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Meleager arrived at the sparring arena more than ready to fight. He'd spent the morning dealing with a rather irritating pair of Ichsa who seemed to think that he could solve all their problems. Having finally managed to get rid of them and grab some food, he'd come to the arena still restless and fired up by annoyance. It was a shame neither of them were warriors; he would have loved to defeat one or both in conflict, and show them what a herdleader was really supposed to be doing - keeping sharp for future battle, and not listening to the complaints of whiny stallions. He was convinced the pair were lovers, as well, and the way one had been fawning over the other had only increased his irritation. Lovers or not, no Hellene should act like that. They had more pride than that.

He was rather disappointed to see that the clearing was almost empty. There were several pairs sparring in the centre of the open ground, and a tutor giving instructions to her watchful class at one end, but no soldiers he knew to be off his standard who weren't already occupied. With a sigh, the grey stallion trotted down to a spot closer the fighting pairs where he could watch them properly. He might as well keep a lookout for any outstanding talent while he waited.

It was possible, he supposed, that some of the soldiers he didn't recognise had joined the herd recently, but were already accomplished warriors. In which case - the dappled Reya glanced around at the other bystanders - he might see which of them was supposed to be good, and challenge him or her. There was no better way to tell if a Nequus had true skill and potential than to fight them yourself.

One of the sparring pairs finished their match, and Meleager approached the victor, a sturdy if short Reya stallion, offering his congratulations. The stallion was a member of the delta force, and he and Meleager regularly practised together. Not today, though; today the herdleader just wanted to see if he knew any of the other spectators. They exchanged a few words, and Meleager came away having been pointed in the direction of one soldier in particular. Thanking the other Reya, he returned to his spot to give the possible opponent a look over.

Ignatius, he'd been told the other stallion's name was. And that he was 'odd', whatever that meant. Meleager found out soon enough. Watching him from a distance, he quickly made out the shape of his tail, and his eyes widened slightly. Odd, indeed. But he trusted the opinion he'd been given, and Ignatius looked like he would make a suitable opponent. Meleager shrugged to himself. So what if he was not exactly normal? There were all kinds among the Hellenes, and if this stallion could use his unusual attributes to his advantage, then there was no reason to think any differently of him.

As the dappled stallion approached the other, he saw that he was even more odd-looking than he had appeared from a distance. He seemed to have scales in place of his coat, and a row of spikes down his back. Meleager eyed him with an unsure respect as he closed the last few paces between them, but replaced his expression with a polite smile when he paused in front of the other. "Good afternoon, Ignatius-hellene. I was told you might be open to sparring with me." It was a statement, not a question, and certainly not a command, but his eyes glinted in challenge. He shifted his weight restlessly as he waited for the stallion's answer.

Meleager noted the slight hesitation before the addition of the suffix to his name, but chose to ignore it. Ignatius was new to the herd, and would probably take a while to adjust; Meleager doubted he meant any disrespect. Instead he nodded, his smile widening a little at the acceptance - not that he had genuinely expected the scaled stallion to refuse. For a moment he considered the question; but there was nothing in particular he wanted to practice, and with no idea of the other stallion's style he didn't know what he would want to see him doing, and after a brief pause he replied, "No, a straight spar will do. I'd like to see your style. I hear you're good, but of course I have to judge for myself." The hint of a grin as he spoke showed that he intended no insult.

"Shall we?" the dappled stallion added, and without waiting for a reply he began to head into the open central space of the arena. There was a suitable space at one end, next to a pair of Bae. As he walked out, passing several of the spectators, he felt their gazes follow him and heard the tone of the conversation change. The interest was probably as much for Ignatius as himself, but it was no less than he had expected. Here, of all places, he would have liked to be seen as just another warrior. Unfortunately, it didn't work like that. The others loved to see their herdleader fight. They would watch his every move, and defeat would reflect badly on him.

Meleager took up his position, but his gaze was still half on the Nequus watching. Some of them would have held themselves back, fearing to attack a superior. He suspected that that would not be the case with Ignatius.

Meleager nodded in acknowledgement, returning his opponent's grin. It soon faded from his face, however, to be replaced with a look of intense concentration. He was ready for this, so ready. His irritation had been building steadily, and he needed to get rid of it somehow. The dappled stallion stretched briefly then reared in challenge and salute, a gesture of respect to the other warrior. May the best Nequus win. Ignatius responded in kind - and the match had begun.

Dropping back down, the two Reya began to circle, looking for openings, gaps in the other's defences, possible weaknesses. Their gazes never wavered. The spectators might as well have not existed; they still watched, and murmured amongst themselves, but neither stallion showed the slightest awareness of their presence. Their focus was all on the match, and their opponent. To lose concentration in a real battle could be fatal, and even here it was important not to get distracted. Whoever gained the upper hand first would have a distinct advantage, and each stallion wanted to be the one in that position.

Keeping his weight balanced so that he could move in any direction at the slightest sign, Meleager held his distance, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It was a natural as breathing, the way he watched for the slightest change, practiced enough to be almost instinctive. He found what he was looking for soon enough. As Ignatius turned, he left his scaled flank open to attack, and barely a heartbeat later Meleager charged with his horn down and ready.

