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After a rather long journey, Sebor had finally reached the edge of the infamous Stormborn pride. She looked out over the lands with interest, her tail swishing to and fro. She had heard much about this pride and was very eager to join, but first, she knew, she needed to best a Reaver in a fight. That shouldn't be terribly hard, she wagered. And if she did lose, she could always try again. A very noble pride, she thought, to allow such failures and attempts. She supposed it wouldn't do them good to turn a rouge away simply because they had a bad day of fighting...hunts were unsuccessful quite often too, but that didn't mean you didn't hunt after a failed one. You still needed to eat, after all.

Golden eyes scanned the area for someone she could challenge, and she let out a little growl of frustration as she came up with nothing. Surely this was where the guards stood, where the Reavers would gather to fight any willing recruits. She had been told this was a hot spot for the little battles, if the scuffed ground and rocks around her had anything to say.

"I challenge any that wish to test me," she finally called out. Perhaps they were just taking a nap somewhere, or maybe they were behind some of the distant rocks and trees. Something did stir, but she held her ground. It wouldn't do to flinch at the first sight of her opponent, after all.

The huge lion that came around into her line of sight impressed Sebor quite a bit. Having been raised in the rouge lands, she wasn't used to seeing massive lions, male or female. She herself was quite average as far as females went, so among the lions here she'd probably appear a bit small. No matter, though. Size didn't mean anything in her book. The bigger they came, the harder they fell.

When the striped lion offered himself for the challenge, her annoyance left her. Perfect. She loved to prove herself against hard tasks, and if this lion had anything to say about it, she knew her introductory battle would be one to remember.

"Much obliged," she said, not one to forget her manners despite her gruff exterior. She didn't waste much time after that, literally leaping into action. Her powerful legs launched her directly at the male, claws extended, teeth bared. She wasn't about to start this fight by feinting or dodging. It would be a rather impressive clash of strength right from the start. A literal clash, as she slammed into the other lion upon landing, sending them both to the ground in a tangle of claws.

Sebor felt the huge lion starting to shift to pin her down. She couldn't fault him for using his weight to his advantage, and she wondered if all of the lions here were his size. If so, she'd probably have to watch where she stepped. Making one of these lions angry could turn into a very bad situation. Like now, she could feel his weight alone pressing down on her legs and starting to crush them. But she didn't stay there very long.

She delivered a swift attack to the male's face, claws raking over his cheek to distract him. She pulled out from under his form, turning to face her opponent once again, realizing a bit belatedly that she had hit him way too easily. His mind must have been elsewhere.

"I would appreciate it if you actually tried," she growled. "Unless your idea of fighting is sitting there like a fuzzy rock and letting your weight do the work." Perhaps a bit of baiting would get him to focus.

The silence she was met with made Sebor raise her brows and lift her head. Was this really a Stormborn? Perhaps he was just a passing rouge who had heard her challenge. He had so little care for this skirmish that she wondered if she could just waltz into the pride without a fight? That would be interesting.

"Well then. Since you seem to care about the caliber of your new members so much, I suppose I'll just regard myself a Stormborn and just...go on in."

She knew turning her back was a dangerous move, but at this point, she'd do anything to get him to fight. She did turn, though, and started to head into the pride's lands. If he did belong he should stop her from entering without being deemed worthy. And if he was just a passing rouge...well. She'd run into a real Stormborn at some point, she was sure. She couldn't waste her time or energy on lions that meant nothing, after all.

Sebor waited, keeping her paces even. She knew she wouldn't be allowed in the pride should she enter like this, but she needed to win a fight, and the male currently wasn't fighting. What else was she supposed to do? But her plan worked, and she found herself face to face with the lion once more. She lowered her head, claws extending to dig into the ground.

"Then let's save everyone some time and effort and finish this," she growled softly. She bounded forward once again, but this time decided to use her size to her benefit. Rather than attacking the male head-on, she dodged at the last moment and raked at his shoulder with a paw, teeth snapping at his hind leg. Her moves were quick and light rather than bold and brash as they had been before. As much as she wanted to show she wasn't afraid to attack face-to-face, she knew that against this particular lion that would never work. He was too big and sturdy to go down like that.

Spinning away from the attack, she found herself facing his side, and she held her ground to see what he would do in return.

Sebor was honestly surprised by the attack. It was a very odd place to bite, and she froze for a moment. Teeth clamped down on her nose and jaw, creating uncomfortable pressure. But she took it in stride, lifting both front paws above her head to slash at his now unprotected face. She couldn't see very well, though, her line of vision obstructed by the male's large mouth, and had to hope she wouldn't do terrible damage. This was just a joining skirmish, after all, and now that he was devoted to the fight she wasn't as snippy.

As the lion let go of her head, Sebor ducked away and shook the sensation of teeth from her skin. If that had been a real fight, she'd have been done for. But this was a duel, to prove her worth. Her determination and stubbornness didn't seem to be winning him over, and her fighting skills were up to par as far as she could tell. He just needed some...persuasion.

As he spoke, she lunged forward again, a silent snarl on her face. Just knock him off his feet, catch him by surprise. Something to either make him want to throw in the towel or let her in based of will power alone. She kept her claws in this time, using only muscle to attack, going for his shoulder with hers. She did turn her head to snap at his neck, teeth sliding through his mane in a warning. She was definitely close enough to get real skin and muscle if she wanted, so it was certainly a calculated snap.

The larger male's paw made her duck and bounce away again, teeth bared in annoyance. But finally the words came that she had been looking for, even if they were a bit laced with scorn.

"Thank you," she muttered, not one to forget her manners even where someone else might. She turned away after that, heading into the pridal lands. She had no idea what she was doing or where she needed to go, but anywhere to get away from this lug would be a blessing. Taking her time, she picked her way from the rouge lands into the Stormborn, glad she had only needed one shot to make it through.

FIN