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 Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:26 am
 They'd moved! It had taken Jetsam some time to track down the current location of the mare that had produced his foals. He wasn't quite sure what to call Funayurei at this point. She had never been his mate, he wouldn't even call her a former romantic partner. She was the mare that had given him offspring, a dalliance. Now, he wanted to dally again. He'd searched for her around the location of her old herd but found them scattered. Over the months he'd asked around and eventually found out where she was. There was only one problem- his son. He hadn't figured Jetsam to be a homebody, but here he was. Vincent knew that Funayurei was nearby, but Jetsam was being damned irritating and trying to block his access. "Really, do you think I'm going to hurt her?" he asked, voice carrying a sharp bite. "There's nothing I can do to that mare that's worse than the things that have already been done." He snorted derisively at the very idea that his son might stand in his way.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:33 am
Jetsam glared at his father, not one muscle in his body suggesting any likelihood of compliance. It had been years since Vincent Nail had come by. Those had been good years. In those years, his mother had learned to smile a little, even laugh sometimes. She still often had that distant pained look in her eyes but it came less often and less strongly. Now his father was back, and Jetsam would drown himself rather than let him anywhere near her.
"You should know about hurting her," he growled. He planted his hooves more firmly in the ground, strengthening his stance. "If you know what's best for you, you'll leave and leave now." He couldn't help but size up his father while staring him down like this. His father was half-kalona, himself only a quarter. The kalona blood showed strongly in Vincent, in the angular lines of his face and the sharpness of his teeth. His father was larger than him as well, and that muscular tail couldn't be ignored. If it came to a fight, Jetsam knew he was at a severe disadvantage.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:36 am
Stubbornness ran in the family, this was something that Vincent couldn't deny. In truth, he saw far more of himself in Jetsam than his mother. Jetsam had some of his mother's beauty, but in personality he was an iron Nail to the core. That made Vincent smile, an unhealthy toothy smirk. He too realized that a fight would go to his advantage if it came to that. Of course, he didn't intend it to.
"If you know what's best for you, you'll fetch your mother and tell her I've come for a visit," he replied neatly.
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Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 10:39 am
"Fat chance!" Jetsam barked immediately. His ire grew with every breath. Belatedly he wondered if it was a mistake to leave their previous herd. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now they were hopelessly exposed. He hadn't expected his father to come back so soon. He hadn't expected that he'd become tied to his mother as a way of protecting her. Even if he managed to chase off Vincent now they'd have to face knowing he could show back up at any time.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:04 pm
Vincent's eyebrows raised in surprise, but only briefly. His features transitioned smoothly back into their self-satisfied smirk. His long webbed tail swayed from side to side thoughtfully. Maybe he would have to try another angle to get past his fiery son. Slyly, he decided to make the suggestion he hoped could end all this.
"How about we have a friendly match?" he asked, eyes twinkling. "If you win, I'll leave your mother alone forever. If I win, you get out of my way and stay out. And," he added, even more oily, "you tell me where she is, of course."
He knew he could beat Jetsam. He was pretty sure Jetsam knew he could beat him as well. He was just counting on Jetsam having a misplaced sense of pride. Almost all young stallions had one, didn't they? If he could push Jetsam down this course, he could be rid of an irritating obstacle forever.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:15 pm
"I-" Jetsam trailed off, his quippy reply dying in his throat. His father had set down an impressive trap all right. He could see clearly where the noose was set, but still didn't know that he could avoid it. It wasn't so much his pride that pulled him that way, it was his hope. If Vincent meant it - and he was by no means certain that he did - then Jetsam could buy his mother a lifetime of freedom from his wretch of a father.
He wanted to defend her so badly. He squinted through narrow eyes at his father. Could he really trust his word? Did he think he had a chance in hell at succeeding?
"Fine," he found himself saying with an air of nonchalance that he didn't feel. "Should we swear on it?" Now it was his time to smirk at the challenge. Maybe he could wring some truth out of his father after all.
Of course... he didn't plan on obeying the rules of their agreement if he won. He was a pirate, after all. They weren't known for their ability to keep promises.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:18 pm
"Ha!" Vincent let out a bark of laughter. It had worked, and he had to admit, he liked how his son dived right into it headfirst. It almost made him not want to beat the hay out of him, but that wasn't going to stop him.
"All right, we can swear," he responded. He thought only for a moment. "Shall we swear on Funayurei's life?" he asked, possessive and skeezy all in one. It was what they were doing, after all. There was no point in being coy about it. He would have Funayurei back within the day. He was sure of that.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 5:21 pm
"I don't think so," growled Jetsam, though still smiling with determination. "I want to see you swear on your own life instead. May skinwalkers gnaw your bones." It was an old saying among certain soquili. Jetsam had never actually met a skinwalker, but wouldn't mind if one chewed up his father a little. It couldn't possibly make him any worse than he already was.
