Mwuhaha, A Rematch!

[Rinafera Woxwitty III]

OOC: For those who don't know, (everyone except for me and Marie ) Marie and I are having a rematch to our latest spar for fun. You can join the quest, I guess, considering its not an official Tournament Spar. Sooo. Yeah. Just don't interact with us too much. Darter, this won't take any time away from BG Training or my next spar with Songwind.

BIC:

*The rematch was to take place. Rinafera leaned lazily against the pillar. He stared blankly into the dusty ground, flipping his scimitar around like a toy. It was a blistery, brisk spring morning. Later in the afternoon; however, he was to spar the winner of Guardians of Mossflower's second sparring Tournament. Marie Song Blue-eyes Yewbow was her name and sparring was her game. She had defeated the hare in a close battle on the shore of Salamandastron and soon after defeated Songwind Rosemelody. The squirrel had put up a closer fight than Rinafera expected, but the northern mouse still won in the end. Though no fear of Marie struck him, the Guardian still respected her and cringed at the thought of fighting the quick mouse again. He had challenged Marie; therefor, he deserved the whipping he was about to receive.

Rinafera wiped nervous sweat from his furry brow and rubbed his eyes. It was beginning to get later in the morning, but he could still barely hold his eyes open. A roughly knit patch replaced the hole in his tunic near the insignia of the Ranger. Daisyblade was decent at knitting, yet she could not fill the hole up very well. The hare rolled his eyes and dusted off the green, regimental tunic of the Guardians of Mossflower. He placed a paw on his Ranger Insignia, remembering the oath he recited when he first came to the Fort. The ranger was a seasoned fighter, being trained from an early age to his age now, so he considered himself ready for anything. Rinafera was 37 seasons and would soon be an old woodland creature, but he wanted to get at least one more spar in.

Beating Marie would be the feat to remember, for she was older too and just about as experienced. The hare remembered her weapons: a dirk and some type of sword. The hare sheathed the scimitar gratefully and stuck the claymore into his strap. The strap hung loosely from his back and held his secondary weapon. But this spar, Rinafera had something special. After defeating Cragg in a bragging competition, the hare won the right to use his cousin's shield. It was oval-shaped, made of steel, and had the McFay/Woxwitty coat-of-arms upon it. The scimitar, representing Woxwitty and the scimitar that they passed down through generations, and the saber, representing McFay and the saber they passed down throughout their generations. However, the two swords were not fighting each other. They were side by side on the shield, showing the greatness of the companionship the two closely knitted families shared. Also, in between the two swords was a hare's bold face. It represented courage, bravery, determination, dedication, and Rinafera liked to say it was him. In fact, thats how he beat Cragg in the bragging competition.

The hare picked it up, taking the little strap and placing it around his shoulder. Rinafera considered himself properly dressed and he began to embark on his journey. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Cragg sitting in a chair next to Diasyblade. The ranger's cousin was humiliated and felt a great sense of defeat, for he had never lost to Rinafera in a bragging contest before. Daisyblade was never quite told where her husband was going and what he was going to do, yet she trusted him and knew it was not foolhardy. Cragg will tell her. Rinafera assumed, weighed down by all the armor. An iron plating and mesh armor was laid underneath the tunic, for Rinafera did not intend to get wounded fatally in a spar between comrades. However, he never truly intended to get wounded anyway.

The hare walked sullenly, staring into the ground dejectedly. He smiled a tad, finally realizing what he was really up against. Commander Marie Song Blue-eyes Yewbow. She was a warrior, a skilled fighter, a great tactician in battle situations, and a commanding officer in the Guardians of Mossflower. But Rinafera could still win. Anything is possible. He told himself, waving to Daisyblade and leaving the Fort. The last fight was a sunny one at Salamandastron, but now, he was to fight her in the cold south. Near the Great Inland Lake, and west of the plateau was the destination of Rinafera's journey and the location for the spar. He walked away from the Gate and smiled. Another spar to remember. Though he loved Daisyblade with all his heart, Rinafera felt bad after she had made a comment about soon retirement. The hare shrugged it off, deciding that home/family problems would not get in the way of his battle.