It was only practice; he would weaken the blow so that it would merely graze the other stallion's side. There was no sense in injuring him without cause. As he was about to strike, though, the scaled Reya turned, spinning out of his reach - Meleager was thrown out of the flow of the battle by the unexpected tactic. A blur of movement caught his eye, and he turned his head only to see the scaled stallion's tail swinging through the air towards him. It caught him flat on the side of his face, a stunning blow that made him gasp and dimmed his vision for a second. In his haste to attack, he had forgotten that his opponent was not like other Reya.

He had barely avoided that kick from the spined stallion, but the teeth in his mane had not been much of a hindrance; Meleager suspected Ignatius was used to being much heavier than his opponent, but while the dappled herdleader was lighter, it was not by much, and his excellent balance made up for any weight disadvantage. The ploy had been ineffective, but even so, he could tell the scaly Reya was skilled.

Indeed, his sudden reprise took Meleager by surprise; he sidestepped away and turned in one movement, but Ignatius’ large forehoof caught him a glancing blow on the shoulder anyway. Scowling to himself, the dappled Reya copied the attack, using his momentum to add to the blow. His attempt hit, but would only have been marginally more successful if it hadn’t been for that added impetus. As it was, Ignatius stumbled back a couple of paces. When he regained his balance, he didn’t attack again, and Meleager didn’t charge him. The scaled Reya guarded himself well, and he didn’t want to risk another blow from that tail. He took more care, as they began to circle each other again, to look for openings that would not bring him within range of it.

The mutant Reya certainly did know how to use his more unusual attributes to his advantage, the herdleader thought as he watched. He suspected also that that scaly skin would offer more protection from a sharp horn than his own coat did, and was momentarily envious. Then his attention was all back on the matter at hand. So far, they were as close to evenly matched as made no difference; all the more important, then, to stay alert and look for the advantage.

Meleager darted forward briefly, feinting, with no real intention of attack; Ignatius moved out of his path swiftly, and he halted and withdrew. Perhaps it would be better to let the other Reya come to him. With that in mind, he settled back into the routine of circling and watching.

Meleager would have laughed, if he hadn't been sure that it would hurt, with his throat held as it was. Stalemate. He could feel the other stallion's unnaturally sharp teeth pressing against his skin - but not breaking the surface - in just the same way as his horn was touching a vulnerable spot on Ignatius' scaled neck. He couldn't move. Had this been a real battle, he would have been dead - but, he considered, so might Ignatius be, if in his last moments he'd got in that strike... The grey Reya smiled grimly, satisfied with the outcome of the mock battle.

"Ignatius-hellene," - it hurt to talk, but not as much as he had expected - "let go?" He couldn't move and let the other stallion regain his feet until he was freed himself.

His smile came out in the tone of his voice - he was impressed by the mutant Reya's performance. Ignatius was good. He'd tricked the herdleader into a reckless attack at the beginning of the match, and he hadn't given in even when knocked to the ground. He had the true Hellene fighting spirit. Meleager wondered if he had been chosen by any of the captains yet; he would be an asset to any of six forces. There was a lot that anyone - himself included, the dapple grey admitted - could learn about fighting under unusual conditions from sparring with the scaled stallion. They would have to do this again, he decided - and if Ignatius was willing, he would recommend him as a sparring partner to certain others, as well.

Meleager returned his grin, although with less-scary teeth. "As are you," he replied, "you really know how to use your..." He paused, uncertain of his phrasing and not wanting to offend the other stallion, "...unusual attributes to your advantage. But I think you'd be a good warrior in any case," he finished with a nod.

The spectators were starting to move around now the match was over, going back to their own business, and Meleager became aware that they were taking up sparring space. He began to move over towards one side, trusting that Ignatius would follow his lead, and glanced back over his shoulder to speak to the scaled stallion again. "Tell me - you're new to the Hellenes, yes? I take it you're joining the army. Which of the marks did you have in mind, or have you already been accepted into one?" Technically the captain of each mark personally chose the warriors that entered it, but that was little more than a formality for a fighter as good as Ignatius. From what Meleager had seen, he would have no trouble finding a place in whichever he wished to join. It remained to be seen where his strengths lay - and he couldn't be sure of that yet. Well, all the more reason to spar with him again.

"Mhhm." That non-committal murmur was the sum of Meleager's response, at first, as he considered the taller stallion's admission. Adjusting from being a loner to being one of a herd would certainly be hard, he could see that; but he was proud that Ignatius had picked his herd to join. It was a good choice. Once he got used to it, he'd fit in well with the rest of the Hellenes. Getting used to a chain of command could be more difficult, though... The dappled stallion frowned, finally turning to face his companion again.

"I see why that would be strange for you. There are advantages to fighting as one of a group - but I'm sure you know that. If you'd rather be in command than one of the masses then I'm sure you'd be able to work your way up to a higher position before too long. You'd still be under whichever captain, but..." The herdleader shrugged. That was inevitable. There was almost always someone of a higher rank; there were always the gods. "There are other options. As for the forces, I think either would suit you." He turned to grin at the spined Reya. "You'd fit in with the death force - I expect some people are scared of you already - but you'd do well in sigma, too.

"Whatever you decide," he concluded, "I'd like to do this again. We seem to be well-matched, and you're an interesting challenge to spar against."