[CHAL] A big deal [Njal & Aesir]

[wooga Paes]

It was time.

This was a very big deal, far from an every day occurrence. But rather than feel nervous, Njal felt... good. He had been preparing for this, this is what he had been working towards and it was finally time. Rationally he knew there could be disastrous consequences, for him, and perhaps Thorgrim, and poor Akatta.

But as the male made his way over, he felt just fine. He looked good, too, definitely a lion in his prime. It wouldn't do to grin like an idiot, though, and his expression was stern. The challenge had been issued yesterday, in fact, and many probably knew about it by now. Some had already turned up. This pleased Njal, because he wanted an audience. This should be just as important to them as it was to him.

He came to a stop once h reached the area they had agreed upon. Now, where was Aesir?  

[Princess_Feylin]

Aesir was talking to the head priestess and giving his favorite daughter a stern talking to. She had begun to experience birthing pains a few hours before and yet she insisted on being present to watch him fight Njal. He had assured her that she would have plenty of opportunities in the future to see him defend his position, but Kazul could be a very stubborn lioness. In the end, Aesir had run out of time for argument and had simply ordered her as her father and as the Warlord of the Stormborn to stay away and have her cubs in safety and comfort.

It didn't bother him that he was arriving a little bit late to the challenge. It wasn't as if he could get away with ignoring it, no matter how little Njal impressed him as a warrior. This was, of course, more than Njal making a power play, and Aesir knew it, so even if he won this battle, there would likely be others to come. However, Njal was the one who had actually issued the challenge, and so today it was Njal Aesir would fight.

"Njal."

There was nothing else he felt it necessary to say. It was a good day to die, he thought philosophically as he arrived. He hoped Njal felt the same.  

[wooga Paes]

"Aesir." He nodded, not seeming any more hostile than he normally would. Njal had spent too much time preparing for this to simply come off as an idiot, so he kept his cool. Inside, he felt very different.

He couldn't read minds, but somehow managed to echo the sentiment. "It is a good day to die." But Njal didn't plan on doing that today. Who knows, he might end up doing the opposite. He didn't think either he or Aesir really needed to talk, or stare each other very long. Njal wasn't going to be too dramatic about it, and after taking one last breath, he charged. Now or never! Once he got close enough, he would go for the face.  

[Light Atago]

A storm was brewing, but it wasn't... the typical type of storm that you got around here. Inari could realize the gravity of the fight that was just unfolding before her- when word of it reached her, she knew she absolutely had to see it with her own eyes. A true battle to behold, and one that, no matter the outcome, she was sure to remember watching. Her ears caught every word spoken.

The lioness sat at a distance, attention fully focused on the lions before her.  

[magnadearel]

News had spread fast. Bousvor contemplated this duel. A reaver challenging the warlord. While he knew this could happen, he never expected it. If Njal won, he would become warlord and decide what he was going to do to Aesir; but if Aesir won, Bousvor wasn't sure what would happen to the reaver. This was certainly something he needed to watch.

So he had settled himself at the appointed time in a decent spot. He excelled at this. Watching and observing; the tawny male kept his ears open too. He wanted to know what the others coming to watch were saying. Who they were hoping would win if either? His front paws crossed as green eyes watched Njal until Aesir finally showed up.  

[Andranis]

Yu, too, showed up to the challenge, intent on watching. His sister and little half-brother had opted to stay out, Susu more to do some den cleaning and Norman more to... Well, to say the little blonde lion was squeamish was an understatement. Violence didn't sit well with him in ANY form. Blood only sat well with the younger lion because he had a weird fascination with that thing he called alchemy....

The big black and gold lion, though, found he enjoyed watching a good fight. He stopped by Bousvor, taking a seat to watch the fight. "I bet a good rabbit pelt that Njal will win..." He didn't mention Susu had told him about this in passing... And he trusted his sister's visions. It was more the way she delivered it, as a 'by the way', that had caught him off-guard.


Haki followed behind Yu, delight shining in the lion's eyes. Oh, this was going to be a fight to sing about for ages! He found a spot and took a seat, ready for the fight. After a moment, he looked around, intent on commenting with someone so he could make this song accurate. His eyes soon fell on Inari, and he got up and moved to sit by her. "This is very exciting, isn't it? It's not every day a Reaver challenges the Warlord!" He had to fight the urge to wiggle in excitement as he watched the two lions.  

