[Duel] Wanna be the Very Best [Urit'Alya x Chaka]

[oo Ded]

It was for no reason in particular, but Alya was feeling amped today. It was later in the afternoon. The heat of midday was starting to dissipate. With the sun lower in the sky, the dark lioness moved from the barracks to the training grounds. She was a fighter like the rest of the pride, so when she felt filled with energy her first thought was to exert it in the most Firekin way possible.

As she reached the edge of the training grounds she took in a breath and held it in her chest for a moment before releasing in in a long, controlled motion. Alya could feel her heartbeat in her chest and her paws kneaded into the ground with excited anticipation. She waited a few moments, scanning the image of the various individual strewn across the lands, before making her way towards the center of the grounds. There she stood, tall and poised and waiting. They were all battle-ready, here. Today she felt like having an opponent choose her as opposed to the contrary.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

Roll 1: 2, Bide
Total: 2

It didn't take long for the lioness to recognize the lion that approached her. Battlemaster Chaka. She hadn't seen him fight before in person, but the rank itself was enough to win her respect without question. She blinked, briefly surprised, before a smile grew on her face. "I have," Alya responded curtly. She remained standing tall, her ear twitching.

"Does the Battlemaster accept a challenge?" Her words came as a question, but her stance was prepared for battle even as she asked it. Her body tensed and lowered to the ground, her tail twitching once or twice before laying flat. Her heart was loud in her chest, strong with excitement. Not only a battle, but a duel with the battlemaster? There were few better ways to train herself. Sure, she aimed to win whatever duels she entered, but in this occasion she would also get a chance to learn. Alya couldn't have asked for more.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

Roll 2: Bide/Glancing attack
Total: 4

Alya stood ready for an attack, but none came. Instead, the battlemaster asked her name. She blinked, somewhat surprised at the lack of movement. "Urit'alya," she responded, "daughter of Azula and Aibisho." She wondered why he made no move. The soldier didn't doubt that he knew what he was doing, though, so she made no comment on the topic.

Should she make the first move? Or would that be showing her had too much? It took a few moments of contemplation before Alya came to the conclusion that she was thinking too much. She didn't want to dig herself into a hole after all. The soldier lunged forward quickly, aiming at a strike at his side. She felt her attack only glance, though, and she quickly moved herself to prepare herself for his next move.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

Roll 3: Bide/Glancing attack (wtf alya)
Total: 6

She wouldn't have been surprised to hear that he hadn't given her heritage any thought after she had said the name of her mother. Even she had trouble keeping track of who was who in her family (at some times she thought that individuals named their offspring continuously after other members of her family just in spite of the rest of them who had to figure out who was related to whom). When he introduced his own parents she found herself unfamiliar with the names. Hm. Maybe she wasn't as brushed up on the lines as she had thought.

He had avoided her attack, but didn't offer one in return. Alya recognized that she couldn't afford stopping to assess the situation, though. She had him moving, and she had to keep it that way. The lioness moved to strike once again, another paw aiming at his hide but only finding air.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

Roll 4: Bide/Glancing attack (omgwhy)
Total: 8

Maybe she could keep him on his toes. Alya quickly decided that this would be her tactic. She would just keep moving quickly and hope to drive him back, or keep him off until she could make a lasting attack.

As her opponent lunged forward she used her momentum to move past him and out of the way. Her paws skid in the sand as she changed direction once more to lunge at him. Alya tried to keep her attacks controlled--of course she would attempt to hit her target, but she would take keeping an advantage if all else failed. The latter would seem to be the case as her lunge, once again, missed him. He was fast enough to evade all her attacks. At that alone she was impressed. She had the upper hand now, she noted, but she couldn't slip. He was a battlemaster, after all, and she had to be ready for anything.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

Roll 5: Miss
Total: 9

She would be disappointed to say that she was caught off guard by the push. The strike sent her toppling to the ground, the entire weight of her having been disrupted at his attack. It was a strong hit, and she had been impressed. Damn.

Alya struggled to gain the momentum she had lost, having to get to her feet before striking again. When she finally did so, she moved towards his side in a lunge. The soldier was off balance, though, and she failed to fix it fast enough. Her lunge made no contact and she skid into the sand, whipping around to prepare.

Ecavi

 

[oo Ded]

As he called the duel to the end, Alya felt her muscles instantly relax. A smile crept back onto her face and she nodded to her opponent. "An admirable fight, Chaka. I have no doubts as to why they would call you Battlemaster."

True, it had been a good fight. She could feel her heart in her throat. It took everything in her not to beam with pride. It might have been a tie, but considering her opponent she would chalk it up as a win in her books. The soldier hadn't known what to expect when she decided to come to the barracks. Of all the possibilities, this was near the top.

"Expect to be seeing me around," she called, her grin wide, "and one day joining you in title," Alya finished. It was perhaps a bit more overconfident and boisterous than she was used to, but right now she was riding high.

Ecavi