He walked upon the grass, feeling the brisk air consume him. It was a pleasant evening and the coldness would be nicer for a spar. Rinafera liked to wear heavy clothing when he sparred a weaker foe, using his weight, height, and strength as an advantage in battle. Hares are quick and agile, but mice, due to their small size and relatively light weight, are quicker. One reason Marie defeated him in his earlier spar was because he was dressed lightly and tried to use speed as his strong point. But this spar would be different. This spar would be better. Rinafera would not lose to his commanding mouse. He continued down the path, turning to see the Fort in the distance. It looked so far through the trees, but a long adventure was the hare's favorite. He smiled, turning back to look at his surroundings.

The hare began to plan his strategy and thought of the ways he could use his location as an advantage. Hmmm. The Great Inland Lake. He thought of the forest glade he would choose to fight in and the trees. There must be a good log around there. Rinafera told himself as he wandered farther and farther from the massive fort. The Guardians of Mossflower fort was nowhere to be seen, a sign that he was straying away. As he began to get closer to the location, nervousness filled him. His green tunic swayed in the wind awkwardly as he shuddered from the cold. It was not bitterly freezing, but Rinafera was more comfortable in warmer weather. He kicked some dirt in the air with his black boots, finally realizing how close he was. The twinkling water of the Great Inland Lake was in sight, so he continued toward the glade.

Rinafera winced as a dust particle got in his eye. He rubbed it to no avail. Winking awkwardly, the hare closed his eye for a moment. His brown eyes flickered until he could feel it no more, but the outside of the eye was all red. Giggling, the hare felt a bit strange. A bally hare at a flippin' lake to fight a jolly mouse? Oh, sweet mother irony, wot! Rinafera smiled and walked around the lake a bit. Finally approaching the glade, he gave out a curse under his breath. She was not there, just like when she was late getting to Salamandastron. The hare rolled his eyes at the antics of Marie, but knew he must treat officers with respect. After all, she earned every bit of what she got. Rinafera frowned a tad, and looked up. He searched his surroundings and took note of the large trees. That would be a resourceful ally if he could take use of it to his advantage. Rinafera got impatient, so he called out a challenge so the commander of Division One would know where the hare was.*

M'rie! Bally fight me you flippin' late sparrer! I need to show you who the true winner is, m'bucko!

OOC: I wrote the last half of this at Starbucks. ^^ O.o Anyway, all remarks and insults are totally IC, and that way because of his charatcer. And the insult of losing to a mouse. XD This will be fun, M'rie.

[Commander Marie and Will]

OOC: Hmm, congratulations on an awesome post, Rina. Ooh, Starbucks? I’m so jealous now. XP I’ve gotta write in the middle of the family room. Distracting. At least my sibs are outside playing right now… Anyway, good luck, and may the Force be with you!

Oh, and agreed -- all insults are IC. You know Marie’s gonna be making her share of comments and boasts, but it’s just her personality, nothing personal meant. In all reality, you’re pushing me waaay past my normal limit in the amount of effort I’m going to have to put into this. >P Thanks a lot, gosh. *huffs*

;P Kidding!

BIC: *Midmorning sunlight streamed down on the high-walled Fort and the thick surrounding Woodlands, turning the treetops a vivid green. The small figure of a mouse strode quickly across the wide, open courtyard where the Guardians of Mossflower performed many of their training sessions, her gaze alert and her ears flared wide in attentiveness. Today. Today was the rematch! Shivering pleasurably beneath the warm rays on her thick golden-brown fur, Marie Blue-eyes Yewbow broke into a half-trot, and her confident grin broke into a full-fledged smirk. This afternoon she would fight Rinafera Woxwitty, an opponent of hers from the Sparring Tournament recently held among the Fort’s occupants -- a Tournament she had won. The hare, pride presumably stung at having lost to the smallish mousemaid in said tournament, had asked her for a rematch. What could she possibly have done but accept? After all, such a blatant challenge to her pride could not go unmet; perhaps a wiser creature would have quit while she was ahead, but Marie had inherited all of the impulsive pride of her Northern ancestors. She would not back down from any challenge, except at direst need. So they had spoken and agreed on a place and a time -- on the edge of Mossflower‘s Inland Sea, afternoon of the third day following their conversation.

