"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
The Terms
-Sinner challenges @[Castile] for Sylva to take the current kingdom position of Loess.
-If Sinner wins, Mary and he will become the leader of the new kingdom (Sylva), making Loess become a territory/herd. Castile will also step down as a ruler from Loess.
-If Sinner loses, Castile will remain the leader and Loess will still be the kingdom.
The Challenge
-Castile will go first.
-1,000 worlds or less for each post.
-One week between replies.
-Traits are allowed.
-Default challenge terms of attack/defense will be the set format with 3 attacking posts and a defense to each attack (see rules on this format). The first horse to go will also have to do a closing defense post.
My counter to the terms
- sorry, mate, but your girl doesn't meet criteria to be queen, so she will not have place as a ruler of my kingdom
- if I win, you will step down as ruler of Sylva due to your betrayal
Castile
Friesian/mustang hybrid
16.3 hands, baroque build but not incredibly drafty or heavy
Dragon shifting, immortality, color changing
and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was
There was a period of rest and recovery following Tephra’s minor destruction. Castile remembered seeing flames and smoke engulf the world before lava spewed and crawled across their battleground. Everything happened in a blink of an eye, but it’s all etched deeply into Castile’s memory nonetheless. One of those things – likely, a most prominent – was witnessing Sinner and Mary admit their disloyalty and betrayal. It was coming. He knew it would. A shout of dethronement was hurled at them, but Sinner expectedly refused.
Now, with his muscles mended and the lacerations scarred and puckered, he soars toward Sylva under the midday sun.
The challenge surpasses the reach of the deciduous trees, and Castile is piqued instantaneously. A plume of black smoke coils from his nostrils as a jagged grin stretches across his mouth. It was only a matter of time until the kings collided, the clash of titans. Lords of darkness and fire.
Castile quickly blinks to observe the world from a different perspective. When his eyes open, the trees blurring underneath look cold and so very lifeless. Small rodents and deer emit thermal signatures, but his abrupt descent doesn’t churn the air until he spots Sinner. It would be difficult to thread through the tree branches and touch down, so for simplicity, Castile shifts his body entirely into his draconic counterpart. With a downbeat of his wings, he climbs through the air only to turn and pivot at the peak of his ascension and begin a heated descent. A jet of flames shoots past his maw and licks a mass of trees, igniting their canopy and beyond only seconds before he barrels through. His scales protect him from the trees scraping against him as not all of them bend beneath his force and weight. Others crack and scream as they faint, sprawling across the forest floor before being ignited again.
The heat of summer supplements the dragon’s efforts. Everything is dry, catching on fire quickly – trees, shrubs, leaf beds scattered across the forest floor – and roaring in an angry blaze. Smoke pools around them, but still Castile sees Sinner’s thermal signature like a beacon in the night.
Amidst the fray, he expects Sinner to be moving and dodging the burning trees and shrubbery, which can provide some amount of distraction. Acting quickly – he has only been on the ground for a few heartbeats – Castile lunges forward in a feverish attempt to grab his opponent like a great white lurching toward the water’s surface after a seal. The power could stun him, dizzy him, but Castile’s primary goal is to latch down with predatory-sharp teeth on the left side of Sinner’s torso or hind leg. The length of his body and neck increase his reach and maneuverability if Sinner tries finding refuge behind any part of their immediate surroundings or lurching away. Simultaneously, Castile hopes to inflict damage and inhibit Sinner’s agility by puncturing the biceps femoris or anywhere in the lower abdomen due to the diameter of his open jaws. Ideally, a limp would cause a great hindrance even as adrenaline races through his body. It would slow down Sinner and lessen the strength of his strides and lunges, both offensively and defensively. Even if, with the diameter of his mouth, Castile was able to clamp down on the spine, he would be grateful to inhibit and weaken his opponent immediately into their battle. Anything to win, anything to force his submission.
Castile’s jaws snap shut on anything he can grab, but the moment he releases, he retracts and shifts back into a horse so that he may better protect himself with less surface area. Hardened scales still trace across his body and his eyes remain with slit pupils to rely on thermal reading as the smoke billows around them. His teeth remain jagged, but his claws recede and shift into chipped, worn hooves. Even his wings disappear without a trace, unnecessary with trees – both erect and falling – surrounding them. A low, primal noise escapes him as his body transitions from dragon to horse. With an intense stare, Castile watches his opponent while sparing occasional glances to their crumbling surroundings, stepping over scattered branches as needed.
Long before the war, Sinner had kept quiet about his plans to overthrow the dragon-king. A rebellion required many aspects beyond the basic plans of strategy. He had to be patient. Sinner was not a fool to launch himself into a full rebellion without securing a realistic reason to dethrone Castile. The war had been the perfect opportunity.
