[PRP] The Only One [Hewa/Bele/Verge]

[ShinosBee]

Mahewa sniffed about the dens of the royal lions of the Aikanaro'Hini. Hmm. They stank of lion, of course. "I dunno Bele, I think they're both out. We'll keep looking though!" He tosses his head to motion the giant red lioness over. Mmmm, his sister. He filled his eyes with her, so very very happy to have her back. And now she was joining him here, in his new home! It was almost too good to be true!

That is, so long as they could find one of the kings. Iartuupe's pungent scent was faded a bit, holding with Hewa's presumption that he was gone away for a time. Verge's on the other hand seemed fresh, and the black and blue lion was bound to be around someplace. He wasn't in any real rush, he had Bele and she wasn't going anyplace. But he'd like to make things official if only to keep the others from harassing her. "C'mon, we'll find him."

A few moments later they'd tracked the blue lion down and Hewa approached him with a bow. "My lord, I've brought my sister to see you. She wants to join the pride, right Bele?" He looked back at her and motioned her forward. "She is one of the best crafters in Africa, is big and strong like me, and would be wonderful to have."  

[fuKurohane]

[note: She has two black-tipped red feathers in the tuft on her head, and her tuft has ruby and marble beads. The tuft on her tail is braided.]

Bele had been following her brother around again as they searched out one of the demon-leaders. However, this time she was close enough to actually touch him, and she relished in his company. The two might as well have been twins, they were so close; they had always been best friends despite any circumstances. Now Hewa was part of this pride, and -hopefully- his sister would soon be too. Of course, she didn't doubt her chances of acceptance. If only because of her blessed skill, she knew these demons would value her.

Bele trailed after her brother in this manner, soaking up the rich scents of the lions, and knowing that it may not be long before she, too, shared this smell. After all, she could already taste it in Hewa's scent. The rough rocky shapes of the dens they searched through were strange and unfamiliar; she had never actually been deep enough into a true pride's lands to see their living space. She was raised in a big family, and they had made their own home in the Rouge Lands, but there was never as much organization as here. The red lionness expectantly poked her black-tufted head into each den Hewa searched in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the elusive leaders, but so far her efforts were in vain.

Somehow, she wasn't intimidated by the distrusting and antagonistic looks shot her way by the dark, unfamiliar lions of the pride. She held her head high and kept an air about her showing her lack of fear. This was just another adventure for Bele, and her keen jade eyes absorbed every detail.

She didn't speak as Hewa directed her, but then, there he was! A lion with a sharp indigo coat lined with gold seemed to appear out of the blue. He was huge, almost as large as her father, a noble Firekin. He had an energy about him, and she knew instantly that he must be one of the god-manifested leaders. Her eyes lingered greedily at the gold and crimson jewel strung about his neck, recognising it as a huge ruby, the same glimmering red of the beads in her hair. The craftsmanship was certainly honorable, and she had an urge to ask him about the ornament, but knew this wasn't the right time.

Taking a cue from Hewa, Bele also bowed as she came up to meet the blue lion. She stepped forward and nodded with a smile. "Yes, my brother has spoken to me about your ways here, and I'm certainly interested," she said, chin lifted high fearlessly. "With your permission, I'd like join. I'm more than willing to provide my crafting skills to aid this pride." The lionness spoke as politely as she could, knowing that this first impression was vital to her acceptance.  

[+Sephiros Immortal+]

Verge'lian considered the both of them, eyes like chips of ice, framed by his silvery mane. The Aran'shale of Sparda's side of the pride was not known for his warmth, but his patience and clarity of thought were his strong suits in comparison with the fiery and temperamental Iartuupe. Studying Moto'ubele, he was glad then that she had come to him, that Iar was gone.

A subtle change of expression indicated possible pleasure, and he rumbled in acquiesce. "Your skills we could use." He agreed, canting great head to the side thoughtfully. "Has your brother told you then, what you must do for acceptance?" It was likely that he had, a good sibling would be informative, especially two as close as these seemed to be. The familiarity betwixt the two stirred a longing in his chest for the brother he had lost, and he stemmed the urge to sympathize with their desire.

It was power and skill the pride valued, not sentimentality. Verge'lian might consider alternatives to tradition, but he would never waver. Such a thing must never be said about him.  

[fuKurohane]

Bele mentally sighed with relief, glad to hear this leader would find her useful. However, she didn't let her guard down. Her jade eyes flashed briefly to connect with her brother's yellow ones, but there was no fear in the glance. No, I am not afraid, she confirmed. The flicker lasted but a moment, and she bravely looked back at the blue lion before her. "Yes, I know what must be done," she answered, holding her head high.

