|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Aug 10, 2011 8:06 am
Azar’bijan was in a particularly irritable mood this day. The sun was bright and unrestrained above his head and his mouth felt dry even though he had just stopped by to wet his tongue at the pitiful excuse of an oasis. The water was muddied and warm and tasted foul. Stupid, stupid water. He just hoped that the meeting with the Regents went to plan and that priority was given to the lions that actually did something of use within the pride.
Stupid huntresses and storytellers and historians. Any lion could hunt if he really wanted to, or tell stories, or draw stupid pictures! It didn’t exactly take skill to do any of those things. Guarding, though? Yes, that took talent, and he’d be damned if he’d step aside to let any of those ‘space-wasters’ get water that was his by right. What infuriated him more was that his son, Heti, was in disagreement. They had argued about it yesterday and Azar was still fuming over it. He had not raised his son to offer charity to those who didn’t deserve it, so where had he gotten it from? Pah, his mother, of course! Damn her. Damn them all.
In any case, his day had brought with it one spark of good news. If rumour was to be believed, there was a weak, white-pelted lion seeking a duel for membership within the pride (clearly an idiot, considering the state of the place) and Azar had set himself the task of rooting out this rogue and accepting his challenge. He’d always been a bit of a bully and if he could strike an easy victory over this male then he’d come out looking particularly strong and talented.
Which is why he’d also brought Hraga along, as well. The kid liked talking about fighting the bad guys, so this would be a good introduction on how incredibly strong and important guards were within the pride. A good and essential lesson for every future guard to learn.
Now all that he needed to do was to track this male down. Surely he had to be somewhere close by.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 5:34 am
It seemed Azar's bad mood had yet to rub off on Hraga. The young cub was trotting happily along, practically humming as the two were... on the prowl, so to speak! Finally, a real beat down! Tarsa and his fat face would be so jealous. The last he'd heard, the soldier cadets were banned from dueling non-soldiers until they were a certain age. Or maybe that was just Tarsa... either way, Hraga was pumped. He didn't even particularly care who it was they were after! Any lion who wasn't contributing clearly needed to be taught a lesson from the guards.
"So, you'll tag me in if you need help, right?" The cub chattered as he maneuvered around Azar like a strange satellite. "Cause I'm really good at laying on a beat down. Really. I beat up Tarsa all the time, I shove his face in the sand real good!" Although sometimes the fat cub managed to get the best of him! But Azar didn't need to know that. In either case, Hraga was ready to help!
"Where do you think he is?" he continued. "I heard he lurks around the medic wards. My sisters using him for experiments, or something. He got sick? I don't know but I saw him walkin' around so he musnt be that sick. Not like Zii. Did you hear what happened to her?! It's really bad mom is very sad and everything and people are talking about whether or not she might-"
The cub's ears perked up. "Oh! There, he's over there!"
--
Veru was taking a nap. Which was probably the worst thing a lion of questionable status should have been doing during a time like this. But with the wards mostly cleared out for their new critical patient, there were few other places to get some needed sleep. He might have been getting better, but a certain weakness still remained. He wasn't fond of that. In his sleep, his shoulders tensed.
"HEY VERU," Hraga yelled as the pair came into view. His tail practically wagged as they assaulted the sleeping fellow. "We're here to beat you up! Wake up!"
Against better judgement, Veru did. He blinked a singular ruby eye, wondering briefly what the commotion was. Beat him...oh! Veru stretched. "Now that's not a way to wake a guy up, little man." He yawned, stretching out his paws. "Now what's all this about a beat down?"
"Yeah, we're gonna beat you up." Hraga proclaimed rather merrily.
Veru arched his eyebrow. Maybe it'd be better to go back to sleep!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 11:23 am
(I lol'ed so hard at your post xD Hraga ftw! )
He gave a dismissive snort. "Kid, I ain't going to need any help. I'm experienced with this sort of thing. I'm telling you, it's going to be a breeze." And it didn't matter how many times he got beat down or slapped across the face. He was best. He knew best. And that was that. There really was no point telling him otherwise...
