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 Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:01 am
Kibela tensed a bit at the rage she saw in his eyes, a sneer crossing her lips as she braced her paws against the sandy ground. He was fast. Trying to dodge another attack could lead to more bleeding wounds, and it certainly wasn't about to end the fight.
With a low growl of anger, Kibela kicked off from the ground to meet his lunge head-on. She gave him no time to swing his claws around as she shot between them, slamming herself hard into his chest. It may have hurt her just as much as it hurt him, but it sent them both flying off balance and down into the sand.
She wasn't sure weither to be relieved or disappointed that he landed just out of her range, disallowing further attack from this position. This time her growl was one of annoyance as she shook her head to clear it from the ram, and struggled to pull herself back to the feet.
This red lion would pay for ruining her morning!
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Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 3:50 pm
Golden eyes watched the black lion with the keenness of an eagle's gaze, tracking Hakan's every movement from the tension in the lion's muscles to the push off into the lunge, and then the lunge itself. Quickly, his mind ran through his immediate possibilities: attempt to evade the lunge, or meet it head-on. Without any true rhyme or reason, he eliminated the first option - his instincts had taken over by now, and every move was made based on split-second judgements, most of which had served him well over the course of his lifetime. There was no reason to believe they would do otherwise today.
Gathering his hind legs firmly beneath his muscular body, Azarax crouched, readying himself as the black lion lunged forward. He rose as Hakan neared and he could see the other lion's claws flash, pushing up from the sand to meet the attack. He felt the impact of the other lion against his chest and forelegs, gritting his teeth in a snarl as he pushed back against the black lion, taking advantage of his stand against the ground.
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 10:45 am
The impact of their collision had Rap reeling with shock. The force of their meet sent him stumbling off balance and he hit the ground hard, despite trying to land on his paws.
For a pained moment he struggled to stand, his vision blurring as he tried to figure which way was up and down. Kibela's growl finally snapped him back to his senses and with a tremendous snarl, that tore free from his throat, he threw his body sideways, clumsily gaining purchase with his hind paws so that he could shove himself up towards the female.
It was a sloppy and dangerous move, not aimed, but thrown out of desperation. His face - filled with anger - split, his wide jaws revealing deadly teeth. He meant to go straight for her throat, to finish it quick. He hoped, beyond all else, that he would take her by surprise. Hoped she wouldn't see it coming...
Meanwhile, Hakan was also locked in battle, somewhat surprised and eager to meet the Firekin mid-lunge. They collided and their strength, for a moment, seemed balance.
The dark lion's snarls were terribly audible and, after a moment, he realised that he could not hope to overcome Azarax's strength and tip him. This sort of assault was just not going to work!! Hakan was skilled and talented, but he was also older and had been recovering from an injury. The moment they met, the dark-pelted lion knew that he was sinking.
Azarax was too strong.
With a snarl of frustration he twisted free, praying that Azarax's claws wouldn't find him as he shifted out to make a circle around him.
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:19 am
Unfortunately for the red lion, Kibela may have hit just as hard as he did, but her mind was in overdrive, rather than muddled by the blow, eyes sharp and focused on his every move. A dark smirk spread over her lips when Rap, literally, blindly threw himself at her in anger. Such an unwise child... Despite the rage that burned within her at such an invasion into her homeland, and threats toward her brother, Kibela remained calm.
Shifting herself onto her stomach quickly, she pulled her legs up into a hunter's crouch, ready to strike.
Rap was practically on top of her before she shot up onto her hind legs. One paw slashed it's claws deep across his face, while the other sunk into his shoulder halting his charge. Twisting her body, she put her weight into it as she threw the foolish intruder back down into the ground, her claws ripping free of his shoulder.
This fight was over.
A slight limp in her step, thanks to the wounds in her own shoulder tearing back up, Kibela stalked toward her prey, ready to finish this and end his life. Perhaps Azrax would leave the other alive for questioning. But this one would gain no mercy from her.
