[DUEL] Rising in ranks [Riza, Atama, Quba]

[KasaiLoki]

Atama was pissed. He, a mere Claw, was watching over the Unbranded, offering duels, while the Monarch's Claw was off gallivanting with his Apprentice. It was hard to keep rumors from floating around between the two lions, when few had spotted the orange male carrying the dark female who appeared injured. If it were Ata as the vizier, he would have left the female to a healer, and proceeded with his duty. That was because it was his job. Not playing some nursemaid.

No matter, Ata opted for the duels. There had been a small influx of lions wanting to join the Outlands, and if Ebbe couldn't be bothered with meeting them, then hell, Ata would, and he would prove to Ashiki she had made the wrong choice when picking here vizier. He would show he could get these Unbranded trained quickly and efficiently.

His eyes spotted his next opponent. He frowned, so she had an audience.

Ata would rather the other be training instead of observing. "Don't you have other things you can be doing?" The red lion asked, his tone gruff as he eyed Quba.  

[KasaiLoki]

[Hi. Don't mind this post. Forgot to roll. Yay me]  

[KasaiLoki]

It didn't take long for Mng'Ariza to realize the life in the Bonelands wasn't for her. The lioness found it hard to keep up with the ever changing landscape of the pride. She went to tell her of her plans to the only friend she had acquired over the short time she was in the pride, and was rather surprised to see the masked female agree with her, and chose to leave with her.

Riza was happy for that. She remembered traveling the rogue lands by herself when she was younger with the dispersal of the Kusini'mwezi lands. It was a lonely time, one she didn't want to relive so soon. The problem with Quba going with her was, the dark lioness was the utmost laziest of females she had seen. She rarely worked, and spent most of her time sleeping. Their trip in the rogue lands would be long if she decided to stop every few steps.

But, they ended up at the border of a dusty red land. Riza was greeted by a familiar face, one from her former homelands. Caia had explained the Outlands to her, and was willing to bring them in. She told the lionesses what needed to be done to gain ranks, and Riza found herself opting for the duel much more quicker than Quba had even though.

So, midday, the light lioness waited for her opponent. Quba sat on the sidelines, for moral support. There was no way she would duel right now, the dark lioness hadn't even gotten her afternoon nap in yet!  

[KasaiLoki]

Quba blinked at the sight of Atama. "Hey, you're opponent is here it looks like." She said to Riza, lowering herself to the ground, waiting for their duel to begin. It wasn't until the male had questioned her she blink, blue eyes staring at the red male. "Er...I mean...I should be...but uh...I wanted to make sure Riza was okay after this fight if that was okay...sir...?" She said quietly, clearly intimidated by the male before her. She found herself rising to her feet, ready to run if the male advanced towards her.

"She has never fought before. She wanted to see what to expect before she had her own duel. Is that okay?" Riza asked, finding herself stepping in front of Quba before the male could advanced.

Atama rolled his eyes. "That is not the Outlander way."

"Good thing I grew up Bonelander not Outlander," Quba found herself quietly remarking, earning a lethal glare from Riza's opponent.

"WHAT she means to say, is you are my opponent not her. Should we get started in this duel?"  

[KasaiLoki]

Atama frowned at the other's response. Clearly this female needed more training in respect, not just in strength. Ata would need to see to her personally if her snark kept up. Ultimately, he agreed to Riza's comment. They were here to duel, not argue.

"Very well," the red lion stated with a frown. "Let's begin."

"Goooo Riza!" Quba whispered. She figured if this male lion hear her, he'd run her off for sure. "Kick his butt."

"So...how does this work? It's not like to the death or anything, right?"

Atama chuckled, but didn't answer. The large crimson lion had a completely different style of dueling than his rival Ebbe did. While the orange lion would wait to see what they would do, Ata was all for taking the offense. He was quick to rush towards the pale female, eyes narrowed as it looked for his target.

"Watch it Riz!" Quba said quickly.

Her friend heeded the words, as she found herself just nearly missing an attack to her shoulder. It left an open area for her to swing a clawed paw at the male, right to his flank. A roar from the lion had confirmed her hit.  

[KasaiLoki]

This was why Ata hated an audience. The little cheat was warning her of his future moves wasn't beneficial for the duel. She needed to know where the attacks were coming from first hand, not by what another had told her. "If you don't want this duel to count, I suggest your friend stays silent the remainder of it. Is that clear?" The male said to the pale lioness.

Riza nodded. "Quba, quiet please." The lioness was no means a fighter, but she had picked up enough skills in the Kusini lands and roguelands to know how to protect herself. When Atama went to attack again, her blue eyes watched his movements. He seemed to have a particular rhythm to his actions. It was easy for the female to watch his moves, and predict where he would aim next. So much that when the male went for her shoulder again, she could easily pivot out of his way, and found her own teeth sinking into flesh. It was a mark that would probably scar, but this pride seemed to like those images.

From the sidelines, the masked female was cheering silently for her friend. Her ears perked with the sounds of heavy breathing from the felines.

The duel ended shortly after. Ata had stated he had seen enough, and Riza was smiling brightly. Both females figured the male was tired of getting marked by claws and teeth.

"So...how did I do?" The pale female dared to ask her opponent.

"Fine." Atama said quickly. "You can bypass the training." His tone seemed angry at the statement. "You, on the other hand," he turned to Quba. "I better see you dueling next. If you don't, you will be answering to me."

Quba nodded quickly. "Yes sir." She held back a laugh when the lion turned on his heels and started to walk away. "You will be answering to me," she mocked when he was out of earshot. "Honestly, I would rather duel him. He seemed predicatable." Quba said with a nod, causing Riza to grin.

"He doesn't seem like one you want to make angry. So be careful Quba." Riza warned.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. Don't worry, it'll be fine! Come on, it's like the perfect day right now! Let's go find a nice spot to nap why don't we?" The female suggested.

"Is that all you think about?" Riza started with a sigh, shaking her head as the two left the battlefield.


[1231 words]