"Tarsa?" He didn't recognise the name, so it probably meant this other cub wasn't apprenticed to a guard. Either way, Azar was not about to tell Hraga shoving another cub's face in the sand was a bad idea. After all, it was good practise and he'd have done the exact same thing, no doubt. In fact, he felt a little proud of the cub's attitude. If only Heti had been a little more like that, too, when he had been younger. They were guards. That practically gave them the right to throw their weight around. "Sounds like you put him in his place." Azar nodded, casting his gaze in the direction of the dens. "He'd better be there." He grumbled in response. "I don't want to spend all of my day traipsing around looking for this lion. It's not like I don't have anything better to do." He trailed, shooting Hraga a sidelong glance. "I heard about it." He curled a lip as if there were a bad taste in his mouth. There were many things he could say about Zii, but thankfully, he remembered her relations and kept his mouth shut (perhaps he was learning tact, after all).
And then--ah, there he was.
Exhaling noisily, he quickened his pace a little, trying to hide a smirk as the cub declared their arrival and stood back with a confident look in his eyes.
"That's right, rogue. You need a duel, right? So I'm here to duel you." He tipped his head towards the youngster. "Don't mind if the kid stays to watch you get trampled into the sand, right? Figured I might as well use the opportunity to teach him a lesson about duelling." Ever the confident one. He flexed his shoulders and took a step to the side, setting his paws firmly in the sand. "And don't feel ashamed if you're too afraid to fight me. Most lions are."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:21 am
Veru had a feeling joining this pride might have been up there with some of his poor life decisions. The lion in front of him was certainly a... strapping fellow. Not at all like the lions he'd already fought, and lost to. A wiser lion would have probably taken his leave, or feigned illness. "A duel?" he said with a wince. "Well, ah... how lucky I am then! I think." But Veru wasn't much for wisdom.
He stood up from where he had been resting, and shook off the sand from his fur. A wide smile stretched across his face. He might have been heading towards another solid beat down, but at the very least he could talk some trash before the guard launched is onslaught. If there was any lion that might have had a shot at beating Azar's blind confidence, it might have been the white rogue. "Are you sure about this though? A great big muscly lion like you losing to me? It'd be very embarrassing I think!"
He dusted off his chest. "Not that I'd mind, of course! Ego boost and all. I'm sure it'd be quite profitable."
Hraga pushed his paws together. The white lion certainly didn't look like he stood much of a chance against Azar, but he was still excited to see the outcome. And maybe he'd get tagged in!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:16 am
Move 1/5: Miss
Azar drew his ears forwards and cast one short look towards Hraga. Then he took another step to so distance himself from the cub. The last thing he wanted was for this lesson to end up with the little brat hurting himself. Especially since he had his eye on a nice, new promotion. Corporal Azar'bijan! His first step on the ladder to grandeur! It had a nice ring to it, if he said so himself.
He arched a brow in Veru's direction and strengthened his posture, his eyes narrowing. "Of course I'm sure. There's no chance I'd lose a fight to you." He snapped his jaws shut on the final word and with a low growl, lunged.
The muscles in his hind legs tensed as they propelled him forwards, his body weight shifting as he brought his right fore-paw around in an attempt to catch Veru across the face and slap him down to the ground.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:27 am
Wait, there wasn't a ready-set-go? The white lion made a strangled noise as he dodged aside, feeling the swing of Azar's paw graze just past. It hadn't been a hit, but it was pretty damn close! Deciding the best tactic would be to move away from the large stone that had him boxed in, the rogue jumped aside and skittered around to stand in the direction most opposite. There was a bit more flailing in the movement than he would of liked.
"Hah!" he panted, digging his claws into the loose sand. "Hell of a hit there! But a little slow."
Hraga settled down on the rock Veru had abandoned. It made a pretty good spot to watch the fight, and also offer his direct commentary. "You have to hit him on the head!" Hraga not-so-whispered towards Azar. "Like really fast 'cause he's skinny-"
"That's exactly ri-" Veru started. Oh, no, probably shouldn't encourage his own demise. Deciding to get on with it, he sprung forward and tried to return a blow to the big male. Unfortunately, he only managed to mirror Azar's same miss.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:25 am
Move 2/5: Bide
Why that little--
He skidded to a halt in a flurry of sand and narrowed his eyes. Apparently those skinny legs were faster than they appeared. Well, that was a nuisance. Azar didn't exactly have the patience for that sort of fight. A fight where your opponent danced out of harm's way instead of meeting head on in a clash of brute strength.
