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 Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 11:58 am
 Roho had been thinking about the war games non-stop since their conclusion. Thinking of the victories and the losses and the unexpected feelings that tugged at her nerve when she thought she had been so strong against them. And then there was Teketeza's words, his raised voice one that everyone in the proximity had heard. Some had spoken out against him but many others had been quiet. And it was the quiet that bothered her. Had they said nothing because they had no opinion? They didn't care? Or was it that they secretly agreed with the grey male but had no wish to alienate himself as he did. Roho would give him that, at least. He wasn't afraid of speaking his mind even if it did isolate him from others. She could appreciate that to some extent, though not necessarily when he was calling her people broken and useless.
Broken and useless...
Perhaps it was those words that had been bothering her the most. Bothering her because she feared that they might be true. She'd done well, she knew that, but at the end with the rival team descending on her, she'd recalled the horrors of the Hongshan and lost her nerve - though she had perhaps hidden it better than most. And yet, in the end, it had led her to make mistakes and she had fallen perhaps sooner than she might have otherwise. Roho kept telling herself that in a real battle of tooth and claw she would not have been taken down so quickly. But deep down, in her heart, she wondered if that was simply a state of denial.
In any case, after much consideration she had decided that she would speak with Teketeza. Speak and not shout - or try her best not to, anyway. She wanted to try and rekindle her old self. The Roho who did not submit to emotion such as anger and frustration. A Roho who did her duty and did it well and couldn't care less what anyone else thought of her. In any case, she could not rest until she had sought him out. The meeting was, it seemed, quite inevitable.
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:52 am
 Unbeknownst to Roho, the Firekin that she sought had also been thinking about the war games non-stop, although in a much more negative light. In Teketeza's mind it had been a waste of not only his time, but everyone else's. Instead of celebrating the fact that his team had won, he dwelled on the fact that he hadn't made a big enough impression overall. He also hadn't learnt anything that he didn't already know, which had made the whole thing completely pointless in his opinion.
Whilst the Nergui were most likely out raiding other Prides, cutting down the weak and making strong their own forces through violence and tyranny, the Firekin were left playing games and negotiating with their neighbours. It was pathetic really. One of their own had been murdered, they were on the verge of war with those responsible, and yet all of this time was being wasted. The Firekin of old would not have allowed this to happen in the first place, and if it had happened regardless, they certainly would've made more of an effort to get revenge in the quickest way possible. At this rate, the Nergui would come to them first.
Teketeza growled as he considered all this, even though no one was close enough to hear it at that moment. He had chosen to patrol the borders alone, in the hopes of bumping into an unwanted intruder. Although he had told Hraga that he didn't need to look for a war, that didn't mean that he didn't wish to look for a fight. If the Firekin weren't going to train him properly, he would train himself.
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 2:47 am
In the end finding him was relatively easy. He was a hard lion to miss, really; what with his imposing size and grey pelt. The way he moved suggested he was still irritated - perhaps he always was - and Roho did question whether she was being smart. Here she was, out close to the border where the Firekin were thinned out. If he turned on her then no one would know the wiser. Perhaps she'd be labelled another poor, unfortunate victim of the Nergui. Some might have chosen that moment to turn and leave but Roho had come this far and she was not about to turn away now. She wanted -no, needed - to speak with him.
When she was within a reasonable distance from him she parted her jaws and called out to him, the low roar a neutral greeting; neither happy nor threatening. She had to make sure she controlled her emotions. She was not one to be ruled by them.
"Teketeza." She spoke with the strong, emotionless voice of a soldier addressing a superior. As much as she didn't like him, she did consider him a superior. Besides, it might help with his mood if he was addressed appropriately. "Could I have a moment of your time? It shouldn't take long."
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 12:48 pm
With so much on his mind, no wonder he failed to notice the approaching female. As soon as he heard his name being called, he swung around on the spot in order to see whoever it was that had addressed him. When his eyes fell on the deep red figure, his mood instantly went from bad to worse. It was Roho, one of the Hongshan, the group of lions who he held responsible for everything that the Firekin were currently going through. The ones who were too weak to defend themselves, and so came crawling to the Firekin for help.
Teketeza snarled viciously, making his discontent more obvious than it already was. "You and your kind have wasted enough of my time already." He spat, his tail whipping violently from side to side. Although, despite his anger at her presence, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that she wasnted to discuss. Maybe she wanted to have a go at him for what he had said after the war games. That wouldn't have been the smartest move, but it was one that he would welcome. If only to give him the chance to repeat all that he had already said.
