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Self-RP between Malik and Mwali.
Malik charged through the sand, skirting the main battle itself. Just when one lion seemed to come his way, another would intercept and square off, it seemed everyone had an opponent of their own in the chaos. Roars filled the air like thunder, curses to the gods and goddesses echoed on the maws of those that fell. Blood would soon stain the sands red as the pelts of those they faced. Of course- many on his own ‘side’ of the battle blended in as well as any of the traditionalists.
Pop…, Malik growled mentally as he picked up his pace. He could see the fury in Mwali’s green eyes, narrowed as the red giant let loose a rumbling roar. The roar of a firekin prince. The bloodlust in his eyes was unmistakable, it was unlike him. He wasn’t the lion he had been. Perhaps Koho’s disappearance and the disappearance of nearly all his offspring had finally gotten to him.
“Infidel!” Mwali roared has he lunged forward, a massive clawed paw swept through the air with force enough to snap a bone.
Malik steeled himself and drew lips back, exposing a mouthful of powerful fangs. The red blur met with the side of his shoulder as he lunged forward to catch Mwali’s ear. The force of Mwali’s attack sent Malik tumbling into the sand. He whirled himself up to his feet in an instant and rolled himself to the side to avoid another paw sent down for his head.
Of the two, Mwali had the upper-hand. He was a seasoned fighter. While he had never been Makadari’s chosen successor, he had been raised by a firekin king. Malik had always been a brute but the older lion stood a good paw above him at the shoulder. Either way, this was his fight. The other lions of the rebellion had their opponents, he’d prove himself as he’d promised their leader.
Mwali turned himself sharply and took another drive towards the golden lion, ultimately meeting with the sand once more as Malik struggled to keep himself just out of paw’s reach of his father’s blows. The one shoulder bled out from where he’d been slammed previously. His paws still burned on the firey sand of the desert. If there was a hell on earth, it had descended on the battlefield.
“What’s gotten intah yah!?” Malik growled, jumping back from another strike. He could feel Mwali’s claws just seep past the ends of his mane’s fur.
Mwali smirked and lowered his paws to the ground. His shoulders rose up over his neck as his body squared up. “Power… the blessing of Finar-Si herself! Soon this pride will be restored through my own bloodline.” He licked his maw, “It’s fortunate you arrived when you did… I intended on correcting my prior mistake.”
“Mistake?” Malik began circling slowly along with Mwali, squaring himself off against the larger lion.
“Halfbreeds.” Mwali sneered, “Our bloodline will no longer live with the stain of impurity. This is our kingdom now!”
Malik’s eyes widened as the red mountain descended on him once more with a thundering roar. Malik returned the challenge and lunged upward to meet Mwali’s claws. Blood sprayed out from each male as they exchanged hammering blows, ripping into gold and crimson pelt in a fray. Malik was being pushed backwards by Mwali’s blows while his own blows only seemed to enrage the firekin more. In only a few minutes, both were bleeding down their faces and shoulders. Malik by far had taken the most damage and was being led in circles. The golden lion took a short glance backward. Mwali was driving him back towards a cliff. He’d have his back to the wall if he allowed the giant to press the attack. He’d have no chance.
Mwali swung another paw out, this time Malik dropped himself down in the sand and threw himself upwards as the paw sang just over his head. His skull met with Mwali’s jaw and sent the firekin to his back in the sand. He was big- and that was his curse as much as his advantage.
Malik pressed the attack instantly and jumped himself out to land with both paws on Mwali’s shoulders, effectively pinning him to the sand.
His eyes burned down into Mwali’s. “How could ya do this tah us?! I’m yer son! Yer others are slaves!”
“At least they know their place.” The firekin growled and threw his own head up from the sand, smashing his skull right in-between Malik’s eyes. Malik roared as he was thrown back to his hind legs, then back into the air as Mwali’s hind legs shot out and slammed into his exposed gut.
Malik met hard with the sand, the ground seemed to spin around as he fought for focus once more. A heavy paw brought all his senses crashing back as it pressed his head down into the ground.
“How dare you raise your paw against us? Pathetic.”
The golden lion snarled and reached his paw out to one side, “Shuddup!” A pawful of sand was thrown up into the red giant’s eyes, earning an enraged roar as he tossed his head to one side. Malik took the opportunity to throw himself up once more and deliver another blow of his own. Blood shot through the air and slapped down onto the ground as Mwali was thrown back.
The firekin roared in agony and tossed his head upwards. Blood spilled out from a very empty eye socket. Malik winced, but he couldn’t afford to hesitate. The golden lion powered forward and threw his paw out once more. Mwali turned his head just in time to receive the clawed paw to the other side of his face. There was a spark of recognition in his remaining eye that Malik just barely noted. Soon as the gaze registered the blow had been dealt and Mwali was sent back down to the ground in a heap.
Malik panted and caught himself on all fours, eyeing the red lion in the sand as a desert wind whipped up from behind him. The scent of blood almost dripped off the air. Much as he wanted to, he couldn’t afford to turn and assess the rest of the battlefield.
“You’ve improved…”, Mwali chuckled from the ground. His single eye looked out towards the den where no doubt his cubs were watching. Cubs… all of them were watching the battle. He couldn’t fall here, not in front of them. Not before Finar-Si. And certainly not at the paw of a halfbreed! An abomination.
Makadari was practically blinded by rage. He’d been blinded on one side, scarred for the rest of his life by the paw of some… rogue. Mwali, however, watched the golden lion standing in the distance. He’d grown so much, and he’d followed him all the way here. Still looking for Azeze. It had been years, but the time and distance hadn’t been enough to detour him. Even the threat of a war hadn’t stopped him.
“…my boy…”, he muttered quietly.
“…what?” Malik frowned but turned to face the firekin.
“Pull back… ju….Mmmm…gr….” He seemed to be struggling to speak for a moment. Mwali put a paw over one side of his head while his legs kicked at the sand.
“Pop?” Malik too a slow step forward, but hesitated at yet another angry roar from Mwali.
“GO!”
Malik stepped back once more and eyed the lion laying in the sand. His face was convulsing between a snarl and what looked like an expression of mourning. Every muscle on Mwali’s body quivered and twitched under his bloodied red pelt.
