the Rift


[OPEN] cold breath on your neck; [invasion]

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#1
CREDITS

illynx,
The misty forest of her childhood loomed, the giant trees like a sentient army framing the sky; the golden mare strutted forward upon healing legs, her heart a steady but heavy drumbeat in her chest, her skin tingling with excitement for what was to come, for what had already passed. For all her wallowing in misery for the complacency of her people, there was now action. Her kin marched in alongside her, before her, behind, and more brilliant than the pride in her unicorn brethren was the pride in herself; a newly forged (and metaphorical, of course) crown now settled upon her brow, nestled itself among her ebony tresses, placing a keen and obvious pride in each step that the mare made through dew laden grasses strewn across the forest floor.

Her last presence in the gateway into the forest had been filled with sorrow and bitterness; on this occasion, she was filled with hope, the fervor of vindication burning upon her tongue. It settled neatly upon her senses like the first time one tastes sugar, and though she may have overestimated their chances, she felt rather strong in her convictions that today, the Plague was making a step in the forward direction.

A stirring cry broke towards her allies, who had begun to break away into their planned formations, and she eased her gait into a canter, her slender body moving through the ring of forest that surrounded the open field along the cliff for which the land was named, her eyes on watch for any approaching her sides or rear; she chose a position the furthest away from any of the "campfires" burning near by that she could manage that also had ample room to maneuver about in. She angled her hind end towards a large tree, hoping that it's girth would provide cover for her rear as she awaited for her opponent to arrive.

[ Setting: Early morning, misty/foggy. Edge borders, forest.
317 words; we're hereeeee.
0/4 Posts
0/2 Magic Uses ]


Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#2
Something unusual, unsettling, had sent the Wild Rose prowling through the wooded bowers of her home. It was too quiet for spring, even if the Sun's lack meant the ground was still hard and cold. The season's change was something she'd felt in her blood, echoed in the behaviors of the smaller creatures that shared the woods with her. But now they seemed to hide, perhaps sensing the onset of a great clash of sound that soon would fill the woods.

Ears tilted at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, calling encouragingly toward... what? Nothing good, that much was sure. Bold steps carried the grulla toward the source of the cry, monochrome figure sticking to the deeper shadows that helped hide the greys and blacks and whites that marked her. Strange figures passed beneath the mists, bringing with them a strong urge to pursue, to chase out. But then her dark eyes fell upon one that stood significantly closer.

It was a lean and lightly built mare, darkly colored but gilded with gold upon legs and horn, the same color dusting her sides and streaking through her mane. Nares flared as the Moon Doctor took in the unwelcome scent of the intruder, and her ears swept back against her skull as the unmistakeable smell of the Basin reached her. It was a scent she'd caught a number of times before, if in more pleasant situations. On Mauja, on Roux. Was the FrostHeart here somewhere? Was Roux's father, the murderous d'Artagnan who'd struck down Solstice? Some small part of her was glad she had not found Mauja, been obliged to fight the stallion who'd tentatively begun to be counted as a friend. A greater part of her rued the fact that she would not get the chance to pit her skills against the Basin's doctor, one healer against another, to see who was the better of inflicting the wounds they were obliged to patch up on their comrades after battle.

Oh well, this foolhardy mare would have to do. With slow steps Smoke shifted through the darkness, avoiding the pale beams of moonlight that would silver her outline and light up the white marks of fire that were scattered upon her. It was with great deliberation that she circled wide around the tree that this other mare thought to shelter beside, and mentally called to the blue dragon that shared her soul. A silent beckoning that asked for Zaffre to make as much noise as possible on his approach, to simulate a charge from a bonded equine-dragon pair from the front.

Pausing, she waited until she heard the blue's shriek, his war-cry, followed by a surprisingly loud ruckus as the dragon disturbed as many bushes and branches as he was physically capable of. It was then that the Wild Rose made her move, her careful stalk bringing her around the broad tree. Then she engaged her powerful hindquarters for a quick lunge of speed. Hopefully her foe would be too preoccupied with awaiting an attack from the front and not notice the sudden charge from behind and to the right. Either way, Smoke intended to barrel into Illynx's right side, to drive her left shoulder into the taller but more delicately built mare's ribs. Bared teeth snaked forward to bite at her opponent's neck, seeking to catch hold of the narrower flesh upon the unicorn's crest. All the while her front hooves sought to strike at the invader's right fore, with every intent to lacerate cannon and fetlock and make it difficult for the gilded mare, who thought to take her home, to walk. Try to spear me with that pretty horn of yours when I'm behind you! It was a viciously vindictive thought, born of memories dating back to another unicorn who'd been able to pierce her skin twice. But the Moon Doctor was quite certain that this unicorn would not turn to water beneath her attacks, melt away instead of take the beating that was deserved.

