Tephra: Lucrezia v. Thanata

[Ellyse]

Terms:

- Two posts each. Try not to exceed 1,000 words. *
- Two attacks/counter-attacks per post.
- No complete dodges; some damage must be taken.
- No substitutions.
- Three days between posts.
- Extensions allowed.
- Traits allowed. *


Statistics:

Lucrezia
Female
Arabian hybrid
Amber champagne dun sabino
15hh
Shapeshifting wings

Thanata
Mare
Friesian
Black
17 hh
No traits


* Traits can only be used for one attack/counter-attack per post.
* There will be no consequence for writing more or less, but short and sweet is good.

First to reply can choose who will go first.
@[Lucrezia] @[Thanata]

[Thanata]

Excellent; excited to finally get a mock battle going.

I've never been good at introduction posts, so Lucrezia, you can go first.

@[Lucrezia]

[Shelbi]

Hey, I might need an extension at least until Saturday/Sunday. I've been a bit busy with school and real life things this week, but this will be my first post and no later than Sunday

[Thanata]

Okay, thanks for the heads up.

[Lucrezia]

The red soil earth stretches out before her, covered in a mix of dried grass and sweat. The sun is high in the sky at the hour she stands waiting for her fellow resident to join her on the practice grounds. Lucrezia cannot recall a time she had fought against another. It had been surely when she was but a child when her father taught her many skills she would need to know, mastering and shaping her into a pawn. However, she had not kept in the grasp of her manipulative father.

Lucrezia had excelled and made a life of her own. It was a life where she had followed her heart and mind, and became something she never thought she would be. She was a leader now, holding the responsibility on her shoulders and the crown of power upon her head. And now she was preparing for what may come in the future of Beqanna.

It is not until the black mare steps into the line of her vision that she snaps back into the world around her. She is quick to give her fellow resident a warm welcome, but she knows she is simply not here to play diplomat. Lucrezia was here to fight, and fight she would do. The mare begins to analyze the other horse’s strengths and weaknesses she might have. She first noticed that difference in their size and how the black mare towered over her. Next, she noticed Thanata’s more muscular figure. This would indeed be challenging, nevertheless, Lucrezia was up for the challenge.

While Lucrezia may be small and fragile looking, she had acquired the skill and family genetics of past fighters in her blood. She had not gone without obtaining the endurance and smaller muscular form of her heritage. Overall, Lucrezia’s speed would surely be an advantage to her in this battle. Although she knows she cannot entirely rely on her agility and smaller form from any scars and. Thanata’s own breed and genetics surely had their own advantages and disadvantages when it came to defending and fighting another horse. Then again, Lucrezia was equipped with a pair of wings that surely might help her during the fight. Thanata so far did not show any signs of traits, but a physical appearance was not always what it seemed.

Lucrezia quickly picks up into a fast trot, straight towards the mare. As the distance becomes shorter between them, she quickly turns off to the left so that she is now trotting at a slight angle (about thirty degrees) away from the other mare until her back hooves are almost in line with Thanata’s left side. Quickly, Lucrezia throws her weight into her front hooves and bucks at the black mare.

The target is rather a large area that she wishes to hit (anywhere on the other mare’s left side). If Thanata hasn’t moved at all, she is likely to hit the abdominal muscles that connect to the pelvic, ribs, and rear muscles. This would make any movement somewhat uncomfortable. Lucrezia’s hooves could also hit near the intercostal muscles that aid in breathing. However, it was more likely to bruise than cause major issues.

Once her attack is finished, she lands on the earth and quickly pushes forward at a fast trot. She keeps a small distance between them for just a moment. The mare isn’t sure how much her first attack has caused damage or maybe nothing at all. There surely isn’t enough time, so the mare quickly pulls a tight loop around and heads back towards Thanata. As the short distance between the two mares closes in, Lucrezia angles herself at 30 degrees again. She quickly pulls herself up into a rear when she calculates she is close enough to attack. She aims at the black mare’s shoulder. Her front limbs pumping, feeling the adrenaline run through her body, and strikes forward, her hooves searching for any flesh and bone.

The target of the attack is to hit the shoulder. There are plenty of muscles around the shoulder that she could possible hit and injure to slow the other mare down. Lucrezia’s hooves are likely to come down the other mare’s side hitting perhaps the Latissimus Dorsi or even the external intercostal muscles. The gluteal fascia and superficial gluteal were also likely targets too if Thanata was fast enough to get away, which was rather unlikely.

Thanata could also possibly rear up if her timing is off and the other mare meets her half-way up as she does. This leaves also room for hitting a few of the muscles in the chest area and even the shoulder too (such as the deltoid which helps flex the shoulder). A strong blow to these muscles could weaken the use of them and make movement difficult and further attacks too, especially if any of the upper limb muscles (such as the brachialis) or chest muscles (pectorals or lower portion of the brachiocephalicus, which help the movement of the front limbs.)

