Ophelia knew that venturing so close to the Foothills may not be such a grand idea, but north was where she pressed. An errant thought had crossed her mind, one that she could not shake no matter how foolish and illogical it seemed. Would it be possible, she wondered, to be closer to the sun from a great height? The moon was so high in the sky and had been for so long. Would the god who forsake her ever return? Would she ever be able to sate the sick, masochistic need for his approval? In a manner that displayed defeat, the graceful, slender creature slid easily up the side of the flat mountain, cloven hooves gripping to even the more slippery surfaces. The heavenly fields were aptly named, being so close to the sky itself that clouds often sat, gently lingering and obscuring the day into mist. However, the clouds had not been in the sky for quite some time now, and the path, for once, was clear. She let out a sigh, watching as the breath that passed her lips no longer turned into a white cloud of frost. Sad, she thought. White was beautiful and pure as she would never be. The cold was numbing and exciting at once, but like all good things, it had come to an end. The pale princess started when she heard the deep, masculine and yet somewhat unintelligible voice scream out to the very god she was trying to meet. Ophelia furrowed her brows over her strange, two colored eyes as the spark in her heart began to slow. Slowly, the white creature moved closer, catching the way the moonlit reflected off of crystal tears on the stallion's strong jaw. She frowned sympathetically, catching the tail of his words. He had tried and failed, and Ophelia knew that feeling all too well. She knew the heartache of loss, of failure, of tragedy, of war, of blood, family, and the gods. Despite the cold that had permeating her soul after being in the Grey for so long, she ached for him, empathized with this winged stranger. As she appeared, his darker figure emerged in her vision. He was a large, muscular stallion with a set of equally dense wings. Strange, paint-like markings punctuated his body in a way that made her think that he was slightly more primitive. A white snake was curled around his antlers - antlers, she noticed, were strapped to his head and not fused with his skull. Tinek gently glided down to greet the stranger. The silver dragon was much too large now to sit atop Ophelia's head like he used to, so instead, he hovered, a smile on his scaled lips. Curiously, the horned beast probed closer to the stallion, only aware of the emotions from Ophelia, but he was sadly used to her mind being a battlefield all on its own. "I came seeking the Sun God as well," she murmured quietly, looking up into the night sky. The shards of the lost stone that had shattered and given her magic now sparkled brightly and gloriously in her hair, activated by the light of the moon. Light scattered across her perfectly pale hide and bloody mane and tail in a way that was nearly ethereal. A frown moved over her gray lips. "I wish you more fortune than I with the heavenly, taciturn stallion." Ophelia tried to meet his gaze to give him an encouraging smile, but the was hesitant, not willing to pry into his personal matters. Too often, she was burned. The Forsaken had left the Grey before the wars. She had gathered an idea of mobilization, but the war in its entirety was unknown to her mind. Ophelia, in her self-exile, had missed a very strange moment in history. Little did she know that Mauja had left - and with it, her tie to the Basin. Soon, she would find out, but now, she was blissfully ignorant in a way she had never been before. "talk talk talk talk " [[(680 words) | (0/3) | unlimited magic/companion use -Damn Tinek and Phi for having light and shock magic >_> lol. This'll be interesting for sure. Yay broken magics errywher...]] COME TO ME we run away forever from this misery

