Tawa squinted against the bright sun, staring at the horizon as if waiting for something. The rains had left early this year and it was really starting to show. The grass was dead and crunchy beneath his paws, the trees were starting to lose their leaves, and animals from far and wide were encroaching on their territory for a drink of their water. Some animals he didn't mind seeing - namely those that they could hunt - but some he really didn't want slinking around. He was on watch today for lions creeping too close to their borders in hopes of getting a sip of their precious water.

Arwach didn't mean to get quite so lost this time around. Usually when he was out on Vikings he stuck to the outskirts of the group to make his own way. But it seemed the Reavers had taken a turn when he hadn't expected them to, and now he was out on his own. He didn't mind at all, of course. Arwach had grown up a rogue and had lived the better part of his life alone, surviving on his own wit and strength. He'd make his way back to the Stormborn eventually, but for now he decided to capitalize on his alone time and get some adventure.

He padded along, following the path of a herd that had passed by a few hours ago. Surely they'd be on the hunt for water, and he could use a drink. The area he was in was quite dry and he was glad he didn't have to rely on his instinct alone any more to survive.

Arwach's passing didn't go unnoticed. Tawa narrowed his eyes and moved forward to intercept the blue male, not at all bothered by his leisurely stroll. It seemed he hadn't noticed the markings in the area leading up to the pride borders...either that or he just didn't care. "You're about to step foot into a pride that doesn't take kindly to rogue males," he said, raising his voice so he could be heard. If he could end this before it came to blows that would be for the better, but he was ready to fight.

Arwach turned as the red male spoke up, arching a brow at him. He didn't slow his pace, although he wasn't moving very quickly at all. A pride, hm? One that didn't take kindly to rogues? "Well it's a good thing I'm not a rogue then, isn't it?" he said with a snort of amusement "I'm a pride member, fully fledged and all."

Tawa raised a brow at that. He didn't recognize this male by scent or by sight. "Which pride is that, because it's certainly not this one."

"Stormborn," came the easy reply as Arwach continued forward. "Pretty far from here, you see, so I'll just be following those antelope for a drink and some food before continuing on my wa-"

He didn't have time to finish. Once he reached a certain distance Tawa snarled and pounced, not giving the blue male any time to think. Thankfully for Arwach he was trained by years in the rogue lands to leap first and think later, so he met Tawa head on. The red lion had a bit of a size advantage thanks to his Firekin blood, but Arwach was a large lion as well, and he got a lot more enjoyment out of fighting than Tawa did.

The two lions fell to the ground, rolling over and snarling and biting and clawing at one another. They finally pulled apart in a heap of dust, Tawa blending in fairly nicely to it, enough that Arwach lost him for a moment. The Inselelo took his chance and charged, bowling the smaller male over and into the grass. Arwach roared in surprise and in pain - that slam had hurt his ribs - but he wasn't going down without a fight. Twisting under the large male, he got his feet under Tawa and shoved hard, tossing the other lion off him. In the confusion that followed they both landed a few hits, and it was with a snarl that Arwach finally pulled away, bleeding heavily from his hind leg.

Tawa spat out a bit of fur that had hung behind in his mouth, blood staining his already red fur. He panted as he watched Arwach limp to a safe distance, teeth bared. There was no way some random male was going to waltz through here on his watch.

"Jeez, learn to share," Arwach snapped as he paused to lick his leg. Oh, that was going to make walking all the way back a pain. It would be a nice scar, but unfortunately it was the only prize he'd be winning on this Viking. He could tell he was lucky that he was still walking.

"There is nothing within this pride that we are willing to share with outsiders," Tawa returned, still snarling at Arwach. "Now go before I make it so the vultures have a meal for the rest of the dry season."

"Oh, big talk coming from someone like you," Arwach sneered, but he got the message. He wasn't in any condition to fight now and he had a few days travel to make it home. He started to hobble off, but paused to look over his shoulder at Tawa. He'd remember that face, and if he ever saw him again he'd be sure to attack without question. Turning back from the way he had come, Arwach limped off in the direction of home.

Tawa kept his teeth and claws bared until Arwach was out of sight. Only then did he relax and turn to lick his own wounds. They were mostly superficial, cuts and bites that would heal with time, but there was one deep mark on his front leg that would surely scar. Something to impress the pride with, he supposed as he sat down to get comfortable while cleaning himself up. They seemed to prize physical evidence of bravery and strength. After licking his leg clean he lifted his head again, eyes once more turned watchfully to the horizon.

FIN
WC: 1022