[Duel] Second Chance

[Mimsey]

Yevir was not enjoying his time at the southern garrison.

This entire desert was hot, miserable, and regrettable. As far as he could tell there was literally nothing here that could be considered redeemable. He assumed this pride must have trees somewhere- but he doubted they were little more than scrub by the look of it. All the men were brutes and the women amazons.

No wonder Kira liked it here.

Unfortunately that left him in the unfortunate predicament of having to 'earn' his place for a pride he couldn't find a reason to care much for. He supposed his friend was right that the nergui would have trouble trying to siege the place- but what comfort was that? They managed to find the one place even the nergui turned their noses up at!

But still, Yevir was loyal. This was their second chance, and unless he wanted a third chance without her he'd have to find some way to at least appear like he wanted to be here.

Still sore from his last losing duel, Yevir climbed up onto one of the large boulders that lined the path towards the outpost. He sucked in a breath of hot air and puffed out his chest. Hopefully, inviting some fool or another to challenge him.

...hopefully one of the smaller ones....

 

[Painted Moose]

The stifling heat emanating from her dark fur had long ago become another fact of life. Had Adenah been born with a lighter coat like her brother she would be burned, so to her the forced panting was well worth it in the end. Better to look ridiculously out of shape than to be so pink one couldn't move.

By pride standards she was...small. Very small, and lacked a lot of the fire that made up her parents. What she lacked in brute strength, however, she more than made up for with battle time tactics and strategies; the very same which had become fatal flaws in her more recent defeats. It had caused her to not only pour herself into her training, but to also focus on the physicality of it all. Adenah had put on muscle, and she hoped to see it bring her success.

Before she spotted the lone male she had been thinking of her father, whom she assumed would be at the outpost. Adenah had been thinking of how she would approach discussions of the recent events, and other more...personal matters, as well. Such as the half-sister she didn't know making her way into the pride, and her recent interactions with that of the male sex.

Ah, but this one, he poised, wasn't he? "If you're looking to become carrion, I suggest turning south. That is, if you wish for the vultures to find your dehydrated, burned corpse sometime this season." How could he even stand it- sitting up there...waiting...

Mimsey

If you don't get quotes, and/or don't want them, I'll make sure to keep them out. This is just the easiest way I know to let you know you have a tag. c:

 

[Mimsey]

Painted Moose

Yevir crinkled his nose indignantly. He didn't like having to explain himself. Wasn't it they who had invented the system, after all? But while it was easy to muster out a retort, he hesitated. This one was smaller than the other firekin he'd run into. He might even be able to best her.

"I'm looking for a duel, my lady," he said. Despite his internal rancor, he was rather good at at least sounding sincere. It wasn't personal- these desert lions were just crazy. Anyone who sat out in the sun for so long was liable to come up with these bizarre procedures.

"My friend entered the pride a few weeks ago. I have been trying my luck with some of the fighters." Trying his luck and failing. It wasn't just Tarsa he'd lost to. The heat added onto that. "You are...off to the southern garrison?"

Some of the more brutish warriors came down here to beat up rogues. Or so Tarsa had told him when he bashed his face in for the second time. He had a suspicion this one might have been different- but perhaps he could still get an opportunity to best her.  

[Painted Moose]

Mimsey

"My lady?" She snorted, raising an indignant eyebrow. The last lion to speak such "kind" words to her had been when they were pounding her head in the sand. Adenah's paws hesitated for the briefest of moments, pondering on the possibility of leaving him to turn to ash in the sun, but she decided to humor him.

"I was, before I was interrupted to join in pleasantries with you." Adenah smiled her best, but couldn't hide the sarcasm. Maybe the heat really was getting to her today. She had been out longer during the sun's crest than she had originally intended. "I am in search of my father, who usually comes to the southern garrison to...meet with rogues." Meet, beat, or..."treat", should it be female. Xennek didn't seem to mind one way or the other.

"However, if it's a duel you're after I can accommodate you. Step down from your perch, and show me your best."  

[Mimsey]

Painted Moose

Yevir's ears flattened. The tone of her voice, the mention of a father, and her final acceptance to the duel somehow gave him the sense that he miight have made a bad call in this. Why couldn't they simply act like normal lions!

