{Posts}

War; he breathed it in. The scent of fury and of turmoil filled his lungs and sickened the Raindancer but ceaselessly Nepdon moved on, his shape a storm cloud at the edge of the Equine Valley. The fact of the significant herd's absence from the land filled him with a mixed dread and triumph. They should never have grown so bold, reasoned the dappled king solemnly. Who is to say they wouldn't strike the Tides next? I do not know their king. I do not trust him. The strategist in his brain reasoned that striking now was a logical choice; even if he failed perhaps the valley herd would remember reason and remain content within the confines of their land. If he won then he proved his strength and perhaps won Cinnoru's favor - and the unicorn spirit was a powerful ally. Nepdon knew this; it made sense to him when he thought it over. Still, an anxious burning in his blood bid him turn back, remember himself. I am no murderer. I am not Oblivion... yet he recalled no one so much as that monster as he swept lightly into the flatland, his warriors following. As he crossed into the fertile expanse of the Valley Nepdon gritted his teeth and slicked back his ears, forcing thoughts of justice and redemption from his mind.

There's no such thing as right in this world. There is only me, those who stand with me, and those who do not. Those who do not are a threat. He could not risk a threat to his herd. He could not risk waiting in the beach and falling unprepared beneath a strike from the Valley. We will strike first; they'll be the ones scurrying to defend. Powerfully the Raindancer moved, his sleek figure cutting through the predawn silence like a knife. The first rays of morning light glared up through the sky as he climbed a grassy knoll and paused to look about the Valley, his dark eyes drinking in the wide expanse of grass and the soft, peaceful feeling of the air here. A stab of guilt struck him in the gut and he shook it off, tightening his expression. His tasseled tail whipped behind him and gracefully he rocked back, lifting his forehand from the earth and tilting his horned head skyward. A challenging cry trembled from his lungs, clear and demanding: I am here, Valley. Have you the strength to match me?

As he fell back to earth he felt a new power filling him, something vague and undefined. Nepdon recalled a similar attempt to overthrow the Valley many years previous and his thoughts went to Ignatius the Firesword, that last great leader of the unicorns - that last great king. Would Ignatius be proud of him? Did it even matter? Yes. Nepdon lifted his proud head and his voice rang out again, bold and full of confidence even if he felt his insides going cold at the very thought of his decision. I am making a mistake. "Stand strong!" The command sounded odd in the coming dawn, odd as it rang through the chilly morning air. He didn't specify to whom he spoke - perhaps he spoke to his warriors and to the equines. No. The equines were an enemy; they would fall. He had faith in his comrades. Nepdon's dark eyes turned to follow them as they scattered and dispersed, finding opponents of their own amidst the thick grass. I am protecting my herd, my honor; there is nothing wrong with that.


ooc.// open challenge; 2 paragraph format, 4 posts each & closing defense; unlimited dodge/attack within reason; magic/items are good.

I am not a hero...

N...E...P...D...O...N

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

She had left the cliffs behind her, left knowing that she had done her best. Tariyenda had not fought, no, but she had stood firm until time pushed her to venture back to the Valley. This soil was her to claim, her to reside at, and yet now when she returned… the mare gritted her teeth as she scanned the scene in front of her, a scene that tore at her very heart. Those bastards, they were going to pay for this…! For sure, she would not look kindly upon this, she would not in any sense of the word be gentle with these hollow dummies who had sought to dive at an opportunity like scumbag vultures over a corpse. Anger tugged at her body, a body that needless to say was already a bit tired from walking back from the cliffs. But it was nothing terrible, nothing that would hinder her – this way her body was warm and her muscles flexible and prepared for fighting. The only thing that could remotely hold her back was her right shoulder and neck area, which felt faintly stiff since she and Gunslinger had met up practicing fighting.

