4th Rider of Daein

None of the art on this blog is mine unless otherwise specified. RP blog, associated with FERP.

[restoration-prince]

Battle Wounds >Open

Ephraim had constantly sparred, day after day, feeling the fresh start of battles always made him more excited for what was to come. Gripping his lance firmly in his hands, feeling the callouses harden more in his grip. He gave a wicked smirk and struck the enemy down. Some enemies had infiltrated the territory in Askr, someplace where other heroes had joined up to help defend everything precious to them.

Ephraim steadied his lance and his footwork, taking in the apparent surroundings, seeing that most of the enemies had been struck down. He had been one of the strongest units that had been brought to this world but that never deterred him from his training. His training is what got him this far, Duessel was the main factor behind how he could use the lance. Something that he learned from such a young age.

Ephraim lowered the lance, just a little basic iron one, but it got the job done nonetheless. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, building up a sweat from the battle and letting out a sigh. After everything had passed and all the enemies were down, he noticed a painful stabbing sensation running through his body.

He glanced down and saw blood leaking down his side. It wasn’t a gash, but it was certainly something that was a hindrance. He hadn’t noticed it from the rush of battle but he placed his hand over the wound on his side. Looking around, he didn’t see anyone in view. He sat down and opened the vulnerary he kept in his pouch and drank some from the vial. 

“Surely someone will be here soon.” Ephraim spoke quietly as he remained composed about the wound.

[divineknightofdaein]

Ever since he had been brought to this land, Gawain had looked for someone strong enough to spar with him. Watching the skirmish unfold, he had kept an eye on a certain blue-haired lance wielder. Once the fight was over, Gawain noticed the man press a hand to his side, seemingly wounded. With no one else around to help, Gawain made himself known.

"Ho there!" He calls to the man as he makes his approach. "You seem to be wounded. Might I be of assistance?"

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. “Intriguing” is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. “Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs.” He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. “Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blunt edge pokes her chest and her ears perk up. He is right; had she run with much more force, as in a real battle, the sword would have gone right through her, no matter how dull the edges.

She steps off him, placing distance between them, unwilling to vocally acknowledge her second loss and maroon eyes refusing to blink.

His sword arm is mightier and swifter than that of Chrom’s, she thinks. She’ll have to use another strategy to beat him.

“What is your name, swordsman?” She asks as she crouches.

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain stood as his opponent stepped back, stretching his sword arm and preparing for another assault. While not as powerful as some he had faught in the past, his opponenent fights in a way foreign to Tellius. She asked his name, possibly a ploy to throw him off-guard. Gawain kept his gaze on the rabbit as he responded. “I am Gawain, a Rider of Daein.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Titles hold no meaning to Panne. A rider, a sage, a king; it’s all the same to her. Yet from the way he battles and reads her moves she guesses he must be an elite knight.

“Gawain” she repeats “I will remember that name.” 

Her legs push the ground and she intends to ram against him once again.

So far he’s beaten me because he always does something unexpected when I am close. 

Instead of slamming onto him, she jumps in the air, curling her body into herself, and comes down spinning rapidly like a rolling stone… To land at his side on her front legs and using the momentum, she spins her body, sending a flurry of powerful kicks against his sword arm.

[divineknightofdaein]

As his opponent surges forward once more, Gawain takes a step back, bracing once again only for the rabbit to take to the air. He throws himself forward, tossing his sword into his other hand and bracing the flat along his arm in order to block the incoming blows. When the flurry abated he sent the sword towards his opponent with a flick of his wrist, the top few inches nearly invisible as the blunted edge flew towards the shifter.

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The sword flies to her as she pushes back from the kicking and -just by a hair- she dodges the incoming blow which zooms above her head.

Now!

Her hind legs kick the ground yet again and she seizes the opportunity to slam onto him with all her weight, sending both of them rolling across the training ground.

She pins him down, her claws pressing onto the inside of his elbows enough to keep him still but to not break his arms. Her nose twitches.

“At this point I’d tear your arms off and leave you to bleed.” She says nonchalantly “But since this is a game, I’ll only claim this point.”

