Asterion Asterion has never considered Eik’s scars in a practical sense until the gray moves toward him on the sparring-field. It is not until then that the bay (who has yet to earn scars any of his own) appreciates the reality of them, their paleness in the sunlight, the fact that they may have been created in a similar fashion to this. That there once existed an Eik unblemished. That one day Asterion might be so scarred, too. And yet, for that, he is still not nervous. He trusts the Solterran man as much as he does himself, and the birds are singing, and he is less of a boy and more of a man than he was the last time he stood on this pock-marked ground. Still, Eik is an intimidating sight when he explodes into motion, all lean muscle and purpose. The bay’s ears twist back and he feels his muscles tense. It is well his body reacts instinctively, for his mind is a whir of thoughts that twist and scatter like starlings. The only sounds are the noise of his breath and his heartbeat and hooves like drum-beats as Eik lunges. Rather than brace for impact, Asterion begins to rise into a rear just as Eik begins to execute his kick, and the two of them mirror one another like a dance. The Regent can feel his hooves digging into the springy ground, and little flecks of mud freckle him from his friend’s feet. Asterion’s rear is a low one, and he pivots as he executes it, turning toward the grey stallion to keep the space between them close. His failure during Raymond’s lesson is not forgotten; he does not want to have to chase down Eik once it comes time to reciprocate the attack. But he is too hasty in his thinking: first, there is the impact. Eik’s kick catches him across the shoulder and part of his breast. In hindsight, opening up his front was likely a foolish move; but luckily for Asterion his movement and proximity makes it more of a glancing blow, and it lands before its full extension (and therefor power) is reached. He hears himself expel a whuff of breath, feels a stinging across his shoulder like a landed punch. He ought not be so careless with his friend’s thoughtfulness. Yet it puts him in good position to attack, and he surges forward as soon as his hooves touch the ground again. Asterion has spun so that they are once more nearly parallel, with himself to the older stallion’s left. He does not know if Eik is still unbalanced from his high kick, but it would help the bay if he is. Already they are nearly touching, and the Regent does not swerve; he bears down on the gray so that, if unimpeded, he will drive his right shoulder into the ribs just behind Eik’s left. It is time to find out just how slick the ground is below the grass, and if the gray can be pushed into a stumble or a slip. Though that, of course, is not a danger Asterion is immune to. And he realizes, as he pulls in a breath, that his lung capacity is not what it was only moments before – Eik’s blow has winded him, bruising his chest. His thoughts, then, echo his friend’s: all the better to stay close, strike quick, and finish swiftly. |
Summary: Asterion half-rears as Eik kicks, and pivots toward the gray, taking the blow on his shoulder and somewhere between his shoulder and chest. A few moments later he realizes it's hindering his breathing. Before that, though, he lunges mostly parallel to Eik, hoping to shoulder him with enough force to make him loose his footing (mud wrestling, anyone?).
Attack Used: 1
Attack(s) Left: 1
Block Used: 0
Block(s) Left: 1
Item(s) Used: NA
Response Deadline: Rae and I agreed via PM on discord to dispel with deadlines for the rest of this spar.
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