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 Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 10:30 am
It was much as he had predicted - the mare was battle hardened enough to avoid his death strike even if she had been unable to avoid the blow completely. Although she did not seem to bothered by the strike to her hip Achilles filed the spot away for later - it was sure to be sore and as the fight wore on it would be a good place to worry and prod, small injuries could become serious ones with repeated strikes and while a broken or dislocated hip was not the type of strike her typically liked to inflict upon his marks, one had to take what they could get when they were dealing with a savvy opponent.
The mare was quick to strike back and Achilles reared back slightly to keep her from gaining a hold with her snapping teeth, feeling them rake across his hide, not a serious wound..but an annoying one. Unwilling to give her ground, despite the raking teeth, Achilles drove himself forward with powerful hind legs, slashing at her muzzle and neck in hopes of driving her backwards. The trail was narrow and neither of them had a great deal of room to work with, not if they did not want to be tripping over logs and brush as they fought. If he could force her into the ravine, make her fight from the low ground..well...it would certainly make his job easier.
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:35 am
This stallion was clearly well trained, something she was not accustomed to, but Penthesilea was not about to let that thought distract her in the midst of this fight. This was clearly going to be a life and death fight. Whatever possessed this stallion to take her on though she might never know. She felt her teeth rake against his flesh, not a very deep wound but given the tight spot they were in and here unlucky positioning when the fighting broke out it was something. There was no time to think of that small wound as a victory as the stallion moved forward once more. He still had the advantage but that would not last much longer.
Penthesilea pulled her head back, only just avoiding the strikes to her neck. She could see his hooves flash before her eyes, having him land one blow and just barely avoiding the other spurred her to work harder, to find that spot where she could turn the tables and force him back. She twisted her body more, raising up on her hind legs and kicked out with her front hooves aiming them for his raised chest, at the same time she swung her head around once more, teeth bared and ready to latch on to the flesh of his neck should he not move quickly enough.
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 11:24 am
Achilles had hoped that the mare would fall farther back down the trail..however she seemed wise to this tactic and stubbornly refused to cooperate. He wasn't entirely surprised, he had already deduced that the mare knew how to fight and no self respecting fighter would just roll over and let themselves be beaten by such a ploy ... but he could still lament the fact that her uncooperative manner would make this battle that much more difficult.
Not that he had to much time to waste on such thoughts - as the mare was quick to counter his attempt with an attack of her own and Achilles was forced to halt his forward progression in order to avoid taking the full force of her strikes and jerk his neck away from the mares searching teeth. There were many places on the body that Achilles was willing to take a wound in order to better position himself..but allowing the mare to gain purchase on his neck would be a literal death sentence. In making sure that he jerked his head and neck away from her teeth Achilles was unable to avoid her hooves fully, but the dull beating of her flailing hooves against his chest was a small thing in comparison and while he would surely ache from it later on it was hardly life threatening.
As he refused to give ground himself and her striking teeth kept him from moving forward Achilles flattened his ears, tucked his sensitive muzzle in close and swing the hardest part of his head towards the mares lower face and muzzle like a battering ram..she might graze him with her teeth but in doing so would receive a nasty concussive blow. Achilles hoped that such a tactic would force her to disengage and give him more room to work with - it was hard to continue fighting with your head ringing and your thoughts rattling.
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:48 pm
It felt good to be a true fight. Of course the last time Penthesilea was locked in a true fight it was during the war that ripped apart the herd and for a while shattered her way of life. It had certainly been far too long since she had been faced with a battle challenge. Of course this was also the first time that she could remember in a very long time that she had been in a fight against a male, and a skilled male at that. There was a quick sense of satisfaction as her hooves connected with his chest. It was certainly not a mortal wound, but it kept him from advancing any more and would likely ache for some time during and after the battle.
She saw his head moving forward quickly and knew this would be a blow she would certainly remember. In such close fighting quarters there was little chance to maneuver and with her momentum still pressing her towards him Penthesilea had little chance of avoiding the head butt. It hit her hard and fast. She felt her teeth rattle and her vision falter for a moment. Her head snapped to the side and she worked to get her feet under her. If she fell then the stallion would likely had an advantage over her that she would not be able to overcome or he would kill her. She had to fight the pain and the blurred vision. With a grunt she brought her hooves down underneath her body, using her wings to help her balance, and caught herself before she could fall. Knowing that she was prone until the shock of the strike wore off she had to put space between herself and the stallion and quickly.