Part of her thinks she should feel annoyed at herself for… enjoying this. But it’s difficult not to feel pleased. This man, Gawain, is a good sparring partner and he goes against her with everything he’s got. He does not underestimate her and he does not discriminate against her either. It’s a good exercise and somehow, despite all the hacking, the slashing and the tumbling, it makes her feel refreshed. It almost makes Panne forget where she is.

[divineknightofdaein]

It was rare that Gawain lost, and when he did it was almost always with a laguz learning his pattern and pinning him by the arms. It always took several rounds of combat to learn his attacks. This one took only 3 to find a way through his guard. “Impressive. It seems you know your way around a fight.”

He would have to change his style for the next round.

Gawain raises his sword once again after picking himself up off the ground, his outfit covered in the dust of the training field. “You may have taken that point, but that leaves us at two points to one. Shall we continue?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She shifts back into her non beast form once she steps down from him. Her eyes dart around her surroundings, scouting for extra faces and relaxing after making sure there are none. It is more than enough that this man Gawain knows she’s not human; there’s no need to share that information with anyone else.

“I had to learn how.”

Panne does not remove her sight from the man as he picks up his swords once more. Rolling her neck and shoulders, she gets into position again.

“Very well. After you.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Watching his opponennt, Gawain readies his sword behind him in both hands. Simply charging forward would fail, as the shifter could simply jump to avoid, but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. “Allowing one’s adversary the first attack. Quite bold. I wonder if you will stand up to those words.”

With that, he breaks into a headlong sprint directly at the other fighter.

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Panne stands her ground as Gawain races head first towards her.

It’s his sword arm I have to watch out for.

Once he is close enough, Panne drops to the ground and rolls to his left side, kicking at his calves.

Before allowing his sword to hit her, she rolls away again, shifting into her rabbit form mid escape. A cloud of dust lifts between them.

“Seems we’re doing the same dance as before, swordsman. Show me something new.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain studied his opponent as he ran, prepared to adapt to her movements. A short hop to evade the kick, halting his momentum as a cloud of dust formed beside him.

"Parlor tricks wont help here," he says, releasing his blade with his left hand as he heads through the cloud.

Before he can be seen again, Gawain surges forward, hand out to find purchase to grab on to, sword readied.

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. “Intriguing” is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. “Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs.” He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. “Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blunt edge pokes her chest and her ears perk up. He is right; had she run with much more force, as in a real battle, the sword would have gone right through her, no matter how dull the edges.

She steps off him, placing distance between them, unwilling to vocally acknowledge her second loss and maroon eyes refusing to blink.

His sword arm is mightier and swifter than that of Chrom’s, she thinks. She’ll have to use another strategy to beat him.

“What is your name, swordsman?” She asks as she crouches.

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain stood as his opponent stepped back, stretching his sword arm and preparing for another assault. While not as powerful as some he had faught in the past, his opponenent fights in a way foreign to Tellius. She asked his name, possibly a ploy to throw him off-guard. Gawain kept his gaze on the rabbit as he responded. “I am Gawain, a Rider of Daein.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Titles hold no meaning to Panne. A rider, a sage, a king; it’s all the same to her. Yet from the way he battles and reads her moves she guesses he must be an elite knight.

“Gawain” she repeats “I will remember that name.” 

Her legs push the ground and she intends to ram against him once again.

So far he’s beaten me because he always does something unexpected when I am close. 

Instead of slamming onto him, she jumps in the air, curling her body into herself, and comes down spinning rapidly like a rolling stone… To land at his side on her front legs and using the momentum, she spins her body, sending a flurry of powerful kicks against his sword arm.

[divineknightofdaein]

As his opponent surges forward once more, Gawain takes a step back, bracing once again only for the rabbit to take to the air. He throws himself forward, tossing his sword into his other hand and bracing the flat along his arm in order to block the incoming blows. When the flurry abated he sent the sword towards his opponent with a flick of his wrist, the top few inches nearly invisible as the blunted edge flew towards the shifter.

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The sword flies to her as she pushes back from the kicking and -just by a hair- she dodges the incoming blow which zooms above her head.

Now!

Her hind legs kick the ground yet again and she seizes the opportunity to slam onto him with all her weight, sending both of them rolling across the training ground.

