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 Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:01 pm
You could say Niu was born a prodigy of misfortune and to that very day lived up to her full potential.
Her opinion that Azar'bijan was a whining, temperamental child had not changed. Yet his high standing in the pride complicated things, try as she might not to let it. Niu felt sick out on patrol with him. She couldn't bring herself to hold him in high esteem after that fit of his, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't worry her to get on his bad side -- more than she was already.
A few weeks was not enough time for her to get so cozy she felt her position here secure. Logically, they couldn't have her leave just because one lion disliked her. Niu knew that. And she had the feeling, the more she saw and heard, Azar wasn't exactly the most popular lion around. To feel so paranoid made no sense.
If only telling herself that made it stop.
Unlucky Niu was also having unlucky timing with her visions. They hadn't been out of control since she was very young, but they remained a constant presence in her life just the same. They were neither aggressive nor important things she saw: A cheetah running; a hippo; a lion arguing with another over which direction to go.
Niu had gotten practiced at literally walking them off and those around her were typically none the wiser. She had bumped into Azar once, apologized, and said nothing else. To him, she hoped she would just appear to be daydreaming. Not a very good trait in a guard, but if her options were distracted or seer...
Niu worried her Sight was in abeyance and planned to strike again even as the sun moved in all around the sky and still she saw the world only for what it was.
She was not sure if the lion-shaped specks in the distance were really there or not.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:22 pm
And his new 'partner' couldn't even walk in a straight line without bumping into something - or him, to be more precise. He had growled, jerking away from her and had continued on in moody silence. This was supposed to have been a solitary journey of freedom and peace. He felt tense and irritable and, every so often, tried to steal sneaky glances across at her.
When he looked across at her again - in that moment - he began to wonder whether she was even paying attention to where they were going. He did not want to make this journey with her again and if she couldn't remember the signs to look for when out amongst the dunes she'd get herself turned around quicker than a calf in a stampede. Tightening his jaw, the red lion came to a sudden halt and turned to look at her. His frown puckered the scar on his nose.
And there she was, staring out into space.
"Look, I don't know who put you up to this but if you don't think you're cut out for this kind of work you can just turn back around and head back now. I've wasted enough of my time already without doing it out here. Are you even paying attention?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:35 pm
Niu blinked twice. Once slowly, once quickly; both times intentionally. The view before her did not budge, the lighting did not change. Nothing suggested what she was looking at was different than what he could see. To be certain, she spared him a glance.
There he was, his grouchy old self.
Niu was stoic, but only the daughter of a God, not one herself. She made mortal mistakes like letting sighs of relief -- small and hushed though they were -- slip past her lips.
This was reality. Good.
"I am," she replied, and her eyes darted tellingly from him to the horizon where the shapes drew ever closer. "Are you?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 1:47 pm
Maybe if she got angry it would be easier. Her calm, stoic face was infuriating. He couldn't deal with it. Didn't want to deal with it. And then she spoke and his ears flinched backwards, his lip curling up in the beginnings of an annoyed snarl. Except...wait--what? What was she looking at? If she was trying to trick him then he'd make sure that she'd regret it. He wasn't sure how, but he would! Then that would be the end of her tricking days and he would be left in peace.
Until the next annoying rogue came along, of course. Then it'd be back to the beginning all over again.
Grumbling under his breath, he shifted his weight again and craned his head around to see what she had been staring at. And, sure enough - still some distance away - were the two distinctive shapes of approaching lions. His whole body tensed as he whipped around to look at them - his irritation at Niu momentarily forgotten. The sun was bright but squinting helped bring them into better focus. A male and female, he believed, still too far away to distinguish. But all the sentinels were back in pride lands and that left only two options. Invaders or rogues seeking to join.
Azar'bijan may have been one of very few lions who would have taken the former option. Invaders could be beaten or killed. Rogues had to be duelled and escorted and introduced and he'd had about enough of that to last a lifetime, thanks.
"Looks like your induction is about to begin." He grumped. "Stay close and don't do anything stupid."
And, strengthening his posture, he lifted his head and roared a warning. Not quite a threat, but something bordering on it.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 2:46 pm
Don't do something stupid, huh? Say, roar like a brute?
