[FIN] Pound Into Submission [Shikoba/Shaheen]

[medigel]

Victory. Vengeance. Vindication.

It was clear Shikoba's rare but strongly cheerful mood did not abate as they left the new Lair, beating his chest once and crowing as they arrived on the reservation so that any in earshot would know that the return of their glory was not only assured, but already on its way. A gaggle of Hunters had been captured, and he had been able to participate in the siege of their stronghold with vicious glee - the only thing missing from the equation was the smell of blodo on his body, but at least Shaheen more than made up for that particular loss.

"Careful that you don't attract large beasts with your new perfume," he said with that toothy grin as they left the portal. "It would be most regrettable to come home victorious only to be slain by a common animal."

Although they could always use some dinner.

The sound of popped knuckles filled the air. "Where did you wing off to after the jungle?" Shik prompted her. "I clearly missed the good pickings."  

[Seussi]

Shaheen had made her way back to the reservation, striding along side Shik, trapped within her own thoughts. The whispers in her head had at least quieted since the siege had ended, but she knew they would come back at full force at any random time. Still, when all was said and done, she felt stronger then she had before. Things were starting to pull together for the lost clans, and that made her happy, even if several other things still confused her.

One of those things was crowing like a common animal and beating his chest like an ape, drawing her out of her steady onslaught of thoughts and shifting her attention towards him, her face as blank as she could possibly make it. He was so happy...it was not a Shik she was really accustomed to seeing outside of battle. He didn't even have any blood on his hands, she was quick to note, her head cocking to one side curiously as she stared at him, a sudden small frown creasing her features.

"Yes, I wouldn't want that." She openly eyed him up, turning her head so that she was giving him a sidelong glance now. Large beasts indeed! "I think I could manage to take care of myself." She smirked, her blood heating up at the thought of another fight so soon after that which they had just returned from, her spirits lifting slightly.

"When we arrived I made my way first to where the most hunters could be found, obviously." She didn't hesitate to reply, her hands moving to clasp behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels, the feathers of her wings rustling quietly behind her. "I had a run in with a rather feisty one, as you can see." She unclasped her hands to gesture at the blood that still streaked half of her body, and her face, almost but not quite obscuring the greyscale from view.

"And you!" She accused, her eyes narrowing suddenly. "You stayed behind and missed out on all of the fun. I'm disappointed in you, Shikoba." It was actually hard to tell if she was joking or serious. She sounded serious, but was there just the smallest glint of amusement in her eye?

"And then when I arrived back, it was to see that you hadn't even managed to take down a simple barrier. Really, Shik, I thought you might have been handle a few humans on your own. The students were more successful, I think." Could she seriously not have a single conversation with the other horseman without it turning insulting? Obviously not.  

[medigel]

Shik gave her a look that pretty much said "low blow, man", though he too had that same amused look in his eye that accompanied any of their taunting jousts. "Can I help that they had such a fervor this time?" He gave a mighty shrug, unperturbed by the insult. "For us, it was an exciting raid. For them, it was a rescue mission. Forgive me if their overeagerness to drive themselves to the Hunters' weapons was more apparent than my caution; I planned for a long stay in the jungle. Who else would guard our only way out?" And with this second look it silently, even teasingly, asked Shaaheen, "You?"

"But you've convinced me that you are out of that rut I found you in weeks before," Shik continued. "Tease me as you will for my concern, but it was unbecoming of you both as a person and as a chieftain. Clearly, though, one Hunter is still too much for you."

Clearly.  

[Seussi]

To start with, Shaheen was only further amused by his quick retorts to her teasing insults. This was better then how things had been between them weeks before, when he had been practically biting her head off, irritable, angry, much like the grizzly bear that he so brutishly represented. She had missed this, but that only made her remember how she had felt just before she had been encased in crystal, and her eyes suddenly flickered away, her cocky arrogance dropping for a split second as she relived that particular memory. She would miss him. Why? They weren't even particularly close, and obviously were not that fond of each other.

.....Right?

She really didn't have time for that, however. He was still talking, his words holding a little more bite, a little more insult.

And then he hit a bit of a sore spot.

