it's not a race to the end

RIXEN i have late night conversations with the moon; There was a place we’d designated to be the training grounds early on, but I’d never actually spent much time there. It just so happened that today I decided to head over and poke around a bit, scope it out and develop a vision for what I intended the place to come. Horses had been frequenting the training ground every now and then, perhaps to hone in their skills, however, it wasn’t a place of bustling activity as of late. I supposed that everyone was simply preoccupied with their other duties within the herd, therefore sharpening one’s skills had sort of been put on the back burner for the time being.  Even before I appeared on the scene, I could hear the sound of hooves pounding against the earth, a combination of grunting, snorting, and the occasional smacking noise as they collided with some unknown solid object, cracking it - all of these were sounds that reflected the intense effort needed to sharpen ones skills. Evidently, I wasn’t the only one who had thought to pay the training grounds a visit. Someone was already here. I wouldn’t have the training grounds to myself, but I was actually kind of happy about it. It would be nice to have someone to spar with, provided they’d be willing to train with me. One could never be too prepared to face whatever enemies lurked beyond our safe city walls. A pile of stones, no matter how sturdy it seemed, couldn’t be relied on for protection.  Indeed, a pleasant surprise was before me when I turned around the final corner and the entire clearing was in view. A golden mare was eying an ivory pillar that still remained in the otherwise open space, circling it slowly as if it were a sworn enemy. Rather than break her concentration, I remained watching at the edge of the training grounds as she suddenly struck out with a hoof. Smack! She delivered a powerful blow that shook the pillar to its core, but somehow, it managed not to shatter into a million tiny pieces.  "Wasn’t expecting to find you here." I said when she appeared to have reached a stopping point, though unsure whether or not Kiada had seen me enter. I was still a short distance away, standing rather casually beneath the shade of a tree. Raising one eyebrow, my offer was announced by a soft snort. It was followed by a chuckle and a sideways glance at the pillar. "Need a sparring partner? Not to sound conceited, but I think I might be able to put up a bit more of a fight."  "Talk." he tells me about the sun — and I tell him about you.

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@Kiada woohoo sounds good :D