Attempting not to huff as he scrabbled his way down the rock, he did his best to try and consider the best way to approach this fight. The last few had not ended well. Male, female, it didn't matter. All of them had superior training. What would Kira do?

He grimaced. She'd probably try to headbutt the lioness. "Ah..." he shuffled. "I thank you for agreeing to this duel." He had a feeling polite mannerisms might be lost upon this people in general. Maybe it would be in his favor if he actually cooked himself out here.

Spinning awkwardly in a circle, the male finally charged her. Not quite attacking yet...but, at least he was headed in the right direction.  

[Painted Moose]

She hoped he gave her a good challenge! So far the only outsiders looking to move in that seemed to fight were in her family line, and Adenah was damn well proud of it. If she could manage to snuff out his flame before it happened she might feel a little, but damn if she didn't need a pick me up after all those defeats!

Adenah did her best not to mock bow, trying to remember that she did have manners stuffed away in her brain. She maneauvered herself into a battle ready stance; front body lowered to the ground, rear raised and golden eyes quick to watch his movements.

Those moves were beyond...odd. What in the world was the circle for? Was it something a past pride had taught him? No matter, it wouldn't deter her. Adenah moved in and proved to eager when she swiped a paw that was far from close to his body.

Mimsey

 

[Mimsey]

Painted Moose

Yevir somehow managed to dodge the attack, but his followup was no better. His paws slipped clumsily on the sand. That, coupled with his untrained flailing was not a recipe for impressing anyone. He was starting to get the feeling it would be nearly impossible to convince these fellows that he wanted to be here.

Even if he didn't.

Grumbling to himself he retreated back, trying to compose himself. He would have to do something else to secure a victory. A charge, a slide of a claw. Something. He snorted.

"I suppose they really do train all of you," he mumbled regretfully. Keeping his distance, he attempted to judge the next move she would launch towards him. Hopefully it wouldn't be too severe a strike.  

[Painted Moose]

Mimsey

Adenah wasn't anymore on her game now than she had been in the past. The drive was there, but now it was more of a testing. She wanted to see what kind of spunk he would throw her way. So far it hadn't proved to be much, but she wasn't one to criticize, especially when she couldn't even land a hit.

She kept her distance, dancing in and out to get a read on him. It was a comfort she was starting to realize that most of her usual opponents had a synchronized style, but outsiders couldn't be trusted to follow that train of thought. "What good is a medic who cannot protect his patients?" Adenah grunted, shifting her paws as she ran in once again. "Or a cubsitter who can't save a cub? Even the Huria are strong, and you...you'll need more than this to get in."  

[Mimsey]

Yevir's ears flattened. Hearing her words, he couldn't help but admit that there was some truth to them. After what had become of his own pride, how could he not? But it still felt...it felt like madness. The desert, the burning sun, all these spars just to live in a place no sane person would ever choose...

He tried to pounce on her, but unfortunately he over shot and landed in a heap on the sands. Without direction from his friend Kira, or the others in his old group, he simply didn't understand how this ritualized combat went. He wiped some sand from his mouth and hopped that the entire thing hadn't seemed too intolerable.

"There's merit," he admitted.

I still think you're all crazy.

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

Total - 5
3/5 Attacks

Adenah's heart burned just watching him. Her words didn't seem to be clicking as they should. Where was the passion for the fight, the love of the duel? Even she, who held only a tiny spark of a flame, reveled in the physicality of it all.

She moved away from him, shielding her eyes against the sand cloud produced by his..graceful descent. "Stand up, and put an effort into your approach! You want to be here, don't you? You said you were here for a friend; what would your friend say if they saw you now?" Adenah chastised, stepping to get in close to his flank. "Do you think they would be proud of the way you flop around like a dying snake?"

Merit. What did he know of it? She'd never seen someone so unaffected by a duel in her entire life! There was no merit in his method at all! "Do you even want to join?"

