[CHAL] Point to Prove (Lawsonia vs Tethys)

[Epine de Rose]

He had made himself useful from the moment the Captain had let him in to his band. At first, he had been accepted as no more than a passing ally that would eventually go their own way. There were a few 'rogues' who had tagged along at various points in the Captain's expedition; but as the Reavers had begun to snake their way home one final time, most had taken their leave. The Reavers had been honest in who they were and where they came from, that if an opportunistic Reaver in another band caught sight of them, then their freedom might be forfeit and very few had elected to take that risk.

However in the case of Lawsonia, he had found that the longer he stayed with this particular set of lions, the more he appreciated everything they stood for. Sure, they had darker aspects of their pride with equally problematic individuals, but this seemed to be how life was in general. No, it had been the very fact that they always seemed to know what they wanted and exactly how to get it that had drawn him in.

They had something he couldn't quite put his paw on.

...But their pursuit of honour and glory was difficult to ignore, and coupled with the camaraderie that he had found among them, it was something that he wanted. That unmistakable brotherhood, the higher expectations and the overall sense of adventure - he might not have the capacity to be cruel or to enslave another by force, but he definitely knew he could do the rest.

Therefore he had come to the conclusion that he would be joining the Stormborn on their march home. He had even expressed his intentions to the Captain who had regarded him for a long moment before simply giving a nod. He did make it clear to the Reavers though, he wouldn't be kneeling before them as a mere thrall... No, he had already demonstrated he could fight, and he was going to best them this time.

...He would be acknowledged as an equal.

He was determined.

Words: 350

 

[Epine de Rose]

The Reavers had grown to like Lawsonia - no matter how 'small' the black lion was, he had proven himself to be incredibly useful, especially in a tight spot. Lawsonia had thrown himself willingly in to harms way, and on more than one occasion, had volunteered to crawl into some of the tightest and most uncomfortable holes to try and uncover any hidden clues. He'd done everything with a rather impressive amount of good humour and optimism, all the while taking into consideration the words of 'wisdom' he had been provided by the Reavers.

...To begin with, Lawsonia's attempts at anything hostile had been comical. The guy could scarcely raise his paw and aim it right, but with plenty of sparring and coaching in the forward camps he had gone from a scout, to something much more impressive. Not half bad for a lion who looked like he might have been the runt of a little, not bad at all.

Still, Tethys could do nothing more as the black lion came towards him with a spring in his step. While the rest of the rogues had gone their separate ways to avoid capture, he had chosen to say, and it was with the same enthusiasm as always that he now stood before the Captain and challenged him for entry into the heart of the Stormborn.

Who was Tethys to ignore that challenge?

Rolling his shoulders, the pale lion gave himself some room and regarded the black lion expectantly. He'd had the advantage of training with his own men, if he lost now, then he really wasn't going to be worthy!

Words: 269

 

[Epine de Rose]

Squaring off against the Captain really hadn't been something he had anticipated. He had assumed he would be up against one of the Reavers, but it had been agreed among them all that he had seen too much of their style. This would have given him an unfair advantage, and as such he should be put up against the Captain, even if said Captain had an injury or two to his name. Afterall, Tethys's leg had yet to heal properly and he still carried a limp that hindered his gait, but this didn't seem to have deterred the band.

Their terms were set.

In a way they had almost handicapped their Captain on purpose, perhaps giving Lawsonia a little bit of an advantage so that he did have the chance to get in. However it seemed that even Tethys was willing in this case, he had earned their respect while he was out there and that had been shown in the manner they had trained him. He just had to honour them by making sure he pulled off some good punches.

However as he heard a number of the brothers laugh and chatter among themselves, he took the opportunity to plunge forward and towards the awaiting white male. He didn't aim to swing at the white male's face though, no, on this occasion he was going to take full advantage of Tethys's hindered movement.

He'd wait, feint, and then go right for his legs!

Words: 244

 

[Epine de Rose]

It was a nice try, but much too obvious.

As the black lion barreled towards him he took the opportunity to spring to the side. He deliberately thrust himself to the side where his strength remained, allowing his still damaged leg to continue to rest. One day, Lawsonia would learn how to fight even while wounded - he'd learn to cover his weaknesses and his vulnerabilities, but for now he would be permitted to continue in his assault the way he had chosen to do so.

Credit had to be given to the lion, he had identified the best manner in which to defeat the Captain, it was just a question of getting into the position to exploit that vulnerability. Tethys smiled, on this occasion it would be a battle of brain over brawn; the black lion was going to have to work out how to overcome his size disadvantage and the lack of expertise.

...But Tethys had confidence.

His band and he had always had a fairly good eye for potential, and this one had it in spades.

Words: 178

 

[Epine de Rose]

Huh, well he should have expected that.

