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 Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:06 pm
( cubs involved: Shisa, Chaka, Fia, Azar'bijan and Uddhava )  He was eyeing up something in the sand. Eyeing up as in stalking, preparing to pounce. He quivered with excitement, flexed his little, dark claws in the sand and prepared himself for this epic battle. For he was stalking no stupid prey-beast, but a lion, just like himself! The clashing of two predators, the flashing of claws, the biting of lethal teeth. This was going to be a battle to behold!
And luckily, the daughter of the Regent was close by, within earshot in any case. As soon as she heard the scuffle she'd come bounding over to see and she'd be swept off of her paws by the sight of Azar'bijan tackling such a foe!
Puffing out his little chest, he took another step closer. Preparing himself for what was to come. Oh, yes, this was going to be fantastic! If this didn't get him into the ranks of soldiers he didn't know what was!
With a sly smile he pressed himself to the ground, waited for a few heartbeats, then leapt. His target was little gold runt, Uddhava. He was not big, in fact he was probably the smallest firekin cub on the lands. His size also matched his personality. He was neither tough or rough. In fact he was dainty, delicate, shy and timid. Everything that a Firekin wasn't. That, along with his sunshiney pelt, made him the target of everyone's abuse.
He was getting used to it, though.
His siblings had all teased him. Well, not all of them. There was his sister, Zapaliti. She had always been nice to him, calling him pretty, telling him he was special. He missed her dearly, missed cuddling up at night and speaking with her when everyone else was asleep. The others, though, Rap and Ngoma had been bold and boistorous and he had been called many mean things. Bt it had always been in jest and after a while it hadn't hurt him as much. Now, however, this land brought not only taunts and jeers, but painful ones and they hurt him deeply.
Like that Helios...
So, when he felt the pressing weight of another across his back and shoulders, Uddhava gave a shrill cry of fear and attempted to roll away, kicking up sand as he tried to flail away. His shrill cry of fear came again, green eyes wide with frantic.
Someone was trying to hurt him!! Mismatched eyes snapped round at the sound of a squealing voice.
One minute young Fia had been playing in the sunshine, batting little stones at her familiar, Itzcoatl. The next her peace and quiet was being disturbed by the sounds of a distressed animal. She would have thought it was one of her own siblings, if it were not for the fact that most of them were off galavanting with her parents.
So, then, the question was; who was screaming like that? And why?
Puffing out her chest, tough little Fia moved across the sand, spotting the two juveniles easily. Bright red. Golden yellow. She wrinkled her nose as she watched the two cubs flailing in the sand, one clearly smaller and weaker than the other.
So the red one was a bully then, was he? Well, she knew how to deal with bullies.
"Oi! You! What do you think you're doing? Being clever?" She stamped her little paw and, lowering her head, prepared to charge towards them. She'd ram her skull into the red one's ribs and watch it roll away in pain. That'd show him!
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 12:36 pm
He was running. Partly to make it harder for her, partly to get out of earshot of their parents and partly because he just enjoyed it. He stumbled to a stop when he spotted a multicolored.. blob nearby. It was obviously a fight, it wasn't one big colorful thing, it was.. three. He watched for a couple seconds and then started moving again. Once he was close enough, he recognized each of the figures- two personally and the other just from a distance.
With very little extra thought into who they were, he ran forward to join in. First instinct was to aid family, but it wasn't hard to see what was going on and that put him on Uddhava's side most of all, so his aim was to get to Azar. He didn't have to like the little gold one to know there was no good to be gotten from picking on someone smaller and weaker than you. He picked out Shisa, but she could take it, she wasn't the same.
"Hey!"
Following after him and catching up as he slowed down to join in the other cubs, she made her move and pounced at him. She managed to catch him, for once, knocking him off balance and successfully preventing his own addition to the intervention in the attack against Uddhava.
"Hah!" she laughed triumphantly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:05 pm
Suddenly the world came alive with yells and shouts. One voice female - probably the girl he had been trying to impress - and another two somewhere up ahead.
His teeth were now fixed firmly on the golden one's ears and his body was draped across his shoulders and side, pinning him to the ground. Well, sure, he was small, but really he should have been putting up more of a fight than this.
His incessant squealing was starting to get annoying now, too. What did he think? That he was going to die? Seriously...this kid needed brothers to kick him into shape. "Shut up!" Azar snapped, releasing his ear. "Suck it up, baby! You don't deserve to be called a Firekin."
He looked up as the two siblings came bumbling over, pouncing and seeming to understand the joys of a good rough-housing.
