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Post by Kai on Jul 16, 2012 22:53:40 GMT -5
Continued From: "The Past is Haunting"An exasperated sigh with a subtle rumbling sound intermixed in it came from the King. He gave a not-entirely-gentle tap under the younger lion's muzzle. "Hold your head high and stand up straight, Nyota! A King needs presence. A regal bearing, imposing, noble, and proud." The great lion sat beside him, demonstrating. Though Nyota was nearly an adult he seemed small compared to his instructor. The size difference was made to look even more startling because the monarch possessed a full, dark brown mane, age beginning to show with strands of grey a this temples while the other had but a thin strip of black mane adorning the top of his head. Nyota tried his best imitation, puffing out his chest and raising his head higher. His ear flicked as he detected movement behind them. A lioness approached and spoke directly to the King. "King Hadhi, sire." "What is it?!" He snapped, displeased with being interrupted. She did not even flinch, "One of your subjects requests an audience with you." She stated. "Who? And what is it concerning?" "Mahiri, your Majesty. Regarding a rogue found outside the borders." Nyota raised an eyebrow. What had she found? He paused as if considering the situation for a moment, then said "Very well. Send her in."
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Post by Narifia on Aug 1, 2012 22:50:40 GMT -5
Mahiri gave a brisk nod to the lioness who ushered her and Thried in to the special grounds reserved strictly for Hadhi and Nyota's "king classes." She proceeded to the King in a courtly, dignified manner--a manner which had been drilled into her by her mentor Zengea time and time again--and came to a pause several tortoise-lengths away. Mahiri then took a long, sweeping bow with one fore-paw planted firmly on the ground and the other tucked neatly and precisely beneath her chest. Her head came down chivalrously in the customary fashion of greeting Busare's king. It was only at the command of Hadhi himself when Mahiri rose up again and met his imposing, proud eyes with her own staunch gaze.
"King Hadhi, sire. I bring before you a rogue by the name of Thried who was discovered on the northeastern border. He claims to be a warrior who has much to offer Busare."
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Post by Aceiro on Aug 4, 2012 1:41:47 GMT -5
Thried followed behind Mahiri at a few steps away. He looked around, trying to understand where he was and, as always, ways to gain the advantage if tensions were raised and a fight broke out. It wasn't until Mahiri began her bow that he began to study the two lions that they had come to. He figured that the one with a full mane and the one who was being respected was obviously King Hadhi. But it was the other that confused him. Thried noticed the lack of a mane and the fact that the two were probably having a discussion about something important, 'At least until we came' he thought.
When his name was mentioned Thried took a small step forward bowing his head slightly as he did so yet his face remained emotionless. Instead of trying to explain what he could offer, or say anything at all for that matter, he stood there in silence. Watching not only the king but also glancing over at the other lion in the back.
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Post by Kai on Aug 4, 2012 20:30:46 GMT -5
Hadhi looked mildly surprised. He had expected a report on the actions of a rogue, not to have the stranger paraded into their midst. He looked down at the rogue expectantly, but when no words were forthcoming he decided to try and elicit a response himself.
"You do have the look of one who's encountered some battles," he stated, pacing partway around Thried to examine him.
"What is it you think you have to offer Busare, Thried?"
Nyota looked questioningly at his sister. She had always been very serious and not quick to trust. It was quite unlike her to allow a stranger in like this. Then, he too looked the rogue up and down, though he stayed in his place. He huffed dismissively at Hadhi's words. This guy didn't look so tough.
The noise he made caught Hadhi's attention, and he gave Nyota a look. The Prince wilted under his gaze for a moment. Immediately he then straightened up, trying his best to get back into a "regal" position as he had been instructed and make his expression unreadable.
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Post by Aceiro on Aug 6, 2012 1:09:38 GMT -5
Thried continued to watch the king as he was being examined. Thried's concentration however was disrupted when the younger of the two, whom Thried assumed was the prince, huffed, and Thried switched his gaze over. All he was able to see however was the quick attempt to regain a regal posture and seem emotionless.
