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With fire to keep us warm, and tools we made from rocks and bones
Pain was something that needed to be felt, internalized, and endured. One could not react to pain, and as contrary as it might sound for one as animalistic and primitive as Gaucho, he would not let his primal responses drive his reactions. Not when it came to pain. To flinch and recoil was to give up precious seconds and inches that could make all the difference in a battle. So as Cathun's body shot towards and pressed against Gaucho's left wing, the dun grit his teeth bearing the pain. He allowed his appendage to rotate backwards, and blocked the instinct to tense his wing muscles. The force of Cathun's shove felt as though it stretched one of his ligaments. It wasn't so much the direction of the shove, for Cathun had done nothing more than close his wing against his side, but the force had been enough to send waves of pain into Gaucho's shoulder, and the muscles and ligaments that controlled his wing.
All of this he endured, through grit teeth and forced breathing, because the Wildfire knew what he would do next - and having Cathun as close as possible was his goal.
Gaucho had not moved any farther forward than Cathun's shoulder, and so as the colt bucked outwards his hooves struck only the air. As his ashen body twisted in the air, Gaucho allowed himself to pivot as well. The dun's shoulders followed the colt's hindquarters as Gaucho's own hind legs danced lightly to the right, pivoting so that instead of allowing Cathun to position himself perpendicular, Gaucho tried to force the boy's head into his chest or shoulder. The dun expected another bite - and as he felt Cathun's teeth sink into the deep blue stripes of his left shoulder, Gaucho's mind mentally sighed into the pain. The tingly burn in his left wing, and the bite to his left shoulder were well worth the sacrifice to have the boy so close.
You should be afraid of fire.
Although pain screamed through Gaucho's left wing joint, the dun nevertheless rapidly extended it, only to force it forward. His right wing - which had remained open the entire time - beat slightly faster, but the effect was still the same. From his already burning feathers came the red-hot heat of real flames. The arc of fire that Gaucho expelled from his wings would radiate outwards 30 meters before dissipating, but unless Cathun had some clever ability to instantly disappear, Gaucho didn't think the full range of his ability would be needed. Throwing his antlered skull upwards to avoid the heat which was released, Gaucho tried to burn the ashen boy, who stupidly placed himself right in the center of Gaucho's pyre.
Through the heat of his flames, Gaucho couldn't tell if Cathun had released his hold on Gaucho's breast. With his ears pinned against his skull, Gaucho rapidly backed up a few paces and quickly lowered his antlers. If Cathun wanted to lunge forward again, he would have to do so carefully. From the sidelines, for the phoenix was still too young to participate in such games, Vorsa trilled happily - her voice obviously applauding her bonded's use of fire.
The Wildfire hastily folded his wings against his flanks. While his front was defended, his flanks certainly weren't. The last thing he wanted was some headstrong colt tearing out his feathers, or straining his ligaments even more than they already had been. Assault against his body he could endure - but his wings needed to remain in peak condition. He needed to be able to patrol once this little dance was over with.
A grin parted Gaucho's dark lips as they dipped towards his chest. Pressing a small button in the center of his leather collar caused spikes to protrude about two inches all around his shoulders. He might be able to endure more bites from Cathun, but that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to make it easy for the boy.
"Again?" He asked, his voice deep and rich, hinting at none of the pain that reverberated through his shoulder. The boy's two bites were nearly forgotten, but a lingering discomfort persisted in Gaucho's left wing joint. It was meant to be difficult to tell if Gaucho's again? was meant to entice Cathun to attack again, or whether Gaucho was merely offering to burn him again.
The choice was Cathun's.
Attack:2/3
WC: 728
Gaucho's left wing is injured by the force of Cathun's shove. As Cathun bucks and twists Gaucho pivots with him, taking his bite to his chest. With Cathun close, Gaucho uses his arc-fire magic trying to burn Cathun. He then backs up, lowers his antlers, folds his wings, and extends the spikes on his collar.
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Stoke the fire, let it burn [Cathun vs Gaucho]
