[DUEL] Having Fun Yet?

[SilverLutz]

Here they were again, Menkar mused. A while back he'd agreed to duel Citrabanu and had actually beaten the larger lion. He'd given him some advice, to have fun with his duel since he'd been taking it so seriously. Since then the other male had gone on to become the mate of the General and was now a father. Would he actually be able to have fun with this? Or was he still stuck in that serious rut?

"Round two, eh?" he said with a little grin at Citrabanu before starting the duel. He started to walk in a small circle, forcing the other male to do the same. He'd let the soldier make the first move.

Total: 2  

[SilverLutz]

The last time Citrabanu had looked Menkar in the eyes it had been in defeat. The larger lion had changed quite a bit since their last battle and, while he was still quite serious about his training and his plan to become a Battlemaster, he'd taken Menkar's advice to heart. Have fun with it. He'd been slacking on his training recently to help Mate'moto with her duties as well as seeing to his children, but now he was back on track and ready to pursue his own goal.

"Round two," he agreed, starting to follow Menkar's circle, keeping an even distance between them. He'd let the other lion bide his time, allowing him to make the first move. With pleasure, he thought to himself as he gave a mighty roar and pounced, hopeful that the noise would startle Menkar.

Nope. Didn't work. His paw hit nothing but air.

Total: 1  

[SilverLutz]

Well, it actually had worked. The roar had startled Menkar so much it made him jump forward, making the swing from Citrabanu's paw completely miss. It also opened up an opportunity for Menkar to swipe at Citrabanu's hind leg, which he did. He kept his claws sheathed, the hit hard enough to ache but not to do any lasting damage. This was a duel, after all, not an actual battle.

Total: 5  

[SilverLutz]

With a snarl of frustration that his plan hadn't worked and had opened himself up for a hit, Citrabanu whirled quickly to face Menkar again. The other male hadn't retreated yet and it allowed Citrabanu to deliver a skull-rattling smack to his face, sending the smaller male flying to the side a pace or two.

"Sorry," he growled, not meaning to put that much force into it.

Total: 4  

[SilverLutz]

The smack from Citrabanu's huge paw sent Menkar sprawling to the side, his vision blurring for a moment.

"Whoa," he moaned, shaking his head as he got to his feet. The apology - though gruff - sounded sincere. "No worries, Citrabanu, things- ngk..." He paused, taking a swipe at the lion in front of him. Nothing but air. Whoops...he must be the lion over there. Turning to face the other Firekin, he gave a little grin.

"Things like that happen in a duel."

Total: 6  

[SilverLutz]

The unsteady footing of his duel partner made Citrabanu pause for a moment. Should they keep pressing on? But Menkar swung - missing completely - and faced him again. Apparently he wanted to keep going.

"I'll pull my punches from here on out," he said, reaching out to swipe lightly at Menkar. Surprisingly, he missed. The other male had managed to duck out of the way.

Total: 5  

[SilverLutz]

"Oh, don't pull your punches for my benefit. I'm good," Menkar said as he dodged the swing. His head ached a bit but he could see clearly again. And, despite the hard knock, it actually seemed like Citrabanu was having a tiny bit of fun!

"C'mon, show me what you got! You're mates with the General now, she must've seen something in you," he teased as he took another swipe, this time aiming for the correct lion. His paw didn't connect, though.

Total: 7  

[SilverLutz]

It seemed Menkar did have some fight in him still. The teasing made Citrabanu refocus. Mate'moto had seen something in him: the potential to be a great Battlemaster. He'd get there some day even if it seemed like a far-off goal, and even though Menkar was teasing him, he felt like this strange lion from the sea believed he could do it, too.

He dodged the last swipe from Menkar, returning the strike at the same time. He made a bit of contact as he moved away, not landing a full blow again like last time. He didn't need to rattle his brains too much more.

Total: 7  

[SilverLutz]

Just like their last duel, it seemed they were pretty closely matched. Menkar wondered if that meant he was also Battlemaster material...or if he was just getting lucky. Time would tell, he supposed.

The light strike made him turn quickly, reaching out to hopefully tag Citrabanu as he retreated, but the larger lion was too quick.

Total: 8  

[SilverLutz]

Pulling out of the way of the strike, Citrabanu squared up to face Menkar once more. He feigned one direction then moved in another, confusing Menkar enough that the last strike made contact. It wasn't solid but it was enough.

Total: 9  

[SilverLutz]

The light tap to his side made Menkar laugh as he turned again to face Citrabanu.

"All right, all right, you can stop taking it easy on me. I think you won this one," he said with a grin. "That smack to the head was the deciding move." Since then Menkar hadn't been able to land a good hit on the other lion and it was clear he was taking it at a slower pace than before.

Citrabanu turned to face Menkar again, a little grimace on his face. "I do apologize," he said, the growl gone from his voice now. "I didn't mean to swing quite that hard."

"Citrabanu, I'm serious, it's fine," Menkar chuckled. "You looked like you were having fun! That's all that matters in the end, yeah? I'll be fine," he added when the other male didn't seem convinced. "Good duel."

Citrabanu hesitated for a moment before nodding. If Menkar was good at once thing it was relaxing others. He felt a little bit of pride well up in his chest as well, having bested a lion that had beaten him before. Just another step, another lesson learned on his path to Battlemaster.

"Thank you," he said with a little bow of his head. "I did have fun."

WC: 1027