[Princess_Feylin]

wooga Paes

Aesir was glad that this would, apparently be dealt with as coolly and rationally as was possible. There was a place for epithets and threats in a raid or in a holmgang, but this was neither. This was a challenge between warriors to determine which of them was better fit to lead. There was no need for enmity. Whatever the outcome, it would be for the good of the pride. Especially since Aesir planned to win.

Aesir didn't flinch away from Njal's charge, but that didn't mean he didn't take measures to protect his face. That was, after all, where his eyes were located, as well as his nose and tongue. More importantly, though, that was also where his teeth were located, and Aesir had other plans for his teeth beyond having them knocked out by an ambitious reaver. He planned to sink them into that reaver's flesh.

When Njal got close enough, Aesir brought his paws up to swipe at him. He, too, was aiming for the face, but he'd settle for just keeping claws out of his own face at the moment.  

[Light Atago]

One could hardly say Inari was wiggling with excitement, but she was certainly more excitable than normal. She looked to Haki with a bit of a grin and nodded, "Indeed! The likes of it I've never seen." Her eyes didn't linger on Haki, though, but that was from a desire not to miss the fight. The lion would be around to chat with when the fight was over. It was starting to unfold- Inari's steel-grey eyes narrowed just a bit as the two lions leapt into action before her with amazing speed. Just watching the event made one proud to be Stormborn.  

[Annchen]

Torbjörn sat still like a statue, watching the Warlord and the challenger. He had picked a prime location to get a good view of the fighting ground, and because of his status as a Lawspeaker he didn't have to do more than glare at the lion that had occupied the space when he arrived. Perks of the job. The other Lawspeakers would be there too, but he hadn't managed to pick them all out in the crowd. For the other challenges of Breytast Vindar there were usually only one (or sometimes none) Lawspeaker present, but this challenge would have a lasting impact on the pride and there could be no accusations of foul play later. They were there as neutral observers, and would make sure that everyone would know how this had played out, whatever the outcome.

The Lawspeaker disliked change, and was secretly rooting for the current Warlord. He would deal with whatever happened, of course, but he was happiest when things moved on as they always had. Torbjörn was a very serious lion when it came to his job, however, and his face showed no signs of his feelings.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Yollalunta

Stormlords' balls. He was late.

He'd known when and where the challenge was supposed to take place and everything, but Yolla just couldn't get his a** moving. He'd been training extra hard since he finally hit his growth spurt, and last night he'd just kind of collapsed with exhaustion after he got home, only to wake up late.

"Balls," he swore as he skidded to a stop and saw that he would have to work pretty hard to find a decent view. Well, no time like the present.

He saw that white b*****d Burzum had gotten himself a good spot, but he let his eyes slip over him. Yolla hated Burzum, but he would not disrespect the importance of this occasion by trying to start a fight during the challenge.

Burzum

For his part, Burz had arrived very early to make sure that he got the best possible vantage point for watching his grandda beat the s**t out of the moron who'd been stupid enough to challenge him. For him, it wasn't about what was best for the pride. It was about the honor of his family. Aesir just had to win.

It irritated him that his sister Finna was late. He was saving her a spot, and it wasn't all that easy in this crowd to hold spots for someone. He hoped that she showed up soon, and was willing to fight her way through the press to get to him, or he was going to feel very silly taking up all that space all by himself. He probably could have been scanning the crowd for her so that he could beckon her over, but to be honest he didn't want to take his eyes off the fighters.

When Njal went on the attack, Burz hissed.

 

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

Finna was late, as usual, but she hadn't been trying to be. She had waited for her friend, unable to watch the spectacle alone. Her heart was thudding like wild in her chest, terrified for what could happen should Aesir lose. She gulped, and looked towards Canicah who was now at her side.

Her gleaming blue eyes hid any sort of fear she was feeling, and she scanned the crowd for a place to view the fight. She saw her brother, and smiled for a brief minute.

"Come this way, " she said to her little red friend as she started pushing her way through the crowd. It took a few pushes, some bites, and some well placed claws between the two girls, but they made it to Burzum relatively quickly.

She didn't say anything to her brother as she took a seat next to him. Njal was already attacking, and Finna was doing everything she could to keep her heart from beating out of her chest.



