Feel the Thunder

Artorias knew his move had been risky. He had tried to use Briar's own natural advantages against her, to turn her antlers from a boon into a weapon to win the fight. In doing so, he had left himself unstable, thinking that perhaps he could throw Briar to the ground before she could realize what was going on and retaliate. Unfortunately for him, that wasn't what happened at all. As soon as he grabbed Briar's antlers and began to pull at her, the Fatalis girl was surging forward, throwing all of her weight at him. Artorias yowled in surprise and tried to stabilize his footing, but thanks to the wet sand and the heavy rain, he ended up slipping and tumbling backwards. He felt Briar's body collide with his, sending him sprawling across his back. Suddenly there was weight on his chest, knocking the air from him with an "oof"—and then he was gazing up at Briar.

Amber eyes blinked wide with shock as she pinned him to the beach. He gazed up at the brilliant turquoise eyes shimmering with triumph and realized he'd been beaten. With no chance of resisting or retaliating, Artorias groaned in defeat and collapsed back to the damp sand, breathing hard while he peered up at his lover. "Okay okay, you got me! You win!" He laughed softly and shot a proud grin up at Briar, watching the way the rain dripped from her silky fur and how each flash of lightning illuminated every hue of blue and green in her eyes. "What were you saying about being a terrible fighter, Princess? 'Cause you just got me flat on my back like it was nothing."

"Artorias Carpathius"