The challenge had been declared at last. Sinner made every moment to prepare for the battle that would determine both of their fates. His wounds had healed without trouble and his mind focused on the challenge ahead. The hellhound waited too long for this.
With the beat of wings in the distance, Sinner in his hellhound form, hears the arrival of the dragon-king. A smirk quickly spreads across his canine muzzle, revealing his sharpen teeth. Finally, he thinks with satisfaction knowing his crown is just within reach. His red-yellow glowing eyes quickly search across the canopy of trees as the mid-day sun reflects off the autumn leaves. Within his hellhound form, his enhanced senses gave him the ability to see with remarkable clarity and detail, so he had no trouble spotting Castile coming his way.
The arrival of the dragon-king announces the beginning of the battle as Castile transforms instantly into a dragon. His eyes gleam with approval—he was ready to shed some blood. As Castile climbs through the air, Sinner does not take his eyes off the dragon. His opponent quickly moves to set the setting of the battlefield. The forest is rapidly ignited. It was their own personal hellhole. The hellhound does not fear the flames. He enjoys the chaos that grows quickly, reminding him of the hell he had been created in.
Sinner inhales the smell of smoke and fire, but he quickly sorts through the scents and focuses only on Castile’s as the dragon barrels through the forest. The hound does not linger like a deer in headlights, he dodges over the burning greenery and avoids the falling branches. His ears perk forward, listening carefully to the movement of Castile as he maneuvers around.
As he moves through the fire, the smoke pools around Sinner. It hinders his vision slightly, but he relies heavily on his instinct and super senses. Castile’s scent consumes him. The hunger within him grows quickly. It filled him with adrenaline as he naturally would when hunting. The fight taking place was no different now, except it fueled him even more knowing Castile would be defeated soon enough.
Suddenly, Castile lands behind him on his left side at a 50-degree angle. The smoke disperses around them with the sudden momentum from Castile’s landing. Drawn by the thud of the dragon on the ground, Sinner’s ears flicker and his gaze quickly ascends to the larger beast. The scattering of smoke aids him in seeing Castile lunge at him without hesitation. Sinner lunges quickly away towards a large boulder to the right at a 60-degree angle to avoid the sharp teeth that closely follow behind. However, being so close to his opponent doesn’t give him enough time to avoid the attack.
His left hindleg paw is caught in the grip of the dragon’s mouth. Sinner growls instantly out in pain as he feels Castile’s sharp teeth bite into his paw. The hellhound instinctively tries to pull his foot out of the mouth of the dragon to avoid further damage and pain. He shakes his left hindleg, giving his body support and strength to do so until Castile releases his foot. As soon as his foot is released, he retreats around the large boulder to put a barrier between them.
Sinner moves around the boulder at a quick pace. He limps slightly due to the injury from Castile’s attack, but keeping behind the boulder hopefully keeps Castile at bay. The hellhound sets to heal himself immediately from the wound as he circles around the boulder and prepares for his attack. His healing abilities allow him to regenerate the torn tissue instantly, but he still moves with a slight limp. He would keep in mind to keep his left hindleg away from Castile.
Coming around the boulder on the opposite side, Sinner increases his speed, favoring his right side more for support. He inhales the scent, picking up Castile’s out of handful that fill his nostrils. The smoke billows as he comes around the boulder, but his super senses do not lead him astray to find where Castile lingers. Quickly, the hound lunges forward towards Castile at a 70-degree angle. His claws protract, ready to dig into flesh. His jaw opens, revealing sharp teeth to rip into anything.
The primary goal of his attack is to dig his claws and bite into Castile’s right hind leg or abdominal area, if he is still in the same position he was before Sinner retreated away. Supposing Castile is in the same area, Sinner’s attack is likely to injury the biceps femoris and other muscles surrounding it, including fascia latae and gluteal fascia. Injuring these muscles would hinder his opponent’s movement and leg extensions, such as kicking and rearing. Instead, if Castile is facing him, Sinner could injury the shoulder and frontal muscles, including the deltoid, pectoral, and brachiocephalicus. These muscles aid in movement of the front legs, which could make movements difficult. If Sinner were to injury Castile on whatever side is facing him, he could damage the trapezius that helps raise the shoulders and latissimus dorsi that helps support the back. Overall, his goal is to hinder the movement of his opponent.
Sinner bites down with his sharp teeth onto anything he can latch onto. He digs his claws into any flesh he can find. When the attack is finished, he lunges away to keep the distance between them. The hound continues to limp slightly, favoring his right side. He keeps a sharp focus onto Castile, studying what damage he has done and preparing for the dragon-king’s next move.
and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was
Sinner’s left paw is in his grasp. It’s a small victory, but it plays a role in the heat of battle nonetheless. As the hellhound yanks against Castile, the dragon maintains a grip in hopes something may have pulled or the punctures ripped further down on the leg, splitting tendon and skin of the paw.
