Air billowed under outstretched wings, whistling in his pricked ears and sending waves of golden white hair flowing like a comets tail behind his proudly arched neck. If only the sun had been shining, to further improve the already elated mood of the stallion. The moon was nice enough, he supposed, as he grinned up at the moon. Its full shape glowed faintly down upon them, providing a little light in the otherwise pitch black darkness. It seemed larger than normal, or maybe he was just high up and imagining things? He had not flown for some time, after his escape into Helovia and the good few weeks he took to replenish his strength.

Glancing down, his mismatched eyes spotted a hulking form below. It was somewhat in the distance, and he might normally have missed the horse completely, but he stood solitary in empty fields, his huge wings tucked over a dark pelt. Something about the behemoth made the young stag curious, and he angled his wings downward. Slowly, he descended in a wide arc, landing a short distance from the stag. He felt immediately as if his presence was known, though he had hardly tried to hide. Slowly, and cautiously, the palomino approached. Something about the strange beast put him on edge, and only when he drew closer did he see the bunched up muscles rippling over his dark bay frame. The bay appeared tense, though maybe it was a trick of the light. Felix stepped closer, until he realized.

This stallion was looking for a fight.

Now, had his twin have been there, the lanky Arabian would have fled in order to protect his younger brother, but as it was, he was alone. The season had filled the air with scents of mares in season, and after running from his problems in his home land, the stallion had been hiding a strange frustration that was alien to him. A mixture of bad decision making and idiocy prompted him to stay.

His opponent towered over Felix, however the smaller framed male was agile and quick thinking. He knew that if the stranger made the first move, he would likely be hit, so it was in his best interests to attempt a surprise attack. Yes, his presence was known, but the stag did not know Felix had chosen to strike. He began to canter, taking a wide circle clockwise around the stag. "You wish to dance?" He asked teasingly, letting out a mocking whinny. As soon as the words escaped his lips, he burst into a gallop; his direction swiftly changed as he turned right at a sharp right angle, charging toward the stallion face on. Before he reached his target he leaped, wings beating hard as he tried to increase his height to fly over the mammoth. As he cleared the stallion, hopefully without injury, he landed and immediatly kicked out with his hind legs. if his bluff had worked, he would be kicking the delicate flexor tendons in the hind legs between the ankle and the hock. The injury would, at the very least if the attack struck, reduce movement in the hind legs. He kicked out twice before bursting into a gallop, trying to get away from any retaliation before resuming his wide circle.

"Speech goes here"

His hind legs lashed out, making impact with flesh. Where the attack struck, Felix had no idea but he wasn't eager to find out. In an attempt to dodge any retaliation, he lunged forwards, yet he found he was too slow. As he moved, heavy forelegs came crashing down upon his haunches, lashing out on bunched up muscles. Felix felt the skin tear, blood bubbling to the surface as strong hooves tore ribbons of flesh from him. It was probably fortunate that he had been dashing forwards, for the hooves would likely have hit the tender gluteal muscles had he not moved. As it was, it was the muscles over the coccygeal bone that were struck and he felt a sharp stabbing pain in the base of his tail.

His opponent attempted trash talk, but Felix was not one to take words to heart so he simply whinnied with laughter. "Childish, I'll accept, but I am not the one who is ignorant!" He mocked, "You need to learn how to relax buddy. Your getting yourself all worked up!" His voice was all too casual for such a fight. Cocky, even.

His avoided dodge of the stallions lashing forelegs turned into an outright gallop as Oliver appeared to wait for an attack. No way was Felix staying close to the mountainous beasts side. That was a death sentence, right there. If Felix knew anything, it was that going for the legs then distancing himself was his best chance of winning. The larger male was probably much slower than the Arabian, but by further hindering his movement, the palomino would be free to dance and kick and pummel the stag without harm. That was, of course, unlikely in any fight, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try to achieve it. No, instead he resumed his wide circle hoping that the behemoth did not follow, and as he moved he outstretched his wings. Beating hard, he took flight, angling his wings to circle the area he last saw Oliver. He hoped Oliver would stay still long enough for him to attack.

