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-=Chapter 02 - Celebration of the Victor (cont...)=-

Together, Kila and Revau slowly made their way through the dense foliage of the northern region of the Isla of Ashoor; they were en route to the Arena Glade, where they would go their separate ways. He was hacking at the ferns and branches to clear the way while Kila followed, her mind constantly returning to the very first moment she shared with the ciennic warrior before her. It was that brief moment when he came to condescendingly wish her luck, the moment that gave her the fury needed to defeat him.

She was sitting at a grind stone, sharpening her blade when he walked through the forest into the clearing that she was camped in. Tavi, Iteciu, and Kindaven were with her, chatting about some strategies that Kila would later ignore completely, and his arrival made Iteciu stand in defiance before Revau explained his reasons for being there. He just had heard from the saurossin watchers that judged the fights who his opponents were, and he wanted to show his respect for the newcomer, Kila.

Iteciu was naturally defensive as the team leader, but she seemed to genuinely hate the canine fighters with a fiery passion, but Revau basically ignored her to stand before Kila, kneeling and bowing. He wished her luck in her first fight, saying he hoped she didn't get too hurt and that the arena was a challenge even for seasoned veterans. He reminded her that stab wounds hurt, and that the healers sometimes took a very long time to seal the gashes his weapons could rend in a fighter's flesh.

His words left Kila confused and a little angry. The advice that Revau had left her with seemed like it was helpful, but it was also common sense and therefore it felt patronizing. His actions were that of an honorable competitor, but it also seemed like nobody could possibly be that caring about someone they intended to harm. It was easy to interpret his presence as reverse psychology intended to throw Kila off her focus, and after Iteciu's insistence, Kila twisted his words and actions in her mind so it was a far more clear portrait of deceit.

In her mind, she saw him as an arrogant, prideful competitor who wanted to pester and patronize his opponent. He was there to gloat about his experience, not share it with a rookie. He was there to insult, not to advise. His calmness and sincerity presented like a well established facade, and with the aid of Iteciu's hatred of his kind, it was easy for Kila to soak up that prejudice and assume equally bad things about him that her companions had.

But now that he'd had some real time to talk to her in the wake of his defeat, she got a completely different image of his personality. Without the influence of Iteciu tainting his image with hateful rhetoric, he exuded a sense of sincerity Kila hadn't seen in a fighter. He maintained his honor by submitting himself to one who defeated him, and she didn't sense so much as a glimmer of spite in him. Her previously conceived impression of him kept trying to stain his intentions with deeper and deeper dedication to deception, but she just couldn't hold onto that loose thread of logic.

Her victory was still fresh in her mind, and perhaps the ademane that flowed through her was washing away her skepticism and cynicism, but she found herself buying into the honor he presented himself with. It was certainly possible that he was putting a lot of effort into faking this kind and caring persona, but it just didn't seem that way to her. There would be no reason to maintain the facade after losing; he had nothing to gain and she had nothing to lose.

Of course, the revelation that he and his pack saw this as friendly competition and not some proving ground to separate the weak and strong certainly helped. Upon reflecting on that quote from him in particular, it conjured memories of herself play fighting with Tavi and others when she was a kitten. Such bouts got violent, but were never meant to harm. Playfighting was for fun and for practice of the real thing, yet it was easy to forget in a developed world that 'the real thing' wasn't in the arena, but in the wild.

"Don't lag behind too far. Don't want to lose you." Revau said as he hacked another few ferns away, casually glancing back at her over his shoulder.

She scoffed at him, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, I'm more worried about losing you. I was born and reared in the Endarian jungles, I could find you within an hour if we started at opposite ends of the island and worked our way in." Despite wanting to give in to his gentle charm, she remained slightly aggressive towards him.

"That's all well and fine, but I'd like to get back before the sun sets, and if we're there together we can maybe enjoy a feast together before I make you that meal. You know, learn a thing or two about you so I know what to make for you. Or, you know, you could just tell me. That works, too."

"Where's the fun in that? If you want to show your undying respect for me, you must earn it. It's not enough to say you want it, you have to prove it." Kila laughed. Then, before letting him speak again, she hopped up off the ground and buried her claws in the bark of a nearby tree. When he glanced over to see her, she climbed her way up and grabbed a low hanging branch, using it to flip up and grab a vine for balance. "Come on, don't worry about hacking a path, just run. I'm getting hungry."

She darted off and jumped from tree to tree, kicking off each branch to land at the next trunk with the grace of a feline and an avian - both her parent races - in an effort to make her way back to camp as quick as possible. She glanced back occasionally to make sure that Revau was keeping up, and to her surprise he was there with her when she dove and rolled off the final tree into the clearing where the first tents were set up. She brushed herself off and hopped up to her talons just as Revau burst through the foliage at the treeline.

