[Duel] Gives You Hell (Astrophel/Ruber)

[Excited Apathy]

A large black lion paced along the Firekin border. Perhaps 'black' was a bit misleading, as he was liberally splashed with red and an amount of yellow that was just within the bounds of what the pride would find acceptable. 'Paced' was definitely misleading, as his gait was much closer to a confident swagger. Astrophel might not have been considered a prize where he hailed from--he was far too dark for that--but he knew his own worth. He was large, he was strong, and he could fight.

And it was only a matter of time before he got to prove it.  

[mouselet]

His pride was still smarting from his defeats. Not to mention his training. He'd managed to get Battlemaster Chaka to accept him, but the big black lion hadn't been thrilled about the idea, since it appeared Ruber had dueled his sister and spoken...unwise words.

It still irked him, though he had to admit that there were definitely some (only some!) females who were clearly more skilled than he. At least, until he managed to change that.

His purple eyes lit up as he saw the big male pacing up and down along the border. Aha! A chance to redeem himself!

"I take it you'd like to join? I'll duel you," the red lion offered with a lopsided grin.  

[Excited Apathy]

About time! Astrophel wheeled toward the sound of the voice, and flashed the other lion a confident grin that somehow managed to be friendly and aggressive wrapped up together in a neat package. "If you think you're up to it." He rolled his shoulders, mane and pelt sliding easily over the sizable blades and the muscle covering them. His loose, alert posture seemed to ask, Well?  

[mouselet]

Oh, this guy definitely had attitude. Not that this was a negative in Ruber's mindset, he couldn't blame the guy when he himself was supposedly in possession of a "bad attitude". Hah. As if there was such a thing.

Still, he wanted to see if the other lion was justifiably confident. He knew he should be patient, wait for the other to make his move first, but after his crushing losses, Ruber was riled up and ready to turn things around. He lunged at the larger lion, missing him completely and only serving to kick up sand and frustrate himself further.  

[Excited Apathy]

A smirk answered Ruber's decision to move first. A brash one...good. Too many lions got cautious, and that was just boring. He'd had his fill of dull, timid males back in the Kunanda. A casual swing as the red lion came near caught nothing but air, but the brightly-marked male seemed unruffled. The fight had just started...there was plenty of time to decide if he was enjoying himself.  

[mouselet]

Hah, at least it seemed he wasn't the only one who needed a round or so to warm up! Most excellent. At least that kept this duel on even footing. Still he had every intention of being victorious.

After the speed of that first retalation on the challenger's part, Ruber decided to hang back, attempt to circle around, and wait to see what his opponent would do. That way he'd be ready.  

[Excited Apathy]

What would Astrophel do?

Nothing that was particularly interesting to Ruber, for now. With a flash of teeth that could pass for a grin, the rogue waited, biding his time until the other lion lost patience. Everyone had an end to their patience...if you could find it.  

[mouselet]

Okay, this was getting boring. Two lions standing, staring at each other and circling? No, he wasn't one for a staring contest, not in the least. He'd rather strike while the iron was hot!

...which was maybe why he'd lost in the past. Hmmmm.

Nah. Ruber ran past, trying to get a hit, but only barely feeling the other male's fur against his paw before he was gone. Damnit!  

[Excited Apathy]

Well, it looked like his opponent's particular pool of patience wasn't very deep at all. Sparing a brief laugh under his breath, he sprang forward, claws just grazing the red lion. It had been tempting to continue to bide his time, but the point of this challenge was to fight...and far be it from him to defeat a perfectly good purpose for something.  

[mouselet]

Ruber snorted as he felt the breeze of the other lion's attempted blow. If the bigger lion's claws touched anything, they certainly didn't snag or even touch the skin. How pathetic! And this male was interested in joining the Firekin? Hah!

The red lion charged at his opponent once more, intent on the other's blood. Once more, he found himself attacking nothing but air. He nearly lost his footing on the slippery sand, but recovered and kept his footing.  

[Excited Apathy]

Astrophel wheeled to face his opponent, but his paws slipped and he skidded sideways on the elusive footing. He managed to avoid a fall, but any attempt at counterattacking flew wide of the mark. A twitch of his tail belied some irritation at this, but for the most part he seemed as infuriatingly calm as ever.  

[mouselet]

Unfortunately, Ruber had still been recovering from his own miss and so missed the most entertaining parts of his opponent's attempted blow. He had to admit, this was getting pretty damned frustrating and very quickly at that. The red lion shook himself to settle his mind. This was it. The duel had gone on almost long enough and he refused to end it without striking a single blow!

Gathering himself, Ruber charged, claws aimed straight for his opponent's face. It was one thing to have attitude. It was a totally different thing to have attitude in the red lion's direction and he meant to make the bigger lion pay for his insolent expressions.  

[Excited Apathy]

On the one hand, he really should have seen this coming. On the other hand, the red lion had managed to fail at landing a hit so far, so why expect one now? Either way, the solid hit to his face set Astrophel's ears to ringing, and he had to shake his head in order to uncross his vision. His own attempt at a strike? Gods, he didn't know. Lost, somewhere.

In any case, this duel was done. He'd lost, but he was fairly certain he could get his own small victory. "Well, that's that for now," he stated as he shrugged, that confident grin creeping back onto his face. "Until next time, then?"

He might, figuratively, be down, but he sure as hell wasn't out yet.  

[mouselet]

Hah. Just went to prove size wasn't everything! And that Ruber had not, contrary to popular belief, lost his touch. Even those who clearly had it out for him and his so-called attitude couldn't deny that he'd certainly won his way into the pride.

Which this male had not.

"Maybe," Ruber sneered somewhat as he replied. "If you're lucky, we'll meet again inside the Motoujamii-Simo. If not, well, I'd be happy to box your ears again."

With that he headed back for to the pride, whistling cheerily.