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 Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 9:28 am
The sun was bright over the motoujamii, painting the sands with a sort of blinding, glistening sheen. It was a windless, dry afternoon- and if you were listening close enough, you probably could have heard the steady wingfalls of a black crow wheeling slowly overhead. Against the bright gold, the crow's shadow was inky black- but the shadow wasn't the only figure that moved slowly over the glistening dunes.
"I doubt this is the right way," a voice called, breaking the quiet. A bright white lion had crested over a particularly tall dune, and now stood looking out over the vastness which was the motoujamii. He had seen desolation before. But the sheer repetitive endlessness of the desert troubled him. His throat was dry, and his morale pitifully low. He'd long since passed the point of no return in this desert- now, it was simply a waiting game to see if they would reach their destination, or die.
You should not worry so, came the inky smooth words that only he could hear. Reflexively, the white lion looked up at the shifting shadow of the crow. Strange for a bird, who did not seem to tire. Only when they had slept did the dark creature ever seem to cease it's steady, but drolling windbeats. These lions here are fools, but they have good ground. It won't be long now before their outriders are sniffing you out.
The white lion scrunched his brow, looking out back to the vastness. If there were lions out there, they certainly had to be fools. But then, who was the bigger fool? Them, or him for traveling to them? "I think its you who have made the fool out of me, crow." His tone was light, almost in jest. His face however, was as solemn as one could have made.
The crow seemed to take it in good humor. She wheeled again, chuckling to herself. Perhaps. But if you stop now, you will die and I shall have to eat you. So, let us continue. Far too early now to be at rest, Veru.
Veru's expression soured a bit, and his tail flicked. He supposed he was at the mercy of her judgment. At least for the moment.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 1:41 pm
A large, black-pelted lioness paused at the very top of a dune and splayed her toes in the sand to keep herself from loosing her footing and sliding back down the way she had come. The shifting tides - an unpredictable beast to some - were tame and calm beneath her paws, a sign that she had lived here since birth. Never having been outside of the Motoujamii, she did not know the colour green, nor soft, moist earth. She knew only dry, hard plains and rock that surrounded her desert-bound homeland. Fia would have been lying if she said she had not been curious about the outside world. After all, her mother had not been born here, and a part of her would always wonder what else lay outside of this parched land she called home. Perhaps one day she would see it for herself, after all, she was still a strong, young adult and would be for many years yet. She had no mate to tie her down and certainly no children to nurse or teach. Nor did she plan to ever have mate or cubs. She would scoff at the idea of being a mother and was certainly not the type of female to go head over heels over a male.
No, she was fiercely independent, and whilst others might have thought her strange for these thinkings, Fia did not seem to mind much. She had her duty and she loved her family and pride. She didn't need anything else.
Well....actually, that wasn't quite true.
She needed something, just not necessarily something that you would expect.
Fia was not a warrior, not a huntress or even a part of her parent's council. No. She had chosen to take a route that often didn't appeal to a race of warriors. She was a Historian, a keeper of the past. Some might think her weak for choosing such a career path but Fia knew the importance in it, as much as her teacher, Mzaa. She knew that the past needed to be remembered so that it would not be repeated. And so she and her Master had spent many, many days recording important events for that very purpose. The problem was that in more recent days, nothing much had happened to bear a need for Fia's skills. Her parent's reign had not been smooth, per-say, but there were far more ups than downs, which of course was a good thing. However, drawing pictures of happy, content lions was not something that interested Fia. She wanted to record something huge. Something that happened in her lifetime! However, thinking this also made her feel bad. After all, she did not want to wish war upon her pride, nor anything of the like. She just...she just wanted to record something interesting. Something! Anything!
Exhaling noisily, Fia descended the dune and broke into a loping gait that had her crossing a short, flat expanse before the dunes rose up to interrupt her path once again. However, the sight of a red-pelted lioness stopped her in her tracks and she paused, canting her head and narrowing her eyes to try and see who it was.
