Nymphaea = Syrius Lionwing
Dodonna = Jikde Bonyac


Loping at a steady pace, Dodonna made his way slowly west, following the setting sun as his impromptu guiding beacon. He had nowhere he needed to get to; the sun was merely convenient. He was mainly interested in finding a nice patch of unclaimed land where he could hunt for awhile, and work on his physical training. It would only be a matter of time before he encountered a foreign pride and maybe tested himself against one of its warriors, and he wanted to be ready.

But he'd been traveling for awhile, and was getting impatient. Well, here was as good as any. Coming to a halt, he scoped out the terrain. Fairly wide open, with the occasional tree and not much else. He could work on speed and turning, then.

Testing the dirt with his claws, he dropped to a crouch and concentrated on his muscles, testing each one for soreness, stretching them to get ready for some activity. His heart was already a little faster in anticipation. Combat practice was the joy of his life; he barely even craved a partner. Better to practice the moves solo until they were just right, then test them out for real.

Her coat shimmered with health and more to the point with colour. It was her colour which had meant upon her adolescence, upon becoming old enough to hunt and fend for herself she was sent out in to the world to spread the word of the firkin and become a rogue, a regular rogue. She was far from regular though her bright salmon pink coat showed her up from miles away and she was starting to get frustrated because of this. Not that she couldn't hunt still but it was harder, to hunt alone, to be alone, to not have other females around her to help in the hunt. She had brought down only fat little rabbits and a few other small rodent type things,s he craved the meat of something bigger. It was out of the question though, alone any way.

It was while these thoughts scudded through her mind that she spotted the very large red and blue lion. Sitting slowly he watches him. What was he doing? Training, she had seen the warriors of the firkin training like that, attacking things larger than themselves, testing their strength and claws against things much harder. She had even been taught some of the techniques and if she had still been within her ex-pride, she would have been a warrior, she had the size, just not the coat colour.

"You know, if you turned a little faster, you'd be a very competent fighter." she smiles a beautiful, though slightly rough around the edges smile, her bright, blood red eyes sparking with appreciation at his size and clear unbridled strength, his coat colour just didn't matter to her, after all,s he wasn't of true firkin colours but she could appreciate someone who was a warrior it was in her blood to know a fighter when she saw one.

Dodonna had just been about to leap into a frantic race, to drive himself as fast as he could push his body to go. But instead, at the sound of a voice breaking the evening solitude, his heart leapt in a different manner, and he reared up with a snarl of challenge, and whirled to face the newcomer. Only his attack stopped there and his snarl became a scowl, as he realized it was a female, and a little smaller than him. Darn it all, he'd been hoping it was an attack, so he could get some real exercise!

She didn't look young or weak, though, on second examination. Not small at all, actually. Though her body clearly still carried the signs of youth, its size also implied that she was going to be a force to be reckoned with, once she matured completely. Dodonna was impressed despite himself. She wasn't immediately attacking either, which was almost disappointing. His ethics required that he not make the first move in combat.

"Alright, clear off miss, I'm busy here," he growled, before his mind could catch up with his temper and suggest that maybe he was on her land, and not vice versa. And what was that she'd said? "Turn faster? What, you're critiquing me?"

The salmon lioness smiles widely, flashing her sharp incisors at him, this was both a winning smile and a threat, she wouldn't be bullied or shooed off. "I'm quite happy sitting here actually." She states lifting a paw to clean her face and behind her ears,s he had no intention of going any where now, he was clearly a fighter but he was also someone who paused to make sure he wasn't attacking a child, or a lady, in this case.

"Well I have watched a lot of warriors in my time, i was raised in the firekin lands." She states proudly looking him over, he was big enough to be a firkin, she was semi impressed, his colours would stop him from crossing in to the borders but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate his size. After all she wasn't a firkin any more but she still had the presence of one.

"If you leered to turn a little faster you could attack faster and you would have heard me coming instead of reacting when I spoke." Her smile softens then, a slight cocky smirk replacing it her deep red eyes smiling as she looked him over. He was ideal, she decided for what she wanted, someone older, as strong as any firekin and a male. "My name is Nymphaea, you can call me Nymph if yo wish, most do."

Watching this new female, Dodonna growled low in his throat, not directing it at her so much as venting his frustration. She wasn't leaving, and she wasn't attacking. Seems his options were to ignore her, or to socialize, neither of which he was very skilled at. He watched her clean herself with a befuddled expression, not sure what to do about this situation.

"Firekin? Never heard of them." He'd traveled extensively looking for a good rumble, from the fetid swamps to high, icy mountains, often purposefully putting himself inside pride territories, just to see what happened. Sounded like he'd been looking in the wrong place, though, if this female was testament to the size of her people. There was an idea; maybe he could squeeze out of her the location of her pride, so he could visit in person.