[669 words, 1/4 posts]

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#3
illynx,
There was something coming from in front of her; the newly risen Lady deepened her focus on the forest before her, observing the tumult of motion in the branches with vehement eyes as her ears lifted to catch the sounds of many branches breaking. Whoever it was, they had a flying thing with them. The tops of the trees swayed too much for it to be anything else, unless by some chance Illynx's challenge had been met by another giant beast that had crawled out of the belly of the kingdom to prey upon the weakened state of the land. A tentative scenting of the air would supply her the answer as to what approached; she certainly hoped for a bird or something else small and easily swatted away, but the stench on the air warned her that the arrival was scaled and spewed fire. Lovely, a hornless, she maliciously grinned, her limbs spreading themselves out for balance and strength of stance as her golden gaze locked upon the misty view ahead of her, preparing for the assault of the arriving equine as she began to see the flashes of blue scales gleaming in the dimly lit, misty wood.

The attack, however, came from the completely wrong side.

Just as the azure dragon burst from his forest cover and Illynx began to realize that she had been duped, a heavy force impacted upon her right side; her body slid under the impact, her hooves ripping trails in the frozen ground as she was forced three feet to the right, her ears pinning to her head in savage displeasure at having been tricked by an inferior earth-bitch and her flying lizard. Illynx found her balance again as swiftly as she could, thankful for having steeled herself for impact as soon as she had noticed the false assault Zaffre had staged, saving her from being toppled over as the stocky horse plowed into her; her head swept down and around, a golden eye searching for the woman assaulting her just as the teeth closed on the top of her neck, though her attempts to see her assailant had slightly lessened the damage they inflicted. A grunt escaped from Illynx, the pain bright as it trailed up to her brain and back down her spine with the birth of a bite shaped bruise, though not grievous enough to cause the unicorn to miss the sight of Smoke's hooves coming for her front leg. She lifted the gold dipped appendage off the forest floor in just enough time, saving it from being broken by an ebony hoof. Instead, Smoke's attack butted against Illynx's ergot and pastern, ripping open a few of the mostly healed wounds and bruising the flesh around it - at least she didn't break it, the cheap, honor deficient wench, sourly thought the golden marked mynx as her weight came back upon it, wincing through her like a hot lance.

Ignoring the complaints of her ankle, Illynx pushed her weight onto her front legs and extended a hard buck behind her, hoping to strike true on Smoke's ribs or the soft patch of flesh just before the hip on the grulla's left side, while crossing figurative fingers that the shorter mare would be unable to strike at her hind end, an ear kept in the direction of the blue dragon that had initially landed her in such a sore position to begin with. Their current alignment was not doing the gilded lady any favors, either; Smoke lingered on the edges of her vision, forcing her to turn her head or be blind to where she was, and so Illynx made a quick adjustment to better her position as her hind-legs met the earth once more. Her sinewy rump spun about behind her in a forty-five degree clock-wise rotation, the GildedBlade using the momentum of the movement to send her most precious appendage upwards from it's lowered position, striking at the area where she hoped Smoke's face or neck would be, it's tip angled to potentially cause damage to the left half of the healer's features, though its range varied from her face to her neck, depending on how fast the burned mare was or if it even hit her at all.

[1/4 :: 716 words; Illynx is pushed several feet to the left and takes slight bruising to the crest of her neck, avoiding severe damage to her front leg by lifting it from the ground and taking slight bruises instead; she retaliates with a buck directed towards Smoke's mid-section and pivots around to aim her horn in the general direction of Smoke's face/neck, on the left side. ]

intending to burn - pretending to fight iteveryone learns faster on fire

image credits
Table By Neo
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#4
Grim satisfaction sparked bright and hot within the Wild Rose's breast, warring with the bloom of pain that arose in her left shoulder, made more intense by the fact that it was the same place, same way she'd charged that fallen tree all those seasons past to free Zaffre's egg. It would bruise, and perhaps when adrenaline and fighting excitement wasn't driving her forward she'd limp a bit. But not now, the minor injury was easy to ignore in the face of the brighter satisfaction of knowing her stealthy tactic had worked perfectly. The light mare was driven sideways under the impact, only the turning of a horned head keeping her bite from being a hold and not just the location of a new bruise and the source of the few ebon strands that caught in the grulla's teeth. Even her kicks were rather successful, if not as severe as she'd wished. The impact vibrated pleasantly back up her legs, brightening her satisfaction. It was nice to know she still had it in her.

Retaliation was not long in coming, forewarned by the shifting forequarters before her as the unicorn prepared to kick out. A precautionary step was taken to the right by Smoke, but not quite far enough. The gold-dusted mare's right hind grazed her barrel, scraping away skin and hair and wakening a sharp but temporary stab of pain as blood oozed briefly into the gap and began to coagulate. It was too shallow, too insignificant to cause any long-standing harm to her body, though it certainly prodded at her pride.