With a ringing still heavily present in her ears and semi--blurred vision Penthesilea reared up and brought her wings up and down. She couldn't see clearly enough to back up down the trail without possibly tripped over something or backing herself into a corner, but the one thing she did know for certain was that the area above her was clear. However, she was not fleeing from the fight, she was buying herself precious moments to let her senses clear and also reach an area where they would be able to move more freely. Fighting on the ground was one thing, but fighting in the air took a lot of skill. She moved up several wing beats, trying to keep her wings free from the stallions reach while not clearly seeing him, but she made no attempt to get away and once she had risen up and as her vision and hearing clearer she looked upon the stallion once more, waiting for him to pursue and continue what he had started.
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Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 2:32 pm
The satisfying crack of his hit and the way she reeled sideways made the strike worth it - it was one of those strikes one had to be careful about as, by it's very nature, it was self damaging and while his own vision did not blur, nor his ears ring there was pain and Achilles was certain that a knot would likely form on his brow before the day was over. Sadly ... while the mare reeled backwards and came close to falling she did not actually do so. Pity, it would have been a swift end for her. Or perhaps he ought to be grateful - Achilles was rather enjoying this fight, it had been a long time since he had found a fellow warrior within his targets.
The mare's move to take to the air was surprising, not many were versed in aerial combat and so generally unwilling to try .. unless she was trying to escape but he doubted that was the case, she was too much a warrior..and he still had the foal. Reacting quickly Achilles leap towards her beating wings, attempting to grab hold and yank her back to the ground, all he manage to gain however was a mouthful of inconsequential feathers before she was out of reach.
"Clever." He called up to her "But sadly little more then a delay of the inevitable." He concluded, his own wings unfurling as he rose after her. He was cautious however as she currently had the high ground and thus did not drive straight into an attack, merely seeking to gain the required altitude.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 7:39 am
Though her head still hurt and the ringing in her ears was lessened but still present, Penthesilea at least had clear vision again. And her little escape into the air had bought her those few precious seconds to get her vision back as well as placed her in safety. Not that she wanted to end the fight, especially not by fleeing. No, she was in this to the end, she would either live or die. The stallions comment made her snort. Often times when opponents spoke during battle it was their way of distracting their attacking so that they could try to flee, but with this stallion she knew it was not the case. She could have responded to his little jib, but she chose not to. Words were useless in battle.
She watched him rise slowly into the air. He was obviously no fool, he knew that she had the advantage with the high ground and thus did not press the attack. She would be more impressed perhaps, but in the end he was still just a stallion and she didn't make it a habit to be impressed by such lowly beasts. Now though she would truly be able to see what he was made of. Fighting on the ground was fairly easy, anyone could do it, but aerial combat took a special set of skills. If he could fight up here as well as he had on the ground, maybe just maybe she would actually be impressed by him.
Penthesilea waited for another few heartbeats. She was watching his movements carefully, timing his wing beats. Wings were fickle things, if one didn't follow through completely on a stroke of their wings they would instantly lose balance or altitude and this is what she was hoping for. As his wing moved downward she moved quick. Tipping her wings she dove at him, using her height to add spread to the movement. Her front hooves flashed out in front of her, aiming for his side near where the wings met the body. It was a sensitive spot and could knock a Soquili out of the air if they weren't ready for it. But she didn't think he would get knocked to the ground, but it would certainly interrupt his flight for a few precious seconds if she did strike close to that spot. She arched her neck as well, aiming her teeth for his neck, being this close to him she could not let her guard down and had to take advantage of every kick or bite that she could throw his way.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:04 am
Achilles knew that the mare would attack - she would be foolish if she did not press her advantage and while he rose rather lazily into the air, not hurrying his ascent and an almost bored and feigned distracted look on his face, he watched her. He watched her carefully. It was clear that she had somewhat recovered from his hit to her on the ground - a pity, it would have been easier had she still been somewhat dazed but not entirely unexpected.