He scoffed at her slight towards his hearing, but it stung a little. He didn't have the best ears. He'd tried to work on that, but no amount of effort had made him hear better. He guessed it wasn't about muscle. "My name is Dodonna, rogue," he greeted her, since she'd offered her name. "Well, Nymphaea, if you insist on sticking around, you can critique my training if you like. Another pair of eyes could be useful, I guess." Female though they may be, he didn't add.

She rolls her eyes, he hadn't heard of the firekin? Perhaps then he was stupid? Surely everyone had heard of the mighty firekin, the strongest warriors with their blood red coats and claws of steal? No, well she would have to educate him obviously. "You wouldn't last five minutes on the firkin border, my people are all strong fierce warriors." she smiles a proud smile, she was after all still a firkin at heart even if her coat was not fit to be in the pride.

"Dodonna hmm? Interesting name." She smiles looking him over. "Well for a start you stand wrong, your legs are long enough for you to take a more wide legged stance, it would stop you being tipped." She chuckled, she had seen males get 'tipped' before, usually by a female.

"You seem to be fairly strong any way, have you been a rogue long? You seem a little rough around the edges, not that, thats a bad thing." She grins a little cheeky grin looking him over without any pause. She could admire the big male, he was handsome, good looking, strong, large, everything she would look for in a companion. Someone to help her to kick a** and hunt, she would simply have to convince him that her path was his.

Dodonna took her comments with a grin. She certainly talked a good fight, and he liked the idea of facing up against lions would would make him not last five minutes. He unconsciously corrected his posture as she pointed it out, studying his stance carefully to try and see what she saw. As much as he didn't care for people until they'd proven themselves worth noticing, he could still take criticism when needed.

"Since my mother chased me off," he answered to her question. "Too many mouths to feed and not enough food, the usual stuff." He'd been forced to leave because he'd been the weakest of the litter, and that had really hurt. It was one of the driving forces behind his constant desire for improvement, to never be that weak again.

He made a quick bolt, running a few paces and then screeching to a halt with his claws tearing up the ground, so that he could try out a wider stance in different positions. It was more stable, sure, but would it hinder his leaping moves? "You seem to think highly of your people," he commented, with a hint of teasing in his tone. "I've never met them, so I wouldn't know if it's truth or just you boasting."

The salmon pink female rolled her eyes, her blood red orbs full of laughter at him. He was questioning her? Well she supposed if you were stupid enough o not know about the firekin you were stupid enough to not know not to challenge a firkin, even a young one.

She walks up to the brightly coloured male with a smirk on her lips, she swayed her hips and moved in the ways she had seen other females move, and though she was younger she knew how to use her large frame and feminine charms to her advantage. She licks her lips, and walks to his side pressing her firm muscles against his side, showing him exactly what she meant. "You see, I may be younger than you, but if you can feel my muscles, see my size, everyone, everyone in my ex-pride is my size or larger. We are a strong pride and though I have left the, surely you can see that I am not lying to you, what reason would I have to lie?"

She laughs walking around him pushing his feet closer together in an unconscious movement. She was very tempted just t push him, to ip him over but instead she leaned her heavy bulk against him putting pressure on his side to show him just how easy it would be for her to topple him over if he kept his paws so far apart. "So I am looking for a companion. You'll join me." She grins a confident smirk, her bloody red eyes flashing, she knew what she wanted and this male would join her if she told him to, she just knew it.

Dodonna was completely taken by surprise by Nymphaea's sudden wooing of him, and frowned as he tensed, watching her for hints of an attack. Most of the feminine wiles went straight over his head, and he was at a loss for what she was trying to do as she pressed up against him. He certainly noted the muscles as she pointed them out though, and they left a stronger impression than her charm. Despite his feeling awkward at the physical contact, he almost wanted to press a paw against her legs to see how strong the muscles really were.

He still gave her a slight glare as she shoved him closer together on his feet, the exact opposite of her directions. Trying to sabotauge him, was she? Sneaky female. He restored his wider stance with a pointed look. It stretched different tendons than he was used to, but a little exercise would take care of that, so it didn't bother him.

He started to say something snarky to her, but his brain skipped its track at the word 'companion'. He stared at her blankly for a long moment, this strange and dominant but strangely... attractive female. Strong female. She seemed pretty certain that the decision of their being 'companions' was already made, which rubbed him the wrong way. "Is that a fact, little girl?" he snorted.

She chuckles and shakes her head walking around him she sits directly in front of him, her four paws placed close together her blood red eyes fixed on the larger male. She wasn't frightened of him, sure, she was younger and smaller than him but one day she would certainly be as large, if not larger than him, it was in her genes to be a big girl and she wasn't afraid to push the boundaries.

"You can hardly call me little Dodonna." She shakes her head, pushing a paw against his chest she tenses her paw, her black claws pressing against his chest though she didn't d it in a rough enough manner to break his fur, she simple stroked through his silky mane. "You know you've been looking for someone like me, someone to travel with, to challenge you." Her lips turn in a toothy curve. "I can fight you if you want, I'm not afraid, but you'll come with me after wards, which ever way it goes."