I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason but don't give me choice</style> These things rarely take long, do they? If one thought about it too long (and don't worry, Gaucho never has), one might develop a Truman-show complex about such matters. You know what I mean - where it seems that life has suddenly been staged around you. Had Gaucho ever waited longer than a few moments, when fits of aggression overcame him, only to be quelled and dulled by a good spar? Never once - an opponent always appeared. And now in fact - did he not just bellow towards the sun for punishment - his simple brain desperately envisioning a yeeewwneekorn, through which to redeem himself and - Ah! You guessed it: One appears. One with a dragon no less. As his bulky head swayed towards the direction from where Ophelia came - alerted not necessarily by the gentle sound of her hooves in the grasses, but instead by the sheen that seemed to exude from her body in the moonlight, all seemed to fall into place. Dumbfounded - as he obviously attributed her presence to the power of the Sun God - he stood motionless as she moved towards him. "I came sea-king Sun God a swell" Nostrils flaring, he turned to regard her - stormy gaze furrowed with confusion. Sea-King? he wondered - his mind suddenly envisioning a great wave dousing out the sun. Before his mind could reconcile this, she was speaking again. I wish you more four-toon than I with the heavenly, tasy-turn stally-in" Incomprehensibly, Gaucho merely stood there, partially distracted by her encrypted speech, partially dazzled by the glimmer of her body. Mara however, was not so taken in by these features - perhaps it is simply the tumultuous nature of a women whose man has been scorned, or simply the tendency of females to dislike those who appear better - but Mara was having none of this. Hissing wildly in Gaucho's antlers, Mara forcefully tried to physically rattle his skull from the outside, as her mental bond tried to accomplish the same from within. She reinforced the idea of a wave overcoming the sun - and implanted Ophelia's glistening body not as a star, but instead as a spray of ocean, dousing the God who had appeared before Gaucho, and given him a quest. She was a yewwneeekorn, Mara emphasized, showing Ophelia's horn bursting the sun into a million shards, forever leaving the lands dark. Having already expended most of his limited mental capabilities trying to reconcile what had happened with the Throat, Gaucho's mind was unable to place Ophelia as the mare for whom the Throat had fought in the last Invasion. He did not recognize her as the one who had requested aid - a transport from the Throat to the Edge, for he had not stayed long enough to comprehend her request. His exhausted mind could only understand what Mara was forcing upon him - the idea of the sun being eaten up. And of course, her horn. His stillness was broken by the sudden flaring of his nostrils, as his head snapped up and his muzzle in, directing his rack of antlers towards her. "YEWWNEEKORNS ATTACK THROAT." He bellowed loudly - spit spewing from his dark lips as he forced the words out. His front hooves rose and lowered, trampling the budding soil and causing it to ripple beneath him, as his body energetically danced in place. "SEA-KING NO GET SUN. YEWWNEEEKORNS NO GET THROAT" The words rushed past his dark lips - frenzied and driven by the fervent hope that he could atone his sins. As his hooves returned back to the earth, Gaucho's hind-legs propelled him forward, towards the glistening harbinger of the sun's demise. With wings steeled to his flanks, his aim was to drive his left shoulder into Ophelia's own left. She was tall for a mare, but not so tall that Gaucho did not feel the need to drop his shoulder slightly, so as to better aim for the fleshy muscle of her shoulder, rather than the skin of her neck, or wither. His bulk was also thrown her way, in an attempt to knock her askew. He did not rush past her, as he would characteristically have done. Instead he tried to remain at her left side, forcing his collar of spikes into her further, if he could. Jaws agape, he reached for the skin of her left flank. Mean while, Mara hissed and weaved in his antlers, trying to keep her body vertical somewhat in the air. Gaucho might have never been attacked by a dragon before, but Mara knew enough of her own reptilian species to be leery. Fangs wide, she tried to guard her bonded's unprotected back, from an aerial attack. [WC: 797 Attack: 1/3 Summary: OH NO OPHELIA AND THE SEA KING ARE GOING TO GET THE SUNNNNNN. Uses "War Stomp", before lunging towards her. He aims to have their left shoulders collide, with the added damage of his spiked collar. He tries to remained parallel to her as he bites towards her flank.]