She pins him down, her claws pressing onto the inside of his elbows enough to keep him still but to not break his arms. Her nose twitches.

“At this point I’d tear your arms off and leave you to bleed.” She says nonchalantly “But since this is a game, I’ll only claim this point.”

Part of her thinks she should feel annoyed at herself for… enjoying this. But it’s difficult not to feel pleased. This man, Gawain, is a good sparring partner and he goes against her with everything he’s got. He does not underestimate her and he does not discriminate against her either. It’s a good exercise and somehow, despite all the hacking, the slashing and the tumbling, it makes her feel refreshed. It almost makes Panne forget where she is.

[divineknightofdaein]

It was rare that Gawain lost, and when he did it was almost always with a laguz learning his pattern and pinning him by the arms. It always took several rounds of combat to learn his attacks. This one took only 3 to find a way through his guard. “Impressive. It seems you know your way around a fight.”

He would have to change his style for the next round.

Gawain raises his sword once again after picking himself up off the ground, his outfit covered in the dust of the training field. “You may have taken that point, but that leaves us at two points to one. Shall we continue?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She shifts back into her non beast form once she steps down from him. Her eyes dart around her surroundings, scouting for extra faces and relaxing after making sure there are none. It is more than enough that this man Gawain knows she’s not human; there’s no need to share that information with anyone else.

“I had to learn how.”

Panne does not remove her sight from the man as he picks up his swords once more. Rolling her neck and shoulders, she gets into position again.

“Very well. After you.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Watching his opponennt, Gawain readies his sword behind him in both hands. Simply charging forward would fail, as the shifter could simply jump to avoid, but perhaps he could use that to his advantage. "Allowing one's adversary the first attack. Quite bold. I wonder if you will stand up to those words."

With that, he breaks into a headlong sprint directly at the other fighter.

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. “Intriguing” is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. “Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs.” He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. “Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blunt edge pokes her chest and her ears perk up. He is right; had she run with much more force, as in a real battle, the sword would have gone right through her, no matter how dull the edges.

She steps off him, placing distance between them, unwilling to vocally acknowledge her second loss and maroon eyes refusing to blink.

His sword arm is mightier and swifter than that of Chrom’s, she thinks. She’ll have to use another strategy to beat him.

“What is your name, swordsman?” She asks as she crouches.

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain stood as his opponent stepped back, stretching his sword arm and preparing for another assault. While not as powerful as some he had faught in the past, his opponenent fights in a way foreign to Tellius. She asked his name, possibly a ploy to throw him off-guard. Gawain kept his gaze on the rabbit as he responded. “I am Gawain, a Rider of Daein.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Titles hold no meaning to Panne. A rider, a sage, a king; it’s all the same to her. Yet from the way he battles and reads her moves she guesses he must be an elite knight.

“Gawain” she repeats “I will remember that name.” 

Her legs push the ground and she intends to ram against him once again.

So far he’s beaten me because he always does something unexpected when I am close. 

Instead of slamming onto him, she jumps in the air, curling her body into herself, and comes down spinning rapidly like a rolling stone… To land at his side on her front legs and using the momentum, she spins her body, sending a flurry of powerful kicks against his sword arm.

[divineknightofdaein]

As his opponent surges forward once more, Gawain takes a step back, bracing once again only for the rabbit to take to the air. He throws himself forward, tossing his sword into his other hand and bracing the flat along his arm in order to block the incoming blows. When the flurry abated he sent the sword towards his opponent with a flick of his wrist, the top few inches nearly invisible as the blunted edge flew towards the shifter.

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The sword flies to her as she pushes back from the kicking and -just by a hair- she dodges the incoming blow which zooms above her head.

Now!

Her hind legs kick the ground yet again and she seizes the opportunity to slam onto him with all her weight, sending both of them rolling across the training ground.

She pins him down, her claws pressing onto the inside of his elbows enough to keep him still but to not break his arms. Her nose twitches.

“At this point I’d tear your arms off and leave you to bleed.” She says nonchalantly “But since this is a game, I’ll only claim this point.”

Part of her thinks she should feel annoyed at herself for… enjoying this. But it’s difficult not to feel pleased. This man, Gawain, is a good sparring partner and he goes against her with everything he’s got. He does not underestimate her and he does not discriminate against her either. It’s a good exercise and somehow, despite all the hacking, the slashing and the tumbling, it makes her feel refreshed. It almost makes Panne forget where she is.