Seeing his saviour being pounced by his sister, Uddhava twisted again in an attempt to get free, mewling in fright. He tried to respond with words, to Azar'bijan, but fear prevented it. Instead, he used his strength to try and escape, reaching out to claw at the sand, trying to drag himself away.
But it was hopeless. He was too small, too light. The bigger cub had him pinned and the only way he was getting out was if the other allowed it.
Green eyes filled with tears and without thinking, he called the one word that he had before, back when he'd been in his family den.
"Mama!!"
And then the reality sank in and he knew his mother wouldn't come. She was gone and he was alone, left to fend for himself.
But in that moment young Fia came to his rescue. Using the slope of the desert to aid in her speed, she lowered her head as if it were a battering ram preparing to bash open a fortress door. She was all confidence, all mouth, but she did have the strength to go with it. Perhaps if she hadn't been so lazy or stubborn or rebellious she might have made a good soldier.
But she wasn't one for taking orders.
In fact, her parents were at a loss as to what to apprentice her as. She didn't seem to fit into any category - including her twin sister Ea.
"Take this!!!" She yelled at the top of her voice.
The flat of her skill made contact with Azar and bowled him roughly sideways in the sand, freeing the golden cub and naming her the victor.
"Now, how do you like that, baby?" She snarled as best as a juvenile could.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 1:30 pm
Chaka tumbled to the sand, letting his frustration out in the form of a rather unconvincing and cub-like growl. Shisa had got him, but she hadn't gotten a very good grip on him- it was more that he was trying to slow down and that she had been going so fast. That was all he would let himself think, anyway- and he wasn't completely wrong.
"Shisa!" he snapped, kicking out reflexively against her and scrambling to get away and get up- he stopped struggling just in time to watch Fia run up and headbutt the offending red youth. He had to admit, he was rather impressed. The pitiful golden cub was free, though obviously scared. He managed to shove his sister off, and stand up.
"Pick on somebody you're own size," Chaka snapped at Azar, "What good does it do you to pick on someone like him?"
Still allowing for the ego-boost of having caught her brother, gotten him back in some small way, she was surprised when she realized exactly what was going on. Rather than being caught in the moment, she was stunned to find they'd tumbled into the midst of a fight- and that it involved Azar and Uddhava- and then another dark lioness that came in very suddenly. She stopped trying to hold onto Chaka, she allowed herself to be thrown off of him- unbothered by the dull pain caused by the scratches at her middle.
She looked back and forth around all the cubs present, and her focus went not to the three rather angry youths but the poor golden one calling for his mother. She felt sorry for him, she knew his mother wasn't going to come. Umlilo was not the most affectionate of mothers, but she definitely cared about all of her cubs. Firekin were not without feelings, and she thought Uddhava's call for his mother deserved some kind of answer. Instead of joining in the fight with Azar and making it that much harder on him, she got to her feet and went around Fia and Chaka and stood by Uddhava, between him and Azar, and stayed out of whatever arguing they were on the verge of.
Her fight with Chaka could wait.
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Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2009 5:37 pm
He gave a grunt of surprise as he was thrown on his side, paws flailing as he tried to right himself. How dare she! How dare she even attempt to fight him! Azar'bijan was going to be a great soldier someday. A true fighter! And here was this prissy little girl trying to sart a fight with him. HIM?!
He was on his paws now, huffing and hissing like a puff adder. He seemed completely lost for words, his eyes flicking between his attacked and the other two siblings who'd muscled in on the act.
The other girl looked like she'd set her up as the gold one's bodyguard and the boy, well he was shouting at him now.
His brow furrowed and he took a step towards Chaka, seeming intent on starting a fight with him now.
"Get lost." He muttered, turning his eyes from Chaka to Fia, who was slinking around to circle him and attempt to catch him unawares. Well he wasn't going to let a girl get the better of him. No way. He span and charged at her, but Fia was too quick and his paws met nothing but sand.
He span again, sending a glaring look at the other cubs. "What're you sticking up for him for?" He hissed. "He ain't one of us. Unless you count that bitta red in his mane. 'Sides, I was just practising. I weren't gonna rough him up that bad."
Sensing that he was being helped by these new cubs, Uddhava lifted himself to his feet, sniffling and whimpering from the shock and fear of what had just happened. He was clearly no fighter and all he could think about was getting as much distance between him and that spitfire little lion as possible.
He chose to use Shisa as a barricade and crawled around to hide behind her, peering nervously out at the others. Why were they all shouting and stuff? Shouldn't they all be getting on? They were all the same shades. All Firekin.
"Please..." He whimpered. "Don't fight." But his voice was so quiet it was doubtful any but Shisa would hear him.