Pride had little to do with the flurry of motion that happened next, as Smoke realized with widening eyes that the buck had only been setting up space for a spin. The firefly lights of the mists lit up the golden horn that was swinging up toward her, and survival instincts screamed at the grulla mare to move, move move! So she obliged them, slinging her weight back onto her hindquarters and flinging her front end to the right, spinning away on her right hind. Still not quite fast enough, for the deadly upward arc of that razor sharp horn, meant for her throat, caught on her left shoulder. Pain laced up the length of the narrow gash that was sliced open on the flesh of that shoulder, blood streaming more freely than it had from her side. Indignant, Smoke gave a short squeal even as her front hooves found purchase on the hard ground that had been stirred up by the sliding passage of her opponent's hooves. And then she lashed out with her hind hooves, striking out for Illynx's right shoulder but perfectly content if she'd miscalculated their combined spins and had a better shot for a chest kick.

Not waiting for the satisfaction or disappointment of a hit or a miss, Smoke proceeded to swing her haunches left around her planted left fore, right shifting to maintain even footing. She had no inclination to add to the round scar of Imiq's horn on her rump, and chose to proceed with a straightforward attack while, hopefully, her foe's head was still up. Keeping her head low at first, Smoke lunged forward with teeth bared as though intending to bite for Illynx's left shoulder, but quickly redirected for biting at the other mare's face without even slowing down. She had every intent to fend off that wickedly sharp horn while driving her full weight into the other mare again, perhaps chest to chest.

[591 words, 2/4]

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#5
illynx,
Delightful, the slap of hooves upon a gun-metal coat; it wasn't as direct of a collision as the warrior might have hoped, but the tang of blood had begun to work its way through the air from the reopened sores on her right leg and the new scrape on Smoke's ironically colored pelt. It was satisfying, to smell her own life blending with that of another, more fulfilling than practice spars and friendly fights, the danger that curved with the dancing figures of women in combat as beautiful and alluring to Illynx as the mist that permeated the forest. Even more delicious was the fact that her opponent was a true challenge, the more muscular but smaller mare compensating for a couple inches of height in sinew, a lesson remembered as her anger at having been slammed into began to ebb, revealing that the impact had left her ribs much more sore than she had initially thought.

The gilded warrior reveled in the sight of the grulla skittering away from her horn, even more so as the weapon sliced a clean line through the mare's shoulder, the cry of displeasure from the healer sending a rush of hot blood straight to Illynx's brain and the aches in her ribs scattered once again. Hurts, does it? mused the malicious mynx, her lips curved into a cruel smile as the healer's drive to the right evolved into a buck. Illynx had to admit to herself that the hornless had a grace and style all to her own as her brindled body continued upwards with the motion of her previous attack in a quarter rear to avoid the blunt force of Smoke's hooves. The blow landed upon the crest of flesh where her shoulder joined her chest, ripping the chocolate coat straight from the skin, pricks of blood rising where the roots had been torn from their hold and the dark flesh bruised.

There was no time to fall back to the earth to avoid the mouth of the Wild Rose as it drove towards her shoulder, forcing Illynx to become creative; her ears lay back savagely as she steeled herself for the pain sure to shoot through her injured ankle upon impact, front limbs tucking under her and knees pointed forward as her nose angled down against her chest. Amusement knitted itself across her face as she watched the feint come into action mid-counter, how perfectly the upward motion of Smoke's face rising perfectly towards her knees, which she brought down with as much force as she could muster, hoping to knock them into the approaching healer's face or at least divert most of the force of the bite away from her own resplendent features.

Smoke's teeth found their place upon her knees, stripping the hair from the flesh and a bruise gently growing along the joint. Ignoring the jolt within her ankle and now bruised knee as best as she could, the former corporal hit the ground moving, attempting to dodge the oncoming tank that was Smoke. Once more, the thicker mare's body slammed into the delicate and lithe Illynx, who had attempted to avoid the onslaught all together by driving hard to the left and forward; Smoke's chest impacted her right hip like a battering ram, the force driving the GildedBlade's rump around her rather gracelessly as pain spread across the area, her fore-limbs spreading and head dropping downwards to afford her some purchase though her ass still swung about forty-five degrees and sent a cloud of leaves and an upheaval of lose earth around her rapidly scrambling hooves.

When she found her grip on the hard earth beneath her, the gilded mistress drove forward several paces savagely, an ear still held to the cause of the dragon that was now behind her, the lovely cover of her tree now belonging to Smoke's left flank much to Illynx's chagrin. The smell of herbs filled her nose as her head rose from it's lowered place, the tip of her horn hungrily reaching out for the flesh of her right shoulder and side that weren't protected by satchels, the proud unicorn hoping to slice open more of the healer's gravel-toned flesh in a bloody and vertical line. She followed the horn strike through with a downward assault of teeth, a growl of sorts escaping her lips as she attempted to clutch any of the damnable woman's flesh between her teeth, be it shoulder or hip depending on whether Smoke had carried forward after the charge or remained stationary.