Oh no.
Not her.
Fia's tail twitched with agitation and she hesitated, wondering whether to make a quick detour before she'd be spotted--oh, too late. Here she comes.
"Naar-ehuka. What are you doing out here?"
The red female was neither smart nor strong, her focus somewhat broken since the departure of her huria sister who had also been her best friend. She was a huntress, nothing more and nothing less, but she wasn't even very good at that. She was, in fact, more of a burden on the Firekin than anything, but of course, she wouldn't be kicked out just for that fact. She was Firekin, after all, and family was important here. She had often considered leaving these lands to find her, but had dithered on the matter for so long that it seemed pointless now. After all, it had been many, many months since the departure and she wouldn't even know where to start looking...
In any case, she had come to realise that she was not the only one who suffered. Her mother did too, and so Naar stayed for her, if not for herself.
She dithered in front of the dark-pelted female, shifting from one paw to the other. A few moments later and she finally replied. "Someone...someone out there. Saw them, I did, with my own two eyes." She gestured with a paw, coated with sand, and gave a jittery little jump.
"Intruders, I think."
Fia immediately puffed herself up, a growl already settling into place at the back of her throat. "Are you sure, Naar? How many?"
"Yes, yes, I'm sure. I'm sure. One. Just one." Either she hadn't seen the crow or she didn't count an avian to be an intruder.
"Very well. Come with me and we'll go and see who it is." Leaping into her 'authoritative' persona, Fia gave the red female a rough shove and together they padded up the next dunes to glance out across the desert, side by side.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:34 pm
Veru swallowed hard, staring out at the blinding desert. The crow was still wheeling, and did not seem to be offering any particular direction. This was troubling to the white seer- he had seen these lands, and known it was time to come. But as to why, or what... he wasn't particularly sure. Whether this black creature be his totem or his destruction had yet to be seen either. "Well, we need a direction, do we not?" He called out.
Up above, the crow gave a low caw. Ah ah ah! She half sang. Have a little faith. If I had wanted you dead, I would have lead you into a nest of vipers. A knot of scorpions! Continue, continue. What good is idle standing? Surely you do not trust your fate simply upon me?
Veru snorted. "As a matter of fact, I did," he half muttered. But perhaps aware of how insane that sounded, he started forward towards the sun. It seemed as good a direction as any at this point. If he didn't know any better, he might have believed the sun herself lived in this blinding expanse.
It took another good half hour before anything even seemed to change. The hills were still sloping and endless, and the heat baking. He probably would not have even noticed the two lionesses approaching, had it not been for the sudden landing of the crow. The black thing stopped her flight and landed on the sand, unblinking dark eyes peering into the distance. Ah, look, here they are. Two lovely females- did I not say this would be a fine land?
The male scrunched his nose. Two females indeed! At the start of this journey that might have set his blood afire. Now, it was nothing more then a dull thud. Even two women could take him now, after so long out in the wastes. And he hardly doubted the lionesses would be impressed by his sweat soaked white fur, or his sand blown mane. "Too little too late," he said again.
So vain, the crow chuckled, and took to the air once more. She wheeled about, before floating over where the two lionesses walked- her inky shadow dancing over them like a passing cloud. You better address them now, before they rip out your throat.
"Charming," he mumbled. Shaking out his coat a bit and trying to salvage whatever bit of decency he had left- the white lion gave a low warning growl. "Back, women. I may not be much, but I still have my claws. You are the dwellers of this pride, are you not?"
Ooh, how forceful. The crow cheered. Surely now, when they kill you, they will know they killed a lion!
Veru scowled, but held his ground.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 3:49 pm
Sure enough, Naar had spoken truth. Fia did not like to distrust her desert-sister, but one could never quite tell whether she'd simply imagined some fancy up to gain attention. Perhaps it would have been better if it had been imagined. After all, they had wandered from the borders of their lands and she was not versed enough in guard patrols to know whether any would be in this corner of the desert to hear their calls.
