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The stallion didn't fall on top of Ezital, thankfully, but he certainly was startled by the impact. The look on the other horse's face drew a breathless laugh from his chest. That would teach him to expect the unexpected. Unfortunately, the moment was short lived. As soon as the stallion leapt clear of his tangled limbs, he struck out with both hind legs and caught Ezital full in the ribs.
His laugh turned into a wheeze as the air left his lungs. He scrabbled his legs in the long grass as he struggled to process the pain suddenly erupting in his side. Surely his ribs were broken. The rushing sound in his ears had to be some internal organ bursting and filling his insides with corrosive acid. He briefly closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable death that waited on the horizon.
The pinch of teeth on his neck snapped him back to reality.
"Ow," He groused. His ears pressed to his neck and he flicked his tail in the grass. "That hurt."
The stallion smiled suddenly, as if this whole thing was very funny to him. It would have been a pleasant smile if Ezital hadn't detected a slight manic gleam in his eyes. Perhaps there was a good reason the grey had been standing out in the middle of a field all by himself. Surely that didn't say good things about his state of mind?
He rose to his feet reluctantly, as the stallion directed. His side ached tenderly, but the damage likely wasn't as extensive as he'd originally imagined.
The stallion introduced himself as Ciceron, and Ezital thought that sounded vaguely familiar. He arched his neck to display the little muscle definition he had. It didn't seem like a good idea to come across as easy prey with this horse. "My name is Ezital. Are you from the falls as well?"
Ciceron began to circle him like a big grey shark, scenting for weakness and blood. He tried to put the comparison out of his mind. The stallion was an ally, a member of the herd that had taken him in. Still, he met the critical gaze glued to him in kind, picking up on a slight weakness in one of the stallion's hind legs.
Though he lacked some of the refinement Ciceron showed, much less size and age, he'd never had the comfortable life these herd horses had. He'd survived harsh conditions and he'd had to fight off the occasional predator that lurked in the wilds beyond Helovia. Once, he'd woke to find a wild dog in his den. The scuffle was brutal but brief, ending with Ezital's jaws clamped over its broken neck.
Ciceron offered a mocking challenge, coupled with his strange smile.
"You kick like a mule," he informed Ciceron sourly, if only to distract those sharp eyes for a few moments. "Is that how you defeat your opponents; simply turn tail and they run the other way?"
He lunged forward suddenly, hoping to take the stallion by surprise once more, after remaining still for so long. Tossing his antlers to the side, he tried to knock away Ciceron's most dangerous weapon after his feet. He reared up to clear the height difference between them aimed his teeth right for the jugular.
The screaming pain in his side stole his strength and dragged him to the ground once more, teeth still clamped on whatever they could reach.
***
Words: 574
Attack: 2/3
Summary: Ezital sustained heavy bruising on his left side from Ciceron's kick (no broken ribs, drama queen), the bite was glancing. Ezital retaliates by rushing Ciceron and trying to push his horn away with his antlers before trying to grab his throat with his teeth. The momentum of his lunge makes him fall again (clutz).
(Sorry Time! I swear I'll get the hang of this eventually. <3)
@Ciceron
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[JUDGED] Digging The Trenches [Cic x Ezital]