[ 2/4 :: 770 words; don't have time for a summary on this one. :P I'm sneaking on to post it for youuuu. Lol. ]
intending to burn - pretending to fight it
everyone learns faster on fire

image credits
Table By Neo
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#6
Flying hooves met with less resistance than expected, clipping off flesh instead of landing with the thud that the grulla mare had hoped for. White-edged ears swept back in irritation, already knowing that the gold-dusted mare had reared up before Smoke had spun around. Clever, and fast, the Wild Rose begrudgingly acknowledged, if only in the privacy of her own mind. It was a bit on the uncommon side for the grulla to face a foe rivaling her own speed and agility. The novelty was pleasant in its own way, even in the depth of a potentially life and death battle.

But it wasn't something to linger on, and the grulla mare pushed away the distracting notion even as she lunged forward in a new attack. It seemed to be going quite well, until... How the hell...? Smoke wasn't quite sure how the unicorn got her knees to be in the way, but the idea of getting her teeth rattled that way had her trying to redirect around them. But not quite, for she ended up catching on the blunt curve of a knee. Pain exploded in her mouth, teeth rattled and jarred. It was a rather sufficient distraction, for the next thing she knew she was slamming into the other mare's hip and wasn't entirely sure how that had happened either. The fresh bloom of bruising pain on her right shoulder in result of that collision was only minutely milder than what she'd felt in her left, but the racket of disturbed earth and leaves to her right side was a fair indicator that it'd been more disasterous for her foe.

A flutter of thought and imagery in her mind alerted the sturdy healer that her bonded was ready. He had used to cover of the sounds of battle to skip from branch to branch, picking only the sturdiest ones that wouldn't be affected by his slight weight, until now he was poised above the battlers, sharing his dragon's-eye view with the slate colored mare who shared his soul. It was because of him that she saw the tail end of Illynx's wild slide from a wildly unusual angle, and hatched a new plot.

Loathe to bite again, when only the flexing of her jaws relieved the ache in her mouth, Smoke gave a quick cow-kick at where she assumed Illynx's head to be, hoping to rattle the unicorn mare as much as she herself had been rattled. Then she was plunging forward and left, hugging the tree as much as possible while trying to not catch her herb bag on the tree bark. It was a small miracle that it had not been punctured or torn already. Keen ears caught the beat of approaching hooves behind her, prompting a quick lash of a black tail toward where she assumed a biting attack would be coming from before thrusting the bulk of the tree between herself and her attacker, thus voiding the possibilities of any attacks behind the charge being successful.

Which proved too good an opportunity for Zaffre to pass up. With the deliberate action of a predator dropping on his next meal, the blue dragon leapt from his perch, attempting to compensate for Illynx's forward momentum and expected flinch in order to land on the gilded unicorn's back. Wings flexed, prepared to catch himself if his attack when terribly wrong. But he had every intent to dig his claws into unicorn flesh and grip on at least long enough to lash his barbed tail about the top of her haunches. Wild excitement ran through the lithe little dragon, only kept from being voiced in an equally wild shriek by the firm restraint of Smoke's influence. His attack was meant to be a painful decoy. If it went according to plan, it would last long enough for Smoke to complete her close circuit of the tree. At which point she should be behind Illynx, away from that damnable horn, unless the attack failed completely. That possibility, Smoke didn't have a plan for. The thought of being chased around this tree, golden horn and snapping teeth inches from tugging and tearing flesh, was disconcerting to the point of almost being terrifying. But Smoke hadn't made it here by being worried about what could go wrong, and she was determined to go forward by focusing on what she was doing now and would be doing shortly. With any luck, the latter would be chasing this upstart out of her forest.

[756 words, 3/4
Yes, I forgot that Smoke would be wearing her herb bag. XD Whoops?
Edited to add in two lost words, 'the next' in the phrase 'for the next thing she knew' which I thought I had written until I reread.]

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#7
illynx,
The sheer speed of the pair was dazzling, the brindled unicorn taking in deep breaths of the forest air, sweat beginning to build in the crevices of her dark brown flesh, the smell blending ever so sweetly with the odor of blood and overturned earth. She knew that her good luck at managing to keep up with the similarly aged but far more mentally mature mare was running low, the sapphire dragon still loitering about in the overhanging branches, his claws gleaming in Illynx's mind every time she heard his unseen movements from ears that struggled to tag the winged lizard's precise location during the fast paced melee match between Smoke and herself.