The Mustang is a wild animal… wild, stubborn, verging on aggressive. There is no mercy in their blood; although they may forgive – they truly never forget. Hell would hold no fury like a woman scorned, and damn she felt scorned!
”FOR NIEQUE!” and fuck you all! she roared as she lounged herself into gallop, digging up the soil behind her with hooves as sharp as razors. Mother earth cringed in agony at the sting of her daughter’s talon hard anger, the still spring soft mud twisted and slipped, but Tariyenda did not loose any grip. She had spotted the one, the leader of the infidels, the very one that spread the stench throughout the Equine Valley. Now he would pay! Anger tore at her muscles, making them tense; soon they shivered with an overload of energy. She ran up on his right, weary of where he’d wave around that stupid headstick his head held. He was of a delicate build, Tariyenda was more compact, a thick, muscular mustang. Her ears slicked back in fury as she came upon him, she rose quickly, towered on her hind legs and used them as a trampoline to throw herself in the direction of his barrel with her front legs curled close to her. If it worked and she’d slam into him, maybe he’d lose balance. Maybe he’d be surprised – but she had to be weary of that horn of his. Always prepared that his head might swing about, and if it did she would try and grab that abnormal outgrowth with her teeth – maybe it would hurt him, she couldn’t know. Yet.


[1/4 Ran at him from the side, aiming to slam her frame into his barrel. If he cranes his neck, she will attempt to bite at his horn]

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

[1/4]

While he waited his thoughts whirred. Nepdon stamped at the spongy ground, watched the water seep around his hooves and cursed the treacherous footing. The sky lit slowly and brought his dappled hide to life but his eyes remained dark as they scanned the rolling landscape, searching and searching as he turned quiet circles, awakening his limber shape. He finally felt healthy, fit; it occurred to him that every time he healed, he only ran off to acquire more injuries, but quickly he shook the thought from his mind. He had never asked to be a soldier; he simply was. He had never asked for the darkness in his heart or the doubt, but still he carried it without complaining. This is who I am... In the distance shouts and muffled hoof beats cut the air and the Raidancer grimaced, willing his friends to fight hard, to take their enemies down with them. We are all damned... Finally the sound of hooves quite nearby him drew the Raindancer's attention and swiftly he turned, locking his gaze onto a strong little mustang mare. Blue eyes noted the bulk of the muscle lining her skeleton and the hate in her eyes; he felt her scorn like a lance jabbed suddenly, recklessly, into his lungs. Cinnoru, what am I becoming...? The look Nepdon gave to her was tortured, not the look of a warrior or a conquerer at all. She screamed, charged; he simply swung to face her, mute... Perhaps I am wrong... Swiftly the distance closed between them. Perhaps... He felt the earth shiver beneath her steps, felt the soft mud oozing under his cloven hooves. But so be it! A snarl overtook the Raindancer's face and he lunged to meet her, his ears clamping down against his skull and his lips pulling from his teeth.

They met with the sick thud of flesh against flesh, her chest colliding heavily with the point of Nepdon's right shoulder. He grunted, feeling only hate rush through him. She brought this upon herself... she encouraged this hatred now burning a hole inside him. The power of her build promised to leave him a bit stiff on the front end, but for the moment he hardly cared. He wanted only to hurt her, to drive out the weight of his sorrow and his frustration, to bury her under his unhappiness. Nepdon took a step back; breath whooshed from his lungs and he snapped his head to the right, snaked it out, and aimed a bite at the right side of the mare's hateful face. Fuck Nieque, responded the unicorn silently, hopelessly. He doesn't give a damn about you, mare. Abruptly she reached for the middle of his face, where his horn rose proudly up between his eyes, and Nepdon's gaze widened in disturbed surprise. She tried to bite it? Well... He grinned mirthlessly and shoved the weapon toward her, hoping to catch his horn across the mare's mouth like a bit, drive his weight against her lips and choke her with it. The weapon itself offered little feeling except where it attached to his head, and then only dully; he might be rattled if she kicked it, but her bite would hardly affect him. As he did so he swung his haunches to the left in an effort to stand perpendicular to her, keeping his body in a position to move. Nepdon did not trust this turf; he was confident that he could deal with the mare - she was hardly any taller than he, and seemed to have no dragon - but he worried that the land itself might betray him.


ooc.// Turned and lunged to meet her chest with the right side of his. Stepped back, bit at her face. Saw her lunging for his horn and tried to shove it back against her mouth. Swung his butt left while doing this, trying to remain free of her so he can move if need be.