Fia snorted her contempt. And, making brief eye contact with Chaka, moved around so that they had him trapped between them. He could run out at either side but if he did they'd be on him before he could make it to his den.
This was what bullies get, Fia thought with a swish of her tail, thinking that father might be proud of her for a change for standing up for a weakling. She smiled and her two fangs glistened in her maw.
"Well now, baby." Fia's words were soft but deadly and there was a sharp glint in her eye. "How abotu we practise some of our fighting skills on you?" She lifted a paw and extended a single claw. "What do you think?" This time her question was directed at Chaka - probably Shisa too.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:23 am
Chaka didn't need to make sense, not to other cubs anyway. In his mind, he had a clear idea of what was and was not impressive- and luckily, it worked out in favor of Uddhava. Picking on someone smaller than you was only impressive if they managed to beat you, and in that case it was them who impressed and not you. A true fight was different, protecting your family and your pride.. but Uddhava was not causing any trouble by existing. Chaka didn't know all of the rules regarding cubs like his smaller uncle, but he had learned enough to know that before now he would have been killed or sent away, but that wasn't how it was now.
He considered what Azar said, though he never stopped glaring. He supposed it was the right idea, not fighting those you considered your own kin but he couldn't see the sense in practicing on someone smaller.
"It's not worth it, winning an unfair fight," he said grumpily, glancing over at Fia as well as Azar, "But if that's how you fight, we could use the practice." Fair was fair, right? Azar wanted to pick one someone weaker so Chaka and Fia should be able to team up against him, putting him in the definite weaker position. At least it wasn't so unfair as a fight with the gold one..! Azar was likely to actually fight back.
Shisa watched intently, though she was aware of Uddhava's decision to hide behind her. That was why she had moved, after all. She was more intent on watching what was going on than joining in, two against one was enough and besides.. it was rather interesting. She enjoyed learning as much as fighting, she just had more use for the fighting.
She rolled her eyes when Uddhava whimpered and tried to stop the fight with pure willpower. It wasn't going to work, he had to know by now exactly what happened. It was perfectly normal to fight, Uddhava really was the oddball here!
"Shh!" she hushed him, more harshly than perhaps she might have wanted but he wasn't going to stop anything, even if he really tried.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:32 am
Azar puffed himself up, preparing himself mentally and physically. No, he was not a good fighter. He didn't think with his head enough. He didn't fight smart. He would just blunder in and lose his head. He was not cool and collected, he was fiery and easy to provoke. These cubs were provoking him now.
A smarter cat might have backed down and admitted he was wrong. But not Azar'bijan. He had something to prove today and if he didn't...well, how was he going to be considered a soldier?
In real life he might find himself in this sort of situation so might as well make the most of this situation where all he'd lose was a bit of pride. Pride? Pah, Azar didn't care much for honour and pride.
Aware that Fia was cutting in closer behind him, Azar decided to be the first one to act. He bounded forwards, heading straight for Chaka, intent on bowling straight into him and casting him onto the sand.
Uddhava flinched at the sound of the females voice and said no more. He knew why she had hushed him. Because it didn't matter what he said, they weren't listening and a few words from him was not goign to change their minds about fighting.
So, instead he pressed himself against the sand and hoped desperately that no one got hurt because he was too weak to stand up for himself.
Shivering as Azar made his move, Uddhava gave a moan of fear and covered his eyes with a paw.
"Watch out!" Fia barked as Azar made his move. She couldn't get in the way, couldn't intervene. She'd pick up the pieces but she certainly didn't want the pieces to be Chaka. They hda to show this great ugly brute that he couldn't just start fights on anyone.
She made a dash in the sand, arching up around them in an attempt to add her own claws to the battle, hoping that she'd reach the fight just in time to help Chaka overpower their foe.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:46 am
Chaka could see the determination in Azar, it was one of the red youth's better qualities, even Chaka would admit that- though with his big head, it would likely have come with an insult about.. well, anything else Chaka felt like bragging about or belittling the other lion for. He had a sense of fair, of honor, but it mainly extended to actual fighting and in conversation his ego dominated. It was tempting to watch Fia move, but he knew better than to give her too much attention- she was on his side. His gaze flickered between the two, and back to Azar just in time to spot him leaping forward- and to hear Fia's warning. Having no time to react properly and being too close, he jumped back reflexively and did the only thing he could think of- attempted to duck down onto the ground before Azar got him. He couldn't knock down what was already on the ground, and then he had a shot of tripping him.
Shisa flinched, almost jumping herself when she saw Azar advanced suddenly. She clenched her teeth and narrowed her eyes as if she might join in herself, but she didn't move forward. Uddhava's movement behind her caught her attention once again, her eyes not rolling this time though she snorted in her mind. He really didn't fit in, it was more sad than anything. Maybe he needed to be shoved around a bit to learn to fight back, it would do him more good than this.
