DoA Trials: Strength 1 | Aramun, [Krebs], (Laugom, Vozgall)

Trials of Aquella 2 (Strength 1) for Aramun aq758 [guide dragon Krebs aq544]

Milestone 2 for Laugom if108 and Vozgall if113

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Laugom had been unreasonably offended to learn that Vozgall got all her food from mutton and trading with other dragons. Basic survival skills, he had proclaimed, were a basic necessity for every dragon. Vozgall had been expecting... well, she was never sure what to expect from Laugom. But mooching off others like this was making her feel ridiculous— especially when said others kept almost accidentally flattening her!

 

The spar was all in good fun, of course. No small amount of careful negotiation had led to this mutual examination of strengths and weaknesses. Aramun was learning quite a lot about themself, and Krebs was enjoying the exercise.

 

Laugom and Vozgall were just there for the sand crabs.

 

The spar had started in the water, but was now taking place in the swash at the edge of a steep beach. This was surprisingly difficult for Krebs to adapt to, for all that he actually had legs. Aramun could simply roll over, using their entire body like a tidal wave of crushing force. Krebs had to scuttle across the sand rather desperately to avoid said crushing.

 

As Aramun and Krebs rolled around tussling, wrassling, and generally rough-housing, they gouged and churned the sand across the whole beach. This sent numerous tiny sand crabs flailing and scurrying about with great confusion, bewildered as to how their nice safe burrows had been so thoroughly upturned.

 

Vozgall scooped up a sand crab, along with a generous pawful of sand, and pronounced it, "Gross."

 

"Mate, you have no sense of taste!" Laugom countered. He nipped an unlucky sand crab up and tossed it back with eager relish and a crisp crunch. "Mmm! Bite-sized and delicious! Go on, mate- you'll change your tune soon as you have a proper taste!”

 

Aramun managed to slap Krebs with a fin, sending their much smaller opponent rolling through a cluster of fleeing crabs. But Krebs recovered before Aramun could press the temporary advantage, and he nimbly evaded capture. Aramun’s size was formidable, but Krebs could still scuttle circles around them, whether in the water or out. 

 

Despite this, Krebs simply couldn't evade all of Aramun's unwieldy bulk well enough to buy any time for retaliation. He was stuck on the defensive, dodging flops and swats with scuttling scoots.

 

Vozgall, grimacing with trepidation, slowly and carefully brought the sand crab closer to her mouth, teeth parting in preparation for carefully extracting the supposedly-tasty snack from the pawful of sand it was attempting to burrow beneath. The little pincers tickled her pawpads. 

 

This was when Krebs suddenly realized that scuttling over Aramun was also an option.

 

Laugom whooped out a warning, though it was hopelessly garbled by his mouthful of tasty crab. Vozgall shrieked and dodged, dropping her own sand crab as she flailed out of the way of Aramun's twisting, flopping body. Aramun’s long-clawed flipper tried to swipe Krebs off, but Krebs scuttled out of the slap-zone just in time. 

 

As it turned out, Krebs' many legs were very good at tickling!

 

"You said this would be easy hunting!" Vozgall accused.

 

“Can't get any easier than this, mate!” Laugom's long neck certainly made it easy for him to yoink sand crabs without getting too close to the wrestlers. Krebs was currently sitting atop Aramun, enjoying a moment of temporary victory, while Aramun tried to think of a manuever that would throw Krebs off. 

 

Laugom took the opportunity to dart his head in and snap up more sand crabs. He tossed one at Vozgall. “Come on, mate, have a taste! Just a bite— you’ll like it!”

 

Vozgall wore a pained grimace of resignation, but knew all too well that Laugom would never let her tastebuds get away unscathed. Taking advantage of the lull in the fighting, she popped the sand crab into her mouth, and crunched carefully through the shell. “It’s. Um. Umm…”

 

Laugom leaned over her, eager for her verdict— only to be distracted by a sudden surprise attack from Aramun, which finally succeeded in punting Krebs off. Krebs skidded, rolled, shook off a few particularly angry sand crabs, and immediately charged back into the fracas— only to be thwarted by a clumsy feint. At last, Aramun had pinned down her foe, and by virtue of superior weight, pinned he would stay!

 

For a few seconds, after which Aramun let him up, and they proceeded to deliberate over all the strategems they’d tried out. 

 

Laugom looked back to Vozgall, except— “Aye, Vozgall? Where’d you go, mate?”

 

…ah well. More sand crabs for Laugom, then! As well as for Aramun and Krebs, who finally took advantage of the bounty they’d uncovered.