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 Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 11:38 pm
Mikree had never heard anything as loud as this. All around him his gang, his family, were being attacked. They were fighting back as best they could, but the group of animals taking them out were incredibly powerful. The young adolescent had been kicked in the head by a wayward paw that he had been chewing on to try to get the stranger off one of his friends, dazing him enough that he lay on the ground for a few minutes to get his bearings. Once he was back on his paws he was quick to find another creature to annoy, this one a little smaller than the one that had kicked him.
He pounced, going for the back of her leg, but was rewarded by a massive lion knocking him out of the air. He hit the ground but bounced back up, brown tuft that was slowly growing in in places ruffled and dirty. A tiny roar left him as he tried to go after the hulking brute that had swiped him clean out of the air, but he was soon lost in the fray of twisting bodies, blood, and dust.
Panting, the little lion turned in circles, trying to figure out who to fight. Deadlock members were falling left and right, laying still in the dust and silently collectively bleeding, watering the thirsty ground. Mikree looked down and stared at his paws - all the running around had caused the muddy dirt to get caked onto his limbs, from his paws to his elbows were dark red with bloody filth.
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 11:56 pm
Everyone knew that strike commander Morrison was only here for show, to impress someone, to help Overwatch's cause for a peaceful land. It still didn't sit well with the newly 'promoted' Blackwatch commander whose roars held such a ferocity in them that he could have sworn that some of these dastardly cowards had shivered, or even daresay soiled them at the sound of it.
One, two, four. Most of these were runts, small-fry, recruited at too-young with promises of riches, a better life through a life of crime. Their manes were hardly grown in. They weren't trained, hell, they didn't even defend one another. There was something hidden within Reyes that came out in these kinds of fights. He could remember his own childhood, his siblings. Everything was so vivid that it took Morrison's side coming in contact with his to bring him back to reality.
"You okay?" The words were almost lost in the sounds of the battlefield. A nod was the reply and as soon as it happened, Morrison was gone. Off to take the glory again while Blackwatch were the ones taking the losses. Still, the fact that he was still cared about was a pleasant thought.
Another. Young too.
It wasn't long until Overwatch, combined with the efforts of the black ops section of the giant, were cleaning up. Their orders had been to disband the gang. They had been too much of a problem for the savannah for too long. Finally, they had crossed the line and gotten the protective cluster known as Overwatch's attention. And now they were paying for their arrogance.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:26 am
Mikree caught his breath for a moment before tearing off again, trying to help his gang members. All of them were so busy fighting or running, though, that they didn't give the small lion a second glance. Too many times he was nearly trampled by his own 'brothers' that he had to remove himself from the thick of the fray.
He turned sharply and ran, trying to get to the outskirts of the fighting, but ran head-first into the huge leg of a massive dark lion. A little stunned, he rolled back to his feet after finding himself on his backside and attacked the leg, snarling and biting and clawing. He'd take this one down on his own!
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:43 am
"Get off, you punk!" Reyes roared as he furiously shook his paw in an effort to dislodge those tiny claws from his leg. Even with the furs padding his legs and shoulders, the cub's talons were small and sharp as well. Same with those damn teeth. It wasn't like he couldn't handle this kid if he really wanted to, but he had no way of knowing if this kid was Deadlock or just a civilian and if it was the latter...well let's just say he didn't feel like fighting with Morrison today.
At least Overwatch and what little had already formed of the black ops sub-division seemed to have the situation under control in the background. The noise slowly began to subside, leaving only the groans of the wounded to fill the air. Well, and whatever noises this cub was still making as it continued to gnaw on his leg. By now Reyes had resigned himself to just allow him to do whatever. It wasn't as though he could do a hell of a lot of damage however, it did garner a few snickers from a couple of the Overwatch agents who were quickly silenced by the clearing throat of their own superior officer.
"What the hell are you doing, Gabe?"
"Letting this brat do whatever. Didn't care to piss you off." Now that Morrison was here, Reyes gave a particularly harsh shake to free his leg from the offending cub's grasp. "Deal with this will you."
Blue eyes rolled, but Morrison nodded as he turned to approach the young lion, putting on his best smile. "Hey there son, what's your name?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:47 am
Mikree felt like he was doing a pretty good job with this guy! He held on during the first attempt to be rid of him and continued chewing and clawing, right up until a second shake jostled him free. He found a new lion, a lighter colored one but just as large, speaking to him.
"None'a your business!" he yowled before pouncing, tiny claws slashing at the new lion's face. "Get outta here before I make you!"
He could hear the fighting had died down quite a bit, and that his side was the losing one, but Deadlock fought until the last lion standing was cut down, whether it was their own or the opponent. Today it seemed like they suffered their first and most devastating loss, but if Mikree was anything it was loyal to what he believed in. The little male had been taken in by this gang and like hell he was going to go down quietly.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:03 pm
Morrison recoiled quickly, hissing under his breath as his face began to sting. A few gasps filled the air from those who had their eyes on the scene.
However, the action had gotten the dark commander's attention. Not many people could say they landed a hit on Morrison's face. Most of those who could even say they hit him had done so on his side or legs. Underneath that neutral expression that Reyes kept, was a part of him that was impressed.
The kid had managed to hang on, do a little damage to him and then land a hit on Overwatch's strike commander of all the other animals present. It wasn't until Morrison barked out orders to "Bring him with us when you're done. We're done here. Reyes, have your men do another sweep and check to see if we missed anyone." All of the Blackwatch agents present frowned, looking to their leader who only nodded. That was all they needed before they scattered to check the valley for any remains of the gang.