However, it was only one male. And a crow, apparently. Neither of them were trained warriors, but they were both big and strong, not to mention well-rested. They might catch a scuff or two, but Fia did not doubt that they would win.
"What shall we do?" Naar asked. "Shall we fight him?"
Fia shook her head, turning her attention to the male as he addressed them. Well...this male certainly needed to learn some manners. He was either brave or stupid, but since those two traits often came hand in hand, he was probably both.
"Save your energy, outsider." Fia snapped, her mismatched eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Since you ask that question, you must know something of the Motoujamii and its peoples. If you do, then you must also know that we do not appreciate the tread of rogue lions nor their impudence." She leapt from the dune in a single bound and began to pad slowly towards him. Naar, less graceful in her step, slithered slowly down the incline and hurried to catch up.
"We are the daughters of the Simo." She replied somewhat tartly. "You'd best speak quickly of your reasons for being here, rogue, else you might find us the last 'women' you ever speak to."
Beside her, Naar kneaded her paws in the sand, seemingly eager to just leap into the fray and end this quickly. So eager to fight and yet no real skill in the art. A sad reality, to be true.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:10 pm
Women in these parts are forceful, the crow remarked slyly. Perhaps they are more like men! Do not test their patience.
For a totem, the crow was not very reassuring. Veru watched the two females, going over in his mind the sort of maneuvering he'd have to do should one of them go for him. They both were certainly large enough to take him on their own, and there were two of them! The one with the wild eyes seemed to be the leader, so he supposed he'd have to go for that one. He could be quick, if he wanted to be.
Not so quick as they!
Veru glanced at his paws, and at theirs. Even just standing, his feet sunk into the sand where theirs floated. Oh, it would be a very short fight indeed! And he was so tired to be charming. So tired, and so very very smelly. "Ah, and if you were my dear it would not be a waste!"
She will like that lie. The crow mused. For a moment the black bird wheeled- perhaps considering the situation from an angle only a creature of the sky could. Then, she swooped, cutting so close to the first lionesses's nose that her wingtips might have brushed past. The crow came to a stop and perched on the white lion's shoulder, her dark black feathers glistening like oil in the sun. She gave a mock cry, feathers puffing.
Veru nervously looked at the bird, as if to say- oh god I'm not with her. He shook his shoulder once, but the bird did not dislodge. He decided he'd better speak quickly, before worse befell him. What to say, what to say... he certainly couldn't tell them the truth, that was for certain! ["Oh, why are you here?" The fine lady would say. "Oh! I followed a crow here! That's as good a reason as any, is it not? Shall I tell you I dreamed of here, and your strange eyes?"] Yeah, that probably wasn't going to work.
His brow furrowed. Make up bullshit. "I am a son of these lands, as you should know." Should they? He was red, so, he supposed that could work. "My father has long since passed, but he wished me to return and inquire onto our relatives. We hear there has been war."
How very clever. And I did not even instruct you!
Veru sighed.
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:31 pm
The crow's wings clipping the air short before her nose had Fia's fur bristling. Beside her, Naar growled all the louder. Fia wondered whether having the other female accompany her was such a good idea after all. She was by no means close to the female, and she had not realised how volatile she could be in these sorts of situations. She gave her another shove with her hip and was gladdened when the lioness fell silent.
Good, now she could think.
"As I should know?" Fia arched a brow. "Oh please. Even if that was true, just because your father was once part of these lands does not mean you have the right to them. What makes you think that you deserve to be one of us?" Even still, if what he said was true, she'd certainly give him the benefit of the doubt. He was indeed a large lion with the proper colours, too. Even still, many rogues had joined them with the body and mind of a Firekin, who had no blood ties to their pride at all. "The Firekin blood could be weakened in you, after all."
