[Duel] The Place of Ancestors

[Kimaria]

Agnimukha's father had told her never to come here. To the desert where the red lions roamed. A place her father had once called home before something had happened to him. Red did not know why he had not wanted to return and so she had come to her own conclusions. His addled mind had driven him away and maybe he was too paranoid to face the truths he ought to.

Still, as with so many things, when a father tells her daughter she cannot do something, it is often the first thing she sets out to do.

And so here she was with sand burning the pads of her paws and the low sun draping a warm cloak across her back. This was home, her true home where she should have been born but wasn't. And it was here she meant to stay. And so, when she spotted one of the fabled lions - after an age of seeking, she wasted no time in approaching. Hesitancy was not something she had learned well.

"You are Firekin. You must be with fur like that. I need you to tell me where your pride is so I can join. I've been searching for days now."  

[mouselet]

The lion in question looked up at the unexpected voice to see a white lioness addressing him. She was smaller than a Firekin female would be, and less solidly built, and yet there was something about her that was familiar. The Hunter gently laid down his kill on the sand and turned to face the stranger full on.

"Strangers are only permitted on the borders of the Motoujamii-Simo lands," he informed her mildly as he tried to penetrate the mystery of her familiarity. "Only members may go further."

Yes, he was trying to buy time to figure this out. But how could she look so familiar and yet know apparently nothing about the pride she sought?  

[Kimaria]

Agni frowned, tilting her head, clearly not expecting the answer she had received. What? Were they not accepting new members now? Or maybe he'd just misunderstood? Oh, of course, that was probably it. She shook her head, flashing him a toothy smile.

"No, no, I'm not just passing through. I want to join."

She sucked in a sharp breath and puffed out her chest as if to make herself appear larger. "My name is Agnimukha and I've heard tales of the lions who traverse the sands."  

[mouselet]

So, she wanted to join? Well, there wasn't a thing wrong with her coloration, not even that odd orange on her face...

Oh. Gods. That orange. It was Kenna's orange. This stranger was quite clearly a descendent, born outside the Firekin lands. Which meant she had more right than most to join the Motoujamii-Simo...if she won a duel.

The red male smiled and this time the expression held a bit of an edge. "That can be arranged," he told the lioness. "However, we Firekin are a pride of warriors and soldiers. Only those who have true martial skill may join our ranks." He cocked his white-maned head and, with a friendlier grin, added "That means that you have to beat me in a duel to get in."

She might be of one of the old bloodlines, but she still didn't strike him as knowing much about the pride. So it seemed best to spell it out for her.  

[Kimaria]

"My father was a warrior!" Agnimukha responded almost immediately, though the same could not be said for her mother. Her mother was small and gentle and beautiful but as time passed, Agni realised she had a strength all of her own. After all, the little lioness had tamed the anger in a lion as huge and unpredictable as her father. Not everyone could say that had done that.

She eyed the male warily, however. He was large, like her father, but seemed more calm of spirit. That could make him either dangerous or easy, but she remembered her father's mantra. Do not underestimate your foe. He had taught her that much, at least.

"Very well," she replied, "I will duel you if I must. But no one will stop me from becoming Firekin."

---

1/5 - Hit

A few moments later saw her standing in a defensive stance opposite the large lion, kneading the sand beneath her paws to get a good purchase. The golden land was different and dangerous, its edge sharp and unpredictable. Still, it was with another flashing smile, that she danced suddenly forwards, feinting a lunge up before striking true with her right paw.

She felt the impact and her spirits soared.

Perhaps she'd get lucky and be underestimated herself.

 

[mouselet]

1/5 - Miss

Well, she certainly appeared to have the type of temper Firekin were known for, Huozin thought with a smile as the lioness bristled. She was so...young! Not that that was a bad thing, but the Hunter felt that most young creatures had more intense emotions than their elders. Or maybe that was just in comparison to himself. Huozin was, after all, a fairly calm and collected lion.

He stood his ground as the paw struck solidly on the bottom of his jaw, forcing his head upwards and back. The red male was even forced to take a step backward in order to regain his balance. So, she was no weakling. That was very good, for the pride would expect her to have the strength of her ancestors.

The Hunter struck out with his own paw, fiercely and strongly, or so it would seem. However, he knew his reach well, and his cuff missed his opponent. Not by much, true, close enough to whistle through a mane, if she were male, but still a miss. He wanted to see her reaction, gauge her skill.

Huozin rarely dueled to win.  