Dozens of other jysarian fighters were around, folding their clothes and cleaning blades, some of which glanced up and hissed upon seeing Revau. There was a sense of sadness in the air, and Kila had a pretty good guess as to why that was.

"Hey, who won the final fight?" She asked a long-furred jysar in robes.

"They did. Wasn't even close, either. Gemallo was dominated like a bitch. Probably be the last time she fights for the territory, too; three losses in a row to their fighter." The feline paused to look at Revau with eyes narrowed and ears flattened. "You must be proud."

Revau balled a fist up and pressed it to his chest as he bowed. "Always; Andyr is a true warrior and he has earned his place atop the arena."

Kila paused and glanced sidelong at him, taking in the subtle nuances of his action before returning to the feline. "Thanks for letting me know. I shall return to my tent and pack up for departure tomorrow." They gently touched paws in a sign of camaraderie before Kila left that clearing to find her own.

The campgrounds of the Endarians were a series of small clearings connected by a web of pathways that had been forged over the decades. Most clearings had a bonfire in the middle, with plenty of places to store food for the weekend and subsequent party. This weekend, neither the jysar nor oarians of Endra would not be celebrating, as they lost yet another territorial dispute to the cien.

Inside, Kila was able to shrug off that unfortunate bit of news by remembering two key positives in her life. First of all, she had won her fight, and adopting Revau's philosophy helped her enjoy herself regardless of the outcome. His belief that it was all for fun and that the actual territory holding wasn't important meant that she was able to enjoy her well-earned pride without any feeling of defeat that usually came with failing to take the island back. Furthermore, Endra's loss meant she could likely get away with bailing out first thing in the morning without having to deal with him any farther.

"Well, it sounds like I have a victory party to attend." Revau commented. He took Kila's paw and once again kissed the back of it, winking his one eye at her as he offered a sly grin.

Before that point she had never noticed that he had two separate eye colors, one orange in such a way it reminded her of a harvest moon, and the other a vibrant green like an emerald. It was beautiful, and it made her a little jealous.

"You have fun. I'll see you in the morning. I'd invite you to our party, but having a jysar from Endra would kind of ruin the whole point of celebrating victory over you, don't you think?" Again, he winked, but then turned and jogged away to disappear around the trees of a curved path.

A paw grabbed her by the shoulder, making her heart jump. Within a fraction of a second she had spun and grabbed her blade to stab at her attacker, only to see it was Tavi. "Oh, hi." She said with a blush, pulling her dagger away from his neck. "Don't startle me like that."

"Didn't mean to." He apologized. "But I see you made a friend."

"Hardly. He's just trying to do right by his people by honoring some silly tradition of submissiveness to the victor. But since we failed to regain the island, I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter anymore and he will be leaving me alone."

Tavi stepped forward, urging her to walk with him back to the clearing that both of their tents were in. "Will you be joining him tomorrow?"

"Not a chance. Besides, we lost. And he's right, would ruin the point to have one of the losing team hanging around to make things awkward. I'm just gonna head to bed, have an early rise tomorrow morning. Join me for some roasted fish?" She grinned, but then averted her eyes.

He picked up on this and nodded. "Indeed."

The two of them navigated the web of pathways to return to their clearing. There, they enjoyed a meal and soon made their way to bed, and all the while she couldn't get Revau out of her thoughts. Every word he spoke to her was mulled over, analyzed, and dissected in her mind until she'd once again convinced herself of his deception, only to rescind that and treat him at face value. She hated him, but then she respected him. She felt him to be honorable, yet tricky and hard to decipher.

No matter her judgment, she couldn't deny to herself that his presence permeated her consciousness for the rest of the night, even going so far as to follow her into her dreams.

-=Chapter 03 - The Art of Culinary Presentation=-

Kila woke the next morning, slowly opening her eyes to stare at the ceiling of her tent. She was gently swaying in the hammock that had been set up inside, with her tail curled up between her legs and against her belly so she had something to snuggle at night. Next to her on the ground, a bag with her weapons and hide gear in it, big enough to hold the entirety of the tent that she slept in.

Her first breaths of the morning quickly transformed into a deep purr as she recalled elements of her dream, wherein a powerful warrior took her and bent her over a grindstone. She shifted in the hammock, hand pushing her tail away to slip in between her legs and lightly dab at the slick flesh there.