She snorted indignantly. "Even still, mere words cannot be the judge of that. If you wish to stay here, you'll need to earn that privilege. If you have heard of the war and the change here, you must have guessed that newcomers are only accepted if they meet our high expectations. This means a duel between you and one of our pride. Male or female, but of similar age."
She eyed him sceptically. "However, in your condition, I would say even our hunter apprentices would have no trouble in beating you."
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 4:45 pm
Veru flattened his ears as his mind churned. Ah! How had she seen through his cleverly contrived bullshit? Quick, quick, quick. He'd always been a fast thinker, no matter how foolish or unbelievable the situation might have been. Was it too late to assume they were simply mirages? "I never said I was interested in joining," He remarked. Then again, he hadn't exactly planned what he was going to do once he got here. He always figured that, with the dreams, and then with some magical talking crow, things were just going to play themselves out. Isn't that how these things worked?
You might think, but you'd be wrong. The crow mused, perhaps more knowingly then not.
"I...uh," He paused for a moment, his eyes bouncing around. But there was nothing to latch onto- just sand and more sand. "To tell you the truth, I did not know what to expect. They say many things about this desert. Some say the lions in this pride are mighty, blood thirsty warriors. Some simply believe you are all suncrazy. How was I to know what would or would not be true?"
"I heard war had come, as did my father." He'd need a name for this fake dad, he noted. "My...sister[?!] came before me to this pride, but we have not heard from her since."
Ah, so now he had an entire fake family! They might as well be princes, while he was at it. "I... don't suppose you have seen her? Her name was Katian."
Of course she wouldn't, but after a journey like this, surely a fake sister could have died out here. "She was more interested in...culture. If you understand. Had I known I would need to fight one of you, I probably would have not spent so much time chasing my tail in the dunes."
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:00 pm
Naar was seemingly growing bored of the conversation now that a fight looked less and less likely. Her eyes had wandered out across the desert, growing distant and hazy, probably thinking of times long gone, never to be repeated.
Fia, seemingly now having taken the lead in this 'interrogation' gave a low 'harrumph' of displeasure, rolling her eyes in a disinterested fashion. "We are all those things and more." She could not help but grin a little, casting a quick look towards her glassy-eyed companion. She was certainly suncrazy, if such a thing existed.
She shook her head in response. "No. If your sister intended to come here, she has never arrived. I would have heard her name if she had been accepted into our pride. If she came before you and has not yet arrived, she either gave up the chase, or died amongst the dunes. She wouldn't be the first. The desert is the first test, after all." She wouldn't normally talk like this with matters of the family and loss, but she expected that the news might be easier to take if it was spoken in a matter-of-fact tone. Besides, she had never met this lioness and it was hard to feel bad for a creature she had never met, even if a family member did stand before her very eyes.
However, Naar was not so able to contain her sadness. "Noooo." She whined, creeping forwards sympathetically towards the male. "Your sister...you lost your sister. I know." She blabbered. "I know your pain. I lost my sister too. Gone. She is gone. Never coming back."
Fia growled, setting a firm paw on the female's tail to keep her in place. "Don't speak as if she's dead, fool. Your sister left."
Naar tugged her tail free and whirled on Fia in an angry rage. "Shut up! You don't understand! She might as well be dead, because I'll never see her again!!"
Fia blinked, stunned, but refused to rise up to the other female's anger. "Will you calm yourself? Either that, or go back home." She had seemed a leader in front of this newcomer and she'd be damned if she let Naar try and gain the upperhand. She side-stepped so that she could get the rogue back into view and continued as if nothing had happened.
Naar, still trembling, lowered herself submissively to the stand, clearly focussing all her attention on not pouncing on the daughter of the Regents.
"So, what will you do now? Go back the way you came? Or risk a little pride by challenging one of us? The choice is yours."
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:18 pm
Veru's eyes went wide and glassy. Mostly because he was damn tired and probably could have cried just from the agony of being in the sun all day. Alas, poor Kiegan! Or was it Kiran? Damnit, he'd forgotten her name already! Hopefully he could henceforth refer to her as "the sister". It wasn't a complete lie, after all. He DID have sisters. He'd certainly have felt bad if one of them had stumbled off into this forsaken place. "Oh...my poor sister..." he lamented, staring at his paws as the other approached him.
