{Posts}

If you ask "why?", then I gotta answer...

Fighting. Fighting and flailing with hooves like a windmill. It had been… different. Different in a rather terrifying way, yet it had brought her enlightenment, and now she truly held the knowledge about her own weakness. One day, that weakness could just as well be her downfall. Tariyenda could not bare the thought of screwing up so badly that she’d have to fight for her life once more, but she could not deny that it might happen. And if it did, she would rather stand prepared than shocked and surprised yet again.

It was early morning and the sun had only just begun to sneak up the horizon, colouring the sky in a vulgar pink. The air was still and the snow fallen during the night laid still, glistering from the early light poured at its crystals. It had been a week since the fight at the cliffs, and most of her injuries were nothing but numb memories of the dance. Strained muscles had relaxed and healed, sometimes Tariyenda almost felt it as if she had gotten stronger, which was not really possible after one fight. Therefore, she felt an urge to practice. She didn’t know if she enjoyed getting the crap beaten out of her clumsy body, but if she kept running from her own weakness it was very possible she’d end up dead because of it.
”I challenge the one who replies!” bellowed the silverbrown mare on the top of her lungs, before she tossed her muzzle to the air in an attempt to toss off the increasing worry she felt.


[Open challenge. 2 paragraph style, unlimited attack/dodge. No magic, no dragon. 4 posts each + Closing Defense.]

... "Because I'm TOTALLY Worth it".

”Then you will be facing me today, and I fight only with what you see before you” the voice came like rust off a machine – slow and unwanting. The grullo stallion wavered to a stop beyond her right side, a mesh of crushed snow showing the way he had come from within the Valley. Gunslinger had been going nowhere for no particular reason at no certain time, though he hadn’t been bored or restless. Waiting perhaps. Her cry tugged him here, and he covered the unsteady ground in a balanced trot, though it was hardly enough to warm his muscles and Gunslinger knew he would have trouble with his flexibility during this fight, in this weather. He hoped that it wouldn’t push him terribly hard, considering it was a fellow herd member. Crania tilted, sharp eyes running across her silver frame with the brief intensity of one searching for cracks in a valuable bauble. He was sufficiently surprised to find they were similar in height and build – both stocky yet athletic. A sly twitch of his lips the only sign at this quiet pleasure; he hoped it would be a good fight.
”Gunslinger,” his tongue sloughed off the word. There was only a brief moment that lapsed from the moment his lips stilled and his body broke, and it was a surprise how swift he made the first strike when his tones and stoic position made him appear otherwise.

The grullo lunged forward, knees tucked to his chest and energy drawing from the large haunches which had coiled and shoved him forward. The leap was to cover the distance he had maintained since arriving upon her, a distance too far for anything besides talking, and to startle her if she were so inclined. Once his forefeet planted back upon the snow, mind clicking over reminders to himself that turning in this white powder could prove treacherous, he flung his head towards her. Ears had since molded to his poll, tangled in the mess of flying black mane, while his lips pulled taut against his yellowed teeth. Snapping his incisors together Gunslinger attempted to distract her by feinting a bite attack to her face, while he took the time to balance his body after that abrupt movement and lash out with his left fore hoof in an attempt to slam and hook his hoof against her left cannon bone. If his target was on, his toe would knock the poorly protected cannon bone enough to severely damage the tendons and tear off skin, while the drawing back and hooking effect of the paw would hopefully unbalance her, over-strain the ligaments and tendons, and possibly cause a further damaging second effect of her trying to yank her leg back which would rip the connecting fibers and skin even further. As his leg came back beneath him, Gunslinger ducked his chin closer to his neck and began to angle himself away from her to defend himself as he began to target his next plan for assault.

[1/4 feinted a bite to her face and tried to slam and hook his left fore against hers.]

If you ask "why?", then I gotta answer...

His voice met her ears, she wavered around. The muzzle that had been previously reached to the heavens to rid her of worry darted in the direction of the voice. There he was, her opponent… and he was scrutinizing her, she could feel his gaze wandering over her body. Muscles tensed underneath her hide, mostly because she felt insulted by his gaze. Then he spoke again, his name, and everything went all too quickly as the stallion moved. He grazed through the air at high speed, having Tariyenda recoil.

