Grange vs. Greer

"I wouldn't have either except--" he stopped suddenly, realizing he was about to recant a story about Cethin. How they met, actually. The scars on his flanks had been fresh from the mountain lion attack, and Cethin had devised a bundle of grasses to shoo away flies, since Grange's naturally stubby tail hadn't been long enough to brush them away. "I saw it once before," he finished, figuring the lie was close enough to the truth to avoid conflict. "Now, those braids in your mane could be used as teeth-holds, so make sure you protect your neck in battle," he added. "And...try not to get kicked in the barrel," he added softly. "It could...damage things."

Grange realized his mistake and dipped his head to her. "My apologies. I meant that as a precaution, not to upset you." He nodded and began heading for the nearby trees. His steps were even and slow. "There are many different herbs you can use, but some are more common here than others. For pain, there's poppy seeds, but make sure you eat the ripe ones. The green ones has...other effects. Much like some of the mushrooms on the island do. Poppy will make you sleepy as well, so I suggest using them only after a battle. Beforehand, you can chew horsetail and ginger into a poultice and apply it to your tail." He paused next to a copse of bright blood-red flowers. "Here are some poppies. The black seeds are ready to be harvested," he pointed out.

"Right. Only two or three at a time, or you'll sleep for hours," he warned. "And when you apply the poultice, chew up the herbs and apply them to as much of the tailbone as you can reach, or have someone else apply it so they can spread the hair and get down to the root of the problem below, in the skin," he instructed.

Grange was in his own element now: speed. Lunging forward, he put every inch of his stubby legs into running, eating up the ground until he was neck-and-neck with Greer, his ears pinned flat by the wind, his mane and tail snapping behind him. As he galloped, his nostrils flared and his muscles stretched and tightened, until he was moving in a piston-like fashion, racing towards the ever nearing summer fields. He knew that in a real battle, this was going to be the best way to defeat an opponent: outrun them like a rabbit outrunning a fox and turn on them when they were too tired to really put up a fight. As he streaked into the field, he glanced over to see Greer at his shoulder. A tie. Pulling up, he trotted in a circle to cool down, swishing his tail nonchalantly.

Grange picked himself up and shoved her playfully, nipping at her shoulder gently as he pulled away. "Uh-huh," was his sarcastic reply, as he rolled his eyes and swished his tail. "You just like being sneaky," he teased in reply.

Grange took the opportunity to roll in the grass, scratching his back and sides before getting up and cantering loosely after the mare. So long, it seemed, as they avoided any topic of conflict, they could get along all right. Which was more than he could have hoped for when he ended up sparring partners with the grullo mare.

Grange had to dodge the tree, as his sleight height was an issue, plus he was not the greatest jumper to begin with. The creek, however, he cleared, galloping down the bank on the other side gleefully. He loved this part of Bachelor life; training to hone his skills while actually getting to enjoy himself. Too bad it was all for war, a war that he didn't even want to fight. His only reason was to numb himself from his life. Shaking his head, he cleared it and chased after Greer, telling himself not to think of it as training.