essetia

My body seemed to hum as we charged toward the Sleuth, and more than anything I felt like I was just as much a part of Romul as he was a part of me. We were no longer equine and wolf, but a pack moving in for the final kill. We’d stalked our prey for long enough, following him across the figurative tundra from which Romul hailed, and with the Sleuth finally singled out… it was time to bring him down. I’d never considered how strong Romul’s prey drive was until he’d allowed me to share his instincts to compensate where mine were tender and weak. Through him I felt my blood rush and with that rushing came a violent desire to see the baked earth of the Throat stained with red. Though the sun was being chased from the sky by the darkness of night, the home of the Dragon still told stories of long, fiery days and cool, barren nights despite the presence of winter. How long would the bitter winds allow my victory to be remembered? How long would Bucephalus’ bloodshed color this makeshift battleground?

The wolf was much lower to the ground than I and though we’d charged as one, his teeth were the first to mutilate our adversaries’ gold-flecked hide. I was aware of the adrenaline and the relief that indicated a successful attack as he bit into flesh much thicker than the meager rabbits he’d been hunting for food. The jolt of excitement he felt travelled, uncontrolled, through our bond like a freight train. However, it threw me off balance to experience his true nature –a natural predator- and before I could discipline the chaos and utter lack of restraint that compelled him to fight, it was too late. The Sleuth had dropped to one knee and in doing so he lifted his wing in order to stun me upon impact. I knew that I couldn’t avoid the hit entirely and instead used the extended wing to my advantage. I panicked and nearly balked as the appendage swooped upward, but instead of slowing down to avoid his attack, I sped up. The only thing I could do to lessen the damage was throw my head down in order to protect my throatlatch and prevent him from choking me and leaving me completely open for retaliation. I knew battle was something of a double-edged sword though. We both had to swallow it if we wanted to win.

A shaky grunt was forced from my lungs what at last I met with the taut sinew of the Pegasus’ wing and the air was knocked straight from my chest. He’d managed to aim true, or as true as I would allow, and the force of the wing against my neck felt like whiplash. However, I managed to stumble away from him hoping that the charge had been enough to unbalance him. Romul! Go now! I screamed internally. I couldn’t manage to voice the command otherwise because of my coughing, but steadfast resolve bloomed from the assault... I needed this to work. I needed to remind the young wolf that I was his alpha and when his silent consent was expressed in my mind, I urged him on. A low growling sounded from the left, where Romul had escaped to, and just when I knew he was about to attack, a splintering pain danced along my spine. I screamed and the wolf echoed my fear. I didn’t know what the hell was going on, but I knew that if I didn’t keep Romul on task, we wouldn’t be able to cut the Sleuth down. GO!, I pressed again.

After the stallion had lunged at me with his wing, Romul arched away from him in order to attack his right side once more. However, just like his ancestors had done to elk and deer, the wolf aimed to drag down the enemy from his rear. Romul charged again in hopes of locking onto the Sleuth’s right thigh and dragging him with as much force as an arctic wolf could muster. I, on the other hand, had taken to tossing my head about in order to deter the fucking animal at my back. Sharp claws had destroyed the skin between my shoulders and I could feel them each time they perforated my flesh. I hadn’t yet regained my breath fully and a subtle throbbing ensued in my neck, but with a silent promise to myself that it would all be over soon I pressed on. Again, I prayed –this time furiously- to the Gods for help. I had to keep moving and I had to escape the terrible creature sent forth to distract me. Again the claws drew blood, but this time I ran, hopefully circling the Sleuth again.

Attack: 2/4
Defense: 0/1
Word Count: 799
Summary: Essetia decides to take the hit to the neck, but uses it as a way to also attack and rams into the wing (left side). She runs past him, but stops when Azeeza attacks her back, but Romul is on Buce’s right and he tries to bite the right thigh and pull down. Essetia eventually circles around to try and come up on Buce’s right with Romul.

And I see war on the screen,
And it is cruel and unclean,
But I still worry more about you