Her horn breezed right on by the side of the healer by all of a couple of inches, the grulla having driven hard to the left around the tree rather than continuing straight forward as Illynx had anticipated, and instead of skin, the Gilded Blade's teeth were met with the thick, black mass of Smoke's tail as the muscular bundle of equine slipped behind the rough trunk of the tree. Golden eyes pressed shut momentarily to avoid getting any hair in them, reopening as the lithely built unicorn slid to a sudden halt, her front end lowering and hooves gripping the earth as her hindquarters swung about behind her, her angle adjusted to allow her to react to the reappearance of the grulla from the other side of the tree; she was not daft enough to follow her into the woods, where the resident wench would surely have a decided upper hoof. "Quit running, you coward!" she called out in frustration, her slight disapproval at the lack of honor seen as the healer ran away from her, much as one would from a hornet protecting its nest, was chased away quickly and replaced with a keen sense of danger.

While she turned to greet Smoke's re-appearance, the dragon she had tried so hard to keep tabs on had been lost in her arrogant annoyance at having been smacked with a tail while her opponent fled had come into play. Zaffre's assault from above caught her in mid-bend, a savage cry of outrage and pain escaping from her as his razor sharp claws bit into her neck and back, lacerating the soft flesh as if it was merely water. His tail came down on top of her hinds as the turn was completed, the golden gaze of the former corporal wide with the sharp agony that raced across her upper body, the blood running in bright lines down her chocolate pelt as she rocked her weight forward and back in a series of savage bucks, attempting to dislodge the vicious grip of the wyvern while also scooting herself forward, allowing her right side to regain cover alongside the tree as she attempted to deal with the rather urgent matter of the dragon on her back.

That the similarly aged mare had matured far more than Illynx was becoming more and more obvious with every successful trick that was played upon her, the proof of having dealt with naivety in her own children clear and precise in how she used the youthful arrogance that the unicorn had managed to cling to through her adult life against her in this forest. That she could not provide herself a means to assault the foal-spitting rat with her creature upon her back broiled within her, made the agony of the war ground upon her top-line much less permeating than it should have been. An ear was kept on the other mare as Illynx raced against time to dislodge the scaled creature before the grulla cleared her path around the tree, attempting in all her desperation to keep her right side as near to the cover of the broad oak as she could.

[ 3/4 :: 640 words; Illynx pivots to redirect her line of vision to the other side of the tree where she feels Smoke will emerge from; as she turns, Zaffre lands upon her back and digs large cuts into her neck and along her spine, as well as ripping the area just above her dock open with his barbed tail. She attempts to buck him off while regaining the cover of the tree on her right side, keeping a "heads up" for Smoke. ]

[ EDIT: To adjust word count cause I'm a derp. :3 ]
intending to burn - pretending to fight it
everyone learns faster on fire

image credits
Table By Neo
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#8
Amusement was a familiar emotion, and it rose to warm the Wild Rose's soul. It was sparked by the cool rush of air upon her haunches in a golden sword's wake, nurtured by the mildly uncomfortable tug of a grown mare's teeth on the strands of her tail, and only slightly dampened with the knowledge that her swift kick moments earlier had met nothing but air. Quick thinking and equally quick footwork had prevailed in the face of arrogant enthusiasm once more, and it delighted Smoke to no end.

Having the broadness of the tree between herself and the lighter, taller unicorn afforded the Moon Doctor with a few moment's opportunity to catch her breath. Which was more difficult than it had been a few minutes prior. Slate hide had begun to darken toward black beneath the influence of sweat and blood, white markings grown dusky with sweat-born dust and dirt. But the grulla tried to hide the weariness she felt, especially when an outraged unicorn shouted out at her. Merry laughter left her throat at the accusation of cowardry. "And why would I do anything to make things easier on you, child?"

A remark perfectly timed, for it came less than a heartbeat before Zaffre's brilliantly successful strike. A triumphant shriek ripped from the blue's throat as his talons dug deep into tender flesh, treating his senses to the scent of blood. He clung like a tick, wings tightly folded and shrieking defiantly as his 'prey' did her very best to disrupt his hold. Little did Illynx know that those ear-splitting shrieks had served a dual purpose. One, to signal the equine how shared his soul. Two, to cover the thunder of her hooves as she raced all the quicker around the circumference of the tree.

Dark eyes were treated to a rare treat, that of the gold-dusted unicorn streaked in blood while a lithe and agile dragon did his very best to imitate a burr. A grin crossed her features, both amused and vicious. Learn the price you and your brethren will have to pay to defeat the Dragonheart's flock. It was with that violent thought that Smoke began her final assault. She had swung wide at the end of the circle, counting on the wild shrieks of her dragon and the pain he was inflicting to keep the unicorn distracted just long enough.

Now she rushed Illynx, releasing a fierce bellow of her own, throwing the last of her speed and strength into a driving charge meant to pile into the taller mare's left shoulder. She meant to push the lighter unicorn into the tree, slam the invader's already bruised right side into the hard, unforgiving trunk. Only then, as the Wild Rose released her war cry, did Zaffre allow himself to be dislodged. His upward spring was without his usual grace and tact, and belied just how shaken and rattled he'd been by the savage bucking of his haphard mount in a way his shrieking hadn't.

