[Judged] lost shores and reveries

[Marisol]

i opened my mouth and the night poured in-

As much as she genuinely likes Theo, Mari still finds some intense, feral pleasure as her shoulder crashes into the cadet’s side, the pressure from the impact so strong it radiates through Marisol’s front leg even as she stumbles away. As effective as the attack was (when the Commander watches Theodosia tumble through the soft dirt, she almost smiles, feeling a flicker of pride at her success), it’s also difficult to rebound from, and Mari has to scramble for enough of a foothold to stop in the soft dirt. A brief anti-gravity rises in her stomach as she scrabbles for stability. Her momentum carries her a little farther than expected, but she manages to stop, square her feet, tuck her wings, and raise her head in a defensive stance before Theo can finish the half-circle she’s started to walk with an almost predatory stride.

Her heart beats a strange tattoo in her chest, loud and quick and full of adrenaline. Anticipation buses just under the skin. It takes every ounce of self-control not to lash out, but it is with practiced composure that she is able to remain in place, watchful and preparatory.

Mari’s sharp gray gaze follows the path Theo tracks in the loose, dark dirt. Leftover impact reverberates through her muscles like water rippled by the drop of a stone. What next? The cadet’s trajectory seems endless, an infinite loop around and around the Commander, the track of a predator meant to exhaust its prey rather than pounce; Marisol watches her every steps, attentive, intense, angling herself ever so slightly to follow the arc her combatant is walking.

It’s this careful examination that saves her from being crippled. Theo rushes her with startling speed, a blur of white against the clear-noon sky, and while Mari is not nearly quick enough to avoid the blow, the fear and adrenaline that overcomes her when she sees where the cadet’s teeth are aimed force her into action. Immediately, she flares a wing out and down, covering the joint that connects it to her shoulder with a thick layer of bone and feathers; Theo’s aim hits true, and though it doesn’t sink all the way into the place where limb melds to muscle, it does scrape away a layer of feathers and forces a squeal of surprise from Mari’s lips.

Fight back, she chides herself, act quick, you stupid girl - Wing stinging, head clouded briefly with pain, she snaps her head sideways and reaches out to sink her teeth into the place where Theodosia’s mane meets her neck, then half-rears upward, hoping to tear away a chunk of hair or skin and cloud her reflexes with the force of discomfort; it seems only fitting, payback for the gauze of black that bleeds into Marisol’s vision at the bright pricking in her wing, then back out again as she attempts to regain her balance.

@Theodosia

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Summary: Marisol uses her wing to protect the joint that connects it to her shoulder, but Theo still hits and sinks a bite into the wing, scraping away feathers and drawing blood. Before Theo can run away, Mari aims to bite into the crest of her neck and tear upward, taking hair and hopefully skin.

Attack Used: 2
Attack(s) Left: 0
Block Used: 0 
Block(s) Left: 1 
Item(s) Used: n/a

Response Deadline:7/6/18
Tags: @Theodosia, @kay, @Sid, @inkbone, @Lauren, @Sparrow