"RRRRRNGH!!" the frustrated noise escaped after Alrik hit the ground, yet again not where he wanted to be. "HOW'm I s'pposed tah win against someone TWICE my HEIGHT?!" Alrik would then try to arrange himself in such a manner that he could ram his head into one of James's front legs. Maybe the trick was just to get James down on the ground...

Round: 3/5
Attempt: Ram into one of James's front hooves in the hopes of throwing James off balance.
Defense: NNNNNNah.
Injuries: None yet!

@James

James nearly laughed. Nearly.

"You were the one that suggested this!" he said.

He meant to step over Alrik, he really did! Only... he tripped over the cat and went down like a sack of damn bricks, hoof twisting and a squeal errupting from his throat as he landed hard. He immediately tried to get up, only to cry out in pain as his foot gave out on him, sending him down to the ground once again.

"Ow- ow ow ow ow-" he said through his gritted teeth.

James was nearly in tears as he lay there, a stupid mistake having cost him... though thankfully, he'd just learned a very convinient new spell.

@Alrik

Round: 3/5
Attempt: Step over the cat.
Defense: N/A
Injuries: Sprained hoof

"I know tha--" Alrik was about to retort, but then, it happened. The breakthrough!! James tripped. And fell over. Had that been because of Alrik?! Oh my gosh, that was because of Alrik!! YES!!! Without beating James in weight, Alrik had managed to take James down!!!!

It looked like it hurt though. Oof. Alrik moved closer-- then stopped as James tried and failed to get up. The pallas' cat figured by now that 1, James might need some help, 2, this was an opportunity for a win!, and 3, James didn't seem... as strong as Alrik had thought. Perhaps it was James's reflexes that empowered them when the moment was right. Maybe it was luck. Maybe James was just better at playing defensive. All of that was fine, it was just...

Alrik would have to look elsewhere, wouldn't he?

Regardless, instinct told the cat to go for the neck. So that's what Alrik would try -- VERY GENTLY!! -- to do, while his opponent was down. At least he wasn't like Carja, trying to go around and sit on people.

Jaws managed to clamp down softly on their mark. "Thi-- woul-- mea-- I wi-- righ--?" Mouth open wide, made it hard to... articulate speech, let's say.

Round: 4/5
Attempt: Gently get up and bite James's neck to uh... I don't know, assert dominance? Win? Whatever.
Defense: N/A
Injuries: None yet!

@James

James inhaled sharply and forced himself up as much as he could, attempting to lurch to his feet and recover, to hopefully fight back again. He let out a cry of pain and collapse again, tears welling up as he lay down on his side, ears pinned and muscles shuddering.

"Get off- GET OFF!" he shouted, "I forfeit- get off of me!"

He wanted to kick the cat, pain bubbling into a defensive anger, unable to cope with such agony (at least to him, since the worst he'd ever faced was a few painful scratches). It hurt, that was for sure...

@Alrik

Round: 4/5
Attempt: Stand up
Defense: N/A
Injuries: Broken hoof now

As James started lurching to their hooves yelling, Alrik quickly backed way the heck away. "Alright ALRIGHT! Okay. Geez!" Alrik's eyes flickered down to James's hooves. "Um... I'm sorry? Do you, uh, need help??"

Alrik was truly confused. Could it really hurt that bad? Yeah... yeah now he was really considering someone besides James. If dragons were BIG, and James couldn't even handle one trip and fall?

That was gonna be a problem.

"I'm just gonna..." Alrik would try to back away from James fast, as far as he could without getting completely out of earshot of them, just to make sure he wasn't in the general vicinity of any... incurred wrath, or anything.

While his head was facing directly opposite to his intended path, Alrik had easily failed to see the rock jutting from the ground. He stubbed the back of his back paw. "Ah-- ouch!"

Round: 5/5
Attempt: Back the heck up & let James forfeit.
Defense: N/A
Injuries: None yet!

@James

James faced away as he curled up as best he could, tears in his eyes. He remained there on the ground, shivering, ignoring the other as he sniffled and whimpered softly.

