[Duel] A Lion's Pride (Nkera, Roihu) - FIN

[Mogami]

Nkera steadily moved closer to the Firekin border with light steps that showed none of the tenseness that lay just under his pale skin. The small frown that shadowed his bright green eyes hinted at the state of mind of the usually quiet mountain lion. Nkera could think of as many excuses as he wanted but it was difficult to ignore the fact that he was walking towards his third duel, having lost twice already against the Firekin on patrol. The fact was that he had greatly underestimated the lions of the warring pride, a mistake that he had not corrected quickly enough. The abrupt change from a mountain area to the borders of the desert wasn’t providing any help towards his cause and even after spending a great deal of time training against other rogues, Nkera was still troubled by the unstable sandy ground, the dry air and the imposing size and skill of the desert lions. That said, he hadn’t actually fought one of those massive lions that he’d seen around, having dueled a lioness that didn’t appear to have been born in the pride and a lion that was ironically from his old pride.

Nkera hoped today would be different. He had continued his training near the borders of the Firekin pride and if the Gods were in his favor – his father, included – the pale lion would finally earn his place in the pride this time. He roared out his challenge and then waited to see who would come to meet him.  

[fuKurohane]

It was a surprisingly nice day in the desert - not terribly hot, for once. Roihu took it upon himself to go out for a walk, to be by himself for a little while. Kiberiti was, of course, curled into a tangle of his mane, but only to soak up the rays of sunlight drawn toward his dark fur. So naturally, he wasn't much of a conversational partner. Regardless, the massive Firekin was in a good mood today. Things had been going rather well for him in the medicinal world, a world where he could understand his father. His mother had trained him to be a soldier, and he certainly wasn't bad at it, but his heart truly lied in helping.

So when the roar reached his ears from across the sands, at first he thought perhaps someone needed help. He was slightly riled at the thought of having to work on his off-day, but he knew it was his duty to serve - and then he realized it was a roar of a different nature. It was a challenge, and it wasn't far. "Hold on," he murmured to his snake companion, whose grip tightened slightly around his shoulders, and he bolted in the direction of the call. If there was a fight, he should be there - at least to watch, if not to tend wounds in the aftermath. But if this was a stranger... they had no business being in Firekin lands. If the challenger wanted to fight, Roihu would, of course, happily oblige. He would love to flex his fighting muscles again.

As the stranger came into his view, Roihu couldn't say he was exactly impressed. Why, it was hardly anything but a scruffy-looking white lion. Surely a white lion wouldn't try to match the strength of a black and red Firekin? So with a growl that was almost a laugh, he said, "You know you have crossed Firekin borders, stranger." Kiberiti slipped off of his shoulders and curled near his feet, hissing.  

[Mogami]

(2,1,2,2,2) = 9

Edit: I can't believe he won with such a sucky roll. XD

fuKurohane

Nkera’s eyes narrowed as the dark lion came into view and stepped forward to meet him half-way. As they closed the distance between them, the pale feline felt a shiver of excitement running down his spine. This time, his opponent was a massive lion, certainly one of Firekin blood and while Nkera was taller than the average rogue due to his own ancestry, he was a fairly young adult and still hadn’t filled up completely. It was hard not to feel intimidated and overly cautious.

If he were to admit it, Nkera wasn’t too happy about the dark lion’s attitude but he was far too focused on his current goal to let himself be distracted by words... or the Firekin’s unusual eyes… or the fact that he had somehow just sprouted a snake from his mane without so much as a blink – a perfectly natural and expected occurence, apparently.

“I’ve come for a duel.” Normally he would have given his name but the other male’s tone had him forget his manners for moment. Nkera immediately dropped to a crouch and began to circle the other lion, keeping himself light on his paws as he ignoring the hissing snake. It was easier to ignore his concerns when he went straight to action. His last challenge had been particularly brutal and he was going to do all in his power not to get hit as many times as he had before.

 

[fuKurohane]

Roll 1 for Roihu: miss

Mogami

"Is that all?" he asked, lowering into a fighting crouch, his tail flicking behind him. Kiberiti slithered out of the way slightly - his teeth were merely backup. "Nameless stranger?" He was a serious one, this white lion. If he had come for a duel, he clearly wanted to prove his worth. As as per Firekin tradition, that meant a fight - but he was curious why he had yet to strike. Roihu thought his stance - if not Kiberiti's intimidation - would make it clear that he was accepting of the offer. To be honest, he had never dueled with anyone other than natural-born Firekin. Perhaps this one didn't know the proper process. Certainly, Roihu would be able to teach him.

As if he hadn't made such inferences, he teased, "What would you want a duel for?" But without waiting for an answer, he leapt, claws bared, toward the circling stranger. Maybe he could scare him away before he actually tried to fight back. That would be dishonorable and boring, of course... but this was a white lion.

Unfortunately, he missed. Maybe just a little out of practice, he consoled himself. He was too well-trained for such a basic slip-up.  