I am not a hero...

N...E...P...D...O...N

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

He had reacted before she was prepared; a realization struck her as they collided. The pain of crashing into him was dull, it was a thick kind of pain, more related to how it felt to be drowned underneath tons of feathers rather than tons of water, like a unicorn should mean. He was smaller and lither, quicker in the movement, more mobile and, in a sense, unpredictable. Tariyenda had never before fought a warrior that was slimmer than herself, most of them had been equally her build, or even bulkier. This one however, he was like a little slithering sea worm. As her front hooves caught ground again, her teeth clinked against his ivory hard horn. This caused a sharp sound as well as a sharp, darting sensation of pain escalating from the root of her teeth to the sensitive nerves in her head and neck, especially the muscle she had hurt while fighting Gunslinger earlier. The unicorn misfit had already anticipated her move, so she caught his little stick diagonally in her mouth, not quite the position she had aimed for – it did not pain him, but it pained her. Anger rose within her, he was not going to win this game…! Not on her watch! She had sworn to fight for Nieque, so she couldn’t lose, she mustn’t…

But what was he trying to do? He tried to press his horn against her? For what reason? No… no she didn’t understand. It made no sense, made no sense, made no sense, no sense! She snarled, he pressed against her, she huffed and her bite hardened per reflex. This sent even more pain across her cranium, dancing flames of ice needles stinging at her nervous system. What the… Was he trying to choke her? Bastardous freak! Well then, if he wanted to push against her, the he should do it properly… right? She dug her hooves to the ground, it was still slippery from the morning dew, she pierced it easily and the deeper her hooves got the better grip they had. And then she ripped at his horn as she backed. It didn’t really feel natural, and she could not do so quickly, but she could do it with the energy and force from her muscles. Tariyenda tried to hold on to his abomination in despite of her sore neck musculature and the ice cold sting at her teeth. Damn you neck muscles… shut the fuck up about your pain! Go to hell! Take that pain with you to hell! she thought it to herself, and then shook her head like a feline animal would do with its newly caught prey. This ought to either hurt her or him. Preferable him, but for the moment being she did it more for the sake to pain her own bothersome muscles, what it would do to him she had no real plan on.

[2/4 Caught his horn a bit diagonally, held onto it and began to forcefully walk backwards while trying to rustle his head by the horn.]

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

[2/4]

A coarse ringing filled the air as Tariyenda caught his horn. Nepdon snarled, grimaced; he shoved his weight into her, cloven hooves biting deep into the soft earth. His tasseled tail thrashed and he thrust from his haunches to paw at her forelimbs, twisting his neck to allow his hooves the reach. The horrid keening rose as her teeth grated on his fine sword and Nepdon's head buzzed, threatening pain. Then the mare began dancing back, her teeth gripping his weapon stubbornly. Reflex alone bid the unicorn stop his approach. Furiously Nepdon hunched back. His hind hooves slid apart as he steeled himself to balanace and the wiry muscles of his neck tensed. Whatever you're trying to do, he thought grimly, I'll stop you! Her attempt was strange and it annoyed him; the sound of her teeth against his sword grated painfully in his ears. No way could those teeth grip his horn if he pulled back... Nepdon snorted and tore his weight away to the right, whirling in a flurry of movement. Mud splattered against his legs as his fine hooves cut the turf and the Raindancer snarled. He hoped to hurt her as he tore free, dammit; he hoped it rattled every tooth in her worthless face. The air screamed as the hard surface of his horn grated against the mare's jaws, and Nepdon only stopped turning when his haunches faced her. His head buzzed and a furious ache wormed into his head, distracting him somewhat. He shook it off; it's nothing, the noise is stopped now. Dark eyes glanced over his shoulder as his weight fell onto his forequarters and Nepdon's hind feet rose from the ground with all the force they possessed. His aim was low; he meant to smash directly into her front knees, break them and force her to bow before the Raindancer's might.