"Make it quick."
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Posted: Fri May 25, 2012 1:06 pm
She regarded him, understandably, with some wariness when he turned and snarled; his emotions blazing there on his face. It left little room for interpretation. Roho considered that this was hardly a surprise, though she wondered what it must be like to be so tense and angry all the time. It was dangerous for others but probably dangerous for himself, too.
She decided not to rise to the bait and settled her weight evenly on her paws, lifting her head to look at him. "Very well." She kept her tone brisk and polite, as if she were about to deliver a business proposal to him.
"I know what you think of us, Teketeza; by brethren and I. How could we not? You are open in your feelings and whilst I respect your honesty I have to say that it's beginning to wear thin." She took a small step towards him, not daring to take her eyes off of him for a moment - lest he attack her. "But enough of that. I have spent a great deal of time thinking of the war games and what you said of my people. Before that day, however, I would have argued bitterly against you. Since then, however, my views have changed somewhat."
This was the hard bit. Her face grew tense, ears folding back against her head. "You may not be right about all of us but you are right about some. A number of the Hongshan are broken." Herself, included, although she kept that information back for the moment. "We have seen too much, perhaps. Lost too much."
She tried to force herself to relax again and then asked: "What I ask of you, Teketeza is this: can broken things be fixed and made useful again?"
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 1:46 am
Teketeza continued to growl, choosing not to mask his aggression in the slightest. Of course she knew what he thought of her and the other Hongshan, as most of the Pride did by now. It had alienated him somewhat from a lot of fellow Firekin, but he cared very little. His own thoughts and beliefs were much more important to him than those of others.
When Roho talked of this kind of behavior wearing thin, he smirked darkly. "Oh, what a shame." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. If she was really that bothered, what was she going to do about it? Nothing, that's what. As she went on however, it dawned on him that she wasn't here for a fight at all. Was she...asking him for help? After everything that had happened due to the Hongshan's presence, she had the audacity to ask him such a thing?
It didn't sit well with Teketeza at all, and yet, he remained silent for some time whilst he considered what she had said. He wasn't stupid, as a few others may dared to have thought. And although he got angry and frustrated at times, that didn't mean he was a mindless brute. What she was asking was almost interesting. If he disregarded the idea of actually helping her and her kind, he could at least answer the question with honesty.
"...Perhaps." He answered finally, his tone of voice now unusually neutral. The deep frown on his face however showed that he was still not happy, still not on her side. It was likely that he never would be. "Let's get one thing straight. I don't feel a single lick of sympathy for what happened to the Hongshan. Whether you were not strong enough, or were simply taken by surprise, the fact is that you lost." This was a harsh point of view, even for him. After all, the Firekin at the outpost had suffered a similar loss, although on a much smaller scale. If he refused to accept such excuses from the Hongshan, would he refuse to accept the very same excuses from his own kind? Probably not.
Teketeza fell silent once more. Not to consider how best to go on, as he certainly didn't care about offending her. No, he was silent as he considered whether or not to go on at all, as he truely didn't want to help her, not really. "A true Firekin would sooner die on their feet than live on their belly. The fact that all of you allowed yourselves to be taken captive, as opposed to refusing and being killed for it, tells me that all of you fear death." His eyes flashed darkly. "If you want to get over whatever is going on in your heads, I think the first thing you need to do is accept that you're going to die someday. Sooner rather than later, if any of you freak out in a real battle like you did in the games. If such a thought upsets or displeases you, there really is no hope for you."
(( When he says "all of you", he's refering to the Hongshan that are here. XP; He knows that a bunch were killed and such, but the ones that are with the Firekin now are all escaped prisoners as far as he's aware. ))
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 12:34 pm
Her eyes narrowed - the only sign of her irritation at his sarcasm - but otherwise she remained motionless, even her tail hanging still behind her. And then, when he continued, an ear twisted forwards as if hesitant to hope that he might be willing to help.
She nodded, a flash of memory playing behind the backs of her eyes. "We lost." Roho agreed simply; her voice kept bland. "For both of those reasons and many more, I suspect."
And then she remained silent for a long while, mulling over his words and wondering whether he was right or wrong. To some, their perceived capture might have been viewed as weakness, but Roho stuck to her guns about her survival proving her strength. That she could witness so much death, be subjected to slavery and then run for her life across unclaimed lands...to her, that was strength.
