Sparring for Two

Featuring Nimwen and Caelan
Early Autumn, Y767 of the New Age
Windborne, Westhaven

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Nimwen

    The  leaves of the gumtrees rustled softly overhead as a breeze drifted by.  Though the heat of summer was starting to fade, it was still quite warm  in the sunshine, making for a pleasant afternoon. And yet...

    “Aughh, son of a windless, snake-hearted, flea-bitten, frog-faced...!”

    ...it  was difficult for Nimwen to enjoy the weather while her horn was  itching up a storm. The roan doe rubbed it up against a tree trunk over  and over, scraping away stubborn bits of velvet as best she could. She  had always been proud of her horn, peculiar as it was, and it was to her  personal pleasure that it seemed to be growing longer. Right now,  though, it was causing her nothing but frustration. Normally the itch of  the skin was unpleasant at best, but this year it seemed almost  unbearable.

    Luckily, there were no  innocent youthful ears around to hear her vent her discomfort -- or  their appalled mothers. Not that Nimwen would’ve paid them any mind. It  wasn’t her fault she and the other  recruits had the day off. It was cruel fate, she supposed; she would’ve  given anything for a distraction.

Caelan

    The  light coated stag stood with his eyes closed, while the large, black  bird sat on his head, nibbling at the dry velvet of his horns, carefully  plucking off piece after piece, while Caelan just sighed with relief.  It where times like these, when he was endlessly grateful for Ciel’s  clever little had and the fact she liked everything that included being  able to destroy something and if it was plucking dried up skin from new  grown horn, well, a win-win situation for them both.

    That  is, until the rustling of a nearby tree alongside some very frustrated  noises made him open his eyes once again. Blinking a couple times to  readjust to the light, Caelan soon found it was a doe about his age, who  apparently had a very itchy time with her shedding horn, trying to make  an innocent tree pay for it. Caelan watched for another moment, while  also Ciel had stopped her nibbling, watching the doe alongside her  fawnling companion.

    “Maybe we can lend her a  hoof.” Caelan then eventually said and with Ciel still on his head,  strode from the tree he had been standing under over to where the doe  was, a little smile on his lips, when he approached her, “What did the  tree do to deserve being mauled like that?” he asked eventually, in a  bit of a joking tone, as they both obviously knew very well what caused a  fawnling to attack trees when autumn came along.  

Nimwen

    Nimwen let out an amused huff. “The tree</i>! What did I</i>  do to deserve this horn?” the doe answered. She gave one last scrape  against the bark before stepping away to see whoever had spoken. The  ugly scraps of flesh clinging to her horn were still causing a nasty  itch and she shook her head in discomfort.

    The  pale-colored stag standing nearby wasn’t one she recognized. “You got  any better ideas, sunshine?” Nim asked, only half-joking. “I don’t  suppose I’ve seen you around before – or Tweety there, either,” she  added as she glanced at the macaw with a curious eye.

    While  he looked about her age, he seemed to carry himself with a more mature  dignity. Interesting, she thought; he certainly didn’t appear to have  the beef of a soldier on him, that she could rule out. One of her dark  ears twitched forward.

Caelan

    “I  still doubt the tree is the reason you got it.” Caelan just joked back  with somewhat of an amused chuckle, when the doe turned around, asking  him, if he had any better ideas, “I have a bird, I don’t need no ideas.”  he shot her a bit of a grin, while Ciel puffed her feathers, followed  by a disapproving noise escaping the dark bird’s throat, when the doe  referred to her as “Tweety” in her next sentence

    “Really?  Well, I’ve been around all eight years of my life, though.” Caelan  meanwhile just shrugged a bit. It didn’t really surprise him, he hadn’t  seen the doe before, there were many nomad families and also the Allied  Herds were a large herd and while he knew most members from sight, it’d  be silly to claim he knew everyone.

    “Still, that  doesn’t mean we can’t get to know each other now. I’m Caelan and this is  Ciel. I guess, she’d appreciate being called by her name more than  ‘Tweety’, which might be handy in case you’d also like a handy beak to  get you rd off that velvet.” he motioned a bit towards the itchy pieces  of skin still dangling from her horn. 

Nimwen

    “Well,  I’m Nimwen. Nice to bump into ‘ya, Caelan,” the doe replied, opting to  skip a formal soldier’s greeting; somehow she doubted she’d look  particularly dignified in her current state. “...And Ciel, pardon me,”  she added, giving a humored nod to the macaw. Nimwen herself hadn’t had a  companion since she was a filly -- well, more of a bird she’d liked to  chase after -- and it was oddly charming to see one again, even if  Nimwen wasn’t in her good graces.

    The  itch gnawed at the roan’s horn again, and she tossed her head  furiously. She didn’t quite understand Caelan’s connection between his  macaw and her shedding problems, but she wasn’t about to pass off any  suggestions. It wasn’t the craziest thing she’d ever heard. “Guy, if  you’ve got something in mind, be my guest,” she said. “Heck, I’ll kneel  down and call your little friend the queen if I have to.”