And as soon as she pulled in her wings to dive at him, her actions telegraphed by the tightening of muscles Achilles responded, she was trying to knock him out of the sky but Achilles was not going to allow such a thing to happen, a fall from this height would not only be damaging but would likely herald the end of this fight and Achilles was not going to loose so easily.With one wing fully extended he snapped the other tightly closed and wheeled sharply away from her dive, the corkscrew like flight pattern brought his haunches within reach of her teeth rather then his neck and although he was sure she would get in a few good rakes with her teeth he felt the injuries worth while as he lashed out with his hind legs towards her chest in the hopes of causing her some pain in return.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 9:56 am
She had known he would read her move the moment she made it, but seeing him counter it so quickly and efficiently proved to her that this stallion was no slouch when it came to fighting. A faint smile came to her lips, but luckily she was already beside him when that happened and so he likely wouldn't have seen it. He had managed to avoid her initial strike but it did leave him slightly open and so Penthesilea took advantage of that, raking her teeth along his haunches. A second later there was the whoosh of air leaving her lungs as his strike to her chest hit home. It was more of an annoyance that a full out injury. Had she not had forward momentum it would have hit her harder and likely left a nasty gash as well, but in this case it was more of a glancing blow. Even so, having most of the wind kicked out of her ticker her off.
With a deep inhale Penthesilea refilled her lungs and brought her wings close and leaned back so that she fell a few inches she needed to make her next move.. She kicked up with her back legs, half spinning herself around, back to the ground before, sharp hooves flashing towards the stallions belly. As she did this, she also extended one of her wings out, so that as the strike landed, or if it missed because he managed to counter it, she would already be turning away for him, setting herself up for another attack or to counter what he threw at her if he could keep up with her moves - which she was certain he would be able to.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:06 am
The thud of his hooves hitting flesh was a worthy price to pay for the gashes her teeth left across his haunches, they were but surface wounds and would heal quickly once the fight was over - for now he would ignore them. Keeping an eye on your opponent at all times was one of the lessons even small foals were taught when it came to fighting and Achilles was not one to forget a lesson, although it was harder to keep track of the twisting furious movements of a fight in the air where one had to account for more then your typical planes of activity - Achilles made pains to do so to the best of his ability and so when the mare spun herself around and lashed out at his belly with her sharp and angry hooves, Achilles responded.
A sharp upwards beat of his wings gained altitude and cause the mare's attack to miss by only a fraction of a hoof. as he was now higher then the mare and she was spinning away from him Achilles pressed his momentary advantage by folding his wings and diving straight for the mare's back in hopes that his weight would drive her to the ground.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 11:21 am
While Penthesilea didn't regret the move she had made she had known it would put her at a severe disadvantage because she was essentially giving him the high ground. But such was the way of battle, one could not always predict the outcome of a move or know just what the enemy was thinking. At this point, seeing the stallion diving after her, many would have tried to escape, to turn out of the oncoming attack path. But Penthesilea remained firm, she would not flee from this. She curled out her wings continuing to spin just enough to narrowly avoid him.
Tilting her wings she slowed her descent just enough to allow her to be falling side by side with the stallion. She was vulnerable like this, but so was he. Her teeth came flashing out, aiming for his throat as she curved her own neck to aim the bite. They were falling fast and Penthesilea took a precious second to cast her gaze below them. If they continued as they were they might hit the ground full force, or if luck was on their side they would land in the river below. If she could latch onto the stallions throat she might just be able to twist hit around enough to have him under her, and use his body to cushion the blow if and when they inevitably crashed back down to earth.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:05 pm
The mare moved and Achilles felt her teeth latch onto his throat a mere moment later, the stallion flared his nostrils in dismay but seeing an opportunity present itself latched his own teeth onto the top of her neck as she held him from below - it was true the mare could now attempt to suffocate him if she so wished..but could she do so before he crushed her spine? Or before they shattered on the earth below?
They were falling quickly and while Achilles would not mind if the mare shattered he had no real desire to do so himself and his wings strained to slow their combined fall to a less lethal speed. It seemed they had reached a stalemate of sorts. Eith one or both would have to give in or they would both perish and whirling through the air in a dizzying speed Achilles was not entirely sure how everything would turn out.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:16 pm
She was slightly surprised that he didn't dodge her teeth, but perhaps the fall had distracted him. Then she felt his teeth on the back of her neck. She had expected some sort of retaliation but having him grab her there was not good at all. She could theoretically tighten her grip and hope to choke him quickly, but she was certain that the second he felt increased pressure on his throat he would do the same to her neck. One thing she knew for certain, is that she would not release her hold on his throat.
The wind was whipping past they as they fell. She felt a shift as the stallion opened his wings to slow down their descent. She did the same, not particularly looking forward to crashing full force into the ground. The tops of trees passed by in her peripheral vision and Penthesilea tried to relax her body, for impact was bound to happen any second now.