This was the moment when Smoke knew she had to bring her all, or else leave this haughty mare with some doubt of the deadliness of the Edge's prowess. She did not care if her charge had been successful. Weight was pushed onto her haunches as she reared, lashing her front hooves out repeatedly at her potential victim's head and neck. "Get. Out. Of. Our. HOME!" Each word was bitten off, growled out with vehemency, the last emphasized by a sudden, last forward surge with braced hooves, try to push away Illynx with little actual concern of where that golden horn was. Reckless, but she was fairly certain that this mare was near to having enough. As frosting on this cake of violence, she snapped at where she presumed the other mare's face was, steeled against the pain that was sure to arise from her teeth should they connect with flesh.

[653 words, 4/4]

Illynx the GildedBlade Posts: 413
Hidden Account atk: 7.5 | def: 11.5 | dam: 3
Mare :: Unicorn :: 16hh :: 13 HP: 67.5 | Buff: ENDURE
Kyst :: Common Griffon :: Zapping Jab Bunnie
#9
illynx,
That I thought I was suited to be queen, her brain whispered to itself, the chiming laughter of the healer and her words like blades of ice fracturing and driving themselves deep into the golden mare's ego. They chilled her heart, honed the edge upon her already keen loathing of the grulla healer and all of her blasphemous kin; it steeled a part of Illynx that she was not aware had remained vulnerable, every slice of the dragon's claws into her beautiful golden lace back hardening her vehemence. Never again would she rush into battle full of pride, such a sense of invincibility; for all that she had learned in her life, she still knew absolutely nothing compared to this slippery matron, to even the younger Psyche. That she had ever believed herself to be her friend's equal now hurled emotions at the former corporal like salt in a wound, more agonizing this lie of her entire existence than all of the pain that Zaffre could ever bring her.

His screams assaulted her ears, which she promptly flattened down on the top of her head with as much force as she could, saving her from the reverberations the cry would have inflicted on her eardrums, not that noise hadn't already started to capriciously bounce about her head. The call from Smoke was muffled by her defense to the sharp noise, but still caught, the subsequent movement of the dragon all the informants she needed to know that her time to utilize her rage was now at hoof. The grey streak that was the healer burst from behind the cover of the tree, drawing Illynx's focus to the movement, her angle suggesting that her circle would be broad; the Gilded Blade ignored the screams and the graceless dismount of the dragon, focusing instead upon the true source of all of her hatred. Her back limbs spread wide for balance, pivoting her front half about thirty-five degrees to the left while trying to remain as close to the ground as possible without sacrificing any speed in the process, gingerly avoiding applying too much weight to her right ankle as all four hooves met soil.

Disgust covered her face as she angled her horn at the oncoming mare, hoping to gouge her neck, shoulder, any part of the earth wench she could bring to weep as her own back now did. The gashes burned as oxygen hit them, with every movement they cried out for compassion from the enraged unicorn, but she could not be redirected by such complaints from her own body. The healer slammed into Illynx's chest, her face turned to the left in just enough time to spare her features from impacting the charging mare's shoulder. The force rattled through her, further bruising the flesh that had previously been damaged by hooves, shoving the mare violently backwards and partially to the left; her front left leg reached out to support her weight, the mist of the forest displaced and twisting beautifully through the air in swirls as more earth ripped open beneath dragging hooves.

She was tired, but once more her anger ruled supreme over her being, her brindle pattern now shining burgundy from the blood and sweat as it stretched across her bending sinew, the mare reaching out with her teeth to grasp for the soft flesh behind Smoke's elbow, or the equally tender skin above it as the healer's front half rose into the air; she hoped they found purchase, and if they had, that the rising frame of her opponent would intensify their damage, but all concerns for whether or not her strike had been true were rushed away by the words tumbling from the grulla's mouth as her hooves lashed air. Bracing herself for the assured complaints of her right ankle and shoulder, the golden soldier drove her front half hard to the right and propelled her entire body forward instantaneously, hoping to shove her taller frame into the general area from the back of the ribs to the front of the hip while taking several hard kicks along her spine behind her withers, mostly on the right side; the impacts send trills of pain through her, but Smoke's statement had provoked a beast much larger than physical discomfort. "Your home?!" she nearly frothed in response as her body angled itself for potential impact, "I was born here, in this very forest!" Her breath came heavy as she recoiled from the side of the thickly built healer, her final words spat at the ground as blood trickled down her sides, "And you are a fool if you ever think it will ever truly be yours."

[ 4/4 : 797 words; yeah I cut it close there. xD And I'm too lazy right now to post a summary. :3 ]
[ EDIT: I should have posted a summary. -_- Edited where my derp fingers wrote right when they should have put left. ]

intending to burn - pretending to fight it
everyone learns faster on fire

image credits
Table By Neo
Magic/assault allowed to be used on Illynx at any time, in so far as it does not kill or seriously maim her without my permission. 

