[DUEL] Having Fun With It

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu faced his new opponent, his golden eyes sizing up the older male. Kasoro was pretty big for a Firekin that hadn't been born into the pride, standing taller than the bone-marked lion though not quite as muscled. He was a guard rather than a soldier and it seemed he had the wiry strength hidden beneath his pelt rather than the obvious power Citrabanu held.

Still, he wouldn't let the other lion's age or height deter him. He was going to take Menkar's advice and try to have a little fun with this duel to see how it went. Rather than charging in like he usually would, he bobbed his head to signal he was ready and instead began to circle Kasoro, biding his time. He'd let the other lion make the move first.

Total: 2  

[SilverLutz]

Kasoro stood quietly as the bright lion before him sized him up. He'd been happy to duel the younger male if only for something to do and he did like to keep his skills sharp. He glanced over to the rocks that Soleil had climbed up on to rest, watching her mate duel the young soldier. He kept his expression bland as he gave her a little wink, letting her know that he'd be fine.

Soleil chuckled softly to herself as Kasoro winked at her. She motioned with her paw to the now moving Citrabanu, indicating he should focus on the duel. She was a medic but if he did something silly and wound up getting hurt she wasn't going to give him any sympathy.

"Don't pull a muscle, dear," she called out teasingly. Kasoro couldn't help the little smirk that slid onto his muzzle as he lowered his head, circling as well. He didn't wait too long to make a move, though, darting in to land a heavy hit to Citrabanu's side.

Total: 3  

[SilverLutz]

Letting Kasoro make the opening move was surprisingly good, Citrabanu found. Yes, he landed a hit, but it gave him more time to think about what he wanted to do. Once Kasoro's paw was off the ground to deliver his strike, Citrabanu twisted to return the favor. His own paw connected at the same time as Kasoro's, though his hit his back between his shoulders in a downward motion rather than a typical swipe.

Total: 5  

[SilverLutz]

Kasoro had to admit Citrabanu was fast for his size. While the pale lion was a few inches taller at the shoulder, Citrabanu definitely had him in weight. The strike that hit his back sent him to the ground with a surprised snarl and he used the time he'd usually counter-strike to get up so the younger male didn't have an advantage for too long. He turned to face him again, lip curled into a startled sneer. All right. Best not take this lion at face value.

Meanwhile on her rock, Soleil was trying very hard not to laugh. Her mate's surprise had been hilarious and it was clear Citrabanu wasn't aiming to wound. She could relax a bit and enjoy the fight. Seeing how quickly Kasoro got up made her smile again and she called out once more.

"Go on then, show him what you've got, Kas."

Total: 4  

[SilverLutz]

The surprise from Kasoro boosted Citrabanu's confidence as he let the other male put a bit of distance between them. He felt a tiny smile creep onto his muzzle as Kasoro's mate called from the sidelines, egging him on good-naturedly. That would be nice, he thought to himself as he began to stalk Kasoro again. Having someone there to cheer him on. But that was a thought for another time because right now he was in the middle of a duel and he was having fun.

Charging forward with one of his usual attacks, Citrabanu reached out to swipe at Kasoro, sure he'd at least land a light hit, but the pale lion was much more agile than he anticipated and his swipe hit nothing but air.

Total: 6  

[SilverLutz]

"Yes, dear," Kasoro called back, though his pale gaze stayed locked on Citrabanu. He waited for the other male to make a move, holding his ground until the last possible moment when he ducked out of the way. He could hear the woosh of air next to his ear from the missed strike and bounded past Citrabanu, taking a moment to swipe out and tap his rump on the way by. Not a hard hit, just enough to let him know he exposed his flank a bit too much.

"Wooo!" Soleil called from her perch as Kasoro pulled off a pretty slick move. He was certainly past his prime in terms of being spry and fast but her mate still had a few moves left in him from experience. She gave a little roar of approval at the tap delivered to Citrabanu's backside, glad that he was holding his own against the younger male.

