Shammy. The nickname struck the Clovenheart like a kind knife, and he couldn't tell if he was meant to shut his mouth to smile or open it wide. Surprised, he settled somewhere in between and parted his lips to nicker. Ovi was a good new friend to have, and the eager way that she leaped from him proved that she would be willing to learn.

The painted heart moved back himself, his cloven hooves digging deeper into the sand than he wanted. He made his move to give himself space for whatever his next one would be, but also to give the young mare more time to react. While Ovi possessed natural weaponry that most didn't, Ashamin still thought it best to leave his artifacts out of the ring. He bent his head low and shook, sea air catching in his beard and necklace tumbling over his head. The gold chain, weighted down with amulets, a figurine, and a god's skull was deposited on the sand with a dull thud. Lochan moved forward to grab hold of it, testing the metal taste with his tender herbivorous lips before dragging it to rest beneath the outcropping and spitting out the grains of sand he'd picked up too.

Blood brother, the Clovenheart thought to Rakt, to me. Go easy. And...

I watch. Lochan said before Ashamin could. Without looking back, the painted buck nodded firmly and once. To Ovi it may have seemed as if he were nodding to nothing at all, but Lochan knew the gesture was meant for him.

"First thing's first," Ashamin said to the young competitor--the clever mare who angled for his tutelage--"take every opportunity to size up your opponent. Look closely and you'll see in the very way that they're built what makes them strong... and what makes them weak." Ashamin began to move forward slowly as he explained this, his path a shallow zigzag. With every muffled hoof-fall the sand sucked at his white hooves, as if trying to drag him back and away. Could he really blame nature for trying to end this before it even started? After all, more than a few friendly spars had gone dangerously south in the past. He thought of Rikyn, of Erebos, or Torleik... all with a shudder.

No, this time Ashamin would be careful. His amulets were in the sand, and his own magic was (for now) locked safely in his chest. Rakt followed closely but wouldn't aim to injure; as uncaring as the cerndyr may have pretended to be, he would always obey his bonded. If Ashamin did not want to hurt the mare, then she would be safe from Rakt's golden antlers. The Clovenheart himself would do his best to contain what had in the past proven to be uncontrollable fighting instincts.

He would not be the one to give Ovidius her first scar.

The other reason for Ashamin's slow approach was it gave him time to follow his own advice. He was thankful for his nocturnal schedule, for it had taught him to see better in the dark, but on the backdrop of the endless sea Ovi's black pelt blended with the surroundings. If it were not for her golden spikes, both her dead giveaway and her deadliest aspect, Ashamin would have struggled to pinpoint her. Guided by gold he could make out her small frame, significantly lower to the ground than his own. It was clear that any sort of attack from above aimed for her back would be the end of him, so for once Ashamin would have to utilize his strength and lower himself.

The painted buck waved his white tail behind him like a banner, and the one item that he'd kept on his person (his coils) sparked in a beacon-like manner. His white patches would make him easier to see, but his face looked ghostly divided only by his blaze. As a looter she surely had sharp eyes; Ashamin suspected she wouldn't have trouble finding him, but perhaps the gesture would distract her from Rakt. As Ashamin attempted to decrease the distance between himself and his pupil, Rakt shook stardust out of his coat and molded it into spirits. They were small and pale, but they would do the trick. The right corner of the Clovenheart's lip turned up.

"Remember, however, that there is magic in this land," he warned Ovi. "No matter how closely you look, not everything will be as it seems."

With that, Rakt sent the towards his bonded, granting Ashamin the ability to move more quickly for an integral moment. With heightened speed the stag lunged forward and hopefully towards Ovi's left side, swinging his head low to avoid her spikes and putting forth his left shoulder in an attempt to knock the mare off-balance.

""

Ashamin