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 Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 3:39 pm
 The hottest part of the day was ending, the deep blue beginning to cool off and turn a soft pink before finally fading into a rich purple. Soon, too, the moon would rise and the stars would come out. Kahiga ignored the splenders of nature and prowled through the main Dhati hub, completely and utterly bored out of his mind. Guard duty was uneventful, and until their numbers rose a strike against the Mizimu would be impossible. What did it leave a lion with itchy paws to do?
Absolutely nothing. He felt rested and energetic after taking his turn at the Dhati border, and with no prey to chase around... The lion paused, looking around the area. Perhaps there would be a new lion or two around to investigate. After all, it would be rude to not know your own comrades from your enemies, right?
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 1:17 pm
 Ever since Skugga joined the Dhati she had felt lighter somehow, as if she was walking with her paws hovering above the ground, and she was almost always happy. There was so much to learn, and so much to see. She missed Yuusa of course, but her sister still felt that the Dhati was too dangerous to join - despite the fact that Skugga was doing just fine. She had only dared to sneak back on Mizimu grounds to see her once since she left, and Yuusa had tried to convince her to go back for good. Maybe if she learned to hunt better she could make sure Yuusa would never have to be hungry when she joined them.
A female named Aparajita was teaching her to hunt, and while Skugga enjoyed the teamwork and the excitement of the hunt she found that all the waiting and failed attempts made hunting grow dull. But since she had to earn her keep she continued, telling herself it would be better with time and practice.
Right now she had no duties to attend to, however, and she decided to see if she could make some more friends among her pride members. The day was cooling off and people should be more alert and willing to talk than when the sun baked over their heads.
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Posted: Wed Aug 19, 2009 5:31 pm
Hmph. Kahiga could have expected as much -- with the Dhati's current numbers, those that weren't on duty were catching as much sleep as possible, hiding away in case any Mizimu dared to drift their way. He had turned to leave when the unfamiliar lioness made her appearance. He couldn't help but to stare -- her markings were highly unusual, and didn't ring any bells... A new member?
Curious, Kahiga approached Skugga slowly, taking his sweet time. Who was she? What was she doing here? And on top of all that... "Aren't you a little small to be a Dhati?" He asked, moving to stand in front of her and bar her way forward.
Just... what was this? Kahiga knew that the Dhati needed numbers, but... was this one of those so-called 'sacrifices' of the Mizimu? Lions waited on paw and claw, only to be butchered later? This is what they looked like?
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:16 am
Skugga noticed the warrior's slow approach, and she cautiously watched him watching her. He was a large male with earthy colours that suggested that he'd blend in well in his surroundings if he ever tried to hide. He walked as if he owned the place, so she figured he was one of the older members of the Dhati. This was her home now, but she didn't move with that kind of confidence. Yet.
As he finally spoke to her, she couldn't help but frown a little. Small? Compared to him perhaps, but in her opinion it was hardly fair to compare a large male lion to a lioness that had just reached adulthood.
"I'm not that small," she protested, "And I keep getting stronger!"
It was true. Being a Dhati lioness was making her much more physically active than being a Sacrifice had ever done, and she was sure she had grown a lot stronger in the short time she had been with here.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2009 1:39 pm
"Ha! You're small enough to be a bite-sized morsel for the Mizimu," Kahiga replied, flicking his tail dismissively. "Perhaps you should go back to your pride and wait until you're older and bigger, hm? Or perhaps your size is on the account of your former life?"
"Then again," he added quickly, his head tilting to one side, whiskers lifting into a smirk, "Perhaps you are already strong... In running away. Tell me, what do you think you will do here in the Dhati, little runner?"
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 10:31 am
Skugga's ears twitched as the Warrior started to mock her. Small? Runner? A lesser lioness might have crumbled under the abuse and fled, but Skugga just spluttered in wordless anger, unable to answer at first. As she slowly cooled down and managed to do more than shout abuse at him she started to think.
What did she want to do here? She didn't really have a plan when she first arrived, more than waiting for Yuusa to join so they could decide together, but she needed to say something this infuriating lion to shut him up. She had a feeling 'waiting for my sister to join so we can figure something out' wouldn't cut it.
"I'm no coward," she said in what she hoped was a dangerous voice, "I'm not strong because they didn't teach us to fight. For obvious reasons. They didn't teach us to hunt either, but I learned to do that."
She took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from shaking. By now the slight tremble was the only outward sign of how furious she was.
"I'm going to be a fighter, a warrior," she said, and gave him a defiant glare, "And I'm not going back. I don't want to die at the claw of a Haruspex."
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:35 pm
Kahiga snickered openly when Skugga told him she learned to hunt. "Ah, but isn't running away what hunters do best? Granted," he added, "They tend to be running away after prey to bring down. Chasing, if you prefer that word, but running sounds much more fitting don't you think?"
Oh, this was just too much fun! He enjoyed pushing the right buttons, and how she was speaking -- it was cute! Little ex-Mizimu wants to play with the big boys, hm? He wondered how far he could go.