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Fuck her compassionate heart. Why did she do this to herself, she wondered? What sick, masochistic cancer in her soul needed to be removed - needed to harden and fall off to keep her from getting involved in these situations again? Kindness had brought her hooves close to strangers, without thought to herself. She had made herself so many promises that she would be colder, not so curious, more distant, but over and over again she found herself here. The motions of the snake were lost on her in the present, but her mind, in hind sight, remembered all. There were deeper threads woven in this web of connection, unspoken words winding the strings. Unicorns attack the Throat!" he yelled at her, and she furrowed her brows over her crimson and blue eyes in confusion. What? Shock and a deeply troubled concern filled her heart. Did the Aurora Basin move against the Dragon's Throat? Did Mauja lead them? Did her aunt have anything to do with this? Were Kri and Onni safe? Midas? Oh, Ktulu... If Midas was hurt. The cosmic irony of the Foothills moving against the allied herds was completely lost on her at the moment, but needless to say, fate was laughing. The stallion began to dance in place, churning the earth as he yelled something about a sea king. Sea king? Who was the sea king? Ophelia parted her lips to speak her questions of confusion, but she did have the time before thundering hooves came running at her form. The starlit mare's two-toned eyes widened in confusion, not fear; her heart could not know fear. Her memory had overwhelmed her sense of instinct and had caused her to nearly succumb to death on more than one occasion. A firm stop of his hoof rattles her, making the world shake and vertigo hit her center of gravity firmly. Ophelia tries to turn to begin to run but her spin quickly turned into a scramble to gain balance. She shook her head, sending crimson and pale tresses around her neck. Ophelia's cloven hooves dance as she comes to, having to throw her body away from his to avoid the sharp point of his collar from jamming into her shoulder. Barely she manages to avoid the collision, spinning on her haunches, a flurry of long, tangled legs gathering beneath her get her away - in any direction. Tinek cries from overhead, his mournful tones chilling her heart and hardening her mind for the task ahead. If she dies today, so does Tinek; that cannot happen. Haunches more or less in the same place as she spun and danced away, his fangs flash her direction, taking only seconds to grab the flesh on the top part of her right hip. A pained, soft cry whispers past her open lips as she feels the sting of her skin tearing between his teeth. She would never forget that sensation. Ophelia quickly bucked, lifting her haunches off the ground and flashing out with her hind, cloven hooves quickly before gathering herself once again and fleeing forward, her slender form carrying her a a few meters forward before bouncing to a stop, turning to face the unexpected attacker. The bite on her haunch had not reached to cut the muscle connected to her bones, but just under her skin. It burned with every step. "Did unicorns attack the Throat?" she asked, her breathing ragged. Ophelia was fit from long-distance traveling, but that was quite a different exercise from what she was facing now. "Who, what unicorns?" she pressed, slowly backing away from him but making sure to back in a circle, trying to avoid the sheer cliffs that would send her falling into oblivion. She was called back to a dream with Mauja where the world was ending and falling away... But this was not a dream. "I did not attack your people! Midas and Kri are my friends!" she cried, trying to get through to this primitive beast. Tinek was not interested in conversation. Red hot blood of the dragon flowed through his veins, and his Phi, his delicate Phi, was in trouble. The dragon bared rows of long, serrated fangs as he circled overhead, diving between his bond-mate and the attacker, crimson eyes burning with anger. "Tinek!" he heard her cry in his mind, but he ignored her as he tucked his wings to his sides and dove. The snake in his antlers could be a problem, so he pulled up from the dive and did an aerial roll try and reach Gaucho's behind. Tinek snarled, trying to land on the stallion's hindquarters and scrape his talons along his hips from point to tail. For every injury Ophelia sustained, Tinek would return it twofold! [[(793 words) | (1/4) - Tries to buck at Guacho as he bites her; maybe it hits him? It's mostly defensive! - Ophelia tries to keep distance and Tinek takes the reins, diving at Gaucho before trying to run his talons along Gaucho's hips]] COME TO ME we run away forever from this misery