There is some blood, but not much. A hint of it drips onto Castile’s tongue, driving forward his predatory instinct. A growl vibrates throughout his entire body, but his mouth opens just slightly – enough for Sinner to finally pull away and retreat. Blinking, the draconic king watches the hellhound scamper away to hide behind a boulder. He knows that isn’t the end of the battle; the mutt wouldn’t resign so easily.
A heavy breath sighs from his lungs as Castile’s body morphs back into a horse. He remains equipped with his scales, jagged teeth, and acute vision. Smoke continues to billow, swallowing them as the trees and bushes continue to burn. Darting his gaze from side-to-side, he anticipates an attack soon enough. It won’t be long. The boulder provides a temporary defense, but it can slow down an attack. It strips away the element of surprise by forcing the hider to broaden the path around to the target. It also allows Castile to prepare. He inches back a few more steps, careful to step as placidly as he can as to not disturb the curtain of smoke. Far back enough from having shifted down and shrunken, he is able to observe the entire boulder and glimpse when Sinner finally emerges. It happens quickly, the predatory hound eager to shed blood.
But there is little that falls.
The hound’s teeth don’t penetrate his draconic scales. A hollow scraping fills Castile’s ears. He intentionally kept his head low to protect the underside of his neck, a common place for predators to grab and suffocate prey. Alas, that isn’t at all where Sinner targets.
Castile staggers to the left, his hind leg stepping out to brace himself against the impact. Although he manages to shy a couple steps away just as Sinner leaps to lessen the force and alter the angle slightly, the hellhound still finds purchase on Castile’s right hindquarter. Only a grunt breaks the dragon’s silence when Sinner’s paw, during its grappling for flesh, cuts into Castile’s lower right flank where the scales begin to soften. It isn’t incredibly deep, but it’s enough to draw a rivulet of blood that trickles down and let’s fall a couple drops to the leaf bed below.
Out of sheer instinct, Castile turns his head to the right to see Sinner and nearly reaches for the long, canine tail acting as a weight balance – or anything, really - during the attack. He nearly tries to latch onto it, to yank Sinner away, but he blinks and the hound releases his grip to retreat. Sprouting wings, Castile swerves right and pursues Sinner while fanning his wings a few times to give life to a whirl of ashes. Some still ignited, some faded white like snowflakes, dance through the air in hopes to distract the hound, but they can also play a part of irritation if they scald parts of his face. It could force Sinner to shut his eyes in protection.
Three sweeps of his wings and Castile lunges at an approximately 30-degree angle toward the hellhound’s left shoulder by the time he is turning to face. The wings shed away as he lurches forward and tries to latch onto the curve joining neck to shoulder. The possible targets are the sternocephalicus, brachiocephalicus, or omotransverse. Of course, there is always the chance to puncture more than one simultaneously depending on how Sinner tries to move away and where the muscles tie in. If Sinner jerks enough for Castile’s top canines to puncture one muscle and his bottom to puncture another, he would be fine. In the heat of battle, he takes what he can get.
All he knows is to hold on. To try ripping if the dog tries pulling away again.
An injured sternocephalicus muscle would make it difficult for Sinner to move his head in any direction (up and down or side to side). Harming the omotransversarius (omotransverse) would hinder the ability of moving the left foreleg from moving forward and the neck to the side. Again, another muscle that allows movement of the foreleg and neck, with the addition of extending the shoulder joint, is the brachiocephalicus muscle. If Sinner finds it painful to turn his head or move, he would be faced with a difficult time keeping a steady eye on Castile. He would also find himself in discomfort, limping more so with lessened strength and mobility.
But Castile doesn’t only bite down with a jagged grip. Almost immediately, flames burst from the depths of his throat in attempt to heavily burn his opponent while – hopefully – still in his grasp. Fire licks his lips and rises, but the additional warmth doesn’t faze his impervious scales.
If he manages to latch on, Castile puts increased effort into holding his opponent. Ideally, the only way to withdraw would be by ripping the muscle fibers versus only puncturing. The fire could burn flesh, muscle, and hair from Sinner’s left shoulder, amplifying his pain if added to the bite. All of this is in one fell swoop in the blink of an eye.
But they do eventually break by any means necessary. The grip is lost, and the kings immediately separate.
The split skin of his injury along the oblique abdominus (right side) stretches uncomfortably with the exertion and movement, but Castile dealt with far worse during the war in Tephra. Peeling away to the left, he keeps fairly close to his rival – approximately six or so feet, varying – to dissuade a charge of any sort. Keeping his head fairly tucked and his body rounded, Castile tries to minimize the softer areas of his body, sacrificing his hardened scales as targets.
I thought I would have time to finish my post but I got a bit busy today. I am heading out soon for a couple of days to celebrate the 4th/weekend. The post will come likely on Saturday but just in case something else happens the 7th for sure!
