Awkwardface! +543

Skoll grinned broadly as the wind whipped through his messy blonde mane, his tongue lolling from his jaws as the mare galloped underneath him. His hands remained tight around the reins, his torso pressed low, but he might have been standing on her back and whooping for how excited he felt. His mount’s hooves ate up the distance to the chosen meeting point, sending up dust as they pounded into the salty grass of the coast, although they were only going at a strong canter. He didn’t feel comfortable enough with a full-out gallop yet, for once taking something in his life slowly and carefully, but the bond between horse and rider was growing more each day they went out.

There was a destination in mind this time, however, and rather than let her run wildly in whatever directions he chose, he guided her toward the chosen patch of land between Cour des Miracles and Casa di Cavalieri. When they were close, he slowed her down bit by bit, until they walked with the horse breathing deep underneath him. He remained excited, though, his tail wagging even as he carried himself with upright, princely posture. He looked like a young knight riding out on his palfrey than the boisterous child he still was, moving along on the mare he considered sidekick more than steed.

The little lessons with the other young wolfdog had helped Skoll socially more than anything else. There had been some exchange of information, mostly in the way they felt the other’s four-legged bodies react while trying to mimic the moves, but he looked at Adelle as a friend to visit rather than a real sparring partner or teacher. They’d still been children, but now he felt more like a grownup, especially at his respectable height on Hwin’s back. He patted her neck as they came closer, and she snorted as she smelled another horse, shying momentarily before he whispered comforting words to her.

Stepping down from the sidle, the squire led Hwin on foot the rest of the way. When they came into the cleared space, he spied the other horse—a light bay stallion—and patted Hwin on the nose gently. He removed her bridle and hobbled her so she could graze but not wander too far, going through the motions clumsily but successfully. As she offered the stallion a shy greeting, standing a good distance away, he turned his head to find the girl in the center of the miniature arena.

Brows lifted over curious green eyes, and Skoll approached her. It was the first time he’d seen her on two legs, and she looked suddenly older than him, more formidable. It was a bit overwhelming, and he tried not to stare too much as he greeted her. “Good to see you.” He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling naked compared to the protective leather she wore. He didn’t have any weapons or armor, and he’d been expecting another bout of play-fighting—hand-to-hand and useful if polished, but more of a way to pass time rather than the serious training he hadn’t thought much of.

Feeling like a child, the young teen smiled awkwardly. “Where the heck do we start?” he asked with a clumsy laugh.

I think when they're both grown he'll be like, a single inch taller than her. xDD And man, he's not being cocky for once.

Skoll did his best to take in all he could of her changed appearance, since it was so new and surprising, but with her blue eyes on him, it was hard to be discreet. Eventually, he just looked—at her solid build, the short dark hair framing her face, her exceptional height. He was surprised to see that she was slightly bigger, but considering the height of some of his family members and pack mates, he wasn’t too bothered by the fact. But she did look strong and maybe even grown-up, though there was something about her that didn’t quite match up with what an adult woman might look like.

He was glad for the distraction as she grabbed a wooden staff. “Uh, yeah,” he said, and grinned slightly as he imagined wielding one. Haven had a longsword, although he didn’t know the pumpkin knight well and hadn’t talked to him about it. The knights in the fairytales all had swords with great names, too.

Then the smile faded. “But I don’t have one,” he added.

Oh, derp. I was just going off what's in her profile. xDD Skoll will be 13 inches shorter then. :| Will be fun. x3

When she looked around on the ground, Skoll took the chance to admire the fall of her spiky hair across the side of her face. A lopsided grin sprang to his lips when she grabbed the stick, and he realized how much of a moron he’d been. Of course weapons could always be improvised; he didn’t need a sword or even a nice wooden staff like hers. Still, he was surprised when she chose to give him her own weapon, and he took it gingerly, running a fingerpad over the smooth wood.

“Awesome,” the golden-haired boy declared, testing the balance of the thing. He guessed that a real sword would be made to fit in a paw better, but this was all right. He gave a practice swing and grinned at the sound of the thing whistling through the air. “Okay, lemme see what you can do,” he said, taking a step back and twirling the staff idly in one hand. He gestured for her to go ahead and demonstrate, knowing that he’d fail if they just started swinging at each other with blunt objects.

