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It had been a few days since Siyo had last sparred with Thunzi, and it had given him some time to think on what had been bugging him before. The pridelands. He was jealous of the resources that they so carefully guarded from outsiders, but not jealous enough to want to join them. All of their rules and their zealous talk of the circle of life, it wasn't for him. No. He wanted to take their resources for the outlands, to crush any resistance that might get in his way of doing so. That is what Siyo'Jini desired. He wanted to talk to Thunzi about his idea, as the two had been nye inseparable since cubhood, and if Siyo trusted anyone in this pride to have his back, then it was his fellow outlands orphan.

Unbeknownst to Siyo'Jini, Thunzi wasn't very far behind at all. He might not have held a grudge for Siyo besting him in their last spar, but he wanted to prove his strength to his friend. Whatever was eating at the darker pelted lion had clearly been bothering him for sometime, and Thunzi was determined to prove he could handle whatever it might be. So, as Siyo walked the dusty trail of the outlands, Thunzi followed close behind, high up on a ridge where the trail was shadowed by overhanging rocks. He knew Siyo'Jini was stronger than him when it came to brute strength, so the tiger striped male opted for a different tactic this time. He'd strike when the best opportunity presented itself, and then he'd show no mercy in the following tussle. It was the only way to prove himself to his friend.

It wasn't like Thunzi to be difficult to find, the two were practically together all the time anyway. The fact that Siyo was having to look so hard, and for so long to find that darned pale lion was starting to annoy him. He grumbled a bit to himself as he came to a full pause, one leg raised in the air as he took a glance around. He was pretty far from the main body of the pride right now, and he wondered what Thunzi would even be doing out here anyway. Ugh. Might as well check back closer to the pride, just in case he'd missed him somewhere. With a huff and a growl, Siyo turned on his paws, only just barely able to see a pale shadow leaping at him from above.

Thunzi was careful not to make any noise as he moved through the shadows, his paws carefully stepping one after the other. It was easy to keep up with Siyo from up here on the cliffs, as his vantage point gave him excellent line of sight. When Siyo paused and looked to be pondering his direction, Thunzi took the opportunity to slowly leap down to a lower ledge, where he crouched and waited for the right moment to strike. The tip of his tail twitched ever so slightly as his silver eyes focused on the other male's movements, and just as Siyo turned around to head back in the other direction, Thunzi took his chance and leapt from his vantage point with claws extended. The surprised roar of pain from Siyo was enough to plaster a rather pleased smirk onto the pale male's maw. He felt his claws slice into flesh, and without a word from either of them they became a tangle of enraged growls and claws. Thunzi would prove himself!

To say he was surprised was an understatement. He hadn't expected to be jumped so easily in the middle of the outlands, on the turf that he was most use to exploring, but of course that surprise didn't last long when he realized who had gotten the upper paw on him. A-ha! Just the lion he had been looking for! Siyo's enraged snarls were changed out for confident, toothy grins as he exchanged blows with Thunzi, claws and fangs ripping into each other's hides as if they had been life-long enemies. Of course, none of their blows were ever fatal, just superficial cuts and scrapes so they could feel the pain of a poorly timed dodge or glancing blow. It was enough to remind them both that life was hard, and they needed to be tough in order to survive.

For as strong as Siyo was, Thunzi pressed his advantage with every chance he got, not allowing his friend to recover his footing and constantly pushing Siyo to lose balance and not gain any momentum. If he let up his attack for a just a second, he was certain Siyo would gain the advantage on him, and Thunzi couldn't have that. He had to prove himself, he had be worthy of his friend's trust! After a particularly nasty set of blows Thunzi and Siyo seperated and stared at one another, both grinning like bloody fools at one another. "You should watch your back more carefully," Thunzi panted as he attempted to catch his breath, his muscles tense and ready in case their little spar wasn't over yet. "You never know when someone might sneak up on ya."

Siyo'Jini was also breathing heavy, one side of his face dripping with blood as he snorted in amusement at his friend. That first blow Thunzi had dealt him had caught him off guard, and his face hurt as a reminder of that. "It seems that way," Siyo agreed as he watched his friend for any sign of a continuing attack. When none came, Siyo chuckled and straightened his posture, signaling he was done with this fight. "You bested me, I'm impressed," he admitted with no small amount of amusement in his voice. Typically Siyo had no problem over powering the smaller male, but having been caught off guard had certainly worked in Thunzi's favor this time around.

For a moment Thunzi couldn't believe his ears, and in fact he was certain Siyo was just trying to lull into a false sense of confidence. When the larger male made no attempt to attack him, it finally sunk in. Huh. He'd beaten Siyo'Jini! "Heh! Well, maybe now you can stop sulking and believe I've got your back!" Figuratively and literally, of course.

Siyo raised a confused brow at his friend as he studied Thunzi's face. "Sulking? Is that what this is about?" he questioned, spitting a bit of blood from his mouth as he stepped closer.

"Of course it is!" Thunzi bulked. "You act like you have no one in your corner, but I'm here! I've always been here. And I'm strong enough to hold my own!" he growled fiercely, an intensity reaching his silver eyes like none before.

Siyo paused in his step. He hadn't realized Thunzi had been feeling that way and his confused look slowly melted away as it dawned on him. He was use to having Thunzi by his side, and he was use to always having the upper paw in their scuffles. Had that made his friend feel inferior in some way? Siyo snorted as he shook his mane out, trying to put together the pieces. "Dude, I know you'll have my back. You're the only one in this forsaken pride that I actually trust."

The moments passed tensely as Thunzi watched Siyo for any sign of... well, he wasn't sure. Not taking him seriously, he supposed. Thankfully what came out of Siyo's maw wasn't the words of rejection he had been expecting and the pale male relaxed some. "Good. I trust you too. So whatever it is you're going through, we can talk about it. Okay?"

Siyo turned away slightly, a bit of embarrassment tightening his throat. He had come out here with the intention of finding Thunzi and speaking with him about his thoughts, but do it so openly and intensely? Siyo made a gruff sound in the back of his throat as he turned away and started walking back towards the pride. "Come on, man. We'll talk on the way back." At least then he could keep his paws moving and his eyes forward.

((Word Count: 1,353))