This whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth, especially with how quickly things were spiralling out of control. He was surprised when he noticed someone approaching him, a lovely female with a pale coat and striking pale copper markings - she was familiar, but vaguely so, and he couldn’t remember if he’d ever seen her before. For a moment he was transported to his childhood, when he had lived peacefully and without worry - her coloration was similar to the woman he remembered from the Adravendi family.. She didn’t greet him with aggression, none at all, but a simple warning to return home. His nose wrinkled, and he shook his head slowly. He would’ve preferred to go home, he truly would, but he couldn’t. “I.. can’t,” he replied simply, somberly, though his demeanor changed rapidly when he spotted Sterling moving to attack the woman that had given him the warning.
He felt his chest tighten. He was not a man of violence, not like his father had once been, and while he’d always wanted to learn to fight more effectively to defend his family he’d never wanted anything like this. But now that Sterling was engaged - a quick glance around told him Jade and Esarosa were still safe - he knew he couldn’t get out of here without a fight, even if he hated every second of it.
It wasn’t long before another spat a warning at him, and Steel’s stony gaze turned to him. Sterling, though without much fighting experience, could certainly defend herself.. Right? He had to hope so. She’d always been confident and fiery, and he hoped she could use those things to her advantage. His attention snapped back Exodus. The boy was far younger than him, perhaps around the age of his children, and he had no interest in attacking him. If he had any say at all, he’d be happy to retreat and go back home immediately, but it was too late for that. A heavy sigh fell from his lips as he realized that a fight was inevitable, and as he felt Jade pull slightly away from him. He hoped she wouldn’t end up fighting, too - she was even less a fighter than Sterling was, in his mind, but he supposed she would have to fend for herself too..
It was hard to tell if the yearling before him was skilled at all in fighting, or if his facade was merely a ruse. As soon as Steel watched him settled into a stance that preluded an attack, he followed in suit, his head dropping as instinct took over, his head squaring with his shoulders and tucking slightly down against his chest as his tail flicked out level with his back. He let his weight spread to all four limbs, spreading them slightly to keep his balance easier if Exodus tried to attack first. His toes spread slightly too, claws aiming to dig into the ground for added balance.
Adrenaline began to sprout from deep within his chest, as his lips curled back to reveal his teeth and his hackles raised defensively. His posture tightened as he watched Exodus kick off, charging what seemed like straight toward him. Steel watched as he lowered himself, aiming to keep his own body weight centered low and tilted forward slightly to prepare for the charge. He winced when he felt Exodus’ right shoulder collide roughly with the center part of his throat, feeling the wind get knocked out of him briefly and pain blossom from the spot he’d collided with. He tried to maintain his balance, shifting his weight to his back limbs to let himself stumble backwards slightly without falling completely.
Without hesitation, he saw Exodus’s parting jaws as they aimed to strike the right side of his face, and felt another sharp strike of pain as the hit landed. Luckily, thanks to his furrowed features, he’d been prepared to take such an assault to the tender flesh of his cheek, and hoped his curled lips and wrinkled cheeks had absorbed some of the damage. It was hard to tell, feeling less pain than normal, the way adrenaline coursed through his veins now like wildfire. He swore he hardly felt the paw that slammed down on his own right front paw, feeling a warm sensation spreading through his toes but little more than that. Wanting to twist away from the assault, but knowing they were in close enough quarters that he couldn’t re position himself entirely, Steel aimed to swing his head to the side in retaliation, jaws parting wide as he pushed his weight back to his front paws and tried to put pressure back into the other male, using his right shoulder against Exodus’s own to push into him. He aimed to snap roughly at his face too, while he kicked off with his back legs - hoping the attack would push him back as well as distract him from his own face. The last thing he planned for today was to go home bearing scars like his father's, and he was determined to put up a hell of a fight if it came to that.
Steel vs. Exodus for Maim (Facial scarring)
Round 1/2
Height: 36"
Build: Medium
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