"Rut?" Her tone turned suddenly cold, her face slipping behind a stoic mask to hide all emotion, though it probably wasn't hard to tell that he'd just crossed a line. "Unbecoming of me as a----" She stopped there, her hands suddenly clenching into fists at her side before a dagger was summoned to hand, her knuckles white.

"Fight me. Now." She commanded. "You obviously have much less respect for me then you should. I will show you why it is that I was raised to be chieftain, Shikoba Len. You will respect me." That last part came out as a hiss, the whispers in her head falling quiet as something else sang through her head. Anger, hunger, revenge. She wanted it.  

[medigel]

The mood shifted so suddenly that for a moment Shik didn't know what to make of it. And the his eyes fell to the clenched dagger, and his smile fell with it.

Pleasant moments never seemed to last long between them, it felt.

Never one to back down from a challenge, he raised his head imperiously to he, a flare of some white hot emotion burning in his gut. "As you wish," he said simply, fingers curled. If Shaheen couldn't take one of his jokes, then she would have to take the taste of her own blood. That, and Shik wasn't opposed to working of the adrenaline still in his system from the siege.

With one flap of his wings the executioner distance himself, crouching slightly with his hands mimicking eager talons before him.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

What Shik didn't really know was that the mood hadn't just 'suddenly shifted' for her. Her anger with the man always seemed to be burning just beneath the surface, though she never could quite understand why that was so. Was she still mad about the last time they had sparred, and he had won? No, she wasn't a sore loser. She had just been off of her game then, and unable to focus. Shik had deserved to win and had been kind enough to heal her at the end. Was it something else then? Were the voices in her head really changing her so much? Was she still bitter about the prom thing, of which he had never apologized for or brought up again since?

She eyed him wearily, waiting for another insult, almost hoping he said something else to help justify how she was feeling. And yet...he didn't. He just complied, and her anger faltered, feeling wrong. Her scowl softened, her fists loosened, and she turned her amber gaze away slightly, licking at her bottom lip, tasting the dried blood that was still there. Her cheeks were turning slightly pink beneath the dark tan of her skin. Embarrassment...or maybe something else? Whatever it was, she didn't like it.

She shouldn't have gotten so angry, but the challenge had already been made. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to focus. Or maybe just trying to understand why she was even doing this. It was frustrating. He was frustrating. With a small growl of annoyance, she threw her dagger into the dirt by her feet, allowing it to de-summon. Shaheen was one who worked mostly on gut feelings and instincts, but her judgment always seemed so clouded lately, she wasn't sure what was the right thing to do anymore.

But somehow, this felt right.

Without warning, she was running towards him. Maybe she thought she could tackle him to the ground. Maybe that wasn't her intention at all. All she knew was that she wanted to knock Shik off of his feet and to the ground. Not necessarily hurting him, but perhaps just wanting to take him by surprise. He could probably easily take the impact and turn it around on her. She knew that. He was bigger, had way more upper body strength then she did. She spread her wings for a moment, jumped, beat backwards, then folded them back behind her as she literally tried to fly into him.

HP: 50/50
Damage: REALLY? trolololol XDD

Ol-j-man

 

[medigel]

So she wanted to start this off with a bang? Very well then!

Clawed toes dug into the ground as the chieftain launched herself, and Shik squared his shoulders in time to catch his opponent's arms with outstretched nails. It was almost familiar, like the time he had given her a deadly embrace in mid-air: digging his nails into her forearms and using her momentum, Shik turned on his heel and swung Shaheen around. He did not let go just yet, instead allowing his grip to slacken just enough that the nails carved a short path downward.

On the second turn she was flung away from their brief dance, and Shik assumed his initial position again as if it had never been disturbed, the only change being then drops of blood under his claws. "Is that how you approached the Hunter?" he asked, snorting.


HP: 40
Damage: 6

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

He grabbed for her arms, and she let him do it, not pulling back. She didn't blame him, really, for pulling the maneuver he did. For dragging his claws unnecessarily down her arms, drawing blood from deep furrows, causing her pain, giving her a distraction from her troubled thoughts, bringing her into the here and now.