Truthfully, there may have been a tinge of anxiety within the crimson lionness regarding the fight ahead, but her self-control supressed it. She allowed herself to show a bit of pride, balancing her stance. She could feel the slight bulge above her pads, and knew her secret could - and would - aid her. Though she had hoped that it wouldn't come to anything severe, she could do considerable damage; practice had proven that fact.

She was more skilled with crafting than fighting, and that was simply by her nature. Her tracking skills had grown considerably, but Sanaa's blessing would always be strong in her heart. But Bele knew what had to be done, as she had previously spoken. She would stand her ground and fight. It's for you, Mahewa, she promised, her thoughts reaching out to her brother standing a little ways behind her. He couldn't hear her, she knew, but she knew he could feel it. That was just another part of their strong sibling bond.

She resisted the urge to unsheath her claws. Not yet, she strategised. Don't make the first move; don't let him see your weapons before his. She got the feeling that it might be unwise to do anything provacative. Not when facing a demon. She caught herself, slightly surprised. Her brother, Hewa, is a demon. And if she planned on joining this pride, that meant she had one too. How quickly the tables turn!

All of these thoughts within her head, she braced herself for attack. Here we go.  

[ShinosBee]

Mahewa danced back from the pair a ways, settling in as calmly as he could. He knew Verge was...at least more 'present' than Iartuupe, but still, he was a king of demons. And Mahewa would not be allowed to help in any way through the coming event. Be it questioning or battle, he could do nothing but watch.

He knew though, that if it came to blows, and things went to far, that Bele would not be the only one to suffer from their family. He would do his best to remain calm, but he knew that even his ties to the pride could not trump his ties to his sister.  

[Azure Desiderium]

"Good."

She was female. It was a small thing, really, and something in him always wondered just what his sire really thought about this tradition, when a knightly upbringing deferred habitually to the ladies. But a lifetime of experience had taught Verge'lian much. A lioness could be just as dangerous as a lion, just as deadly, just as fast, and twice as cunning.

He would test her, this lioness, but he would defer to her youth, and not be so ferocious in his attacks as he might have against an older, more seasoned creature. With a low, rumbling growl, he slowly took a step towards her, gaze scanning her carefully. All right...now. Darting forward, he then bunched hindquarters, leaping at her from a slight angle...a full frontal attack would be easily countered...let's see just how fast she was on her feet, how quickly she could devise strategy.

That was the true test, after all.  

[fuKurohane]

Bele made a quick nod to his reply, not allowing herself the luxury of letting her attention slip by actually speaking. Now, more than ever, she needed to focus.

She saw him leap towards her and she tensed, noticing the angle of his attack. He was aiming for her left. Mind working rapidly, she dodged to the right with a quick spring. She briefly let her claws free from their sheathes to aim a slash along his side as he went past her, their abnormal ebony glinting in the sunlight, but hid them again when the two opponents landed. Bele still didn't want him to know of her secret, despite the fact that it could end up being a free ticket in. She wanted to earn it. The crimson lionness could feel a slight tickle on her back leg and knew he'd snagged her, but she did her best to ignore it. It's just a scratch, she reminded herself. My weapons should have done far worse damage than that.

If Bele attacked on the defensive, never allowing the lion to know her secret, then she might fare well. After all, his mind would very likely be occupied with trying to get a blow to her and testing how she got away. If she herself made the attacks, he'd probably be able counterstrike faster than she even knew how. But if she managed to continue on in this manner, she'll probably confuse him - after all, how could she potentially cause such damage with the normal claws that he had, without him even able to see her weapons? It was risky, considering the reaction time needed to sheath and extend her claws, but it could work. That's what counts.  

[ShinosBee]

Hewa twinged when Verge leapt at Bele. He knew it wasn't a real fight. It was a test, jsut a test...He wouldn't hurt her too bad. Still, he felt uneased, seeing the spot of blood on the rear of one of her feet. Her attack was good too, though the angle made it hard to see. He tried to stay calm, though he'd already begun digging little trenches in the dirt with his claws, an unintentional and automatic reaction to the fight.

He knew better than to openly cheer anyone on, but mentally he was hollering for Bele to do her best, to show him just how tough she was, their family was. If anyone from his litter could royally thump him in a wrestle or fight, it would be Bele. He had faith in her.  

[Azure Desiderium]

His gleaming blue gaze never left her. Never once should one take their eyes off of an opponent, never turn your back unless you had no other choice, and he twisted his massive body away from her strike, but not quite far enough, too large a target to remain completely unscathed, and he felt a p***k at his side, long, narrow slashes in his side, leaving almost needle-like, shallow trails amidst the blue fur.

Strange, that her claws should be so very very sharp. Already he was pleased with her, and estimated that her chances were good, even though she be younger than he.

Landing forepaws first, he then instantly pivoted as soon as hind legs touched the ground, throwing all his weight in the other direction as he swiveled, hindquarters bunching only for a second as he again attacked her, aiming again for the side that he'd already been able to draw blood upon. Claws were outstretched, and he had thrown his weight more fully into this strike, hoping to knock her off-balance if he could. Come now, youngling, don't disappoint me.  