Her teeth tightened on his neck slightly as she flinched at the thought of hitting the ground even at their slower speed. She saw ground mere inches away from them and then suddenly they were under water. They had somehow managed to fall into the safety of the river. After a few seconds they popped up to the surface, her grip was still firm on his throat. She snorted, clearly the water from her nose and taking a breath. They had survived the fall but there was still the matter that they were locked in a life and death battle.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 12:54 pm
At least the mare was smart enough to open her wings as well, Achilles thought to himself as they continued to plummet towards the ground - but she did not let go of his neck and so he did not let go of her's. Whichever one of them let go first would be the loser of this fight as, almost certainly, the other would then finish them off - so it was either this mutual destruction or surrender and lose. Achilles would not lose. He was Achilles, greatest of his class of Assassin's , A mercenary of great renown, no mare - even a great fighter like this one, would take him out because he gave up and handed such a victory to her.
So they continued to fall and they continued to grip each other in their death grips. Achilles did not look down, but the sight of tree tops flashing past and then bare trunks was enough to let him know that impact was imminent..but the battering, life shattering thud he expected never came, instead there was a tremendous splash as water engulfed them both, the urge to instinctual urge to release the mares neck and go to the surface for air was strong but Achilles held it off, kicking with his hooves to help them to the surface, drowning was not on his list of things to do today either. The river was deep and the current was strong, Achilles cleared his nostrils as the mare had done, sucking in a deep and somewhat thankful breath.
It was good that they were no longer falling through the air...but as they swirled through the water,caught up in it's vicious and strong current with a death grip on each other Achilles was reminded of something else. "Waterfall." He managed to mumble without releasing his grip. Yep, there was a waterfall not to far downstream - which explained the heavy current quite nicely and considering the rocks below it would almost certainly kill them. One of them would have to win soon or both would perish.
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Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 1:06 pm
Part of her had hoped that the stallion would let go when they were under the water, or shortly after popping up to the surface but he held on tight. She could feel the pressure on her spine, it ached but she would not let that distract her or be the reason she would let go. No, she would keep holding on as long as he did.
As they flowed down the river, locked in that death struggle she heard him utter a single word. Had he just said waterfall? She would need to let go of his throat in order to see if he was telling the truth, but the current certainly indicated that a waterfall was likely to be found further down stream. Could she manage to crush his throat and suffocate him before they reached the waterfall? Likely not, for he would snap her neck if she tried. Damn, this was a frustrating situation to be in. Nearly every option she had to choose from would end in her death, and the stallion was likely in the same situation. They had been lucky to survive the fall from the air, she was not counting on luck to see them through a waterfall. They would likely shatter their bodies on the rocks that would be hidden below the cascading water.
Penthesilea began kicking her legs, not in an attempt to injure the stallion, for water was probably the worse place to fight in because of it's resistance, but she wanted to see if they could get to the edge and clear from the water. Of course even if they managed that they would still be locked together as they were now. "Shore!" She yelled at him as clearly as she could manage with his throat lodged in her teeth, kicking her legs more now. If they could just get out of the water then she would be able to figure a way out of this that wouldn't involve her death.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:13 am
This was certainly not the way Achilles had envisioned this fight happened, no in his mind, he had found the mare, fought her and then triumphed all in good time as he typically did, in his imagining of the fight he would have already been on his way to collect his payment from that ill tempered pinto stallion, as long as Pirata hadn't killed him for opening his mouth and being disrespectful.
Sadly, the way he had imagined the fight to go and how it had ended up going were two entirely different things. It would be completely depressing if he actually had time to stand around and think about it - which he didn't because he was now, in a weird switch of fate, now working with his enemy against the mother nature and the rivers wicked current. Like her he kicked towards shore, it was harder then normal as he was burdened by his need to keep hold of the mares neck, but that was a burden he would not afford to release, if he did so, no matter how they worked together at the moment, she would surely kill him. He couldn't blame her for that really - he would do the same thing.
The swim to shore was hard though and they had to fight against the current, the rocks, submerged logs and finally a wet and steep bank before dry land was at last reached. Side's heaving the stallion, fit as he was from all his fighting, none the less sucked in air as quickly as he could, the swim had left his legs shaking, his wings were drenched, his lungs felt like they were on fire and he was pretty sure that should he survive this fight with the mare, his jaws would ache for the next moon cycle from holding them clenched for so long upon her neck.
The only solace Achilles could find was that the mare was likely in similar shape and so he continued to hold her and attempt to recover. He'd let her make the first move in this continued fight now that they were back on shore judging that it was better to take as much recovery time as he could rather then pursue the first move of resumed battle. Besides they were still in a stalemate for the most part, there wasn't much either could do to each other at the moment.
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