Niu wasted a perfectly good 'are you kidding me?' stare on him. He was not looking at her, but instead these mighty intruders. Some would scoff at her lack of caution (Azar probably being the first in line); however, Niu saw no reason to make this more of a ruction than need be. If he didn't recognize them, she was sure they were rogues.
She had heard vague talk of the ongoing troubles here and the attacks and the potential for war. It didn't change her mind. She couldn't comprehend suicide missions and, if they weren't rogues seeking membership, that's what it would be. (Right?) No one really did things like that. (Right?)
Annnd... maybe she was feeling sympathetic for a situation that wasn't too far behind her. Maybe she was taking allegations personally and didn't like it.
"They're just rogues. Look at them." Niu noticed the male had stopped and turned to his companion. That was hardly the behavior of someone here to initiate a bloodbath. (Right?) "Now you've gone and made them think we're some kind of savages. Honestly."
Niu whistled nice and loud. Nothing threatening about that.
Sagua didn't tell Sia, but he'd actually left the Pridelands for a time. He was going to go it alone, he decided. She was acting foolishly, being too rash, and he wanted no part in that.
Except he turned back around, went right back, and pretended he'd stayed there all along.
Since then, he'd gotten a little too parental with her. It was easier to focus on what Sia might need (or be doing wrong) than on his own insecurities. He made sure she kept hydrated, going so far as to make an awkward bucket out of a log and a vine and fill it with water before they reached where the sand abutted the grass and the terrain got really rough.
That cleverly crafted object had been discarded a ways back when the water was either drank or dried up on its own.
Sagua heard the roar and turned in a way he could quickly jump in front of her if either of these strangers charged them. He hadn't considered there might be other lions and other prides out here, but he had considered being mistaken by as enemy by the ones that were and things going awry.
"What do you think?" he asked Sia.
And then came a whistle.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:12 pm
Azar growled at her response and replied without taking his eyes off of them. They might look harmless but he knew better. That's what any self-respecting Nergui wound want you to think--right before they tried to put their teeth into your throat. Judging from Niu's reaction, she'd not last long out on patrol and then he'd get the blame for not teaching her correctly. It always came back to him.
"We're Firekin." He replied. "We protect out borders. From everyone." He stressed the last word and set his paws deeper into the sand. "Including rogues. Especially rogues." After all, a rogue might not be a rogue at all. It might be a spy or an attacker and if they slipped past and made it into the pride lands, the guards who allowed it to happen would suffer the consequences. Stripped of rank. Belittled. Hated and scorned. Given the choice, Azar'bijan would have picked death over that. Anything but that. He was his work and if he couldn't work he was a nobody. What would be the point of life then?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
"Listen, there's something you need to understand. The Firekin are preparing for a war. The Nergui don't play fair. Don't play with honour. They strike from behind. From the shadows. No doubt the last patrol that got attacked thought the lions no more than rogues until the fighting started. A Firekin died that day but the Nergui got away without a single fatality."
He turned to look at her briefly, his eyes serious. "At this point we can't be too careful and if you get yourself killed it'll reflect badly on me. Remember that before going to play nice with strangers." Perhaps he was taking things a little too seriously but his job was important to him. It was all he had.
Sia had no regrets. Not yet, anyway. It was odd being so far from home, spending the days walking and walking, never staying in one place for too long. She had never realised that the world could differ so greatly from the green plains of the Pridelands and never before had she seen a desert. So expansive. So gold. So beautiful. So hot.
The heat was indescribable. A horrible, exhausting heat that had blistered her paws and turned her mouth to dust. Breathing was difficult too and her eyes felt swollen and sore from being blasted in the face by the relentless sand. And as hot as the day was, it was the exact opposite at night. Bitter cold. A cold that set her bones to aching and the teeth rattling in her jaws.
But still, she had no regrets.
Sia was nothing if not positive. She was here with a friend, embarking on a new and exciting future and she'd be damned if she was going to turn tail and head back now. She was determined to see this through. Determined to see what sort of life she could make for herself, away from her homeland and family and friends. Still, she had Sagua to thank for being able to make it this far. Travelling alone would have been awfully boring and it was him that had kept her going, kept her pressing onwards when she might otherwise have diverted her course. His fatherly manner was more amusing than annoying and she was happy to allow him to fuss around and take care of her. It was awfully sweet, really.