"But if we did not fear death, what is to stop us from leaping into the fight without a care for ourselves? Our knowledge of death is what keeps us on our toes, keeps us thinking strategically." She looked away momentarily. "Not that I disagree. The balance between a healthy fear and a dangerous one is easily tipped. It is to learn to control that fear and use it as strength which is key. If the Hongshan look to their allies during play with fear, then they are certainly not ready to take part in real war."
She looked up at him again. "So, what is to be done? Can we be helped? If so, I think it will be to face our fears. Tough love, as it were."
And here it was, the crux of her request. "Can you help me, Teketeza, so that I - in turn - can aid the Hongshan, and by doing so, strengthen the Firekin?"
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 12:33 pm
Teketeza chose to wait until she had finished speaking before he spoke himself, although it took a lot of self control to do so. When she was done, having asked a few questions, he chose to ignore them at first, as something she had said before the questions bothered him. "Leaping into a fight without a care is better than running from it through fear!" He snapped, not happy that Roho had chosen to contradict him, even if she also said that she didn't disagree. "I don't fear anyone or anything. Do you think that that makes me incapable of thinking strategically within the heat of battle?"
Now growling even louder than he had been before, he marched towards her so that he was only stood a few feet away from her, glaring intently. "You've got some nerve." He didn't care whether or not it was her intention to try to offend him, and he wouldn't have admitted it even if he had been offended. As he glared down at her, it was clear that his dislike for her and the other Hongshan would always outweigh the love he had for his Pride.
Now on to the questions she asked. "And now you're asking for help?" He scoffed. He had already said that it was 'perhaps' possible for something broken to be made useful again, but he had quickly started to doubt his own words. Not only did they not deserve help, he wasn't sure if it was possible for them to be helped. If Teketeza was going to 'help' the Hongshan though, it would be for the Firekin as a whole, not for them. It almost hurt his head, to have his own personal beliefs fight against what was best for the Pride as a whole. After all, the were stuck with the Hongshan, whether he liked it or not.
"The fact is, I would never trust you or any of the Hongshan in battle, but others might." He shook his head heavily. "We can't afford to have weakness in our ranks in any way, shape or form." Teketeza's gaze returned to her once more, his eyes now narrowed. "I still stand by what I said. Physically, you may be ready. But mentally..." At that point, he lifted his paw and tapped his head. "Mentally, that's where the problem is. I don't know how much control I would have over that, even if I actually cared about the outcome."
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 7:12 am
Roho's eyes narrowed further at his outburst. He clearly had not been happy with her statement on fear. No matter what he, or anyone, said she knew a healthy bit of fear could go a long way in keeping one alive and acting swiftly. Teketeza clearly believed that fear was a sign of weakness. She wondered if he would feel fear the day the Nergui came baying for his blood. Looking at him, she did not think so. But would he outlive the others? Only battle would tell. Not wanting to rile him further she opted not to answer his question. He would not be happy of she spoke her thoughts out loud.
And then he was in her face, growling and menacing. For a moment she wondered if he would attack her after all. Roho would not have been surprised. In fact, she almost expected it and his restraint came as a bit of a shock. Teketeza clearly had a lot of fire. He needed battle as one needed air.
She blinked, listening as he continued, careful not to move or speak until it was clear that he was done.
"I thought I was strong enough to deal with my past." She admitted then. It was strange but what she was saying now to Teketeza she could never say to the other Hongshan. She had a reputation to uphold where they were concerned but the grey lion already thought badly of her. It made no difference. "But at the end of the war game, when everyone charged in, I was taken back to that place and time where the Nergui came for blood. I imagine it was much the same for Adiel. Maybe the massacre of the Hongshan has turned some of us into pacifists. We need to find our fighters spirit one more. We had it once - believe it or not - and I'm sure we can have it again."
She thought of their motives to fight back in their homeland and their motives now. Was that also something that could be worked upon?
"Duel with me." The request was out of her mouth before she had really thought about it.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 1:07 am
Roho remained silent for some time, seemingly considering what he had said. Teketeza watched her carefully, his hot orange eyes taking in her current expression and body language. Who were she and the Hongshan trying to fool? The Firekin? Themselves? Or both? They would most likely never be capable warriors, so why was he stood here wasting his time with one of them.
He opened his mouth to inform her that he was done here, when Roho spoke up once more. Having already told her that he felt no sympathy for the plight of the Hongshan, all he did when she poured her heart out to him was roll his eyes. In Teketeza's eyes, it was their own fault that they were massacred. Although the Nergui themselves sounded strong and fearsome, they were nothing that the Firekin couldn't handle, as no Firekin could ever be considered weak. It was all so black and white in his head. The Firekin and the Nergui were strong, and the Hongshan were not, simple as that.