When all four feet were on the ground once more Nepdon sprang forward. His movements were light and smooth - he knew he was faster than this equine. His legs picked up a smooth canter and he sailed forward, arcing his body around to the left - searching for her. The spring grass squished unpleasantly beneath his hooves but if offered spring the Tides did not; if he took care to avoid the areas their hooves cut up, he had traction enough to work. Now Nepdon lowered his head and a grim determination came into his body as he brought his sword to bear. It needed room to aim, which meant she had room to avoid him, but the unicicorn was swift and long practiced in impaling his enemies. He sought about the smooth grassland until he found the mare and then he dug his haunches in, feeling the squelch of mud and the give of grass before he sprang away. No longer simply loping, the Raindancer drove hard forward, his neck arched and his horn lowered, eyes keen and cold. He aimed for her left side, intent on piercing her flank and driving his sword through her vital organs, essentially ruining her healthy body. Nepdon was content to let his aim slide farther back should the mare prove wise enough to move, however; with an easy flick of his head he could slide his weapon through the thick muscle of her thigh, as he had done once to Oblivion. Nepdon knew to aim for soft tissue always, to strike for damage and leap away. She was bulky; she would fall behind. No longer was he plagued by doubt, only the mechanical desire to break this enemy; the thrall of battle held him, and he accepted it gladly.


ooc.// Tried to paw her as she bit his horn. When she tried to pull him with her he turned and tried to rip away from her. The grating of her teeth on his horn annoyed him and gave him something of a headache, nothing serious. Whirled right, bucked at her knees, cantered off. Made a big arc to the left, looked for her again, tried to charge her and stab her either in the left flank or, if she's moving at good speed, through the left thigh.

I am not a hero...

N...E...P...D...O...N

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

He was furious, the way any beast would be if someone held onto their foul bodyparts. There was a struggle, her teeth sent chilly cacti pain throughout her cheeks and head. She couldn’t hold on for much longer, and she let him slip out of her grip, loosening it slightly – still, the way he lipped lose was ferocious. His horn slammed against the corner of her lips, but thankfully it did no harm other than pain. This left Tariyenda’s mouth pounding from massacred nerves, she would have to refrain from doing similar moves this fight, if ever again seeing as she was not certain it had done much difference anyway. But that had been the reason for the move, to learn – she had never fought a horned horse before. This one was quick and lithe, it did not suite her well to fight that kind of horse – he was quick, she was slow. The enemy had hardly landed before he was up again, a dangerous aim and she saw what he was intending for – her front knees, those poor things had been through similar stuff before. Not again, not this time…! With a sharp grown she threw her body to the left, while snapping with her teeth after him his head as it passed by. It was reflex, and she knew that the moment she bit together, with or without him in between, she’d regret it.

He ran on, it confused her. Snorting she turned around, wheeled around to catch a glimpse of where the fucker had gone to. If I have to, I will ruin myself, and it will be my ruin! But not today… not today, today I fight for Nieque. Today I win… you hear, fucker? I win! She wheeled around, then she saw him again, he was aiming his horn for her, and surely he ought to have some kind of backup plan. It did not please her to think like that, but she could not remain standing where she stood. She had to do something unexpected again, like with the horn bite, only this time she had to figure out something new. There was hardly any time for such thinking, but she was in luck. The Valley was not really filled with vegetation, most of it was plain, except for some smaller, deformed trees that the wind had molded. Sometimes these trees dropped a branch or two, and sometimes a filly or a colt found it fascinating enough to play with. She saw one, further away there was a branch, ten, fifteen meters to her right. She would have to run for it, he’d be right behind her and he was quicker. Run…! Run! Damn it press those muscles, ignore the stupid nerves in that neck of yours, stupid mare! She huffed, pressed herself harder than she had ever done before and, as she passed by the branch she darted down her muzzle at it and caught it by the lower end. Her teeth sang with the sweetest tunes of dislike as she bit the sturdy piece of wood harder. She swung about, hastily. This was a fucked up situation. She was almost too late, he was almost there already. Foam trickled down her chin, the branch was thick, it had to be to hold for what she had planned. She was lucky he had not caught up on her too much, even though there were not even seconds before he would strike. Tariyenda felt her cheeks protesting against what she was doing, already tired from capturing a horn. This was not good, she’d have a sore head for the rest of her life (at least that was what it felt like). She tilted her head to the side, there was no time to measure the length of the branch, but if she had done so she would have seen it was about one meter and fifty centimetres from the thick end to the place where the branch grew to split, forming a Y shape. If she had calculated the angle right, she would catch his head in the upper V shape, holding him like a snake – if she managed to still hold onto the wood. Oh how she hoped he could not foresee this, she hoped he had never fought an artist before. It would gain her a momentum.