Caelan

    “The  pleasure is on my side.” Caelan smiled, when the doe introduced  herself. She seemed a straightforward type, which Caelan sure knew to  appreciate, it reminded her a little on his friend Siv, who also always  had been impressively straightforward about, well, everything. A chuckle  then soon followed, when Nimwen spoke about kneeling before him, if  he’d know a way to get that last itchy bits off of her horn.

    “I  don’t think that’ll be necessary, but then again, Ciel sure appreciates  some worshipping, don’t you?” he said, looking at the bird, who poofed  her feathers approvingly. 

“Would you mind helping  Nimwen with her horn?” he then told the macaw, who gave a little rumble  in her throat, then spread her wings and with a flap glided over to  Nimwen, climbing up her neck and skillfully starting to nibble off the  dry skin with her beak.

 

Nimwen

    “Oh!”  She was a little taken aback but kept still for Ciel. Nim watched for a  few moments, from what little she could see at her angle, and suddenly  wished she’d thought of the idea sooner. “Hey, that’s clever!”

    Caelan  seemed like a sharp fellow, if she could trust first impressions. By  ear, he vaguely reminded her of the merchant she’d once met, Sparrow --  sans the attempts of flattery. As long as he didn’t try to call her ‘darling,’</i> Nimwen had no complaints.

    “I  think I ought’a worship regardless, you work wonders,” she said to  Ciel. She looked back at the stag. “So what are you up to out here,  Caelan? Unless this was about it -- which I can’t say I blame you for.”

    What  the macaw pulled off was already a relief. Better than any tree, for  sure. “I hoping to stretch my legs today, ‘till the season had other  plans… although, your buddy may have saved me there.”

Caelan

    The  young stag couldn’t help a grin, while he shrugged modestly, “Ciel had  the idea herself, so you need to thank her.” he said, while his black  parrot nibbled away all the loose skin from the does horn, seeming to  quite greatly enjoy herself doing so. It probably was far less an odd  hobby for birds than it was or fawnlings, Caelan had decided as Ciel  generally loved to nibble on all sorts of things.

    When  the doe asked about what had brought him here, the cream stag shrugged  again somewhat, “I guess, this was indeed about it.” he chuckled,  “Granted, I originally meant to train, but as is is, training by  yourself isn’t exactly very motivating, is it?” he added.

    “We’re  glad to help.” he nodded, followed by his ears twitching somewhat,  “Well, maybe to repay Ciels services you might be willing for a little  sparring together with her fawnling companion? It’s better to stretch  your legs together than alone.” he smiled.   

Nimwen

    He didn’t have to ask twice. At once, Nimwen’s face lit up eagerly, and she flashed Caelan a grin. 

    “Ha,  I like the way you think!” she chimed. The doe hardly needed an  incentive for a spar on a regular day, much less while her body was  begging to move. With a wink, she added, “If it’ll repay your pal, who  am I to say no?”

    Nim gave Ciel a final relieved  thanks as her horn was freed of the last scraps, and proceeded to  scrutinize their surroundings. The clearing around them had more than  enough room to spare. She looked back to the pale stag; he was on the  leaner side, and spoke in a manner that was almost princely, but she  certainly didn’t take him for a wimp. Another grin shone his way.

    “A better partner than that tree, I’d hope!” she jipped, finding herself a place.

Caelan

    Caelan  chuckled, when his new acquaintance seemed quite excited about the idea  of having a spar. Well, he certainly welcomed that and was too certain  that sparring with Nimwen would proof to be a lot more fun and be a lot  better a learning experience than punching a tree or tossing around  stuff with his magic.  

    “Oh, I’m  sure of it. Don’t tell the tree, but he isn’t exactly very active in his  training technique.” the slender stag joked with a wink, “So, anything  special you’d like to train? Magic or rather strength or maybe have a  little race? I often race Ciel, but it’s kind of unfair to race someone  who can fly. Lucky for me, I doubt she knows she always wins.” he  winked.

    The black bird meanwhile had  left Nimwen, after she was done cleaning the does rack. She knew the  word spar and while she always enjoyed playing with her fawnling  friends, she knew sparrings could get uncomfortable and so she rather  took perch on the tree and began nibbling around on it’s bark to maybe  find herself a bug or two. 

Nimwen

    The  doe bobbed her head restlessly. “Well, how ‘bout we see if you’ve got  any muscle under that pretty coat of yours, eh, sunshine?” Nimwen  challenged the stag, all playful fire about her steps.

    Hardly  waiting for a response, she’d set herself up at a fair distance. Her  tail was held high, occasionally lashing -- not out of confidence, but  good-natured spirit. There was no way better way to get to know someone  than with a good, old-fashioned wrestle.