Total: 6  

[SilverLutz]

The tap to his flank almost flared Citrabanu's original flame of needing to be the best, of never letting a hit like that happen, but hearing Soleil from the rocks cheering Kasoro on reminded him that he was supposed to be enjoying himself. Hearing her root for her mate reminded him this was a duel, not a fight. They were doing this to better themselves and each time a move like that was pulled on him Citrabanu would remember and hopefully use it one day himself, or at least remember that if someone was escaping to follow them quickly.

He turned to face Kasoro, biding his time again to see what the other male would do. He needed time to plan his attacks a bit when dueling like this - facing off against wily guards was something he should do more often. It made him think outside the box.

Total: 8  

[SilverLutz]

Kasoro saw the flash of disappointed anger in Citrabanu's eyes for the moment it was there and he felt for the other male, truly. He understood what it was like to fail at something you thought you were good at. He thought Citrabanu was doing very well, though, and that he must be a bit of a perfectionist if a little tap like that got his ire up.

Not wanting to wait too long and give the other male too much time to think, Kasoro darted in again. He tried a sneakier move this time, dodging a the last possible moment in his head-on charge to try to smack Citrabanu's side. It worked, though it did leave him open for an easy attack.

Soleil stood on her rock as Kasoro pulled off the rather slick move, a pleased look on her face. Her mate still impressed her on the daily it seemed, whether he was showing off his fighting prowess like right now or coming back from his guard routes with herbs and other materials she needed for her own rank. He truly was the finest male in the pride. To her at least.

Total: 9  

[SilverLutz]

The head-on charge was a bit of a surprise, but Citrabanu held his ground and didn't fall for it. He could tell Kasoro was a slippery fighter, not rushing in head-first like Citrabanu preferred to do. He'd definitely be taking his tactics into consideration for future duels and battles. Thankfully he read the dodge properly and easily reached out to return the swat, getting in a rather good hit to Kasoro's hind leg. He pulled back, much slower than Kasoro, to try to keep his own rear end from getting struck again.

Total: 11  

[SilverLutz]

While Kasoro wasn't thrilled about being tripped, he was glad for Citrabanu that the other male was catching on to his tactics. It was important for a soldier to be able to read his opponent and adapt accordingly, after all. He managed not to stumble too badly as he moved away from the red male, reaching out to tap his rump once more on the way by. If anything, he'd suggest for Citrabanu to work on his agility. His fighting skills were certainly top notch already, he just had to go in and fine-tune the details.

Soleil watched as the two males pulled away from one another, a pleased look on her face. That had been a very evenly-matched battle and while she couldn't say who won, she knew both lions certainly gained something from this spar session. She hopped down off her rock to head towards her mate, ready to congratulate him on a duel well done.

Total: 11  

[SilverLutz]

Citrabanu lifted his head as the duel came to an end. He couldn't say who had won but the battle had felt very evenly-matched the whole time. And...he'd had a bit of fun with it even if he'd been frustrated by his own stagnation a few times.

"Thank you for the duel," he said with a little bow of his head, not above respecting a fellow Firekin after a hard-fought duel. "You're a slippery thing, aren't you?"

"I suppose you could say that," Kasoro agreed, bowing his head in turn before smiling at Soleil as she approached. "If you work on your speed and reaction times I doubt I'd be able to hold my own against you again, though."

"A wonderful duel to watch," Soleil proclaimed as she made it to the dueling sands, pressing her head fondly under Kasoro's chin. "You never fail to impress me, my dear."

Citrabanu smiled slightly at the couple before giving Kasoro one more nod and turned to go. He resolved to continue having fun and to stop berating himself over every little hit that he received. Every duel would only serve to make him stronger in the end.

Watching him go, Kasoro returned the nuzzle from his mate with a soft sigh.

"It's lions like that that let me know the Firekin will continue its proud tradition without fail," he murmured quietly. "He's quite the fighter."

"As are you," Soleil purred softly, nudging Kasoro so they could leave the dueling sands. She had other things she needed to do today and as nice as it had been to watch her mate show off a bit, she did need the things in his pouch in order to finish up her own duties.