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 Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:57 pm
Hraga was already running before he'd even realized he decided to follow. Thankfully, Shaak was nearby. Kalimoto had a considerable lead, but at least they weren't splitting up. They could still get the jump on them! Whoever they were.
He contemplated her question for about half a second. Foul tempered and screaming? "Yeah, that was Tarsa." What had his friend gotten them into?
Kalimoto would reach the top of the dune before him- but as the seconds passed, Hraga made his way to the crest of the dune as well. Sand slipped from his feet as he turned on the breaks. It was tempting to charge forward along with her, but he needed a second to get his bearings. But what he saw didn't help by much.
On the other side of the slope, Tarsa was clearly visible- his large size and bulk towering above two much smaller, thin looking lions. He had a male pinned down by the shoulders. Occasionally the red lion flailed about in attempts to get out from under him, but he wasn't that successful.
The female, however, was clearly something of a problem for Tarsa. She either hadn't seen the trio arrive, or was continuing on with her attack brazenly, but it was about all Tarsa could do to keep the one male pinned and defend from increasingly savage blows from the other.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 1:42 pm
Yes! Action at last! Tarsa looked out of his depth and now she was here to save the day! Heroic saviour Kalimoto!
The young female announced her presence with the most fierce battle-cry she could muster, using the slope of the dune to propel her faster - almost too fast, though, as she came close to losing her footing on the shifting surface.
"You! Get off of him. Now!!" She lunged straight at the female who was making it near impossible for the Firekin to keep the male on the sands.
Meanwhile, Shaak - who had reached the dune last - paused for a moment to survey the scene. Two rogues. One Firekin. Not a duel, though. Two against one wouldn't count. Then what was going on, exactly? With a soft snort, she descended after her peers, flitting her gaze about to make sure there were no others advancing in on them.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:05 pm
Had she not been screaming during the entirety of her charge, Kira might have been caught off guard by Kalimoto's assault. As it was, Tarsa was a bit difficult to handle. Not impossible, of course. But she could have done without Yevir messing up the entire plan from the get go.
But the sound of the other female's charge was at least enough to compel her to dodge aside Tarsa's weighty reach, and return the lioness's assault with one of her own.
Unfortunately, it was a retaliation already doomed to failure. At this point the red lioness was already winded, and her smaller size did her no favors against even an average sized firekin. Her strike missed, and instead, she found herself taking the brunt of Kalimoto's wrecking ball-like speed.
--------
Hraga grimaced, and started down the bank after them. Kalimoto and the rogue were caught in a tangle, but Tarsa still had his charge pinned. "What the hell is going on, Tarsa?" he balked as he slid to a stop.
The lion underneath Tarsa continued to thrash.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 2:14 pm
The strike came short as Kalimoto dodged backwards, surprisingly nimble for one of her stature. The training she had been putting off had certainly not gone to waste!
She gave an amused snort and spared only a split second before leaping in to follow up the other's failed attack. Yet even as she pressed the attack, she realised that, in her haste, she had not thrown her weight well. Her stronger paw came out, the power behind it dwindled by her awkward stance on the sand. If it landed a hit, it would be a poor one indeed.
Already she could hear her teacher's scolding voice. She'd always been a hasty student and even now - fully-fledged - there seemed to be no sign of that every changing.
---
Shaak chose that moment to pull up alongside Hraga, throwing a glance towards the battling females. She said nothing, though; simply waiting for Tarsa's response.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 8:20 pm
Kira took a long moment to rise to her feet after being knocked aside so easily. There was a bitter fury brewing, but she kept a lid on it as she observed the female pacing around her. She wasn't going to beat this one by flailing blindly.
Although the thought had occurred to her. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd gotten the advantage on someone simply by shocking them with how reckless she could be. The savage scar on her chest was testament to that.
Of course, the fact that she even needed this alternate plan was infuriating. She'd set everything up perfectly. How had Yevir managed to botch this so completely? She resisted the urge to shoot him an icy stare.
-------
Tarsa forced his weight down harder, causing the rogue beneath his heavy paws to squeak in surprise. One of Tarsa's red tipped ears was in tatters. "These two idiots jumped me! They set a damn trap and everything," he balked. "Although I guess I musta gotten the better of 'em, because this one didn't put up much of a fight."