He gave a low grumble and lifted his voice to respond to the little apprentice. "I was aiming for his head." He opened his mouth to say something back, when Veru's own agreement came to a halt. Then there was movement and Azar was aware that the lion was trying to make his own comeback.
Startled, he reared back on his hind-legs - a move that only just saved Veru from landing a hit - and staggered back precariously. He couldn't help a sudden flare of panic as he realised that his evasion had left his defences open and twisted to the side, landing heavily on all fours. Hissing wildly, he tried to put a bit of distance between them, trying to find a sure footing on the scuffled sand beneath his paws.
"You might as well just give up. You aren't going to be able to win this, weakling."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 10:38 am
Veru had a feeling Azar was right. Fighting wasn't necessarily his forte. His skills had always been in his wit...or, occasionally lack thereof! But he could be quite fleet footed when he wanted to be. Whatever the brute of a pride might of thought of him, he was far from well healed. Growing up in the outlands, while perhaps not as brutal, had been no less intense.
If anything, it'd taught him to be quick. "Weakling?" Veru balked as he struggled to keep himself moving. "Surely we might want to see more of the outcome before you go throwing terms like that around, eh? It would be very terrible for you to lose to someone so slandered!"
The white lion moved forwards, rounding about so that he could get another attempt at striking the guard. But even as his paw lashed, it was neatly deflected. This wouldn't do, the rogue thought. The big fellow certainly wasn't high on brains, so where was the opening?
He took a few steps back, hoping to see a flicker in the guard's defense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:16 am
Move 3/5: Bide
And with another miss on Veru's part, Azar felt his confidence grow. A cocky smirk scrawled across his face as he leapt to the side. His movements were not exactly graceful, but they seemed efficient enough to keep the white male from landing a hit decent enough to count.
"I say what I see and I see a weakling." Azar retorted, clearly enjoying himself now. "You're no match for me." And, with a smug expression, he set his paws firmly in the sand, puffed out his chest and lifted his head high.
"Come on, rogue, just try and land a hit on me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:18 am
"No match?" Veru chided. "Kinda strange to pick a fight with a weakling? Surely a big fellow like you has plenty of rivals to beat up on?" He bounced a few steps backwards. Still nothing to be seen. The white lion wasn't sure if that was because Azar was so well trained, or if he'd been under trained. Judging by how angry the other lion was starting to look, it was probably the former.
But it seemed the best way to keep out of his near reach was to keep moving. For the moment he was at least keeping his stamina, which was more than could be said about his last few fights. The idea of being dragged back to the medward for Ea's experiments was not an appealing thought. "I totally understand if you're trying to avoid looking bad in front of the little man though. I'd probably not want to test my strength against big, big...armed...taloned things such as yourself!"
This wasn't going to work. He stumbled backwards and made a fake attempt at charging, trying to see if any opening showed itself. "But, feel free to make the first hit, you know. You did ask first, it only seems polite.~"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:46 am
Move: 4/5: Hit
"Weak guys like you are just sport." Azar assured him with another smirk. "Entertainment, I suppose." He gave a small shrug, tracking Veru;s movements carefully. He didn't trust that this rogue would fight fair. He might have some rogue-ish tricks that he hadn't seen before...though it was beginning to look less and less likely.
Words - particularly those that were belittling - tended to be a good weapon against Azar. They wounded his ego and flared his temper; made him somewhat rash and blinded him to his own mistakes. What was this rogue trying to insinuate? That he was a coward?! He felt the heat in his chest and his eyes narrowed as his head came up defensively. "You'll regret that." He snapped, and with an angry snarl, the red lion charged forwards, lifting a heavy fore-paw up in a wide sweep. He'd show this little rat what he was made of!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:48 am
Well, it looked like he'd succeed in making him angry! Mission accomplished...! Unfortunately the blow from the large male rattled Veru to his bones, and it took a good amount of his own force to wriggle away before he was subjected to more. Even as he stumbled away he felt the sting swell, burning his eyes. He was getting stronger, but weakness still lingered. For a moment his vision blurred.
