[DUEL] A Long and Grueling Road (Citrabanu x Katranak)

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu moved onto the dueling sands, his tail flicking back and forth as he waited for a dueling partner. He had aspirations to become a Battlemaster, but as a fairly young lion he had a long way to go before he could even consider the honor of the title. Still, he had to start somewhere, right?

So here he stood, waiting for an opponent, eager to hopefully prove himself and start the journey to a new rank. There were many skilled fighters within the pride, though, and he knew others had the same goal as he, so it would be a tough but needed task to duel with the best of what the Firekin had to offer.  

[SilverLutz]

It didn't take long for a lioness to approach the sands, stepping forward to make her intentions known. Citra recognized the dark female as one of the daughters of Agni-pariksha and he bobbed his head in greeting, their interaction silent thus far. Words weren't needed between warriors, not when looks and body language would suffice. She wouldn't have stepped onto the sands if she wasn't intent on accepting his quiet challenge and he was honored to have a well-established Soldier as his dueling partner.

He didn't wait for long to let their session begin, making an explosive move right out of the gate. Citra knew there were times that stealth was key, but as a Soldier he often fell back on brute strength to begin a battle or training session. Even though he was a bit smaller than the average Firekin due to his father's bloodline, he was still strong and hit like a charging rhino when he went full steam. A paw raised as he drew close enough to Katranak to make contact, claws sheathed but otherwise he didn't hold back.

Ecavi

Round 1: 2
Round 2: 3
Total: 5  

[SilverLutz]

Citra counted his first attack lucky - a head-on charge like that could have been easily countered if it weren't for the surprise he seemed to have caused. He'd take it, though, and as Katranak jerked back and tried to return the blow, he bounded just high enough to miss the full power of her swipe. It did connect but not hard enough to throw him off balance. Still, he pulled away and turned to face Katranak again, keeping his head low and ready to pounce. For now he decided to bide his time for just a moment, waiting to see if there was a chance to pounce or if he needed to go on the defensive.

Ecavi

Round 1: 2
Round 2: 3
Round 3: 2
Total: 7  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu watched and he didn't have to wait long for the lioness to make her move. She turned quickly and pounced, leaving him little room to do anything other than leap out of the way. He dodged the pounce and tried to reach around to catch her hind leg with his paw, but his misjudged and swiped far too far away. Had he been able to he would have flushed in embarrassment - what a rookie move! - but he quickly turned to face her again, knowing this battle wasn't over yet. He had to stay sharp and not let sloppy moves like that dictate the duel.

Breathing heavy, Citra dug his claws into the loose sand to stop his momentum, ready to face Kat head on.

Ecavi

Round 1: 2
Round 2: 3
Round 3: 2
Round 4: 1
Total: 8  

[SilverLutz]

For two Soldiers they certainly were making quite the name for themselves. Citra was glad there wasn't a large crowd gathered to watch and was extra relieved that Kat was missing just like him. It made him feel just a bit better about his abilities, that someone with the heritage that she had could make mistakes just like him.

Taking a chance when he saw her stumble again, Citra pounced forward to try to knock her off her paws. The shove was hardly strong enough to send her flying but hopefully she didn't have her paws under her yet and he'd knock her off balance at the very least.

Ecavi

Round 1: 2
Round 2: 3
Round 3: 2
Round 4: 1
Round 5: 2
Total: 10  

[SilverLutz]

Another pounce, but this time Citrabanu was ready for it. Katranak connected solidly and sent him to the ground, nearly knocking the wind from him as she did so. He used their momentum to continue rolling, reaching up to drag her with him as he flipped them over, now looking down at the dark female rather than up. He secured his weight over her, paws pressing heavily against her to keep her from getting up.

"Well fought," he panted softly, pulling back after a few moments to make sure she wasn't going to continue to duel. "Thank you for accepting my challenge, Katranak. I'm Citrabanu," he added, bobbing his head as he had before to quietly thank her again for the duel.