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Another day, another challenger.

This time the lioness in question had a coloration not too different from Ensis own, though the markings made it quite clear that this was merely a coincidence and no sign of an unknown relationship. In his time, the white lion had dueled many lions whose apeparances varied wildly from one to the next. He'd seen almost everything, or so he thought.

"So, you wish to join the Myrsky Syntynyt," he addressed the stranger before him. It wasn't a bad thing to have more females join, not at all. Rather, the lionesses were the heart of the pride, responsible for birthing and raising the next generation of Stormborn.

Not that the males weren't encouraged to take part in their children's upbringing. But many of them held other positions, such as Reavers, that also placed demands on their time.

"I do," Ensis nodded gravely as he began to move. He eschewed the opportunity to take the first attack, instead choosing to circle 'round the lioness and evaluate her from all sides. She might not even be aware that the duel had begun.

The female wasn't, he decided, a stranger to work. That was no bad thing, but didn't actually mean she knew how to fight. The mindsets were completely different and while she seemed like a good and honest person, those traits alone weren't enough to win entrance into the Stormborn.

He wouldn't pass judgement until the duel had concluded, but so far Ensis was not very impressed.

Well. This was going nowhere fast. She seemed to know nothing at all about the pace of battle. This was...not a good sign. But, he had to be fair and give her a fighting chance.

Ensis suddenly stopped circling and charged at the lioness. As he came near, he aimed a powerful cuff at her. It remained to be seen if she had the ability to dodge him or not.

The blow from the lioness was half-expected and so while the hit itself was not quite true, it was a solid cuff to Ensis' head, causing the lion's vision to dance for a moment or two. The white lion bared his fangs in both a grimace and a fierce satisfaction at the strength behind the paw. There was some potential here after all!

So he would stop fooling around. Claws extended, Ensis aimed a long rake down the lioness' flank.

The white lion dodged the poorly aimed claws, losing only hairs from his mane to the challenger's swipe. It was, sadly, a tactic he'd seen many a time - lashing out blindly with claws in order to deter the other combatant away. A play for time, more than anything else.

So sure, he'd play. Ensis curvetted, lashing out not with his claws or his teeth, but his tail instead. It wouldn't do much damage, but it might be unexpected enough to give him a real advantage.

Hmmmm. Coordination was an important skill to possess, as well as balance. This lioness could use practice. A lot of it. The white lion sighed. It might just be time to end this.

Ensis allowed the hit to land as he lunged forward, claws and fangs outstretched. He didn't intend to kill her, but the Reaver would happily demonstrate her mortality.

He'd see how she handled it.

It was a good move, he had to admit, but the trick was to move with one's opponent in order to reduce the amount of strain on one's own body. That didn't lessen the pain of the lioness' blow to his head, but it did prevent Ensis from being knocked out. That would be...embarrassing.

He hit the ground hard enough to unwillingly expel the air from his lungs before shoving himself to his feet and forcing the challenger off of him. However, he'd seen what he needed to.

"Enough!" the Reaver told the lioness, disdaining to attack again. "I've seen enough. You have potential, but not the skill to back it up. Go. Rest. Heal. Return when you are ready."

If she didn't wait that long, the lioness might end up dead. But if she didn't wait, that was her problem. He'd given her his advice. It was her choice whether to take it.