She teased him back, and his face flushed. He made a point to shoot her a look for that, one that quickly grew cocky as he brandished his make-believe sword. Adelle was only a silly girl, after all, even if she was a very strong one, more interesting than his sister and the other little females of his pack. He thought darkly of Kace, who’d left again after he’d brought her into her home, then shook his head and lifted the staff as she came forward.

She lashed out with the stick, and with a loud yelp, he brought the staff up to intercept. The blow jolted the staff and rang through his arms, and he bared his teeth as he drew the sword away, leaping backwards before he came forward with a stab at her belly.

He is ridiculous. +339

A more experienced warrior might have noticed the opponent’s loosened grip and taken advantage of it accordingly, but Skoll only noted that she looked surprised by his movements or something. He might have chalked it off to him pulling off something really cool if he didn’t have the decency to admit he sucked at this. Fighting with weapons had always seemed grand in the tales, from master swordsmen to Mowgli using the Red Flower, but he was more feral than most in his family. He still enjoyed all the luxuries the Court offered, but he had an appreciation for his natural form unlike that of the others. He knew that he had gifts that were his own, like his teeth and endurance, and he’d never needed to hold a sword or a stick until now.

By fluke or fate, the staff glanced off the female’s golden side as she swept it away clumsily. Before he could bring the staff closer to him to parry, she took advantage. His free hand shot out then to protect his chest, but he was too slow to actually catch the stick like he wanted, not that he’d be able to pull off the same trick with a real sword. The weapon smacked against his wrist, and he jumped backwards.

“Ouch!” Skoll barked again, and he shuffled away clumsily, moving in a half-circle around the girl with his sword out threateningly. He tried to look for weak points, but he got distracted and lingered—on her muscles, on her fur, on her dark hair framing her blue eyes. But then he shook his head and growled, looking more proper werewolf than a squire with a practice sword.

He dashed toward her with a howl, and swung his sword quickly, putting what strength he dared behind it so it wouldn’t break or break anything on her. His aim was blind, his balance completely destroyed in that moment, but he wanted to land at least a glancing blow or even knock the sword from her hands.

You can have her knock him down/win/whatever powerplay in the next post. x3

The scene was set: a woman warrior and a sun-colored swashbuckler rushing at each other, their battle cries ringing. In the background, a bay mare lifted her head at the sound, ears swiveling as she watched the children at their playing—but the boy truly felt a solder in this moment. A feral grin showed sharp, un-yellowed fangs until his sword was swept from his grasp.

His teeth gnashed together from the impact as he slammed against the staff, their noses nearly touching. For a second, he tasted her breath, but then he gripped the wood and shoved back against her. She seemed stronger, but he was not about to relinquish his grip—and he counted on still keeping his endurance while she was breathing hard from her efforts. His speed and strength were only average for a male of his age, but it did take Skoll Haskel a long time to tire…

We can wrap up with them rolling around being morons I guess? x3

Skoll thought that he would win, could feel her strength ebbing as his remained constant, but soon even the enduring male tired. He ran doggedly on his last reserves, his teeth exposed in a grimace of effort and exhaustion, the thrill of the fight slowly losing out to a desire to simply finish it. However, his heart leapt into his throat when she was driven back. Something clicked in the girl then, and even as the boy did his best to shove forward one last time, his claws locked around the staff, she heaved forward.

His fingers released the wood with an immediate ache, and he stumbled, falling down on his back with green eyes staring at the victor in bewilderment. She seemed surprised to, albeit for just an instant—because then she howled, celebrating her triumph with a loud boast.

The dominant, competitive side of Skoll Haskel was angry at losing, but she looked so ridiculous dancing around that he burst into laughter. He showed his teeth then, getting up and creeping forward as she celebrated, until at last he barked, “Maybe that round!” and leaped at her. He tried to wrap his arms around part of her to knock her to the ground, half for revenge and half because he kind of wanted to touch her and wrestle. Sharp claws withdrew enough so she wouldn’t be hurt by them, but quickly his plan of attack changed as he tried to tickle her instead.