She is weak. Appeal to the dumb one, the crow mused.
Veru was happy enough not to get a mess of claws in his face. He'd certainly seemed to strike a cord in the other lioness- who suddenly looked like she might wrap her paws around him and start weeping for her own lost sister. Well, it seemed he'd at least found a pride full of lost relatives to play the story off of. "I am sure your sister is coming back." He lamented. "And mine! She was far, far too smart to die in such a place. Perhaps she found what she was looking for and moved on..."
Wait, was he talking about his sister or hers? It didn't seem to matter to the one with the wild eyes, as she quickly wrested control from the sympathetic lioness just as soon as she had lost it. She did pose a good question however. What WAS he going to do? He certainly wasn't going to go back to having nightmares.
No, I do not think that would be wise, the crow said all too smoothly. Fight the stupid one. Perhaps she'll let you win.
"Well, I'm afraid I can't go back now. Not if my kin is still missing." That, and he wouldn't be able to cross the desert back to where he had started without a good drink and a rest. "I have to fight one of you?"
The dumb one, the crow reminded.
"Well, then I'll have to fight you, I suppose!" Veru chimed, clearly grazing over Naar and focusing his attention on Fia. He wasn't a complete pawn, after all.
The crow seemed to not like this turn of events. She flew off Veru's shoulder as if to wash the stupidity from her, and walked a line across the sand. Foolish, hormonal boy. If you die, I shall not even laugh.
Veru snorted.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:28 pm
Naar seemed to calm at the male's words, nodding sadly as she wiped a stray tear away from her face. He was right. There was hope. Always hope. Perhaps one day her sister would return. Perhaps one day his sister would find him again and all would be right in the world. Family was so important and every day she lived without her felt like a part of her was drifting further and further away. If she'd said that out loud, Fia would have huffed and shot her an annoyed look, but as dramatic as it sounded, there was no other way Naar could describe her feelings. She felt so lost. All the time.
She lifted her head to listen to the talking of the lions beside her, both ears tipped upwards.
"One of us, or one of the others. It matters little." Fia replied with a shrug. "We can accompany you to another if that suits." If she was honest with herself, the idea of actually fighting in a duel did worry Fia a little. She did have a talent for the art, but had never honed it, nor done any scuffling since a cub. She was large, but her muscles were certainly not as developed as other females in the pride. He might have been in a weakened state, but he was still large and was all but fighting for his life. After all, would he survive the trip back out of the desert? She didn't think he would.
Thus, when he declared that he wished to duel her, she could not help but blink rapidly in surprise. "Me?" She was sure that he would have chosen Naar, if only because she seemed so brutish and crude in her mannerisms. Or perhaps it was the whole sister thing - the pity - that had kept him from choosing to battle her. Even still, she'd rather die than admit to the fact that she didn't want to fight him. And so, she accepted. Her face was deadpan as she did so, standing squarely on the sand.
"Very well. Duel accepted." And with a snarl, she leapt straight at him, deciding that a quick and decisive attack was in order to gain the upper-hand on him. There would be no claws or teeth involved, instead the flat of her skull aimed straight for him, intending to bowl him off of his paws and trample his resolve.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:29 pm
Consider his resolve trampled. No sooner had Fia sprung towards him then had the world seemed to move in slow motion. He was faintly aware of the sinking sensation that he had suddenly made a very, very, bad move. Oh, god damnit. Why hadn't he listened to his supposed spirit guide? That was what those things were for, weren't they?!
