ORIGIN

Gadanai could only watch as the tiny twerp managed to get out of her way unscathed. She threw on the breaks, her large feet digging trenches into the ground as she tried to halt herself too quickly. The other thing about being large with lots of momentum? No stopping power. So, just as she teetered to a full stop, Brutus did his thing, nailing two painful nubs right into her ass end. She practically yelped, her lack of balance and the startling pain making her clumsily lunge forward. She tripped and hit the ground with a loud thump, but shot to her feet with all the grace an elephant could muster.

With a loud roar, she prepared for her last round in this rumble. She kicked dirt with her front feet, reared and slammed her feet to the ground as hard as she could, then put her newest spell to the test on something alive. With more whim than focus, she reached deep into herself for Scale, planning to thin the air so much that little Brutus would near-suffocate.

Secretly the stag had been nearby for he was never away from his beloved throne for long. He'd come in on the midpoint of the fight and found a place behind one of the crumbling buildings to hide while he watched the two youth fight it out. He was impressed with Brutus' skills as well as the elephant's but she could use some humbling... or perhaps she hadn't met a Lord before and that was how she dealt with those her age. In any case it was time he revealed himself.

The stag with his great set of antlers limped out of hiding, his cool eyes landing on first Brutus and the Gadanai. His wounds were slowly healing but they still ailed him and his voice was rather hoarse with whatever disease the Plague God had given him but he was getting better ever so slowly. Finally he stopped before the pair and gave a smile as he addressed them. "Very well done, both of you. I am proud you defended my honor, Brutus, you fought well. As did you, Gadanai. Perhaps with a bit of training we could make a warrior out of you." His voice was kind, measured, as he addressed both creatures. He wondered how this arrogant young female would react.

@Gadanai @Brutus

There was another electrical tingle. At this point, it was like a burst of energy. Yet, here she was, defeated... by a twerp! She didn't feel it though. All she felt was the urge to keep going, ears flared out and tail flailing angrily, a front foot pawing the ground. That's when the sound of hooves on ground and a husky voice came from behind her. She flung herself around and backed up several steps so Brutus was within her range of sight, standing with one on either side.

Ears still flared, tail still furious, and trunk pulled up toward the air before she trumpeted out, the sound echoing off the walls of Orion. It ended in a snort and a deep, barely comprehensible roar bellowed in her throat, creating a deep vibration only others of her kind would hear. As he spoke, she slowly relaxed, ears starting to tip back toward her head and tail slowing to a flicker as her trunk fondled her growing tusks.

The compliments were something else. She'd never felt such flattery and it made her suspicious of the buck. Then he suggested she wasn't already a warrior and she tossed her head at him. "You know my name? I am Warrior. You know my name, but not that?" she snorted again, dust blowing up from the ground near her feet. She shot a glare at Brutus, making sure he wasn't plotting a sneak attack, then darted her bright, sadistic eyes back at Hasira.

He was covered in battle scars. His antlers extended beyond her youthful reach, but barely. She approached him, cautiously. The reds searched him for signed of trickery. With several feet between them, she reached her trunk out, stretching it, sniffing him to be sure he wasn't a threat. He was older than all the others she had encountered so far. More experienced. And he had all those spikes on his head. "I don't trust you," she hissed at him, then took a step back.