[fuKurohane]

Good. Bele had managed to make some kind of damage to his flank. But it's not over yet. She saw the nimble skew of his black paws as they turned so quickly to leap back at her. But his lunge was more forceful this time, and might just prove harder for him to control. He moved too fast for her to escape this time, but she knew better than to rear up and take the force of his blow. No, this time Bele ducked her head down and charged right beneath his forepaws. Her back seared with pain as his claws scored furrows in her black-striped fur, and she almost cried out, but she hadn't ducked without reason. Using her momentum to continue her dive, she slammed into his back legs from beneath, unsheathing her claws once more to take aim at his muscle.

Though she was younger than him, her rich Firekin blood made her size rather equal to his. Therefore his weight on her wasn't too great, and the fast movements of each of them saw them separate once more, he passing over and her diving beneath. She spun round, very aware of the sacrifice she had made in pulling off her attack.  

[ShinosBee]

Hewa watched intently. Good! It looked like Bele'd gotten him after all! There was no time to celebrate though, the next minute Verge was flying through the air, claws reaching, groping for his dear sister's back. She ducked under and he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that move, had felt it work. Funny, he'd really never thought of Bele as a real fighter...Maybe she was stronger than he'd thought or dared to hope.

To him so far the match seemed even. Verge was the older, more experienced fellow, but Bele had young energy and cunning wiles.  

[Azure Desiderium]

Oh what a very intelligent, adept child this one. He knew already, unflinchingly, that she would be of use to the pride, that he would accept her, even as he felt the flow of rich, red blood run down his leg where she'd scored muscle and flesh. It hurt, agony with every step, and he embraced and welcomed it. Pain was life, pain was penance, and it meant a new scar, telling of a battle survived. She did not have to defeat him, she had to match him, and so far, she was doing beautifully.

None of this showed on his features, save a momentary grimace when his feet touched down, and then his expression turned cold once more. With another, quick turn, he went for her throat, coming from behind her. More a test to see what she would do rather than an actual attempt to kill her.  

[fuKurohane]

A feral snarl ripped her maw on reflex as she saw his lunge out of the corner of her eye. Verge was fast, surprisingly so for his apparent age. But he's the incarnation of a god, she reminded herself. No matter. He'll soon see just what kind of demon I have inside of me. Again, he was too quick for her to evade; he had too much experience. His injured leg slowed him only slightly - Bele saw a sick kind of enjoyment of the pain in his eyes, despite his grimace. She accepted his attack again, but this time she arched her spine so that he couldn't reach her neck and would instead collide with her broad back. It cost her more blindingly agonizing rivets in her back, which she knew would be doomed to scar like those of her brother. But she wasn't finished yet. This time Bele used Verge's own momentum to carry them forward into a barrel-roll and she attempted to smash him into the ground or at least knock the wind out of him. Again, her weight helped her with this.

She continued her roll through the cracked, dusty earth as an escape. As she returned to her feet, she saw one of her beloved red and black feathers drift to the ground near Verge, dislodged in the battle. Her heart screamed at it - her feathers were her most precious posessions aside from her weapons. But she dared not move towards it, and instead locked her eyes with the pride leader's.  

[ShinosBee]

Hewa watched in awe. Since when had his sister been so strong? Sure he knew she was tought...but she was giving the Aran'shale a real run for his money! Both were wounded (he knew he'd be the one to clean her wounds later) but he almost thought the king was worse off. He only had claws after all. Bele had her teeth.

He winced and leapt away as the pair came tumbling to the ground towards him, just barely missing a swiping claw from one or the other of them. Surely it'd be done soon. Verge had to accept her.  

[Azure Desiderium]

Even as he felt her weight and they started moving, he knew that this was going to smart. There was a rather sickening sort of thudding as he hit the ground, twisting to try and divert some of the impact, but his ribs still took quite the sound blow, and for a moment, breathing became a very fond thought of the past. Well well...she was quite the cunning fighter, this one.

Instantly in a crouch, he panted softly, before he made a quiet, bemused sound, slowly straightening, his gaze never leaving hers. "Your fighting is exceptional." He declared with a faint smirk on his maw. "You have proven yourself skilled in this fight, and of considerable potential benefit to the Aikanaro'hini. You may consider yourself one of us, my dear."

He did not have to tell her anything other than that, though he was curious, and would have to talk to her later...about a few elements of their fight. Considering the struggle over, he slowly sat down, more than a slight twinge in his hind leg bothering him. Ah well, just one more scar to the collection.

Blue eyes drifted to the feather that had fallen, and he gestured to it soundlessly, indicating that it was safe for her to come retrieve the treasured item.