|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:11 pm
 The great beast yawned, jaws parting to reveal glistening fangs, dark talons emerging as massive paws spread in a stretch that reached from head to tail. A literal giant among lions, Tanaka, god of conflict, was an imposing figure. Though perhaps he would have been more so were it not for the scars that littered his white pelt, the scruffy half mane that concealed a lost right eye, or the tattered remains of what had once been a great pair of wings; or maybe it was those very features that made him look all the more menacing, that much more demonic.
The lion's tail twitched, a paw raised to bat a stone from his path. Anger, that was what had consumed the best, blind, unrelenting fury, all focused on his brother, the god of war. It was an ancient hatred, one that had seized the brothers from the moment of their existence, and ironic turn of fate that saw to the eternal existence of War and Conflict, forever connected, forever a part of each other.
He had found distraction for a time, he had found love, family, home. But it was fleeting, lost to the hatred that could never be quenched, pushed away to spare them from the fate that awaited him, for it was better for them to hate him than to be dead, or worse. And yet there was no sorrow, only hatred, rage, and bitterness. They burned inside him like the fires of hell, demanding the demon rise again. And those who crossed his path, he would see that they shared the same fate as his 'dearest' brother, they would know his pain and suffer for it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:27 pm
Mrost had been more than restless of late. Wandering here and there over the endless rolling plains of Africa, seeking something, he didn't know what exactly. It was insatiable, a nightmarish desire to find something that remained intangible and fleeting. He sought to quench it in many ways, there had been the mantle of fatherhood, that he had donned in the attempted tuition of his son Laone into the ways of the warrior. That had failed like everything else, his patience too short, his standard too high. He had sought out his old student and that had eased the restlessness a time, but again, only a time.
It was only now, after trying every other avenue, that he would admit what it was he truly sought, who it was who haunted his every nightmare, the very thought of whom made the old fury rise in him, the drums of war rage in his head, infuriating, impossible. His brother. He'd been everywhere, tried everything, there was nothing else for it, he would have to hunt Tanaka down and end it.
The urge was irrisistable, almost a force of nature, the way a migrant bird can little resist the urge to seek pastures warm, he could little resist that eternal way war and conflict were driven to hate the other. It was a connection beyond family, beyond trivial emotions such as love and hate. They would meet and they would fight, the wheel would turn forever.
And so it was that he ended up here, in this place, wherever "here" was was irrelevant, he could feel Tanaka's precence as effortlessly as he felt his own breathing. He had no gifts from Eir to save him this time, but he didn't need them. This was how it was meant to be, a fight, the purest way of demonstrating life. He threw back his head and bellowed.
"Tanaka. Show yourself."
And it was only as he stood, head held high, awaiting a reply, that he realised that for once the restlessness was gone. He was treading the path he'd sought for so damn long.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:52 pm
Dark ears twitched, a snarl spreading across his maw, a lighting shot of anger rippling through each mussel and joint before that infernal voice even reached his ears. It was a familiar presence, one that filled him with fury and demonic rage, a voice that only brought more hatred. And yet it completed him, filled that emptiness that he had sought to fill in vain with love, as if two halves of the whole had at last been brought together. It was a cruel twist of irony, despite their hatred, they were incomplete without the other.
The beast rose to his paws, rising like a ghostly monster from where he had lain. His green eye, burning with hellish fire, narrowed at the voice, glaring where he knew his brother stood. Talons, dark as night slashed into the earth with his steps, fangs bared in a malicious snarl. He might have attacked his brother on site, his expression would have indicated it, but though the rage burned in him, the tactician remained alive for now. He would strike, but he would not do so blindly.
"Brother, it has been too long."
A growl in his voice, words spoken through fangs, it was far from the friendly greeting other brothers might share. It was a prelude, heralding the hellfire that was to come.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:11 pm
A smirk curved across Mrost's face, the first one he'd genuinely /felt/ in a long time. It was as if he'd been wandering in a foggy dream, every sensation dulled by indifference. And now the veil had been pulled away to reveal a sort of electric tension he felt only on the eve of a great battle. He was walking that delightful knife edge all over again, and he was alive. His azure gaze danced with the old hatred that stirred in him, the beginnings of a growl already fretting in his chest at even the sight of the other god.
"Any amount of time is too long." he stated, narrowing his eyes, realising now in this place that this was true. "When you aren't dead, that is." he bared his fangs, sinking his claws into the ground with ferocity not usually shown in him without good reason. Just once he felt he was permitted to show the frustration he felt, his tail lashing behind him, blades glinting. "I want you to get out of my head and this is the only way to finish it, I see that now. I can't THINK. I can't DO ANYTHING without that suffocating desire to see you dead getting in the way." he bristled "And it's not me. I'm not crazy. And even if I were, getting rid of you would fix it."