And now, here they were, out in the middle of the desert with Sagua ready to defend them from danger.
"They don't sound awfully friendly, do they?" She replied, trying to sound unfazed despite the slight tremor to her voice. "Do you think my charm might work better on him than it does with you?" She offered her dark-pelted companion a shaky sort of smile. "No? Well...I suppose a simple hello will have to suffice."
And, giving him a wink, she lifted her head and called back. A simple low call of greeting. Nothing threatening. Nothing complicated. Just the lion sound for 'hello'.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:58 pm
Niu heard him out, torn between dismissing it all and heeding his warnings; torn between her preconceived opinions of him and ones that now contradicted them. How could he be such a brat and then enlightening and erudite? The intensity of that hasty look and the conviction with which he spoke just about swayed her, briefly, into believing these strangers were dangerous.
She could have argued that it wasn't fair to judge these rogues -- they were rogues -- when he knew nothing about them. He didn't know what they'd been through, the trials they'd faced. Not so much as their names.
She could have pointed out while they were both Firekin now,she was not born as such.
If you put two lions in a small space long enough, it was a guarantee they would argue. The only case-by-case factor was how they would go about it. Niu preferred to leave many things to subaudition. Her eyes could speak just as his could, and they were... at a loss, regrettably.
Just as he would rather die than lose his rank, Niu would rather die than lose what little of herself she was secure with.
She had turned her back on her bloodline, but on all of rogue kind? How could she? Subjectively, maybe it was a compliment to be regarded as a Firekin to the extent he had no qualms insulting rogues in front of her.
Niu didn't cover her sigh the second time. "I'm sorry for any loss that you suffered, truly," she offered, "or whatever happened to you, but. These are not lions creeping in the shadows or jumping on our backs to slash our throats. Look at them." Niu stepped beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and nudged his side. "Really look. You have to see what's in front of you now and not what was there before."
And hopefully he would do just that, because Niu's eyes were ironically preoccupied with a flashback vision to her first encounter with Azar.
---
Sagua should have known better than to avert his eyes from the Firekin or anyone who had roared at them. There was no such thing as an almost-threatening or almost-angry roar, not to him. "No, they don't," he replied, watching the 'they' in question cautiously.
"Do you think my charm might work better on him than it does with you?"
Unlike Niu, Sagua's 'are you serious?' stare was put to good use.
After Sia issued her reply, he faced the duo ahead of them and waited. You only lived and died once. There was no need to hurry through either process.
"Wait a bit longer," he murmured.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:30 pm
Azar'bijan was, quite simply, incongruent.
He lacked even the most basic of social skills but he knew his duty. He was an officer and yet he had no 'people skills'.
He knew how to distrust. How to look threatening. How to chase off an intruder or how to pin one to the ground. He could give you a different strategy for almost any dangerous situation and rally confidence during even the most dire of times. The problem was that he had spent his whole life training when he should have spent it raising his children and maintaining a relationship with his ex. He could be a guard with ease. What he couldn't do was show his emotions. Anger was easy. Frustration and smug pride, too. But the more subtle sentiments like kindness and friendship and love were a puzzle he couldn't quite get to work. The other ones too, such as sorrow and fear. He shoved them all away in a little box and got back to work. Work was good. Work was safe. He knew that world.
"Nothing happened to me." He snapped. The lion who had died hadn't even been in the military. He shouldn't have even been out on the border. It wasn't Azar's fault that the kid had gotten himself caught up in the middle of that fight. He'd been elsewhere on some other border doing what he did best. He couldn't be everywhere at once - even if some lions did seem to think that he could.
He had opened his mouth to continue that train of thought when she stepped up alongside him and nudged against his side. He glowered at her and closed his mouth. Any words he might have said seemed nugatory now. She'd clearly made her judgement and this time, at least, there were two of them to face off the two just ahead of them.
"Fine." He growled at last, his tone lapsing back to 'petulant' once again. "Just stay on your guard." He certainly wasn't about to drop his defences and leave himself open to attack if the pair of strangers did decide to cause trouble.
