Aten I stopped by Taiga to see how you were and ran into Wolfbane instead; practice makes perfect but I hope in the future I'm fighting beside you not against you.
Mock to be held in the plains away from roaming eyes
1000 word max
1 week between replies
3 attacking posts one defense post
@[Aten] can go first
Traits are welcomed
Jakub
Thoroughbred / bull
17hh
Equus Taurus (super speed, strong heart, horns)
Tephra inhabitant (Alpha)
Aten
Warlander/Quarter Horse crossbreed
17.1hh
Companion Animal
It had been quite some time since Aten had the chance to satisfy the burning instinct in his veins, brought on by the years of denying himself the chance to spar against bachelor stallions to try and win his own herd of mares to pass on his lineage and sire foals that would one day grow and spread his legacy across Beqanna’s kingdoms. He had also felt the instincts of a warrior many moons ago when he was a member of Taiga’s protectors, but his time alone had suppressed it until autumn and spring came around.
Now that he felt the rush of the seasons again, and he was entrusted with protecting Taiga’s borders… and there were mares in the kingdom… he felt the call.
And this is how he would sate it. The stallion had approached the plains for a comrade or friend to spar with first, to avoid having any fresh bad blood spilled, and luckily enough, he encountered one that day. Jakub, a friend of his from Tephra’s kingdom, had been wandering the grounds, and Aten approached him without hesitation. The terms they agreed upon were hashed out and, after moving away through the plains so they could spar alone, Aten and Jakub turned to face each other.
The golden stallion admired his friend for a myriad of reasons, one of which was his tenacity. Such a trait made the stallion a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield, something Aten had witnessed before. This would be one test of their fighting skills, though fighting a friend was not the same as a rival or a true enemy. However, this was a good starting point, especially for a stallion that hadn’t experienced this in a while.
Aten faced Jakub and kept his head low as he assessed his options. Jakub, while younger, was of a similar height to Aten, though what Jakub had in speed and cunning, Aten had in strength and stature. The golden stallion’s build was much more rugged and stocky than the finely built black stallion, but both knew that they could not underestimate each other.
Especially Jakub.
Aten didn’t know the full extent of his friend’s gift, for he had not seen it in force yet, but knew it was powerful. Jakub had the ability to shift, and to Aten, that was a rather powerful gift. Aten’s own was unique as well, but unless Turul could somehow start seeing the future, he did not see how his ability would have a strong advantage.
Still, the falcon would help how he could, for he and Aten had made a pact. The raptor was perched in a small tree nearby, ready to pounce and come to Aten’s aid if he determined the stallion needed it. They needed more practice together on the battlefield as well; perhaps this would do the trick. One of many, at least.
Aten pawed at the ground with a hoof as he knew he had to make a choice here. Jakub was facing him down, but had not yet made a move. If neither charged forward to begin this, then their efforts would be useless. Aten decided to get the rock rolling, and as he prepared to charge, he felt his muscle go taut underneath his muscles, his skin stretching to accommodate. Anger flooded his veins and the burn to survive and fight swallowed his mind, Aten’s tail swishing back and forth against his flank.
With the speed of a snake, Aten surged forward and, when he was closed to Jakub, threw his weight on his back legs and reared up, striking out repeatedly with his front hooves to establish his space and push Jakub back to give Aten some room to plan his next move.
@[Jakub]
Jakub welcomed the sight of his friend, him being here meant that Wolfbane had been honest with him in some aspects. The duo made their way to the plains to mock. Jakub was uncertain how this would go, a friend was not someone he particularly wanted to fight, Wolfbane on the other hand? Maybe he could use some of that anger to fuel him in this fight.
Once they got to the plains each stood across from the other, neither making the first move, until one did. Aten began by charging Jakub, rearing up and kicking out at him to establish his space. Jakub pulled his chin down to his chest tightly, his horns leveled at Aten in fierce defiance. All the space he would allow Aten was a single step back. Once Aten landed his heavy hooves against solid ground Jakub turned his head, along with his horns, to the side sweeping them in one powerful, solid motion at Aten's cannons. His intention was to trip up the stallion without harming him in any great way. Maybe if he tripped him the fall would bruise his shoulder and flank enough to lessen Aten's unexpected speed.
But Jakub had speed of his own now as he darted around Aten in a blink of an eye, turning to face his hind side. Jakub's eyes scanned their immediate surroundings spotting the falcon perched nearby, Aten's companion he remembered.
Tephra inhabitant (Alpha)
Aten's kicks mostly struck empty air, save for one time when his hoof grazed Jakub's horns. He knew the stallion possessed them, but didn't expect them on the defensive. His leg shook from the impact a bit since the horn was solid bone, but he returned to the ground and prepared for what was next.
Jakub's horns came down toward Aten's legs, and the stallion was still slightly off balanced from his earlier strikes. He managed to mostly stay on his hooves until he tried to get out of the way of the second horn, at which point he had to sidestep at an awkward angle. Unknown to Aten, Jakub's maneuver had done the trick; the golden stallion was off balance and fell to the ground, his shoulder making a solid impact. He was not badly bruised, but definitely a bit sore; he would be tripped up by this for a short while.
Long enough for Jakub to make his move, for all he knew.
Aten looked up to find Jakub, surprised to see how he was already around the other side. He made a mistake though; allowing his concentration to waver when he spotted Turul. Aten used this to his advantage, calling for his friend to at least provide a long enough distraction by staying there.
Turul, hearing Aten, flapped his wings, as if he were trying to regain his balance on the branch. While Jakub was distracted, Aten got to his hooves and moved in close to tackle Jakub and throw the smaller stallion over with his sheer weight alone, keeping an eye on those horns as he did so.