He paced a short way, almost seeking subconciously to circle Tanaka.
"It ends."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 2:35 pm
The demon laughed, that infernal, infuriating, mocking laughter. It feel from malevolent jaws to echo across the land, seemingly amplified by hell itself. It was unnerving, dangerous, like a crack of lightning on the open plains, and as that laughter mixed with his own growl, it spoke of murderous intent.
"Not much of a greeting, dear brother, shall we just get to it then?"
Gaze fixed on his brothers, maw parted to show every fang, paws fell heavy to the earth, each step countering Mrost's, warriors sizing each other before the fight. The tension mirrored in the earth and beneath, this battle destined by fate, as if all existence longed for it as much as they did, the end of a cycle to begin it anew.
"I'll leave your head when I tear it from your shoulders."
A roar rent from his massive chest, the lion charged, talons held for the strike, fangs lusting to tear at that infernal blue hide. Unable, unwilling to hold back any longer, Tanaka lunged into the battle. Today this lifetime ended, one way or another.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 6:23 pm
Mrost nodded "No objections from me.", his tone devoid of much of his usual taunting playful demeanour. He knew this day had to come and now it was here, he could feel it as though the tension earthed itself in his fur like lightning. His tail lashed like a dancing blade at his hind paws.
"Ha! Come and retreive it then!" he snapped, with a wild cackle, the kind of unguarded madness that he only ever revealed to one individual in this world. His pace picked up, pausing only to brace himself against Tanaka, his sibling always the larger of the two in stature, hoping to deflect the charge to his left or right slightly so he could get some sort of bearing.
Either way, he didn't care, it was a fight he'd been waiting on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:04 pm
Brothers collided with a thunderous clash, taloned paw falling heavy toward it's target, fangs snapping, seeking to reach beneath the helmet, to strike at vulnerable eyes and throat.
Tanaka fought his brother head on, no tricks, no powers, perhaps as it should be. Hind paws anchored to the earth as his fore reared, the weight and power of his shoulders adding to his strike. The was life, this was how it was meant to be, all the rage and anger he had held for so long flowed through him like a torrent, it's purpose found at last.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:19 pm
Mrost hated how Tanaka knew that he wore his helmet for a reason, and he noticed almost immediately as they clashed, with a thud of muscle on muscle that threatened to knock the air from the god of war's lungs. He tried to shift his head away from the paw which sought to rob him of his sight, only to realise that this left his throat wide open and to twist, just before the blow landed, in such a way that meant he took the swipe agonisingly across the soft flesh of his nose and cheek, having left it too late in the dodge to deflect the force of the blow.
But his own paws weren't idle and even as the blood began to seep from the gouge on his face, he too was mirroring Tanaka's actions, his fangs trying to get purchase on his brother's throat but finding nothing but mane, his claws flashing again and again as he sought to sink them into anywhere that'd give him some kind of upper hand, a wild grin on his face even despite all that went on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 7:46 pm
A thunderous roar as talons found home in his shoulder, the other raking across a dark ear as his body twisted to protect his neck, his good eye turned from the razor blow. A smirk, barely noticeable through the gaping maw of vicious fangs as warmth spread from his ear to stain his golden mane, a glint of satisfaction in his gaze at the unearthly glow of blood that flowed down his brother's face.
But there was no time to savor small victories, no moment to revel in the thrill of bloodshed. Paws raised again, the right fell toward his brother's shoulder, his full weight leaning into the blow, hoping for the power to knock his brother off his feet or to at least knock him off balance. The left was a tactical strike aimed for the silver helmet, claws curling to grasp at the edge, to rend it from his brother's head.
His jaws parted with a snarl, a vicious bite to follow in the wake of his paw.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:09 pm
Mrost let out a satisfied snort as his claws found some kind of purchase in flesh, shaking his head in defiance to flick the seeping blood out of the way of his eyes.
He recovered his senses enough to stagger but not fall under the force of the shoulder blow, letting out a triumphat roar at what he deemed some small victory, swinging his tail around punishingly as a recoil. However this meant he didn't catch the left blow which, with a clang, whisked his helm from his head and sent it flying to the ground with a clang. This caused a flutter of panic in Mrost, feeling the sigma-shaped wound that was always there on his face open to the air.
He was vulnerable and the vulnerable tend to panic. He aimed a clawswipe at Tanaka's neck, where his mane didn't provide cover, just swerving in time to take the bite to his muzzle rather than his head, kicking out with one hind paw at his brother's back legs, aiming to trip him while he was focused elsewhere.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Feb 15, 2008 8:36 pm
(( feel free to take advantage of that massive opening and hit him with a fatal/crippling blow if you want )) Spikes caught a hind leg, talons raked down his neck, but the beast did not care, there would be time for pain later. Now there was a weakness, he could feel the panic, and like a demonic vulture he pounced on it with hellish delight.
