ORIGIN - Anything You Can Do (I can do better!)

we burn the brightest

in the dark

A four-legged silhouette stood over the cliffs, his great horns swirled majestically from the sides of his head, framing twinkling crystals and broken ruins below. He turned his head and strutted away from his great overlook. Warm, golden eyes glinted as he stepped unto the mottled, dancing light above him, illuminating his face. The bloodstone on the ram's muzzle began to shimmer with magick.

Aries snorted puffs of smoke from his nostrils. His eyes were fixed on large rock about his height.
It bore scuff marks and chippings. It was his head butting rock. Aries walked towards it, his head held high as if to show off his impressive horns. This was were he came to practice. He did not simply gain the handsome muscles he possessed by just standing around. Oh no, he had to work for them.

And continued to work he did. Aries rose of on his hind legs, ready to bash his skull against the rock with all his strength, but suddenly he stopped. He fell back on four hooves, eyeing the rock with suspicion. The stance was all wrong. He could have hit his nose!

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Kin-Kin // OOC:

Kin-Kin had returned to Orion, and on this day in particular her spirits were higher than they had been for several cycles. As she strutted through the streets, her signature glow cast a sheen of golden onto the walls around, onto the quartz clusters and onto the crystalline statues that she'd painstakingly lined the streets with in a time of sheer loneliness. Central to all of these statues was her den, where she kept various trinkets and slept when the need arose.

It was towards this den that she was headed now; that is, until she caught a movement in the corner of her eye. The wolf turned and paused, seeing a figure trotting along one of the cliffs back the way that she'd came. They didn't seem to have noticed her, but her glow brightened anyway, a smirk spreading across her muzzle. Without a second thought she bounded back the way she'd come, knowing that company would make teh moment infinitely better.

Or, well, some much-deserved praise, would, anyway.

Soon, she was standing at the foot of the cliffs, and padded up to the stranger, her tail swishing and crystalline blade clinking in its sheathe. She saw the stranger rear, only to fall back with their gaze on a battered-looking rock. Kin-Kin's eyes gleamed as she saw what they'd meant to do. With her eyes narrowed, raising her paws high with pride, she padded forward, pushing her muzzle into its slot in her crystalline blade. In a quick motion and a flash of rainbows refracted in the crystal she lunged, the sharp tip of her crystal knocking a small chunk from a jagged corner.

Then, she turned her gaze towards them, thrust the blade back against her foreleg, and approached.

"Hey, Kid! Need some coaching?"

words:
tagged: @Aries
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Aries backed up with his head held high, his eyes focused on the rock. He reared and charged towards his target. Suddenly, a flash of golden fur sprung from the shadows. Aries skidded to a stop as the figure slashed at the battered stone with her sword. A heart beat later, an he would have possibly ran into her. "Heeey." He called to her, somewhat miffed, then smirked. She had chipped his favorite sparring stone. Impressive.

Aries puffed out his chest and strutted over to the she-wolf. "Nice hit." He admitted. "Now, step a side and watch a pro."

The ram pawed dust from the ground, displaying his muscles as they rippled under his coat. Then he reared up and delivered the finale, a strong headbutt to the rock. The sound of impact echoed loudly through out the rocky formation. Aries sniffed proudly and turned to his visitor, reveling a crack he made on the edge. Surely she would be impressed by this.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Kin-Kin // OOC:

Kin-Kin chuckled at the annoyance in their voice, however mild, her tail flicking in triumph. When she glanced their way, her eyes were half-lidded with cool confidence. "A pro, huh?" she drawled, trotting back towards them, and settling aside with her tail curled around her haunch and thumping against the ground. Her eyes were sparkling with glee. "Be my guest!"

Of course, the wolf didn't take this lightly; and she knew that she was out to win. However, this ram seemed like the type she'd like to have a little bit of fun with, and she fully intended to make the most out of this encounter, and leave them floored with awe.

She watched them, with a smirk dancing across her muzzle, as they once again struck the rock, this time leaving a small crack on it's surface. Kin-Kin stood up, yawning and stretching, and approached, pretending to peer closely at the crack, as though she could hardly see it. How cute!" Kin-Kin said, her tone pandering and congratulatory, as though speaking to a child. With a spring in her step, she stepped back from the rock. "Now, let's see if I can make it bigger!"

