[DUEL] Yayuka x Keahilani

[wooga Paes]

Yayuka was... well, nervous.

He had long heard of the firekin and how great they were, dreamed of them more than once. In all his dreams they were amazing fighters. Since cubhood, when his mother had begun telling her half-lucid storied of them, he had wanted to be great like they were. So he had always tried his best to become a good fighter in the hopes of one day joining them. Now, he had a chance.

He supposed rationally, he shouldn't be nervous. He was a good enough fighter, Yayuka thought. Had chased away some rogues, won spars with others, even protected his mother once from a lion larger than himself. Besides, even if he lost, there was always the possibility of a second duel, or a third. He kind of wondered at what point he was expected to just give up. And he knew his opponent wouldn't be fighting to kill, which made him admire the firekin even more. Despite their fame, they were honorable.

But enough worrying, now it was time, and he intended to keep a cool head and do his best. So he waited at the designated spot for the lion he was supposed to duel today, and prepared himself for what was to come.

Results!

Yayuka: 3 + 3 + 1 + 1 + 2 = 10
Keahilani: 1 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 2 = 10

Conclusion -> Draw!  

[Andranis]

Ten's tongue flicked. "He's waiting, you know."

The dark lion walked calmly through the desert, between tunes to avoid extra strain. He knew. He was heading that way. As he rounded to the dueling area, he contemplated what his father would say. He'd be proud, he figured. Keahilani, while stoic and mostly silent, was a skilled duelist. He knew how to restrain himself, and only let down the restraint if his opponent wasn't restraining him or herself. Not that he'd really dueled any girls yet. It made him a bit nervous to duel them. It wasn't because he thought them weak, not by a long shot. Soleil made sure he knew THAT fact. No, he had been raised a gentleman, and while his parents had told him it was okay to hit back if she hit first... It still made him wary.

The black snake slid down to the sand, narrowly avoiding the lion's paws before finding a spot to curl up in the sun. They'd arrived.

He'd been told just a little of his opponent - A joining rogue, with a mane somewhat similar. Keahilani walked over to the other lion, looking him over. He could almost be related... "You are Yayuka... Begin, then."  

[wooga Paes]

As the lion approach, Yayuka stood up. He wasn't so sure about the social conduct in a situation of these. Somehow, though, he was more calm when the other lion arrived. Not because the firein didn't look like a strong opponent, quite the opposite. But maybe because now this felt much simpler. It was a fight, he had fought before, and he could do this. He considered his strengths; Kaehilani looked bigger and stronger, so perhaps his best idea was to go with speed and agility, with well placed blows. Perhaps a few more dodgy theatrics.

Despite just being told to start, he figured a bit of niceness was required. "Kaehilani, a pleasure." He wondered if that was weird.

Starting a fight wasn't quite Yayuka's style, at least not in a situation like this. It seemed so dry and cut, the first blow felt so... weak. The lion was standing there expecting to be hit, so how could you ever expect to surprise him? The rogue felt his best shot at landing the first blow was to be creative. Maybe he was over thinking this... Yeah, he was. Lets just go with a classic lion fight, then.

Yayuka dashed at his opponent, hoping to gain enough speed for a tackle using his hind paws to propel him onwards, claws unsheathed and teeth bared.  

[Andranis]

He'd expected the blow. That didn't mean it was any less effective at knocking him off his paws. The bi-colored lion tumbled, before jumping to his paws. Within, he could feel the fire beginning to burn, excitement in his blood dancing. He tilted his head to the side a bit, effectively popping his neck, then charged. For the moment, he went with just looking intimidating. After all, he had some big lions in his family tree. As his father liked to point out, ROYALTY. Not that Keahi himself cared. His maternal grandmother was an ex-Pridelander, after all, and HER parents were descended from rogue-borns. Perhaps his size came from there, too. Regardless... He took a swipe at the other lion, just missing him, as he passed.  

[wooga Paes]

Yayuka was honestly surprised his first blow had gone so well, and that was enough to get him geared up for the rest of the fight. Now there was no more need to think about how nervous he should or shouldn't be, or the size of his opponent. All there was left to do was get through this.