"Uddhava," she muttered, shaking her head and moving to make sure she stayed between his eyes and the fight. She could lecture him at a better time than this! Her eyes went back to the fight almost as quick as they had left, waiting to see what happened.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:01 am
Azar saw Chaka move into a duck but it was too late, he couldn't do anything about it. His charge hit home, but as there was no good mass to make contact with his legs were knocked out from under him and he was sent sprawling over Chaka's back, landing on the sand with a thud.
But he was quick to regain his paws and was turning in a spray of sand to try and engage the other male in battle again.
Uddhava couldn't help himself. He didn't like fighting. He was smaller than most and he knew that it gave him a disadvantage. Besides that he didn't have much self-conscious. Half the battle was thought in the mind. If you'd already made up your mind that you had lost, well, you might as well roll over and admit defeat.
Uddhava was often beaten before the fight had begun.
He peered between his toes but couldn't see much of anything. He heard Azar hitting the sand and gave another whimper, hoping to stay out of sight in case they decided to turn on him again.
Seeing that Chaka had successfully evaded Azar - for the timebeing atleast - Fia put on an extra burst of speed and arrived a few seconds after Azar had hit the sand.
As she arrived he was on his feet again, making to leap onto Chaka's back. Well, she wasn't having any of that. With a growl, she set her hind paws deep into the sand and used them to propel herself at the red male, intent on bringing him down as she'd seen the huntresses bringing down their prey.
She collided roughly into his shoulder again, but to her surprise, she failed to knock Azar aside.
He'd been expecting it.
With a cry of dismay she bounded back out of claw range, hissing her fury.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:28 am
As soon as Chaka felt Azar fall over his back, he did his best to push himself in the opposite direction- not as easy task when the sand did not make for very solid ground. As soon as he put any sort of distance between himself and Azar, he scrambled up to his feet. This time he was ready to be charged again, and he steadied his feet against the sand as best he could. It would do no good to keep evaded, that only worked so many times. Going for offense instead of just defense, he leaped forward with the hopes of his own weight and force would be enough to prevent himself from being knocked over, and that maybe Fia's shove had done more than had been let on.
As often happens with spectators, Shisa was very into the fighting- flinching along with the participants. Her paws moved anxiously in the sand, digging little holes where her paws rested between Uddhava and the chaos.
"Watch your paws, Azar!" she cried, joining in the fight at least to taunt, to distract. She jumped when Fia ran into Azar and only seemed to get herself shoved out of the way, and watched Chaka intently. Whatever she thought of her brother, she could cheer him on-- and she would learn more about his fighting by watching him, of course.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:34 pm
He might not be very good at offence, but unknowingly, Azar was goo on offence. He had a stocky build and would perhaps be a little short in the leg compared to other males. This did mean that he would be a lot more difficult to knock over in a battle. However, his lack of height might cause problems as far as fighting against other males was concerned.
He took Fia's knock to the side and strengthened himself, puffing out his chest and using the sand to absorb the blow.
But then Chaka was making his move, clearly hoping to catch him unawares. He braced himself as the other male came for him, not quick enough to think about even attempting to evade. The force was enough to rattle him and as they collided he felt his forepaws lift from the ground, felt Chaka's weight against his chest.
He did the only thing he could do.
He dug his back paws into the ground in an attempt to keep himself from falling backwards, using Chaka's weight to keep him balanced, keep him from falling to failure.
His ear flicked back as the girl called out to him and he made a mental note to show her a thing or two about fighting.
Uddhava's eyes widened as he saw the two males collide. He heard Shisa calling out to taunt the red male and realised that the male was trying hard to show this boy a thing or two about being a bully.
He felt his heart lift a little.
Maybe not everyone here was as awful as he thought. Maybe he'd found a friend. And though this might not have been the right time he drew forth to stand at Shisa's side and whispered.
"What's his name? Your brother's?"
Fia seemed intent on the battle, just as Shisa was. She was prepared to get involved if Chaka couldn't do the job himself, but for now she felt as if she were watching an epic duel between two mighty forces.
Her heart rose and with Shisa's taunts she found some of her own. "Come on!" She did not know their names. "You can do it. Send him flying!!"
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:46 pm
Chaka growled as he found out just how difficult it was to knock his uncle over, though Azar's bracing himself and staying on his feet were enough to help keep Chaka on his- though his neck felt the pressure of using it and the red lion as a way of staying on his feet. They were keeping each other up, but now they were pretty much tangled unless once chose to back up. The pain in his neck made him shift his weight, pressing his chest against Azar and turning his head around to grab at anything he could with his teeth- the fuzzy beginnings of a mane and the ears the closest targets.