She parted her thighs, bit her bottom lip, and closed her eyes to focus on her fantasies as she gently rubbed herself with her fingertips. Every time she felt a lurching slide over her sensitive nub, her body twitched and her talons curled into the sides of the hammock. A tingle ran up her spine as she conjured up images of being aggressively being mounted by a powerful warrior, only to have that warrior transform and become canine mid rub and throw her off her focus.

Kila's morning ritual was a pleasant one, but she found herself getting distracted quite easily on the dawn of the final day of the weekend in the wake of the mostly forgotten dream that Revau had played a part in. She shook her mind clear of the canine in her fantasy, but even as she angled her wrist to slip a few digits into herself, her mind returned to a place where it was Revau's powerful hands holding her and forcing his fingers into her.

Instantly, she growled at herself and tensed her claws, accidentally poking herself on her inner thigh. "Dammit Kila Mind, cut it out." She said to herself before licking her fingers clean and returning to her needs.

She rolled over onto her belly and precariously balanced on her knees, the malleable fabric of the hammock rocking below her as she lifted her tail up over her back and forced her hand between her legs to continue to pleasure herself. Only a few seconds passed before her fantasy offered a flash of Revau standing over her, holding his cock in hand and rubbing it between her thighs. She maintained her self pleasure for a moment in defiance before giving up.

"Forget it." She growled at herself, yanking her hand out from under her tail and flipping out of the hammock and onto her feet. "I guess that's it for me this morning." The feline hybrid yawned heavily, stretching her arms out and curling her tail tight as her avian feet dug at the dirt and grass beneath her. She put herself into a lunge position and twisted her spine from side to side, angling her torso in every direction in a series of morning stretches that worked every muscle in her body.

Except her pelvic muscles.

Naturally, she was a little disappointed about her lack of self pleasure, since her morning ritual almost always started that way. It wasn't every day that she needed it, but she had a bit of tension to relieve herself of and the invasion of her fantasies was keeping her from that release.

Curious, she pulled her tent flap to the side and stuck her head out into the clearing to see that the morning was young; a thick cloud of fog blanketed the forest and the land was blanketed in a filter of light blue. She could barely see past the entrance to the clearing that she shared with Tavi and a few others, but that just meant she would have some privacy if she decided to go for a walk.

For a brief moment, she considered leaving her tent while naked, but she opted to dress instead. In her culture it wasn't uncommon for folks to live their daily lives in the nude, so exposing herself wasn't much of a big deal in the presence of other jysar and oairans, but they were sharing the island with mutts and the cien likely didn't share that liberal view on nudity.

She quickly dressed and left her tent, taking advantage of her privacy to make her way to the Arena Glade. Finding her way there proved a little difficult since all the clearings were connected by such erratic pathways that it was like a maze, but she didn't want to take any shortcuts through the foliage or fear waking one of her companions.

However, when she finally got there, she was met with the shadowy figure of a very tall character emerging from the fog of the opposite end of the glade. The shape of their silhouette showed that they were holding up something dangling from a stick and were wearing a pack of some sort. Her defensive instincts took over and she grabbed for her belt line, realizing too late she was without a blade of any sort.

Of course, it was no threat. The figure materialized in the shape of a hulking cien, and after another step it was revealed to be Revau! She wrestled with a form of cognitive dissonance where she was both happy and disappointed to see him. When he saw her, he smiled and raised his nose, offering a cute, pup-like howl.

"Shh! Shut up! Do you want to wake someone?!" Kila raged at him, diving in and wrapping her hands around his muzzle. When she got in close, she saw that it was two large fish dangling from a hook that he was holding. Before letting him respond, she glanced over and reached out to the shimmering green and blue scales of the boltfish before her.

He pulled them away from her and up high, ensuring she couldn't reach, simultaneously shaking her other hand off his muzzle. "Hey, don't be so grabby, they're not even cooked."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's fish, it doesn't need to be cooked."

"Oh. Well I apologize for not knowing that. I'm not a cat; fish aren't a kind of food I eat often." He explained, slowly lowering the fish back down to shoulder height. "But I have to say, waking up at the break of dawn to wade into the river and catch this was a truly refreshing experience. We'll find out soon enough if I can cook it, but catching it was an adventure." His smile was gentle but sincere.

Kila paused and perked her ear up, trying to get a better read on him. Her skeptical nature was bubbling its head up, but in that very moment in which he described his morning catching the boltfish, she decided that she'd give him a chance. No cynicism, ho reservation, just a hungry hybrid enjoying a meal with someone who seemed genuinely interested in pleasing her. To what end she did not know, but a free meal was a free meal, and there were few better ways to spend a morning than in the company of someone who had dedicated the entirety of their day to them so far.