Afternoon… The sturdily-built mouse passed a glance at the sun and cursed under her breath. She was going to be late, even if she traveled with the speed of a hawk. Well, no time for regrets. Looking forward, she saw that she was nearing her destination, and slowed, though she never came to a full stop. Nearby, a crowd had gathered around a pair of squirrels that were sparring with staves. Paying little attention to the sparrers themselves, Marie searched the crowd with her cloudy gaze, her bright eyes the color of seamist. There! She raised her voice, pacing slowly by and waving towards the creature she had spotted.* Will, c‘mon, it‘s time t‘go!

*The brown-furred, fit young mouse she had called out to turned his head towards her, uncrossing his arms and raising his eyes above the heads of the crowd. Spotting his mate, Willem Yewbow placed a paw on the shoulder of the otter next to him, a friend of his, and muttered a farewell. As the otter nodded his understanding, the Highland bowbeast wove craftily through the crowd, trotting to catch up with his now quickly-walking wife.* Marie… What kept you?

Couldn‘t find m‘boots. Apparently Russet took it in his head to clean ‘em… Ah swear, that shrew‘s been dropped on ‘is ‘ead one too many times or somethin‘, cuz ah ain‘t ne‘er seen anyone so favorable t‘work. Anyway… We‘d better save our breath fer the road, ah guess. The Sea‘s some journey away.

*Will nodded his silent agreement, and settled into a swift pace that matched Marie‘s own. The two made a fine pair, striding out onto the path that ran out from the Fort. Marie was the shorter of the two, of relatively average build -- not pudgy, but not slim. She was fit, though, and sturdy. Her clothing was simple. Soft brown boots, loose dark-brown trousers tucked into their tops, and a creamy brown tunic. On top of this simple base, she wore a bright teal sash, which supported her two blades -- a fine dirk, and a simple but functional dagger -- and her customary silver earring, dangling merrily from her right ear. Her husband‘s outfit matched hers in simplicity and function. He wore a pair of close-fitting brown trousers, a beige long-sleeved tunic, and a dark green vest. His paws were bare, and his weaponry consisted of a bow and a quiver of arrows -- though he would not be participating in the spar, he had traveled enough to know that not even the trees of Mossflower were immune to the threat of hostile vermin. Even such a presumably friendly errand as this could quite suddenly be turned violent if they were to run into any opposition.

The two traveled mostly in silence, though on occasion Marie would comment on the goings-on of the Fort, or the fine weather, or the upcoming spar. For the most part, however, she was kept busy with her own thoughts, and her mate was quite wiling to leave her to them. She looked forward to her rematch with Rinafera with confidence and eagerness, but her demeanor was not quite as bold as it had been the first time they‘d met in friendly combat. Though she was confident that she would fight every bit as well as she had in the former spar, she was also confident that Rinafera would be fighting even harder than he had in the first. The hare would, she knew, see this as his chance to redeem some of the dignity and honor he had lost in the first; and for this reason he would be fighting more perilously than before -- and seasons knew he had been enough of a challenge the first time! She would have to be careful, canny; she couldn‘t go rushing blindly in, waving her sword around and shouting vain boasts. Marie would have to fight at the top of her game -- every ounce of experience, every detail of the craft, every bit of skill would be needed to defeat him.