Mimsey

 

[Mimsey]

Yevir frowned, his 'attack' cut premature by her words. He used that moment to try and expel some heat. "I don't have a choice," he said curtly. Was that such a difficult concept for these lions to grasp? They seemed to obsess about honor well enough. Of course he didn't want to be here. He wanted to be home. But that place didn't exist anymore. "I can either be alone, or I can be here."

He funneled some of his annoyance into his next charge. Miraculously, his paw seemed to connect with her hip. A seasoned warrior would have followed the attack with another. Instead Yevir hesitated.

"Haven't you ever done something you didn't want to do?" he panted. "You do it anyways because its the right thing to do. Or the honorable thing to do. Or because you just don't have another option."

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

4/5
Total - 6
"You always have a choice," Adenah grunted. Maneuvering in this heat was becoming more taxing by the moment. She would have to end this quick. "You shouldn't be in a place you don't want to be, regardless of whether you're alone or not! Why should we take you, if you won't stand on your own?"

The thwack to her hip brought Adenah to a stand still as she tried to keep her balance. She swung out to hit before he passed, but sadly she missed, once again. Even though she may have been a failure in the eyes of her brothers, she wouldn't be taken down so easily, as this male would soon find out.

"Everyone does, it's called life," She wheezed, panting for a deeper breath, careful of her sore flank. "I don't fight for honor or strength or anything like that; I fight because I need to in order to survive. If I felt like I wasn't good enough, or lacked spirit, I would have saved my pride the effort of fixing that by leaving long ago. If you can't put your mind on what must be done, and give it your all, you're better off in the desert.."

Mimsey

 

[Mimsey]

The first thought that flooded through Yevir's mind was that she- and by extension, firekin in general, couldn't possibly understand what it meant to be backed into a corner. How could they, with their pride and their security? Even in the face of other prides that might rise against them?

But at the same time, he would have to make the concession that there actually was something here to shield them from that in the first place. It was this thought, self aggrandizing or not, that brought him pause. He stared at his paws and pulsed his tail quietly. "I disagree. But, here I am willing to let myself be scorched by the sun and beat up by brutes like you with no end in sight."

He crinkled his muzzle as he funneled his agitation into another attack. It missed, his claws singing impotently through the air. "I may not like the decision in front of me, but that doesn't mean I don't intend to go through with it. I am sincere, at least, about that."

Painted Moose

 

[Painted Moose]

5/5
Total - 7
Congrats Yevir! You're stuck here haha.

He knew nothing. Adenah couldn't believe that one in this position would be so far from everything she had come to consider truth, and yet, here he was. She had never wanted to shake a lion more, and that worried her. "If you have time to complain about the sun, and place judgement on others, then you have time to train." This male spoke more than the Historians she knew, though his tone never changed. It was the same message; a message she herself did not understand.

Adenah snorted, sweeping her paws around in the sand to gain a better angle, but she was getting weary. Weary of the fight, and of this male. When her paw sailed this time it was to a distant shore, far away from the targeted fur. "At least you have some conviction, then. Hopefully some time in our ranks will help bolster that." She placed her paw back on the ground, panting from the exertion. "While not a fight to be proud of, you did make a hit where I did not, so you've technically beat me." Though she sounded less than pleased about it.

This was supposed to be the fight that turned her luck around, and instead, this was her fourth lose in one moon cycle!

Mimsey

 

[Mimsey]

He won.

Well, technically. He supposed he couldn't ask for more. He'd take that technicality, and he'd take it right to Kira's face. Doomed to live here, but not alone. And that was all that mattered. Maybe these firekin couldn't understand. But he did.

Unfortunately, while pleased with himself he seemed no more outwardly pleased than he had been at the start of the duel. He took a slow breath of hot air, thanking his stars that he wouldn't need to subject himself to another beating in the near future. "Perhaps," he admitted. "Maybe enough time in the heat and I'll be as mad as any of you."

While it was tempting to continue immediately back to the pride, he decided he'd escape the heat back at the southern garrison. There would be time to bide now, and to plan. He nodded his head at the female. "Thank you," he said. And while he thought her just as mad as the others, he did mean it. "I am Yevir."

And with that, he began his trek back to the garrison.

Painted Moose

Yevir: