What Mandrake wanted always happened. The steel grey draft had called upon her favorite son to bring down Svetlana the Stormchaser--no longer was she a lead or a thread to their power, no longer did Mandrake need the brindle mare to do Svetlana in--Archibald was on his way to preform duties he was so used to. In a dark, morbid way the Dauntless looked forward to the familiar taste of blood in his mouth, the feeling of the slick crimson liquid as it swelled beneath his hooves and stained his impeccable white feathers. A small shudder of pleasure surged down the ebony knight's spine. Archibald felt no remorse for the duty he was about to do. Really, the chrome colored pegasus deserved to die. She was useless, and a failure. She lost leadership to Jackal, and abandoned the herd. Archibald was glad he had never gone to the Basin to recover her when she was stolen--he felt at peace while the bitch was gone.

Archibald’s tail flicked against his hind legs as he skillfully moved through the darkness of the forest, finding a clearing in the trees with an abnormally thick canopy. It seemed to stretch above him like the roof of a cave, trees extending their branches to meet one another like the fingers of long lost lovers. Tipping his nostrils to the sky Archibald took a deep breath of the thick Birdsong smell. The forest still smelled of winter rot—bodies and leaves trapped under the ice and snow to now continue their decomposition process. Rolling his shoulders he spread his weight evenly over his legs, center of balance in check. His ears swiveled atop his head, listening. His thoughts found their way back to Ktulu, wondering if she or any member of her mercenary band would be hiding in the shadows today.

“Svetlana, come forth. I demand a company with you,” The Dauntless spoke loudly, his voice booming and sending several birds from their nests or resting branches into the early morning air.

[WC: 339 | 0/2 | Setting: The Deep Forest, early morning. There is a clearing in the trees, about a twenty-foot radius, but the canopy covers the sky and the closest branch is ten feet from the ground. The earth is soft and covered in pine needles. Archibald will not be using his companion or his magic. | Two fight posts and one closing defense. | FOR PLOT CONVENIENCE, THIS WILL TAKE PLACE BEFORE JACKAL'S CHALLENGE TO ARCHIBALD AND AFTER SVETLANA'S CHALLENGE TO KRI.]