Too old to be carried by his scruff, it was Reyes who came up behind his tiny attacker to nudge him not so gently. "You make a run for it and you'll be in the ground faster than you can blink." The threat was there. Suddenly his voice dropped in volume in an attempt to keep his superior from hearing, "Nice hit though, kid. Hope it scars."
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:18 pm
Mikree felt a surge of delight run through his small body as the lion pulled his head back, blood pooling on his muzzle. Ha! That's what he got for coming here and tearing up his gang. He lowered his head amid the surprised noises from the lions gathered, his teeth bared, ready to attack again. He would go down swinging if it was the last thing he did!
But then the lions began to scatter, following the orders of the pale lion without question. His ears turned up in surprise and he lifted his head, watching as the attackers began to turn and leave. He looked around with dread as he realized he was the only Deadlock member left standing. They others were either on the ground, completely still, or had fled. He was alone.
Fear took him as the dark lion approached him, but he held his ground and kept his head high. Mikree wasn't going to let these guys know he was scared, hell no! The threat did make his knees tremble a bit - although he was hard headed and impulsive, Mikree wasn't a fool. He might have been able to take on one lion in the fray, but all of them? This huge guy one on one?
But the follow-up comment gave Mikree pause and he looked up...and up...at the other lion. He had a few scars here and there, marking him as a warrior and a good one at that, and he wasn't about to let a compliment like that slide.
"You want one too?" he asked, his voice only shaking a little bit. He didn't run, though, just as he hadn't run back when Deadlock had stormed into his pride and killed everyone they saw fit. Here he was again, his 'family' dead around him, a new, stronger gang coming in to pick up the pieces and him, it seemed.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:34 pm
Reyes would have laughed if he had cared to. This kid had guts and his ability to stay relatively calm facing him down was enough to impress him. A little. Not much. You had to squint to see it really. "You try that move on me and I'll break your arm," he replied, voice deadpan.
"All clear, boss." One of those that remained yelled. The dark lion nodded without breaking eye contact on the tan cub. "Good, then we're done here!" Obviously speaking to his soldiers, however, the next words he spoke were quite easily meant for the remaining survivor. "Come on. Kinda curious what he's got planned for you, kid." There were a hundred different things that came to mind that Morrison could want the cub for, but whatever the reason, the kid would come with him, that was something he'd make sure of.
One of his massive paws came out, pushing the tiny assailant to his feet before he followed suit and moving to lead them out of the gulley that the now-defunct gang had run in. Though the young lion wasn't alone. Two of the remaining four other agents rounded to walk beside Mikree. There was no eye contact, no speech coming from them, professional in every way.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:38 pm
Again, the tone from the large lion let Mikree know that he wasn't joking. He wasn't sure this guy knew how to joke, even. He was pushed to his feet and as more lions came in to walk with the one that had spoken to him, Mikree hesitantly followed. What else was he going to do? If he stayed he'd die. If he ran he'd be killed. The only thing he could do was to follow.
He had to scamper along now and then to keep up with the adults, but he was more than used to that. Deadlock left people behind when they were too weak or tired to continue, after all, so even when he was exhausted he had to keep going. Hopefully wherever they went would be close by - the fighting had taken a lot of out of the cub.
"Mikree," he said quietly after catching up to the dark lion again. "My name. It's Mikree." If this was going to be his new gang he'd have to at least let them know, he reasoned with himself. But he wasn't going to tell that pale lion. This one seemed stronger, the one he should fear and respect.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:49 pm
A few curious faces looked to their boss, to see how he'd react to this Mikree giving his name, seemingly expecting to get his in return. He responded in the exact way they had all come to expect him to. Reyes' kept his head high, his chin up as his eyes shifted to look down at the obviously fearful cub. The name was noted, but not spoken and no other name was exchanged.
"Why would I talk to the walking dead?" He asked quite innocently, his flatlined face curving upward into a shallow grin.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:53 pm
The question that he got in return made Mikree's heart skip a beat and his blood run cold for just a moment. Then his face screwed up into a scowl as he glared up at the taller lion.
"'cause I'm walkin'," he shot back. "None of the other Deadlock members are." Some day he'd look back on this interaction and thank youthful ignorance for his courage. Had he been any older he might not have made it out of the fight, let alone had the guts to talk to Reyes like that after what he said. As it was he kept close to the dark lion, quickening his pace now and then to keep up with the much longer strides.
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:14 pm
"Doesn't impress me. You're only alive cause he wanted you to be. If it was up to me, you'd be taking a nap with your friends right now." Reyes had no time for babysitting snot-nosed brats, but of course, Morrison had dropped him on him to return back to their checkpoint. Sure he had gotten a lucky hit on Morrison and the thought still made Reyes inwardly grin like a madman, but he was pushing his luck now and his patience was wearing thin.
"I'm going to give a bit of advice if you want to keep being the sole survivor," his tone was dangerously low as the group of six walked. "Shut it or I may just break orders."
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 1:22 pm
He? Who the heck was 'he'? Mikree pondered that for a bit before realizing the pale lion he had gotten a hit on was the one that this guy was talking about. So he was in charge? Huh...
The threat came again and it sent a shiver down Mikree's spine, so he remained silent. He simply continued walking along with the little group heading...somewhere. Out of the gully, that much was obvious. He hoped that there'd be something to eat when they arrived, but he dared not voice his concern right now. He'd rather go hungry a little longer than not be alive to be hungry at all.
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