I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason but don't give me choice</style> For the briefest of moments, it was if time has slowed, and the primitive and restless mind of the beast was set free. He was enticed - nay, entranced - by the fluidity with which Ophelia moved. Normally, he would feel a sense of loss when his large frame failed to find his target, as if some injustice as been done. But not this time - no, Gaucho has not had a dance partner like Ophelia for years. His opponents in Helovia have all been slow, or stupid. They evade him only to put themselves in a worse position - but not this one... And in that moment, Gaucho was overcome with desire. As his teeth raked Ophelia's pristine flesh, the sensation was only heightened - for what other thoughts can we really expect of Gaucho, when his adrenaline is already piqued, and Ophelia has placed herself so daintily right before him? He did not move away from her, as he normally might have. To not expect her buck is a blundering miscalculation on his part, but alas, his mind was clearly elsewhere. Her hooves struck the broad muscles of his chest, causing him to grunt as his mind snapped out of his stupor by the pain flaring in his muscles. It is a wonder that she didn't wound herself on the spikes that protruded from his chest, but the dun doesn't mind. He wants this to last a little while longer. Gaucho snarled at Ophelia's question, as his mind was unpleasantly pulled in an opposite direction, and reminded of why it was he found himself with Ophelia as a dance partner. Dark ears pinned against his skull as he watched the mare move away from him. "Basin attack Throat and Edge." He barked in response, flanks heaving with the lingering adrenaline of passion that had welled within him. An almost pained look etched across his rugged features as she mentioned My-das and Kri, but it was quickly replaced with one of fury. "Basin take Kri! And Maww-jah attack My-das and Gaucho - -" He might have had time, to recount Mauja's escape with the dark unicorn, were it not for Tinek's timing. A silvery shape bled in front of his vision of Ophelia, and in his antlers, Mara loudly hissed. Her white body contorted to try and follow the dragon, as it rolled, banking over Gaucho's back. Starting forward to try and evade the outstretched talons that Mara was mentally warning him of, Gaucho once again headed straight towards Ophelia. Gaucho could feel the claws of the dragon begin to radiate pain somewhere near his loins - but it was hard to tell, for suddenly his entire croup was on fire - and then the feeling just seemed to spread. With a half effort, Gaucho tried to buck into the air towards Tinek, but the motion was stunted almost immediately, as raw pain paralyzed him. His back screamed in agony as his new wounds were condensed by the motion of his buck. With a gasp, Gaucho continued lumbering forwards. Were Ophelia to not move, it would once again place Gaucho on her left side. Mara hissed furiously, as she watched the dark dorsal stripe of her bonded slowly begin to turn red, and ooze blood from either side. Although Gaucho was too dazed to fully-attack, and was for once in his life willing to ask questions before striking Ophelia again, Mara was not so generous. The flying reptile was clearly out of her range, but its bonded wasn't. She mentally sent a snide remark towards Tinek, but she was sure that he wouldn't understand it. Ohhhh but she was sure he would understand what was coming next. Urging Gaucho a little more to the left, closer to Ophelia, Mara tightly coiled the end of her tail on the longest of his antler-tines. As Gaucho painfully lumbered towards the white mare, his long strides covering the ground quickly but with obvious effort, Mara struck. She waited until she thought Gaucho was only a few feet away, before her white body snaked forwards in the air, towards the left side of Ophelia's neck. She had grown quite long, and the range was well within her length, but the unicorn had been slippery before when Gaucho had tried to attack her. Still, Mara longed to sink her fangs into that pretty white neck, releasing her poison and showing that flying rat that wings weren't everything. [WC: 734 Attack: 2/4 Summary: Ophelia's buck hits him in the chest, as he's too distracted by her, to move. In mid-sentence, Gaucho is distracted by Tinek, and lurches forward to try and evade the dragon. This fails, and Tinek's claws create painful wounds down his spine. Having already started in Ophelia's direction, Mara encourages him to the left, to try and bite and poison Ophelia as retribution for Tinek's attack.]

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This spar has been extended for an additional 3 weeks.

Ophelia felt the way her hooves hit the edges of the thing around the stallion's neck, the impact helping her balance as she tumbled back to the ground. She glanced behind, seeing the way the collar was spiked in the front too, and she realized how lucky she was to catch the underside. What had caused him to stay so still? Was he stuck? Certainly not. Something else had caused the cerulean orbs to cloud over, but she did not know what - and she could not look if she tried. Magic was dead. She as broken, but what was new? She backed away carefully, trying to make sense of this sudden and bitter battle she found herself in, and she listened. So the Basin had used the Grey's contract for offense? The promise was only for defense, right? Was that not the stipulation her sister had placed on this agreement? She faced him, sobering as his passionate and obvious expressions told her what he felt; his mate must find this trait welcome in a world so full of secrets and lies. Mauja? Did he say Mauja? Ophelia's mouth opened to try to glean more, but she did not have the chance. She yelled her dragon's name through her mind, but the connection between them had nothing but a wall of rage that she could not scramble over or tear down. The bay stallion ran toward her again, but she was facing backward and the bite on her hip was aching. She was distracted. Mauja took Kri? Mauja took Kri where, why? Why did the Basin invade? What happened when she was gone? Why would Mauja attack this my-das. Wait... My-dus... Midas? Ophelia's two-colored eyes widened in disbelief. Mauja would not attack Midas, right? But the curling fingers of doubt gripped her, and she felt her heart turn to stone. But too late. Ophelia noticed a blur of chocolate and smoke move by and the little pricks of a bite on the crest of her neck. She scrambled backwards, not realizing where she was moving as one of her hooves slid off the edge of the mountain. Her heart beat fast with adrenalin as she rushed to the center of the field, pushing the venom through her system even faster. The pale mare's nostril's flared, and something seemed to loosen the hinges of her jaw. Why were her muscles not working? The vision on her left, blue eye started to cloud over as her eyelid drooped, unable to stay open. Exhaustion hit, and she could think of Mauja and the simple question: why? Rationally she knew she should not feel betrayal, but the emotion was there, regardless. The Forsaken stumbled forward onto her knees, breathing heavily as the two puncture wounds on the side of her neck began to ooze. Oh, the grass smelled so sweet. "WAKE UP!" No, but I just want to sleep... Shadows of pain overwhelmed her alarm bells. "NO! GET UP!" Ophelia felt something hard and spiny poking the side of her jaw repeatedly as Tinek shoved his spiked head into the her face. The dragon was afraid, but he could not show it; instead, he clawed at her neck, scraping along her white hair as he desperately tried to bring her back. Tinek cried mournfully, the sound more lonely and painful that the wolf's call. "Please." The mare tried to blink and managed to lift her body back onto all fours, finding a darker figure in the distance, somewhere in the white clouds and green footing. "Why would Mauja....?" she asked, her words very slow and quiet. "Is Midas safe?" Tinek watched his bond mate struggle and he glared at the snake in Gaucho's antlers. He wanted her dead. Deader than dead. So dead she would never come back, ever. He needed to give Ophelia time, so he launched himself into the air, flying straight toward the white snake, talons open and body coiled to grab her and yank her free. Tinek shot Gaucho a hateful look, one that said he could never forgive this, not ever, never. Ophelia had regained some cognizance in the mean time, and she trotted forward, the motion somewhat exaggerated and unsteady. Why can't I move? Was the stallion from the Basin here? The Reaper? The one who nearly killed her all those years ago? "Why did Mauja attack you?" she asked, legs shaking under her own weight as she came to stand close, not yet attacking. [[(2/4) (747 words) - Ophelia takes the full bite from Mara since it was a Crit hit, and she almost goes down - Tinek decides to take revenge and attempts to take Mara from his antlers, so I would assume the roll would be for damage to Mara or damage Tinek causes to Gaucho trying t get Mara? Up to you! - Phi doesn't attack as she's trying to overcome the effects of the poison! ]] COME TO ME we run away forever from this misery