He managed to avoid Keahilani's first blow, ducking under it as he passed, then reared up on his hind paws, turning his upper body to swipe at the firekin's head with a paw. Somehow, he remembered this wasn't a real to-the-death fight, and managed to sheath his claws to avoid scratching up his opponent's face.  

[Andranis]

Keahilani let out a snarl. It wasn't a real, threatening one, of course, but something of a theatric. When he landed, he turned and looked at his opponent. Yayuka was already fairing very well. He rounded his shoulders, rolling them a bit in preparation, before charging and jumping at the other male.

From his spot on the side, Ten let out something of a snort. "You're already doing a bad job, Keahi!"

The lion missed his mark, sailing right by Yayuka and tumbling in the sand. When he sat up, he glared over his shoulder. "Shut up, Ten." Distractions were no good right now.  

[wooga Paes]

Yayuka managed to just barely avoid the flying firekin, but just as he was beginning to feel good about the fight... Well, Yayuka had begun to trip up. His timing was off as he attempted to lay a blow on Keahilani s he landed; by the time Yayuka had reached him, the firekin was no longer in the same spot. He had a feeling he was in for a bit of pain now.  

[Andranis]

He saw the trip-up, and he saw a window with it. Taking pause for a moment, Keahilani wiggled his toes, digging them into the sand. He felt it shift between his toes and under his claws, under his paw pads, before giving the other a little smirk. It was barely noticeable, on his usually-stoic face, but it was indeed there. Opting to ignore the snake for now, he took a couple steps back, slid his paws apart, then charged. Sand showered behind him as his run turned into a leap. This time, he could feel the moment his paws connected with the other lion. It felt wonderful.  

[wooga Paes]

The blow didn't feel so wonderful for Yayuka, but then again, when did getting hit in the face ever feel wonderful? He didn't have the self-control not to let out a painful grunt and shook his head, even as, instinctively, he struggled to get back on even footing. The rogue also attempted to follow Keahilani with another swipe, aimed at his hindquarters, but, again, his paws only struck air and sand.  

[Andranis]

The smirk only grew as Keahilani turned around. His tail lashed a bit, the hair on the end moving almost like fire. He was sure of his victory... But he didn't want to get over-confident. Over-confidence could lead to disaster, missing a cue, missing something, missing ANYTHING. He didn't want that. He wouldn't let himself miss anything. With a small roar, he charged again, this time swiping with a paw as he passed. Because Yayuka had shown restraint with his claws, Keahilani himself showed restraint. No claws touched the other lion.  

[wooga Paes]

Hit with another paw to the head, Yayuka wasn't happy. But this time, he was more ready. He let his body move with the blow, and danced away, giving himself more time to compose himself. The fight had started well for him, but now seemed to be going badly. He was determined to end it well, again. This was his last chance. He moved towards Keahilani again, dodging to the side to avoid any blows at the same time as he threw his paws out to strike at the firekin's side.

He felt contact, but it was hardly a truly strong blow. It seemed like the side of his paw had touched the other lion's back, without being able to apply all his strength. A grazing hit, then. All that was left for Yayuka to do now was turn and prepare himself for whatever Kaehilani's next blow, and hope this didn't end badly.  

[Andranis]

The blow didn't come. Keahilani stopped, turning and facing Yayuka. "You fight well." He inclined his head a bit, silent for a moment. Then his smirk returned. "Welcome home, then." It was curt, it was simple. It was the way he liked his conversations. Not that Keahi particularly had anything to say that often. Conversation wasn't his strong suit, after all. Fighting, though, was. He went over to Ten, who slithered up onto his back and neck to rest.

As the bi-colored lion walked off, Ten looked back over at the new pride member. "Congratulations." And then, they were gone around a dune.  

[wooga Paes]

So, one moment he was getting ready to be hit. Then he ended up not being hit, which somehow felt weird. Like when you close your eyes, expecting your older brother to thwap you in the face, only when nothing happens and when you open your eyes again he's been stepped on by a wildebeest. (What? that never happened to you?) Only, in this case, you didn't end up running for your dear life.

"Thank you." He said, uncertain of what had just happened. Keahilani left so quickly, he only had time to nod at him and the snake before they were out of sight.

"Home," He repeated, looking around at the now seemingly empty desert.