The smell of her own blood, freshly spilled, as he threw her away. She spun in the air, wings unfolding, warm droplets of red sailing through the air, splattering the ground, some of it perhaps even hitting Shik himself. In an incredible maneuver of aerial grace, once her back was towards Shik, she arched up, leaned back, flipped through the air and spun so that she was diving at him yet again, this time with more force behind her as she tucked her wings behind and let herself drop like a stone towards him. A strike down from the sky above. Her specialty, really, considering it was one of the most common battle tactics used among the warriors, of which she had been before being raised to chieftain. As she flew down towards him she stretched her arms out once more, attempting to grab him around his neck and swing in to him from behind. If successful, she'd wrap his legs around his waist, her arms around his neck in a headlock, and then pull back to cut off his air supply. Possibly just to stop him talking. He really needed to stop talking.


HP: 44
Damage: 5

Ol-j-man

oh god the title. also, please excuse my BS fighting skillz XD

 

[medigel]

Several drops indeed splattered on him during her exit, and te second they did Shik was struck with the strongest notion that he needed /more/. More blood, more action, more...something. Everything. And he knew how to get it too. All solutions pointed towards ruffling Shaheen's feathers further.

Maybe tear out a few while he was at it.

Freedom was something that defined Shikoba: unfettered by others' opinions or rules, living as he saw fit. Yet here she was threatening to bring him to heel just because he wasn't strictly under her control. As the chieftain dove, he bared his teeth and braced himself for impact, defiant right up to the crash.

Again he was forcibly reminded of the less than graceful lmadimg from their last fight, though it was obvious this time Shaheen was prepared. Shik's growls were cut off as pressure coiled around his neck, and immediately the horseman began to buck, struggling to break her hold with lashing limbs.

HP: 35
Damage: 2

Seussi

gotta love prelunch bursts of titular inspiration X3

 

[Seussi]

The success of being able to latch ahold of him, her body pressed up tight against the back of his as she coiled her arm ever tighter against his throat brought with it a sweet sense of satisfaction. She was the one in control here, not him. She was the one who was going to come out on top this time.

Most of all, she was just glad for some silence for a moment, though she could have done without the bucking and flailing around. At one point when she was thrown a little bit off of her balance, her face smacked into the back of his head, filling her mouth with a metallic taste of blood which she spat out on the ground, her upper lip curling back as she readjusted herself, wrapped her legs around him tighter, squeezed on his throat just a little bit harder before leaning forward to hiss into his ear.

"Just submit." That was it. Nothing else was really worth saying. This was like a clash of the titans, so to speak. A long over due battle for dominance between the two of them. One that she felt like she needed to win.

HP:42
Damage:2

Ol-j-man

phone taggin

 

[medigel]

The indignant anger roiling through him now would have made Shik quite the chatterbox if he hadn't been compromised. As it was, a strangled, feral growl rumbled from his throat and chest as he fought for air, ineffectually trying to lean his chin down to bite at his fleshy restraints.

Silenced he might be, but by no means subdued. Again he bucked, his wings fighting to push her off.

He was insulted, Shaheen. Hugs were no way to stir up a surrender.

HP: 33
Damage: nope

Seussi

never not phone tags

 

[Seussi]

She continued to cling on, anticipating his movements and shifting her weight accordingly with each one. She wondered how long he could continue on like this, and was actually getting some kind of sick pleasure in trying to work out in her had just how much time would pass before he collapsed face first into the ground. Still, where was the fun in that? She suddenly felt like this was a bit of cheap victory, though he was giving her a bit of a bumpy ride for it.

Suddenly, again, her dagger was in her hand, and she shifted it slightly so that the flat of the blade was pressed up beneath Shik's chin, the tip of it nicking against his flesh. She had spilled none of his blood yet, and that was a bit of a shame, really. "Stop." She growled as he continued to buck beneath her, threatening to toss her off. But even as she said it, she felt the movement of his wings, and she knew what he was going to do next. As his wings pushed against her, she lowered her hand that held the dagger so that the blade rested against the flesh beneath his chest, nearer to his solar plexus, and unwound her legs from around him, kicking out to the back of his legs as she pushed herself back and away from him, dragging the dagger up as she went, intent on cutting a deep wound through his flesh. She let his wings push her back, and she stumbled backwards a couple of steps when she hit the ground, but her wings quickly opened to give her balance once more and she maneuvered herself into a defensive position, blade held at the ready for what she assumed was to be against an oncoming storm of executioner fury.


