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Aesir was talking to the head priestess and giving his favorite daughter a stern talking to. She had begun to experience birthing pains a few hours before and yet she insisted on being present to watch him fight Njal. He had assured her that she would have plenty of opportunities in the future to see him defend his position, but Kazul could be a very stubborn lioness. In the end, Aesir had run out of time for argument and had simply ordered her as her father and as the Warlord of the Stormborn to stay away and have her cubs in safety and comfort.

It didn't bother him that he was arriving a little bit late to the challenge. It wasn't as if he could get away with ignoring it, no matter how little Njal impressed him as a warrior. This was, of course, more than Njal making a power play, and Aesir knew it, so even if he won this battle, there would likely be others to come. However, Njal was the one who had actually issued the challenge, and so today it was Njal Aesir would fight.

"Njal."

There was nothing else he felt it necessary to say. It was a good day to die, he thought philosophically as he arrived. He hoped Njal felt the same.

Hethur was here to witness the fight - a fight which might one day be retold in song! Although not officially allowed to be called a bard, that didn't stop her and others from showcasing their entertainment talents! Of course, fond images of the aging Gala came to mind at the very thought, and she smiled, rather smugly.

She watch from up high, laying with her front paws dangling just slightly. She didn't know who would come out on top, but that made things all the more entertaining. It was dreadfully boring to sit and watch a match when you knew the outcome already, after all!

News had spread fast. Bousvor contemplated this duel. A reaver challenging the warlord. While he knew this could happen, he never expected it. If Njal won, he would become warlord and decide what he was going to do to Aesir; but if Aesir won, Bousvor wasn't sure what would happen to the reaver. This was certainly something he needed to watch.

So he had settled himself at the appointed time in a decent spot. He excelled at this. Watching and observing; the tawny male kept his ears open too. He wanted to know what the others coming to watch were saying. Who they were hoping would win if either? His front paws crossed as green eyes watched Njal until Aesir finally showed up.

Aesir was glad that this would, apparently be dealt with as coolly and rationally as was possible. There was a place for epithets and threats in a raid or in a holmgang, but this was neither. This was a challenge between warriors to determine which of them was better fit to lead. There was no need for enmity. Whatever the outcome, it would be for the good of the pride. Especially since Aesir planned to win.

Aesir didn't flinch away from Njal's charge, but that didn't mean he didn't take measures to protect his face. That was, after all, where his eyes were located, as well as his nose and tongue. More importantly, though, that was also where his teeth were located, and Aesir had other plans for his teeth beyond having them knocked out by an ambitious reaver. He planned to sink them into that reaver's flesh.

When Njal got close enough, Aesir brought his paws up to swipe at him. He, too, was aiming for the face, but he'd settle for just keeping claws out of his own face at the moment.

Torbjörn sat still like a statue, watching the Warlord and the challenger. He had picked a prime location to get a good view of the fighting ground, and because of his status as a Lawspeaker he didn't have to do more than glare at the lion that had occupied the space when he arrived. Perks of the job. The other Lawspeakers would be there too, but he hadn't managed to pick them all out in the crowd. For the other challenges of Breytast Vindar there were usually only one (or sometimes none) Lawspeaker present, but this challenge would have a lasting impact on the pride and there could be no accusations of foul play later. They were there as neutral observers, and would make sure that everyone would know how this had played out, whatever the outcome.

The Lawspeaker disliked change, and was secretly rooting for the current Warlord. He would deal with whatever happened, of course, but he was happiest when things moved on as they always had. Torbjörn was a very serious lion when it came to his job, however, and his face showed no signs of his feelings.

Finna was late, as usual, but she hadn't been trying to be. She had waited for her friend, unable to watch the spectacle alone. Her heart was thudding like wild in her chest, terrified for what could happen should Aesir lose. She gulped, and looked towards Canicah who was now at her side.

Her gleaming blue eyes hid any sort of fear she was feeling, and she scanned the crowd for a place to view the fight. She saw her brother, and smiled for a brief minute.

"Come this way, " she said to her little red friend as she started pushing her way through the crowd. It took a few pushes, some bites, and some well placed claws between the two girls, but they made it to Burzum relatively quickly.

She didn't say anything to her brother as she took a seat next to him. Njal was already attacking, and Finna was doing everything she could to keep her heart from beating out of her chest.



Canicah was nervous, though maybe even moreso than her friend. She wasn't sure why, but she felt so much dread for Finna. She hadn't told her friend that though. No she wasn't sure why she felt this way, but Finna didn't need to worry about it. She would just tell Canicah that she was too paranoid. And maybe she was, but she certainly didn't feel comfortable.

She took a place next to Canicah, not looking at her brother Burzum, as she felt this a silly time for introductions. She was here to be here for her friend. Though she hoped momma wouldn't be too upset that she was away. Momma liked her, and treated her differently than her other siblings. She wondered if it was because of the weird dreams she had been having..




Erykk, like Burzum, had made it to this spot earlier on. He liked fights, and he found that the idea of Njal fighting Aesir too great a fight to resist. The male watched Finna as she pushed her way past, and he wasn't planning on moving out of the way for her. But a bite to his paw made him flinch and she had managed to slip through. Little red friend and all. He growled a little, narrowing his eyes though he said nothing. He felt this was too good a time to worry about who sat where.

He'd yell at her later though, if he got the chance. Unlike Burzum, when Njal attacked, Erykk grinned. He almost wanted to stand in the excitement, wanting to cheer and yell to the other sides. Though he had more control over himself than that.

Njal wasn't a fancy lion. He had never been. He wouldn't rely on very creative strategies for this fight, having always succeeded base don sheer stubbornness and strength. Simply put, to Njal the best defense was more offense. So when Aesir managed to avoid the brunt of his attack to counter, rather than try to get out of reach by backing off of dodging to the side the way common sense dictated, he just kept on going through his opponent's paws, receiving a glancing blow to the side of his head in the process. His only precaution had been laying his ears so they wouldn't be ripped to shreds.

He reared slightly and pushed forward with his hind legs, front paws extended and claws ready to grab on to his opponent. Either he and Aesir would end up locked together and face to face, or he would pin the Warlord down. His lack of caution meant he wouldn't come out of this unscathed, but Njal hoped this ended up worse for Aesir than it did for him.