His hind leg struck, his weight toppled, tumbling to his front paws. No, his brother would not escape so easily, not when he was so close, so close that he could taste it. That panic radiated through him, bringing an infernal grin to his paw, it was intoxicating, enthralling, he would have his victory, and no tricks would save his wretched brother this time.
Stumbling for a stride, the beast attacked again, lunging with all his fury, almost in desperation, forepaws reaching for the vulnerable neck, jaws aiming again for his brother's skull. He lusted to strike that weakness before it was lost again, to destroy the god of war before he found a chance to escape. It might have been foolish, leaving himself more open than he would have otherwise allowed, but it didn't matter, he would finish this now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:19 pm
Mrost was frantic. He could feel the adrenaline rising up in his veins, the old instincts washing away the rustiness of an idle life. And his head was vulnerable, he knew Tanaka wouldn't let that go for long. Unless he did something and did something now. His breath quickened, the blood streamed from various wounds across his body.
He saw Tanaka lunge towards him, a truly intimidating sight, knowing that he was going in for the final strike, lashing out at the s shaped weakness he worked so hard to conceal.
And in an instant, he spotted an opening, a single flaw in his brother's impenetrable defense, and remembered for an instant, all the fights that had gone before, the circle had repeated so so many times before. He had lost many times, brought down by a falter. In what felt like an instant that felt forever. Mrost dove into action, curling around on the anticipated blow at his skull, bringing up an armoured paw in an attempt to take the crunching blow the fangs intended for him while driving his own fangs in towards the momentarily vulnerable Tanaka.
His target was the throat, and while past present and future seemed to wash into one single moment, he attacked and he hoped, uncaring of whatever blows rent him, just that he made his mark
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 1:53 pm
Titans collided, blows falling with a crash of thunder. In that moment, time changed, distorted as if all life changed in an instant, a millennium, or merely a moment, either could have passed in that space.
Tanaka realized too late his mistake, in his lust for victory he had forgotten his own weakness, he had done the one thing he knew would always be a fatal mistake. He had underestimated his brother, forgotten that any moment could change the advantage, and forgetting such could very well be suicide.
It was with great satisfaction that he felt talons strike, talons curling into his brother's hide as fangs sank toward the weakness so deliciously present to him. In an instant the smirk faded from his maw, roar dieing in his throat as fangs pierced his own hide. An eternity passed, eyes dark with realization, the beast staggered as life flowed from him to stain the earth, unnatural shades that formed the river beneath their feet.
Was this the end, had it really ended like this? Somehow he wasn't afraid, there was no anger. Even as his body grew cold, his vision faded, it was not the end, he had not lost, and the game would begin again.
"You may...have taken this life...but with it...I have taken...yours."
See you in the next life...brother...
The great beast fell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2008 2:17 pm
It was a horrible instant, muddled and confused. All Mrost could smell on the air was blood, all he could feel was agony, he felt the great claws curl into his flesh and at the same time felt with a daze, his own fangs sink home, the taste in his mouth of blood that he knew was from Tanaka but tasted so very like his own. One slip up, that was all it had taken, it was all it had ever taken. No one could match him the way Tanaka did in a fight and it was with a grim respect he let go, allowing him to fall to the ground, knowing that it was over, feeling the great restlessness that had haunted him lift, leaving nothing but the most hollow of voids. It would begin again, it always did, but that did not mean in the interim he felt nothing but regret. A sorrow he couldn't dwell on, couldn't allow to flourish.
He felt like he had killed himself.
Blue blood dripped from a plethora of wounds across his body, on of the most brutal strikes at the end having struck his head, his healed scar crossed by another open wound. Tanaka's final words rang in his head as their truth sunk in. He would never fully heal from his injuries in this life, he was aware.
Cold, azure blue eyes looked upon the fallen white furred form and bowed his unhelmeted head. It was an eternal battle, a dance that never ended, there were no victors and no winners, just fate, just chance. The fight had been what it was supposed to be.
"b*****d." he said with an almost fond smirk, spitting blood out onto the ground. "I'll be waiting. In one shape or another."
And with that he threw back his head and roared like he'd never roared before, a roar that could be heard for miles around.
The great bottomless hate that he felt for his other self was forgotten in the sound, just for then. It had been a fair battle, matched blow for blow. And after all, every great warrior deserved a send off.
And when the very echoes had faded and there was nothing more to say, Mrost shoved his helmet back on with a paw and staggered off into the lands, knowing that if he stopped to rest the way he was, he would never be able to rise again. There was no satisfaction in victory, he realised, just emptiness. And he'd known all along.
He walked onwards.
Ours is not to question why. Ours is but to do, and die.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