Canicah was nervous, though maybe even moreso than her friend. She wasn't sure why, but she felt so much dread for Finna. She hadn't told her friend that though. No she wasn't sure why she felt this way, but Finna didn't need to worry about it. She would just tell Canicah that she was too paranoid. And maybe she was, but she certainly didn't feel comfortable.

She took a place next to Canicah, not looking at her brother Burzum, as she felt this a silly time for introductions. She was here to be here for her friend. Though she hoped momma wouldn't be too upset that she was away. Momma liked her, and treated her differently than her other siblings. She wondered if it was because of the weird dreams she had been having..




Erykk, like Burzum, had made it to this spot earlier on. He liked fights, and he found that the idea of Njal fighting Aesir too great a fight to resist. The male watched Finna as she pushed her way past, and he wasn't planning on moving out of the way for her. But a bite to his paw made him flinch and she had managed to slip through. Little red friend and all. He growled a little, narrowing his eyes though he said nothing. He felt this was too good a time to worry about who sat where.

He'd yell at her later though, if he got the chance. Unlike Burzum, when Njal attacked, Erykk grinned. He almost wanted to stand in the excitement, wanting to cheer and yell to the other sides. Though he had more control over himself than that.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Kivi

Kivi had left to watch the challenge with her brother Erykk, but he wanted to get there so very early, she couldn't convince herself it was necessary. Besides, along the way she had come across her friend Bren and they'd walked over together. Bren had told her that his sister Cani was going to watch with one of the Warlord's granddaughters, but Kivi didn't know which one. They all sort of looked the same to her, though she remembered having met them during a failed game of pretend.

"Sorry I'm late, Erykk," she breathed after squirming through the pride. "Mind if Bren joins us?"

She had brought Bren home with her once or twice so they could keep playing after it was time for her to go him, so Erykk would probably know and recognize him.

Brenning

Bren had been glad to see his friend Kivi was also going to watch the challenge. Probably everyone in the pride was, really, but Kivi had brothers who could explain things to him if he positioned himself the right way, and Bren thought that would be helpful.

The excitement had him grinning as he and Kivi forced their way to the gathering of cubs that was accumulating at the edge of the sands. He put on a more serious expression when he saw Kivi's brother Erykk, and greeted him with a quick nod before settling in to watch. He couldn't believe how good their spots were.

"What've we missed?" he asked Erykk.

 

[wooga Paes]

Njal wasn't a fancy lion. He had never been. He wouldn't rely on very creative strategies for this fight, having always succeeded base don sheer stubbornness and strength. Simply put, to Njal the best defense was more offense. So when Aesir managed to avoid the brunt of his attack to counter, rather than try to get out of reach by backing off of dodging to the side the way common sense dictated, he just kept on going through his opponent's paws, receiving a glancing blow to the side of his head in the process. His only precaution had been laying his ears so they wouldn't be ripped to shreds.

He reared slightly and pushed forward with his hind legs, front paws extended and claws ready to grab on to his opponent. Either he and Aesir would end up locked together and face to face, or he would pin the Warlord down. His lack of caution meant he wouldn't come out of this unscathed, but Njal hoped this ended up worse for Aesir than it did for him.

Princess_Feylin

 

[Buffy_the_Bloody]

When his sister's voice hit his ears, an ear flicked. He hardly turned to see her, his eyes attuned to the view in front of him. Though once he thought he had a moment, his head turned and he looked at her. He took note of her friend, nodding his head to him in greeting. Erykk wasn't the type to care about the company he kept. So long as that company watched their P's and Q's around him.

"That is fine." He said, and smiled a little. "I'm thinking this will be a good fight. I'm excited." He said. Then his eyes went to the little red cub and back to the fight.

"You haven't missed much. Aesir has thrown a few claws, but it looks like Njal missed a few of them. I saw one connect though." He said, as if he were narrating some sort of great event.

"I should have made bets before this." He grinned again, still not looking at either, but at the fight below.

_____________________________

Canicah heard the voice, and turned behind her to see her brother. She smiled at him, though the smile was full of unease. She couldn't shake this feeling, and she was starting to wish she hadn't come. Though she wasn't sure that would have kept hte feeling at bay. She supposed it would make it worse.

Her friend Finna was unable to take her eyes off the battle, her face drained of color. Canicah had noticed she had hid the fear pretty well, up until now. She knew that Finna was scared, even if she wouldn't admit it.