Extending her foreleg, Kin-Kin once again drew her sword, and struck. The sharp tip embedded itself in the hole, and with a quick twist, several small shards flew loose, widening the hole somewhat. As Kin-Kin stepped back, she plunged the blade back into the crystalline tendrils on her foreleg, and turned towards the Ram, looking somewhat pleased. "There! Now that's a work of art!"

tagged: @Aries
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Aries couldn't help but to chuckle at this rival of his. The whole situation seemed absurd. Here he was training like he had always done since he met Leon, then out of no where, this spunky she-wolf swooped in and here they were, showing off to one another. Not that Aries minded, a friendly competition while he practiced seemed like fun. Though, he wanted to get to know this strange she-wolf first.

"Mmm, impressive!"He called out, his tone laced with friendly sarcasm.

Aries strutted up to her and gave her a boastful, yet charming smile. "I'm Aries by the way,"He said. "You know, just incase you're curious who this handsome ram is."

Aries smirked and snorted fire from his nostrils. His large, swirling horns glowed like red lava as intense heat radiated from the bone and the ground beneath him began to sizzle. He turned to the battered rock and bowed his head as if attempting to be majestic, and pawed at the ground in preparation for a charge, leaving scorch marks on the Orion dirt.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Kin-Kin// OOC:

Kin-Kin's glow brightened at the ram's compliment, however sarcastic. As she reached them, she winked one violet eye, setting down near them with plumed tail sweeping around her haunch. "Aries, huh?" she asked rhetorically, tilting her head with ears lowered coyly. A wolfish grin spread across her muzzle. "Oh, I don't know about that."

She grinned, sending yet another wink their way. "Dashing sounds far more like it." She stood, shaking her cloak, and sidled just that little bit closer, careful to avoid the worst of their blistering heat. "Ever heard of playing hard to get, tough guy?" Kin-Kin asked wryly, her jaws opened in obvious mirth.

Then she was wandering past them, grinning broadly, her stance and tail suggesting that she couldn't have cared less. But the way she glanced back over her shoulder was expectant. "The name's Kin-Kin. You might have heard of me," she drawled slowly and purposefully. "Yes, the Kin-Kin, Demigod of Light and Magickal Champion of the Caves." She turned back towards them with a flourish, grin returning full force.

And the bright glow around her danced, twisting in the air into a series of rainbows that accented her golden fur and cast sparks of light across the ground from the translucent crystal on her foreleg. "Don't wear it out."

words:
tagged: @Aries
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

we burn the brightest

in the dark

Dashing.

That sounded quite nice, Aries the Dashing.

He flashed Kin-Kin a playful smirk at her remark on playing hard to get."Yeah, I have." He said coolly. "But, I'm a straightforward kind of ram."

"I like to charge head on." he gave her a wink.

Aries charged at the battered stone, pride and strength emulating from him like the heat from his horns. He delivered rapid kicks from his front legs to the rock. Although, with all that raw power, his attack seemed to be lacking, though his hooves did leave slight scorched marks. Realizing his fumble, Aries decided to make up for it with an impressive headbutt, but to his dismay, he whacked his nose instead.

WHAM!

"Aagrh!"

Agonizing pain shot through his gem, forcing tears to well up in his eyes. Aries quickly covered his muzzle with his foreleg and attempted to hide his face from Kin-Kin. After a moment, he recollected himself and sniffed. Thankfully, his nose wasn't bleeding, which usually meant an uncracked gem, although didn't know which hurt more, his bloodstone, or his pride.

Attempting to play cool, he turned back to Kin-Kin feigning a stiff smile as he tried to hold back tears of pain.

He attempted to change the subject. "Sooo, Demi-God of Light, and Magical Champion of the Caves, that's quite the title!" Truthfully, Aries was impressed by the length and grandeur, though he wondered what kind of Gembound would announced themselves as such. "How did you get it?"

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Kin-Kin // OOC:

"Head-on, eh?" Kin-Kin asked, her eyes sparkling in amusement. She proceeded to watch, tail swishing slowly, as they gave her a grand show, although obviously not quite in the way they'd intended. Kin-Kin almost felt sorry for them; she knew from personal experience that a damaged pride was one of the worst things in the cave. According to her, at least.