I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason but don't give me choice</style> After the adrenaline rush of initially attacking Ophelia had passed, subdued perhaps by his momentary boost of testosterone, a look of pain suddenly came into Gaucho's eyes. Was this how the Throat had fallen, without him there to protect them? Had they laid down, as if to sleep, the way Ophelia was doing now? A solemn look crossed his features as he watched the white mare stumble, effected by Mara's poison. Gaucho, who had seen too many fall broken on the battlefield to feel pity for the mare, did not move to try and aid her, but nor did he attack. Ophelia's questions seemed to hit a nerve, a twinge in Gaucho's heart, that was already injured, causing his antlered crown to rise into the air as if physically effected by her query. His dark ears pinned against his skull, teeth grinding together. "Bay-sin steal Kri. Mawww-jah sneak into Throat - escape into ocean with dark yewwneekorn." He began, failing to mention that at first, Gaucho had tried to help Mauja, thinking him a member of the Throat, or one who needed shelter. It was only once Midas had arrived, that his true identity was revealed. An involuntary grimace appeared briefly on Gaucho's dark lips, as he remembered the magic that had held him in place, helpless and only able to watch the splattered stallion disappear into the night. As Ophelia asked if Midas was alright, the pit in his stomach that seemed to hold all the frigid disparity of the situation, suddenly seemed to flood open, filling his entire body. "NOT ALRIGHT." He shouted suddenly, the force of his voice physically shaking his large frame. Gaucho took an unsteady, almost drunken step towards the unicorn, keeping a watchful eye on the dragon who had injured his back and caused his rigid movements. "Midas not alright." He repeated, his voice suddenly low and soft, but brimming with emotion. It was clear from the pained expression in his gaze, that something had wounded the stallion very deeply, regardless of whether his words communicated that or not. "because Throat attacked. They take Kri. They take Gaucho and My-das away. No one to..." For a moment, Gaucho's lip began to quiver, and his gaze grew distant. It was almost as if he had forgotten Ophelia was there; lost in his own mind, recanting the events. "...no one to protect Throat." He concluded in a husky voice, slowing blinking away the fog from his gaze. With this pseudo-understanding, Gaucho had not expected Ophelia to attack. However, given his rather primitive understanding of how emotions worked, he had not taken Tinek's reaction into consideration. Head already lowered towards Tinek's injured bonded, the dragon's flight path to Mara was relatively short. As the streak of silver suddenly shot towards them, Gaucho tried to rear into the air - to raise his head as well as his companion out of Tinek's grasp - but was not able to in time. Gaucho felt the razor-hot feeling of claws from his brow bone down to his muzzle, and the way his skin began to sting as it was torn away by flailing dragon claws. In his antlers, Mara hissed, trying to slither down Gaucho's neck and away from her assailant, but failed. She felt her thin body grabbed by a claw, enough to cut into her scales. "NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN-" Gaucho cried out, as Mara's mental wails of fury and pain rose over the burning sensation he felt from the cuts that covered his forehead and muzzle. Gaucho once again half-reared, his front hooves flailing upwards to try and hit the dragon. Again and again Gaucho continued this awkward prance, stifled by the wounds that brindled his back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mara rising from his antlers - her long white body hanging from the talons of the dragon. Lashing out, she tried to bite Tinek repeatedly; aiming where his scales seemed less dense, or where they might reveal his skin, such as at his jawline. Screaming in anger, Gaucho whirled to try and face Ophelia; his face now a home to many bloody tributaries. He lowered his antlers, directing his flow of magic at the white mare. Three snakes, easily larger than Tinek suddenly slithered through the air, headed towards Ophelia. Although they could not physically hurt her, Gaucho hoped that they would distract Tinek from the real snake in his clutches. Neighing loudly, and with a frantic urgency to attract the dragon's attention, Gaucho painfully half-spread his wings in anticipation: If Tinek was going to drop Mara, Gaucho would be ready. Gaucho's ears pinned against his skull as he grunted painfully, resisting the urge to wipe the blood from his eyes, forcing himself to focus only on the two reptiles. [WC: 796 Attack: 3/4 Summary: Gaucho takes most of Tinek's attack to his face, although Tinek manages to grab Mara, injuring her, and pulling her out of Gaucho's antlers. To compensate, Mara tries to bite Tinek while Gaucho directs his magic at Ophelia, hoping to distract Tinek.]

