[SRP] Down with the Sickness (Brandr vs Don)

[Jovi of Shadows]

It had only been a day since his spar with the young Bál-raun, and he'd only known his name after the kid had gone unconscious thanks to one of the lady on-lookers. Brandr hadn't meant to beat the kid until he fainted, but the damned b*****d had bitten into his arm and would not let go. Brandr scowled at the memory of it, but being an honorable lion, not mention the ladies were insisting on it, he'd hauled the kid off to a healer's den to recover and get himself patched up while he was there.

At least he'd earned points with the ladies, they ate that 'manly honor' thing right up, and Brandr had not gone home alone that night. He supposed it wasn't too bad, but the spar itself still left a bad taste in his mouth. Now he was back at the sparring sands, searching for a new opponent. For a challenge. His eyes landed on a familiar golden pelt and his brow furrowed. He remembered the reaver, Don-something, had beaten him once before during his askorun, and also remembered he'd just recently returned with captain Ruzanski's band. Winning would not be so easy.

With a confident, purposeful stride Brandr made his way through the sands, until he came face to face with the reaver. "Its a good day to die, Reaver, and a great one for a spar." This would interesting. Brandr had honed his skills since the last time they fought, and he was keen on beating him this time around.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Don hadn't seen it, but he'd heard of the ordeal with the fire-maned kid from others who had. Don had previously sparred with the kid and thought he'd had raw potential, but to hear he'd been literally beaten unconscious by a show-off was not sitting well with him. For some reason, it irked him, but he wasn't about to get involved. At least, that hadn't been his intention. He wasn't the kid's father, but he still felt that tinge of disrespect, having given his compliments to the kid face to face.

He recognized the approaching lion as Brandr, a stormborn he'd fought before going with Ru on his quest. Don raised his head and pricked his ears forward, waiting for Brandr to come to him. He also recognized him as the lion who'd beaten Bál unconscious. "Someday I'll kill you", he greeted in typical stormborn fashion. His lips pulled back into a telling grin, toothy and fierce like a snarl. No more words needed to be exchanged, the spar was accepted.

The start was quick and ferocious, Brandr lunged at him with power and preciseness to his blows. Don rose to meet the lunge, biting fiercely into the top of the other lion's mane in an attempt to grab hold of his neck as Brandr's partially unsheathed claws scratched at his legs.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

The start had indeed been fast, as Brandr was not willing to let the other lion get the upper paw so early in the spar. He'd seen him fighting on the sands time and time again, and remembered from their past battles that this reaver would not hesitate to take control. Brandr would not allow that to happen.

They clashed with partially exposed claws raking at each other's skin, both wrestling to push the other off balance and take an early lead in the spar. As he'd expected, Don'zaraasir had chosen to meet his powerful attack head-on rather than back down from it. He could respect that, but Brandr was not so easily thwarted.

With a quickness he ducked down below Don's jaws, and rose sharply to thrust his shoulder into the other lion's exposed gut. Twisting to get out of the way of his opponent's fall, Brandr caught the other lion's foot with his claws, and yanked to further keep him off-balance.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

His opponent's size did not do his speed justice, as Don soon learned. Most heavy lions were typically slow, and Don admitted he'd thought Brandr to be among them. No, it seemed his opponent was fast as well as intelligent. A refreshing combination that he'd only seen in the rogue-blooded thus far, as he knew Brandr to be of old-blood to the pride.

With the wind knocked out of him and his foot being pulled out from under him, Don was certainly thrown off balance. Instead of struggling to right himself, like most would, the golden lion fell with the motion, tucking his limbs in preparation for what would come next.

Getting sent to the ground, in a spar or a real battle, could be a dangerous situation. It was the basics to fighting, as most were taught or had learned themselves. He was hoping the ruse would draw his opponent off-guard, allowing Don to take full control of the spar.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

He was almost disappointed to see the reaver not even bother to regain his balance, and his deep frown showed this. Had he misjudged this one's fighting ability? Had it previously been luck, not skill, that he'd witnessed? Maybe. And that maybe is what stuck out in the back of his mind, an inkling if you will, of danger. Brandr paid it no heed, being prone on the ground was the worst place to be. It was elementary.

Without hesitation, and with a thirst for the need to control the battle, Brandr lunged foward once again. His intention was to pin his opponent, and to effectively end the spar; however, that did not happen.

