"It's settled."

The agreement had been made and plans were in motion. Zjarri'fol left the meeting with more confidence than she had had in the last 24 hours. The skies were storming fiercely and she wondered if Ushindi would back from the duel because of it. Or would he fight all the same? She wouldn't back down from it, instead she hoped to use it.

The storm eased as she approached the border. Her pink gaze followed the horizion she walked towards mixed with curiosity and anxiety. Silently counting each step gave her something to focus on while the horizon remained empty and her walk there hadn't been easy either. As she touched the solid ground that didn't threaten to swallow her whole she audibly sighed. Peering behind her revealed the swamps she had travelled through.

"Zjarri'fol."

Her back had been turned for no longer than a few moments. Some might wonder why about her 'fearless' action. That didn't make her brave, no, it was mere knowledge of that fact that Ushindi wouldn't win that way. By attacking a lioness from behind.

"So I can finally put a face to the name."

Zjarri turned to face her opposition. He wore a mask and cloak. The mask had a jaw affixed to it, but showed the rough edges of having been crudely structured. His cloak was strung around his neck and the skulls there were raven - an awkward thing to wear given at least one of his messengers was also a raven. Her brow raised slightly as she looked him over. Every bit of him screamed a Viking Captain. Though she had plenty of things to say to him she remained silent and stood strong, raising her chin proudly.

"You look every bit the lioness I imagined you would be."

She scoffed at his false praise and narrowed her eyes at him. "You summoned me here for more than to mock me." Zjarri spoke as clearly as she could, but her voice was almost swept away by the winds that picked up around them.

"You're right." He smiled finally, but it didn't make it to his eyes leaving them cold. "You've destroyed our homes values. Tore apart of a perfectly good harmony. All for what?" He spoke as he removed his mask and cloak. Two ravens, one Zjarri recognized as Silma, helped him to remove the garments."I'll take pleasure in righting what you've done by first removing you."

Ushindi snarled his last words, his blood was boiling now as he advanced towards her. Paw step after paw step he had to do everything in his power to keep from simply launching himself at her. For her part she didn't lower herself, didn't back away. Something about that stood out to him and had this been any other situation he might have tried to tame her to be his wife, a proper wife.

Soon the pair of lions were side by side, his head was a foot taller than hers, but she continued to keep her chin up and sturdy. He cast a glance towards her and smiled slightly before speaking. "You will die today" He whispered to her. The reaction he got was subtle, but spoke to him better than words. An ear twitched as his whisper caressed it and she looked away from him almost knowingly.

Being so close, and much larger than she was, he didn't even bat an eye before throwing his weight at her. A shoulder made contact with her jaw and he heard the 'pop-crack' of it react to his action. The sound caused a gush of adrenaline to surge through him and he continued pressing himself against her until she finally recoiled and tried to back away. "Where do you think you're going?"

"No where."

Zjarri'fol was smaller than he was and she used this to her advantage. It's true she had begun to shake as he made the promise to her that this would be her last day, but she wasn't about to give in or run. Ultimately she would fight for her home, win or lose.

With a grunt she used what little space she could get between them to push against him. The swamps would have been better for her, but she would do what she could. The rain began to come crashing down around them and she found herself blinding by it. Still, she pushed forward. Cheers could be heard from both sides of their very slow moving duel. Without glancing behind her she knew that she had the eyes of her pride behind her, and the eyes of his band behind him. How word had gotten out so quickly she knew had to be the work of her father.

She slipped.

Pink eyes opened widely as she pressed against Ushindi with all of her weight, but not by any choice of her own. Her body crumpled to the ground and she found her limbs moving wildly to right herself. Ushindi had backed away and her actions egged on his band who made more noise. Once she was back to her paws, soaked, muddy, and pride dented she stared own her opponent. This was it, that had been the pre-show. The look in his eyes told her that she was just a stepping ston, one he was eager to get out of the way.

