[CHAL] Sup, bro? [Mseto x Tethys]

[Ctrl F Greenie]

It was happenstance that Mseto had come across the prides that appeared to prefer the coast as their home. One had been closer to a dense jungle, he hadn't gotten near enough to really meet anyone there, but he did find a lion at the borders of these lands. Find was a figurative word at best though - the fresh smells indicated that lions had been in the area (or may still have been there) needless to say he felt he'd not have to wait long for some kind of interruption.

Silently he waited for movement.

In his silence he thought of his family and how different their paths had become, last he had heard his sister had joined a group of wandering lions, his brother had stayed home and here he was wandering himself. It was only recently that he'd decided to find somewhere to settle, but he wanted to earn his place, that fire was likely what drove him here. Sure, he didn't know much about the prides here, but what he did know of them (stories and rumors) he admired.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Why was it, that every time he got home for a rest, he was immediately thrown out to the borders again?

It was as if his sister lit a fire under his a** and demanded he was constructive, as if he wasn't already constructive when he was out on his vikings. Hell, even with his excursions as they were, he still made sure to bring back at least something to show for it. Hell, they had even inadvertently ended up with a number of thralls who had decided that this was the place they wanted to be... and some new members.

Couldn't he at least get some kudos for that?

Alas, the answer to this question was 'no' today and as a consequence he found himself striding towards the borders with about as much purpose as a cub who had been told to do their chores. Just once he would like to put his paws up, but today was not that day, and as he caught sight of the lion ahead of him, he knew that he wasn't even going to be able to flump down either.

"Oh for gods sake," he muttered as he eyed Mseto. "Hello, welcome, either run away before we go 'rawr' and eat your face, or stand your ground and prove your worth etc etc," he gave his paw a little twirl and stared at the male expectantly.

Abominable Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The sandy male raised a brow at the pale lion that entered his view and then his brow furrowed as he heard the unenthusiastic chant of someone who just didn't want to be there. Red eyes took in the body language that accompanied the words and was surprised by the twirl of a lone paw to punctuate the sentence. "This is what the pride has to offer at it's borders?" Mseto's eyes rose to Tethys' in innocent question.

Needless to say the whole encounter wasn't going the way the he had anticipated it to go, there was no ferocity or pressure - in fact he felt a little odd standing there with a lion greeting him in such a half-assed manner, sure eventually he may come to understand, but at this point in time he was growing confused. The scenario, though not playing out how he figured it would, was precisely what he had sought out.

His admiration was dwindling, but not his desire to prove himself for entry into the pride and so he thoughtlessly stretched his toes allowing claws to dig into the dirt a little bit - nothing menacing, but it helped to keep his mind on track while he sized up his opponent.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

"Mate if you don't like it then the exit is that way," Tethys replied and pointed with his paw to the way the sandy lion had come. His lack of enthusiasm was now punctuated by a level of impatience, one accompanied by a sharpness that he didn't typically have. He might not have seemed terribly threatening to begin with, and Mseto might have been expecting a fanfare of some description, but it was clear that he certainly wouldn't be getting one of those...and the other just required a little more button pressing.

"As you can tell from the other lions loitering at this particular location, I'm a little bit busy," He added and shook his head. "So by all means if you are disappointed then back off and find somewhere that has more fireworks," he finished. That in mind the white lion took a few steps backwards and regarded Mseto with a less than impressed expression.

Mseto might have been sizing him up, but the white lion didn't seem overly concerned by the attention. It seemed the sandy male might have already made up his mind, Tethys simply had to wait for him to leave so that he could address the other awaiting candidates. Well...If he actually left that was, for all he knew the boy might actually choose to go forward with his challenge.

Either way, he still wouldn't be getting fireworks!

Abominable Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Mseto snorted. "Fair enough." He responded coolly, managing to maintain a level head through the spike of a sharp tone received back from the lion. He hadn't been entirely sure what to expect, but the tone corrected him back to his original idea of what the pride was meant to be - tough.

"Yes, yes. I see that." His own tone grew a touch more gruff and he narrowed his eyes slightly. "We can get a move on, I don't plan on leaving here today without atleast a challenge." Confidence poured through him, perhaps something that might land him dead one day, but today was not that day - or at least that is what he had convinced himself. In fact he'd never thought of it, has a lion been killed for just trying to join? There was always a possibility.

In the moment he faced a small problem - how did one begin this? Well, he figured, less talking was likely a good way to start. So in silence he began to move forward while trying to determine how best to throw his own weight around. Seeing as this lion appeared to do this quite often he'd have to become creative, find a decent enough way to prove himself to the pale beast and so he opted for the legs. Mseto was fairly tall, but a short sprint and leaping for the legs would do it, nothig to incredible, but it might topple his challenger.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Tethys had begun to grow accustomed to lions trying to pounce on to him. He could only assume that this had been courtesy of the darling lioness who had now tried, tested, and proven that this strategy seemed to work well on him and his unfortunate right hand man. Nevertheless, Tethys had learned to dodge that one and as a consequence, he had temporarily forgotten that rogues might potentially come up with a different tactic. On this occasion, he was up against one of those very rogues and the attack to his legs struck with relative ease.

