The Whispers of Shadows - A&A One Shots

sparring with cassian goes wrong

"Honestly, you are the most irritating person."

"Say that to my face, Aurora," Cassian responded, his right hand twirling a dagger as he circled her. Aurora kept her stance and watched him, the blade in her own hand growing slick under the summer heat. It had been hours of sparring and Cassian taunting her. He was skilled with a blade and Aurora still had yet to win a match.

"Do you not realize I'm speaking to you right now? I am saying it to your face," she spat. Cassian chuckled and paused his prowling no less than five feet from her. Aurora glared at him.

"Come closer then."

He had been taunting her like he does with the warriors he occasionally trains in the camp, and she couldn't fathom how no one had stuck a dagger through his eye yet. With a frustrating growl, Aurora threw her dagger to the side, the steel sounding loudly as it hit the fencing of the ring.

"No weapons, hand to hand combat." Cassian lifted a brow, his dirtied face lighting with a grin. He chuckled and threw his own dagger to the side.

"If that's what you wish, but Azriel isn't allowed to hurt me if I bruise your pretty little face," he crooned. Aurora rolled her eyes. It wouldn't be Azriel he needed to worry about.

"Deal. Match starts now," she huffed. Cassian stalked forward a couple feet and got into his ready position. Aurora allowed air to fill her lungs, tension easing from her back and shoulders, and then released it.

With that breath, she shot forward. One fist went to his unprotected shoulder, the other hand reaching for the nape of his neck to bring him down. Cassian was quick and spun from her grip, kicking a foot out. The heavy boot left an agonizing pain in her thigh but Aurora gritted her teeth and ignored it. She had been training for getting higher kicks since she was far shorter than the Illyrian males that trained her, so Aurora distracted him by faking a punch. She twisted and leapt, her left leg kicking out and aimed for his neck.

The punch didn't distract him long enough because Cassian caught her ankle and lifted it, sending her shoulder into the ground. Aurora grunted but ignored the throbbing and quickly returned to her feet. Cassian clicked his tongue disapprovingly and threw his fist. Aurora felt the wind of it breeze past her cheek as she jumped back and then darted to his side. Cassian went to turn toward her but Aurora brought her boot to the back of his thigh and sent him stumbling forward.

"You're fighting like a child, Aurora," Cassian barked. She was utterly exhausted and overheated, she knew her shots were weak and lazy. Aurora wetted her bottom lip and kept to his back. Cassian looked over his shoulder as he continued to turn, expecting some sort of sneak attack. "You're really going to turn this into a dance?"

Aurora didn't respond as she kept circling him, turning back the other way when he'd try to catch her by turning the opposite way. She bit back a grin when she saw his feet beginning to slide on the dirt, knowing he was doing exactly what she wanted. Maybe it was a lazy technique, but she wanted to get him on the ground so she could get food in her stomach.

"Aurora-." His complaint was cut short when Aurora marked the uneasy shift in his steps and made her attack. She lunged at his right side and grabbed a fistful of his hair. Cassian's wing hit her back as she tugged and wedged her foot on the inside of his. Cassian began to stumble, his hands reaching out to try and grab her from over his shoulder. Aurora allowed the laugh to bubble in her throat when she took her free hand and threw a punch into his jaw. The blow had Cassian tripping over her foot and falling backward. She didn't expect him to grab her own hair, however, and she went down with him.

"Cassian!" Aurora complained, shoving back from him and rolling onto her back. His whole body shook with laughter as he laid on his back.

"Did you really just try to pull my hair to win?" He cackled, looking over at her. Aurora leaned back on her elbows and laughed with him, her head falling back.