Nymphaeas eyes danced in an amused manner, he may not be taken by her feminine charms, she was a female after all a sting female, a firekin, but she could see easily enough that he wanted to be a better fighter, why else would he run around like a nut, challenging trees? "At least call me Nymph and give me a few days f your time, you know you want to."

Yeah, he knew it was a stretch to call her little; that's why he'd done it, to goad her. She may have picked up on his nervousness about the non-violent touching though, because she was doing it again, probably to goad him right back. He scowled at her words, because they rang very true. He hadn't been looking just for people to fight all his life; he'd been looking for people to beat him, and specifically, a female to beat him. Now that he wasn't the weakest cub anymore, he found he could only truly respect the strong.

She hadn't beaten him yet though, and despite her size and attitude, he measured her up critically. How much of a run for his energy could she give him? Would she prove dissapointing despite her very appealing muscles, or would she be someone he could test himself against and never quite overcome? That was an exciting thought.

"Nymph, then," he allowed, and took a step back so as not to give in to her entirely. He mulled the decision over in his head, but in truth it'd already been decided. Just one thing needed doing... "Tempting as it is, I haven't seen you in action, Firekin lady." He backed up further and shifted into the instinctual circling, eyes dilating with anticipation. "Come show me, and I'll decide if I'll keep your company."

A flash of her pale fangs revealed a laugh and a glimmer in those bloody red eyes. Fine if he wanted to fight she was up to it, she knew exactly what he would do. She stays seated and grooms her face though her gaze swivelled with his circling movements. "I'm waiting." She barks a laugh at him, her ears flickering, her tail twitching just a little.

She could wait, she knew the way males moved, how they charged, she had watched them obsessively as a cub and a juvenile, watching them shift their weight, watching them pounce at the females they were fighting. She knew exactly what to do she had been trained to live in the rouge lands by firekin.

Her nose lifted slightly and she smiles a winning, amused smile at him, she wondered how far she could gode him, how angry she could make him before he flipped out. That was when it was easiest to take them down, when they saw red, they were easiest to trip, easiest to pin, easiest to subdue, when they couldn't think straight. Rage was her biggest ally and she wondered idly if Dodonna would be pulled in to it or if he was calmer, like some of the older more experienced males? Oh she hoped not,s he wanted to sit on his shoulder and lick his cheek and tell him again that he was coming with her. And she would, she just had to topple him off his high horse first.

Pacing, watching her do nothing, Dodonna grumbled to himself as the moment lenghtened. She was refusing to attack, she was just... sitting there. Smiling at him. He never started a fight, he took great pride in that. But here this frustrating but tempting female was testing him by simply not acting. She simply insisted on forcing him to break his ethical code, didn't she? How insufferable females could be? They never did what you expected.

His circling sped up as his frustration did, but then he stopped and simply stared back at her. She wouldn't be mustered into action by sheer motion like a territory guarding male. She was playing mindgames, which admittedly was one of his weakpoints. Dedicated he may be, aggressive, unafraid yes. Intelligence? Not among his best traits. And didn't he know it. Still, he studied her, trying to figure out her next move.

In the end, it wasn't anger or frustration or patience that made him give in, but his curiosity. He really did want to see her moving. So much travel, so few opportunities for a real challenge. He charged her head on, making the most of the short distance to really tear into the ground and build up a little speed. His attack wasn't intended for actual damage to her, but his claws and teeth were out nonetheless. He never pulled punches.

There. She moved to the side as he charged her, barely a shift but enough to be out of his way her tense strong young muscles shifting her at just the right time so that her whole body found his back legs. Using her shoulders and tucking her head down she bowls in to his legs knocking them out from under him. She turns in a split second and pounces, placing a firm hit on his shoulder before bouncing away.

She swivels on a dime and pads up to him, placing a paw on his up turned shoulder "Do you want to try that again or is once enough?" She smiles a cocky smile and clambers on to his chest straddling him, she leans down and licks his cheek.

"You're going to come with me now." She states her blood red eyes flashing with a positive confident light, and a perfectly placid smile on her maw as she starts to groom her face and ears again while still sitting on his chest.

He saw the look in her eyes as he barreled down on her, but by that point it was too late to change direction. Feeling his legs come out from under him as the blows landed, Dodonna tucked into the roll and flopped onto his back to avoid any pulled muscles. He made to clamber to his feet, but was stopped as she climbed on top of him. He grimaced as she licked his cheek, but allowed it as her right by victory.

Mentally he gauged his damages. None, really, she hadn't been trying to injure either. But that was a darn clever move. And the way she'd waited until the last second, then moved so quickly... and here he'd been wasting his time fighting males!

Grinning fiercely, his foul mood completely forgotten, he shifted back around to a sitting position, letting her slide down his side. But he didn't force her off of him; now that he knew she wasn't just some boasting creature, that changed the stakes immensely. "I suppose I am," he answered her, and after watching her groom for a moment, started in on his own fur as well. If she intended to toss him everytime though, he thought mentally, she had another thing coming.