[VIKING] Better Late Than Never (Sebor x Ulfric)

[SilverLutz]

Sebor had thought this day would never come. She had been with the Stormborn for quite some time now and had a litter of adolescent cubs to show for it. In her time with the pride, though, she had seen quite a few changes wash over the lions, from ideas to leaders. Granted, the two sort of went paw in paw: the will of the Warlord was the will of the pride. Thankfully the current Warlord had a reasonable view on females and how they should be treated, and she could go on her Viking without a fuss.

The fact that she had found someone so easily made things much better for her as well. Her previous companion, Asban, had been open minded in a very round-about way. Sebor was glad for his friendship, but knew that it was mostly because of her persistence that they even spoke to one another. Ulfric was a new face for her, but his physical stature and mind to match were more than enough to impress her and assure her that this was the lion she wished to go Viking with.

They had been gone a few days already, traveling slowly so as not to miss anything and to make their approach to...well...wherever they were going unnoticed. Sebor had never traveled this close to the shore before, but Ulfric obviously knew his way around the rougelands that surrounded the Stormborn lands. She had only come here in search of the pride, and as she hadn't been outside of it since she had been a rouge, this was all very new to her.

"Where is it we're heading?" she asked finally, curiosity flowing over. She had refrained from asking before, assuming they'd make it there within a day or two, but now that the sun had risen and set four time she was beginning to wonder just how long they'd be gone on this journey.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"I am not certain," Ulfric said, looking at her. He had an easy nature about him, after the few days they had been out together. He had relaxed around her, at least enough to be conversational and not completely shut off from her. He was fine with companionship, and once she proved her strength, he was sure he would regard her as a friend as much as an ally.

In truth, he was hoping to get a lot out of this excursion as well, and was not just doing it to help her.

"I remember that there was a pride this way that did not seem too well guarded: we could easily raid at the borders, and perhaps get you to prove..."

His words trailed off as he saw a shadow move over the land. He looked up at the sky and saw a figure retreating in the distance, flying over them and passing by without noticing. His plans immediately changed, and he looked at her.

"Follow me. We are going after that shadow. If it is what I thought it was, we will have a prize far greater than anything a pride has to offer. I believe that was a God." He was already running, calling to her as he did, knowing she would be able to keep pace.  

[SilverLutz]

Sebor nodded a bit as Ulfric spoke. A pride was what she had figured they'd be heading to, although she had no idea what other prides were around here. There was lots of talk of a pride of pirates that were the sworn enemies of the Stormborn, but she was pretty sure they were in the other direction.

The sudden change in Ulfric's demeanor made her fur stand on end along her spine. The shadow that crossed over them made her wonder just what it was they were suddenly chasing, but the other lion gave her the answer before she even thought of it. A god?

Keeping pace with Ulfric, letting him lead just a bit, her mind darted back to the only other god she'd ever met. Talfrid had been very kind, and she wasn't sure she'd want to attack a god like that. She didn't want to hurt or steal from anyone that didn't deserve it, but at the same time she knew there were some not very nice gods out there. All she could do was cross her toes and hope that this would be one of them.

"You think a god would succumb to two mortals?" she asked a bit dryly as they ran. "And are you sure it's not just a large vulture?"

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

"I have met a God before, and it only survived because it flew away. I ripped a feather from its wings. I know that with some proper help, we might be able to take one down. Are the Stormborn not descended from the Gods? This should be a point of pride for them. I am not of their blood, but I want them to know my name."

His blood would become a part of the pride's, in due time. He was always looking to expand his blood line and train hardy lions to follow his example. He had not gotten around to it just yet, but it was on his long list of things to do while establishing himself.

Right now, though, the God had his attention.

"This way," he said, running where he saw the shadow fly. He spotted the God in the sky again, lower, and thought that it was going to land for sure. He slowed when they got closer, spotting the God as it came down to the ground. He saw that it was a female, not the same male he had met before. She did not have feathery wings, but she was adorned in trinkets of bone and stone, and she looked perfectly wicked. Something in the air shifted, and he did not get a particularly comforting sense from her.

He growled lowly, looking at Sebor and nodded his head toward the goddess. He motioned with one paw for her to go around the other side, since they were away from the wind and would not be noticed right away, if they were careful. He would go around the other side, and they would flank the lioness.  

