Waiting had always been the part he hated most. In the deep silence Lace could hear his heartbeat, a steady sound that pulsed in the ears. Taking a long, slow breath that filled the lungs to the brim he held it there for a moment, focusing on the sensation of oxygen enriching the blood as his ribcage expanded. The motion stretched the skin on the right side of back and neck, a stabbing pain so encompassing that it was hard to tell where it didn't hurt. Every step was agony, each movement made the stallion want to freeze and never move again.
But he couldn't. More was at stake than his own discomfort. Even as the sound of his own voice dispersed into darkness an ear twitched in reaction to a sound, so faint that it barely registered and would have gone unnoticed had it not been for Fajira's warning. An image rose from their bond, a glimpse of a figure moving along the ground and something small darting between the legs of it; something that didn't belong.
The grulla let out an explosive sigh and steeled himself for what was to come. Gilded eyes gleamed, sparks from the mist touching upon the Sun's marking and hid the rest of the gray body among heavy veils. Crack. Sounds of shattering ice broke the silence. Heavy hooves beat the ground in a steady rhythm as they made their way across rocks and roots. Lace felt his breath speed up, tasted iron and fear upon the tongue, staring into the gloom to find the source of the noise.
There. A shadow manifested before him, tall and imposing with an air of skilled confidence that made him want to lower the neck and disappear between the trees. Instead he reached out and connected his mind firmly with Fajira's, entwined his thoughts with hers and closed the distance, attention focused on the intruder; and they realized that they knew him.
"You!" Lace exclaimed and started forward, feet steady and secure on the familiar surface. "I remember you, Dauntless. You have no business here."
But before hefinished the sentence the brute was already charging, leaving little choice but to defend himself. Keeping a wary eye on the canine he stepped to the left, minding the tree on his right side. Stiff-legged and sore the reactions were dull as the black draft shot out and snapped towards him and as Lace inched away he felt blunt ivories rake the already injured right shoulder, scraping off burned skin and charred hair. A short shriek left him as pain blasted through the shoulder, intense despite how Fajira wrapped her mind around his to dull the sensation.
Forcing his complaining body into further action, the stallion drove himself up and forward in a short leap and avoided the attack against the legs, keeping him from being rammed by the taller brute. The heat of the invader seared his skin as their sides brushed against one another, Lace feeling as though the lack of space between them would suck him along and bring him out of balance.
With ears slicked tight to the poll he returned the favor, head darting forward and down as he aimed to clamp his teeth around the front of Archibald's right hock, wanting to slow the brute down with a joint injury. The built and looks of the other reminded far too much about another such opponent he had fought, a long time ago. Terrador had been even bigger though, and while Lace respected the damage those hooves could do he didn't feel as intimidated as he had back then. There would be no earthquakes this time, no needless anger or shameful loss. He was the one who protected this time, he who couldn't afford to let a familiar face soften the heart.
Grunting from effort the stallion arched into a buck and drove the hind legs back at the right shoulder or lower chest of the other, prepared to take the discomfort a hit would create. It was an awkward angle and he wasn't sure how fast the dark warrior was, but it was what he could manage. There was no point in rearing, he was too short to reach above the back and it was dangerous to get too close and risk a battle of strength - that he would surely loose. No, Lace had a different idea, one that would require speed and all endurance he could muster.
"Keep that mutt off me, please" he commanded. Fajira complied, weaving downwards through the mist until her glittering body could be seen darting from tree to tree just beyond the reach of the dog.
"This land is held by the Qian" he grunted, "and the Qian will keep it. Leave!"
Word Count: 796
Post: 1/4 Magic: 0/2 Companion: 0/1
Summary: Stepped forward, took the bite on the shoulder. Moved left and avoided the kick, brushed against Archibald and was almost knocked aside. Aimed a bite to the front of the right hock. Bucked and tried to kick at the shoulder/chest.
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[O] When in Doubt, Stand and Fight [Invasion Defense]
