[Round 2] Dhati vs. O'ros

[Excited Apathy]

Dhati's first duel had been a pleasant, amiable, and oddly relaxed experience. The upbeat Shadow clan lioness had given him a fair fight, and he was thankful for it. Now he faced another lioness, one that looked as though she'd been plucked from the night sky. Hadn't there been one such in the Aka'mleli...? A pang struck him at the thought of his birth pride, and he gave himself a little shake and forced a slight smile at her before launching into the introduction he'd settled upon. "I am Dhati of the Bird clan, and it is an honor to fight you."

Quaji

 

[Quaji]

It had been years since she had seen her brothers and sisters. This time, one of remembrance, was enough of a catalyst to draw the memories of them and their mother, her mother, to the surface. Still, even with the painful wound that her family was gnawing at her mind, O'ros approached the other lion. There was a bob of her head in greeting, the bag that hung around her neck with a single white and orange feather mimicking the movement.

'Round two...'

Excited Apathy

 

[Excited Apathy]

Dhati waited patiently as the lioness that was his opponent stepped forward. She was quiet, and that was fine with him. He would greet his duel partners, but he was not here to make small talk with them (Kifafa would say this was because he was awful at it). He settled into a ready stance, and echoed her nod with one of his own.

"Your move, if you'd like."

Quaji

 

[Quaji]

"Of course," O'ros spoke, her voice soft, just above the gentle breeze that whipped through the grass. With muscles pulled taut, the starry lioness readied her body. The energy within her body came forth in a burst that aimed to close the gap between the two lions. With a paw raised, she struck, but gathered nothing but air against the soft undersides.

A curse in her mother's tongue fell from her mouth. Had the last duel taken that much out of her?

Excited Apathy

 

[Excited Apathy]

This time Dhati was ready for the offensive, muscles gathered to spring away. It was a narrow miss, he could feel the breeze of her strike passing near to his belly, but it was a miss. Unfortunately for him, a hind paw slipped as he whirled, causing his own blow to go far wide of its intended target. His ears flattened against his head, momentarily embarrassed.

Quaji