[DUEL] Quietly. (Ramla & Fui)

[[Eskimo]]

Harsh wind, sandy wind, gritty throat and dry eyes. Ramla was braced against it, grimacing and glaring at the asymmetrical lion standing before her. He wanted a duel to become a "true" member of the pride, bah. He thought he was tough? He didn't know the meaning of the word. She could see it in his eyes. He didn't know hardship. He didn't know suffering. The way he kept his hair, the way he held himself, the way he stared down at her--he was a spoiled brat. She could tell.

What right did he have to join the Outlands? Finding this place had been a blessing--an actual blessing--for Ramla. The place the rest of her family had grown up, the family she'd been separated from...she might not ever have found it again. She might've been dead. But here she was. She'd gone to hell and back, but she was still standing. If she didn't deserve to be an Outlander by birthright alone, then she sure as hell had earned her way in. The longer Ramla stared at those wide eyes and flat mouth, the more bitter she became.

"Let's get this over with," Ramla said over the wind.

She wouldn't lose on purpose--never. But she wasn't ashamed to admit to herself that the thought had crossed her mind. The sooner she could be away from this brat, the better. She scraped against the ground as she ran forward in her first attack.  

[[Eskimo]]

The first time Fui left his homeland, he knew he had been born to live elsewhere. The snow, the mountains--they had been a mismatch, just like his coat. He had wandered, always feeling an itch to move, and wander, and move, and wander. And now here he was--the Outlands. They, like the lions of his birth pride, were warriors. But these warriors were of a different sort. These were hard, loyal, family-oriented, protective, and honor-driven. Fui respected them. He wanted to be respected, too. The only way to prove himself was through a duel. If he could prove himself, he could become one of them. And then finally he would belong.

"I'm not in a hurry," Fui said expressionlessly. His large eyes observed the grey lioness. She wore a mask over her face, so there wasn't much he could tell about her other than that she was started out handicapped. Poor visibility. Not to mention the sandy wind. The odds were in his favor.

He saw the lioness rush forward, but there was too much space between them. He was able to predict her movements easily. He dodged and countered as if it had happened in slow motion.  

[[Eskimo]]

Why was this so easy? Why was this so easy? Why was she being obvious? No, impossible, she wasn't being obvious at all, she was sure of it. Her movements, her speed, her strength--they'd all been perfectly on par with her training, her experience...but this male had seen her coming. How?

Was he...good?

NO! She refused to believe it. Spoiled, pampered brats who pretended to be tough because their parents raised them on tough love and mountain climbing weren't capable of actual might! She'd put him in his place. He'd have to go through training like all the rest.

With a vengeful snarl, Ramla launched another attack.  

[[Eskimo]]

Fui almost sighed when he saw the lioness wind herself up again. He could see her muscles changing, the tension in her shoulders, the shuddering of the mask over her face as she glared at him like she wished his head would explode. He almost sighed again when he saw her rush at him with another "attack". Compared to the other duels he'd managed to catch snippets of, this one was bordering on pathetic. It wasn't something you'd use to exemplify the militaristic talents of your pride, that was for sure. If Fui didn't already know better, he would've second-guessed joining. But what was really affecting this lioness? He could see from her figure that she trained hard physically. And he could tell from her behavior that fighting meant a lot to her--for whatever reason. The only thing he couldn't properly see was her face.

Eyes staring wide and unblinking at the lioness, Fui dodged her second attack as easily as the first and watched the grey lioness trip past him. While time seemed to pass slowly in terms of his observation, mere split seconds had passed before the male lunged towards the lioness and grabbed her back with teeth and claws in a murderous grip.  

[[Eskimo]]

"AGH!" Ramla cried out, roaring in pain and rage. She tried to flip herself about to slash at the male, but the twist of her body caused her flesh to tear even more and she hissed.

Think, think! she urged herself, but to no avail. Sand stung her eyes and nose, peppering her throat as she hissed. Damn this wind! If it was a still day, she would win easily! If it wasn't for this damn mask--no, the masks had never been a problem in the past. No excuses.

No more excuses!

With an almighty buck, the lioness threw the male's balance and she seized her moment to reach back and slash through his arms. She could feel him relenting from the attack, but it wasn't enough.  