But speed did not work in her favor, he snapped at her, a bite to her face that missed since she had already withdrawn. Yet again, the mare found herself perplexed by the velocity of things. Not only her own but also the enemy, whose left leg whistled forward without her knowledge. Because she had already withdrawn, his hoof grazed the skin on her left foreleg, leaving her with a strange tingling kind of pain. Tariyenda, however, tried to quickly move forward again, closer to him, and then she reared, trying to hit his head but all at the same time aiming to land a little to his left, so that she would not risk to crush his neck or head beneath her. He was a herd mate, she did not want to kill him, merely beat the crap out of his little butt.


[1/4 Withdrew from his feint to her face, thus dodging his attack at her leg by having moved out of the way. Lounged forward and reared, aimed trying to hit his head, trying to land in his left direction in order not to crush his head or neck]

... "Because I'm TOTALLY Worth it".

His limb struck the ground with too mush ease. Her leg hadn't been tangled with his, and his hoof grazed past to squish into the thing layer of snow. The ice particles compacted beneath him with a satisfying crunch. Tariyenda moved quickly, her body more lithe than his, more compact which gave her the enhanced maneuverability she now employed. Gunslinger gnashed his teeth together as his body tensed, expecting her retaliation though he hardly had the time to recognize the form of her body as it came. She reared up before him and hastily his head swung to the right, instincts screaming at him to always protect his face. So quick and powerful was the fling of his head that his forebody moved to follow it, exposing the musculature of his neck to her slamming hooves. The skin swelled beneath the impact, the muscle beneath separating from other muscle fibers and blood pooling internally to form a throbbing, stiffening bruise. He continued to turn and her body fell off him at a glance, the left side of her head near his left shoulder.

As the momentum of his evasion began to die, near the time when Tariyenda met back with the earth, Gunslinger dropped his head to his knees and popped his back end up in the form of a buck. It was quick and low, only meant to startle her. In her current position, near his shoulder, his hind legs would never be able to reach her, but she would undoubtedly see the rising of the infamous hindend and feel his body brushing against hers as he tried to aim at her. Quickly following the end of his small buck Gunslinger would reel around back to the left, shoving off his two right legs and aiming to snap at her girth or stomach region before she managed to turn too far away or flee. Continuing to surge forward, the steel stallion, now more turned to face her assuredly, would push off his hind end and attempt to thrust his curled knees into the point of her right shoulder with the connection to her neck. Everything carefully calculated and processed, this spar as much for her as for himself. It took restraint to avoid the weaker regions of her body; control to avoid mutilating her limbs and her features as he would a true enemy. Gunslinger knew that, that power was nothing without the strength to leash it. How effective would he be, if he could only kill and never teach, never learn, never be merciful?

[2/4 Took her hit (I assumed it was her forelegs she was using but i wasn't sure) to his left neck causing a bruise. Was turning away when she did this and tried to distract her with a short/small buck as he came back to bite her side and slightly rear to get his knees into her shoulder/neck region.]

If you ask "why?", then I gotta answer...

Oh no! Oh no, she had hit his neck! Was he ok? He wasn’t severely hurt, was he? Worry bit her heart and she hesitated for a fragment of a second, until he moved and she slid off of him. He could still move, he was going to be alright. Shit, she had not meant to hit his neck, she had tried to avoid it, but… but she had hit it. Tariyenda shivered from shock, but concentrated as hard as she could to look at him. However, her feelings had gotten the better part of her attention and as he bucked. It frightened her a bit, and she held back a squeal as his form touched her. It was not enough to harm her, but it did have her jump for a bit. He then moved quickly, snapped at her, got a bite on her stomach that stung her nerves like bees. Tariyenda took some staggering steps away from him, tried to wheel around and meet him straight up front, but he had already made his move.


She tried to rear with him, but it was too late and the angle was slightly off. Her hooves caressed nothing but air to his left, and his knees banged into her with the force of a hammer. They hit her below the point he had intended, pushing her off balance and down from her rear. The pain blended into her blood stream and made her vision slightly blurred, like she was severely drunk and tired. The muscle he had hit wished to retract and curl together, it cramped and squealed with sour movements underneath her skin. But she would not give up, not even when blinded by burning flesh that would not comply to her orders. Forcing herself to look up, she rushed forward, dragging her unwilling flesh forth at a speed it did not wish to be in. If he would not get in the way, she would run on his left side, aim a bite for his left hind leg and try and kick towards his left front leg with her left hind leg. He was like a slippery snail, frustrating and unpredictable to her, yet she was grateful she had not hurt him by landing on his neck… she had not meant to… surely she would have to say sorry to him later… Not to mention how glad she was that they were, in fact, in the same herd, serving the same lord – Lord Nieque.


