The figure was distinctly male, no more than four and a half inches tall; another pycon. He was sculpted out of dark grey clay, with occasional deep orange undertones. His body was thin, he more than likely weighed no more than Ariel did. His eyes were small, round, and not at all human. They seemed to be nothing more than circles with a dot in the center. Eyes with no lids; eyes that never blinked. His nose was rather large, and crooked at the top, his lips were nothing more than a straight line. Three dots lingered on each of his cheeks, as though signaling that he were meant to be a boy with freckles. His ears were curly-Qs, his hair, simple straight lines that had been drawn into his tiny, ovular clay head. His chin was sharp, his neck thin, the same with his arms, his legs, his torso. The clothes that had been sculpted onto his body were a simple pair of shorts and a shirt. He looked like an impish child, a poorly crafted clay one.
"And who might you be?" Ariel asked, once she had calmed down.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" the clay boy replied as he closed his eyes, and stuck his tongue out at her. Ariel's face scrunched up angrily, as she took a step closer, extended her arms, and pushed him into the grass. "I asked you a question," she said angrily.
The clay boy, taken aback, brushed himself off. "Hey there girly, why don't you watch what you're doing? This is a brand new shirt, and all you're doing to it is getting it all dirty."
"Oh quit your complaining," Ariel said as she rolled her eyes and pushed him again, "and tell me your name, or Harameus save your sorry clay behind." The boy took a few steps backwards, more than likely from the force of Ariel's push.
"What did I just say about my shirt?" the boy shouted as he rounded on Ariel and gave her a shove. Ariel stumbled backwards, and growled unhappily. Her eyes had turned to daggers, and then back again. The red pigmentation in her cheeks was growing more and more prominent. "TELL. ME. YOUR. NAME," Ariel said through grit clay teeth as she gave him another shove. "What's it to you?" the boy asked.
"I should like to know what to call the pycon foolish enough to try and steal from the illustrious Ariel. The pycon whose face shall be smashed by the end of this," Ariel replied.
"What makes you think you can beat me?" the male pycon asked.
"You're too ugly not to get your face smashed in," Ariel replied, not being too good when it came to trash talking, considering how few physical fights she had been in. The other pycon laughed, "ohhhh I am shivering in my little clay socks," he said. Ariel growled and ran at him. She leapt at his clay body, and knocked him onto his back. The two landed with a muffled thud, Ariel's legs were wrapped around his chest. Her legs managed to reach all the way around and her knees were pressed into the fallen grass at their side. Her tiny clay hands were balled into fists, and she was pummeling the other pycon repeatedly in the face, doing very little when it came to reshaping it. Ariel tried to whack him harder as she squeezed her legs into his sides, and shouted, "speak your name or so help you Harameus!"
The other pycon covered his face in his hands after a few punches, and was slowly rocking his body back and forth, trying to get Ariel away from him. When he realized that wasn't working, he suddenly jerked his head upwards, and into Ariel's own. "What is your problem?" Ariel yelled as she stumbled backwards from the blow, and the two temporarily shifted positions. The other pycon had his tiny clay hands around Ariel's neck, and his beady eyes were fixated on Ariel's face.
"Try speaking now!" he hollered as Ariel squirmed beneath him. Her arms were holding onto his wrists, trying to pull him off. "You... will... cough cough cough, gurgle gurgle, cough... die..." Ariel managed to muster as her body rocked back and forth, her wings were crushed beneath their combined weight, as she struggled to free herself. Thank goodness she doesn't truly need air, or she'd be a dead little pycon.
Way to state the obvious, the other half of her brain replied, as Ariel's eyes grew even wider. Why couldn't she get this psycho thieving pycon away from her? It wasn't as though he were all that much bigger than she was. Ariel's eyes were glancing around the clearing as she continued to squirm. There was a small grey pebble a few inches away from where the two pycon were locked in a heated battle. If only she could reach it.
Ariel unlatched her right hand from the other pycon's and stretched her tiny clay fingers towards the pebble. The other pycon didn't seem to notice what she was doing, being so intent on his task. Ariel inched her fingers closer and closer, stretching as far as they would go. She could feel the rough contours of the pebble beneath the tips of her fingers. She was so close. Just a little more.
Ariel couldn't reach it from where she was, she'd have to get closer. Ariel bent her tiny clay legs at the knees, and then counted to three silently in her head. On three, she pushed up on them as forcefully as she could, over and over again. The movement seemed to unnerve the pycon, loosen his hold on her. It was enough for her to move a fraction of an inch closer to the pebble she had spotted earlier.
Ariel smiled, as she reached for the pebble again, this time, she was close enough to bring it closer, to push it onto her hand. To grab it, and then pick it up. Why don't we just hit him in the head with it? Perhaps that will knock some manners into his system, Ariel mused as she lifted the pebble over her head, and reached her left hand up to it. Now that both hands held the pebble, Ariel brought her hands down, and pushed it directly into the top of the other pycon's head. The pycon howled in pain before rolling off her. He was patting his head unhappily.
"You'll pay for that," he said as he continued to rub his aching head, and Ariel got to her feet. She was still holding the trusty pebble. "Lets see you try," Ariel replied, a playful smile spreading from tiny clay ear to tiny clay ear. |