@[Thanata]

[Thanata]

Thanata didn't ever think she would take part in a sparring session, but considering that Beqanna was still recovering from the Reckoning, and the Tephra wasn't incredibly well-equipped to defend itself with so many horses still in training. The mare wasn't one to fight, preferring to settle any conflict with words so injury could be avoided. But now, she was motivated. She wanted to prove herself as a worthy kingdom member, prove that she could defend herself and others without having to rely on others for protection herself.

As it was, before the Reckoning, Thanata felt she relied too much on Offspring and other kingdom stallions to defend her. Sure, a couple stallions lived in this kingdom, but she couldn't rely on them as she had before. Offspring had been willing to defend her, and the other stallions too. Now, with kingdoms rebuilding and possible threats lurking on the horizon while recovery was happening, it was every horse for themselves.

Which meant that the formerly pacifistic Thanata would now have to learn how to fight. A couple of days ago, one of the higher up horses in the kingdom's hierarchy, Ellyse, the champagne mare, had organized the warrior horses into pairs and told them they would be the assigned opponents for mock battles. Thanata, one of the tallest mares, had been assigned Lucrezia, an amber champagne dun mare with wings. Immediately, Thanata doubted her capabilities in handling herself in battle, but hopefully she could at least survive a confrontation of the mare without any horrendous wounds.

So, on the day their spar was to be held, Thanata made her way to the battlegrounds, her eyes scanning the grasslands in front of her. Within a couple of minutes, she spotted her sparring partner, the spotted mare also facing her, an indication she had spotted Thanata first.

Much like Lucrezia was doing, Thanata also began to size the mare up. Thanata had an advantage of height and muscle, exceeding Lucrezia's stature in both. However, what came in one strength, a weakness in another. Thanata was fast, but not like the compact mare she would be facing. She meant that as a compliment, should it ever come out loud. Lucrezia, no matter how fast Thanata was, had the advantage of speed, meaning that even if her blows did not have a lot of strength, she'd land more. And since Thanata was a beginning fighter herself, she knew if anything would be her downfall, it'd be the number of blows Lucrezia could land.

The mare began suspecting the only way she'd trump over Lucrezia in speed would be if the spotted mare had a broken limb, and even then, she'd probably still defeat the Friesian mare. Thanata had little doubt that Lucrezia had more sparring experience than she herself did. Thanata had some advantages of her own; she was strong, she could move fast enough that she could possibly keep up with the smaller mare, she was a quick thinker, and her mane and tail were long and thick. It may not seem like a big advantage, but there were times when they'd brush against another horse and temporarily confuse them considering the tresses were so thick.

Maybe she could use that, even against a smaller and faster mare like Lucrezia?

Her mind on the mare, as if Lucrezia knew she'd been thinking about her, the spotted one made the first move. She started trotting toward Thanata, a pace that the black mare matched so they'd meet halfway. Once they were within good distance of each other, Lucrezia reacted first, with speed that did catch Thanata off guard.

With the speed of a cobra (and Thanata had run-ins with plenty of those), Lucrezia's back hooves were off the ground and aiming to meet their mark. Thanata would not have time to react with her own attack if she wanted to avoid a potentially fatal hit. Lucrezia's hooves were heading straight for the muscles running along her ribs and flank, which Thanata knew would hurt tremendously if the strike had full power. There was another area that could be hit and still take damage, but Thanata had been hit there plenty of times before. She could deal with pain there, but not in her back legs until she got stronger.

So, as Lucrezia struck out, Thanata turned her body, exposing the shoulder joint to the powerful back hooves of the spotted mare. It was a bold move, a risky one, but it wouldn't leave Thanata completely incapacitated. Her back hooves were more powerful than her front, even if she was still a newbie to this sparring stuff. It was the instinct of horses to kick out if they felt threatened and couldn't run, meaning they all had power. Power than Lucrezia was using, and that Thanata still needed.

When Lucrezia's hooves hit, it felt like a million fire ants biting down on her delicate skin. The mare squealed in pain, obviously having been hurt by the strike. However, she'd take in, and turned her head to face Lucrezia again. But the spotted mare was already on the next strike, rearing up and planning to come down with her front hooves. In another bold, risky show, Thanata reared up to meet her, the taller mare using her bulk to somewhat knock Lucrezia off balance.

This move wasn't without consequences though; she felt Lucrezia's hooves come down on her withers and the muscles right behind her shoulder, eliciting another squeal of pain. But this hadn't hurt as bad as the shoulder impact earlier; this was an out-of-the-way spot, something that would heal in time and that Thanata had no time to be concerned about. Ignoring the stinging pain of where Lucrezia's hooves hit, Thanata stayed up on her hind legs, lashing out with her teeth and heading for the underline of the neck where it met the shoulder blades and breastbone.

A hit like that wouldn't do much damage, but at least it would get the spotted mare off of her back. Then Thanata could really turn things up and actually start fighting.

OOC: I am so sorry this took so long to get up. I know about the whole three-day limit thing, and I honestly meant to post this last night, but my computer took the most inopportune time to shut down on me and I just got it fixed today. Again, sorry about that; hope you enjoy

[Ellyse]

** Note: due to busy schedules in the month of May for all, the time restraint/extension rule on posting has been rescinded; finish the thread at your own pace.