HP: 42
Damage: 7

Ol-j-man

home again home again~

 

[medigel]

Life-threatening actions were not new to Shik, certainly not in a spar. War horsemen had a tendency to take them quite seriously after all, and nothing was more serious than trying to actively kill one's opponent. Yet in spite of this, a small chill went down his spine as the dagger was pressed against his throat; it had been a long while since he'd been put in such a compromising position, much less by his kith. She was being very serious about this beyond even regular standards.

Briefly, very briefly, he considered actually obeying Shaheen's order.

But then the dagger was moved, and all thoughts of doing so were swept away and replaced once more by the anger-fueled instinct to survive, tinged with something extra he couldn't quite place. Resentment for ruining what was supposed to be a good day over something he considered stupid? No, that was obvious. Something more subtle was working its way through Shik, making his blood boil more and more.

That was the key word here: more.

The deep wound carved into his chest was like the gunshot signaling the race, for almost immediately after Shaheen retreated back he whipped about and gave chase as expected. Battle had always been a place where Shik could put mind over matter, and though it was harder to breathe he did not stop to heal himself like he normally would have. Healing would only show weakness: Shaheen's FEAR was stronger now he knew, but it did not sway his decision. He would take whatever she dished out and not let another howl escape him for her pleasure.

Shik was, for all intents and purposes, a wounded animal. Surrender was the very last thing on his mind as he bound after the chieftain, the claws of one hand shooting out towards the nearest arm.

HP: 26
Damage: 4  

[Seussi]

Defensive position or not. Knowing that Shik was going to be pissed and was going to come after her with a horrible vengeance or not. Shaheen couldn't stop staring at the wound she'd made on his chest. It was still exciting, yes, and it helped to feed her earlier satisfaction to see what she was still able to accomplish. She was proving to herself that she still had what it took to be ruthless when she needed to, and that she was still strong. Was it all because of what they had just gone through with the siege, and then afterwards in the lair? Was that all it had taken to make her more like her old self?

But no, something was still wrong. It was exciting, but it wasn't as much so as it should have been. It didn't provide nearly as much pleasure as it should have. He was bounding towards her, and she felt something almost like sadness deep within her gut. She hadn't wanted to fight. Not really. Something inside of her kept spurring her to do so, however. Something made her want to lash out at the executioner more and more, her anger at him almost overwhelming at times, and she couldn't quite explain why.

Still, she let none of this show on her face, only straightened up from her crouched position, only let him grab a hold of her arm and pull her in close, her amber eyes practically burning with animosity as she looked up at him, staring into his eyes, her free hand coming out to place lightly against the wound on his chest, not trying to hurt him. Not yet, at least. She needed to wait and see what he would do first.


HP: 38
Damage: naaaaaahhhh  

[medigel]

There, yes, yes. She was not going to escape him now. Vengeance! Retaliation for daring to try and imprison him, for daring to think for one second that he would yield just because she ordered him to. He bowed to no-one, and he would make sure she'd rue her choice to let him free with only this pitiful scratch, firstly by following the maxim "an eye for an eye", then following up with more bloodshed, so much more beautiful red to paint with, more -

But his grisly thoughts shrieked to a stop at that one touch, if nothing else because it was unexpectedly gentle. Shaheen had been trained a warrior, she knew exacerbating his open wound would have been so easy a youngling could have done it. So what was she doing . . . ?

He met her gaze without blinking, traces of that anger still souring his countenance. Anger that she did not take advantage of the battle turning in her favor, anger that one simple action could give him such pause, and even more inexplicable anger that simmered beneath, threatening to boil over and destroy this lull in battle. But that brief moment of hesitation gave him just enough clarity of mind to reel himself in, and rather than score Shaheen further he brutishly pushed her away, taking an extra step back as well.

This had to be some sort of tactic. A trick to confuse him. "Are you done already?" Shik growled in a low voice, assuming his own defensive position and turning his body so that the chest wound was less of an open target.


HP: 26
Damage: mega herp