@[Jakub]
His attention had been pulled away to long by the feathered friend. His heart fluttered in tune with the wings shuffled wings as he tried to “regain his balance”, all of which was a ploy to hold Jakub’s attention.
It had worked.
Before he knew it Aten was charging his unprotected side in an attempt to knock him over. It was true that Aten was slightly taller and broader, but in his transformation Jakub had gained thick muscles beneath his weather worn, leather thick, hide. Just before Aten made impact with his side, Jakub had just enough time to widen his stance slightly. It was enough for his cloven hooves to find some semblance of traction amongst the gritty ground of the planes. Aten’s weight pushed him across the ground as Jakub leaned into the force.
He slid unknowingly into a small boulder that was rooted into the ancient ground. It caught his front hoof by surprise forcing him to lose his balance, this had been Aten’s goal all along. As he began to tip Jakub turned his large head towards the ground as it began to rise and meet him. His horn, however, met the ground first digging itself into the dry, packed dirt. He could feel his weight leaning into his horn, threatening to snap it right in half, and so he used his current position anchored into the ground to pivot around his horn and away from Aten. Once he was away from the larger stallion’s head he yanked his horn free from it’s grounded cage.
He blew a forceful plume of air from his nostrils, disturbing the dirt beneath his feet once again, he looked every ounce the bull he was. He charged Aten, head down, horns out. When he got close enough to the stallion he cocked his head slightly aiming for his friends buttocks hoping to penetrate the soft skin, and thick muscles. It would be a blow that would cripple him for the rest of the mock, but also an injury that would not cause devastating harm.
@[Aten]
Tephra inhabitant (Alpha)
Aten could feel Jakub's weight dipping below him, which told him that either the younger was holding his ground and just losing his balance, or something was tripping him up and this was the golden's chance. Aten continued to push in hopes to knock Jakub off his hooves, but felt something off towards the front half of the younger's body.
Aten lifted his head and turned it so that he was facing Jakub's front, his chest and shoulders still locked on to hold his weight. The golden stallion saw that Jakub had figured out he could use his horns to hold him up against the more powerful of the two of them, but even then, it couldn't hold forever. Aten did not know that Jakub felt his horn starting to give way, and so didn't expect what he was going to do next.
Jakub slipped out from under Aten's weight and used his horn to carry his momentum out of the way. Aten tried to catch himself with his front hooves, and only barely managed to do so, but that was all Jakub needed. The stallion-turned-bull charged, his horns aimed for Aten's thigh. He tried to get out of the way, but did not manage to do so completely.
Aten felt his skin tear as the rock-hard horn ripped through the flesh and muscles that covered his powerful bones. He let out a squeal of pain at the action, lifting his hind leg and limping a stride away from the bull to try and regain himself. It was not a serious wound, much less fatal, but hurt a great deal and when Aten tried to put weight on his leg, it gave in less than a second.
Gritting his teeth at this setback, Aten could only do one thing until the pain dulled enough that he could walk on it. Turning his hind end toward the bull, Aten started to kick out with his back hooves repeatedly, walking backwards using his front hooves and back right hoof until he could strike out again. He did this repeatedly to try and push Jakub away, trying to aim true to see if one of his hooves could hit it's mark. He didn't know what mark it may be, since he couldn't see directly behind him, but at this point, with the wound he received, anything would be good.
@[Jakub]
The guilt that swam through Jakub's gut as he watched his friends blood drip lazily from his horn to the dry, dusty ground nauseated him. His attack had worked just as he had intended. It had been the first time he had used his horns on another living being, and they had performed perfectly. The idea of their strength made his head spin with doubt, throwing his balance off just as Aten began to back into him kicking. Jakub pulled his chin up, maneuvering his horns out of the way so he would not injure his friend any more than he already had.
In doing so, however, he left his face wide open for the solid impact of Aten's hooves. The blow caught him in the jaw, rattling his teeth and bringing stars to his vision. Jakub backed up with quick, wobbly steps, another blow came just below his eye socket. A crack was heard, and suddenly even the stars stopped shining.
His large form crumpled to the side, as if he was a puppet whose strings had snapped unexpectedly. He was out for only a moment before regaining consciousness, but when he came to only one eye would open while the other had swelled tightly shut.
@[Aten] I think this is the last post?
Tephra inhabitant (Alpha)
Even with the wind whistling in his ears, Aten not only felt, but heard the loud crack echo through the air. He felt his hoof strike bone and skin, and allowed his lower half to come back down since he knew what had just happened. Sure enough, when Aten turned around, he saw Jakub wobbling a few feet away, his eye already starting to swell beneath the first layer of skin.
Aten hadn't see Jakub collapse, since it had been quick, but the golden stallion watched his friend curiously to see if he would recover from the solid blow. Although he seemed to be in pain, the other stallion-turned-bull was facing Aten with a defiant glint in his eye, still ready to go on. Aten had to admire Jakub for his tenacity; not many had it when just sparring with a friend or rival.
But Aten had to display the same; after all, if one didn't give their all even during a spar, then during a real battle, something much more unpredictable, well... things could go south very fast.
Aten himself turned his hindquarters away from Jakub so that his wound was also protected, his brown eyes scanning Jakub for any signs he'd attack again. Both seemed to be taking some time to recover from their wounds, a breather, even though Aten was not very physically tired to begin with.
The golden stallion smiled at his friend, "Well done Jakub; you've grown and trained hard it sure seems. I am honored to have sparred with you."
@[Jakub]
This is essentially Aten's defense post because he turned his wound away and he's ready to defend himself.
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