And then it was back. Once he was sure he wasn't about to collapse, the white lion began to laugh. It was an awkward, terse sort of noise- but a sound that indicated he still had plenty of optimism left to go. "Well, you certainly go for the spot, don't you?" He remarked sorely. "I think that hurt me right there!"
It was hard to tell if he was serious or teasing. Judging by his face, it could have been a very unfortunate taunt. Hraga certainly didn't know, but he did give a light chirp of support for his mentor landing the first blow. "Aw, you should of gone with the follow-up!" the black cub lamented. "One-two-hit-down! You gotta chain your attacks! Hit him again but like, like super fast like with your paws like ra-ta-cha-cha-!"
Veru wasn't sure what ra-ta-cha-cha was. But he didn't like the idea of waiting around to find out what. He moved forward and took another swing at Azar- but again, felt nothing but air as his paw skidded across the sand. Damnit. If he didn't start actually landing a blow, even he'd have to start making fun of himself!
He laughed. Probably not the best thing to do, all things considered.
"Azar!" Hraga not-whispered again. "Remember super fast hit! Knock him out yeah!"
[[ Hey, why don't we just roll another duel in this thread, and make it a longer fight since we don't have many blows? Just do a new five and reset the count at my last post. ]]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
1!
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:52 am
Move 5/5: Miss
A burst of laughter exploded from Azar's mouth as he evaded yet again, throwing himself out of harm's way - though it always seemed to be a little too close for comfort. His eyes shot briefly towards Hraga and he gave an amused sniff. "Next time, next time. Don't want to make the lion look too bad, now, do I?"
Even still, he twisted his paws in the sand and aimed another strike at the white male. It couldn't do any harm to rest his voice and let his actions do the speaking for him. Although apparently it could. The quick move was clearly off and his attempt at a swift counter attack was met with no success.
Gritting his teeth with fury, he realised - only then - that he'd left himself wide open--stupid, stupid, stupid-- and tried to hastily back out of the way.
The attempt at evasion, this time, would be futile.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mimsey generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
|
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 11:53 am
And suddenly, he saw the opening he was looking for.
Veru jumped to the left, hoping to move quickly enough to take advantage of it. Sand flared. Almost as soon as Veru had spotted the potential to strike, Azar was countering. It was almost enough to stop him, as the threat of retaliation grew every second he got closer. But brashness won over, and his paw slung forward even as the larger male backed up. No one was more surprised than Veru when it actually connected, striking Azar squarely on the nose.
That was one thing people didn't tell you enough, Veru thought. Hitting someone hurt. Well, he was sure Azar's nose hurt. But he felt the blow all the way up into his shoulder blade. He was so shocked to have landed the blow at all that he pulled back his paw almost immediately, missing a crucial opportunity for a followup.
"Uh oh!" Hraga gaped, leaning forward. "Now you are in trouble!"
Veru had a feeling that wasn't entirely incorrect. He smiled nervously, and decided it was best to keep moving and plan the next strike!
----------
[End of duel 1!]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Kimaria generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
2!
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 11:08 am
Round 2: gogogo!
Move 1/5: Bide
Pain flared briefly across his snout and, dazed, Azar staggered back, blinking rapidly in an attempt to work out exactly what had happened.
Had that--had that little runt landed a hit? On him? On Azar'bijan?!
If Veru had not been so startled by the hit and followed it up, it was very, very likely that he'd have landed more than the one hit, too. The large guard snarled furiously and rounded to the side. He didn't exactly want to draw away too far (that would be cowardly, after all) but the sudden blow made him wary of going in for another counter-attack, especially since it hadn't worked out so well the last time.
"You're going to regret that." He snapped, shaking his head to try and rid himself of the pain that throbbed there. His tail thrashed and he bounced forwards a step in an attempt to startled the white lion into a retreat and regain control of the situation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
