[Judged] of cabbages and kings;

[Eik]

Growing up, Eik rarely met anyone who wasn't marred by scars. Somewhat contrary to what you might expect, it was the ones barely scarred that you had to worry about-- everyone was tested in battle, and those who danced away without a mark were the most renowned. Men like Eik, scrappy ones scratched up every which way, were dime a dozen. Men like Asterion, who lived to his age without a single scar, were the stuff of legends.

Of course, that was a different world. Eik leaves his memories behind as well as his assumptions, and tries to stay in the moment with this spar. His kick lands with a satisfying thud, satisfying until he remembers this is his friend, and a shadow of concern crosses his features. The shadow lasts only a moment as he reminds himself: this is what they had agreed to, looked forward to, even.

The moment his concern passes, Asterion's blow hits fast and true. Faster than Eik had expected, too fast to do much of anything at all but take it. He grunts as the air is punched out of him and his front legs splay forward in attempt to keep his balance. Not only would falling in the mud be incredibly embarrassing for the veteran, but he would surely lose the spar if he went down now with Asterion standing right there ready to trample him. As Eik stabilizes himself with a few slippery steps forward, he mentally checks his body for damage. It does not feel like he's broken any bones in his ribcage, but the area is certainly bruised. More noticeably the wind was knocked out of him, which is always a shock to the body-- even when you've experienced it a dozen times.

It has taken him a few seconds to regain his footing on the muddy ground, but Asterion can't have gone too far in that time. Eik cow-kicks with his left hind leg, aiming to the side of his belly where Asterion's shoulder had been just moments ago. It is basically a blind attack, as his recent focus had mostly been on regaining his breath and balance. The hope is that the attack is unexpected, as there isn't much of a tell- no shifting of his weight needed or repositioning for a prime angle. It wouldn't land with the force of a full-on kick, but Eik is not trying to seriously hurt his friend anyway. As an added bonus, this attack keeps his three legs balanced on the now very torn up and muddy ground.

After his quick attack, Eik pivots to the right so his rump is facing Asterion. The grey shuffles his feet, ready to either stride forward or kick out if the bay gets too close. He never much liked talking during a fight (it always seemed a waste of breath) but as his heart hammers in his chest and sweat foams at his flanks he manages to express himself with a broad, almost boyish grin. The two men are brothers now, if they weren't before.

-     -     -
There is no better way to know us
E I K
than as two wolves, come separately to a wood

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Summary: Eik takes Asterion's attack. The breath is knocked out of him, but he (thankfully xD) keeps his balance by taking a few steps forward. He quickly cow kicks to his left, hoping that Asterion is still close enough that he can land a blow. After his attack he pivots to the right so that his butt is pointed at Asterion :3

Attack Used: 2
Attack(s) Left: 0
Block Used: 0
Block(s) Left: 1
Item(s) Used: N/A

Response Deadline: N/A, as previously agreed upon
Tags: @Asterion, @kay, @Sid, @inkbone, @Lauren, @Sparrow