Artwork commissioned from  PixelFlare
The character Toshoki (pictured) belongs to me.
The character Kaeo (mentioned in text) belongs to  Koralia

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Battered, broken and near the brink of certain defeat. Toshoki lay facedown in the sand. The only sound keeping him from slipping into unconsciousness was the whistling of the wind past his large ears, though it was sound enough to hone in on; focusing on the pain wasn't helping. Every muscle in his arms, legs and chest ached, and breathing was nowhere near as easy as he wished it to be. Even with his eyes closed, he knew his axes lay on either side of him, though the strength to pick them up was absent -- much less the strength to pick up himself. Maybe victory was not in the cards, this time. Sleep, yes... sleep sounded rather nice.

Then came the laughter; the horrible, sickening laughter of his foe pierced through the wind and hit Toshoki hard right where it hurt most: his pride. It was this laughter, however, that served to spark the kindling deep inside him. Barely an ember at first, but soon burned hotter, brighter as the noise continued. The vulpera growled. "I've had... just about enough of you." He finally summoned the will to pull his face from the sand, his eyes boring into his gloating opponent. Grabbing for his weapons, he used them for support to pull himself upward, first to a kneel, then slowly but surely to his feet. Heavy, heated breaths escaped him, and he relished the sudden near-quiet with the laughter ceasing entirely.

"Okay, pal. Looks like you don't have any idea who you're messing with." Toshoki, standing as tall and proud as a vulpera could, dusted himself off and took hold of his weapons. "Well, let me fill you in." He thumped his shredded tabard with a fist before continuing, not letting his opposition get in a word of rebuttal. "You're up against the toughest, meanest warrior this side of Vol'dun -- probably even beyond that!"

"One day I'm gonna tackle beasts and baddies at least twice your size, and at least twice as evil as you'll ever be! And you..." Toshoki chuckled. "... You won't be anything more than a stepping stone, a footnote in my epic story of triumph and conquest." A wicked grin crossed his face as he shifted into a fighting stance, axes raised and feet poised for a charge. "So prepare yourself, because you'll never forget this day -- the day you were bested by Toshoki, the greatest fighter in all of --"

"Tosh, what are you doing?"

"...huh?"

Turning about, Toshoki came face-to-face with a trusted ally: his twin brother Kaeo. He sighed, setting down one of his axes to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Are you... what are you doing here? It's too dangerous with this beast on the loose!"

Kaeo tiled his head and cracked a small grin. "Oh c'mon, be nice to Millie."

Toshoki looked back at the source of his current anguish and fury: Millie the alpaca. While she was a loyal companion to both vulpera, she was not the most agreeable creature at times. At least, that's what Tosh himself chocked it up to.

"Not nice?" Tosh repeated with a huff. "She's the one who kicked me off while I was trying to bring her back home. Tell her that's not nice!"

Looking past Tosh at the alpaca behind him then back to his brother, Kaeo shrugged. "Sorry you two aren't getting along too well. If you'd like, I can show you a thing or two about getting on her good side." Tosh's lips pursed and his arms crossed. "Or I can leave you to your, uh... methods."

A moment of silence preceded Tosh's response. "I can take care of it myself," he mumbled.

"Oh, I know you can." Kaeo offered a soft pat on the shoulder and an endearing smile. "Just know I'm around if you need help, but you might wanna wrangle her quick. Food's gonna get cold." With that, he departed casually towards the nearby campsite.

Toshoki shook his head. Maybe just this once he could...

No. He was a warrior, a fighter, a prime specimen of the strength and ferocity that a vulpera could embody. Now was not the time to give in; now was the time for action!

His axes aloft once more, Tosh snarled at Millie and boldly declared: "As I said before: Prepare yourself, beast. Face the might of the vulpera!" A thunderous battle cry echoed as he charged in, only to promptly end as he was kicked square in the gut. The mighty warrior fell to the sand. While he gasped to regain his breath, the greater pain came from having to utter the words he knew he must:

"Hey Kaeo... can you give me a hand... please?"