[DUEL] Show Me What You've Got

[SilverLutz]

Siri stood with a scowl on his face, head lowered and facing his opponent. He had battled his way out of the Unbranded rank when he had first joined the pride and he knew his skills were sharp, so to see the lioness across from him smirking the way she was drove him mad.

"Don't think I'm an easy target just because I've got no scars," he growled quietly. "It just proves how good I am." In theory it did make sense that a good fighter would be scarless, meaning they overpowered their opponent so much that they were never touched, but it was nearly impossible to be a constant, hard fighter without a mark. He knew those that were scarred here were revered and his own idol was famous for his own, but Siri wasn't worried about not bearing any of his own.

He launched himself towards the female, teeth bared and claws out as the spar began.  

[SilverLutz]

Nur stood opposite of the dark male with a confident smirk on her scarred maw. She had grown up fighting, had scars to prove it, and was going to show this cocky male just who called the shots around here. He seemed to think himself a talented fighter just for beating one other lion in battle, but she was here to prove that tangling with a female was a whole different beast.

She didn't care to respond to his comment, knowing it was bravado. Instead she returned his charge with one of her own, an impressively loud roar leaving her muzzle as she easily overpowered the male and landed a blow, shoving his paws aside. Her claws raked down his shoulder, drawing blood and hopefully shaking his confidence.

"Then it will be my honor to give you your first scar," she snarled with a twisted grin.  

[SilverLutz]

The roar that came from the lioness startled Siri enough that his attack faltered, allowing Nur to land a hit against him. The cut on his shoulder stung and he snarled as he pushed away, getting some distance between them so he could re-evaluate what he was going to do next. Clearly this lioness had experience, probably more than him if he was honest with himself, and her confidence matched his own. This would be a good fight, at the very least.

"We'll see about that," he muttered, circling for a moment before darting in, using less force and more speed than his previous attack.  

[SilverLutz]

Nur's golden eyes watched as Siri withdrew, circling slowly as she calculated his next move. It was easy to read him, laughably so, and perhaps if he could swallow his pride after she beat his butt she'd give him some pointers. Maybe. If she was feeling generous.

The next attack was quick and did strike her, but she was holding her ground to swat him right back on the nose. It wasn't a devastating blow but she knew it would sting. She knew from experience that getting hit in the face was incredibly irritating and painful if not serious.  

[SilverLutz]

The smack to his nose surprised Siri more than hurt and he felt rage building up within him. He was normally a very cool, collected, and even distant lion. It took a lot for him to get emotional enough on any side of the spectrum to let it overrule his mind and make him act on instinct rather than thought. The swat had felt like a mother scolding her cub, though, and he had had it with the lioness thinking she was that much better than him.

Using his size to his advantage, Siri charged forward again, lowering his head to throw his shoulder into Nur to knock her to the ground. She'd either have to dodge or take the hit and from what he had seen so far, she wasn't the type to move around.  

[SilverLutz]

Nur could see the rage building up in Siri and she smirked at the look on his face. Now that was more like it! It was far more becoming to let emotions rule you in times like this than to try to overthink the situation. Let instinct flow, let your body react to the attacks and return them in kind, don't try to think two steps ahead when you're getting tripped up on the steps you've skipped over.

The attack that came next was a surprise. Nur did try to stand her ground and paid dearly for it, taking a shoulder to the jaw for her efforts. She let out a roar of pain as she was tossed to the ground, her head hitting hard and dazing her for just a moment. But as she drew herself back to her paws to face Siri once more, she had the glint of battle in her eyes. Now there was no holding back.  

[SilverLutz]

The attack had worked! Siri turned once he finished plowing Nur over, readying for another attack. This time he held his ground, though, and readied himself for an assault. He wanted to see what this battle-worn lioness could do rather than just playing defense! He felt they were on fairly neutral ground now after trading blows. Nur wasn't bleeding but it was clear the attack prior had rattled her. She'd be leaving with bruises and a bit of pain eating for a week, at least.  

[SilverLutz]

Oh, foolish boy. Never let a lioness have the upper paw. Nur didn't give Siri a chance to think as it became clear he was biding his time, pouncing on him directly with the fury of a thousand storms. She tore at his face with her claws, all the while snarling and bearing her teeth, ready to bite if she found the opportunity. The annoying thing with battling males was their manes which protected their neck very well. Lionesses didn't have that luxury which was why she felt they made better fighters. With nothing to rely on to save their necks - literally - they had to fight tooth and claw the entire time to ensure a lethal blow wasn't made.  

[SilverLutz]

The ferocity of the attack took Siri completely by surprise and he fell to the ground as the weight of Nur landed squarely on his chest. He felt claws raking at his face, leaving cuts behind that were just shallow enough not to scar but they certainly stung and bled. When it became clear that he couldn't push her off nor end the onslaught, he shoved at her stomach as he roared in pain.

"Enough! I yield!" The words hurt more to say than any part of his body did. He gave up. He was beaten by a lioness. Clearly his skills weren't as good as he thought they were. As her grip loosened he pulled away, limping off a few feet to lick at his shoulder which hurt the most. He turned his own golden eyes to Nur, watching her in silence for a bit. She was good, he had to admit.  

[SilverLutz]

Clawing, roaring, biting. It was like back in her old pride when the two opposing groups would fight over the water holes. Scrappy, quick, dirty and so incredibly satisfying. As Siri pushed her away and declared her the winner she felt a grin split her muzzle so much that it tugged at her scars in a gruesome way. Stepping back, she flicked her tail back and forth with pride as the male turned away to lick his wounds.

"Not bad, but definitely not good. I think you got lucky in your first duel," she said with a sneer. "With some practice you'd have a chance against me. Until we battle again, I suggest you study the tactics of others and learn how to think on your feet."

She turned after that, head held high as she walked off from the battle field. Pf. Males.