[divineknightofdaein]

It was rare that Gawain lost, and when he did it was almost always with a laguz learning his pattern and pinning him by the arms. It always took several rounds of combat to learn his attacks. This one took only 3 to find a way through his guard. “Impressive. It seems you know your way around a fight.”

He would have to change his style for the next round.

Gawain raises his sword once again after picking himself up off the ground, his outfit covered in the dust of the training field. “You may have taken that point, but that leaves us at two points to one. Shall we continue?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. “Intriguing” is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. “Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs.” He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. “Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blunt edge pokes her chest and her ears perk up. He is right; had she run with much more force, as in a real battle, the sword would have gone right through her, no matter how dull the edges.

She steps off him, placing distance between them, unwilling to vocally acknowledge her second loss and maroon eyes refusing to blink.

His sword arm is mightier and swifter than that of Chrom’s, she thinks. She’ll have to use another strategy to beat him.

“What is your name, swordsman?” She asks as she crouches.

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain stood as his opponent stepped back, stretching his sword arm and preparing for another assault. While not as powerful as some he had faught in the past, his opponenent fights in a way foreign to Tellius. She asked his name, possibly a ploy to throw him off-guard. Gawain kept his gaze on the rabbit as he responded. “I am Gawain, a Rider of Daein.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Titles hold no meaning to Panne. A rider, a sage, a king; it’s all the same to her. Yet from the way he battles and reads her moves she guesses he must be an elite knight.

“Gawain” she repeats “I will remember that name.” 

Her legs push the ground and she intends to ram against him once again.

So far he’s beaten me because he always does something unexpected when I am close. 

Instead of slamming onto him, she jumps in the air, curling her body into herself, and comes down spinning rapidly like a rolling stone… To land at his side on her front legs and using the momentum, she spins her body, sending a flurry of powerful kicks against his sword arm.

[divineknightofdaein]

As his opponent surges forward once more, Gawain takes a step back, bracing once again only for the rabbit to take to the air. He throws himself forward, tossing his sword into his other hand and bracing the flat along his arm in order to block the incoming blows. When the flurry abated he sent the sword towards his opponent with a flick of his wrist, the top few inches nearly invisible as the blunted edge flew towards the shifter.

[divineknightofdaein]

The Binding Light |  Open

Gawain took in his surroundings as he cleaned his sword, the first chance he had had to do so since he was brought here. Around him lay the bodies of a group of bandits that thought it a good idea to assault an armed stranger. "Odd indeed" the knight muttered to himself, the landscape looking unfamiliar. He was brought here in a flash of light while investigating something for the king of Daein, and now he had no way of getting back. A twig broke behind him and Gawain spun to meet the new presence, brandishing his freshly cleaned sword. "You'll stop there unless you want to end up like your friends."

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. “Intriguing” is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. “Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs.” He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. “Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blunt edge pokes her chest and her ears perk up. He is right; had she run with much more force, as in a real battle, the sword would have gone right through her, no matter how dull the edges.

She steps off him, placing distance between them, unwilling to vocally acknowledge her second loss and maroon eyes refusing to blink.

His sword arm is mightier and swifter than that of Chrom’s, she thinks. She’ll have to use another strategy to beat him.

“What is your name, swordsman?” She asks as she crouches.

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain stood as his opponent stepped back, stretching his sword arm and preparing for another assault. While not as powerful as some he had faught in the past, his opponenent fights in a way foreign to Tellius. She asked his name, possibly a ploy to throw him off-guard. Gawain kept his gaze on the rabbit as he responded. "I am Gawain, a Rider of Daein."

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

“Focus,” he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

“I claim the first point.” He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. “I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is.”

He raises his sword once again.

“En garde.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

The blade cuts through the air and it’s too late for her to gather herself. If it had been a true sword, the edge might have trimmed the shawl and the fur beneath it, if not lopped off her head clean.

Her eyes are wide as saucers and her jaw drops. Not only did he discover her true nature, but he actually does not seem to mind; this in turn stunned her into immobility and gained him the upper hand. She does not know whether to be irked or surprised.