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:30 am
Pain flared in his face and Rap closed his eyes against it, fearing he'd be blinded. He felt her claws slide through flesh, felt the blood burst free from those wounds and run rivulets down the creases in the sides and top of his muzzle. His cry of surprise was forced from his lungs as he lost his balance and Kibela's move to push him did as she had hoped.
He hit the ground hard, automatically tried to rise, but found - for a terrifying moment - that he couldn't. His face was so hot and pained, now irritated by sand, and he could feel it pooling down around his face. He tried again to right himself but his shoulder cramped and twinged, forcing him to take a moment to gather his wits. But he knew that moment didn't exist for him. He needed to get up.
"Get up." He spoke out loud, through gritted teeth. But even as he struggled, he felt her shadow fall upon him and felt death's cold grip at his heart.
No. He wouldn't let it end this way. He needed his revenge!!
And as Hakan had been dodging Azarax's claws, in fear for his own life, he saw in the corner of his eye, Rap's terrible mistake. He felt his own heart grind to a halt, flinched as Kibela's claws drew across the orange one's face.
She was winning!!
And, as the shadow of her body cast over Rap, he knew what she would do. She would kill Rap without mercy and then she would come after him, both she and Azarax. They would both die here, Rap and Hakan, and that would not do. That was not part of the plan!!
"Rap!" He'd called the lion's name without meaning to, and, forgetting Azarax. Forgetting all except the danger that his friend, his student, his son was in. He leapt to aid him, intending to strike down the female before she could set another claw on the wounded male on the sands.
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Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 7:54 pm
He let the black lion twist away, feeling a growing sense of triumph, even before any great damage had been done. Evasion was a sign that spoke volumes to the tan lion - Hakan had something to fear, and that the other had twisted away in the midst of a head-on collision meant, most likely, that he had realized that his strength was no match for Azarax's. And that knowledge was everything.
Still, he reminded himself that now was not the time celebrate. He was confident as to what the outcome would be, but until he had actually won the fight, he had to keep in mind that he was still in the midst of battle. Forgetting could prove fatal.
And suddenly, the black lion's attention shifted elsewhere, to Kibela and the orange rogue that reminded him so much of lions he had known before, to the fight raging right beside them that Azarax had completely disregarded, and he turned to help the orange lion and to attack Kibela.
"Fool," the tan lion snarled, collecting himself before launching himself toward the black lion, intending to catch him on the side and knock him to the ground before he could reach Kibela. Now was the opportune moment, he knew, the moment when the black lion was completely focused on something else, and therefore completely vulnerable to Azarax's own attack. Now was the moment to end this.
He reached with his claws, aiming both for the black lion's face and neck. Piercing eyes zeroed in on the other lion's throat, ringed by a thick black mane, but in no way protected from the tan General's teeth and claws.
This would end. Now.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 3:25 am
And end it would.
Teeth closed over Hakan’s throat, cutting him of precious oxygen. He sucked in a gasping, wheezing breath – or tried to – and realised suddenly, that he wasn’t getting out of this. It was odd, but the realisation didn’t frighten him as he thought it would. For him, who had lived by the ‘sword’, it only seemed proper that he die by it.
His hind legs buckled without warning and dragged across the sand; his body carried by the force of Azarax’s lunge until he was lying twisted on his side on the sand.
His wild eyes were rolled back in his head, trying to focus on the face of his opponent that was currently just out of his line of vision. And, in a last, lame attempt to break free, he thrashed his shoulders, forepaws curling up to try and lash at his opponent’s face, trying to drive him back.
If he could just draw breath…
Perhaps it would have happened that quickly anyway, or perhaps it was the motion of him trying to escape, but at that moment Azarax’s teeth pierced the precious artery in the dark one’s neck, and with the loss of blood and loss of oxygen, the outcome was inevitable.
The strength left him all at once, the tension in his body released like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Back at the time of his birth and his mother had named him, she could never have guessed how much he would live up to his name. Yet live up to it he had. He had protected her, his dear mother Kinja, he had protected his brother and sister, too, whilst he had been with them. And, after a time of despair and helplessness, he had found Rap and taken him in, too. It seemed he had never been happy unless he was protecting someone.