He started slowly towards them, his paws sinking into the sand with each steady step. The ground here seemed to be particularly unsteady and he didn't want to trip and fall flat on his face. A clumsy lion was not a lion that instilled much in the way of fear.
And, when at last he was in ear shot, he raised his voice and called: "You've crossed into Firekin territory. If it was done in error I suggest you turn back now."
---
Sagua's stare was met with a short giggle that she tried to muffle the moment it bubbled up out of her throat. She was only partially successful, though thankfully she was distracted by the steady approach of the lions.
"Hm. Do you think it's them, Sagua? They do look tough, don't they?" She tipped her head in the direction of the two lions and smiled. "I wonder what they think of us." Probably not much...although to be fair they had made it all this way. Not just any lion or lioness could do that, surely? And then the 'greeting' came and Sia's ears perked up. "Oh, it is them. This is it. We actually made it--not that I had any doubts, of course. I knew we could do it. I just...well...we're here." She did not know of the test. Did not know that she'd have to fight to earn her place no matter what rank she wanted to take.
"No." She called out. "No error! We came looking for your pride." And, excited, she gave her friend a small nudge and gave him a gesture to get him to speak up.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:22 pm
One snort and wiggle of her shoulders later, Niu seemed to be gloating she'd gotten her way. What she was really doing was over compensating to make sure it was convincing, such as one would shout when their hearing had been disabled. She trailed behind him and when she figured he wasn't looking (based on her best guess), she closed her eyes and shook her head. Sometimes, that worked.
The lioness opened her eyes to only the present, eternally grateful for that. Now she had another problem: being behind. To keep from colliding with Azar, she'd slowed her pace.
The sand made for soft steps if you were careful, and Niu was. The distance was not far at all and she could swiftly catch up.
---
Sagua doubted they'd think much of them under the best of circumstances. He'd braced himself to be turned away for any given reason a while ago -- or had he? He couldn't remember having swallowed a rock and it felt there was one in his gut. Rejection did not sting him, no, it felt heavy.
He was startled by Sia's eagerness. For some reason. He should have expected it from her by now, really.
"We did. We're here to join."
Sagua found the female of the pair odder than the male, a sentiment he understood and experienced first hand. He'd been led to believe she was having a heat stroke a moment ago, then suddenly she was fine, carrying herself with an intellectual poise and standing before them perfectly steady. What was with all that sporadic movement before?
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:38 pm
It was perhaps for the best that Azar had been so focused on the newcomers that he hadn't spared another look behind to check that his back up was fully alert. Only at the last moment, when Sagua spoke up, did he flick back an ear to check her position - seemingly content with the sound of her steps as she drew up close.
"It's not as easy as all that, rogue." He continued at last, keeping his voice gruff even as he lifted his head to survey them. He'd put on the tough act just in case they thought about starting trouble. "You have to earn your place here with a duel. If you didn't know that, you may have come all this way for nothing. The Firekin don't let lions into their ranks who can't defend themselves or their kin." And he fixed them both with a glare that seemed to challenge them to say otherwise, or perhaps argue the point.
Sia's smile did actually falter at that and she cast a glance across at her companion, her uncertain questioning clear in her eyes. Could they really do this? Had he known? What if they failed? Or worse, what if only one of them failed? Would she be heading back across the desert alone?
"Well." Azar continued impatiently. "What's it to be?"
Sia shifted nervously from paw to paw before saying (mostly to Sagua): "We didn't come all this way for nothing, did we?"
Heck, she'd give it her best shot.
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:52 pm
Sagua hadn't heard enough information he'd consider trustworthy to agree that he'd "known" they would be expected to do this. He had suspected it might happen. What good was an army made of lions that couldn't fight? He loathed to think Sia had not considered that in advance.
"We accept," he said without looking at her, only at Azar. He would have to hope they both won, and if they didn't, that would be dealt with when the time came. "Whatever it takes."
Except maybe one thing... But, again, all in good time.
"Then I'll duel your..." Niu waited for her social cue to be noted as she glanced over Sia. Mate? Sister? Friend?