Ah well. It would have been nice if, in all his nightmares about this place, they might have taken the time to warn him about this lady of the desert. Surely her eyes would have been recognizable enough. Surely her-
And at about that point, Fia slammed into him. Ohshitohshit. He felt the blow strike through him as though she had taken him from behind. He made a flailing half attempt to strike back, but weariness made his arms feel like lead. He hoped it was exhaustion that made her seem so strong. It would have been rather pathetic to come this far and simply get steam rolled. In reward for his rather presumptuous challenge, he got a mouth full of sand as Fia toppled him to the ground
Veru's vision blurred. Somewhere behind Fia's feet, the little crow was hopping about, watching him with those eerie eyes. I hope you have more fight in you then that, she scolded.
"Owch," He wheezed. "You're uh- very strong, you know that?"
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:32 pm
Success!
The thrill of gaining the first strike had her heart hammering wildly in her chest. She pulled up in time to see him hit the sand and grinned almost manically. She recognised the feeling. The heat of the adrenaline thrumming through her veins and knew this is what so many of her kin craved. Knew that this was why they were so good at what they did.
She did not waste time with words. After all, words were not needed in a fight of physical strength and she would not know what to say to him, even if she did. Instead, she closed the short gap between them again and aimed a swift paw at his head, intending to give him a good hard cuff with the pads of her paw. She might have been strong, but she certainly had no plans to cut him up during a duel. Accidents happened, she knew, but she hoped she had more control than that.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:33 pm
As he sat there, getting wailed on, he couldn't help but wonder exactly how he had expected this to plan out. Had he intended to charm his way into the pride? He had been aware they were brutes. It probably would have been wiser to take some lessons. Not that the lands where had had originated from were any less cruel or wild... but, they did lack a certain organization that these desert creatures seemed to posses. He was a master of throwing his weight around, not carefully precisioned blows.
And better yet- was this going to be worth a few better nights sleep? What was to say that, should he happen to survive the incident, that these dreams would not simply lead him off to some other land? With equally crazy lions? As she clobbered him, he became vaguely aware that she was at least sparing him her claws. That was rather polite of her, considering.
This wouldn't do. Another strike on the head and he felt a little spark of agitation. He didn't like being made a fool of, even if he had deserved it so righteously. Hoping to at least surprise her, Veru swung up his paw, catching the lioness squarely in the jaw.
Of course...once that connected he had the fleeting notion that he might have just pissed her off more.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:34 pm
The paw came seemingly out of nowhere and she realised her mistake the moment the strike spread heat through her jaw. She leapt back in case he intended to press on with his attack, shaking her head in an attempt to dull the throb that had started there.
So, this cat did have bite, then.
She'd gotten too confident, too cocky. She'd left an opening and allowed him to take her off balance. She strengthened her resolve to finish this quickly and teach the ill-mannered male a lesson. Then he could go back the way he had come and...well, maybe they should atleast show him to water first, so that he might have a chance to survive the trip back to the outside lands.
"Come on, boy, get up." She finally spoke, aiming another claw-less slap at his snout.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 19, 2010 5:35 pm
Perhaps you should try to win. I doubt she will take pity on you for being gentlemanly.
Veru groaned. Claws or not, when Fia's paw collided with his face he saw stars. Owowow. He deeply regretted not having some sort of training montage before coming all the way out here. He would have liked to at least seem like a worthy fighter! No wonder his sister hadn't been able to survive in these lands! If she'd been real, that is.
He was glad she at least took the time to taunt him. If words were involved, he was much more at ease. Swallowing down a lump of dry nothingness, he made his best attempt at a chuckle. Maybe she'd just think he was immune to injury! But as he stood up, the desert continued rolling. That probably wasn't a good sign. "Get up? This is... all part of the plan!" He staggered a bit to the left.
Some plan.
But it turned out, Veru did have a plan. He staggered a bit more, causing even the crow to ruffle her feathers. "Owch, owch. You weren't kidding about the dueling, I take it!" he staggered again, leaning down into the sand.
And then, just when he felt he had milked it enough [and gathered enough strength], he pounced back up, and gave her another swat at the face. AHAH.
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