[3/4 avoided to get her knees in the way, saw him run away and come back at her, had to think quickly and spotted a branch to her far right, ran to get it, managed to pick it up and whirl around some seconds before Nepdon got there, held the branch (which is a Y shaped branch) to try and get his head caught in it, hoping to be able to hold on long enough to make him confused]
[OOC: I hope this is not confoozling :S]

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

[3/4]

The mare dodged his kick; her ingenuity and speed momentarily confused him. Rather than meeting the sharp crack and give of Tariyenda's knees, Nepdon's hooves slashed through empty air. The unicorn snorted as he darted forward, hate dark in his blue eyes. She was quite crafty, a strange little thing - her quickness of mind left Nepdon befuddled. Battle was always swift, charging and blind anger - one challenger dominating another. Somehow this felt different; the mare scrambled but she always managed to pull out some ridiculous defense at every critical moment. Furious, Nepdon gritted his teeth. Luckily her odd attempt at biting his face while he spun had missed, only catching the stray ends of his forelock as he whipped around, and for the moment it seemed she was at least wise enough to avoid him. The unicorn used the few moments he spent alone to regroup, his thoughts flickering swiftly through his proud skull. She was very strange; frustration mounted and pushed him into anger, but he knew the best way to fight her would be to keep a cool head. Well, dammit... The unicorn shook his head and wheeled, aligning his sleek body for the charge. Maybe she won't be so clever when she's impaled. The notion brought a bitter grin to his face as Nepdon lanced forward. He was quick over the damp earth, his cloven hooves offering traction and the springy turf offering speed. You can't avoid this, silly mare...

Or maybe she could.

Too late Nepdon noticed the equine picking up a long stick in her mouth. The Raindancer's concentration faltered; his ears twitched up and then back again. His speed decreased slightly as instinct warned him to slow, but stubbborn determination drove him forward still in a swift lope. If he could just reach her before she turned... Nepdon lowered his head and raced forward, moving hard. Tender blades of spring grass tore up beneath him and clumps of wet earth rained from his stabbing black hooves. You're done, mare. He was nearly to her when Tariyenda swung around. He was nearly there, and the stupid mare wheeled and pointed her... stick... right at him. Moving purely on reflex, Nepdon jerked his head up. His blue eyes went wide and his body twisted as he shifted his weight to his haunches, anything to keep from impaling himself. Luckily the stick didn't end in a point but a neat fork (stupid choice for a weapon, don't you think, mare?); Nepdon wouldn't end up speared by it but he certainly didn't want to touch it. Too bad; the unicorn failed to skid to a halt fast enough, instead tearing loose the new grass with his weight and momentum, skidding and tripping rather ungracefully as he sank back so hard he was nearly sitting on the earth. He ended up ramming his chest into the stick. The base of the unicorn's slender neck fit against the forked wood rather well; the "arms" spreading out on either side of his neck poked into the points of his shoulders and he snorted, shaking his head angrily. He'd collided with the stick hard enough to bruise his sleek forequarters - not badly but enough that he felt sore and realized he might be stiff tomorrow. Worse than that, Nepdon now felt trapped by the thing. He wanted to reach the mare but the stick was in the way. His tail lashed bitterly and the unicorn did the only thing he could think of - he reared. Slender limbs pawed up and out, and he hoped that the sheer force of his upward motion coupled with Tariyenda's already aching facial muscles (for they had to be hurting her, right?) would cause her to lose hold of the stick. If she did he would then be free to lean forward and pummel her forequarters with his hooves, aiming for the point of her left shoulder and the left side of her neck. If she managed to hold onto the stick... well, then Nepdon would twist away to the right and try to put as much distance between himself and unnatural thing as possible, perhaps offering a nice kick at her face to rattle her teeth and persuade her to fight normally.