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:02 pm
Sagua vs Azar'bijan
Move 1: Hit
-----
So, it was him up first? Azar supposed that made sense. Best if he showed Niu how it was done so that she felt more capable in her own match. Still, as far as inductions went, he supposed this was pretty good. Barely a step taken on the border and they'd found themselves some challengers. See. Being a guard was not so easy. Take that dumb soldiers. There was more to this job than what they liked to believe.
"Fine, fine, let's get this over with." He muttered, moving out onto the sand and away from Niu. "And you." He directed at Sia. "Get out of the way. Over there."
And he couldn't help but feel slightly smug as the dark female skittered obediently across the sand to take her place next to Niu - to wait her turn. And, no sooner had she reached the other female's side, did she pipe up: "I'm his friend." She confirmed before a mischievous smile scrawled its way across her face. "Friend with benefits." And she seemed to struggle to hold back a burst of laughter.
Azar couldn't help but feel momentarily sorry for the guy. He'd travelled across the unclaimed lands with that one? Perhaps being stuck with Niu was not so bad after all. He glared at them in a silent message to stay silent and turned his attention back to Sagua.
"No claws." He replied. "This is a duel to test skill and technique, not to see how deep you can cut." There was no way he wanted to get injured again, not so soon after the last time. This was his first day back out on the job. He'd be a laughing stock if he limped back home to the medic dens yet again.
And, not wanting to disappoint, he launched himself forwards without any warning or so much of a word of 'begin'; swinging up a heavy paw with the intent to land a hit.
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Hopefolly generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 6:06 pm
Sagua vs Azar'bijan
Move 1: Miss
Niu slowly and slightly shook her head for reasons that had nothing to do with visions. These newcomers weren't Firekin yet and Azar was already barking orders. Determined to be more civil and make a better impression, she welcomed Sia into her personal space without a fuss and even cracked a smile at the answer. --Okay, half a smile. Kind of. More of a... mouth twitch.
Soon, Azar was in the midst of explaining the rules to the other male and Niu couldn't take her eyes off him. He had less of a mane than many lions, but he didn't look that young. In contrast, his coat was on the thick side (though it wouldn't stay that way out here). Where did lions like these hail from?
She could tell he was paying attention by the way his eyes tracked Azar. Quiet one of the pair, hm? Although, he had stiff competition to be the talkative one...
Sagua may have expected some kind of starting signal that he'd never get. The hit knocked him off his paws and his recovery was not all that gracious. He lunged for Azar, but even before her companion moved, Niu knew he would miss him.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 3:05 pm
Move 2: Glancing Attack
Sagua's attack had been made in haste (quite often a mistake that Azar himself made) and thus was easy to avoid. Throwing his weight to the side brought him clear of the attack and set his paws onto the soft, virgin sand - untouched by their paws so far. He gave a grunt of annoyance as his hind legs sank further than he had thought they would and, when he attempted to carry out his second attack, lost balance and swung his arm too wide, cutting the barest of glancing blows at his opponent.
Further away, settled on the sand, Sia watched with wide eyes. A part of her wanted to cheer on her friend - lend him some emotional support. But she had a feeling that it wouldn't go down too well. It might be considered cheating or something like that...Or, worse still, she might end up distracting him and costing him the battle.
Instead, because staying quiet for too long was too difficult, she leaned a little closer to Niu and said in a lowered voice: "Fighting on sand looks tricky." A simple observation. "How long does it take to get used to it?" She'd even struggled walking on the stuff.
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Hopefolly generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 3:13 pm
Move 2: Miss
Niu was too invested in the battle to look away. She tilted her head toward Sia as a substitute indicator she had heard the question. Judging by the way Azar's paw sank, it may be a matter of luck as much as skill. "I'm not sure..."
The heat was a lot to handle now that Sagua didn't have Sia's yammering to distract from it. He panted a lot, Niu noticed. Another reason to pace yourself, but males were --
Niu was on all four paws before she realized it, alarmed. Sagua had taken the brunt of Azar's attack and swung at him in retaliation. However, his back paws slid against the sand and down he fell.
To his credit, he got back up again faster than many would have.
Niu breathed out loudly. "Where did you say you were from?"
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