As much as she tried, though, the she-wolf was unable to resist a small snicker as the ram made their way back towards her, blinking innocently as though she hadn't noticed, or cared. "Impressive! I've never seen a rock fight back before," she giggled, pristine fangs bared with amusement. Kin-Kin felt like she owed them another shot, almost, to redeem themselves; but it felt almost cruel to offer at this point. Kin-Kin instead rose, stretched, and approached the offending boulder slowly, taking the time to plan her attack. She certainly didn't want to make the same mistake.

When she was sure of herself, Kin-Kin whipped the crystalline blade out of its sheathe, and leaped forward. She stood before the boulder, gazing, calculating, then rose up onto her hind paws and struck, several shards of stone flying loose.

As she returned, pushing the crystalline blade back into its sheathe, Kin-Kin thought about how best to answer their question. "Mmm-hm. Impressive, isn't it?" she said carefully, though the ram's words caused her head to raise in pride. "Well... It's been a long while since I laid claim to either title. But, cycles and cycles ago, the inhabitants of the cave came together and had a magic competition. There were hundred of participants, but only one champion." Kin-Kin grinned at the memory. Before that competition, Kin-Kin felt that she'd still been finding her footing in the caves. Her pride had been an act until that moment. That competition had shaped her into the wolf that she was today.

"As for Demigod... well, the last time the caves went into pitch darkness, I stumbled upon a false god in Orion. so sure of their grandeur, and yet they were blind in the dark without me. Lost. I guided them back to the light. As for the title... I just thought it fit. Don't you?" Kin-Kin shrugged, winking playfully their way.

tagged: @Aries
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

we burn the brightest

in the dark

"Ha, ha." He casually snarked. Her remark about the rock prodded his bruised pride. A part of Aries wanted to kick himself not being on top of his game today. Regardless, the ram still held his handsome head high and smiled as he watched Kin-Kin as she gracefully slashed at the rock with her crystalline sword. He wondered how even she got a sword.

I could use one of those.

According to Kin-Kin, she had gotten her titles from a spell competition, and during last period of darkness. He remembered tales about the competition, they had happened just before he was born, but as of now, he never remembered the lights failing in the caves. Kin-Kin must have been older than she looked. He too had dreamed of heroic acts and grandeur, much like what Kin-Kin described, though he wondered how much of it was embellished.

Aries waited until Kin-Kin finished her attack before stepping up. This time, he would show her what he could really do. "That's a neat story!" He said to her. "I have no titles like that," Aries sighed. Then he looked back at Kin-Kin and paw at the ground, showing off his strength through the prideful stomping. "But someday I will."
Instead of charging head on, Aries bolted left and jumped up on the vertical face of a boulder before leaping off and striking the dummy rock with his hooves. He landed on the otherside and Aries thrusted his haunches down and skidded to a stop, then turned sharply and lunged head first into its backside, breaking away a chip.

Aries lifted his head casually as the dust settle behind him and smirked. He pranced up to Kin-Kin, chest puffed out. "Say, you look like someone who can carry her own, want to spar with me?" He lowered his head and pawed the ground a few times as if to challenge. "No magick, no blood, no crying, just some good-natured practice."

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Kin-Kin // OOC:

Kin-Kin chuckled softly as they lamented their lack of cool titles, and swaggered suavely back so that she could take a seat a respectable distance from them, her shining fur seeping a golden glow, her posture oozing self-confidence and pride. "Don't worry, kid. It ain't about the titles- it's about what ya do to get em. Usually by accident, if I'm honest." She raised her brows, baring sharp fangs in a grin. "For now, I think 'Tough Guy' suits ya pretty well!" she flicked her tail and winked, eyes sparkling with glee.

Kin-Kin's face- and her body, lit up at their offer for a spar. it had been far too long since she'd had a good rumble with anyone. Her and Imperia's last few meetings had been surprisingly civil, and the she-wolf suspected she was getting a little rusty. "Oh, you betcha!" she responded, enthusiasm leaking into her stance as she stood and shook off, as though preparing herself. "I've been itchin' for somethin' to get the old blood pumpin' again. Been too long since I've had a good rumble."

She gave one last stretch, arching her spine high. "Right here, right now?" she asked quizzically, with a grin that was both playful and taunting.

words:
tagged: @Aries
ooc:
muse:

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...