[Mogami]

Nkera’s annoyance had grown to the point where he was forced to acknowledge it. The other lion’s tone felt strangely light and condescending and Nkera realized he hadn’t made a very good first impression on the dark lion for some reason. He had been treated with a sort of formal respect during the last two duels and this was not an improvement in any way or form. It both annoyed and frustrated him – angered him even – but Nkera had never been one to show his inner dialogue. The more his emotions boiled, the quicker he was to fall back to a safer position of apathy that allowed him to better react to any given situation.

“I’m challenging you for a place in the pride.” He said simply in a low tone as the other male missed his attack, his eyes hard and unwavering as he stubbornly refused to give out his name before the other lion introduced himself. “Of course.”

He wasn’t sure he’d win, to be honest but Nkera never focused on a possible defeat, not even when his gift of Sight failed to provide him the vision he truly desired – in this case, to see himself surrounded by a sea of black, white and red lions of massive size. Just because he hadn’t Seen it, it didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen. And so he lunged forward, one paw aiming for the dark lion’s head… and he missed, his paws dropping heavily to the sand and creating one large, very obvious opening that he hoped the other lion wouldn’t use in his favor.

fuKurohane

 

[fuKurohane]

Roll 2 for Roihu: Hit!
Total: 4

Mogami

Roihu had to admit that he felt like he was just playing with the stranger. After all, isn't that what duels were? Adult playing? Cubs play-fought all the time. They just didn't have claws bared. It was probably rude - but so was the lack of formal introduction. If the other lion couldn't take the fight seriously, then neither would Roihu. He knew what injuries real duels could cause. He'd inflicted more than a few scars in his day - but he also knew how to fix them back up. It was useful, really, to have been born into such a split family, with such divided skill sets. That didn't make him particularly good at either, however.

Regardless of his lack of recent practice, he was still fast enough to dodge the stranger's attack, rearing back and away from the claws diving toward his face. What a perfect opportunity! It was perfectly timed to allow Roihu's weight to crash down on top of the white lion, scoring a few good marks into the fur of his shoulders. As they pulled away from each other again, he could hear Kiberiti's hisses of support from the sidelines.

Of course, he simply couldn't allow such a basic formality as knowing each other's names be so easily overlooked. Indeed, if the duel was well-met, he may soon be calling the stranger his brother in the pride. Not with true Firekin blood, of course. His offspring might stand a chance at that, however, if he picked a good mate. Roihu himself had yet to find a mate... but perhaps he was simply mated with his medicine.

So, pausing for a moment to lick the fresh blood off his claws, he took it upon himself for introduction. "Well, stranger, my name is Roihu, of the blood of Bodaway." He was indeed proud of his bloodline - one of the largest in the Firekin. Vlam was his father, son of Bodaway, and they had both been quite fertile fathers to many of the pride. Heritage was never something to forget. "And I accept your challenge."  

[Mogami]

Nkera did his best not to wince as the other lion’s attack succeeded most effectively where his had not. He growled quietly under his breath and stepped back to regain the momentum, ignoring – trying to, at least - the distracting sound of the hissing snake. While he’d initially meant to return to the offensive quickly, part of him wanted to calm down and assess his opponent for a moment, so as to not repeat the outcome of his last duel. The fact that the dark lion had actually introduced himself in the middle of the duel only further served to deflate his previous intention. So he started circling the other lion again, cautiously looking for an opening as they exchanged words. His main focus now lay on making sure he wasn’t hit again

“I’m Nkera.” The pale lion returned the introduction, feeling that it was a bit short when compared with Roihu‘s but unwilling to give out any information regarding his own family just yet. He settled on mentioning his former pride, the one that had been taken by a devastating plague. “I come from the mountain pride, Aali’makabila, now disbanded.” He lowered his head, tilting it slightly to the side in an almost provocative way.

“You will not land another hit like that last one.” At this point, Nkera was just trying to get a more serious reaction out of the dark lion as any form of teasing was far from common in the stern young lion. “If you do, I’ll consider myself defeated at once.”

fuKurohane

 

[fuKurohane]

Roll 3 for Roihu: bide
Total: 6

Mogami

"Nkera," he echoed, bowing slightly to indicate some sense of respect. One can only respect a lion once you've learned his name. And now knowing of his previous pride - it made sense for this stranger to come to the Firekin lands. The Aali'makabila had disbanded due to plague, he knew that much. To Roihu, that meant that their blood was weak. Coming to Firekin lands, which flowed thickly with strong, noble blood, was probably the white lion's way of finding shelter, or maybe a way to make himself stronger. Roihu could respect that ambition. But he couldn't read the way Nkera spoke of his old pride, whether it was with shame or regret, or simply an empty fact.

But Roihu was taken somewhat aback by Nkera's blatant arrogance in claiming that he would dodge any new hits. He said it so plainly - like it was just another empty fact. Indeed, the stranger was proving difficult to read all-around, and it was beginning to rile the black Firekin. He huffed, and called over to Kiberiti, "Do you believe him, Kiberiti?" The snake slithered back over, and Roihu crouched slightly to allow the snake to crawl back into his mane, his sulfer-tipped face peaking out over the lion's head. If the challenger was so confident, then Roihu simply wouldn't strike. The same couldn't be said for his snake, of course, who hovered menacingly between his ears without answering.  

