Tawa stood at the edge of the Bonelands, his eyes narrowed and nose to the wind. He had been biding his time and getting his strength back after having his rump handed to him by Gabedi, and finally he felt as though he could take on Emrys and win without a doubt. All he had to do was wait, to see one of the lions in the pride and demand they find the Inseleo. Surely they would be glad to see him go. Emrys had snuck in, in his mind. He had attacked Gabedi after the other lion had been injured in the fight with himself and he had been victorious. It was sneaky, in his mind, snake-like and underhanded. Now he'd get to challenge him one on one and they'd see who was worthy to be within the pride.

Emrys, for his credit, had been expecting something like this for a while now. He always patrolled the border with an eye on the lookout for the giant red male, always fearful of a sudden and swift takeover. Today had been a pretty crappy day already, so he went about his duties with a sense of trepidation. As if on cue, the silhouette of a lion standing close to the borders caught his eye and his stomach dropped. Oh dear. Here they went.

He continued on his way, holding his head high and keeping his eyes on Tawa even though he knew this wasn't going to end well for him. The lion had done a number on his predecessor and he had reaped the benefits. Now he had to face him and he knew he was no match for the red male. Approaching Tawa, he swished his tail back and forth and put an easy smile on his muzzle.

"Well, well, well...what do we have here?" he asked, pausing a safe distance from Tawa. The ex-Firekin sneered a bit at the question.

"I could ask the same thing of you," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I'm here to kick you out of a place you have little right being in."

"Little right?" Emrys said with a laugh, even though it was a bit weak. "I still beat that brown fellow, you know. He was strong enough to take you on twice. He should have been able to take little ol' me on as well."

"Perhaps he might have if you had given him time to recover," Tawa said as he lowered his head. The time for talking was over. He pounced with a snarl, his huge mass launching effortlessly towards Emrys. The smaller lion froze for a moment before darting to the side. Tawa landed heavily in the area Emrys had been, but the lion was no longer there. He tried again, lunging forward with a huge paw outstretched, claws ready to rake down Emrys' side, but once again the smaller lion danced out of reach.

"Fight me!" Tawa roared, spinning to follow the grey lion's path. Emrys laughed weakly, wondering if he should or if he should just give up now. The little shred of honor and dignity he still had told him to keep going.

"I am fighting you," he said, ducking another swipe. "There's different styles of fighting, you know!"

"You are avoiding, not fighting," Tawa said with a snarl, reaching up to swat again. Emrys ducked a bit too soon, because Tawa had merely feigned the initial attack. Once Emrys was moving, he pounced, and this time he hit his mark. The two lions fell to the earth, the red on top of the grey, and Tawa roared into Emrys' face.

"Accept defeat or I'll kill you," he snarled, face inches from Emrys', his teeth bared and claws extended. Emrys was trembling beneath Tawa, his paws held close to his chest.

"I surrender! I'll go!" he said, not feeling any qualms about slinking away unharmed. Tawa remained over him for a moment, moving off once he decided the coward would go. Emrys crawled away a few paces in his belly, keeping low to the ground as Tawa stood over him. The former Firekin had to send the now ex-Inselelo on his way with at least the sting of defeat, so with another roar he lunged forward to swipe his claws along Emrys' hindquarters. That earned a roar from the smaller lion and he bolted, running away as quickly as he could. That had hurt! And had already said he surrendered!

Tawa watched the grey lion disappear into the rogue lands, heading in the direction he had called home for the few months he had been out here. Adrenaline was still rushing through him and the smell of blood had his fighting spirit roused, so he paced the area snarling, marking his new territory for himself. He was here, and he would find the lioness he had followed here.

Once he was at a safe distance, Emrys stopped to lick his wounds. The marks were long and deep but not life-threatening, perhaps they'd scar over and he'd have some war story to tell. Well. To make up. Anything to keep the story of humiliation at bay. He was glad no one had been around to see his failure. After making sure the wounds were clean, he got back to his feet and began to hoblle away from the Bonelands. Time to try to find a new home.

Finally calm, Tawa turned towards the pride that he now called home. It wasn't far from the Firekin's lands and yet he felt like he had gone through a journey to the other side of the world to get here. He had failed on his first attempt, but now he was here. He was an Inselelo. He could find his love and be happy. It was all worth the wait and he'd do it again in a heartbeat if that was what it took. He had scars to prove his worth - he didn't count Emrys as a worthy opponent - and stories to tell of his battle with Gabedi. He'd be sure to inform them how cowardly Emrys had been on his way out as well.

A small smile on his face, he stepped into the lands, eager to meet his new pride.

FIN
WC: 1045