The night was dark, and although Felix was a creamy golden hue, from underneath the moonlight did not catch him. It lit only his face and back, his large wings shadowed underneath. He hoped this would mean Oliver would not be able to see him well enough, so that his attack would be as sneaky as he could manage. Felix silently thanked the moon goddess and aimed to descend.

If his plan worked, he would be like a ghost, swooping down in an attempt to 'land' upon Oliver's back. His legs stretched forwards - he hoped to crash down upon he titan in order to make him fall or to batter his body with dive bomb assault. He knew if he missed, he would be vulnerable to an attack, being forced to land so close to his opponent, but it was a chance he was willing to take.


"Speech goes here"

Felix's descent was swift, his body arching down as wings tilted back against his body to increase his velocity. From his position, he could barely see his target for Oliver's pelt was dark and well camouflaged in the low lighting, yet Felix thought he could see a faint gold hue in his path. He aimed for what he hoped was Oliver and his gloriously gold wingspan, though he had little way of knowing whether this was going to a success or a 'face-planting into the earth' sort of failure. There was no time to abort - any attempt to slow his descent would likely be futile. He was close, so close.

Three... His front legs outstretched, hoping to make a connection with his target. Two... His eyes turned to slits as wind pummeled the delicate organs. One... He sucked in a deep breath, bracing himself for impact.

Yet as the last second ticked by and Oliver's form materialized into view now that his proximity was closer, Felix realized with a pang of dread that Oliver's form was shifting and moving, his body arching up and his hind legs bucking upward to meet the swooping stallion. There was no time to stop - Felix beat his wings once to no avail. The hind hooves missed his front legs as Felix's aim had been slightly off, yet they hit his rib cage just below the sternum. His weight and speed seemed to force Oliver's hind legs to the ground as Felix's momentum found himself falling from the large brutes body and crashing into the ground.

The buck threw his center off balance, forcing his head closer to the earth than he'd have liked. His front legs just barely caught the ground in time, and his ankles throbbed with the impact. His knees buckled and his head was thrown up away from any damage and he allowed himself to roll onto his front left shoulder, his wings tucking tight against his body to avoid major damage. The kick to his sternum had caused a gash, the skin ripped by the speed of his own movements. It truly had been a double edged sword. He was winded and visibly shaken by the tumble. Not only that, but as he fell to the earth, he felt the wound above his coccygeal vertebrae sting violently as dirt and grit entered the wound. He sucked in a painful breath as blood oozed to the surface of the gash, knowing that by the morning - whenever that would be in this perpetual darkness - he would be battered and bruised.

There was no time to hesitate and Felix swiftly pushed himself to his feet. He had fallen with his back to Oliver, with Oliver's head to his right, so he hoped the brute would still be there as the palomino bucked - kicking directly behind him hoping to catch the brutes ribs or abdomen. As his hind legs fell to the earth, the lithe stallion span is whole body to the right, turning on the spot and hoping Oliver's head was still close by as he aimed a set of teeth toward the location he had last seen Oliver's neck. It was unknown if either attack hit, for everything was now a blur to him.

"Speech goes here"

Copper taste filled his mouth, blood spilling into his kissers as teeth sank into flesh. He wasn't sure how deep the wound went, nor the damage done, as Felix had no time to observe. Shoved by the great weight of the stallion, he had staggered sideways to the left, digging his slender hooves into the flat terrain to prevent another fall. The Gods knew his shoulder was aching and the wound on his rump still burning with pain. Why was he even bothering to face this stallion? Why had he not simply turned and ran when the challenge arose? He thought of his brothers; his face scarred and his beauty tarnished. His own bodice was torn too, now. The thought was, oddly, more scary than the prospect of more pain, but he still did not falter. Felix was determined, if nothing else. He wanted to prove he was not weak. He wanted to prove he was something.

After ramming into Felix head on - the brutes massive chest hitting the slender rib cage of the Arabian - the beast kicked out twice with his hind legs. The move was pointless in its attempt to harm and served only to give the golden stag time to move. He darted away from Oliver, heading straight ahead in a lazy canter before Oliver's hind legs had landed, so avoiding the failing forelegs with time to spare. "Sorry, but you'll have to do better than that!" He taunted, turning over his shoulder to face where Oliver had last been. As he did so, the stags slender hooves found uneven footing and he stumbled, distracted by his cockiness. The tendon at the back of the left hind ankle pulled as his hoof was momentarily stuck in a small, concealed hole on the otherwise flat terrain. With a gasp, the stag almost tumbled, only catching himself at the last moment, yet the movement served to strain the leg. Grunting, he tried to collect his bearings.

