Duel Vulpinsula & Surroundings Insanely Rich Area Forged in Fur and Flame

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn managed to push himself up off the ground -- goodness, his midriff was so sore from the flutter kicks, he felt like a limp noodle. Was this what stoats felt like every day?

The foxkit wobbled on his feet for a few steps, before colliding with Mme Lorelei's doting paw. She seized his cheek, and before he knew it, she'd blurted out the hateful C-word. How could she? IN FRONT OF ALL THE GUYS, TO BOOT. THE INDIGNITY. Worse still, she had the audacity to try and smooth over the insult with something Finn couldn't turn down. As Finn ruefully held the mint in his paws, his ears splayed flat with ire. Was his dignity for sale?

...yes, yes it was. Finn popped the mint in his muzzle, and sucked on it cheerfully while Alwyn explained the rules of engagement. He did seem caught off guard when Alwyn tapped him for Swift's sparring partner... But the excitement quickly overwhelmed the surprise, and he trotted off with Alwyn to gear up. Bending over slightly, Finn seized the back of his shirt and tugged it off over his head. He'd watched a handful of matches between the Stoaties -- and he'd be darned to the gates if he didn't do this properly! As Alwyn finished lacing up the armor, he hopped nimbly on his foot paws with bristling energy.

The cheering from the side lines sent a fire through his veins. Oscar, Theo, and the other Stoaties had taken him under their wing, and hearing their encouragement drove him forward with a vicious lunge. His movements weren't fluid like those of a trained swordsbeast -- they were mechanical and rigid, like a dibbun tracing over letters as he learned to write. Still, Finn had nothing at stake to hold him back, and had enough energy to catch Swift off guard.

The older fox still had him in strength. There was nothing he could do to resist the parry... and internally, Finn knew his only hope for victory was to beat Swift in speed.

Oh my. I've gotta be swifter than Swift. Heeeehehee.

"HEY SWIFT! Remember when you slapped me in the face on Urk?" he asked, with an impish grin so wicked that it would warm the cold heart of Vulpuz himself. The kit had no ill will towards Swift -- quite the opposite. Swift had needed to call him up something greater in that moment. But now, that something greater stood before him, knowing exactly how to weaponize the tale into an awkward situation by stripping away the context. "Maybe y'can explain that to everyone after y'lose!" he said, grin splitting his muzzle in two. The kit lunged forwards again, jabbing the tip of his cutlass towards Swift's ribs.

 

[Cricket]

Somewhere above the walls of the courtyard two large, silvery eyes stared unblinking down at the spectacle of combat practice. Cricket could not afford to let herself be seen – she had witnessed on the streets before how rigidly the Guard stuck to their laws, and this was high trespass indeed to have scaled their walls – but the little gecko was hardly about to miss seeing Finn. It had taken no small amount of stealth to time each advancement to make her way up to this perch where she clung now to the walls, dirt-dusted sacking thrown over her shoulders to blend in with stonework. Context didn’t much matter as to why they were sparring, she was just excited to see somebeast get a battering.

It wasn’t especially easy to identify the creatures from here, though she recognised a few adults from the fireworks incident and a great deal of strangers observing the sparring match. Why Finn had been selected to spar she didn’t know, but she wasn’t complaining. He was a sailor, after all: stood to reason he’d be decent with a sword. A grin split her snout to see him holding his own. G’wan Finn, show those grown-ups; send ‘em on their tails!

Still, for all her enthusiasm for a fight there seemed a certain…levity to the event which she hadn’t really expected. There were lots of foxes, too, and - oh. It was just like watching a little family together. Her stomach knotted uncomfortably, quite suddenly struck by the sensation that she was intruding on something not meant for her. Claws dug into the masonry, angst manifesting as stubborn desire instead. Tough: she was here, and she was going to silently cheer for Finn anyway. Nobeast said she had to go, and wouldn’t it make a fun sight to see his face when she told him she’d seen him take his shirt off? Snuggling deeper beneath the sacking as fresh breezes blew in from the sea, Cricket watched the ongoing match with renewed interest, silently cheering on her companion.