duty, but the sadness he saw in her eyes would never leave his mind's eye. He needed to finish this spar as soon as he could so that he could find the side of his mate once more and bask in her warmth. Together they had conceived another child, and to the core of Archibald's bones he hoped that the progeny would be female. After the devestation of losing their dear Callisto, and having two raging sons of hell, the pair needed some beauty to brighten their days. However, if the child was male, Archibald knew neither him nor his wife would love the being any less. Their children were dear and precious to them--even their wild boys who left as soon as they no longer needed their mother's teet.

Now, Archibald and Loretta stood in the middle of the large sand arena. The place smelled heavily of sweat, blood, and the sand beneath his hooves. Archibald knew this was a place of practice and battle, and so he would today invite his herdmate to join him here and lock in the dance of a spar. Archibald knew of this Murdock, although it was little. The warrior had been under Archibald's battle command for several years now, with some pause in between. The pegasus was a member of the Grey and served loyally in Archibald's mercenary ranks. However, the Dauntless had never spoken directly to Murdock (aside from commands) and never got the chance to build a bond with the stallion, unlike Ktulu, Lakota, Ophelia or Apollo. He wondered if after this spar if the relationship between him and this stallion would be different, but Archibald was not interested enough in conversation to make it happen too soon. He was more of the type to let the others come to him, as he had with those he held so close to his heart.

The sun was high in the sky before Archibald rang out his call for the stallion. "Murdock!" His bellow was deep and loud, bursting into the afternoon air with ease and power. His tone, however, did not hold any emotion. Simply, the massive beast was calling his warrior forth. Golden eyes cast down to his bonded, then, locking hard on her amber gaze. If you participate, it will be under Murdock's choice. Should he decline, you leave. I will not repeat our spar against Cheveyo. Archibald snorted some, tapping the smooth sand with his left forehoof. Loretta's ears lowered as she was scolded, but she remained silent. A growing frustration stemmed in her chest, and she looked harshly away from her commander.

Beneath their hooves and paws, the grounding was solid. The sand would provide a good foothold, but slipping and slower movements were sure to happen, Archibald predicted. He had experience battling on the beach, in sand, against Destrier, and he remembered how difficult it was for his hulking frame to launch off the sand versus hard-packed earth. The sun was high and shone down on his black back, though it was not too hot of a day to create sweat build-up in Archibald's crevices without heavy exursion.



[WC: 561 | PC: 0/3 | Setting: On the Sky Island, in the sand arena. Midday, bright sun and mild temperature. Small breeze and very few clouds in the sky. | Please have a timely reply, because this spar needs to be completed by the end of Birdsong, which is January 31. Murdock may attack first! P.S--it is up to you whether there is magic and companions, I don't care either way, just have Murdock specify. @[Murdock] ]