// let the games begin [Thorny]

[lady shady]

SHEBA

He followed her back to the foal, yet before she could react, she felt him lunge towards her. She quickly swung sideways, not trusting his intentions after what she had just denied him. His teeth scraped across her hindquarters, drawing forth her own crimson blood. Idiot. Enraged, she struck out at him with a hind hoof, barely missing his face. He'd learn to treat her decently. She was quickly growing tired of his apparent pet name for her as well. If he considered her such scum, what did he consider himself, associating with such company? Little weakling, may be battle smart, but no stronger than any other stag. He would not have her. Briefly, she wondered how she'd keep him satisfied. Perhaps she could find some other mare, someone helpless or half-witted...

They reached the foal, and she eyed the stag stonily as he prodded Vici awake. She would see what this warrior could do. Perhaps he wouldn't even be worth it.

VICI

He was bounding through the snow, kicking it high into the air, enjoying the floating sensation, when BAM! Out of nowhere, he slammed into a tree.

He recoiled, snapping at the branches, only to feel his muzzle connect with something solid. Opening his eyes, he looked up at the looming figure of the dark stag, who obviously had been the one to so rudely awaken him. He was speaking, telling him to come out and spar, and he saw his mother nod subtly at him. He needed no invitation. Who did this, this thing think he was, barging in and holding secret conferences with his mother and disappearing and waking him up?

Vici bolted from the crevice, small teeth snapping as he rammed himself into the stag's side. Going for his unprotected underbelly, he darted under him, young eyes shining with fury. This big black stag would pay.

--behind the post--
yep. lotsa tension in this group xD

[Black Thorns]

Scathashoun felt the little one charge at his underbelly, slicing open the soft skin lying beneath his coat. Scathashoun wasted not a moment, whipping his head around and returning with a sharp snap to the neck- nowhere near as injuring as he had planned, before quickly kicking out at the young one and toppling over his small body. He reared up in the air, slamming hooves down on either side of the foal.

"You're unprotected, unaware- if this was not a simple sparring match you would be dead. You have far too much left to learn; if any of Ramaskith's warriors or Oser's troops had a taste for killing foals, you would be gone in hardly a minute. I'm surprised, really, I'd have thought your mother would have taught you more. Nevertheless, I am obviously wrong." He snorted, moving aside and gesturing for the foal to get back on its feet.

"Now. What did you do wrong? What did I do that you were not expecting?" he asked, diving headfirst into training- something he had no idea how to do.

[lady shady]

VICI

The taste of something warm and salty burst in his mouth as his teeth sliced apart the stag's skin...before he was slammed to the frozen earth. At least he had managed to draw blood. He carefully took inventory of himself, wondering if anything was broken. Slowly, he licked his lips. He was surprised to find that the stag didn't quite taste like grass after all; his blood was sticky, yet there was something strange about it...perhaps it was a taste he could learn to love. He didn't know. He would find out though. Out of the corners of his eyes, he could see the stag's ginormous hooves planted on both sides of him, surrounding him. Trapping him.

"You're unprotected, unaware- if this was not a simple sparring match you would be dead. You have far too much left to learn; if any of Ramaskith's warriors or Oser's troops had a taste for killing foals, you would be gone in hardly a minute. I'm surprised, really, I'd have thought your mother would have taught you more. Nevertheless, I am obviously wrong." came the voice from above him. At the mention of his mother, his eyes darted to her, standing off to the side. She didn't meet his gaze, however; she seemed to be glancing off to the side boredly. She obviously intended to ignore the comment. He followed her lead with a stony silence. If only he could lunge quickly enough...above him, the stag's barrel of a belly was still. If he could manage to flip himself onto his chest, dart up, scourge that underbelly again, and magically twist out from under him before he was trampled...

The stag obviously was one step ahead of him though. Or he just wanted to ruin his moment of glory. Or it's just his dumb luck, Vici thought bitterly as the stranger stepped away from him, motioning for him to get up. Well, he'd take his sweet time getting up. The stag had better hope that he hadn't paralyzed him. "Now. What did you do wrong? What did I do that you were not expecting?" What?!

Why did he care? And the nerve, asking what he had done wrong? Who was the one who had kicked him awake when he'd been sleeping? "What did I do wrong?" he asked, vocalizing his disbelief that the stag had actually asked him this. "I wasn't quick enough..." he continued after a moment, glaring up at his opponent.
"...unfortunately."