ooc.// He jerked his head up and tried to stop before he reached her, but there wasn't enough room and he ended up jamming his chest/the base of his neck into the fork. It caused some minor bruising, mostly it's just sore. Then he reared and kicked his forelegs in an attempt to get her to drop the stick. If she does, he's aiming to pound her left shoulder and the left side of her neck with his forehooves. If she manages to hold onto the stick, he'll turn away to the right and run away, bucking at her as he does so, aiming to knock the stick from her teeth.

I am not a hero...

N...E...P...D...O...N

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

The pain rushing through her head was getting heavier and heavier to carry. A splitting headache that made her feel sick arrayed from the centre of her forehead, it beamed from muscle to muscle, most of them cramped and almost made her fear she’d break them this way. They pain reached its highest momentum as he crashed into the stick. And it angered her, as though anger would help against the pain. Maybe he had not understood what she was going to do, but now he could see it coming, slowing his own rush slightly, but only slightly. And even if that meant she did not in fact hit what she had aimed for, the area at the neck just below his skull, she still understood that if he had hit it any harder she would most probably become paralyzed with shock from the pain it would cause her. Tariyenda understood from the ringing throbbing and her own dizziness, that he had hit it pretty hard nevertheless, if she was lucky it would have caused some kind of damage. And then he reared. She had not foreseen this move, it was hasty and it made her head hurt even more. But she was cramping now, she could not have let go of the stick even if she had wanted to. When she looked at the unicorn, she somehow knew that her condensed exhales were not the reason why he was blurred. Her musculature pressed itself so tight together that the brain had a hard time getting the oxygen it needed. Her jaw musculature cramped as well, she could not let go of the twig even if she had wished to.

Tariyenda closed her eyes, she did not want to waste energy looking at Nepdon anyway. She had to feel his movement and follow it blindly. But his movement tore at her, she tried to follow it with her head, causing her neck muscles to faintly remind her of their stiffness, this of course was so vague she barely sensed them. She sidestepped some to not lose her balance, she could hear how the branch she was holding crackled. If it had been a warmer, drier day, the wood would probably have split in two upon the collision. Now the unicorn used all of his muscles to get lose, and she felt from how the twig moved, that one of its two arms was getting loose. Oh, you… don’t give up on me you little piece of… of… shitty wood… Most probably it had been damaged as he came at it, and now it was finally giving in, ready to take a trip to stick heaven. As it broke, he would be free to move and so would she – the knowledge shook her mind. And then, before she could calculate her own next move, Nepdon tried to twist away, causing the right arm of her weapon to go off. It flied away several meters until it landed smoothly, piercing the still fresh morning soil with an ever so dramatic thud. Her eyelids flung open and at first she found herself blinded by the sudden light around her. Not only had she gotten used to the darkness, but the world was still hard for her brain to read, it seemed she could not completely process what was what in the mess of objects and things. Her gaze fell upon the enemy, and right at that moment a hoof came flying in the direction of her face, eyes widened in surprise as she tried to withdraw her head quickly, but all of her head sung anyway as the kick got the tool she was holding. A buzzing sound covered her ears and she shook her head, the twig had moved some in her mouth, it hurt terrible and blood came trickling from the corner of her mouth. He must have hit a tooth, that bastard! She growled angrily from the depth of her throat, took some steps backwards trying to get a good grip on the soft ground. Trying to look at him again, in despite of small stars that danced in front of her sight, she could only make one conclusion. He tried to get away from her, which could only mean one thing; He found it dangerous to be close to her. Intriguing. She raced after him, tilting her head in an awkward position just to have the stick poking into the general direction of his rump. Perhaps she could stick it right up his butt, he would look so much better with a stick in the arse.

[4/4 got somewhat shaken up by the impact, cramped and could not drop the branch, it broke and Nepdon managed to kick her in the face, hurting a tooth, before he tried to get some distance (I think I interpreted that part of your post right…?)]

