[DUEL] Zawadi/Livius

[RuIerr]

Zawadi already had her claws unsheathed as she walked out into the dirt, allowing them to sink shallowly into the dust. She glanced about before letting out a moderate roar, hoping the lion she had fought before would recognize her cry and meet her in the clearing. A few moments passed before she wrapped her tail around herself and plopped her rear end in the dirt, waiting.

She spent a few minutes ruminating on the title she was about to claim: Scar. It felt powerful, made her muscles feel stronger than she suspected they really were. It wasn't her intent upon entering the pride; initially, her ambitions had been set lower - prove herself, earn a spot as a Shield, and serve the Ukuhlwa'Izwe dutifully. However, the second she sank her claws into Azzan she was hooked. Being a Shield would not satisfy her newfound need to duel each and every lion she came across; to continue racking up the points toward higher and higher titles. It was addictive - something that she knew Livius felt, as he explained upon their initial meeting, before their first duel. She only hoped he still felt similarly and would meet her out here - soon, before she had to grab anyone else to quench her thirst for a fight.

 

[RuIerr]

The old lion's ears twitched as he heard the familiar intonation of a lioness' roar. Zawadi. A grin spread over his maw, his teeth flashing in the sunlight, as he turned tail and started pawing, slowly, in the direction of the sound. He was glad to hear her challenge, hoping it was meant specifically for him. After all, she had mentioned a rematch - and he'd suspected she'd be the one to call it, considering how badly she'd lost the initial battle. Although, that had worked out well for him - his status within the pride hinged on that single battle. It prevented many moons of waiting for the ability to re-challenge someone to gain rank. Instead, he was soon to claim the title of Scar - a title he would wear quite proudly while he worked his way towards Claw. And then Exalted Claw. And then... whatever came after that.

Ever the ambitious one, he suspected he would never stop dueling, no matter how old and tired his bones got. Even so, he liked to believe that his thirst for more kept him young. Approaching the young female, he grinned once more. "Didn't get enough last time?" Livius questioned, chuckling a bit. "Well, if you insist... Ladies first, m'dear." He didn't even unsheathe his claws upon meeting her - his rank change had made him that cocky. So much for two failed attempts at joining the Stormborn...

 

[RuIerr]

As soon as she saw Livius approach her, Zawadi broke into an involuntary smile. She couldn't tell if her heart was singing because she liked him or because she was thrilled to have a chance to kick his a** again. Either way, she enjoyed the feeling it gave her - both fighting and male attention, especially if the male attention proved a challenge. She loved nothing more than a good challenge (at least, recently).

"Oh, how kind of you," she said, simpering sarcastically. Zawadi rolled her eyes playfully, indicating both that she was over his alleged chivalry, yet still having fun with it. Without waiting another moment, she decided to launch herself directly at him, approaching from the side she leapt and aimed her forepaws directly at his back.

 

[RuIerr]

Zawadi hadn't given him much time to think before pouncing - although he'd expected that. Welcomed it, really - it tested him, something he knew he needed even after such a wild and rocky life. When he saw her leap out at him, he crouched down and did a complete barrel roll, landing on his feet and springing up. Without waiting to watch her falter and fall, he unsheathed his own claws and crouched down, inching forward and slashing out with one claw, hoping to catch her cheek. He would have felt bad moons ago, but within the Ukuhlwa'Izwe he realized it was sexist to treat lionesses like dainty objects. Instead, he viewed her as a direct competitor - and Livius responded in kind.

 

[RuIerr]

As she came down upon his body, she watched with mild horror as Livius ducked and rolled away from her, and felt her body crash down into the dirt. She scrambled to get up, but it was already too late - he pawed forward and swiped out with his claws, grazing her cheek just enough to draw blood. "Uck," she sounded out, spitting out some dirt that had found its way into her mouth when she landed.

Springing up, she pounced again, this time aiming both of her claws for his side. She raked down it, feeling the nails connect with the flesh beneath his thick and colorful fur. A smile broke out on Zawadi's face once again, feeling triumphant, if only for the moment.