Unseated, the white lion found himself on his side and momentarily surprised by the rather abrupt start to proceedings. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, if anything it was a good manner in which to remind him that he shouldn't get stuck in his ways. Thus, rather than allow himself to lie there in further surprise he took the opportunity to roll away and recover.

The move hadn't caused an 'ow' more of an 'oof'.

In the grand scheme of things he hadn't been hurt yet, but he had gotten a taste of the force that the lion might be able to put behind his blows. That in mind, it was Tethys's turn to return the favour and he did so with conviction. perhaps it had been the slight air of arrogance, but Tethys had decided that on this occasion he would make sure Mseto ended up just a little bit sore from his encounter... Thus, with the white lion now recovered he flicked his paws out to take an immediate swipe at both sides of the brown lion's head!

Abominable Greenie

On one of your days off, you and I are gonna spend the day clearing out these derpy duels. xD

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Mseto was also on the ground now, the assault on the paler challenger had caused him to be partially on his stomach, but stable. The stability aided him in moving away from the lion quickly and gave him an opportunity to assess the situation before him. When he had turned back to the lion it was confirmed.

The knock down had worked!

Silently the lion patted himself on the back, but knew it wasn't over yet. He had taken to long to consider and celebrate his actions. This rewarded the lion with an opportunity to strike at him unfortunately and that meant he could get within swiping distance (though it wouldn't have been much of a stretch to begin with) and successfully nabbed a couple blows to his face.

Mseto felt his teeth clamp down on a cheek and blood rushed to his tongue. The coppery taste was new and alarming, but he knew it could potentially happen. Stunned by the speed and blow of his opponent Mseto took a quick step back and brought a paw to his face. When he discovered no external harm had been done he felt quite a bit better.

"Good one."

The comment was likely unnecessary coming for a rogue to a full blown member of the pride he sought membership for, but it seemed automatic. His ears were ringing. Collecting himself and pushing the ringing as far down the priority list as he possibly could he aimed to focus once again on his target. He was still within range, his uniqueness would likely fade, but the lunge tactic often worked.

So he lunged forward with his entire mass.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

He didn't need compliments, they were a distraction and Mseto was already categorically on his s**t-list. The arrogance hadn't sat well with him, it had caused a shift in his demeanour that had only been reserved for Naberius so far. If the lion wanted to be a part of this pride after questioning whether they were 'worth it', then he would absolutely be limping his a** to the Lawspeaker... He'd be a rarity among the participants that Tethys let through in the sense that there would be some form of blood.

...He'd make sure it happened.

Consequently the white lion merely grunted and as the rogue lunged again he rolled his eyes. If he hadn't seen that half a dozen times, they really didn't have any sort of defined tactics, it was all scrapping. It was easy enough to 'dodge' as it were, with Tethys waiting an adequate amount of time so that the lion looked like he would be in striking distance. Another few steps later and Tethys had leapt into the air - this was no leap frog though, instead, he slammed his hind legs into Mseto's back (ensuring his claws were adequately duck in), and then leapt off again.

He couldn't help himself, he practically pranced away as he landed in a similar fashion to a haughty cub, Mseto could nurse his scratches after this one and Tethys would add more if he had half a chance!

"Now talk s**t, rogue," he ordered and raised a brow. "Or maybe you've learnt your damn lesson," he snapped as he turned round to face him again. "We have nothing to prove, you have everything to prove," he pointed out and raised an eyebrow.

"Get it?" he asked snidely.

Ctrl F Greenie

Naberius and Mseto can share a drink over being in Tethys's exclusive "Go ******** yourself" club. 8D

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

It became apparent that the lunge was of no surprise to his pale adversary when he retaliated immediately. The retaliation came with a hot rush of pain as claws made contact where he hadn't expected them too. Was this how they operated? Mseto hadn't fought to draw blood before and so the surprise on his face couldn't be hidden. Of course some part of him knew that he had brought it down upon himself.

"Mildly." Mseto watched the expression of the lion he was competing against. His attitude was beginning to subside, thankfully, which presented him with a much clearer mind. Reacting wasn't going to get him far, being proactive might give him a better chance, but his ignorance in battle wasn't going to lend him much favor.

He steadied himself before the pale beast - if he had proven anything it was that he was a wall. The cuts would produce mild scarring, but otherwise they hadn't taken his attention. Skills in fighting were needed though, even Mseto couldn't be so blind as to not see that.

Epine de Rose

 

[Epine de Rose]

Another blow didn't come, nor did an explanation.

Instead, the white lion had turned his back and was already striding away. He wasn't usually arrogant, but there was a time and a place for everything, or so his sister said... and on this occasion it seemed warranted. He'd gotten his point across and despite Mseto's obvious issues with attitude, he had the capacity to fight. Tethys was not the type to extend a battle beyond what was honourable and Mseto was entitled to the recognition.

While he might not necessarily be one of Tethys's first choices for part of a band, there would be any number of other Captains who would willing take that particular persona on. Mseto of course, would benefit from at least an onlookers guidance on what to do next and based on the number of rather bored Reavers out here this afternoon he would find plenty of witnesses... so at the very least the Lawspeakers would be able to recognise his arrival to the Stormborn officially.

After that? Well it was up to Mseto what he achieved and which enemies he made from here on in!

Ctrl F Greenie

/fin!