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Why was none of this making sense? Why and how would anyone steal Kri? How does one disappear into the ocean? And who was the dark unicorn Mauja traveled with? With every answered question, hundreds more bloomed in her mind. Midas was not all right? How? She needed to see if he was still alive. Oh no, what would Ktulu think? Was that how the Throat was invaded? Gaucho and Midas were busy dealing with Mauja while Kri was taken? Why did that seem so strange to her mind and yet so plausible. But why the Throat? Ophelia had been a child when her father had taken the Foothill's warriors to battle to take over the Edge for Mirage and her kin. If anything, she would expect Psyche and her followers to go there. Everything was confusing and thinking things through was only serving to give her a terrible headache. As Tinek urged her to her feet, she asked another question, but her eyes were still catching up with reality. Gaucho was trying to hurt Tinek... The silver dragon felt his claws scrape along the stallion's face as he grasped for the white snake, the wicked, evil snake who had hurt Ophelia. A rage the boiled white hot filled his veins, narrowing his vision toward his prey and pumping him full of adrenaline. When Gaucho raised his head, Tinek spread his wings and pushed his body up, keen on his goal. As he managed to grab a hold of the snake, he heard the stallion's cries as if he was underwater, his own heartbeat pounding in his head. A stinging on the end of his tail caused him to hiss angrily; Gaucho's teeth had pinched his scales on the end of his tail, causing a few silver pieces to shatter and break off. Eventually they would regrow, but blood pooled in their absence, revealing his creamy skin beneath. As he yanked the snake free from the false horns, he felt one of the creature's fangs pierce just below a scale on his upper, front leg, and he roared. Still, the venom was not as strong, most likely because the snake had spent most of it on his bond-mate. Quickly, he released her from his grasp after climbing a few more feet, high into the air (which helped him escape the stallion's flailing). While it was a poor substitute to smashing her against the side of the cliff, he figured dropping her a few thousand feet would be okay. When he turned back around, snake-free, he saw something that didn't make sense and he landed, blinking away the double vision from the poison. Ophelia had just risen to her hooves to face the stallion and ask her question when strange, snake-like apparitions appeared from the antlers of her opponent. The pale mare jumped forward, trying to attack the bay stallion while he was still weak, and she saw the blood dripping down his face from Tinek's claws. She closed her eyes and held her breath, pushing through the apparitions if they would yield to her body as she tilted her head to her chest, horn aimed at Gaucho's shoulder. The venom still stunted her movement, and she felt the world tilt. Ophelia scrambled, falling to one knee and scraping the white skin there. Quickly, she regained her footing, watching as Tinek leaped into the to try and catch another snake, a ghost, only to fall back to the ground, hindered by the same poison from the white snake. Ophelia did not know where the creature had gone, but that was not her problem at the moment; she needed to incapacitate the stallion long enough for them to get to the bottom of this, somehow without killing the other. How she had managed to get into this mess was a disaster, and she had to admit that she was quite angry. After aiming for the stallion again, she pinned her ears against her head and lunged forward, horn pointed for his soft tissue at his hip. "Tinek, stand down!" She ordered, telling her dragon not to exacerbate the situation anymore. Whether or not he would obey was another matter entirely. "I am NOT your enemy, Stallion!" she yelled, trying to strike out at him with a forehoof, trying to get his attention. "I used to live in the Throat! Midas and Kri are my friends! I was the Sleuth!" What else did she remember to try to get through his thick skull? Ophelia blinked through the lingering effects of the poison, maintaining her balance as well as she could. [(3/4) (767 words) - Gaucho manages to bite the end of Tinek's tail, scraping off scales - Mara bites Tinek on the upper arm before he lets go of her; the bite is less potent, I looked it up online that there is less venom for a second bite since the snake doesn't have enough time to make more. Since the bite to Phi was a crit hit, I figure that was taking the full brunt of a bite - Tinek tries to drop Mara over the Edge - Phi tries to lunge at Gaucho but stumbles - She lunges at him again, aiming for his hip this time - Tries to scrape at his legs to get his attention ]] COME TO ME we run away forever from this misery