Tethys's leg had been very obviously injured and the damage he had sustained was taking a long time to heal. It had been this way as long as Lawsonia could recall. He had never been told what had happened, in fact it seemed no one really knew, but Tethys's leg had been that way since they had met and while it would heal eventually... Lawsonia should have known better than to think that the Captain hadn't found a way to compensate for it in the meantime.

Nevertheless hesitation was not a good thing in these situations and as his first feint failed, he immediately moved into a second. His small frame served him well in this respect, he was so much more nimble than the Captain at this precise moment in time that he was able to slide to the side and whip round behind him.

Tethys seemed to have expected that he would be pounced upon, but Lawsonia merely smirked as the lion shifted to counteract a blow that would never come. Instead, the smaller lion slide once more and slammed both his hind paws into the Captain's legs with enough force to knock him off his feet.

His strategy was simple, ever changing, but simple.

...He needed to keep it simple or he'd fail.

Words: 223

 

[Epine de Rose]

To say that the kick had hurt was an understatement. As he fell hard on to his weaker side the lion wrinkled his nose in distaste. It was the only thing he could do to prevent himself from gasping in pain. Regardless, the sudden impact of his thigh hitting the ground also provided him with the confirmation he needed - size aside, his opponent was thinking on his feet. Lawsonia had picked up every piece of coaching his brothers had provided to him and now he was putting it to very good use.

It was without any further hesitation that the paler lion released a snarl of discontent and rolled himself back to his feet. He'd be feeling that for weeks, and his leg had been doing so well to heal the way it had. He was going to hope that his sister and Kluna might have something that would help expedite his recovery...even if it was forced bedrest for a time.

"Well played," he growled in acknowledgement, placing distance between the pair of them as he allowed his leg to recover just a touch. He couldn't allow himself to be complacent, he was going to have to deflect or counter the next set of blows before the black lion actually did proper damage.

Words: 213

 

[Epine de Rose]

Okay that should have hurt and yet the Viking had already pulled himself back to his feet. He'd seen the group sustain their fair share of injuries and this seemed to be the general trend that they displayed. When injured they didn't allow it to get the better of them, if they got hit, they got back up again almost immediately.

It was something to live by regardless of what type of injury was inflicted, either mental or physical. Perhaps it had been a warped form of this ethos that had inspired his own former pride to do what they did. They simply survived because they had to, even if it was to the detriment of others, including their own children...

It was this admiration that had caused him to pause... Something he really shouldn't have done. By the time he had heard the cheers of those who would eventually be his brothers it was too late to react...

Words: 159

 

[Epine de Rose]

Tethys landed his blow with no warning, in fact his approach had even been silent. His own mentors would have been impressed at this particular move. With scarcely a whisper he had hit the black lion so hard that he had bounced once and then promptly slid across the ground. A series of tumbles later, and Lawsonia appeared to have come to a halt. In fact, he didn't appear to be moving at all...

Tethys narrowed his eyes, but even the black lion's breath appeared to have stilled... or at least it had become very faint. Surely he hadn't hit him that hard, hell he hadn't hit him at the right angle to kill him either. At least he couldn't recall that he had unless Lawsonia had turned at the very last second and gotten things just right.

His brothers fell silent, as if momentarily concerned themselves, and the Captain elected to approach the lion to inspect him. Well if he had truly fallen, at least he'd done so in style...He'd be honoured for that.

Words: 175

 

[Epine de Rose]

Except he was lying...

If there was one thing he was very good at, it was feigning death. How could you not be good at feigning something so morbid when you had seen so much of it? As Tethys came closer the black lion quickly rolled underneath him and kicked. The intention was to hit at his leg again - if he could get him down again, then perhaps he wouldn't get back up again... alternatively he might tap out to avoid irreparable damage.

It was quite a ferocious attack and an incredibly dirty one as well, but based on the approving whistles that he could hear, apparently it was one that had been met with approval. Suffice to say that he was confident he could win this if he fought the way he needed to fight, not the way he was expected to.

Words: 143

 

[Epine de Rose]

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

If there had ever been a time when Tethys was going to deflect a hit it was now, and rather than allow his legs to be hit again he simply leapt backwards. It might expose his stomach, but he could at least slam his forepaws onto the feline's face if he needed to. He also didn't need to balance on is back and theoretically he could squish the black lion to a pulp... Except he didn't have to. As his brothers cheered he came to the realisation that they were all in agreement.

...Lawsonia might have fought dirty, but if he kept this up he would win.

Suffice it to say that Tethys had already acknowledged that the smaller lion wasn't tiring yet, and this could go on for a considerable amount of time. If he continued to bash at Tethys's leg he would cripple him. The point was made and as Tethys once again got on to all four paws he raised one and offered a warm smile.

"All right, you made your point," he said with a chuckle. "I think we're all in agreement that you're entitled to your place here," he finished.

Lawsonia beamed with pleasure in response.

Words: 206