Though the skinwalker might gag after smelling him, he thought.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:40 pm
"May the skinwalkers gnaw my bones," agreed Vincent with a self-satisfied smirk. He eyed his son with the air of one long used to these sorts of fights. "Well, since it seems like we've agreed on the terms..." He left no more room for discussion. He swung his tail at Jetsam's legs, as fast as a striking serpent. Why would he wait around for them to say "go?"
His tail cracked across Jetsam's knees and he saw his son's legs begin to buckle. He didn't wait for Jetsam to reach the ground. He surged forward with his head lowered, ready to headbutt with his sharp and curved ram's horns.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:48 pm
Jetsam hated himself for not seeing the sneak attack before it was coming. Of course his father would do something like that. That was exactly the sort of underhanded move he pulled every single time something was at stake.
There wasn't much he could do to stop the first blow. It hit him like a whip cracking across his legs and he felt his knees crumpling from shock. As he fell, he realized there was another attack coming. He saw the glint of horns and a promise for more pain should he not evade.
Without even thinking, his wings snapped open. He flapped them wildly and suddenly he was no longer falling, but being propelled upwards. His front half lifted in an extended rear, his back legs still planted on the ground. He was off-balanced, but couldn't waste this opportunity. He snapped his wings back shut and aimed his front hooves at his father.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:53 pm
Well that was unexpected. Jetsam didn't fight fliers overly often, and he himself didn't usually use his wings for such maneuvers. His long kelpi tail made him heavier, and meant that Jetsam was actually the better flier amongst the two of them. Suddenly he didn't have the high ground. Instead, Jetsam was doing his best to kick him in the skull.
Vincent let out a yelping cough as one of the hooves caught him in the throat. Another struck a glancing blow against his horns. He staggered backwards as he wheezed past a bruised windpipe. "Not bad," he coughed. "I'm glad to see I managed to teach you something after all." He jabbed at Jetsam with his words, knowing his son would hate the implication that he'd been in any way shaped by his father. One thing Vincent knew was that Jetsam hadn't gotten any fighting ability from Funayurei. That much was obvious.
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Posted: Fri Feb 05, 2016 3:15 pm
Jetsam gritted his teeth against his father's words. "Yeah, you taught me something," he grated out. "You taught me not to trust you!" He jumped forward and tried to attack again, but this time Vincent was ready. His father easily dodged and Jetsam swore as that tail started swinging for him again.
In the back of his head, he knew he couldn't win this without cheating. He just didn't know what it was that he had to do to get the advantage. He wished he had a familiar, something dangerous like a crocodile or a bear. If only he had some sort of back up, this might end better...
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:33 pm
Vincent was also running through swift calculations. He did indeed think that he could beat his son in a fight. Now though, he was wondering if it was worth it. He'd definitely get banged up to some extent if the fight continued. How injured could he possibly get? That was something he couldn't answer. Some bruises would be fine, but what about muscle injuries? That would make it harder to hunt, and harder to defend himself if any one of his other enemies came across him. And cuts... he wasn't too fond of healers, and cuts could fester and become infected. He loved fighting, but recovering from them could take a lot out of you. He saw Jetsam coming at him again and considered...
And attacked back, hard. He wasn't going to lose his pride for the sake of protecting his skin! His next blow hit his son square on. When that hit, he continued with more attacks. He'd see that Jetsam went down and stayed down!
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:38 pm
Jetsam knew when he couldn't win. As things were now, he couldn't win.
He fell hard and felt a sharp pain radiate through his shoulder. He grimaced in pain, and it didn't stop there. His father kept kicking him with those salty hooves. Jetsam snapped and came away with a mouthful of fur, but the attack didn't even slow down Vincent. He tried to get up but was knocked over again. He thought about using his wings but decided against it. Wings were fragile. If he didn't manage to get up quickly enough then one might take a hit. It didn't take much to break a wing and they never healed quite the same. He was at his limits of what he could do with his body, but his voice... he could use his voice.
"Go to hell!" he bellowed defiantly. "She doesn't want you! Neither of us do! Go crawl back into whatever swamp you call home!"
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Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 4:43 pm
And there was Funayurei.
The stallions hadn't noticed her approach. They were too busy with their posturing and bruising. She was drawn to the sounds of their fight like someone possessed. She wasn't aware of intentionally moving closer, only knew that she did. When she finally could see them, she stopped. It was the stallion she had born foals to, Vincent Nail.
Her heart stumbled over a beat. She didn't want to see him. She had hoped never to see him again. She had never gotten over the pain he had caused her and it writhed all the more painful in her chest now that she was confronted with the one that caused it.
Vincent was hurting Jetsam, her son. Her dear little colt that had tried so hard to not be like his father, not understanding that he could never be like him even if he tried. Funayurei was horrified by the scene before her. Her legs felt like they were turned to stone, immobile and frozen. Even her voice failed her, coming out in croaking whispers when she tried to raise it.
"Stop," she breathed, straining. "Stop!" This time was louder. She felt her legs wobble and knew they had unlocked. Now, she rushed forward. "Stop!" Now she screamed, anger and despair mixing in her voice.
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