    “No  teeth, no magic, no dirty tactics,” Nim announced, briefly forgetting  she wasn’t at a training session with a fellow recruit. “A pure pit of  power." She met Caelan’s eyes with a smirk.

    “What’cha got?”

Caelan

    The  golden stag wasn’t very surprised, when the doe chose a sparring. She  seemed like the type who enjoyed some good old wrestling and pushing  back and forth against each other. Well, Caelan definitely also wasn’t  against that. He often had practiced with Siv when they had been  younger, but now his friend was travelling, he didn’t have quite as much  opportunity anymore for some friendly scuffle.

    “Sounds  good to me!” he agreed to her rules, walking backwards a few steps,  before giving a snort, tossing his mane some and pawing the ground in an  equally playful manner. 

    “I had a  good teacher.” he winked right back at her, before charging forward, his  head lowered so their racks could meet, before starting to attempt  pushing her up and backwards, knowing from Siv the less weight another  could put on the ground, the easier it was to push them.

Nimwen

    Head  low, Nimwen braced against the colliding rack; Caelan's technique  caught her off guard, smartly moving to uproot her balance. Even as she  struggled, though, she grit her teeth and grinned. So often she was used  to sparring with fellow recruits who burst in with their strength  alone; how refreshing to face an opponent with an actual plan!

    Nimwen’s feet were pushed back a few steps before she managed to plant them, and regain some weight in her front.

    “No  kidding!” she replied. Her hind hooves dug into the dirt as she tried  to keep from stepping back any further. It was no easy task, with the  position she’d been shoved into, but she wasn’t a recruit for nothing.  “I’ve had a few of those myself!”

    With a grunt  Nimwen pushed off, hard, aiming to muscle her way into recovering some  ground and getting a window to bring her head low -- or at the very  least, levelled with Caelan’s.

Caelan

    Siv’s  technique once again proved itself to be a smart one, Caelan felt the  doe apparently a bit surprise by his attack that was more than just  running into each other and see who would manage to keep standing. He  held her up for a few moments, yet she obviously wasn’t a beginner  either and soon enough found her footing her, starting to try using her  muscle against him, which was a good plan as she seemed bulkier than him  for sure.

    Sticking out his tongue a  bit in concentration, Caelan did his best to hold against the doe  without losing too much ground, but also making her push even harder,  for the first trick hadn’t been the only his friend had once taught him.  

    When he felt he probably wouldn’t  be able to hold Nimwen back much longer, Caelan gave a last push  forward, like to coax her into pushing harder, before he drew back ever  so slightly, but enough to make her push into nothing for a bit, just  for him to snake forward again and nip at her ankles, to hopefully throw  her off balance even more.

Nimwen

    The  doe could feel Caelan yielding to her force, to which her confidence  flared. Snorts of effort, clacking of antlers, and shuffling of hooves  were all Nimwen could hear; music to her ears. Still the stag was trying  to hold his own, and Nim was ready to return everything he gave. He  might have some crafty tricks, but she had the bulk!--

    Ack! Spoken too soon. Suddenly Caelan pulled away, and Nimwen’s weight had  nothing to push on. There would only be a small window to right herself.  Already, though, he was diving for her heels; she felt one knee hit the  ground. In a knee-jerk reaction Nim flashed out her good leg, not to  strike but rather to ward off another bite.

    Dammit, he was smart. She needed to change tactics.

    Nimwen  swung her head and snorted defiantly as she righted herself. The  instant she’d found balance, she rounded herself to come back in and  meet his rack. Perhaps if she were quick enough, she might catch him at a  bad angle.

Caelan

    Falling  for his bait, Caelan felt Nimwen growing too daring by pushing forward  even harder, obviously thinking she was getting the upper hand. A tiny  smirk briefly played on his lips, before he took a sneaky step backwards  and just like the many times he had fallen for this trick with Siv,  also Nimwen found herself stumbling forward. Yet it very soon became  clear that the doe indeed knew her craft, for only a moment later she  already regained her balance and unfortunately seemed to have learned  her lesson about underestimating him. 

    Swiftly  she slipped forward and swung her head up, catching Caelan’s rack with  her own horn without the golden stag having expected such a quick  maneuver as usually people stayed startled longer by stumbling forward,  not Nimwen however, she used the force of the stumble to link her horn  to his, drawing him with her own momentum and before he knew it, also  Caelan lost his footing and both found themselves on the ground with a  soft thud.

    A little pause followed,  before Caelan gentle untangled his horn from Nimwens, looking at her for  a moment, before a grin grew on his face. “That was a good one!” he  snorted at her with a genuinely impressed nod, “Seems however like we  knocked both ourselves out.” he then added with a good-natured laugh.  This sparring definitely had been one of the best he had ever had and he  did dearly hope it wouldn’t be their last. It was very hard to find a  really good sparring partner after all and Nimwen seemed to be just  that!