I'm screaming at the top of my voice. Give me reason but don't give me choice</style> The taste of dragon was something Gaucho had never encountered before, and happened quite by accident. His teeth must have been snapping more than he realized as his forelegs thrashed in the air after the dragon - although as his ivories pinched against the dragon's tail, he wasn't entirely surprised; the blood that was weeping down his face as a result of Tinek's claws had severely blurred his vision. While he could have wiped it away, he didn't want to take the risk that in that brief moment of darkness, Mara would fall. No, he would take the sting of his own blood in his eyes before he would let undo harm befall his companion. As blood oozed into his mouth, not from his own injuries, but from the dragon, all appeared as though it would be fine...if he could just yank the dragon down to the ground... But no, it was still flying upwards. Grimacing, Gaucho spun on his haunches, directing his flow of magic towards Ophelia. He hadn't anticipated that Tinek would just drop Mara without provocation, especially not over a cliff. As Gaucho's head raised back to the sky, he was met with a sight that nearly stopped his heart (yes boys and girls, Gaucho does in fact have an emotional side). Ice filled his veins as he watched the frost dragon flying away from the cliff, and landing solo. Grey-blue eyes widened in alarm, as Gaucho's mind instantly jumped into hyper-drive. Dragon drop Mara off cliff. He thought fervently, assuming that she must be dead. As Ophelia fell to her knee, falling victim to a very different kind of snake, Gaucho turned to face her. His movements were fluid but calm, as he experienced the very same deadening rush of his own heartbeat that Tinek had heard earlier. The world seemed to fall pale, causing Ophelia's brilliant white coat to radiate in comparison. She was his target now. Mara would be avenged. Mara dead. He thought with a dead expression, not having the forethought to test their mental bond before assuming the worst for his companion. His back ached where his black dorsal stripe faded to red from Tinek's claws; his dun coat now appeared to be brindled with red from the claws of the dragon. He had experienced many who died at his side in battle, but something about this was different (although were Mara truly dead, he would have experienced the break of their bond, and know how true that was): This was personal. As Ophelia rushed towards his hip, Gaucho's mind defaulted into its most primitive form, to compensate for the grief that threatened to overtake him. As she neared, he tried to throw himself towards her - to make them as parallel as possible. His intent, was to gauge and mar the pristine flesh of her flank or thigh, that had previously enraptured his mind, with his spiked collar. He couldn't buck to try and deflect her horn - his back was far too wounded to allow for that. Instead, he tried to jut his wing towards her wither - to push her away should she still be unsteady, to lessen the blow. Even so, he felt the white-hot pain of his skin tearing and yielding to her horn. Gaucho's dark lips opened to emit a scream of pain, as his leg threatened to buckle as her horn ripped through his thigh muscle. The wound was a clean one, but long - about 6 inches wide, and 2 inches at the deepest point. Although his mind was muffled with pain, he heard her hoof strike the ground - had that been meant for him? He couldn't be sure, though perhaps the rotation of his body had allowed him to avoid it. Already heading towards the direction of the cliff, Gaucho did not yield to Ophelia's words; he was numb to everything but the pain in his body, and the naive hope that Mara was alive. In fact, it was not hope at all that Gaucho felt, but the strength of his bond with Mara. Ssssssstupid Her voice rang through his mind, rejuvenating his soul like a thunderstorm through the desert. As Gaucho neared the cliff, he looked down, but saw nothing through the thick fog - likely, Tinek hadn't either. Mara's body was so used to wrapping itself around Gaucho's antlers, that as she fell and her body began to tumble down the mountain side, it had unconsciously wrapped itself around the first surface available: a long rock jutting from the rubble. Through the haze, or possibly as a result of her poison - although it didn't matter which - Tinek had dropped her close enough to grab hold of the rock, though not without injury. [WC: 796 4/4 Closing Defense 0/1 Gaucho sends his magic towards Ophelia with his head lowered, and does not see that Tinek is head towards the cliff - only realizing after. Assuming Tinek has killed Mara, he returns Ophelia's attack, trying to turn his body parallel to hers and wound her flank with his spiked collar, and push her away with his wing, although her horn cuts into his thigh. Mara managed to grab hold of a boulder to save herself from falling all the way down the mountain side.