"Cooking it is easy, just roast it over an open fire on a spit for a while after gutting it. After it cooks you can peel or scrape the scales off, but I just bite it all. Love the tangy flavor. Come on, I have a bonfire set up near my tent."

He twisted his neck and lowered his ears a bit at that thought. "Not sure if that's a good idea. Last time your people saw me, they actually hissed at me."

"Heh, yeah." Kila chuckled. "They did, didn't they?"

He nodded and laughed, tongue out like a playful puppy. "Tell ya what, we can go back to my camp and I can roast it up there. My people don't care about the presence of Endarians of any kind. Like I said, they just don't take this whole fighting thing all that seriously, like yours apparently do." His pup-like tongue lolling was a little unnerving to Kila, but it was also strangely endearing.

She wanted to make a comment about how much of a fool he looked like, but she bit her tongue and nodded. "Lead the way."

"Sure thing." He extended his free hand back to the end of the Arena Glade, where he guided her to one of the paths that led to his camp site.

The first thing she noticed was how much different the Yelfritian side of the island was to the Endarian. While the camp grounds she spent her weekends at was haphazard and confusing, the opposite side was simple, with identifiable patterns and a sort of rounded grid of cleared areas. Also, they had solid buildings erected in each clearing with a yard, a bonfire, and other amenities built nearby. It wasn't a camp ground, it was an actual village made of cottages!

"This is very, very different from what I was expecting." She marveled, taking in as much as she could in spite of the thick morning fog obscuring her vision.

"Really? All this time and you've never ventured over onto our side when your nation had the territory?" He seemed genuinely surprised that such a thing might be the truth.

She blushed and lowered her gaze a bit, ears flattening. "N-no. I can honestly say I never had, and it never came up in conversation with my teammates or friends." In light of this realization, she felt like a fool. It was such a simple thing to explore, yet there was a mental barrier right at the Arena glade that she'd never once passed and never thought to investigate. When her team celebrated the victory, it was always in their camp grounds, so there was no need to explore the opposite side or any of the northern area that was blanketed in a terrestrial mangrove web. "So, uh, how many of your people are in each cabin?"

Revau calmed her mind a bit. "Depends. We've got twelve in my bunk, but I'm the only fighter. The rest are all onlookers and members of my pack." He paused, and returned to her previous discussion. "But it makes sense to not explore, I don't think many of our people go to your side when you are defeated, either. Respect and honor, something something, I don't know for sure what the reason is but it doesn't much happen. I'm one of the only one who doesn't have a problem exploring, but your ally's hissing at me was certainly a deterrent." He laughed a bit, then pivoted in place and hopped over a log in front of a bonfire pit. "But we're here!"

Kila shrunk in place, narrowing her shoulders while lowering her tail and ears. "Uh, are you sure? What if other people see us? Shouldn't we find some place by the river or something?"

"No need. Remember, my pack mates don't hate your kind out of playful competitive spite or anything. I promise it won't be a big deal." He unhooked the fish and grabbed a blade to gut them, leaving their entrails in a small metal bucket that was next to the log he was sitting on. When he glanced back up he saw the abstract distress on Kila's face. "Or...I suppose we could go somewhere else if it's really that big of a deal to you."

She immediately shook her head, not wanting to look weak or shy. "N-no, of course not. It's fine. If you say it's fine then I guess it's fine. Just, come on, let's eat and get this over with."

He smiled and leaned in towards the bonfire, sliding his paw down his opposite forearm past his fingertips to ignite the kindling with a light whoosh sound followed by a crackling of embers popping. When he looked up at her, there was an orange glow masking his face from the fire pit. "Do I sense a certain someone is eager to be rid of me?"

"What? No, I just...I wasn't expecting you to be up this early, I was planning on being alone before our people departed." She crossed her arms over her legs and sat heavy on a log opposite him across the bonfire pit; she could tell when she looked at him that he didn't believe her. With reluctance in her mind, she confessed. "But, okay, yeah, kinda."

"And why is that?" He concentrated on the fish as he stabbed them both through with a cooking rod and laid them down on the grill over the flame. "I'm not an unpleasant person, I don't think. I don't hate you, in fact I revere you based on your performance in the arena. So what is it that makes you dislike me so? I hope it's not clinging to some petty competitive nature or something, because that would be quite silly."

She huffed, her breath swirling the fog and smoke in front of her. "No, it's not that, I just...I don't know, if you want the honest truth. I just, I don't like you and I don't know why. I kind of want to because you're being very honorable and I fear that's under appreciated among my people, but I can't shake this feeling that I shouldn't like you; like I should be ashamed of spending time here with you."