 

[RuIerr]

Livius cried out lightly, instinctively as Zawadi's claws raked down his side, causing quite a bit of pain. That would hurt later, he thought, before reacting in kind: he twisted his body around, without even properly thinking, and aimed his teeth for her exposed neck. Successfully, he grabbed her and sank his teeth in while swiping out with his right paw, hoping to catch the other side of her face.

It was such a pretty face, but as he'd long believed, scars only made one that much more attractive. He would feel bad, but really he was doing her a favor by whooping her butt - helping to train her up for the good of the pride while making her more desirable to those around her. It was almost charity work, really.

 

[RuIerr]

Honestly, Zawadi had not expected Livius to respond so quickly to her attack. When his teeth sank unexpectedly into her neck, Zawadi let out a loud yelp, made even louder by his paw connecting with her cheek. The lioness fell to the dirt almost immediately, wincing in pain. She hadn't expected to be beaten this quickly - or this badly - the second time around, and yet here she was, lying on the ground in front of her opponent, belly exposed and all. She huffed, beginning to see blood out of the corners of both of her eyes. "Well, I guess you've bested me again."

 

[RuIerr]

He really wouldn't have felt bad except for the horrible, high-pitched yelp that escaped her body immediately after his teeth sank into her neck. He didn't mean to hurt her that badly - after all, the point of dueling was to strengthen surrounding Outlanders, not take them out of commission, but it appeared he failed at that. Livius winced in response, feeling a twinge of regret at his intuition, but an even larger swelling of pride. He'd won another battle, and all because his instincts had done him well. That was a large goal of these duels: training one's own intuition so that fighting became rote - something the body performed without question, without hesitation.

Cringing a bit at the feeling it gave his injured side, Livius stretched out on his four paws, lying on the ground next to her, and started licking her neck wound paternally. "You'll get me next time, kid," he said with another chuckle, attempting to keep things lighthearted.

 

[RuIerr]

Zawadi winced once more, but mostly because he referred to her as "kid." It felt dismissive, in a way - and, she was a full-grown adult for many moons now, in no way was she close to cubhood. However, the tenderness of his aftercare was sweet, and she understood it to be so. She was injured, and it was nice of him to help her nurse her wounds, even if they were inflicted by him. Well, especially because they were inflicted by him - he was making her stronger with every act. Although, she was quite salty about the fact that she lost to him twice in a row. Was her first duel with Azzan a fluke? Should she have lost - remained Unbranded? Did she really prove herself within the pride, or was Livius just getting lucky? She closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his soft, wet tongue on her neck, culling the stinging his teeth had caused. Maybe she really would get him next time.

"Okay, okay, enough," she said, deciding she was over the tenderness. A bit sore, but not nearly as sore as the previous duels, she clambered to her feet. "Next time indeed," Zawadi stated, forcing a smile before flicking her tail and turning around. Glancing back, she gazed for a moment at his pristine coat and the marks she'd managed to make in it, still feeling proud for a minute before padding off to go lick her wounds (figuratively, of course - it's not as if she could reach any of them) on her own.

 

[RuIerr]

It was silly, really - how paternal he felt towards others regardless of the fact that he'd never sired cubs of his own. He never realized the sentiment until now, and he couldn't figure out if it was a general feeling or some sort of protectiveness he felt towards the only lioness with which he'd become familiar. Either way, he sort of enjoyed the fact that he could hop back and forth between kicking her a** and licking her wounds - it was a useful skillset.

He laughed when she got up, declaring once more that she would get him "next time." After all, that's what Zawadi had said upon the end of their last meeting, and it didn't seem the rematch went so much in her favor. Even so, he could see the strength in her. She was as skilled as she was striking, and it made her all the better. "I look forward to it," Livius spoke as she turned tail and padded away. He suspected she had a friend she'd rather have care for her and was headed off to find such friend, but he appreciated the duel regardless of whether or not it meant much more time with her. If only for the improvement it lead to in his own skillset. He grinned to himself, starting to pad off toward his own den, mentally making a tally of another battle won.