The Warrior and his Ward

It was a lot to focus on, his positioning, his flapping, the wolf before him, the sword in his talons, and then not just defending blows but giving back hits of his own? How did anyone do this? Zephyr gave a heavy beat of his wings as Artorias darted forward, timing it so they would be flung back behind him as the sword-wielding wolf came into close quarters. He did not want to risk losing or breaking any feathers today.

At the same time he brought his talons up - instantly hating the absence of a sword in the other, and wobbling off-balance for it - in a panicked attempt to block the sword's strike. Artorias was coming from the wrong damn side for him to meet (wooden) blade to blade, and all Zeph could think to do was to rotate his wrist to fix the positioning. Twisting his talon abruptly to the side, he managed to catch the wood upon his blade... and then promptly lost hold of the hilt against the force of the blow. Artorias' strike moved through it, whacking him on the limb and interrupting his instinctual attempt to grab the falling thing mid-air. Damnit.

Recoiling his leg back in pain, he threw the opposite wing forward and down. Risking his feathers this time, he aimed to flap the thing right into Artorias' face as he recovered from his strike, hoping to blind him just long enough that he could retrieve the sword before it hit dirt.

Zephyrus vs Artorias for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: over 1 year
Size: Paleo species
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Battle claws
Defensive Battle Accessory: Face shield
Companion 1: Cottonmouth Snake, Male - Battle
Companion 2: Binturong, Female - Battle
*Companion 3: Honey badger, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Thick feather shafts and barbs - Defensive
Mutation 2: Reinforced bones - Defensive
Mutation 3: Keratin strengthened talons - Offensive
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Fleet-footed

"Zephyr"