He slowly nodded and smiled. "That is pretty deep, and it makes sense, I suppose. Competitive spirits don't often do well when it comes to any sort of relationship with an equally skilled companion. That mentality is very hard to break free from, but I'd greatly appreciate if you gave me a chance. Forget that I'm your opponent for a moment, and see me as a fellow competitor. Treat me as though we were on the same team, fighting for the same thing."

"And why would I do that? We're not the same; pretending otherwise won't change that."

"We're not the same, but we do have a lot more in common than we don't. We're both fighters, we're both very skilled at it, we both have very aggressive styles, we both frequent the same places every week. And I'd argue we are fighting for the same thing, we just have a slightly different perspective on the matter." He grabbed the cooking rod and flipped the fish.

Kila licked her lips as the aroma of sizzling fish billowed around her. "And what do you mean by that?"

"Ask yourself this, why do we fight?" His gaze locked with hers, as a sort of lie detector.

In her mind, she thought she knew the answer so she responded with confidence. "To win the island. Territory and bragging rights." She was surprised by his response.

"I wouldn't say so, no. I submit to you that this entire endeavor is strictly for the entertainment of our people. I also feel that our difference in answers is likely why you seem to naturally dislike me. Both of our cultures are very competitive - especially towards one another - but we have notably unique stances on how we perceive it."

She was gradually coming to see what he was trying to say, and while she wanted to resist him out of habit, she knew he was right. In her mind, she was struggling with her own held beliefs and emotions, but in the end she couldn't justify maintaining her stubborn attitude about the arena. Though her culture had infused it in her mind that the wolves were the enemy and that this was all for pride and honor, she never really wanted that. She just liked fighting a lot. She found it fun.

Revau continued, after a moment letting her process her feelings. "Where your culture seems to glorify victory - and correct me if I'm wrong - while shaming failure, mine is very different. Our ability to enjoy ourselves or feel good doesn't hinge on our win to loss ratio. Combat is fun, regardless of he victor."

That was very similar to her own opinions and desires. "Okay, so why are you so keen on honoring me for beating you if, in your culture, it doesn't matter who wins? I've seen others best you in the past and you never sought them out for a meal, so what makes me different? What game are you playing here? Why me?" A slight tinge of aggression was coming out of her as she started to suspect foul play on his part. Even the light smell of bolt fish couldn't assuage her building frustration. She was prepared to leave if his answer didn't endear her.

He flipped the fish again, angling it so the bars of the grill made a thatch pattern over the scales. After taking a long, deep breath he looked her in the eyes and smiled, his blue and green eyes wide like a pup. "There's about four reasons I chose to seek you out after the fight."

"And what reasons were those?" She demanded, her aggression a defense mechanism in place to keep her from allowing herself to get too attached to his ideals. Even as she spat her words at him, she felt a tinge of regret because she knew he didn't deserve that.

"Whoa, hold on a bit here Kila, I don't know what you think I'm doing here, but I can assure you there's no reason to be angry. Alright, so, here's the honest truth. Not to say I've lied to you - I've not - but there is a bit more here than I let on at first."

She got to her feet and grabbed her blade in an instinctive response before shaking herself clear and sitting back down. "Sorry. But hurry up with it, because I'm having a bit of a hard time believing you."

He held his hands out to her in an effort to calm her. "I told you, I wanted to honor you for your skill in battle, but there's more to it than that. See, you're also new to the fights, which means I have a lot to learn about you. I can see you're feisty and aggressive, but I like that. Despite being a rookie, you managed to beat me in fair combat, which would be difficult even for Andyr. I know because we spar back home and I know I am a better fighter than he is."

"If you're so good, why don't you fight for the territory?" She asked, then calmly flicked her tail behind her, a bit of her anger alleviated when she realized that she beat the one who could supposedly be champion. That felt good, whether he was lying or not.

"I told you, I don't care about the territory. I do this for fun, and I think you do as well, which is why I wanted to propose something to you. You're new, you're skilled, and we have similar fighting styles so I think we could really make some magic together in combat."

Kila sighed and rolled her eyes. "You want me to throw a fight, don't you? Lose on purpose so you'll look good? Sorry, I have no interest in sacrificing my pride for yours."

He shook his head and flipped the fish one last time, getting the second side a thatched look as well. "Not like that, no. Well, kinda, but not what you think it is. Like I said, I do this for fun and because I like the friendly competition aspect of it. It's entertainment to the combatants, but it's also fun for the ones watching. What if we - you and I - worked together to tell a story with our fights? We could elevate the entertainment aspect of what we do and make it more interesting to those watching if we formed a narrative around our rematch?"

