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CRACK!

With a satisfied smile, Ire turned to watch the tree splinter and fall to the ground. It was a young tree, but with a diameter greater than that of his hoof, it had provided an amusing diversion for the time it had taken to destroy it.

However, after a moment Ire's smile was gone, replaced by a tight-lipped expression of annoyance. The tree had been too easy, giving way after only a couple of kicks. He hadn't even broken a sweat, much less worked any muscles; the only satisfaction that had come from the exercise was hearing the sound of success in the breaking of the tree trunk. Such success was hollow, though; no pride or accomplishment could come from such an simple undertaking.

Curling his lip in distaste, Ire gave the fallen tree a last vicious kick before turning away. At this rate, it was going to be eons before he found himself a worthy sparring partner; hell, at this rate it was going to be eons before he found himself ANY sparring partner. This part of the world seemed to be populated only by squirrels, lessers, and undeveloped trees; in other words, nothing.

"Pathetic." Scowling, Ire stalked away from this latest disappoint. Destroying something weak could sometimes be an amusement, but not when it was the ONLY amusement to be had!

Though the ground underfoot was soft and spongy, an unstable mixture of snow, mud, and partially frozen turf, Ire moved with speed and purpose. Such trivialities as questionable terrain were beneath his notice, he having been taught the importance of keeping his footing when he was but a foal. Were he in a more pleasant mood, he might even have enjoyed the chance to practice his form on the spring ground; however, at the moment it was of even less interest than the fallen tree.

What the ground DID have going for it was the softness dampened his footfalls, rendering them almost completely silent. That, coupled with the stillness of the day and the near-total lack of wind gave the day a sense of calm...and allowed sound to carry really well.

It was the sound that first caught Ire's attention; though soft, it only took a few moments for the sound to register with Ire as one very familiar to him: the leathery sound of kalona wing beats.

Though he didn't stop moving or show any other outward sign of this notice, Ire's previously disgusted expression slowly morphed into a smug smile of pleasure; after all, kalona wings meant company, and company meant entertainment.

Flicking his ear, Ire listened carefully to the sound of the wing beats, reassuring himself that they were getting closer instead of merely passing by. But he continued on, until the dark flicker of a shadow caught his attention. At that obvious proof of another, he came to an abrupt halt and tilted his head skywards, narrowing his gaze in challenge as he surveyed the new arrival.

Looks like today had potential after all.

Ire stood impassively as he watched the other stallion alight, completely still other than his rapidly moving eyes. It must have been amusing to the casual observer, the two kalona stallions standing there so still and silent. Once the gray stallion had landed, he had become as immobile as Ire...and ironically, doing the same thing.

The fact that the gray one was eying him up did nothing to concern Ire; on the contrary, it was to be expected. No one, not even the most experienced of fighters, should waste an opportunity to observe and measure one's opponent. As he himself was examined, so to was he examining; and that examination was not without its interesting points.

For starters, there was obviously the fact that the other stallion's feet were ablaze. Without dedicating too much attention to that area, Ire was able to determine that the blaze seemed to be propagated by the stallion himself, as there were no other burning agents (such a grass or twigs) caught in his hooves; furthermore, the flames made no move to spread up his legs and did not seem to be actually consuming him in any way. Fascinating, however it happened, and something to be watched; an opponent with flaming forelegs could do a great deal of damage if allowed.

The next thing that caught his attention, this in a more negative way, was the stranger's tail. Unlike his own spaded tail, the gray stallion's tail was hair, the same as any garden-variety lesser. Ire's eyes narrowed slightly at what seemed to be a tell-tale sign of a mixed-blood, but that alone wasn't worth a right-off. It was a badge of shame for the stallion, but all other features indicated him to be of a strong kalona heritage. A pity that somewhere in his gene pool, that heritage had been sullied.

The scar was a redeeming quality, and Ire regarded it the longest. It was a nasty scar, stretching across a very vulnerable part of the body; given that the wing area was compromised, he wouldn't be surprised if the other had been grounded for a long time. Even more impressive was the fact that he was now able to fly, and with no visible signs of faltering. This stallion, sullied blood or not, was obviously a worthwhile creature.

All this was determined in a matter of moment, and then Ire was satisfied. Tilting his head to one side, he met the stranger's golden gaze with his own piercing orange eyes, a somewhat mocking smile on his lips.

He, too, could wait.

Obviously there was to be no sudden, silent, knock-down drag-out fight. A pity in some ways, but Ire was never one to shy away from conversation...as long as the other understood that he didn't handle inanity well and would hardly be the best for 'social chitchat'. That being the case, he was more than willing to strike up a conversation; conversation allowed him the opportunity to TRULY size up his opponent, getting into his head and seeing how HE regarded himself.

And the other had picked an amusing observation to start the conversation, one that caused Ire to smile himself. Obviously they were going for stating the obvious.

In his somewhat formal style, he responded with, "And here I thought every day was good for a fight. Different preferences, I suppose." Obvious meets deferential, with just a SLIGHT hint of provoking. Not bad for a start.

That comment could be taken as a jab, if one were determined to see everything as a jab. Given who he was, Ire fell into that category with honors; however, unlike many of the most, he saw everything as a jab in order to better deliver them himself and build up his resistance to such comments. Allowing himself to be riled up by mere words or taunts would be a sign of weakness; it would mean attacking while overridden with emotion and in less than top form.

So Ire merely smiled, commenting suavely, "The lack of opponents does nothing to counter the fact that each day is excellent for a fight." It meant that the fights were a bit one-sided, but any opponent that manifested would be welcome. "Besides, trees provide muscle-conditioning in lieu of an actual fight."

One dark brow arched in response to the stranger's words, and Ire's smile became slightly more pronounced. It was rather peculiar, talking this long with another kalona; it was even more peculiar in that he hadn't wanted to throttle the other just to shut him up. Seriously, so many Soquili that spoke seemed to do so for nothing more than the pleasure of hearing themselves speak...revolting. Inanities were so irritating, which was why he forced himself to put up with them. As a youngster, his frustration at dealing with such obnoxious behavior had forced him into many confrontations (foolishly), now he tried to restrain himself.

Still, it was a pleasure to have a five minute conversation and not want to gouge out his ears, even if the ultimate purpose was provoking a fight.

"I find expecting anyone to provide anything for me to be a rather weak and passive viewpoint, even the Spirits themselves. Opportunity is provided, beyond that nothing should be desired or anticipated."

Amusing, to agree with him and then to sidestep him. Ire had to give the other stallion credit, he was a crafty conversationalist and knew the proper way to speak to another kalona. Had Ire been less-used to using the tactic himself, he might very well have taken the other stallion up on his offer; it was indeed a good time for a fight.

However, he would not make the first move, and it was about time that the other stallion understood that.

His voice smooth, his body language appearing to be relaxed, he was the picture of unconcern as he responded. "You are a sensible enough fellow, and I give you credit for understanding the validity of an argument, particularly one that you are not necessarily in support of. It has been my experience that the majority of Soquilis are incapable of seeing reason in anything that they don't espouse, which can be tiresome to deal with. And you make a valid point in turn."

At that, Ire grinned himself, his own teeth mirroring the dark stallion. "Go ahead."