That was both the advantage and disadvantage of such a flat terrain. It gave enough room for the agile creature to dart around freely without need to pay attention to trees or rocks, yet it made him over confident. It was this over-confidence that often let the stallion into trouble. It was what got him into this fight, and his hoof into that hole. Yet he knew, despite anything he told himself or the amount of times his brother might scold him, he would never deflate that unwarranted ego of his. He couldn't help himself. He had no reason to think he could ever had beaten Oliver, and yet here he was, as arrogant as ever, trying to beat a horse twice his weight and triple his experience.

You can't blame a stallion for trying!

His strained limb ached, yet he knew he could not stop. This fight was not over and by the Gods, he was determined not to lose to this stranger. He mustered his strength, chest heaving as he turned to where he thought Oliver was. It was tough to see the dark skinned stag in such endless darkness, but he thought he saw his shadow shifting over the grass lands. Setting off as a gallop, he aimed to run closely by the side of the larger stallion head on in an attempt to ram his right, uninjured shoulder into the left shoulder of his opponent. Due to the size difference, Felix raised his wings out of the way to avoid damage to the delicate limb and bucked slightly as he passed, hoping to clash shoulders with the titan. As his small buck landed, he took another two short strides before throwing back his hind legs in a move ferocious buck, attempting to shift his hind legs to the right slightly in order to kick the left hind leg of the bay. As soon as his legs returned to the soft ground, the Arabian made an attempt to charge forwards. His movement and speed was slightly hindered by the aching tendon which throbbed with each step, but he had to move in order to attempt to dodge any retaliation.

"Speech goes here"

Felix's body hurt. Aches and pains strained at his muscles, slowing his strides as he attacked. His shoulder missed, though luckily his wing stayed out of striking distance and was undamaged from the close encounter. His feeble kick was sluggish and Oliver's hulking form shifted out of the way as fluid as a dancer as cloven silver hooves caught air and nothing more, not even a a single hair on the behemoths body. The golden boy's hind legs had only just touched earth when, out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement. As if in slow motion he watched, trying to push himself forwards - but he was done.

His chest heaved, still bleeding under the sternum and battered from Oliver's earlier charge. His strained left hind ankle did not wish to push upon the hard, dry earth, refusing to move as quickly as he might normally have done. His hind quarters throbbed as a thin stream of blood oozed down, entangling itself in his white gold tail, painting streaks of crimson into the short, stubby locks.

Oliver's kick hit with a resounding thud, smashing into his uninjured right hind. The hooves caught flesh and tendon, forcing his knee to jolt forwards as he stumbled awkwardly from the kick. It was a miracle the kick has not torn the ligaments in his leg. As it was, his large hoof battered more than it cut, slapping into his soft flesh carelessly. The Arabian jerked forwards, both hind legs collapsing under him for a moment before he caught himself on the strained left hind, limping forwards a few short steps. Oliver moved away as Felix tried to stay upright and the golden Pegasus made no attempt to move. His muscles quivered, ears pressed against his skull as his legs shook from the pain of the assault.

What had happened?

Was he finished?

He sucked in a sharp breath, holding it for a moment as his head span. He felt... scared, somehow. As if that monstrosity would come for him in his state of vulnerability to finish him of - push him down and stomp upon his fragile chest like a newborn colt ravaged by wolves. Yet Oliver did not come for him. Panting Felix managed to turn his head and glance over his shoulder, head held low. He glared toward the dark bay, though he wasn't sure if he was staring at the Goliath or a strangely dark shadow.

Why had he been so stupid Tess would scold him once he returned home in such a state, Felix was sure. The thought, though disheartening, caused him to smile almost fondly, as if picturing his brothers angry face somehow eased the pain. Yes, Tess would be angry and sad and worried and all of those things a loving brother would be..

...If Felix was to return home this night.

Because he wasn't so sure if he would.

"Speech goes here"