[Kimaria]

2/5 - hit

She felt his paw sweep above her ears, narrowly missing and forcing her to bounce back a little to get some distance. She had been an energetic youth and often had to find ways to entertain herself, but when her father had been in a good mood, he had agreed to teach her how to fight. She savored the memory of those lessons.

Only to defend yourself, his voice reminded her, following her as it so often did. She missed him, in truth, but she could not stay where he had found home. She wanted to be strong and true and she had dreamed of the desert.

Gritting her teeth hard, Agnimukha leapt in again, sweeping low with her left paw this time, aiming for a firm strike against his shoulder.  

[mouselet]

2/5 - Glancing blow

A smile played about the red lion's lips as he took another solid hit, this time to the soldier. Before the foreleg behind the paw could be fully withdrawn, Huozin aimed a clawed slash at it. The blow was hastily thrown and couldn't possibly have its full impact, which was why he'd unsheathed his claws for it, to at least inform the lioness that she couldn't expect this entire duel to go her way.

Indeed, she had keen reactions and real skill, perhaps even real training. She would be a valuable addition to the pride. The duel wasn't over yet, but he had a feeling as to how things would lay out.  

[Kimaria]

3/5: Bide

"Ye-owch." She snatcher her paw back quickly before he get any ideas about rushing her and dropped into a defensive stance, her heart pounding as realisation of what she was doing began to set in. She was fighting with a Firekin. A real, living, breathing Firekin.

It seemed, for a moment, to be a mere figment of her imagination - though her paw said otherwise.

"I can't lose this," she said fiercely. "This is my path."  

[mouselet]

3/5 - Bide

Huozin allowed the lioness to retreat unmolested as he watched her. Did she need a breather? She didn't seem to have overexerted herself to his eyes, but perhaps she was just very good at concealing weakness. Or perhaps it was a mental rest she needed, to judge by those wide open eyes she had turned on him. That was not preferable, but it was somethign that could be trained out. As long as she didn't freeze on the battlefield, it was acceptable.

"If this is your path, then come. Prove it to me with the strength of your body, not your words," the Hunter told her sternly.  

[Kimaria]

4/5 - Miss

She listened to him for a moment, nodding, her expression turning steely again. She was determined to see this through. To make her father proud. To make her proud. She could have no regrets.

"Very well,"

Her back legs tensed and suddenly she was pushing forwards again, snarling with the effort, her head lowered and front paws outstretched. But this time it was not to be. Whether it was because she had overshot or simply been predictable, Agni could not tell. But that was certainly a lesson she needed to learn.  

[mouselet]

4/5 - Hit

The Hunter sighed inwardly as he stepped to the side, allowing his opponent to go barreling past. The young were always so predictable, especially when you offered them an insult. Always after such words they would go for the head-on attack. Sometimes they were quick enough and clever enough to hit with it, but most often it was the scene that had just played out.

And it was time that Huozin showed the lioness that he truly did know what he was doing. He had not bothered to sheath his claws after the earlier attack, and now he drove one pawful down into the stranger's unprotected flank and dragged it down. She had, after all, practically begged for him to teach her the error of her ways in throwing everything she had into an attack without a thought for defense.  

[Kimaria]

5/5 - Bide

The weight of his paw came down like a rock, reminding her why you should not go picking fights with males and expect to come out of it unscathed. Her back legs buckled from the force, sprawling her hindquarters onto the sand and for a moment her mind went into overdrive.

She twisted on the sand, flipping completely over to pull herself to her paws again, sand clinging to her fur as she swept around to face him, her mouth suddenly dry.

Agnimukha was panting.  

[mouselet]

5/5 - Hit

She didn't say a word, nor cry out in pain, he'd give her that much. But as the white lioness regained her feet, Huozin could see that she had reached the end of her strength. Well, stamina was something that one built up with solid training. And she would have that once they returned to the pride lands, which he'd made up his mind that they'd do.

However, this duel wasn't quite over yet. Huozin wasn't one to pound a lesson in until his opponent was unconscious, but he did want to prepare this female for the realities of life in the desert. Sheathing his claws, the red male dealt one final blow to the lioness' forelegs. He was tempted to hit her face - it being higher up and therefore easier to reach, but he didn't want to anger her, merely to show how weak her stance was.  

[Kimaria]

And show her, he did. She went down in a cloud of sand and a puff of breathe. This time she didn't bother getting up, though, satisfying herself with the feeling of the - somewhat solid - ground beneath her. With the sun setting the temperatures were becoming more reasonable and it seemed suddenly like a good idea to just pass out where she lay.

"You are a good warrior," she puffed out at last, rolling her eyes up to glance up at him.

"So, am I in?"