Smoke the Wild Rose Posts: 128
Hidden Account
Mare :: Equine :: 15.2 hh :: 10 Buff: SWIFT
Zaffre :: Common Blue Dragon :: Fire Breath Kachie
#10
Grim recognition lit the grulla's dark eyes as her foe turned toward her, faint glimmers of light playing off that golden horn as it was brought swinging up and over toward level. Intuitively she knew there was no chance of stopping in time, in avoiding that spear entirely. A mere stride and a half separated them now, and it was with wild desperation that Smoke veered to the right, frantic to keep that narrow point from finding a new home in her chest.

She found success in that, but none in slipping past that deadly weapon unscathed. Pain erupted in a sharp burst in her shoulder as Illynx's horn punctured muscle in the Wild Rose's left shoulder, sliding in just inches from where it had earlier sliced, only to reappear just inches on the other side. A hissing intake of breath was taken, but almost immediately exploded out in a groan as the grulla's momentum forced her further onto that rigid spike, and then the combined wounds couldn't hold the foreign object there any more, and flesh tore away with a splatter of crimson dropets and a rush of blood down her leg. Untended by magic, the flaps of skin and muscle would eventually mend, but leave a cross-shaped scar.

But then their bodies were colliding once more, and the pain redoubled, dragging a ragged gasp out of the Moon Doctor as she felt the unicorn give away before the impact, felt a new gush of blood rush down her leg, knew that better lighting would likely reveal a smear of equine blood on an unicorn's chest. It was because of this unexpected yet intense pain that her strikes had a renewed fervor, though the blows from her left fore were lighter than those from her right. That the nip of teeth on a broad curve of bruised shoulder muscle was ignored like the mild irritant of a strand of bramble catching on an unwary fetlock. Something noticed but shrugged aside with a small flexion of muscles.

Frustration was a heated sensation as Smoke felt her opponent move, pushing back against her. In a defensive reflex the sturdy mare twisted, shifting back to her right as the other mare's body drove against her left side. It was more uncomfortable than painful to shoved thusly, the lighter and more lithely built unicorn's frame lacking the bulk to make up for the lack of momentum. But enough to have Smoke landing awkwardly as she sought to maintain balance and not put weight on her wounded left fore. Tried not to think too much of the throbbing pain that kept time with her racing heartbeat and sent a steady trickle of blood down to stain her burn scars crimson. Maybe its ironic that a silver horn marked my hindquarters and a gold one marked my fore. Maybe not. Damn this hurts. Will have to make a comfrey compress, maybe some dock.

But it seemed this battle would end in harsh words, words that made white-edged ears flicker in mild irritation, her thoughts disturbed from the momentary musing of circumstances and treatment for her hurts. "You sound nothing more than a child complaining that life isn't fair. Should where you were born dictate where you'll die? Perhaps, but many souls both wiser and more foolish than you have learned that life doesn't work that way. If it did, I would still be Isilme, the souls of my friends and family would still be at rest, my son would be racing unhindered through the surf. My elder daughter would have met her father. Its past time you stopped lingering on the things that have gone wrong in your life and started focusing on the good." Favoring her left shoulder, Smoke began to walk away. Sheer determination to not show weakness kept the limp that nagged her gait to a minimum, even though it made the pain worse. "Now get your sorry self back to your Basin, and hold on to the frail safety the northern climes lend you from your own stupidity."

[679 words, closing defense]

Official Posts: 847
Administrator
Stallion :: Equine :: ::
Official
#11

ILLYNX | SMOKE
- - - - -
By my verdict SMOKE is the winner.
Smoke receives 1 VP and earns one point for the Edge Defenders.


SMOKE -- post 1 (attack only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Attack: Left shoulder into Illynx's right side.
+ 1| Attack: Bite to the right side of her neck.
+ 1| Attack: Front hooves to Illynx's lower legs.
+ 1| Previous Experience: Recalling prior battle.


[Prose]
- 1| Emotion: Her home is being invaded, something she had no prior knowledge of, and suddenly Illynx is there. But I really didn't read much emotion from Smoke - merely that she was glad it wasn't Mauja.
+ 1| Flow:
+ 1| Easy Read:

Illynx -- post 1

[Realism]
- 1| Injury: No mention of whether or not the attack to her side hurt.
+ 1| Injury: Bite to the neck.
+ 1| Defense: Raising her front leg up to avoid the worst of Smoke's attacks. Kick to the ergot/pastern
+ 1| Attack: Buck towards Smoke's left.
+ 1| Attack: Horn attack to Smoke's face

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion
- 1| Easy to Read:
+ 1| Flow.


SMOKE -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: Stepping to the right to avoid the buck. Kick to the barrel.
+ 1| Defense: Spinning to avoid the horn-attack, and cut to the shoulder.
+ 1| Attack: Buck towards Illynx's right shoulder.
+ 1| Attack: Bite towards Illynx's face
- 2| Powerplay: She had every intent to fend off that wickedly sharp horn while driving her full weight into the other mare again, perhaps chest to chest.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion:
+ 1| Flow:
+ 1| Easy Read:.

ILLYNX -- post 2

[Realism]
- 1| Injury: Smoke's buck - you mention that it bled, and would be bruised, but not if it hurt.
+ 1| Attack: Knees to Smoke's face.
- 1| Injury: You do not specify which knee smoke bit - and I don't believe it could have somehow been both, at once.
+ 1| Defense: Moving forward, and left to avoid Smoke, and attacking her right side.
- 2| Power play: an ear still held to the cause of the dragon that was now behind her - Even though realistically this is likely where Smoke is, you cannot dictate where you opponent actually is. Maybe she has the ability to grow wings and fly - you simply cannot say.
+ 1| Attack: Horn attack to Smoke's right side.
- 1| Attack: Bite - no mention of direction.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion:
0| Flow:
- 1| Easy Read: There were a number of times I had to stop and re-read things here.

SMOKE -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 1| Injury: Knock to the teeth.
+ 1| Injury: Blow to the side.
+ 1| Attack: Cowkick
+ 1| Attack: Snapping her tail to deter an attack
- 2| Power play: thus voiding the possibilities of any attacks behind the charge being successful. You cannot stipulate this.
+ 1| Attack: Zaffre's attack to Illynx's back
+ 1| Attack: Barbed tail to Illynx's haunches.
+ 1| Defense: Running around the tree

[Prose]
+ 1| Easy Read.
+ 1| Flow.
+ 1| Emotion.

ILLYNX -- post 3

[Realism]
- 1| Dropped attack: No mention of Smoke's cowkick
- 1| Injury: No mention if the tail to the face hurt.
+ 1| Injury: Zaffre's attack to her neck/back
+ 1| Injury: Zaffre's tail to her hind end.
+ 1| Attack: Bucking to get rid of the dragon

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion: "the rather urgent matter of the dragon on her back" xD
+ 1| Easy to read:
+ 1| Flow:

SMOKE -- post 4

[Realism]
- 1| Injury: Illynx bucking at Zaffre. No mention of pain on Zaffre's part, only that he was holding on.
+ 1| Attack: Rush towards Illynx's left shoulder, to slam in her into the tree.
+ 1| Attack: Rear/hoof strike
+ 1| Attack: Hoof-push
+ 1| Attack: Bite


[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion:
+ 1| Flow.
+ 1| Easy Read.

ILLYNX -- post 4

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: Widening her stance and pivoting
- 1| Injury: Smoke's attack to her chest - no mention of pain.
+ 1| Attack: Horn to Smoke's Shoulder
+ 1| Attack: Bite to the elbow
- 1| Attack: Lunging forward at Smoke - no mention of which side of Smoke you intend to strike. I assume it's her left, if you're going right?
+ 1| Injury: Smoke's kicks to her spine
- 1| Dropped Attack: No mention of Smoke trying to shove her away.
- 1| Dropped Attack: No mention of Smoke's Bite.


[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion: Your first paragraph was DRIPPING.
+ 1| Flow
+ 1| Easy Read

SMOKE -- post 5 (defense only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Injury: Horn attack to the shoulder.
+ 1| Injury: Chest collision
+ 1| Injury: Bite



SMOKE

[Bonus]
+ 2| Breed Comparison
+ 2| Surroundings: I think Smoke used her home to her advantage very well here.
+ 1| Least Injured.

[Injuries]
None

[Creativity]
Nothing of note.

Comments: Sometimes I find that Smoke comes off as lacking emotion. I know that it's there, but it doesn't often read very well. However your understanding of movements as well as the mechanics of fighting come across very obviously, and your posts were very easy to read.

ILLYNX

[Bonus]
+ 2| Breed Comparison
+ 1| Surroundings.

[Injuries]
- 2| Adrenaline/Ignoring pain: In almost all of your posts, Illynx ignored the extreme injuries that she sustained. We do have the buff numb, which would account for this, but Illynx does not have it. As such, having her simply 'fight through the pain' when she has just been mauled by a dragon, or having her anger somehow sedate her injuries, isn't realistic to that extent.

[Creativity]
Nothing of note.

Comments: Great fight! Your write Illynx's emotion really well. Sometimes it felt as though you were bogged down by the details. I think it might help you if you were to write out your opponents attacks, and write the response to that first. Prose can only count for +3 per post, whereas dropped attacks or forgetting to mention pain, can cause you a lot more.

TOTAL
Illynx- 64
Smoke - 83

image credit to Paulo Brandão


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