Apparently, they weren't smart either, as the hulking grey male was abruptly broken from his train of thought by a rather shocking request. "Duel you?" Teketeza would've been impressed by her bravery, had he not taken it as mere stupidity. "Don't tempt me." He frowned, having not disregarded the request entirely, but unsure whether or not say yes to it. He didn't really take part in many duels, as it was very easy for him to get lost in the heat of the moment. The fire that burned within him flared all too easily in a fight, and often it would be the other Firekin present that got hurt.
"If I did duel you, what exactly do you think it will achieve?"
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 2:12 am
He was hard to talk to, this one. Roho felt exhausted even after this brief exchange of fiery words. She'd met a lot of tough males in her life but none of them came close to Teketeza. He was in a league all of his own. His appearance suited him then. He was a unique character even amongst the tempers of the Firekin. She didn't particularly like him but for all his harsh words she didn't hate him either.
At least she knew where she stood with him.
"I think it would achieve a lot." Roho replied simply, her tail flicking as the muscles in her shoulders and back eased in their tension. "As you said, games will not prepare us for war. Duels in these lands are mock battles - games if you will - though for good reason. We'd have a lot of injured Firekin if so." She paused a moment as if to consider her next statement carefully. It was a risk, but a necessary one if they were ever going to face their enemy and fight as one of the Firekin.
"The Hongshan need to pick themselves back up again and the only way to do that is to face and conquer our fears. You are not a Nergui, but you are large and fierce and have the ability to intimidate." She sucked in a short breath. "What I propose is a duel where no punches are held back. Tooth and claw. If I do not fear injury in a duel I will not learn to overcome it. Though that is not to say we should attempt to kill one another. I do still want to fight when the time comes."
She took a step back, then, to hear his answer.
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 11:30 am
A low growl radiated in his throat as once again his mind fell into conflict. Was this some kind of trick? Maybe she wanted him to injure her, simply so that he could be punished for doing so. Or maybe she was just being brave, wishing to prove something to herself. Whatever the reason, Teketeza was not the type to walk away from a fight.
Saying nothing, he simply shrugged his broad shoulders and turned to take a few steps away from her, before turning back to face her. "Fine. Don't blame me if you get hurt.". With that, he braced himself and raked his claws through the sand. He snarled viciously, waiting for her to make the first move.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Wed May 30, 2012 12:27 pm
((OOC note: for this duel only, Teketeza will be rolling 1-4 with 4 being an extra chance to hit))
--
Move 1/5 - hit
--
Teketeza could rest easy - or somewhat easy, in any case. Roho wasn't a trickster. She spoke plain and simple and didn't mess with her words.
When he accepted, she did not smile or nod. Her face was deadly serious and, as he moved into a defensive stance, she wasted no time in making the first move. She had a lot to prove to herself - and to others - that she was not going to cower away or make a mistake in battle because she was afraid of being taken down.
With a vicious snarl, she sprang at him - using her agility as an advantage - swinging straight at him with her right paw.
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~Masamune~ generated a random number between
1 and 4 ...
3!
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:05 am
(( Move 1/5 - Hit ))
Having braced himself for an attack, Teketeza didn't even bother to move when Roho sprang forward. Although his size didn't exactly make him slow to move, he wasn't exactly quick either. Taking his opponent's attack meant that he could strike back at a much closer range, making him less likely to miss.
When Roho brought her paw down across his face, he was quite shocked at the strength of the attack. Not simply because she was a female, but because she was a Hongshan as well. It was too soon to think of her as anything but weak however, and now that she was this close, she was right where he wanted her. With a mighty roar, he reared up, before bringing both front paws down in direction of her head and shoulders. He reckoned she would be quick enough to attempt a dodge, so this way, he was almost guaranteed a hit.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Thu May 31, 2012 10:24 am
--
Move 2/5 - miss
--
Her triumph was short-lived, her eyes widening as she saw him rear up. Her paw ringing from the successful attack, she dug in with her hind legs to halt her progress and try to roll and evade his attack. But he was swift and he had been ready.
She'd been successful on her first attempt but, in doing so, had played right into his hand.
The weight of his paws fell like boulders and she twisted as she fell, sprawled in the sand - half disorientated from the explosive pain in her head and shoulder where he had struck. He certainly was not holding back - though she had not expected him to.
Hissing wildly, white spots in her eyes from his counter-attack, she launched up with a paw - more to keep him from pressing the attack than actually trying to land a hit. Her paw, then, struck nothing but air.
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