His eyes rolled upwards again, seeking perhaps to find Rap through his mist of pain, and then – quite suddenly – there was no more pain. His body felt light, much as it had done when he had set eyes on beautiful Kinagiri.
He was young again, playing under the watchful eye of his mother, rolling across the dusty savannah. He looked up at her, adoringly, and she smiled back at him and his brother and sister, too.
The image faded.
Hakan’mawasii – the fire guardian – was gone.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 11:43 am
Kibela's ears jerked up at the yell of 'Rap', who she assumed to be her opponent here.. And it was a suspiciously close sound. Refusing to be caught in the back in the unlikely chance that Azarax had fallen to the darker outsider, Kibela jerked herself back out of the range of Rap's paws, spinning to face the charging lion. Her body was quick to un-tense however, finding that the General already had him on the ground, and in his final death throes...
Well. So much for the questioning.
Her mind snapped back into focus, Ruby eyes widening when she'd realized just what the dark outsider had done with his death. Already she knew that this was not in her favor even before she turned around. But regardless, she did so quickly to see if her prey was where she had left him.
A thousand mental curses flew through her mind, at both herself, and the dark lion that had caused her distraction as her eyes focused on the empty sand before her. No... No no. Lifting her head quickly she jerked it this way and that trying to see some sign of that damned and bloody orange fur, but there was none.
Her claws broke into the sand in anger as she threw her head back to let out the loudest enraged roar that her throat would allow, calling out to the most distant Firekin she could.
Traitor, assassin, outsider... There were enemies in their midst. And they knew not the number of foes. Be on guard.
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Posted: Fri Jul 23, 2010 12:02 pm
His heart felt fit to burst, the grief so strong that his anger and need for vengeance was squashed beneath its massive weight. It hurt to run and the blood ran freely down his shoulder. His face, too, was mangled by claws and he was half-blind for dried blood in his eyes. But he moved onward, caring little for the physical wounds when the one he suffered in his heart was so strong.
He stumbled and collapsed, pausing to cast a glance back over his shoulder. He could still see the densite, but his form was so covered in sand that he was probably quite well disguised. His great sides heaved from each pained breath and his memory returned to that moment only a few seconds ago.
Hakan's voice calling his name. His form moving to stop the female from making her final strike.
Hakan had saved him from death, but in doing so...in doing so...
Tears mized with the blood and sand on his wounded face and a second later he was pulling himself back to his paws and fleeing onwards. He found it hard to breathe, his legs were stiff and pained. But the look in Hakan's eyes as the tan lion's jaws fixed around his neck...
It drove him onward.
And, all he could think as he ran for his life, was that it had all been his fault. It may as well been his own jaws around Hakan's throat, for he had been the one to lead him here.
He'd led him to his death.
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:42 pm
The tan lion stood, looming over the still form of the black lion. The lust for battle and blood had begun to fade from his golden eyes, but its place, a steely, grim look remained. Sound, clear as day, flooded back and what had previously been tunnel vision receded as the blood pounding in his ears retreated. And still, he stared at the lifeless corpse lying mangled in the sand, a merciless, unyielding frown lingering on his brow as he sought answers to the myriad questions that ran boundless through his mind. Questions that the dead lion could not answer.
Azarax lifted his head, breathing deep as his gaze landed on Kibela, and then to the flaming bright young lion, now fleeing for his life, that had had the audacity to tread onto Firekin lands with no reinforcement but the black lion that now lay dead at the tan General's paws. That lion, that foolish young lion that reminded him so much of the past, that brought so many memories flooding back, he knew the answers. He knew what this was about and who he was and what he had been trying to do. Who had let the pair into the lands, who had taught them how to find the Regents' dens... the questions were endless.
And whether it was for the sake of answering those questions or of answering the ones that struck him much, much closer to home, Azarax realized in a split second that there was no way he was letting that young lion leave. He couldn't. Who was he? Where did he come from? Was it coincidence that he looked so much like... "He knows." The words slipped unbidden from the lion's mouth as his gaze sought Kibela's. "He knows everything. I won't let him out of these lands. I can't."
Someway, somehow, he would catch that lion.
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