The sun was rising. It was the earliest the young lion had gotten up in a long time. Though tired, Mýlaugr steps were confident as he made his way to a spot in the pride that was vacant, a spot usually where his sister would train. This fight he was going to take serious. His sister thought of him only as a weakling. He would show her that he was not only a formidable opponent, but stronger then her.
His thoughts were on his sister as he walked the rocky terrain. Her movements were more graceful and purposeful then his. Probably from all the time she spent training where he spent ‘goofing off’. He was just playing around, meeting other young freeborn who he could eventually enlist to join his band when he was a captain. All he was doing was thinking of the future.
As he neared the spot, he felt his confidence and determination take a dip. Already there practice their movements was Merĸúnguaĸ. Her full focus was on her movements and her attacks. He watched with a mix of annoyance and awe as she jumped and swiped. Taking a step closer to get a better look at his sister, he broke a twig on the ground that made a loud snap.
Merĸúnguaĸ stopped what she was doing and turned to see who was there. From her gesture, Mýlaugr thought that she was ready to attack before asking questions.
“It is just me.” He muttered, not even bothering to hide his annoyance. It was his turn to show off and be the one who prepared. Not her. He wanted to rub it in her face that he was prepared for their match. Now it was just embarrassing. He wished that he just did not even bother attempting to train.
Merĸúnguaĸ growled but took a more relaxed stance. Despite her attempts since cubhood, Merĸúnguaĸ was never done well in the mornings. Her grandfather Timeus had insisted the best time to train was before the sun rose. Her opinion on the matter was that he trained better in the morning and he should just leave her to train when she felt like it.
This morning was a little different though. Sleep did not happen quickly for her and she found herself in restless thought on the match that was ahead of her. She had never felt more nervous about a fight before. It was a mix of knowing her brothers luck and how her own ego could get in the way. If she lost to him, a lion who was hardly her rival, it would be embarrassing.
Her eyes narrowed at her brother. He did not seem bothered by a lack of sleep, or if he was he was hiding it real well. That would give him an advantage over her in the fight. “Did you come here to watch me practice?” She asked. “Are you planning out a strategy for our fight?”
Merĸúnguaĸ words and voice caught him off guard. She was not acting like the cool, in control sister he was used to. There was something off about her. “Strategy? Me? I hardly understand what the word means.” Mýlaugr responded with a laugh. It was a strange day indeed when his sister thought he would prepare that much for a fight. He was willing to train for a fight, but actually come up with a plan during. That would be a waste of time.
“I thought about what you said yesterday. That I need more experience. However I am not going to change who I am. I wanted to get some practice in before our match. I wanted to show you that I am serious about duels and I am even more serious about being apart of Kjall’s band. If we are going to be in the same band, I need you to have more faith in me.” The usual hot head of the family spoke as calmly as he could. Perhaps it was because of his sister’s foul mood or he just wanted a moment to be honest with her.
The answer wasn’t exactly what she expected. Truthfully if he had answered that he was spying on her, she would happily attack him without a second thought. But now she had no reason to be upset with him. “It is good that you are taking time to train. I did not want to go to the rogue lands thinking my own family was one of the weaker members in the group. There is a lot for us to learn out there.” It was another thing she worried about. She could figure out the best way to face anyone in the pride and hopefully put up a decent challenge, but in the rogue lands she wasn’t sure what to expect. Outsiders could fight differently then them. Or there could be a size difference. She was large for her age, but out there she might be considered small. There were many things she needed to account for when she went out there.
“Would you mind if we had our duel now? It is a little early but I would like to rest up some more after our fight.” She asked her brother.
Mýlaugr nodded his head. He did not get any practice in, but Merĸúnguaĸ was dealing with her own problems. It would potentially balance each other out. “But be warned sister. I am not going to go easy on you.” He went in a pouncing position, ready to get the duel going.
She laughed as she got herself in a fighting stance. “You make the first move brother.”
And he did so, leaping forward, taking a swing at his sister. Merĸúnguaĸ managed to move out of the way, though his claws graced her side. She took the time to retaliate and make a swing of her own. It his him square in the chest, knocking him back a little. She smiled, proud of her attack.
Mýlaugr got back up, ready to continue.
The siblings continued to fight until they were both out of breath. Their tired legs were shakey as they looked at each other. “We should call it a draw.” Merĸúnguaĸ said taking a deep breath between her words. “When we get baking from our Viking we can duel again.”
Mýlaugr nodded. “By then I will be stronger. The duel won’t last longer then a blink.” He said with his usual arrogance. He was too exhausted to back up his claim. She just rolled her eyes. Things felt like they were almost back to normal.
“Keep up the training brother. We will be out in the rogue lands before you know it.” Merĸúnguaĸ turned back toward her den and started heading home. Mýlaugr however stayed behind, wanting to get a little bit more practice in.
WC: 1,138