[SilverLutz]

"I've met a god before, too," Sebor said as she ran quietly beside the large male. From the sound of it, though, they'd met different gods. Talfrid didn't have wings, after all, and the meetings had certainly gone very differently. Sebor had nothing against gods, but Talfrid was the only one she'd met, and he had been exceptionally kind. She knew that there must be gods out there that weren't very nice, just as there were lions that weren't very nice.

The one that they were following didn't seem to be very nice, just from the look and air about her. She had leathery wings and a wicked look on her face. The curved horns on her head and unsheathed claws were more red flags. Whatever she was the goddess of, it wasn't something as nice as Chivalry.

She nodded as Ulfric gave the sign to split up. She took the side he didn't go to, staying low to the ground as she crept up behind and beside her. There were lots of little trinkets on the much larger female and she wondered if they had any magical powers. Probably not...they looked like ordinary bone and stone. Still, it would be nice to wear one of those items on her body somewhere. It would be a nice prize from her first Viking, that much was for sure.

Getting into position behind a rock, she peered around the edge, waiting for Ulfric's signal.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

The Goddess was oblivious to their advances. She did not smell them and, really, she had no reason to fear mortals. She loved to play with them, to see them in strife. They were always so busy fighting each other that she hardly concerned herself with them. What threat could they be to her when they couldn't even get along?

Mortals had no idea what they were doing, and she found them laughable.

So she had no idea what to expect until it was really too late to react beyond defensively. Ulfric gave a nod and moved, charging forward and attacking low, to sweep the Goddess's legs out from under her, while he assumed his companion would go high to make sure the Goddess did not fly away from them. Ulfric latched his teeth into one of her legs as he slammed into her and she let out a cry of fury more than anything else.

"Who dares attack the Goddess of Villainy?!" She yelled, pitching backwards to rear up onto her back feet and maybe get a vantage to attack the male that was biting her.  

[SilverLutz]

Sebor waited for Ulfric and, once he dashed out, came out of her hiding spot. She ran a few paces slower than the male so he could make the first attack and throw the goddess off her guard, which worked perfectly. She reared up just in time for Sebor to pounce, landing square on her shoulders to send her crashing into the ground.

She had to be mindful of the horns and was quick to kick at the wings with her hind legs as she bit down on whatever she could find, neck, shoulder, she wasn't too sure. They were a tangled mess of bodies at the moment and all she could focus on was not losing an eye to the horns and making sure the goddess couldn't get airborn right away. They needed a trinket, after all!

She tried to aim her bites and scratches at the decorations on the goddess' neck, and only then did the words she had roared reach her ears: the goddess of villainy. Oh, that was rather ironic.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

The Goddess was furious, to say the least. She had never suffered an attack like this, not even in her home pride of the Tokakinji, where she was waging a war. She was shocked and enraged that some random mortals would deign to attack her, knowing that no one from the pride would be out here, or fool enough to try.

This had to be some smart idea a tough lion had, and now there were two of them in the mix. This would not stand.

Ulfric felt Afriti jerk as another weight slammed onto her back. The whole group of lions went tumbling, and the Reaver managed to pull off one of the goddess' bracelets as they tumbled, holding it in his mouth as well as a chunk of her flesh.

Afriti not only lost that bracelet, but the necklace she bore as well. She did not care about them, though, spreading her mighty wings and flapping them to free herself from the assault. She was bleeding but her reaction to the attack was not to run, not right away. No, it was to fight back. The mighty lioness charged at Sebor, since she was closer and easier to target at the moment, swinging a clawed, large paw for her flank. Ulfric moved to defend, putting himself between her and the claws and getting his side ripped open for his trouble. Afriti did not stop though, letting him fall and attacking Sebor again.  

[SilverLutz]

Sebor found herself tumbling to the ground as the goddess shifted under her, breaking free of the hold she and Ulfric had on her. She got to her feet and turned to look up, blinded for a moment by the sun. She snarled in irritation at not being able to see her attacker, and at the last possible moment saw the huge lioness charging towards her. Ulfric, thankfully, was there to stop the blow. It surely would have maimed, if not killed her. As it was the Reaver had his side slashed open by a huge paw, and the goddess pressed on towards her.

This time Sebor wasn't looking into the sun and could see the attack coming head on. She lowered her head, teeth bared in a snarl, and charged forward to meet the goddess. She felt a burning sensation along her right front leg where powerful claws met her, but she ignored it in favor of sinking her teeth where neck and body met. There had once been a necklace there, but it had been bitten off already by a prior attack. The goddess was already bloody and bitten from above, but now Sebor had a better grip in a more tender place. She wasn't sure if a cut jugular could kill a goddess, but she hoped it would at least put some sense of urgency to get away rather than stay and fight.