"You heard me!" she called again out at Azar with a small laugh, having seen his ears move when she shouted. She glanced over at Fia with a grin when she joined in the shouting, and was surprised to find Uddhava on his feet and by her side when she looked over to him, still grinning.
"Chaka," she responded with a mental chuckle, "He's easy to keep track of, he's the one with the biggest head." She had so many siblings, it was rather easy to forget which name went with which cub. Azar was from a large litter too, it was rather surprising she had kept track of which one he was- he just happened to be the reddest of the lot of them. It helped when trying to remember.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:58 pm
He knew he had to do something to tip the balance. They couldn't stay like this forever. Eventually something had to give and he was sure it wasn't going to be him. But how? How could he get hismelf out of this without jumping away and upsetting his balance?
The jeers of the girls angered him further and as they called out to him in their mocking voices he missed Chaka's move to attack. Too late. The dark-pelted male had him by the tufts of his growing mane, pulling his head sharply downwards. It was a small movement but just enough to shift his weight too heavily onto one side.
The red male went down, rolling onto his side, crying out as the other's teeth tugged on his mane.
Biggest head? He wasn't sure he understood what she was talking about. He didn't seem to be dispropotionate to the others at all, but maybe he just wasn't looking right? He smiled weakly and nodded as if he had understood her completely.
"He's very brave. You, too." He added meekly.
He turned back just as Azar fell and reached out a paw as if to stop the fight there. But there were no words to go along with the action and for the most part it went unnoticed.
"That's it! Bite him! Bite him!" Fia looked as if she was enjoying this a little too much. She was still too young yet to realise what fighting was. What this little play was actually meant to teach them. She was not bloodthirsty and would never grow up looking for a fight. In actual fact she probably would not fight unless it was to stand up for someone like Uddhava, or for something she believed in.
But she was enjoying this game immensly, especially now it looked as if they were going to win.
She edged closer, eyes glinting. "He's down!!"
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:14 pm
Chaka was surprised by the force he was able to get while pulling at Azar's little mane, and he stumbled back- pulling Azar's mane with him a couple steps before releasing it. He managed to stumble back away before he was tripped up by the tumbling cub, and he stood for a second, triumphant. The he scrambled a couple steps closer, decidedly putting his two front paws down on Azar's tail.
"What now?" he demanded, breathing hard. He could feel his heart beating in his neck, which had been turned the wrong way when he'd run into the other cub, and he had several red hairs stuck around his mouth.. but that was not his current major concern.
"Don't tell him that, his head'll get even bigger," she warned, though she smiled. She had no idea Uddhava had no idea what she meant about Chaka's oversized ego inflating the figurative size of his actually pretty normal-sized head.
She looked back when Uddhava's eyes moved back to the fight and his paw shot out- and she jumped forward a step when she saw what was going on.
"Haha!" she laughed loudly, wondering if Azar would keep trying or admit defeat.
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Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2009 1:33 pm
He felt the ground against his side and though he struggled to gain his feet he was not quick enough. The other male was upon him, his paws on his tail, trapping him. He tried to sit up, manging to a sort of 'half-way up' sit, and turned to shoot knives at the other with his eyes.
How dare he!? How dare he beat him?
With a growl, he gave a vicious tug, pulling his tail free and turning to face them. His jaws snapped together and for a moment he seemed a little lost for words. And then, finally, he found his voice and it was filled with trembling anger.
"You need girls to back you up, huh?" He puffed out his chest and indicated Fia and Shisa with his nose. "Maybe you need your Mummy to come make sure you ain't too hurt?" He shook his head roughly to dull the pain of where his fur had been tugged and took a small step back.
"Well, I hope you're proud of yerself."
Was that it then? Over? Uddhava dared to hope so, moving forwards a step now that things looked less scary. If they went back to fighting again he could always jump back out of harm's way and there was also Chaka's sister to help out.
He realised he hadn't asked for her own name and felt a little embarrassed and ashamed. She'd done as good a job at helping as her brother had, after all.
"Um...do you think he's going to give up?" He lowered his ears.
Fia stomped a paw and moved up to stand alongside Chaka. She curled a lip to reveal a small fang and laughed, throwing up her head in a complete show of mockery.
"Hey, red-face, there's no reason to be like that, is there? We were only practising, after all, right? All's fair in love and war." She took a step forwards. "Besides, if you had any friends, you'd be relying on them to back you up, right? It's not our fault if you're not very popular."
She turned to Chaka. "Good fight. You're tougher than you look."
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