--behind the post--
No Sheba this time, as she's not really involved
Hopefully you'll get a little laugh out of Vici xD

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[Black Thorns]

'Quick. That will be your trick, how you defeat your enemies. With such a small stature, speed and agility will aid you, along with quick and sharp movements. I, with a large frame and heavy mass, cna attack with brute force. You, my little one-"

That's when it hit him. My little one. That was what he wanted, now, as he thought about it. Someone to succeed him. Someone of his own flesh and blood to look upon his face and see the same eyes staring back at him that he had in his own head. He wanted to see it, there, someone just as he was... Someone whose blood would bleed just as his would. Someone that, should Scathashoun fall into the clutches of Death, or grow too old and frail, would live on in his legacy. He wanted it. He wanted that more than anything in the world at this very moment. How strange of him- the one who murders and tortured foals to be aching for one of his own! Surely should any mare come close enough to him for that, should they finally be willing for him to do such a thing- certainly they would learn of his past. Certainly they would never let him touch them... Certainly he would never see that little version of him- so tiny, so fragile, he would be certain a gust of wind could sweep it away... It. It. He wanted a her... He wanted a little filly. He wanted to protect her and teach her, love her, and he would name her... And he would name her...

Suddenly he realized that he's been staring off into nothing for a good few minutes, utterly silent in the midst of a sentence. "I- Nevermind, little one, it was a sudden surge of though I simply could not stop from flowing. That you should never allow...Never once, when in unfamiliar territory, should you become distracted. Not. Once. Else you risk the chance of death, and we couldn't possibly do that, could we?"

He looked to Sheba, the pale mare eyeing them cautiously."Ou est-ce ma petite pâle se soucient pas si son fils devait mourir? Je ne serais pas surpris de toute façon ..." he asked, tone light and teasing- though a dark, threatening undertone seeped through his words. Oh, she would be perfect- if she would not touch a hair on his little one's head. He wanted one- and she would give it to him, be it willingly or not. He needed one.

Else he should never move on...

[lady shady]

SHEBA

She stood off to the side, watching what this soldier was teaching her offspring. Perhaps one day it would be useful to know. Of course, she kept her gaze distant, as if she were merely there to make sure the job got done. But the knowledge the stag could impart held such power, and she was not about to let this opportunity to seize another little piece of the pie slip away.

"Quick. That will be your trick, how you defeat your enemies. With such a small stature, speed and agility will aid you, along with quick and sharp movements. I, with a large frame and heavy mass, can attack with brute force. You, my little one-"

She smiled to herself, knowing full well that no son of Rama's would stay small for long. No matter. Vici would grow quickly enough, and Scath would teach him to fight as he did. But for now, the lesson would be of aid to her, for her small frame, as he had said, would not be of much use in fighting using sheer power.

However, the lesson had come to an abrupt halt. Sheba was about to send a glare his way when she caught him staring off into the distance, a funny expression on his face. An expression that she was not altogether unfamiliar with: desire. Here was her opportunity. She closed her mouth, saying nothing, observing him carefully, watching the way he stood and playing back what he'd been saying just moments before. Something about brute force...she quickly checked the distance between them, wondering if the stag was getting ideas about overpowering her smaller figure. His lesson had not come a moment too soon. Of course, she had other ways of dealing with unwanted amorous stags, but it would be delicious to get in a quick strike. It held a sense of irony, at least to her, a personal joke. Something didn't fit, though. If this stag was such a battle-master, he'd have realized this long ago and would have taken his advantage before, when they had been alone. Besides, his expression was not raw enough for her to easily read herself into his thoughts. He wanted something more...something that she couldn't quite place. Patience, she reminded herself. She would twist it out of him one way or another. If only she waited, he may slip again. Sheba would wait for her opportunity.

Suddenly, the stag seemed to realize that he'd been silent for a full two minutes, returning his gaze to the colt before him. "I- Nevermind, little one, it was a sudden surge of thought I simply could not stop from flowing. That you should never allow...Never once, when in unfamiliar territory, should you become distracted. Not. Once. Else you risk the chance of death, and we couldn't possibly do that, could we?"

How very true. The stag seemed moderately intelligent at least, though she remained to be impressed. As if the thought had attracted his attention to her. "S'il mourira, il mourira," she replied. "Mais c'est ton tâche d'être sûr qu'il survivra. S'il mourira, c'est tu qui a raté."
["If he will die, he will die. But it's your task to be sure that he will survive. If he dies, it's you who failed."]


VICI

The stag was talking to him, telling him to use his advantage in his stature, to be quick...when suddenly, he stopped talking. It took Vici a few seconds to realize this, for he'd learned to give the illusion that he was listening when his mother spoke to him. Really, he couldn't be bothered to hang on this stag's every word.

He glanced up at the stag staring of into the distance, and he couldn't help giggling softly, barely perceptible. Sheba shot him an angry look, and he stopped. His mother was studying the stag intently. He didn't know what she could possibly find so interesting about him or why she was letting him throw him to the ground at his convenience. His shoulder, he was sure, was permanently hurt from the rude blow earlier that he'd been awakened by. Even now, he imagined that he could feel it throbbing...