She narrowed her eyes and flicked an ear. "Wouldn't that kind of defeat the purpose of a combat sport?"

"Only if you look at it from that one perspective and that one perspective only, where winning is everything and the entertainment value means nothing. Think about how many more people would come and how much more we could do if, say, people thought that I genuinely hated you and wanted revenge for beating me. We could tell a tale of me getting redemption against the immensely skilled rookie who bested me as the sole survivor of her team of trained combatants? Such a narrative surrounding a rematch would get people talking, get people interested. It would rejuvenate the Arena Glade for those who lost interest!" He rubbed his hands together and grabbed the stick, offering Kila one of the fish on a plate. "Then, after I win the rematch and we're tied one to one, we can go from there and see what happens."

She took the fish and used a claw to peel away some of the flesh and skin, followed by pulling the bones out. "But isn't that going to happen anyway? People are already talking, and why would I let you win? Wouldn't it be more interesting if I, the clearly superior fighter, kept winning her way to the top where she became the one fighting for the territory?"

He laughed a bit. "My dear, you won, but it could have been a fluke. Literally a half second later and I would have bested you that bout and you'd be just another rookie falling to my claws. This is more interesting." He took a huge bite off the side of the fish and chewed a bit, forcing his way through the thin bones and twitching a bit as he felt a shock zap his inner lips.

"Careful, bolt fish can get ya even when cooked." She said with a condescending tone as she daintily grabbed a chunk of fish and popped it in her maw. "And I'll think about it. I'm not sure if I really want to lose to you even if it is faked, but I kind of see what you're doing with this. How do we get a rematch, anyway? As you said, I'm still new and so far Tavi and Iteciu have done most of my preparation for me."

"You let me take care of that. I'll talk to the Saurossin Watchers, they can set it up in addition to whatever plans they have for next weekend. We can chat on the first day during setup to see if you've made up your mind. I'd really like to do this with you, I think it could be a lot of fun and add a lot of layers to what we do here. If it works, we could take the Arena Glade to the next level. If not, we just go back to slicing each other up to ribbons. Either way, it would be nice because I got to try something else with someone who, I hope, shares my views." He took another big bite of the fish, and squinted as he waited for another shock that never came.

She raised her ears up and smiled, tail flicking out in the dirt behind her. She did share his views about it being for fun first, but she wasn't prepared to admit that. "I probably won't, but it's definitely worth considering. Anyway, if that's all, I'd like to get back to my camp site now. Have some packing to do." She enjoyed another strip of fish as she got up to leave.

His ears drooped a bit in disappointment. "Oh, I thought we were having a good time. I'd still like to chat a bit over breakfast, get to know you a bit more. But I suppose I can't make you stay."

Her opportunity to leave was right there, but she couldn't say no to the puppy dog eyes regardless of how little she associated herself with canines and how hard it was to empathize with him. Still, she smiled and sat back down; she had a lot of fish left to enjoy. "Well alright, I have a few more minutes, but you've got until I make it to the head of this fish, then I'm out, okay?"

"Deal."

"So what did you want to know?" She took a generous portion and pulled the bones out before tossing it back into her maw. "What is so interesting about me that you wanted to share your devious plan?"

Revau bit down on the spine of his with a crunch before chewing and swallowing. "Well, that's what I'd like to know. You're very young, from what I can tell, so fighting must be in your blood. Did your parents care much for the fighting? I can see you're mostly feline with a bit of avian in there. Was it brought to you early? Tell me, what inspired you to become a combat artist? How long have you been sparring? What do you ultimately plan on getting out of this all?" He stopped and shook his head. "So many questions, sorry!"

Kila couldn't tell for sure, but she thought he was blushing, bashful like a pup with a crush. Still, she was happy to answer. "Well, my mother was a jysar, my father an oairan drake, so yeah, mostly feline. She was a hunter, he was a scholar, and they worked together to prime me to follow in one of their paths. They tried to teach me how to read and write, but when I wasn't picking that up, I took up combat."

"Oh? And what happened? How did you get so good? I take it you've been fighting for a long time, based on how fluid your movements are and how good you are at deception in the arena."

She crossed her legs and rocked a bit on the log, composing her thoughts.. "Uh, I don't know how long I've been interested in combat arts, but it's been most of my life for sure. As a kitten, my parents would take me out to the arena fights when Prince Keran was on a one year long winning streak. I watched that jysar rip through every one of of you, sometimes two or three at a time, with blades and claws and magic. It was majestic in every sense of the word and I wanted to be just like him. Combat is a huge part of our culture, and every kitten in my tribe wanted to be like Prince Keran." She sighed a bit, reminiscing on her past. "But nobody has ever quite lived up to his legacy, have they?"

