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Move one: Glancing Blow

Mate'moto dug her claws into the sand, getting a feel for the ground she'd be fighting on. She certainly wasn't a stranger to battles, having to go up against her fellow soldiers from time to time to kept their skills strong and their senses sharp.

She recognized the lioness she was facing although she didn't know her name. That seemed to be the case with lots of Firekin since their pride was so large. Still, she knew her opponent was a soldier, and that was all she cared about. This would be like any other battle on the job.

Mat darted forward, making the first move suddenly to hopefully throw off her opponent. It wasn't a head-on attack, though, as she wanted to be able to dodge if need be.

Move 2: Hit
Total: 5

Mat wasn't surprised when her opponent swiped at her in return. They were soldiers, not guards who tiptoed around situations. They dove in head first regardless of who or what they were fighting. It was important to learn as you fought rather than wasting precious time looking and waiting, after all. From this quick encounter Mat knew she was up against an equal, a lioness a bit her senior but with just as much fire and spirit as any Firekin.

Mat didn't let up. Rather than darting away, she charged forward just as Alya darted, ending up with a glancing swipe to her shoulder as well. She took it, though, to land a full hit against the grey lioness. It was worth it. Her teeth bared in a snarl, she used her voice to add a bit of oomph where her claws couldn't.

Move 3: Miss
Total: 6

This was truly a battle of soldiers, Mat thought to herself as Alya retaliated without so much as thinking about retreating. Whoever won this battle would surely deserve the rank of Corporal, if not more! She took the powerful hit to her shoulder, throwing her off balance a bit which forced her to side step so she didn't fall. They might be females, but they were just as large and strong as their male counterparts.

As she got her footing under her again she lashed out with her paw once more just in case Alya had decided sticking close to her opponent was a wise idea, but the strike went wide.

Move 4: Glancing blow
Total: 8

Her miss was frustrating, especially when Alya was able to retaliate. Mat was quick enough on her feet to partly dodge the attack, but she still felt the power behind the swing against her side. Teeth bared once more, a low growl left Mat's muzzle as she dug in her paws and darted in again. She wasn't a Guard, they weren't going to dance around each other and focus more on running and dodging than fighting. They were soldiers and would battle as such.

She snarled again as she reached up with her paw again, this time going for Alya's head. This wasn't the time to back down from the fight, even if it kept them close together and primed for a decent blow. The battle was coming to an end and they only had a short time to determine the winner.

Move 5: Glancing blow
Total: 10

Mat's hit was slightly off, but at least she connected. This was definitely an evenly matched battle and she knew there was no shame in losing this fight. She had seen some duels before that were horribly mismatched, one lion beating on the other without remorse or mercy. This was a battle of strength and two lionesses who would both wear any rank given to them with pride.

As she withdrew her paw, her eyes caught the lower movement from Alya. Going for the legs, not a bad idea at all. It caused Mat to jump to the side just a bit, the grey paw catching one leg well enough that she stumbled a bit but managed to stay on her feet.

Using her own awkward momentum, she reached forward again to try to knock her opponent on the shoulder, hoping to send her toppling over now that her center of gravity was balancing on three paws rather than four.

Move 6: Glancing blow
Total: 12

Mat took the time to find her footing as Alya stumbled away from her. She was breathing heavy now, adrenaline and excitement coursing through her. This was why she loved being a soldier - battle thrilled her to no end. Perhaps if this match didn't go in her favor she'd try for the Battlemaster rank instead. Fighting was always something she enjoyed after all.

The snarl alerted Mat to another incoming attack, but this one fell a bit short. Rather than dart in, the dark lioness reaching out to swat at Alya again from her secure spot in the sand, her paw clipping the other female once again.

The hit landed a bit more squarely than Mat thought it would, and she watched as the grey lioness stumbled and fell to the sand. She took a step closer in case Alya was going to rise and retaliate, but instead she gave her the victory. Had she been younger, Mat would have reacted far less professionally than she did. Still, it was with a grin that she accepted the gruff compliment.

"I'll go right to the top," she returned confidently. "And you can say you took the new General into extra rounds." She still had a ways to go, it was true, but Mat wasn't lacking in confidence. And with Alya snarling at her heels on the sidelines she knew she better go far, or else she'd never hear the end of it.