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

[4/4]

Mud oozed ungratefully beneath the Raindancer's hooves as he sprang away. Most of the turf here was cut up; it bled soft dark earth while the battle waged on. Bogged down by the mucky footing, Nepdon snorted, glancing over his shoulder at the equine mare, who still carried the damned stick in her teeth! He pressed his ears back and glared at her. You're insane! he thought furiously, all the while trying to ignore the fact that he was running away from a mare carrying an old piece of wood. The phenomenon was simply too strange to comprehend; what the hell was she trying to do with it now? Tariyenda ran after him and Nepdon felt he had no choice but to keep moving forward, or else risk getting poked again by the strange mare and her even stranger weapon. Weird, surely it was weird... but he could best it, no? Nepdon had his own weapon, and his sword was far more suited to battle than some old stick. Yes. The Raindancer's own body was still quick and light, hindered only by bruising around his chest. He could beat her; surely he could beat her.

With that thought in mind, Nepdon dug in his haunches and pulled his lithe body to a near-halt. His wiry haunches propelled his weary forehand up, but rather than rise in a straight rear he twisted around to the right, hoping the stubbborn creature was still chasing him and would be unable to quit her momentum in time to avoid him. Nepdon's body was twisted at an odd angle; he shuffled his hind legs slightly to the right before rising, allowing his hooves to slip over the loose turf, but as he reared he lost most mobility and was forced to aim his horn down across his right shoulder, hoping the equine was not stupid enough to ram right into him and lose them both in a tangle of flailing limbs. That would not be a good position for either unicorn or horse... Nepdon put the brief concern from his mind. If she did run into him then she would be impaling herself upon the length of jet black horn now pointing inevitably toward her right shoulder, right where the neck joined the body. It was a difficult aim for Nepdon to hold, but he was young and strong and quite tired of being chased around by the crazy mare and her stupid stick. At least while he was aiming down and forward, he should be able to get his horn into her before what was left her weapon prevented them from meeting; Nepdon's anger rapidly ate away at his remaining distrust of the mare's odd weapon.


ooc.// Stopped running to quickly rear and twist to the right, aiming his horn over his shoulder at Tariyenda's right neck/shoulder area. Thanks for a fun fight! ^^

I am not a hero...

N...E...P...D...O...N

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

It was getting harder to run, because the brain got less and less oxygen. Not only was Tariyenda’s head musculature painfully retracted, but now the rest of her body needed the precious energy as well. Her eyesight was getting speckled by dots, forcing her to slow down to force her focus back on the behind that was wiggling on in front of her. The flesh there, it was teasingly out of reach, even more so when she had to run slower and slower, forcing herself to continue only because her honour told her to do so.

His move came quickly, he suddenly stopped. Tariyenda couldn’t just halt, she tried to redirect her steps instead, seeing his horn as the ultimate threat. Altogether she could not avoid the horn from ripping up a wound over her right shoulder, she felt it slid through her skin like a thorn, drawing blood. A grunt left her sore throat – the pain from the rip came off as distant and numb to her: Nothing terrible compared to her headache and the pain from the tooth that had come slightly lose. Red gemstones trickled down her side – nothing terrible, nothing worse than her headache, just a slight wound, a slight one… She was trying to halt now, sliding upon the wet soil, catching mud on her hooves. When Tariyenda had finally stopped gliding she turned around awkwardly and defensively pointed the branch in the general direction of the enemy. The mare backed away slowly – this was over now. Her body was warm and tired; His was probably just as sore. Over now. Now leave, freak… leave… Go home, filthy dog, you have a home of your own, don’t you? Go home…!

[Closing Defense – tried to avoid colliding with him by redirecting her course, causing her to get scraped by his horn. Turned around and backed away in a defensive posture. Thanks for a good fight!]

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

T a r i y e n d a | N e p d o n
- - - - -
By my verdict NEPDON is the winner.