"He was truly a great fighter, there is no doubt about that." He said with solemnity.

"What about you? What inspired you to dedicate your life to the Arena Glade? If winning doesn't matter, there has to be something else driving your motivation." She asked, biting more fish.

"I wanted a legacy." He admitted. "Above all else I wanted to be known for my skills and flair. I wanted people to remember me as being more than just another pup in the pack. All my siblings and friends were forming their own sparring league at home that eventually blossomed into a spectacle not unlike here at the Arena Glade, but at home it's just for fun instead of for the territorial claim to the Isle of Ashoor. I was there from day one, fighting the best that my pack had to offer even before they came to fight for territory, so I was able to adapt and learn to virtually any style while making my own."

She paused eating to lean in a bit. "You wanted to belong while still standing out. Quite a goal, if I say so myself. Very hard to balance, but I can respect that." a gentle silence passed over them as they noticed the fog was lifting, dissipating into the morning as the sun was raised to the sky.

Revau took another bite from the spine of the fish and made a bit of a face; it was clear he wasn't that into fish but he was trying his best to be respectful and share this with her. "I'm glad to hear that. Anyway, I practiced there a lot, and when I wasn't fighting I was learning how to bake or write."

"You can write? Not a lot of people can!" She complimented, genuinely impressed since he'd succeeded at something she failed at. "Talented combat artist and a scholar. Seems there's more to you than brutish good looks!"

He blushed. "Thanks. It was hard to learn, but I can write poetry and tell tales now. I wanted to use it to help build my legacy, and maybe I'll write about you one day."

"Sure. I suppose you could, if history has a place for me." Kila accepted, completely missing the point of his gentle flirtation. Instead she went back to his prior comment. "And you like to bake? What sorts of things do you bake? Actually, what exactly is baking? I know it's a form of cooking, but I mostly eat raw or grilled so I'm not familiar with fancy food making." Her tone gently morphed into a passive drawl to accent her relative simplicity.

"Baking is simple. Just mix in some flour, grains, yeast, and a few other ingredients into a bowl, then put that bowl in a super hot oven to cook for a few hours. Mostly I do breads, muffins, cakes, and buns for sandwiches and I make at least one loaf a day to go with the meat I make. We cien love our baked goods, and I'd love to try it with you some time if you were interested."

She winced a bit. "To be honest, I'd kind of rather not. Bread isn't my thing, I eat fruits and meats, mostly. Different body, different needs, right?"

"Ah, right. Yes miss." His honor was being laid on thick.

She noticed this, so she decided to prod a bit, testing him. "Oh, and earlier we were talking about four reasons you singled me out for this little chat we had, but you only gave me three explanations. What was the fourth?"

"Hm?" He asked, cocking his head to the side and raising an ear.

"You said that you wanted to talk to me about this because I was new, I was skilled, and I had a similar style to you. What was the fourth reason?" She enjoyed another bite of her meal as she leaned over her plate, tail flicking out behind her. "Was it because I beat you, or because you wanted to find someone that might be willing to take a fall for you?"

He avoided eye contact as he laid his plate down. "I hope you don't mind my forward nature, but I would be honored to have you not just as an ally and fellow combatant, but a friend. You're cure, and knowing that you at least partially share my values about the Arena Glade, I can't help but find you cute. Of course, that part came later, the other three reasons were why I approached you in the first place, but our conversation on the riverbank made me think you were so much more than just a fighter. I want to know more." He laughed and ran his hand through the fur atop his head that was swept back over his neck, bashful and bordering on embarrassed.

Kila shrugged and smiled. "I suppose there's no harm in that." She was prepared to accept his desire for friendship, but just as she was about to say something, the door to the cabin opened and a ciennic warrior stepped out. He was naked as the day he was born and stretching his arms up high with sheath exposed before noticing the two at the camp fire and immediately covering his crotch area and dashing back into the cabin.

"Well then..." Kila blushed and glanced down at her food, wolfing down another strip of meat before tossing the plate to the side. "Well, I think it's about time for me to go. Thanks for the meal, and I suppose I'll see you next week." She respectfully bowed and turned to leave, nearly making it to the pathway leading out of the clearing before Revau stopped her.

"Oh, hold up a moment. I need to know what you want for that dinner I owe you." He asked as he got up, hopping over the log to catch up to her.

She stopped, wincing a bit as she didn't want to be rude but really felt it was time to leave. "What do you mean? I thought this was the meal?"

