[DUEL] round 2

[KasaiLoki]

Caia had been sought out again by the striped lion. He had told her he wanted to see how her training was going. The dark lioness wanted to retort to the male that she should be watching the training but refrained. Instead, she sullenly agreed to meet the male on the dueling field ready to show him her skills.

They weren't much. It had only been a few weeks since their last duel, and Caia had still been recovering from it. She was sure the stocky male had cracked a rib or two from the pressure at the finality of their duel.

The shadow of a lion stood in the field, spotting the striped male in the center.  

[KasaiLoki]

Ebbe had been watching the duels, itching to use his claws again. The Claw had found himself observing the training of the Unbranded, deciding he would test some of their skill sets. Today, he opted for the darker lioness he had dueled a few weeks back.

The lioness had shown some improvement in the training drills, but with many unbranded, Ebbe did not have enough time to focus on everyone's full improvement. The only way he could would be to challenge them completely.

That was what he planned on doing.

Seeking out the darker lioness, Ebbe told her he wished to see her skills, and to meet him on the dawn of the next morning for a duel. The first test would be the lioness agreeing to or denying the challenge. If she agreed, she'd past that challenge. If she didn't well... Ebbe would think of the appropriate punishment for the female.

She had agreed, much to the lion's amusement.

On the dawn of the next day, Ebbe sat in the center field, his orange eyes spotting the female approaching. Not late. Good.  

[KasaiLoki]

The lion observed his dueling partner for the next few minutes. She was sporting a few minor wounds on her back and hind end. She was starting to look like a true Outlander. Now the question was, did she have the attitude of one. Their last meeting had not gone in the darker female's favor. Ebbe hoped to see improvement from there.

"I see you made it. On time too. Good. I hate when other's are late." Ebbe retorted, rising to his feet to prepare for battle. "Ready to show me what you have learned?"

"Yeah yeah yeah. Enough chit chat." Caia muttered under her breath. "Let's just get this over with." Her body ached a bit, still on the mend from their previous battle. She did not wait for the male to respond. She knew when he rose to his feet that was her queue the duel began.

The lioness was quick on her feet as she aimed for the male. She went to aim for his shoulder, but when she neared him she feigned going right, ending up turning to the left at the last minute. She whipped her body around, her jaw aimed for the male's back.

Ebbe was surprised at her attack. It took a lot to cause such a reaction that after she feigned the move, his eyes did not follow as quickly. He felt a sharp jab in the center of his back, causing him to arch and spin, latching at the female's neck. It was a quick move on the shorter male's part, and he could quickly end this duel with just a tad more pressure on the pulsating carotid artery.

He did not though, instead, let the female struggle a bit more until he decided to let go.

"Better." He stated. "Again."

The dark lioness growled, launching for the male again.

The element of surprise was no longer on Caia's side. Ebbe calculated her next move, and was quick to side step it.

With a look of frustration, Caia tried again, and again. Every time the male sidestepped her she found herself becoming more and more aggravated with the situation. How was she suppose to land a hit on the male if he just kept ignoring her moves.

"Are you done." Ebbe taunted.

Caia narrowed her golden eyes at the male before him. She was giving the male all she had, yet it still seemed like it wasn't helping. Her lungs burned as she quickly aimed for the Monarch's Claw again, her teeth bared as she made one last attempt at grabbing his shoulder. As much as she hated to admit it, she did not want to turn around and hightail it out of the pridelands. Then where would she be? Without a home in the big worlds. That was not something Caia was looking forward too.

Ebbe smirked, finally seeing something spark in the female's eyes. She wasn't a born fighter, but that did not mean she wouldn't make a great one with more training. Already in the few weeks Ebbe had seen some improvement from the female. He was thoroughly impressed, so say the least. With a little bit more time she would be a good scar. Unless something else was to cross her path.

(Other than Claw what else could be good?) Ebbe thought to himself with his eyes rolling.

Seeing the female struggle, Ebbe decided to end the duel again. As she charged, the male braced himself. The female collided with a hard smack before collapsing to the ground.

"That's what I like to see." He commented after a moment, stepping over the female, orange eyes looking around. He frowned when the girl did not immediately get up. When she did, he continued to move forward.

"Keep up the training." He stated, walking away from the female. He did not bother to turn around. The female would do well to learn to handle the aftermaths of a battle by herself.

Caia's ear flickered towards the male as she stood on shaky feet. I guess I can take that as a compliment... she thought to herself, sighing as her body ached from battle. She turned towards the tunnel, ready to care for her wounds.

[1006]