TARIYENDA -- post 1 (attack only)

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 2| Breed
+ 1| Attack: slam
+ 1| Attack: horn bite

[Prose]
+ 1| I love the drive she has here
+ 1| Flow

NEPDON -- post 1

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 2| Breed
+ 1| Defense: meeting the slam
+ 1| Attack: biting
+ 1| Defense: horn choke!

[Prose]
+ 2| I really like how conflicted Nepdon is
+ 1| Flow

TARIYENDA -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 2| Breed
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 1| Defense: being choked/painful teeth
- 1| Attack: The way a horse’s teeth are she would probably lose her grip trying to shake this back and forth, especially if he’s choking her at the same time.

[Prose]
+ 1| Lmao at her confusion and anger towards him
+ 1| Flow

NEPDON -- post 2

[Realism]
+ 1| Attack: pawing at her
+ 1| Defense: ripping away from her grip
+ 1| Attack: bucking
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 1| Attack: stabbing her thigh region
+ 1| Breed

[Prose]
+ 1| Angry Nepdon is angry
+ 1| Flow

TARIYENDA -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: Hurt mouth from his horn
+ 2| Breed
- 1| Defense: I don’t think she would have had enough time to completely evade his buck, especially after you just describing how she is slower than him, and how his buck was quick and seeing as she’s probably still be jarred from him ripping his horn away.
- 1| Situational: how is she biting his face when he’s bucking at her knees? Even with her turning, his face is the furthest from her
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 1| Defense: branch o_o

[Prose]
+ 1| I liked how she’s reflecting on her horn-attack and learning from it
- 1| Grammar: several typos which at times made it confusing

NEPDON -- post 3

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 1| Defense: Running into the stick with his neck (although, if the stick is light enough for her to be able to hold in her mouth, then it probably would have broken with the force Nepdon’s running and overall body put into it)
+ 1| Attack: rearing

[Prose]
+ 1| Cant stop laughing at his reaction to the stick and Tariyenda’s fighting style.
+ 1| Flow

TARIYENDA -- post 4

[Realism]
- 1| Defense: She realistically would not have been able to keep holding the stick, with the current pain of her teeth and the force of Nepdon running into it and then rearing; the muscles seizing of their own will was a nice idea but it anything the stick would have been broken by now.
+ 1| Defense: kick to the branch
- 1| Attack: it would also be most likely the stick would jam back in her mouth/throat before piercing Nepdon’s hide, or breaking.

[Prose]
+ 1| I like her reasoning of him trying to get away haha.
+ 1| Flow

NEPDON -- post 4

[Realism]
+ 2| Surroundings
+ 1| Attack: horn stab/rear

[Prose]
+ 1| Lmao at how much he hates the stick
+ 1| Flow

TARIYENDA -- post 5 (defense only)

[Realism]
+ 1| Defense: grazing cut


TARIYENDA

[Bonus]
None

[Injuries]
None of note

[Creativity]
+ 1| The horn-biting attack was very unique!
+ 1| Trying to capture Nepdon’s horn in a branch

Comments: A really good fight! You had really unique attacks, which at times were difficult to judge on a manner of realism but I enjoyed the creativity and unique changes. Overall you did a good job remembering to mention surroundings and breed, as well as include Tariyenda’s emotions. However I feel you would either be too dismissive of injuries or too heavy with them. For instance, when his horn was trying to choke her, I feel it would have affected her more, enough for her to either be backing up/retreating or at least letting go. And then the dizzying affect she got from cramping seemed a bit extreme, especially as I was unsure how her nose would be cramping, as horses only breathe through their nose? However on the note of injuries you did great remembering them in every post, and even mentioning some older ones!

NEPDON

[Bonus]
+ 1| Speed Skill

[Injuries]
None of note.

[Creativity]
+ 1| I enjoyed seeing him get annoyed/small headache from the sound of her teeth on his horn.

Comments: Oh Nepdon, he is so funny to read you do a great job expressing him. Overall you handled this fight very well, also doing good at remembering breed and surroundings. You didn’t sustain many injuries as this fight wasn’t very injury intense, but the ones you had I felt you remembered to mention often enough. Otherwise not much else to say, a great fight!

TOTAL
TARIYENDA - 72
NEPDON - 82