Komboa felt like things were going rather well, all told. No one had given any of them any trouble, and the stranger actually turned out to be rather nice. This Rizardon fellow seemed to be very well traveled, and he liked being able to hang out with others and learn about their prides. He was not interested in staying, as he was very loyal to his home, but he was an open minded sort. It was actually surprising, really, because Rizardon was massive and looked like a bit of a meat head: a guy that spent more time fighting than thinking. And while that might have been true in one sense, he was actually still a really nice guy. He was patient with Reghan’s questions and her quirks and bitterness, and he was equally so with Komboa’s over caution and his desire to know everything. It was surprisingly easy to get along with him, though Komboa always thought he preferred the company of… more intelligent sorts, but he found talking to Rizardon was not as hard as it might have been.
Reghan, too, found she liked Rizardon, and was sad to hear that he had no intention of staying. If there were more lions like him around, who wanted to hang out with everyone and did not care one way or the other about what they looked like or who their parents were, then the whole pride would be a better place. But he supposed he was only like that because he had not been born and raised in this place, where such prejudice was so common. He did tell them of how his own pride had a smaller issue with it, something about cursed pelts and snow, but that did not seem as serious or dangerous as what was going on in the Tokakinji at the moment. Not that it was a contest, or that she considered being worse off a ‘win’ of any kind. She was not sure why she was even thinking about it in terms like that.
The trio entered a wooded area near the outskirts of the pride, outside the main two warring areas. The Uliacha and the Mkoani were the worst for trouble, as far as Komboa was concerned, so it was just better to avoid the trouble areas and stick to the quiet parts. It meant not showing the stranger the King’s castle mountain, or the market, or the prison ravine, but that was something to be accepted and moved on from, because it was just not worth the risk, really. Maybe one day, when there was really peace, things would be easier for them all and it would be a more welcoming place for strangers to come and visit, and visit properly. Right now, Komboa was just not certain it was the kind of place that should be looking for new members. He sighed, sitting down at the bank of a small river, as Rizardon and Reghan bent their heads at the water to take a drink.
“This looks like a nice place to relax for a bit,” Komboa said with a nod.
“So, Rizardon, you like to spar, you said? Do you want to fight against me? Or good ol’ Komboa can give it a go, but I think he’s better at pointing out all the things you’re doing wrong when you fight than actually fighting for himself, as far as I can tell. He doesn’t like to get his paws dirty,” Reghan teased lightly, her mood high from the nice walk and conversation. Komboa squinted at her from a short distance, but bore her teasing with dignity by holding his head up high and pretending not to notice. He looked away and she laughed at him, noting the way his nose was sticking up in the air exactly like a lion who did not want to get his paws dirty.
Rizardon laughed and swung his tail around behind him, sizing the female up. She would probably be a good fight, as she was small and likely fast. She was confident, and he did not think that was just because she was young. She must have put some time in her own training, which meant she enjoyed a good fight as much as he did, but was not necessarily interested in hurting anyone. That was what made sparring so fun, and why Rizardon loved making friends that liked to scrap with him. He knew he was intimidating in size, so for her to come right out and ask him for a challenge made him grin with delight.
“I would love to fight! I think Komboa can give us both tips if he wants, but he can also just keep an eye on us and tell us when the fight is over. How about we do it like a contest, and the first lion to land a paw swipe to, say, the other’s head gets a point. First to three points is the winner? Then you have to protect your head and watch your movements, keeping that in mind, so it’s more interesting than just swinging at each other.”
“You really do like your fights, don’t you, Rizardon? That’s a great idea!”
“I like that idea, too,” Komboa said stiffly, shaking his head and sighing. He really did think it sounded fun, but his fur was still in a twist for her teasing and it was hard to relent a bit and join the conversation again. He managed, though, and nodded his head at both of them. “I don’t mind being a referee for you two, so that will be fun. I can count the points and make sure things are fair. I can tell you right now, Rizardon, that Reghan will try to cheat. Never fear, though, as i will stop her.”
Reghan growled at him playfully in warning, bouncing his way and snapping at his paws. Komboa jumped backwards with a yelp, flailing his paws a bit before he skittered backwards enough to get away from her. With an indignant look he put his paw on her nose and pushed her away from him, which made her laugh. Rizardon padded closer, grinning at the two of them and nodding.
“Well, then, it’s settled. I think we should do it tomorrow, after a good night’s sleep and a nice meal, I think. We’ll both be on the same footing then, don’t you think?”
Reghan nodded her head and then tilted her head at Komboa, batting her eyelashes at him and suddenly looking very feminine and flirtatious. He was impervious to her efforts, though, as he was well used to when she turned on her wiles to get something she wanted. She did not mean anything by it, for sure, and she was just trying to take advantage of how nice he was, somehow. He was already shaking his head, though, as he was fairly sure that whatever she was going to ask him, he was saying no to.
“Komboa my love, my dear, my good, good, friend. Would you mind going out and finding us some food so we don’t exert ourselves before our fight? We want to be in prime condition and hunting can be so tiring, you know. But you’re such a bit, strong lion, you could do it!”
Rizardon started laughing at that, shaking his head. These two were hilarious to him, even if he could not figure them out. Komboa looked so put out and annoyed and he very clearly did not want to go out and hunt for them all, but he looked at Reghan and opened his mouth to protest, but failed to say anything at all. It was like she was using a spell on him and he had no will to resist her. Rizardon had to wonder if this was what always happened, and why Reghan stayed around Komboa so much. They got along, and they seemed to have a strange system between them that must have been built over a long time of knowing one another. Rizardon would have to get their full stories some time, perhaps after the fight.
“Oh, alright,” Komboa grumped, shaking his head. “I suppose you two should rest if you’re going to have this big fight or whatever it is you’re doing. Fine, fine, I’ll go catch something, but don’t expect it to be huge! I’m not hauling it back very far, either, so if I can’t find anything then that is just going to have to be too bad, okay?” He huffed and got up, padding away from them. Rizardon got the feeling that he was saying all of those protests without any hope of following through with them.
He was going to come back with food, big or not.
Once he was gone, Rizardon looked at Reghan, who was grinning ear to ear.
“He is a dork, but he’s a nice guy. He’ll get us some food, and help us with the match tomorrow. It should be fine. Anyway, we can set up a bit of a camp here, if you want. Let’s make him a nice bed, then he won’t be all mad at us once he gets back.” She moved to start gathering some fresh leaves and to try and make him a nice bed to rest on, and Rizardon agreed with the sentiment. So he helped her without complaint.
Word Count: 1,569 in Google Docs
