More threats were awarded like exotic silk and fine wine but were received with no response. After all, weren’t they just empty words meant to fall upon deaf ears? Here I was, forced to sift through the mire of ignorance thrust into my hands by greed and a lust for power… and I was supposed to pander at the foot of such sacrilege? I had been caught beneath war’s heel, tempted from pacification and forced to relent from impartial nature to abide by fool’s tongue? I was sick with disappointment, turned from humanity’s grace by the ugly veracity of this creature, this snake claiming fabricated honor. I felt like a juvenile waiting to dip my toes into the pool of lunacy, bestowing my sanity to a man thriving on mediocrity alone. If only my dignity would remain intact after this day… Ha! To bow at the knees of pure filth before taking up arms against him? I could only scoff at the idea before allowing him a sullen nod, a signal to begin.

He wouldn’t be provided satisfaction for such insipid remarks.


I was not a creature without ground to stand on, lest he forget who stood before him. Thranduil had hoped to find Cetan at the end of his figurative sword, an easy victim. But I had come forth to answer his arrogant cries, force them from their ship and into the raging sea of confusion and surprise.


Warmth from the late day sun robed me in flame cast away from the sands below. In the moments before attack, I lifted a heavy hoof from position in order to study how my heft would maneuver on such uncertain footing. I was not an agile creature and therefore unaccustomed to moving quickly in the heat of battle, but I would still have to consider where my feet fell. The shifting of the sands could bring an animal of my size to a swift and untimely end.


When my eyes were once again fixed on the Basin stallion, I welcomed him into my folds. My body thrummed with anticipation and in the hopes of maintaining preparedness, I backed slowly toward the arena’s outer region. It was in that moment that the stallion charged. In usual fashion, he surged forward while kicking up dust in his wake. I stood at the ready, a smile the last glimpse of my face before it was lowered out of harm’s way. The smashing of metal and the muted beating of his hooves made my heart race beneath my muscular chest. I had continued to back away from my opponent in order to stay in motion so that when he was close enough to decipher his impending attack, I could dodge either right or left.

Thranduil’s horns had been lowered in his approach and upon a swift lead change they were aimed just left of my own left shoulder. Using my own momentum as aid, I side-stepped right in order to escape the full force of Thranduil’s charge. However, his aim was true. His left shoulder grazed mine and the power behind it forced me further to the right. It wasn’t until my flesh had been separated, gorged by the elaborate curve of his horns, that I understood the severity of the situation. A howl of pain forced its way past my lips and my back left hip screamed in protest at the splitting of tender flesh. I felt the blood as it began to lick down my back, left leg and I fought hard in order to remain unhindered by the pain.


I had but moments to take advantage of his nearness and with those precious moments I threw my weight into my shoulders in order to buck out toward my retreating opponent. I hoped that the armor would slow him down and that I would be able to catch the underside of the left side of his stomach. The wound upon my hip stretched and fumed with the effort, but I had only one chance to do this right, to do it effectively. But upon landing, my hip ignited in new and undiluted flame. I winced at the pain before stumbling forward and back toward to the middle of the arena. My gait was uneven and I had taken on a slight limp, but my bones were yet intact and I was able to ride the waves of determination to their final resting place. I wanted to give myself enough time to turn about so that I once again faced the golden monster. I wanted him to see the pain that rocked my expression before I unleashed the magic Mirage had been kind enough to bestow within my moon amulet.

If he truly believed that I’d come forth as sacrifice, he was wrong.

Word Count: 800
Attack: 1/4
Summary: Thor began to back away from Thranduil before he started charging in order to maintain motion instead of being attacked at a stand-still. He side-stepped right in order to avoid the full hit to his shoulder but it was enough to knock him further right and unbalance him. Since he was unbalanced, Thranduil was able to slice into Thor’s left hip (the force of throwing him to the right would have pushed his stomach away so I hope that’s okay.) Thor then used Thranduil’s close vicinity (since Thran would have had to slow down in order to ram his horns into Thor’s side) to buck out toward Thran’s underbelly on his left side.
Injuries: A long, deep gash along the left hip.
OOC: The amulet is infused with Mirage’s Illusion magic.