She would defeat him, though. Though she did not expect the spar to be an easy one, the proud Highlander entertained no thoughts of defeat. Rinafera‘s acquired motivation was shared, in part, by herself -- having received and accepted the challenge, to lose after having beat him before would be the ultimate blow to her pride. He was a worthy enough opponent, but to lose in the second spar would indicate that she was getting worse, instead of better, at the art of war: an indication she would never willingly give. Therefore, although she knew the risk of losing some of the sweetness of her former victory, she would not back down from this challenge; she would stand, face it, and defeat it. There was no possible way she was walking away from that battle-field the vanquished -- Rinafera‘s pride may take a beating for it, but Marie stubbornly refused to sacrifice her own for the sake of his.

While her thoughts were thus patterned, Commander Marie Song Blue-eyes Yewbow drew near to the Inland Sea, and raised her eyes, and knew that the time had come. Her companion, seeing the turn of her gaze and guessing her thoughts, smiled grimly and clutched her paw.* May good fortune be with ye, lass. I know this is very important to ye, and I blame ye not, but consider, if the battle should go ill, that ye will always be the greater in my mind, no matter the outcome.

*The smaller creature paused in her step, turning her bright gaze upon the beloved one who stood there, professing his faithfulness. They held gazes for a silent moment, each one’s eyes filled with respect and love for the other. Then Marie spoke, and as she spoke Rinafera‘s challenge rang out faintly behind them.* Yew always were one fer eloquence, Willem Yewbow. Ah have ne‘er doubted yer faithfulness to meh, an‘ for that ah love ye all the more. But now we must part, for yon hare is simply begging fer a hide-tannin‘, y‘ken. Farewell, m‘braw young buckoe!

Farewell, lassie. I‘ll be watching from the forest edge.

*With that, they parted, and Marie felt the bolder for it. Rinafera would be the defeated; she would be the victorious. One who she respected above all, save perhaps a precious pawful, loved her and believed that she would win. And now she had this comfort: even were she to lose, he would be there, waiting. Always waiting for her. Pride burned through her veins, lending a fire to her eye and strengthening her stride. For Will she would fight this battle, as well as for herself -- and for the both of them she would be victorious.*

So, then, grayfur, ‘as yer memory become so worn yew can’t even reckon on who it wos that gave yew yer last beatin‘? Weel, then, ah s‘pose mah blade won‘t mind overmuch remindin’ yew -- respect fer yer Elders ‘n‘ all that, y‘ken!

*The small, sturdy harvest mouse stepped boldly into the clearing, a teasing tone to her words; but there was steel beneath, and an undeniable challenge. Her sea-grey gaze flicked around the clearing once, her mind taking in advantages and disadvantages with the ease of experience. The terrain was open and relatively unremarkable in the grassy clearing, but if the spar were to spill over into the tree-lined fringes, there would be other factors to consider. A shift of fighting styles should suffice, but the hare had other advantages. Speed on open ground, for one, though that might not do him much good in the woods. Rinafera was also the larger of the two, and therefore presumably the stronger, especially since he appeared trim and well-sculpted. Marie had options of her own, however, and was not completely defenseless. Her size, she knew from experience, could well be to her advantage, and she would likely have some edge in speed, when it came to close combat -- though she did not count Rinafera a sluggard, and therefore would not be able to rely on this strength overly much.

Pacing further into the clearing, Marie‘s sharp gaze caught her husband watching from across the clearing, just beneath the cover of the trees. He nodded to her, and she returned the gesture in silence before looking once more to her opponent. She now stood only a few paces away. Raising a scarred paw, she saluted smartly, in the manner of equals -- though she outranked him in the Fort, for this spar they would be fighting on the same level, as two warriors equally respecting each other.* May good fortune bear with us and keep us both from harm, whoever be the victorious.

OOC: Ahaha… Will… XD He totally sounded like something out of LOTR. (That’s what I get for reading ROTK before I write. *giggles insanely*

[Rinafera Woxwitty III]

OOC: *sigh* What I can do she can do bettaaaa! Sorry, IC post coming soon. Nice post... Its awesome.

[Songwind and Brawn Oakbrush.]

OOC: I'll post as a spectator soon.