Anger rose up in him again at the injustice, and he realized that if the stag wasn't paying attention. He began to raise his lips, drawing them back from his teeth, seeking a way to dart in and rip another piece off of this hulking black form. He'd show him quickness...

The thought came to late, for the stag seemed to rouse himself, telling him not to do exactly that.
Darn.

--behind the post--
Shebs is like "What can in beee?"
and Vici's like "Whatevs."

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[Black Thorns]

Scathashoun whirled on her, nostrils flaring. "I do not fail, ma petite pute immonde; you'd be best to remember that," he spat, fury in his words. How dare she! How dare she have the nerve to do such a thing! Her very being was filled with a dangerous need to play with fire- and she should know that fire burns! Oh, it burns great things, it destroys everything in its path! Yet he felt himself drawn to this, wanting to be the match she cupped in her hands, burning away her flesh and bringing her what she wished at that same moment. He supposed they were similar in a multitude of ways, really, masochistic and wanting that danger. They held it within themselves, the monster rearing its head and fighting to get out. He turned back to the little one, striking him down and pinning his throat with a massive hoof.

"See, love, this is how I do not fail. I set out merely to amuse myself in a bloody death of the little one here. I don't enjoy the innocent, pure. They don't deserve it. Not one of the inhabitants here deserve it. They deserve a merciless ruler and an iron fist. Cold, cruel reality. Not... this. Not coddling and comfort, and goddamned training! Your son knows nothing! Not even of what you do, his own mother. Not of blood! Not of death, nor of pain! And should I be the one to teach it to him, I am quite certain that your irritation could lead me to destroy him in one of his so-called lessons."

He pressed harder, a simple threat- no more- before releasing him from the ground. He hissed at the little one, low and dangerous. "Try me, Vici. Learn what pushes my buttons. What irritates me. It's a skill you need- blind fury is no way to kill someone. It would be a crying shame if that was how you made your first kill.

"After all, mine was in cold blood."

[lady shady]

SHEBA

Sheba watched as he pinned the colt to the ground, hissing threats. Sensitive, wasn’t he? She pressed a little further, testing his limits. ”You destroy him,” she replied quietly, ”And you will have failed. You destroy him, and you waste both my time here and yours. I’m sure your little game must be very entertaining to you, soldat. But if you care for any…other little games, I’m sure you’ll find the strength to restrain yourself. If not…” she let the sentence trail off, and she turned as if to go. She looked back at him over her shoulder, giving her tail a swift taunting flick. ”If not, pourriture, you will find that, unfortunately you will be out of entertainment.”

She left then, rounding the corner and disappearing behind the boulder. She would not stray far, no, she would not be so rash, but she would see his true intentions. If he turned out a mindless killer without a scrap of intelligence, he would not be worth her time. It was as simple as that.

VICI

In an instant, he was pinned to the ground again by the older stag, struggling for air. He writhed uselessly, trying to escape the beast that would not let him alone. Where was his mother? Why wasn’t she doing anything? As if from a distance, he heard her voice, even, cold…Why wasn’t she coming? Blackness began to poke at the corners of his eyes, and his vision was growing blurry. Air…he needed air…

Suddenly, the weight lifted, and he gulped in air frantically. "Try me, Vici. Learn what pushes my buttons. What irritates me. It's a skill you need- blind fury is no way to kill someone. It would be a crying shame if that was how you made your first kill. After all, mine was in cold blood." So now the beast knew his name. Vici glowered angrily—what power did this stag not have over him? He looked around. His mother—dare he even call her that, he thought bitterly, since she acted like he didn’t even belong to her—had vanished. Now it was just him…and the stag. Funnily enough, it was the stag who acted like he owned him. It struck him as he realized that Sheba had really gone…she’d left. Perhaps she was not far off, but away from her disapproving gaze, he plucked up his courage. ”Who are you?” he murmured, the note of defiance fading slightly in his voice. He just wanted answers. If this stag could give him what he was so hungry for, despite who he was, perhaps he could learn to tolerate him. He was tired of fighting.

--behind the post--
so Sheba’s ticked at Scath, and Vici’s ticked at Sheba
so much so that he might even submit to Scath
for the time being

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[Black Thorns]

Scathashoun was started by this question, startled enough to stammer out an nonsensical question. "i- I- uh, o- me..."

He shook his head momentarily, before refocusing. "You know, you're the only one to really ask me that question. Not what's your name, who are you. That's a big difference, see, that gets you a different answer. How should I begin, my little soldat?" He paused for a moment, reading the foal's face quickly, "You don't understand the language. I'd assume your mother would have taught you. That's the Old Language for soldier."