This one is a seasoned warrior.

Her eyes scan her surroundings. They’re the only ones in the training grounds and as far as her ears can tell, there are no other people within their vicinity. Perhaps it’s safe…

The man lifts his blade and just in time, she bends her knees to roll on her back and dodge the upcoming blow. Very well, then.

Swiftly as she dropped, she rose, staring at the swordsman in the eye; beaststone glowing in her hand and against the ground, an earthly cocoon envelops her, before shattering to reveal a massive rabbit.

Her powerful legs kick the ground, forming a dust cloud behind her and before either can blink she crashes into the man’s chest, toppling him to the ground.

“Point for point.” Her voice reverberates.

[divineknightofdaein]

As she rolls out of the way of his attack, Gawain steps back and readies his sword once again, holding it in between the two combatants. Her transformation is unlike any he had seen before. Hidden in a veil of earth as opposed to shifting like the Laguz he had seen before. "Intriguing" is all he can get out before a large rabbit emerges and launches itself at him. He steadies his stance and braces for the incoming impact.

Her voice reverberates as he hits the ground calling a point from a hit, but he simply smiles at that before responding. "Quite bold of you to claim victory when your opponent has a weapon so close to your organs." He presses the tip of his blade through her fur until he begins to feel resistance from the skin and bone of her chest. "Now, who would you say loses in this scenario?"

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. “To my liking? No,” he responds as he rights himself once more. “It’s clear now that you’re no Beorc,” he takes his blade in both hands. “Why don’t you shift, and let’s see a test of your true ability.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She jumps out of the way as the blunt blade hits her ground, sending bits of dust in the air. The swordsman takes another stance and she is ready to tackle him again but freezes in mid run and her grin vanishes.

“S-shift?” she stutters. Her hand almost reaches out to the shawl wrapped around her ears but she quickly drops her arm to her side instead. She stares wide-eyed at the swordsman in front of her, focusing on his gaze. His eyes are unblinking and the frown sends a chill down her spine. He knows. He truly knows.

The memory of how she was pursued by a mob of rabid humans as they cursed at her was still fresh in her mind. And those were just villagers back then. Here, in unfamiliar training grounds she was surrounded by armed soldiers.  Before, she was just chased away. If she transformed here, she could be hunted down at best or slaughtered right then and there at worst. All it would take would be for this man to scream. She clenches her jaw too tightly, too painfully.

“I do not know what you speak of, man-spa- swordsman!”

Gods be damned.

[divineknightofdaein]

A slight smirk begins to form as Gawain drops the tip of his sword to the side and steps forward, rolling his shoulders into a full-on swing as his opponent stalls mid-run. The blunted blade causing a breeze to form, billowing his cape as the swing stops just short of her neck.

"Focus," he says as he draws back, relaxing his form once again.

"I claim the first point." He discards his cape, tossing it onto a nearby dummy. "I expect the next will be mine as well, unless you show me your true might that is."

He raises his sword once again.

"En garde."

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain’s eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

“Come now. You’ll need more than that to land a good hit on me.” He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

“Now. Once again.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

She sees the blade rise and knows a parry is coming her way. She lets the flat of the sword hit her side; an impulse she takes advantage of. She turns in mid-air to land face to face with her opponent and allows her feet to skid on the dirt before she pushes herself towards him once again.

The way he taunts her reminds her of her allies back in Ylisse and for a moment she forgets the initial annoyance she felt.

Despite the garments she’s forced to wear for the sake of her safety, the momentum she gains when her feet kick the ground rivals the speed of a horse.

She leaps towards him again, fist raised…

And throws her torso down with a grunt, a powerful leg sweep kicking the man behind his calf.

She grins over her shoulder, a twinkle in her eyes “Was that much to your liking, swordsman?”

[divineknightofdaein]

Gawain frown as his opponent not only retains her footing, but immediately returns to the offensive. He raises his sword as she comes in with a fist faster than even any cat Laguz he had seen, seeing her bluff and shifting his weight as she throws herself to the ground. The kick sends his foot into the air, but the other remains planted as he uses the momentum to pivot around and swing, narrowly missing her and cleaving a hole in the ground. "To my liking? No," he responds as he rights himself once more. "It's clear now that you're no Beorc," he takes his blade in both hands. "Why don't you shift, and let's see a test of your true ability."