She wasn't out to kill, though. That wasn't what she was about. She would be happy with the trinket on the ground a few paces away, bloody and perfect for her new title of Reaver. It was just a matter of not being killed by Afriti.

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

Afriti had few choices available to her, and with the two lions attacking her so viciously, she was not inclined to stay. She was villainous, but not particularly violent or strong unless forced. Though she was confident in her abilities, she had been blindsided, and her real strengths rested in her ability to plot and be devious.

The bite to her neck was the last straw. She used her surprisingly powerful wings to attack Sebor, batting her away while bucking wildly to free herself. She beat her wings and took off from the ground, managing to free herself without ripping her own throat open.

"I will not forget either of you! Do not think this is over!" She snarled, as she flew away, blood dripping down to earth below her.

Ulfric pushed himself to his feet, watching the Goddess as she fled, grinning despite the fact that he was bleeding heavily from his side. He bent his head to pick up the necklace Sebor had ripped off, leaving his own bracelet on the floor for a moment as he slowly walked over to her and offered it to her.

"A worthy trophy for a Reaver," he said, though his voice was a bit muffled by the item he was holding. She had fought hard, and earned his respect. He was all too glad to see her advance in the pride, and grow in strength.  

[SilverLutz]

Leathery wings smacked Sebor on her shoulders and that, combined with the bucking, tossed her off. She landed on her side but got up quickly, ignoring the aching where the wings had hit her. Surprisingly powerful...she would have thought they wouldn't be as strong as a feathered wing since they were a bit skimpy. Still, they had to carry that goddess around. She squinted up as the goddess flew off, leaving a little trail of blood in her wake.

"Well. Looks like we made a friend," she commented, more to herself than to Ulfric. She turned to look at the male, frowning deeply at the injury he had sustained. She was bleeding as well, but not nearly as badly as he was. Thankfully there was no bone peeking through the bloody mess of his side, so at least she knew he could be patched up. He didn't even seem to notice it!

Turning her attention to the necklace hanging from Ulfric's mouth, Sebor stepped forward to slide her head under the broken strand of what looked like teeth and claws. She'd have to have someone fix it back in the pride, and she wondered if she could get a few decorations out of it rather than one necklace. Perhaps a tail cuff and a bracelet, and a few things to hang from her ears...she knew it would be far too big to serve as a necklace for herself unless she wanted it bumping against her paws every time she took a step.

"Thank you," she added, looking up at Ulfric with a small smile. That was it, then. When they went back she'd be a Reaver, and Ulfric's eyes were witness to what she had done. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly proud of herself. It had taken a while, but finally her goal had been realized.

"And that one will be a nice addition to your own pile of treasures," she added, motioning back to the bracelet that lay where the goddess had taken flight. "We should get you back to the pride, though. That wound could turn nasty if left alone."

Lithiasaur

 

[Lithiasaur]

SilverLutz

I think FIN from me!

"Yes, we both need a bit of patching up, I think, after this one. But it was well worth it."

He chuckled, though he was not given to laughter. It was a good hunt, and he always had a natural high that come from the thrill of it, after the fact. He knew he could have easily been killed, but neither of them had been and they got trophies for their troubles. One very angry goddess vowing revenge, but things like that did not worry him.

But then, he had never had an eternal creature angry at him before.

He collected his bracelet, not sure what he might turn it into, to better suit a male lion of his stature, but he was sure someone in the pride had the skills to help him. He walked slowly, nodding at her to come along with him, though he would need to rest somewhere before night came. They would make it back to the pride the next day, probably.

But it had been a worthy hunt, with a worthy new Reaver. A small injury was not going to bother him, in the scheme of things.  

[SilverLutz]

"I'll say," Sebor said as she fiddled with the prize she had won before following Ulfric. This seemed to be a common theme with her two excursions out into the rouge lands: go out with a single male, happy and content, return beaten and bruised and bloodied. She didn't mind getting into a fight, but she hoped that her further adventures wouldn't involve so much bloodshed on the Stormborn's part.

"If you need to rest, let me know," she said, content to go his pace. They'd have a long journey ahead of them, but it was better to be safe than sorry and push his luck. They walked off in the direction of home, already recounting the story to one another. They'd certainly have a tale to tell when they returned.

FIN