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GAUCHO
Realism [+3]
I think that you took a little too much damage in your last post and docked a full point for this. A 6inch long by 2inch deep slice from a horn would bleed quite a bit, while the damage rolled was only an 8. Otherwise, I think you did fairly well translating the damage roll to actual injuries. I also noticed that Gaucho was rearing to try and attack Tinek as he was flying away. While I can understand his connection to Mara, I have a hard time believing that a well-trained warrior who is used to fighting pegasi would waste energy, especially when he’s already severely injured, in trying to rear at something flying away.


Emotion [+1]
You did a thorough job explaining Gaucho’s changing motivations for fighting throughout, but I felt that some posts were more lacking than others. Mara’s emotions playing into the fight were an excellent touch and I liked how they influenced the battle.


Prose [+4]
I especially loved the sections where Gaucho was watching Ophelia as she walked away from him. You did a good job switching from past memories to the present spar while maintaining clarity. There was a lot of humor laced in, which was also enjoyable to read. I think adding more mention of how Ophelia's size and species were influencing Gaucho's strategies would have helped involved me more in the fight.


Readability [+3]
Everything was very easy to read and little to no mistakes.

Finally tally: 30+11 = 41 HP


OPHELIA
Realism [+4]
Tinek’s reactions were especially well incorporated into the spar. I felt like his motivations for trying to protect his bonded, even against her wishes, were very true to his character. Overall, I think you did an excellent job judging translating damage values to actual damage. I was impressed by Ophelia's reaction to Mara's poison, and your willingness acknowledge her weakness against it. I thought you had a good grasp of how the snake bite would have incapacitated her.


Emotion [+2]
Everything about Ophelia was emotion and the chemistry between her and Tinek was obvious. Very well done, I was left sorely disappointed that the fight was not finished as I was eager to read more.


Prose [+4]
There one small instance of confusing switching back and forth from past to present tense in post 1. Otherwise, everything looked very good. There were some beautiful sections about Ophelia’s thoughts, feelings, etc. I felt like you handled those very well and intermingled her memories of her friends with her feelings on the current spar with ease. Additionally, I liked how you were aware of the surroundings and used them to Ophelia and Tinek’s advantage and disadvantage (Ophelia’s hoof slipping off the edge).


Readability [+2]
“Ophelia parted her lips to speak her questions of confusion, but she did have the time before thundering hooves came running at her form.” Should be didn’t have time.
“The snake in his antlers could be a problem, so he pulled up from the dive and did an aerial roll try and reach Gaucho's behind.” Missing a to.
“A rage the boiled white hot filled his veins…” Should be that boiled.
There were two or three other instances of dropped words or letters as well. Don’t forget to do a careful read-through before posting! Poorly reviewed posts can indicate a lack of interest and proper spelling is important for all posts (not just spars!). Otherwise, everything was easy to read and follow.

Finally tally: 9+12 = 21 HP