[OOC: 2/4 (Yeah, it was her forelegs ^^) Got frightened by his buck, took the bite to the stomach, tried to turn at him to rear, got knocked off balance by his aim. Forced herself up at his left side, aimed a bite for his left hind leg and tried to kick at his left foreleg.]

... "Because I'm TOTALLY Worth it".

Amidst all the movement, all the chaos that was battle; thoughts did not exist, only action and reaction. He saw, or rather felt, the absence of her concentration. He grunted, displeased that she would find herself distracted in such a pivotal moment. He said nothing, his body going on without him, commanding as he stood back and watched. He should not berate her regardless. She had only asked for a partner, not a teacher, and he assumed she wouldn't appreciate it. Perhaps it was only a lapse of judgement, after all. Had Gunslinger any notion of what thoughts rolled behind her eyes he would have been unable to bite back his lashing tongue. The very sense that she'd be worried about his health after a little punch like that was laughable to him. If she wanted to get any better she had to train her mind as well as her body - she needed to be serious. Herd mates perhaps, but that only meant no killing or crippling moves, not that that had to apologize and dust each other of. You learn to take blows as much as you learn to give 'em, it's all a part of it.

She moved with him. Magnetic almost as they swayed and swerved together, glinting metal. Beneath them the earth was wet and mushed with the churning of snow under hooves. Treacherous, there was little that could be done except work through it. She breezed by him when they had landed. He was slower than her in getting his feet back down and so had little ability to evade the teeth which flashed against his left thigh. An immediate response, his offended leg lashed out in a quick, low movement that might sweep against her left fetlock or lower cannon bone. The leg moved forward and swung out as it snapped back beneath him - an angry cow kick, less powerful but still unfriendly. Along his thigh the flesh was crimped and torn by her quick teeth, producing some blood. Annoyed his tail swished, possibly hitting her face if it still remained near. The bite was the least of his worries however. In the same moment her hoof came forward to strike his unguarded left cannon, the jerky movement of his retaliation off balanced him. His front left slipped as he leaned to place more weight on it. His front feet spread quickly and sharply, pulling taut the unsuspecting suspensory ligament in his left forelimb. The snow was unkind. Her hoof was off-mark now, only clipping the end of his fetlock. The bruised chest flared up in agony as the forelegs separated. His head threw up with the pain and stumbling Gunslinger stepped forward and too the right, hauling his pain off his throbbing, tender left foreleg now. Fire rolled in his lungs. Impatiently he breathed deeply, forcing himself through the pain though he knew he was badly handicapped now. It was no fault of hers, but he took the time to stand and ease himself while she might turn around and come back towards him. He would push on, he had to.

[3/4 took the bite, bled a bit. Cow kicked out at her left fetlock/cannon with his right hind. Slipped a bit and did some front splits as she kicked him, causing her to mostly miss though it strained his suspensory ligament, effectively laming that leg.]

If you ask "why?", then I gotta answer...

The bite she had aimed hit its target, and his response was pure reflex. His hoof was of an unfriendly nature, it merely brushed against her left fetlock, but it served to make her more aware of his actual strength. While she would gladly enjoy having bit him, pain still faintly throbbed from the muscles he had hit before, forcing her to bite together and endure it. The cold and the snow served to dull her nerves, and thus it was only a little challenge to keep the hurt in the back of her head – something to be aware of, but not distracted by. The kick hit him too, which surprised her some – he was an experienced warrior, she had heard things about him. Surely he could have seen that coming? It seemed Gunslinger had not been prepared for it after all, but he was a warrior, she had to keep that in her mind. Even if his movements stopped – for how long she could not be sure – it would disgrace him if she stopped to ask if something was wrong.

Tariyenda was fierce in nature, something that could be used both against her and for her own good. Fierce with a strong will, of the Mustang breed, she was not easily broken even if it meant she defended herself strongly against even the most trivial of issues. A snort left her nostrils, trailing through the air like smoke from a fire, she was still running past him, but now she made a turn, painting the shape of a crescent moon as she lept towards his right side this time, each stride she took made her chest musculature protest. She promptly stopped when only a small amount of space was between them, and there she reared up to aim for his right shoulder and hit it with her hooves. Snow that had been caught up in her movement dashed her back like glitter, spreading a small veil even in front of her, dulling her eyesight in a similar way as the cold had dulled her sense of pain.

