The Valiant, muscular and lithe quietly moved into a small clearing in the trees. The first clearing he had seen in quite some time. On instinct, the trees made him feel confined, but he was slowly growing accustomed to their tighter and more blanketing nature. Slowly, being the keyword. Naturally, his emotions about the Foothills and their rolling, green beauty were mixed. As a warrior, he honored the battle which his daughter brought forth; clearly, they had won. Every ounce of blood in his veins knew that conquering through fair battle was right, but the lingering distaste in his mouth was left by the fact that the Foothills stood little chance. Jackal had crippled it until there was little left. The black dun could not deny that he had hoped that Jackal would be the son he never had - that Silverline's child would be guided by himself, but the cowardly boy had run.
Wind blew at his face as the stallion carefully came to stand just in the shadow of the trees, catching in his short, cropped mane. He blinked crimson orbs against the force and frowned slightly. The stallion listened to her heartache, only able to mirror her troubles slightly. No father could be disappointed in daughters who had such ambition and passion, especially if they could succeed where others, many, had not. Perhaps he was biased; in fact, he was sure he was. Pride filled his heart, but he still could not face them after that massacre. Better, he thought, to aide those who needed help in transition and guard borders who had a similar mindset of his own. In his youth, the stallion had plunged his horn into bloody wars with a grin on his lips, but now? He was not the best diplomatic, but too much was left to passion. Age had shown him that much.
"You could do nothing because the herd was crippled, Romani. I was powerless as well. I watched you get plucked from our ranks and I could do nothing, limited by the laws of Jackal," he said, explaining the truth. Paladin had never been good at comforting others, but he was an honest soul. Sometimes, the truth was a necessary heartache that soothed the burns of later crimes. "Were I you, I would take pride in the fact that you have accomplished much, given your age. One day, you will rise in the ranks, but this... this is natural. War is as sure as death and breathing, an now that you know this, you well be more prepared than I for your inevitable rise to power," he offered with a kind smile.
"You and I are alike, however. I feel the need to fight for the battle I could not wage," he said, taking a few steps backward toward the trees. The stallion prepared himself for battle with the easy of breathing. An inhale, and his figure rippled and tensed, hooves etching deeper into the ground and gaining purchase. Crimson eyes took in his immediate surroundings, mind working in the background easily. Paladin was born into bloodshed, and that sort of history became habit. "I accept your challenge, Romani. May we both learn from each other in this battle."
The stallion, taking no time to pause, lunged forward at Romani with his horn dipped to his chest, hoping she had remained where she was, facing the trees. He tilted his toes into the dirt and tucked his hips beneath him, halting roughly and then throwing his body weight to the left, hoping to catch her off guard and off balance. She was built lower to the ground, stocky, muscular, and ironically, she reminded him of Kri. Paladin had the advantage of height and agility, but in this confined space in the trees, he was not sure that his build would do him any justice. At least he possessed a horn, an extension of his bone structure that worked very well with his flexibility.
Aware of the fact that she may have been able to shoulder his weight if she took it at all, Paladin lifted his front, left foreleg and struck down at one of her front canons, trying to keep her on her toes and reduce the stability that four legs would bring to her low center of gravity.
[(720 words) | (1/3(2?) posts) | (no magic use)
If you want a chance to ear VP for this, do you want to raise it to 3 posts each?
Also, great job with your description of the terrain and weather; that's a crucial step to the first post and you did it very well! ]
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Sometimes the Best Medicine... [Paladin | Teaching Spar]