"Your eyes do not deceive you King Hadhi. I have been through many battles." He said as he slowly looks away from the prince and back at the king.
"Now as to what I can offer. I have no doubt that you have great instructors, yet not even all the teachers in the world can fully prepare someone for battle. I.."
He paused for a moment looking down for a second then looking back up with a slight pained look, which quickly melted away.
"I have been trained to be fearless, to understand and ignore fear, which was not easy. I can offer similar training to that, however I also offer my experience from war."
Thried stopped, not wanting to reveal his knowledge about the ghost lion quite yet. Once he finished he took a slight breath and continued to watch both the king and prince, not only for a reaction but also for any signs of hostility. In his mind he hoped that nothing would go wrong, but always expected the worst.
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Post by Narifia on Aug 15, 2012 23:36:29 GMT -5
Mahiri caught Nyota's questioning glance and answered it with a calm, firm nod that said "Don't worry. Your sister knows what she's doing." Mahiri had her reasons for bringing Thried in, regardless of the reservations she still had about him. He could be good for Busare. His kindness towards Hamali had not gone unnoticed, either. It would do their younger sibling good to have someone to talk to who wasn't trying to harass, humiliate, or brutalize him all of the time.
Nyota's little huff made Mahiri glare at him for a moment, but her older brother had already been put in his place by Hadhi's own stern stare. 'He still has a long way to go,' Mahiri thought, sighing inwardly but remaining poised and formal outwardly. She turned her attention back to Hadhi and Thried as the King asked what Thried had to offer.
"Now as to what I can offer. I have no doubt that you have great instructors, yet not even all the teachers in the world can fully prepare someone for battle. I.." A pause. A small flicker of emotion, or had Mahiri imagined that? "I have been trained to be fearless, to understand and ignore fear, which was not easy. I can offer similar training to that, however I also offer my experience from war."
Mahiri raised a brow. So that's what he intended to offer Busare, was it? Mahiri chewed on this piece of information for a bit. Was his kind of fearless fighting a blessing or a bane? Would Zengea see any value in him? Could he be useful to the trio of siblings as well? Could he even be trusted with the secret of the siblings' training? 'All of that can be determined later,' Mahiri thought finally, 'after we've been able to see what kind of a lion Thried really is.'
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Post by Kai on Aug 17, 2012 19:59:14 GMT -5
Hadhi stopped pacing around, and stood in front of Thried as he considered his words.
"Well, you do certainly seem to have a impressive amount of experience. A good ruler knows to be thorough, however." He paused.
"Nyota!" He commanded without turning to face the Prince. The dark lion quickly moved to the King's side. Hadhi, eyes on Thried, said simply: "You will face Prince Nyota in single combat."
"This will be an excellent opportunity. As King, protecting Busare from hostile rogues will be part of your duty, Nyota." He returned his gaze to Thried, "This will also be a chance for you to demonstrate some of your skills, for me to be sure you really are what you claim and look to be."
The King awaited Thried's response.
Nyota looked haughtily down at him (or he tried to, which was hard considering Thried was larger than him.) He moved into a ready position with his red-orange eyes shining, clearly prepared to fight. In fact, he thought this would be easy! What chance did a common vagabond have against a prince of Busare?
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Post by Aceiro on Aug 20, 2012 0:26:40 GMT -5
Thried grinned when the prince was called up and a small spark seemed to dance through his eyes as Thried realized that he was being given a chance to prove himself, something that many would not give him. He gave a small nod but kept his eyes on the king as he responded
" That is a good way to teach a lesson King Hadhi, I hope you will not be displeased with what I show you, and you will see I speak the truth."
His gaze moved to the prince who was getting ready for the fight, however the attempt to look superior didn't go unnoticed. Thried thought back to the training he had been given and glared at Nyota, getting into a loose ready position.
"If now is the time and here is the place I am ready."
