[SRP] Friendly Competition (Tethys x Destati)

[Epine de Rose]

Destati cracked his neck.

He'd given Zili a while to think about what he had said, an opportunity to regroup and gather his breath. However, with his son still more than capable of sparring (he had hardly been challenged in this round), he thought it best to gain a true grasp on just how much his offspring had learnt in his time here. Thus, as Tethys had been waiting expectantly for Zili's second round, he chose to step forward with a raised brow.

"Careful," he took note of his son's grin and released a soft chuckle of his own. "Arrogance is bad for you," he warned gently. Oh he was sure the Stormborn had taught him their fair share of tactics, no doubt he'd learnt a few moves in his time, but he was still young and as a consequence, he still had much to learn.

"Let's see just how much you've learned," he remarked, and before his son could even respond to the challenge, he pounced, claws exposed as he swept Tethys into the first blow. It wasn't as hard as it could have been, a mere test of his son's reactions...but it certainly wasn't one that could be dodged. Whether it was deflected or taken would be up to the younger lion, but he was going to have to make a choice and it would have to be done quickly.

Words: 232

 

[Epine de Rose]

Holy s**t!

He was so used to asking them to step forward, so used to them broadcasting, that he had forgotten that his father operated on a slightly different wave length. Given that he had already mentioned arrogance was dangerous, this should have been more than enough warning for the lion to prepare himself for an assault... and yet he had grown complacent.

No sooner had his father finished his challenge than the paw had come for him. Despite Destati's age, he was still fast, and still relentless. Tethys had no means of preparing himself for this initial result and as such, the paw hit its intended target. However even he had noticed that the blow had been tempered, deliberately lessened so as to avoid any permanent damage. This was a duel after all and killing him would serve no purpose, especially when he still had to assist Zili in accessing the pride!

Tethys stumbled back from the blow, but rather than permit himself to be caught out by another blow, one that was definitely going to come, he instead rolled backwards and threw himself back onto his feet. It was with a snarl that he plunged forwards again and threw his entire weight into his reply. If Destati wasn't going to let up on his blows, then on this occasion it was advantageous for Tethys to respond in kind.

Defensiveness was not an option; in order to lessen his father's blows, he was going to have to find a means to deflect them...

Words: 254

 

[Epine de Rose]

He used the momentary stumble to his advantage and was once again bearing down on his son. He was heavier, more muscular, and quite frankly his skin was simply harder. Tethys's blows were going to have to start hitting him much harder if he was aiming to best him. Fortunately for his son, his immediate reply was a considerable smack and even the elder lion was caught by surprise by the ferocity of the blow.

Very good...

So he had learnt that on some occasions there was no point in being defensive, some individuals simply didn't tire in that sense. Rather than taking the beating, Tethys had elected to deflect it. He received bonus points for this, even as his father lifted both paws to smack his chin and neck. All winding blows, claw retracted on this occasion to avoid slitting his throat. Easy as it might have been t do to some, Destati truly wanted to see if his son was capable of protecting himself...or had he cleaned up and protected those vulnerabilities?

If Tethys was to prove himself, he was going to have to participate in this dance and pick up the steps without any time to rehearse...

Words: 200

 

[Epine de Rose]

Head! Neck! Tethys lashed out with one paw to throw his father's first blow off course, while bringing the second paw round to deflect the one to his neck. His reflexes certainly weren't lightning fast, but they were quick enough to knock Destati off course and send him 'stumbling' off in one direction. Well, Tethys wouldn't have called it stumbling as he gathered his own composure. No sooner had he managed to get his father off him than he had recovered and had already circled round.

Okay...so perhaps he was a little out of practice in this respect.

He sucked in another breath as he made a mental note to spend some time in the field again. As wonderful as it would be to have his father to train him, to coach and shape him into his image, it was too much to ask for. Instead he could only hope to challenge enough lions to be reminded that combat didn't always feel so scripted.

Goddamnit though (sorry mother), it was a touch frustrating to see how much more endurance and grace the elder lion possessed. In that respect Tethys had to admit he was still a kid...nevertheless there was no point in him dwelling on it, it would simply give his father another opening. Thus, he took the opportunity to lea forward again while he was still circling round.

He'd respond in kind, head, neck... Teeth.

He had to get his father down, otherwise he'd get nowhere.

Words: 247
Total Words (Tethys): 501

 

[Epine de Rose]

Good recovery, still some openings though.

Destati would note that for later, but as it stood he simply waited for the much anticipated blows. As seemed to be the general theme for this sparring match, he quickly deflected each of his paws. The teeth however, required him to 'flip', throwing himself upwards into the air and twisting off to the right. What followed next was a barrel roll away from his son so that he couldn't attempt to claw at him again... if he did, he'd be met with thin air.

Nevertheless the elder lion had seen enough and as he returned to his feet with much the same grace as before, he took note of how close he was to his child's side, and promptly rammed in to him. It was met with so much force that it winded the younger lion and forced him onto the ground. As Tethys let out a series of winded coughs, Destati stood over him and gave a small chuckle.

"Not bad," he offered as he nudged his son to get back to his feet.

"Still room for improvement, but you're getting there," he mused and shook his head. "You need to get more creative, you can't just keep playing the mimic, at some point someone is going to feint," he pointed out.

Destati still had a proud smile on his lips though as he wandered back to his vantage point and glanced back towards the black lion again. It was time for round two, Zili should have recovered sufficiently enough by now...

Words: 260
Total Words (Destati): 692