With a guttural roar that couldn't be muffled the sound of rain and was only accented by the crash of thunder he launched himself forward propelled by pure rage. Ushindi could say that without a doubt he hated her and all that she represented. His paws were extended towards her and claws unsheathed, she could barely react and his fast action was rewarded with the instant tearing of flesh as his claws met her shoulders. A sound of pain was made as she fell to the ground once more, her jaw cracked again as her head made contact with the ground. Her own paws extended out in front of her and she lashed out with claws as best he could, but his sopping wet mane protected him like an unusual piece of armor.

The collapse left her bare to him. What would have been a proper duel turned on her quickly and she was left below him, claws sunk into her shoulder on each respective side, head aching, and eyes staring into his. Zjarri was breathing rapidly at the sudden thought that her plan might not happen.

Her thoughts went blank as a white hot pain shot through her, her gaze shifted to her right shoulder and she watched as his paw lifted slowly. Each claw popped free from her flesh and then the warmth of blood poured from each wound. Ushindi leaned in and ignored her staring as he inhaled the coppery scent of her blood. She tried to pull away from him, but was sorely reminded that he had her pinned there. Pain or not she needed to be free from his grasp and so she coiled her hind legs and without hesitating heaved them against his gut just below his ribcage. It got the reaction she wanted, almost.

He exhaled suddenly at the pressure on his gut and gasped. Ushindi hadn't expected such a tactic and was pleasantly surprised by her attack. Still his claws clung to her shoulder and her action only aided in tearing the flesh more than he would have done himself. "That didn't work, did it?" He marvelled at the lioness that was bleeding profusely below him. The action had gotten a bit of a gap between them, but when he had stopped talking he took another swipe. This time his large paw met the flesh of her face and with his swing he found her eye. His movement didn't cease, but his grin grew.

Ushindi felt the flesh of her eye tear and his claw puncture the eye ball. Had it not been raining he would have witnessed the burst of her eye, but unfortunately the rain immediately washed any evidence away besides the blood that began to seep. Zjarri let loose a pain filled roar that echoed throughout the pride lands.

Everyone would know.

"I believe you've lost, Zjarri."

The duel would end when he wanted it to end, but truthfully in this moment he couldn't see her coming back. He pulled back his paw, with her eye still attached to his claw, and gazed at the pink hues of her eyes close up. "You have very pretty eyes, it's a shame." He said with a small shrug before throwing his paw to the side and ridding himself of the eye. Below he now stared at the face of a very defeated lioness.

"I made you a promise."

The smile he had wore grew wicked as he lifted himself up a little further. The distance didn't mean she was saved. She wouldn't forget his promise to her. You will die today.. She had other plans, that was all, and so she braced herself for his final attack. Raising himself up she saw that her attack had done some damage, she just couldn't feel it - why couldn't she feel it? The question was lost to her as he tore into her open gut. Claws tore at her flesh like he had planned to dig right through her, but instead he surprised her by making a clean slice. Just enough to soak her underbelly with blood.

Satisfied with his actions Ushindi lifted himself off of his opponent to admire his work. Before him lay the previous Warlord. Just as he had hoped the blood poured from her body in small rivers and although diluted by the storm it did in fact stain the ground around them.

He raised his head and let out a roar to announce his victory, it was deep with pleasure. Ushindi had done what he had intended to accomplish, now to right her wrongs.

---

Zjarri'fol lay dying beneath the open sky as it wept for her. His victory had been predicted, but she hadn't known how badly it would hurt. None of her family came to be at her side, but how could she blame them? Perhaps they didn't know about the fight she had intended to keep secret, or perhaps they feared their connection to her. Ushindi was ruthless. Blinking back tears that stung her eyes, or eye, and the now empty socket she couldn't help, but to mourn herself and for her family. The cubs came to mind as the crowds dispersed and she was suddenly reminded that she still had plenty to do.

Dying wasn't on the agenda.

She slowly rolled herself to her side and nearly heaved as the pain flew through her body. She almost cried out in agony, but bit her tongue instead. The goddess she had help from had promised to bless her with a disguise following the battle and she had to hope that it worked. Limping away with a disguise would be her only way to see to it that her cubs were saved.

Finally standing, and finishing off an inspection to ensure that her insides had stayed.. inside for the time being, she began her journey towards the forest...

WC: 1879