Thried knew the prince thought that he knew nothing, if by nothing other then the way he tried to look superior then Thried was. Maybe in rank Thried thought but in combat, that is still to be seen.
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Post by Kai on Aug 26, 2012 19:52:13 GMT -5
Hadhi stood between them, and as they both indicated their readiness he nodded and removed himself to a reasonable distance.
Nyota wasted little time in engaging his opponent. He was wise enough, however, not to run straight into Thried. In a flash, he dodged to the right and leapt at the rogue's side. He was aware that Thried had a size advantage, so he would have to focus more on speed.
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Post by Aceiro on Sept 1, 2012 1:09:41 GMT -5
Thried knew that Nyota would probably try to use his speed because of the size differencee. So Thried smiled as Nyota dashed off to the side and attacked. Bearly dodging the attack, Thried moved forward and spun around swiping a paw at the prince as he did so. Thried figured that the prince had underestimated his prowess but also figured that thought process might lead to small mistakes.
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Post by Kai on Sept 8, 2012 22:37:09 GMT -5
The Prince cursed inwardly as his initial attack was evaded, but he didn't have time to get angry about it because a swing was coming at him. He felt Thried's paw brush through the meager strip of mane on his head. This was off to a bad start, and it would not bode well to disappoint either of his mentors.
He leapt up while Thried's paw was still raised, attempting to body check him in the direction where his body would not be supported by his raised paw and knock him off balance.
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Post by Aceiro on Sept 12, 2012 16:01:53 GMT -5
When all Thried felt was his paw sweeping through Nyota's mane he tried to bring it back around for a second strike. This plan faltered however when he was unexpectedly shoved. as he fell to the ground he tweaked his body's position so he could roll instead of slamming into the ground. It worked for the most part but that still didn't stop the top of his head from minutely scraping the ground.
Quickly returning to his feet, he looked at the prince and grinned slightly crouching down and charged at him, trying to knock him over if nothing else. He knew that Nyota wouldn't go down easily, the king was watching, and if he lost it would be a bad example to prove that he will be a good king.
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Post by Kai on Sept 21, 2012 1:11:09 GMT -5
He could already feel his breathing quicken.
You have to breathe, dangit. Control your breathing or you're going to fade fast. he told himself. In the time it had taken him to complete this thought, Thried had gotten back to his feet and he barely managed to dodge to the side.
His back was to Mahiri, so he couldn't gauge what she was thinking, but he King's face was still impassive. Regardless, he knew he couldn't keep running and dodging the whole time. The King, at least, would want to see some attack skills demonstrated. Thankfully an idea hit him. Trying to go fast enough to prevent Thried from anticipating his next move, he used a nearby rock to spring upward and attempt to land on his opponent's back.
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Post by Aceiro on Sept 28, 2012 0:54:28 GMT -5
As Thried approached the area of impact he put his head down loosing sight of the prince for a few moments. When he passed through air and didn't find the prince he snapped his head up just in time to see Nyota in the air above him. All he was able to do was take a shallow breath and prepare for the impact.
As he felt the paws of the prince land on his back, and the bruises began to form, he scowled and resisted for a moment, then threw his body with the momentum of the blow. He hoped that this move would throw the prince off of his back and give him time to get some sort of advantage. Although with the speed and determination that Nyota had been showing Thried wasn't sure that the sequence would work.
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Post by Kai on Oct 10, 2012 22:38:29 GMT -5
The merest flicker of an expression change, a single fleeting moment told him that this move had made an impression on the King. However, whether it was because he was paying too much attention to his mentors or whether he just couldn't hold on, he lost his balance when Thried pitched his body over.
The bigger lion did not quite manage to throw the Prince off, but he was only hanging on barely and his momentary advantage was lost. Somewhere in the back of his brain a horrible thought was creeping in, a suggestion that he might actually be outmatched. This stranger, this common rogue might actually win. Desperate to avoid such humiliation he fought to regain his former position.
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