[3/4 OOC: Got grazed by his cowkick, rushed on forth and turned around, ran at his right shoulder where she stopped and reared, hoping to hit it.]

... "Because I'm TOTALLY Worth it".

With a haggard face, scrunched inward to veil the pain, though it only seemed to express it more, he watched her come. He watched the way the snow was cast away from her churning hooves, the way it glistened faintly like bright stones as it scattered in the wayside of her path. He admired the simple yet intricate beauty of a body in motion, features set in determination and competition. Despite himself, Gunslinger grinned. She came. He turned. With his left foreleg essentially useless Gunslinger knew he would have to be cautious of moving in excess, or at all. The leg would not bear his weight so he would have to maintain quick or powerful requirements on his hind-end only now; the bite on his left thigh was meager compared to the dead weight of his throbbing left forearm. So he sucked himself onto his ass, hocks dipping into the surface of the chilling, mushy snow while he used the bulk of his body and a slight shove off his right forehand to pivot to the left and away from her. He grunted, wincing as the large bruising along his chest line expressed displeasure at him using it to push away from.

Because he did not really move however, but only redirected her aim, her blow found purchase on the edge of his shoulder; rounded from him tucking his forelimbs closer to his torso. The impact of her hooves against him did little physical damage to the target, aside from managing to rupture the blood vessels beneath, forming another bruise. What it did accomplish however, was throwing off his balance, which was already in a transitional period. He swayed to the left and landed abruptly to catch himself, his left fore immediately crying out as he leant it weight. He recoiled off it, hobbling in the snow precariously before quickly manage to right himself and hauling his weight to the right. He hung back on his forehand again, front end barely lifting off the ground as he pivoted back into the silver mare. Neck rolled, head twisting around to deliver a snap at her left ear while he attempted to rise further, using his good right fore to heave into her left forearm, thanking Nieque she wasn’t taller than him.

[4/4 bruised his right shoulder with her hit, tries to bite her left ear and swing into her, aiming to hit her left forearm with his right hoof.]

If you ask "why?", then I gotta answer...

Oh boy, he was good! She could see in his face and posture that he was in pain, yet he still struggled to continue the fight. That alone made her admire him, thinking that the day Adalwulf would fall off the stick… Gunslinger would make an excellent leader. Tariyenda herself was breathing hard from running and from the pain at her right shoulder and neck, steam rising from her nostrils like white fog. Now this was something she liked in a man – persistence. Fierce persistence. His moves, that easily would have looked awkward coming from another stallion, were gracious and breathtaking – because they were necessary. Because of the reason this warrior but behind them. Her hooves touched his body, she had hit him but this time she did not worry that much. Gunslinger could take that kind of damage, she trusted him in that – he was strong, and she would not rob him of his pride by feeling anxious or sorry.

He moved again, but Tariyenda was pretty much caught up in thinking about who she was fighting. It had lost her the presence of her own warrior, and she were not really there in mind and soul when her opponent lost balance. All she noticed were that he did, but the move he did with his head was a surprise. It was mere reflex that kept him from chewing at it like a chump of grass – she withdrew her head, not quickly enough to avoid the bite all in all. A sting of pain, as chilly and merciless as the winter landscape they shared, darted from her left eartip to the root of the ear, then all the way down her spine. Still she ripped out of his bite, getting her ear slightly jagged. Some blood tickled from the small wound, but her main problem now was that all of her aud throbbed with hurt. With a wheezing breath, she lounged at him, this would be her last move. Tariyenda was not really big enough of a horse to perform a body slam, but she was damn well prepared to try. Aiming her frame towards him, she thought this could throw him off balance again. Around here somewhere, his right forehoof struck out from nowhere. Oh, yes, it did hit her, but she was already in move and couldn’t stop doing so, even if her forearm hurt twice as much now when the energy of the weight of her body was involved in it as well.

[4/4 OOC: Took the bite to her ear tip, attempts to hit his body with hers and got her left forearm hit by his hoof in the process]

... "Because I'm TOTALLY Worth it".

Though exhaustion was tugging at his lungs until they burned and pain was threatening to overwhelm him, Gunslinger found enjoyment in this. The test of strength and will as two fighters face each other on good terms and honest actions. This, he thought, was the best part of life. Anyone who never had the opportunity to get in a scuffle were surely leading a bleak existence and in a small way he pitied them. His teeth nipped off her ear and she cast herself away from him, only to turn around and come back. With his right fore slapping against her forearm, there was little Gunslinger could do to avoid the inevitable crash of their bodies.