"A warrior? Ooh, I'm shaking." Okay, that was a lie -- he wasn't, but she was! Heehee! "Why don't you come put your words to the test, little runner?" He challenged, shifting to a defensive stance. "Or will you run, run away from the Haruspex?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:00 pm
It was tempting to just leave this infuriating lion to mock someone else, but that would make him win. She was not going to run, and she was not just going to stand here and take this abuse. Waves of rage washed over her, rage unlike anything she could remember feeling before, and she just couldn't help herself.
Why couldn't he just. Shut. Up. At this point she was beyond talking, and with an angry roar she charged. Something in the back of her mind reminded her that it was very bad form to use claws against someone on her side, but it took considerate willpower to retract them. She aimed a swipe with her unclawed paw at his face to try to wipe the mocking grin off it. It was probably easy to see what she tried to do, and if he was a warrior worth his name he could probably dodge her attack rather easily, but she didn't care.
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Posted: Tue Aug 25, 2009 7:19 pm
Kahiga held his pose, his smirk growing wider upon seeing Skugga's reaction. She was trembling -- with fear? No, no! It was rage! That was what he wanted to see, to smell and --
He closed his eye as the paw came, not bothering to duck down or jump back out of the way. His face continued with the blow, lessening its impact. Ah, the taste of rage -- he snickered and shook her paw off, swishing his tail before openly laughing. "Ha ha ha! You call that a blow?" He challenged. "I've met monkeys that hit harder than you!"
The lion shifted his balance, sending out a paw of his own to return the favor. Like her's, it was unclawed (as he didn't see the sense in making an unnecessary mess -- it would be more humiliating to be beaten by an unclawed lion with nothing but emotional scars to show for it), and yet unlike her's, it wasn't aimed at the face. Instead, he sought to swipe her forelegs out from under her, intent on making the lioness lose her balance.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 2:15 pm
Skugga was surprised that her swipe had hit the lion at all, and she got a sinking feeling in her stomach as he turned his head away from her. What had she done? Would he kill her? But then he laughed, and Skugga twisted her face into a snarl. Monkey? MONKEY?
Rage seemed to have sharpened her senses, but unfortunately she was too focused on his face to fully note what he did with his paws until it was almost too late. She tried to jump away but Kahiga managed to hit one of her front legs and she realised she wouldn't be able to stay on her feet.
With an angry snarl she tried to turn her fall into a controlled tumble. It worked, sort of, and the fall didn't hurt much. She landed on her back, teeth and claws up in case the Warrior would go after her again.
"I used that trick once," she said, and to her great annoyance she realised that she was already panting. Being pushed off balance like an unruly cub was humiliating, but she was not ready to give up.
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Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2009 7:14 pm
This was the most fun he had since joining the Dhati! The brown lion took a step and leaned over her, making sure not to get too close. A bite on the face was not something he'd relish. "Well!" He began, chuckling, "It looks like you fell for it anyway! Heeheehee!"
Kahiga quickly took a couple steps back, not wanting to be on the receiving end of yet another paw-slap. While her strikes were easy to shake off, her claws probably wouldn't be.
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Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2009 2:35 am
Still on her back, Skugga plotted her next move. Kahiga had sparked a rage she didn't know she had inside her, and while it made her feel powerful it also made it hard to focus. If she only could focus that energy she felt as if she would be able to beat anyone, but right now it only made her frustrated.
"How am I supposed to know how to do anything," she snarled, "If no one has told me how?"
She rolled back on four feet in a smooth motion and once again stod facing her infuriating sparring partner. Her stance was more tense and defensive now, and she watched him intently, trying to slow her own breathing and calm herself. His coat was all wrong, but she imagined that he wasn't just a Dhati warrior. He was a Haruspex of the Mizimu'Tungika, smeared in the blood of the innocent. And once again she lost control of her rage.
"You're not getting Yuusa," she yelled as she attacked him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2009 10:18 pm
His ears swiveled forward, his lavender eyes widening in renewed interest. "Tch! Perhaps with your soft and idle life upbringing, you should sit on your opponents instead!" He replied to her snarl, taking fiendish delight in seeing her seethe and rage.
But... There was something different now. His grin began to fade as she stood up, watching him. Her breathing -- was it slowing down? "Ah, have I taken your breath away already? Lionesses just happen to fall at my paws," he preened.
"You're not getting Yuusa,"
Kahiga managed to get out a "Wh-" before she was on him, startling a growl of surprise out of him. A snarl pulled his lips back as he turned to meet her, his own paws coming up to rake across her own.
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:43 am
With her own paws being easily deflected by Kahiga's, she attempted to bite down on the foreleg closest to her and do some damage that way instead. She was beyond talking, so why not make full use of her fangs? Her rage enveloped the world in a red fog, and she just didn't care who she hurt at this point. No one would harm her sister as long as she was breathing. No one!
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:33 pm
Despite the snarls, Kahiga was having fun. This is what he wanted to see! And th- "Roawrr!" He growled in surprise as she bit down on his paw. No, not just a bite -- she chomped down!
Even if her muscles weren't that well developed, her jaw was more than able to make up for it. Kahiga reared up on his hind legs and slashed at her face, trying to get her to let go and give his paw back before she chomped down too hard.
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