Blood pool into her mouth as a strip of skin come away beneath her teeth, and immediately the mare relinquished her hold as nausea surged up inside. The taste is foul, like metal and salt and death and no matter how she spit and snort and thrash her head about she cannot rid herself of it. It as is though the crimson has fused with her tongue, soaked into her very teeth and branded her destroyer, abuser, bully of the year. Her fist impulse is to turn tail and run from the scene of her crime, leave the memory behind so she can ignore it, push it to the farthest recess of her mind and pretend it never happened, that she never did this, never injured someone so young (albeit still horribly thick-headed and foolish). She barely even reflected over the lack of impact as her hooves scraped through empty space, felt no dismay nor sadness that additional attempts to injure and maim had become thwarted.

Even as she twisted to the left in her descent, intent to turn her back on the opponent and hightail out of there, Shadow came to a realization that was as crisp and clear as it was sudden. She hated fighting. It wasn't only because of the pain that wracked her body from tackles, bites and excessive strain on a body that by rights should be confined to a green meadow for some R&R, not just for the fear and guilt and rage tinted in madness that loomed on the horizon of her mind-scape. It was also completely and utterly pointless.

She felt all the fight, the energy and will drain from her carcass of a body in the span of a breath. The black mare blinked, took her eyes off the enemy for a fraction of a second as she prepared for the impact of her body against the ground.

But just as cracked, dry hooves made contact with the shifting sands her chin met with the rising knees of the black colt. Light exploded behind closed eyelids as knee smacked into jaw that snapped up against blunt ivories, snapping her entire head up and back with a nasty crack. Something twisted in the muscles of her neck and sent a jolt of stabbing pain down the spine that made her wince, and just as she thought it was over she felt something hot and hard and rough scrape over her turned cheek, a gust of air spilling over dusty black fur as teeth clamped down on her face.

That was the final straw.

"ENOUGH!"

With all the strength she had left the mare threw herself backwards and felt how skin and hair parted with her frame as she tore herself out of the haphazard grip. With a snap the black wings unfurled, and though her ribs ached and her wing joint pounded and the head swam with pain and dizziness Shadow brought herself about, bucked violently with hooves aiming for his chest to keep him from following, and then broke into a swift lope. Her wings beat frantically until enough lift had been created that they might carry her into the sky, into relative safety.

What a farce. What a complete and utter waste of time and energy. Nothing had been accomplished here, nothing settled. Who cared about winners and losers when pain throbbed and the chest ached with confusion?

Not her, at least.

_______________________________________________________________

WC: 572
PC: 3/3

Summary: Shadow take his knees full on to her chin, rattling her head and pulling a muscle in the neck. She take his bite to her right cheek. In tearing herself loose she draw a bit of blood, turns around and buck against his chest, then takes to the sky to leave the fight.

So sorry for the long wait, I actually forgot about this for a while! Thank you for the spar, it was really fun! ^^