Black met gold as my shoulder crashed into Sage's, and satisfaction filled every fiber of my being at knowing my second attempt of the move had been successful. My heftier build had been in my favor this time, and as I felt the mare's mass move forcefully away from my own, I had already begun to plan my next course of action. First, though, I needed to put myself back on track and prepare myself for the hindrance of my new injury.
As expected, when my feet next touched the ground and the brunt of my weight was momentarily focused on my left front leg, pushing my hock nearly into the ground, a white-hot pain went shooting up the length of it and shot off in tendrils through my shoulder. I inwardly cursed myself for allowing such an injury, but I had not foreseen it in our flurry of motion. No matter the outcome of this battle, though, I would carry the experience with me and keep it in the pockets of my mind until I was in such a situation again.
When my back hooves came forward and connected with the earth, I dug them into the ground as deeply as I could manage given the dewy terrain, using my momentum to my advantage to try and turn away and to the right of the mare. It wasn't terribly easy, for I had never been meant for speed, and my hooves left a mild gash in the soft earth as they struggled for a solid purchase. Before I could get completely turned to the right, however, I felt a sharp, blunt pain as her hooves met my gaskin. Though it was mostly muscle there, it still pulsated in in pain in the vicinity of the impact, and would likely leave a bruise the following day. I could only be thankful it hadn't met my hock or any lower.
Facing to the right in correlation to the direction I had just been running, I kept my pace at a quick trot, watching as Sage had continued on and kicked out yet again, surely having expected me to keep going. A grin nearly pulled my lips back, but instead, the sound of wing-beats flying overhead pressured me into facing the mare again and starting towards her at a canter. The motion nearly caused me to grimace in pain with every other step, but I wouldn't allow my face to gnarl with it in the heat of battle.
Deciding it was time to join us, Suli had left her perch behind and was coming in from above, the spines on her back laying flat as she maneuvered herself towards Sage's face. Extending her wings at the last moment to catch herself on the wind, Suli aimed to stop herself and entangle her claws in the mare's mane and around her topline in order to hang on, while her teeth snapped for the palomino's ears. Her intentions were to be both a distraction and to help put my name as victor.
Keeping at a canter as Suli executed her own attack, closing the distance between myself and the lithe mare, I was reminded of the spar I'd held with Svetlana in the fields several seasons ago and the way she had simply flown away as I did this same move, and I could only hope it wouldn't happen again. I could almost feel Sage's determination to win, though, and I knew that I needn't worry.
If Suli's attack had been effective in stopping the mare or she had done so of her own free will, I stretched my neck out as I neared her, slowing myself as I did so, teeth flashing and aiming for where her neck met her shoulder. Then, I rose upon my haunches, striking for anything I could manage to hit, namely her back, wings or withers.
[WC - 652. 3/4 attacks, 1/2 companion/magic uses
Editted to change WC]
|
.svg/2000px-Google_Chrome_icon_(2011).svg.png){kind=icon}
⇒
Grit. [Challenge, Destrier]
HP: 66.5