[[Eskimo]]

The duel would be over soon. He could tell. He had her. The struggle on her end was as clear as watching a gazelle with three wild dogs' jaws attached to its stomach. But still she fought back, just like a gazelle would. A struggle in vain. It showed spirit, at least. At least in that he could offer her some level of respect. But respect as a warrior? Fui was finding that part difficult.

As claws slashed into his forearms, the male backed off a bit, surprised by the sudden burst of energy and strength from the female. Maybe he'd counted her out too soon? Best not to underestimate an Outlander. As his gaping eyes watched blood trail from his torn arms, Fui realize he had learned that the hard way.

Having learnt from his mistake, the lion braced himself and latched into the female's back more deeply, picked her up, and threw her.  

[[Eskimo]]

Ramla went soaring, tumbling to the ground with a dusty halt. She lie panting and bleeding for a moment before jumping to her feet again, eyes piercing through the eyes of her mask, hair mussed, buffeted by sandy wind, but still ready to fight.

"You're strong," Ramla said between breaths. She saw no change in expression from the male. Only that same blank face, those same starving eyes. He offered no response. Ramla glared harder. "What are you staring at?!" Ramla asked spitefully. It was no rumor that she was self-conscious. Regardless of whether or not the male was judging anything about Ramla's appearance, she still felt ruffled in the worst way.

Without another word, Ramla rushed forward with another attack.  

[[Eskimo]]

Hmm.

Maybe she was tough after all?

Fui watched with apparent interest as the lioness collected herself and stood. She wasn't standing tall, but she was standing. That counted for something. At least Fui could open his mind to the idea of offering her some shred of a warrior's respect now. Not quite the full amount yet, but more than before. Still...

She wouldn't win the duel.

Fui dodged easily again, or so he thought. The lioness seemed to switch directions mid-rush and landed a blow square on his shoulder. His eyes widened even more as blood collected in the grooves. It was a surprising kind of attack. Fui met the lioness's eyes, trying not to wince as sand stung his cuts.

"I'd like to see what's under that mask," he said plainly. He closed the remaining space between them, poised to land a mighty blow. His paws came down hard against the lioness's side, down into her rib cage.  

[[Eskimo]]

Ramla could've grinned at her success if she hadn't been so furious. The male had barely flinched after her attack! She was getting the hang of it now. If he moved to dodge, she'd simply prepare herself to move with a dodge to compensate. In that compensation, she'd land an attack. It had worked once. She could get it to work again. The duel was hers to win. Now she could finally turn things around--sand or no sand, wind or no wind, annoying brat or experienced brat--it didn't matter.

But then he spoke. His statement sent Ramla's hairs standing on end. Her insides turned cold. Three seconds felt like three minutes. As she pivoted to face him, she felt large paws slam down into her rib cage, knocking her off her feet, groaning and wheezing from the sudden lack of air. She could barely breathe. She hurt. This hadn't gone at all to plan! She was better than this! So why...?!

She seethed behind her mask as the male approached. If he even tried to take her mask off, she'd--she'd--

Stars touched the lioness's eyes, growing and growing until she couldn't see anything. And then she slept.  

[[Eskimo]]

Hm...

Well, that was quicker than expected...

Fui padded towards the lioness, arms stinging with each step, though he didn't wince or make a sound. As he grew nearer, he reminded himself about never underestimating Outlanders. After a few moments of close observation, however, Fui decided that the lioness was truly unconscious. She was losing blood, but it wasn't a dangerous amount. He hadn't attacked to kill, after all. Some healing salve and rest was all she needed. She'd be all right. And Fui?

Now he could rank up.

A slow paw reached out to touch the female's mask. He jostled it with indecision and moved it just so--just a bit--just enough to reveal one of her eyes. He saw two gruesome slash-mark scars running down that side of her face--the left side. Ah...some blindness in that eye would explain a lot of the duel, especially with the sandy wind. He moved the mask back and saw no more, out of respect. But he had earned the small glimpse, he told himself. Still, he wouldn't tell her. It would probably distress her to know. It had clearly been a sore subject for her--her weakness. Apparent from the start. That was the only reason Fui had won. He stared at his stinging arms. The cuts were deep.

He'd need even more healing salve than she would...