He looked over his shoulder at where Kira and Kalimoto were still going at it. "The other one is crazy though. Took a bite right out of my ear!"
Hraga shook his mane out. "Are they nergui?"
"I didn't ask them, I was too busy trying to not get my face sliced up," he grunted.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:11 am
"What's wrong?" Kalimoto snapped, "afraid to come at me?"
She gave a testing swipe of her paw, perhaps to incite the other one into attacking her, growing aggravated at the sudden pause. She didn't like to pause. Attack, attack, attack and little else. Give your opponent time to assess and take a breather and they might find someway to tip the balance. (She'd obviously skipped the lessons where taking time to assess yourself was also an essential tool).
Still, she was about to learn - first hand - why it was not the best strategy to attack mindlessly.
This time, she followed up a feint with a true attack, but it was predictable and would be little more than a glancing move.
The fury in her mounted.
"Stay still or fight me properly, you coward!"
---------
Shaak gave the pinned male an inquiring glance. Odd. Surely if the male had been Nergui he would have put up more of a fight than this? If they were going to fit them into a stereotype, the mysterious female seemed more suited to being from that bizarre and savage society.
"I can't speak for the female, but I don't think that one is," she gestured towards the male. "The whole thing seems...amateurish, don't you think?"
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:15 am
Kira wheeled around the advancing firekin, receiving just a graze for her troubles. Her growl was something fierce, as if a string of colorful words could somehow be fused into a singular sound. But perhaps aware of her small stature, she was slow to throw herself headlong into the fray. With Yevir captured, she couldn't risk any further injuries.
It seemed, for the moment, she was waiting for an opening. "Hit harder, and maybe I will!" she spat. She took a few hops backwards in an obvious attempt to goad her towards her.
Unfortunately she didn't realize that by back hopping, she was starting up the slope of the dune and putting herself at an awkward angle to absorb any sort of attack.
-----
Tarsa snorted, apparently in agreement. "It would surprise me if there was a brain between them. Maybe the Nergui sent them on a suicide mission."
Yevir flinched, and struggled to get his breath as Tarsa's huge paw crunched against his back. "-if you let me up I can explain-!" he wheezed. Tarsa didn't seem to compelled to move.
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:33 am
"Well," Kalimoto snorted, "maybe I will."
Bait offered and taken, it seemed. For as Kira backed away, Kalimoto advanced, intending to land an attack that would rattle the teeth in the outsider's jaws.
With another roar of fury and frustration, the young Firekin, hurled herself at the red-pelted female, intending to grapple her around the shoulders and neck and bodily drag her to the ground.
But instead of a mouthful of fur, she got only the taste of sand, gritty and dry.
----------
If Shaak had been one to amuse, she would have laughed at that. Perhaps the Nergui had grown sick of them they had sent them here to their deaths. It was almost plausible, though maybe they would have just turned on them themselves; used them as some kind of sport.
Then the rogue male spoke and she turned her eyes downwards to look at him. For a moment she was quiet and then she gave a soft nod. "Let him speak, Tarsa. He already knows he is know match for you."
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:37 am
Kira danced aside triumphantly as Kalimoto's charge brought her into the sands. An honorable fighter probably would have let her get her footing back before taking advantage of the situation.
Kira was no such honorable fighter.
Opportunity having presented itself, she used the moment to pounce on top of the offending lioness's back. She went straight for the ears. Had Tarsa been paying attention, he would have noted that he had warned them.
-------
Elsewhere, the big white lion was somewhat reluctant to release Yevir from his grasp. But at Shaak's insistence, he finally relented. The scrawny looking red lion dragged himself across the sand, struggling through a few short gasps of air before continuing.
His voice was raw. "We were just trying to earn our place," he coughed. His jaw hurt from where Tarsa had struck him earlier. "Isn't that what you people do here?"
Tarsa bristled. "You don't set traps!" He looked about to strike the lion again, when Hraga intervened.
"Enough, Tarsa. You aren't nergui then? Where are you people from?"