Like a striking cobra, the heavy blow to his jaw stung and distracted him, effectively stopping his assault as he faltered away from the source of pain. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, and a moment later to realize he had to move away, lest be caught again.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

He hadn't missed that look of disappointment, knowing he'd ensnared his opponent to his trap at that very moment. Don was strong, yes, and could win a fight through strength alone, but Brandr had tactfully invited the use of wits into this spar and Don was more than happy to oblige in the offer. It was rare when he got use both strength and intelligence equally into battle, and the reaver grinned an awful toothy snarl of a grin.

His first move had been to strike at Brandr's jaw with the full force of his hind leg, and his second to roll onto his paws. Don's keen eyes noticed the other's realization of the current situation and it almost elicited a chuckle from his throat; though, it came out in the form of a mangled growl. It was too late to move now, Brandr had been caught!

Don was quick to close the distance, avoiding hastily thrown claws as he did so. One, two strides, and Don was barring down on his opponent once more, forcing the formidable Brandr to back off and defend, thus wrestling away control of the spar. Don was pleased.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Brandr was not. s**t. He'd stepped in it this time. Not literally, but gods' damned figuratively did he step in it! He had little choice but to back-off from the onslaught, crimson eyes momentarily bewildered as he was forced to defend. Brandr was not one to go on the defensive often, and the suddenness of it frustrated him. Backpedaling and blocking heavy blows that stung was no way to fight, not for a Stormborn.

Snarling his displeasure at the situation, Brandr blocked one more sure hit, before lurching to the side and rushing at Don's flank. He couldn't just go head long into thing anymore, his opponent was far more clever than he'd thought him to originally be, and Brandr was left picking up the slack from his earlier mistake.

If he was lucky he'd be able to sink his teeth into the golden lion's hide, and if he was very, very unlucky he'd be feeling the sting of claws in his own.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

Well, he was no coward, Don would give him that. A weak lion would have continued to back away, looking for some sort of mistake to be made; whereas, as Don saw it, a brave lion would make his own opening to attack. He could respect that.

Though it was no reason to back off his assault, and his body reacted before his mind had a chance to. He could thank many years of training and fighting for that, he was sure.

With a twist and a paw open with partially unsheathed claws he reached back to smack Brandr's exposed shoulder before his teeth touched his skin. Don was quick follow through with a lunge, grappling onto the other lion's neck and biting into the thick mane once again, trying to grab a hold of Brandr's throat as he struggled to get away from his grasp.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

It would appear luck was not on his side, and Brandr vaguely wondered if it was due to lack of a priestess blessed charm. In his youth he'd always fight with such a thing tangled in his mess of a mane, but had cast off the practice due to isolation in the rogue lands. Perhaps... it was time to rekindle it.

Before he could think of how to react to the brutal assault, Brandr felt teeth brush against the underside of his throat. He stopped struggling then, standing stalk still as he looked Don in the eye. They were practically face to face after all, and Brandr had no mind to feel those teeth pierce the soft skin of his throat. After a moment passed the dark pelted Stormborn chuckled, rolling his shoulders in a bit of a shrug.

"It would appear you have me at a disadvantage, Reaver. I relent", he spoke calmly, though it did little to hide his bemusement at himself and his predicament. He let go of a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding as said teeth released their grip from his throat, and Brandr shook out his mane to be rid of the feeling. "Do not die in bed, I'll be looking for a rematch", he said then, before departing from the sands.  

[Jovi of Shadows]

"Till we meet again", Don approved, before turning to leave on his own. Brandr hadn't turned out to be the coward he'd thought him to be, and that left Don feeling nothing but respect for his fellow Stormborn. It also helped that he'd won the spar, he assumed, as it left him feeling accomplished in his goals.

He hadn't been home for long, having spent the better part of several seasons out with captain Ruzanski on his quest, but Don had been feeling... unfulfilled as of late. He liked fighting, dominating, and all out pillaging; and, had gotten use to the life style out a-viking. It felt strange to be back within the stronghold now, surrounded by the masses and expected to uphold a certain public standard of civility. Sort of. Viking civility was more akin to what Don preferred, but nonetheless a sharp change to be out in the roguelands.

Ruby eyes glowered as his mind began to turn, his claws having yet to retract fully. He'd have to wait for a captain to put together a viking if he wanted to get back out into the rogue lands, and that simply displeased him. Perhaps, it was time for a change.