With a grunt Gunslinger attempt to brace himself, turning his head away to protect it from any ensuing attacks of wayward blows that might strike accidentally. Though he was stronger than her, his less balanced position and her momentum helped to make a combined force strong enough to send him stumbling onto his left forehand again. As his leg shrieked at him, possibly cursing about how stupid he was to continually ask things which it could no longer give, he staggered side ways even further as he awkwardly brought his right leg back down to support him. The snow was slick though and Gunslinger's limbs spread once again, threatening to split themselves again and over extend their muscles. Snorting Gunslinger used his upper mass to haul himself up, digging his hind feet deeper into the ground as an anchor to regain his self-control. Beside him Tariyenda landed, and he knew the fight had reached its close. Gunslinger nodded towards her, nostrils flaring and sides faintly darkened with sweat. "That was a good fight. Be sure not to lose your focus when facing an enemy." He parted ways, hobbling into the depths of the Valley to find solace from rest and solitude, or perhaps coyly stagger past Misery so she might heal him without his needing to ask.

[defense]

G U N S L I N G E R | T A R I Y E N D A
- - - - -
By my verdict GUNSLINGER is the winner.

GUNSLINGER -- post 1 (attack only)

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings.
+ 2| Breed... similarities, in this case.
+ 1|Attack: feinting is fun.
+ 1|Attack: pawing at the leg.

[Prose]
+ 1| Good flow.

TARIYENDA -- post 1

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: having the paw scrape your leg because you withdrew from the feint.
+ 1| Attack: rearing.

[Prose]
+ 1| Good flow.

GUNSLINGER -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: realistic response to the rear.
+ 1| Attack: jamming his knees toward her in a ram.

[Prose]
+ 1| Good flow.
+ 1| Emotion: I really like the last few lines of your post, they were insightful and rather pretty.

TARIYENDA -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: taking the bite to the stomach because she was a bit scared; I really like the bee analogy.
+ 1| Defense: dealt with the ram well.
+1| Attack: biting the hind leg and kicking at the foreleg simultaneously

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion: haha, she gets in a good hit and worries about him.
+ 1| Good flow.

GUNSLINGER -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings: you only mention them at first, but make use of them later in your post, which I like.
+ 1| Defense: cow-kicking as a counter, feels very natural.
+ 1| Defense: you deal with taking the kick and slipping very well, and I love to see you remembering previous injuries, yay.

[Prose]
+ 1| Good flow.

TARIYENDA -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings: interesting thinking of the snow as a way to dull pain... I think it works.
+ 1| Attack: rearing at his shoulder.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion: I like that she's still worried about him, and a bit confused that he took her attacks, but she doesn't want to insult him by asking if he's okay.
+ 1| Good flow.

GUNSLINGER -- post 4

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: your reasoning for what you did was very well thought-out, and the damage you took as a bruise was also realistic.
+ 1| Attack: biting a the ear and shoving toward her.

[Prose]
+ 1| Good flow.

TARIYENDA -- post 4

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: dealt with the ear bite well.
+ 1| Attack: trying to slam him.
+ 1| Defense: taking his attack because she was attacking him, good.

[Prose]
+ 1| Emotion: I really enjoy the way her thoughts toward him have changed throughout the battle, how she really respects him now.
+ 1| Good flow.

GUNSLINGER -- post 5 (defense only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: dealt with the slam well.


GUNSLINGER

[Bonus]
nothing of note.

[Injuries]
nothing of note.

[Creativity]
nothing of note.

Comments: Good fight! Your posts are very easy to read and understand, I like that. You seemed to take a lot of damage for just a friendly match but you took it in a realistic way so, I suppose that's just your choice. You make good use of the surroundings and I love reading through Gunner's thought processes. I also really liked the way both of you played with the snow, so pretty and nice.

TARIYENDA

[Bonus]
nothing of note.

[Injuries]
nothing of note.

[Creativity]
nothing of note.

Comments: Good fight! You also have a nice writing style that makes things easy to follow, it's always a blessing when judging a fight. Overall your posts are realistic and very good. You might perhaps think of using your surroundings more or at least taking them more into account while fighting, but aside from that you did well, I really enjoyed the way Tariyenda's mentality changed throughout the fight. I also really like the way both of you played with the snow, so pretty and nice.

TOTAL
Gunslinger - 70
Tariyenda - 68