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:58 am
Spitting sand and growling like a mad thing, she didn't expect to feel the weight of Kira's successful attack against her back nor the teeth snapping at her ears. The hot breath of her foe against her neck prickled her fur again and, with a yowl of rage and pain, she tried her best to shove herself free.
"Get off me!" She raged, throwing her weight around in a desperate attempt to regain the upperhand.
Her confidence had already begun to slip and she was scrabbling to pull it back.
And what exactly was everyone else doing whilst this was going on, huh? Nothing, that's what.
"Hey. HEY!" She called out, mostly to find out exactly what the three other Firekin were up to. Unfortunately it didn't seem they were ready to intervene just yet...
----------
Wait. What? They were rogues trying to earn their membership amongst the Firekin? Well, well, well, this attempt would certainly go down in history as the most inventive one ever witnessed. The pair had obviously been misinformed about what exactly was required and had gone way over the top with their creativity.
Still, they'd discuss the 'rules' of that later. She was curious to find out where they were from. Perhaps they, unknowingly knew of the Nergui if nothing else.
"Had any trouble reaching our borders?" she added.
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Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:02 am
It did not matter. Now that she had the upper-hand, Kira wasn't about to lose. She grabbed ahold of the scruff of her neck, and attempted to drive her down further into the sand. In the back of her mind, a mantra: can't let her back up, can't let her back up...
Of course, her flailing around wasn't helping much. Although she still had her fur clenched in her mouth, one of Kali's kicks knocked out one of Kira's legs. She fell roughly on top of her in a heap.
----
Yevir was still trying to catch his breath. He nodded weakly. "We're from the north. We heard you people were making a stand against the nergui, and thought we'd come too. Our pride, well..." his voice trailed off. "When the nergui passed through, most of us just fled. No one wanted to try and fight them."
Hraga turned his head towards the two females who were still brawling it out. "That one seems to have a lot of fight," he said appreciatively. "We'd better ah...break them up. Ladies, ladies please..."
Tarsa rolled his eyes. "They don't give extra points for creativity."
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Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:34 am
Oof.
Kalimoto hit the sand hard, driving the breath from her lungs and leaving her gasping and hissing and trying desperately to recover some of her lost dignity. Ok, ok, so this rogue could fight. She could admit that. Still, it would have been nice if her so called 'friends' hadn't just decided to stand by and watch her get mauled by the savage.
Shaak nodded. "There is no shame in running when there is no hope for victory. Losing to the Nergui is no pretty thing. From what we hear they kill and enslave any that has the misfortune to cross them. You would not be the first to come here with such a tale."
She looked to Hraga and then dipped her ears in the direction of the brawling females. Ah yes. Someone ought to tell Kalimoto that the rogue was simply trying to duel her way into the pride--and by the looks of it, was doing a fine job, indeed. Perhaps this female should have taught her friend here how to fight before they'd set out on this venture.
"Soldier!" Shaak snapped in her best authoritative voice, "enough. This has all been a misunderstanding."
"What?" Kalimoto shrieked.
"They're rogues seeking entry to our pride," Shaak explained simply, "and I think she just earned her place."
It would take some time for the novice soldier to wave off the embarrassment.
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Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 1:00 pm
It took a few moments for the older female's words to register in Kira's mind. Her ears twitched, and she rose slightly off of Kalimoto- keeping her paw on the center of her shoulders, much as Tarsa had done to Yevir. Her tail twitched.
"I'm in?" she said.
Hraga nodded, a low chuckle in his chest as he looked over the two lionesses. Both looked roughed up and agitated. Their expressions almost mirrored. If that wasn't the start of a future rivalry, Hraga didn't know what was. "That's how it works, yes. Although you didn't need to go through the effort of setting a trap for someone."
Kira let the other up, her nose crinkling in discontent. "I wasn't going to lose." It was all she had said, but there was an edge of a threat to it. Hraga couldn't help but wonder exactly where the pair had come from.
"Your friend will have to try again, but we have an outpost much more favorable for potential recruits. We can send him down there as soon as we get back," he said.
Tarsa grunted. "I doubt that one will manage."
That might have been true, but Hraga didn't say anything to it. He nodded at Shaak and Kali, and started back towards the western guard post.
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