in daylights, in sunsets,
in midnights, in cups of coffee,
in inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife
She arrived in the Ridges at dawn, having slept well the night before for her battle against Tick Tock. Arianah had not shown up, and so she was still a little bit rusty – it had been awhile since she had been here. As she broke out from the trees, she saw her opponent standing on top of a hill; Solaris herself, since she was coming from the Silver Lakes, came from the north. The rising sun was to her left, and she bent her head slightly in order to see better. She was, you could say, a seasoned professional at this sort of thing, and so she did not waste time on staying still. Tick Tock could be making her move any moment now, and standing still unless absolutely necessary was not recommended. Around and around the base of the hill she goes, in a clockwise direction, one eye trained on the Valkyrie Queen in order to anticipate her moves.
When Tick Tock begins to zigzag down the hill, Solaris is not in the sun’s direct pathway, so her sight is not really blinded at all. However, because it is still early morning, long shadows cover the Ridges in such a way that her opponent is nothing but a faint figure moving atop the hill. Instinctively, the Red Queen alters her path slightly to go away from the hill, speeding up as well. She has not been quick enough to get entirely out of the way, though, and she feels hooves against her right hindquarter that roughly push her to the left even more. She is not sure if they cut her in any way (hooves are, after all, jagged), but she knows that it will bruise. It is the least of her worries. The ground rushes up at her much too fast to try and use levitation to stop herself, and she thumps against it ungracefully while also sliding a little bit. This time, she knows that there are cuts; she can feel the rocks scraping into her skin, some even finding a home under the surface like splinters. She grits her teeth, knowing that this will slightly hinder her movement.
Still on the ground and assessing her situation, Solaris sees the Valkyrie Queen move away. Knowing she is in a vulnerable position, she makes a move to stand up – and then stops when the flames begin to appear around her. It would only take a few seconds for the heat to reach her and start causing damage (it would not be immediate. Basic science.), and she smiles slightly to herself even through the pins-and-needles-like pain on her left side and right hindquarter. In a matter of moments, there is a fire dome all around her, but none of it worries the mare – her fire element is stronger, and even though she cannot completely get rid of it, she pushes the side of it outwards and up so that it is more like a fire roof and oxygen can come in from the sides. And then she pushes it up even more so that it is a good five feet above her. This is because heat rises – although not all of the heat rises, the majority of it does, so it is not as hot underneath. More like uncomfortably warm, if anything.
She breathes heavily, trying to get as much oxygen as possible so that she can continue to keep the flames raised above her. They are still close enough that she feels the heat, and she blinks rapidly to keep her eyes from drying. Small blisters appear on her right side even as she ducks her head down to get her face as far away as possible from the flames. She bites her lip as some of them pop; although all of her wounds have been rather shallow and superficial, they still will be a slight hindrance to her movement. As the flames disappear, she stands slowly (why rush when it is her turn?). Solaris launches into action immediately. It has been a very long time since she has used her levitation, and as she begins to run towards the other mare, she lifts herself off the ground a good seven and a half feet. Her hoof beats cannot be heard, and this lack of weight-bearing running makes it easier for her to move even with her injuries. This extra added height gets her pretty much level with her opponent’s head provided Tick Tock is grounded, and so Solaris drifts to the right, attempting to be more on her opponent’s left side. When her forelegs are approximately on top of Tick Tock’s left shoulder, she releases the levitation and lets gravity take hold, hoping to feel the contact of hooves against the mare’s left side. She grits her teeth as her back legs hit the ground in a jarring thump, her front legs possibly coming down slower if something (ribs?) is in the way.
If all went well, Solaris would have dropped her front end on Tick Tock’s left side at approximately 3.46 metres per second and with 4450 Newtons of force. But of course, such aim is not perfect with her opponent probably moving and such, but the effects of having a front end dropped on you anywhere is not too comfortable. Hooves scraping down her opponent’s barrel meant possible broken or cracked ribs that could lead to discomfort (Solaris would know, she has had a rib broken before), extreme pressure put on the spine, etc. And of course, bruising or cuts of any sort make movement a little bit uncomfortable (she is experiencing it now). Underneath the scapula (the shoulder bone) are the front ribs. Any damage to those could mean difficult breathing for Tick Tock. Since the scapula itself is a very strong bone, it is unlikely that damage could be done there – and yet it is still possible with a horse’s entire front end being dropped on it.
She wastes no time shuffling her legs backwards quickly, putting twenty feet between herself and Tick Tock before leaping forward to the mare’s left side once more, legs pounding against the ground in a slightly uneven rhythmic beat that is heard this time around. It does not take her long to reach the other mare, and when she does, she shifts paths slightly to try and slam her left shoulder into her opponent’s side. It is a risky move seeing as she is shorter and lighter, but she is in no way smaller-boned; being a mustang, she may actually be even better off, or at least equally matched. And although it is never a good idea to put yourself in danger of injury while attacking (ramming is a rather dangerous thing to do when you are smaller, especially), the Red Queen is betting on the fact that the black mare has some sort of existing injury to her left side; besides, this is her second and final attack, and the battle is over. She closes her eyes as she makes contact (wherever that may be) and follows through, continuing to move her legs and barreling right on by Tick Tock.
The possible effects of the attack are much the same as her pervious one in that she wishes to cause more damage to Tick Tock’s left side. If the ribs had not been damaged before, though, it is always possible that it now is after having Solaris barrel into Tick Tock’s side at top speed. Because she was ramming with her shoulder, a strong and thick bone, it would be very easy to crack more ribs. Plus, it is possible that she was able to knock Tick Tock off balance or make her stumble and trip, like what had happened to herself earlier in the battle.
Afterwards, she turns right and slows down, eventually stopping. It was up to Altus, now.
in five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes
how do you measure, a year in the life? |