It had to get up. Sun was waiting.

He put pressure on his hoof and whined, unable to even touch it without hurting himself. Damn it... DAMN IT! Ari would think him so irresponsible for leaving Sunny all alone...

@Alrik

Round: 5/5
Attempt: Forfeit (get up)
Defense: N/A
Injuries: Broken hoof now

[Origin Cave]

Character: Alrik Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +1 (Fledgling) ROUND 1 Attempt: +14 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +5 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +3 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +18 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +1 Penalties: -0 Total: 45

Character: James Age: +3 (3 Cycles) Magic Level: +3 (Pupil) ROUND 1 Attempt: +9 Penalties: -0 ROUND 2 Attempt: +4 Penalties: -0 ROUND 3 Attempt: +1 Penalties: -0 ROUND 4 Attempt: +2 Penalties: -0 ROUND 5 Attempt: +7 Penalties: -0 Total: 29

WINNER: Alrik

-navey
@Alrik @James

"I'm just gonna... um, I guess I'll just, ya know... go now," Alrik said, shaking his shoulders a tad as if to shimmy out of the awkward binds of this interaction. James had gotten hurt, and Alrik didn't know what to do now, and that wasn't his fault! But, well, he wasn't gonna make James answer for it. Not now, anyways. He felt like that was a... bad idea.

"Hope your... leg feels-- ack, nevermind." Alrik really didn't like how the air felt like it was somehow sticking to his pelt. Tension, perhaps. Felt nasty. So, like he said, he was just gonna turn around and... leave. Was kind of a shame this win couldn't feel more, you know, victorious. And also a shame James hadn't been the right creature for Alrik's job. That made this a little more difficult, but whatever.

Bye?

- exit -

@James

James turned to watch Alrik go, not saying a word. It wasn't his fault. Really, it could happen to anyone. He hadn't known that he was this delicate. With all he'd done before, he'd considered himself strong. He was strong.

... Right?

He lay there on his side, trying to even out his breathing, building up his strength to stand or call out to someone. He clenched his eyes shut and strained, trying to feel for his magic, but apparently today was the day that it had gone on vacation, because nothing happened.

His head fell back onto the ground as more tears welled up and fell, a feeling of dread looming.

"A-Ari-" he rasped, sniffling weakly, "ARI!! ARI HELP!"

@Aristotle

Ari

Hope is but a waking dream

Walls drab tan or grey walls they were becoming… redundant. He had gotten used to the sights and sounds of Orion. Other creatures lived here and most of the homes were inhabited. Though on an outing with James and Sun they had found an uninhabited building that still had some things still intact. They were strange and hard and very heavy. One had been low to the ground and long and made of wood. The other had been tall with a round top and strange base holding it up. That one had been made of stone. If he could have moved either of them he would have taken them as decoration for his home. However both had turned out to be too heavy and awkward to move even with James’ help. Though it had been a neat look into what had once been in this place. He found himself now often wondering who or what had lived in these caves before the gembound inhabited them.

Broad paws fell muffled on the solid ground. The lion walked quietly along the roads towards the outskirts of town. He wasn’t out doing anything in particular at the moment. He was out getting some fresh air while Sun napped. He wouldn’t go to far, not so far that he wouldn’t hear Sun if he woke up and called out.

Though instead of Sun calling out to him, his rounded audits caught the sound of someone else. It was James calling his name! Without a second thought Aristotle leaped off in the direction of the call. His muscled legs carried him quickly toward the sound. It didn’t take him long to find James laying prone on the ground.Oh gods James what happened? The lion asked as he moved closer to inspect the horse. His eyes quickly fell on the offending hoof that was already starting to swell badly. Oh James. Aristotle breathed exasperated at the sight of his best friends hoof. Gently Aristotle moved to stand in front of him and he pressed his head into the horse’s neck. James we have to get you home now so I can treat that hoof. The lion urged, he would support James on his bad leg when and if he attempted to move.


@James