[Mogami]

Nkera frowned as the snake slithered back to the lion’s mane which he considered to be an odd sight in itself even if they hadn’t been in the middle of a duel. Nkera could not read the dark lion’s mind or he would surely have vehemently defended the pride where he’d been born. As such, he merely glared at Roihu, silently worried that his words wouldn’t be enough to make him take this fight seriously. On the contrary, Nkera was starting to think the desert lion was going to tell him to come back another day – why else would he not attack and allow the snake to climb into his body?

He continued to circle the lion, looking for an opening but really much more focused on keeping his paws light and ready to dodge any potential attacks.

fuKurohane

 

[fuKurohane]

Roll 4 for Roihu: miss
Total: 7

Mogami

Roihu was growing impatient. He didn't understand why the stranger wouldn't attempt to strike him. It was clearly still his turn, as the Firekin had left the last mark. So why just simply continue to circle? The amusement he had at the beginning of the duel was quickly wearing off, and his temper was growing shorter, as it was prone to do. He roared at him, tail thrashing, in a vain attempt to provoke him. He had invited Kiberiti back onto his shoulders for the same reason, and while it was clearly having some kind of affect on Nkera, it wasn't enough to create a reaction.

So his temper broke, and rushed at the white mountain-dweller, this time with his teeth... to no avail. He was clearly light on his feet, and perhaps his leaner build helped with that. But as Roihu's lunge missed, Kiberiti hissed with a cackle, as if making fun of his lion companion. This ticked him off - and the snake new it. So while he was no real help in battle, he thought perhaps if there was more anger, it would provoke the lion more. But really it just made Roihu have to fight the urge to throw the snake back to the ground.  

[Mogami]

Nkera had never been particularly good at reading others but even he could tell the other lion seemed to be growing increasingly annoyed. It didn’t give him much pleasure but it did cause a good amount of relief to rush through the pale lion. Miss, he almost said aloud but he kept the word to himself when he realized it wouldn’t take any further goading to keep Roihu motivated in this duel.

It was very hard not to pay attention to that odd companion of his though. Nkera tried to keep his eyes on his opponent’s head and front paws, trying to predict his movements as accurately as possible and by doing so making sure Roihu failed to hit him again. He supposed he should try to land an attack himself but an opening wasn’t an easy thing to find in the dark lion and considering his previous challenge, it was a great risk to take. Instead he took a step back, his movements almost teasing even though he had not meant them to appear that way.

fuKurohane

The is weirdest duel ever. Doesn't really seem to be heading for Nkera's victory. xD

 

[fuKurohane]

Roll 5 for Roihu: miss
Total: 8
You win without even hitting!

Mogami

Roihu roared at Nkera, his rage at its peak, "Why won't you strike?!" This was hardly a duel if his opponent did nothing! Why did he continue to step back? To circle? How did he so easily flit about, dodging but never lunging? Why such teasing? What was so sick about this mountain-dweller?

He rushed at the white lion again, his pale eyes flushed with a furious red, teeth and claws bared - everything thrown into this attack. But again, of course, Nkera evaded him, and Roihu skidded off to the side, tumbling into a writhing mass of frustration. Continuously, he was missing. He was failing, and he hated it. It made him sick to see this rival work so effortlessly. The Firekin was growing tired, throwing himself about to no avail. So as he stood again, facing the Nkera, he finally gave in, "Enough. Even if you refuse to go on offense, you've somehow created some wear and tear." He hated to admit his weakness. He hated this duel. At this point, he just wanted it to be over. "You've earned a place in the pride, even if you cheated." Roihu certainly wasn't going to be gentle about it. He had still fought a bitter, pointless duel. "Clearly you're worth something, as you've managed to exhaust a Firekin." Making no effort to hide the venom in his voice, he finished, "Welcome, Nkera."  

[Mogami]

fuKurohane

Nkera tilted his head to the side as he watched the Firekin struggle to exhaustion, taking his question with an almost provocative silence. This duel had certainly not gone as expected and Nkera had never really thought he could ever win by simply tiring his opponent out in a long drawn out match... he probably wouldn’t have tried it if he had, actually.

While he could see the value of seeking an advantage in a fight or matching agility against brute strength, winning the duel in such a way – especially when he’d tried so much harder during his previous attempts - also felt a bit like cheating to the pale lion. Still, he wasn’t about to openly agree with that assessment or demand a proper rematch. He wasn’t proud to the point of stupidity, mind you.

“So I’m in…” It was almost a question though not quite. He frowned a little but when Roihu welcomed him with such obvious resentment that it completely negated his words, Nkera couldn’t help but to grin a little. He’d been led to believe that duels were relatively common even amongst Firekin members so he offered appeasement in the form he thought to be best suited to such hot-blooded lions. “Let’s have a rematch one of these days…” he shook his body from head to tail an sloly began to slowly follow after the dark lion.

- FIN -