He couldn't understand how he was letting all of this get out from his lips, why he was letting it leak. He shouldn't be leaking this. "I don't think you can ask the question until you understand the answer. I don't think you will understand why I answer with riddles, with what I want to say in tangled tongues. You won't. You're much like your father, if you can believe me- then again, you're nothing like him."

He began to pace, crossing the little patch that they had unofficially claimed training grounds for quite some time before finally halting in the center.

"Who am I, Vici? Mon petite soldat, I am a killer, a fighter, a soldier, a trainer. I am a lover and a merciless child murderer. I'm healing and I'm not. I am one who wants for nothing and everything. I am someone who doesn't understand why people love, why they fear bloodshed. I am one without a name christened upon my birth. I have no family. I have no lover. I wish to keep it that way."

liar liar

"I am Scathashoun."

[lady shady]

VICI

Oddly enough, it seemed as if the question threw the Beast. Bared teeth and aggression only made him laugh where others would weaken, yet a simple three words left him speechless, if only for the slightest instant.

"You know, you're the only one to really ask me that question. Not what's your name, who are you. That's a big difference, see, that gets you a different answer. How should I begin, my little soldat?"

Vici eyed him warily, recognizing the language of his mother. The language she used when she knew that he wouldn’t understand her completely. This word, soldat, for example. She hadn’t used it before today. He had no idea what it meant. As if the stag could read his mind, he clarified. "You don't understand the language. I'd assume your mother would have taught you. That's the Old Language for soldier."

The Old Language? He’d only known it as the Other language, the Unknown language. But the Beast knew how to unlock the secrets hidden in his mother’s words? Vici pricked his ears, taking a tiny step forwards, intrigued. ” "I don't think you can ask the question until you understand the answer. I don't think you will understand why I answer with riddles, with what I want to say in tangled tongues. You won't. “ Vici nodded in agreement. He had had enough of riddles for the day; he wanted solid answers.

”You're much like your father, if you can believe me- then again, you're nothing like him."

What? His ears slid sideways in confusion. ”My…father?” he stammered, not meaning to let it slip but overcome by the shock. What exactly was…a father? He didn’t understand. But the Beast continued, seeming to have found a rhythm to his words now.

"Who am I, Vici? Mon petit soldat, I am a killer, a fighter, a soldier, a trainer. I am a lover and a merciless child murderer. I'm healing and I'm not. I am one who wants for nothing and everything. I am someone who doesn't understand why people love, why they fear bloodshed. I am one without a name christened upon my birth. I have no family. I have no lover. I wish to keep it that way."


"I am Scathashoun."

With this final proclamation, the Beast drew himself up to his full height, prompting Vici to do likewise. This stag, this Scathashoun, held the answers, yet he spoke in terms unknown to the colt. He spoke of fathers, of love, of family. ”You still speak in riddles,” he accused, the note of defance creeping back into his voice. ”I know not of fathers, and family, and…love? What is this thing called love? I know of killers and fighters and bloodshed, already, those are lessons you do not have to teach me. But love?”

The colt shook his head, the small, jagged scar over his bloodred star moving slowly back and forth.

[/size]

[Black Thorns]

"Love is a strange concept, little one, more so for one born into violence such as you. Truly I don't believe I can explain it- it is different for everyone. I can try, though, I can try..."

Scathashoun took a deep breath- for some strange reason it only took a simple question to make him spill out all of his thoughts. "Love is devoting yourself entirely to something. It's the ability to look into someone else's eyes and find yourself. You long to be with them constantly, you want to spend your life with them. They preoccupy your thoughts, and you never want to hurt them. It's the utter adoration of another. You give yourself to them and expect nothing in return. That... that is love, my little one."

"Of course," he muttered to himself, "What do you know of love? You damn fool, you ruined whatever chance you have."

"I cannot speak for loving another. I may have, once, but that is in the past. It's a matter of time before I forget about it entirely. After all, if I truly loved her, I would never have left. Your mother never loved your father- something else we need to address." He paused for a moment, thinking. "You see how I hav- and uh, you have- different... parts... than your mother? We are male, she is female. When a male and a female..." Scathashoun coughed, trying to regain his composure. Why the hell did he have to give the sex talk? "When they feel... like... doing things... then sometimes the female gets pregnant, and a few months later a little one pops out of her..."

He coughed again, the awkward tension filling the air. "The male in the process is your father. Yeah. That's a good way to explain it." The last few sentences were murmured to himself, as praise for surviving. He could only hope that the little one understood. "Oh! And, uh, family is just the trio of people. Or duet. Or more. Really, a family is just a big shitload of people who like eachother and are related in some way."

Scath nodded to himself, before shoving a hoof against the little one's side. "C'mon. Get up. We've got things to do and people to see... After all, your father-" the word came out as if an insult, "-may want you sooner or later. He's a sucker for slaughtering those who have no way to defend themselves."

Just like you, Scathashoun, just like you...