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed… unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Adrenaline rushes through her veins. Her eyes widen at the blade aimed towards her, nails digging into her palms and legs suddenly apart; an alert pose. Once she notices the dents and blunt edges her shoulders sag, realizing it’s a training sword. But her frown returns.

“Obstinate, aren’t you? Very well, then.”

She rids herself of the axe by throwing it at the dummy behind her, making a loud a thwack noise as it strikes the wooden head, before swiftly turning to the man opposing her. She crouches, toes digging into the dirt, eyes on her prey. If they were to play, she would rather do so with her weapon of choice: her own body. She would not transform; her own blunt sword of sorts.

The first swing, right? Good.

She leaps.

[divineknightofdaein]

Curiouser and curiouser. Gawain's eyes begin to form a slight squint as the woman discards her weapon and turns back to him. If she wished to face a general of Daein unarmed, he could do little to change it. Realization dawns as she begins to crouch, and Gawain takes up a more relaxed stance.

As she leaps at him Gawain steps to the side of the attack, placing the flat of his blade on her shoulder and pushes with just enough force to alter her trajectory. 

"Come now. You'll need more than that to land a good hit on me." He rolls his shoulders whilst taking up another stance.

"Now. Once again."

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. “You there” he calls to the individual. “I haven’t seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?”

[velvetrabbitheart-deactivated20]

Though she knew how to handle an axe it did not mean she was comfortable with it. It was an alien sensation, to use a weapon that was not her body. She’s heard humans saying they felt their weapons as an extension of their arms but to her this was impossible to come to terms with. The axe was an axe and her claws and legs and teeth were her. Still, it was not as terrible as the stupid shawl she was forced to wear to hide her ears.

Panne learned that, despite being home to renowned nations of skin changers, Tellius’ loud majority was still made up of humans who were unkind to shapeshifters. The scandalized shouts of “sub-human!” and “beast!” still rang in her head, even after she had absconded. As human hostility was not something new to her, she had done the only thing she could do: steal clothes from some unattended clotheslines and dress herself up as some child’s doll to pass as human. If she had to bear their insults, they could bear missing garments. With her ears, tail, and fur hidden behind fabric, she decided to take an extra precaution and keep a throwing axe on her person at all times. The markings of her face passed as scars. She would shrug if someone commented on her bare feet.

From errant taguel to travelling mercenary, she was later taken in by a band of trainees who were infatuated with her “technique with the axe” and pestered her to teach them. She was tempted to transform and scare them away but it was not safe, so she ended up agreeing, albeit grudgingly.

Now she was in some training ground, hacking at dummies with her axe, racking her brain on how to teach those pests her “secrets” as easily and fast as possible to soon be rid of them, when a gruff voice called out to her.

The man was clad in an orange cape and had a scar on his temple and the way he stood and carried himself reminded her of the bald Feroxi Khan; only his voice was gruff instead of booming and his head was full of hair.

“I was dragged here two days ago by some apprentices.” She explained, studying his demeanor and focusing on the tone of his voice. He did not seem hostile, but she still frowned “And I do not play at war. If I fight, I fight to the death.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Something was definitely odd about this one. The way she swung her axe seemed... unattached.  Leaning on his sword, Gawain proposed a counter argument.  “Well, if we don’t play at war, how are we to know how to fight when the time comes?” Holding one hand behind his back, he raises his sword to a resting stance pointed towards his would be opponent.

“I’ll even let you have the first swing.”

[divineknightofdaein]

Mastery of the sword is learned over years of practice. Daily practice. This is what led Gawain to the training grounds day after day, almost unerringly. Today brought more of the same, and so Gawain practiced. Stroke after stroke, swing after swing, step after step, drill after drill, incorporating multitudes of styles into his daily routine. Today, however, another denizen of the grounds caught his eye. There was a uniqueness in the way they used their weapon of choice. To Gawain, there was but one response to this anomaly on the training grounds. "You there" he calls to the individual. "I haven't seen you here before. Nor have I seen your style of fighting. Care to test your ability?"