He quickly stepped up close to her, within arm's reach but well away from the other cien who was poking his head through the window of the cabin at them. "No, that was just breakfast. I said I owed you dinner. I want to make you a full meal, since you earned it. Some quickly grilled fish is nice but not befitting of a beautiful and talented artist of combat such as yourself. No, that won't do." He leaned in close in a way that made Kila worry he was going in for a kiss, only to tilt to the side and whisper in her ear. "And if you could keep our little conversation about my plans to the two of us, that would be great."

Kila winced and nervously laughed as she stepped away, giving him a meek thumbs up. "Sure, whatever you say. Okay, bye now." With that, she darted back to her side of the Arena Glade, leaving him behind as she hurriedly took down her tent and packed her things.

She had a lot to think about, but his proposition wasn't at the forefront of her mind. He was, thanks to his honor and kindness. The more she thought about him, the more clear it was that he was flirting with her. She didn't pick up on it at first since she had been convinced that he was doing most everything out of honor, tradition, and his little ploy, but the more she thought about it with a clear mind, the more obvious it had become.

Despite her reservations, she didn't mind. In fact, she found it flattering and was eager to see him again the following week, just to see if his charm was still there.

A swell of pride bubbled up in her chest and she felt her fur and feathers both standing on end, a grin spreading across her face. Part of her wanted to go back over to his camp and give him a proper goodbye, but Tavi insisted they return to the boats to head home, so she did.

Didn't want anyone knowing she was enjoying the company of some smelly wolf.

-=Chapter 04 - Developing Skills=-

After that eventful weekend, Kila returned home to live her usual life in Endra. Her home, like that of most other jysarians, was built into the branches of the tall trees that made up her environment, and both jysarian and oairan residents regularly visited her. The tribe's settlement was situated nearest to the Isle of Ashoor, which is why most of their people were either fighters or trainees, and a key factor in her upbringing.

She should have been practicing, yet she tried her best to stay away from her friends and fellow combatants because she had other things on her mind. This proved difficult since Iteciu and Tavi both kept showing up at her door to share plans and battle strategies. In response, she simply slipped away from her home through the back door early every morning, opting to spend her days out on extended hunts or gathering supplies from the rainforest of Endra.

Life in her homeland was mostly simple and laid back, but not stress free. While the jysarian and oairan culture meshed well with one another and their society was very well maintained in the population centers, the jungle was forever a threat to anyone out on a hunt or travelling alone. She used that needed attention as a distraction to keep her mind off Revau and the Arena Glade, her mind sharply focused on her prey or the fruit she harvested from the trees.

However, she couldn't keep herself distracted for long, because she had to return home eventually. Being alone in the vast forests at night was practically suicide, for the nocturnal beasts woke and hunted at that time. Nobody was bold enough to face the terrors of the night alone, not even Kila. As such, she did eventually return to her tree-built home with a satchel filled with berries, a quiver full of arrows, and a slain ape slung over her shoulders as twilight descended upon the land. When she arrived, she was intercepted by Tavi waiting on her porch.

He was sitting there with blade in hand, tail wrapped tight around a nearby branch and legs hanging over the side of the wood, a stern and disappointed look on his face. Despite living in the trees, there were no hand rails since most Endarians were either jysar or oairans, and both of those races had impeccable balance, so he looked like he was about to fall through the branches and land on the soft dirt of the jungle floor, even though that never happened.

A brief moment of doubt passed over her as she considered turning around and ignoring her home entirely if it meant she had to deal with someone else, but she knew he saw her and she didn't want to actively rouse suspicion so she climbed the tree her home was built on and invited him in. He had been trying to find her for days by that point, since he wanted to give the good news that the saurossin watchers had granted Kila a rematch with Revau. Tavi wanted to spend some time discussing strategies and ways to win her next fight, but it became quickly clear that Kila didn't really want to talk about the arena or Revau in particular. She quickly requested that Tavi go away and leave her alone for the following few days, knowing that he would keep prying.

No matter what she did to distract herself and keep her mind off what awaited her the following weekend, she just couldn't stop thinking about Revau. His attitude, philosophy, and sense of honor were appealing to her regardless of the fact that he wasn't from her tribe, and she found herself occasionally pausing to imagine what would happen next time they met. After so callously leaving him by his cabin she felt like she owed him an apology, or at least some sort of explanation as to why she left so abruptly.

She started conceptualizing conversations in her mind in regards to how she would approach him, and every new iteration was increasingly bashful wherein she'd stumble over her words and try to explain her feelings. She wanted to tell him that she thought he was cute and she respected his desires, but she couldn't allow herself to willingly lose to him just to appease his plans. Then, in her mind, she backtracked once again and said she was interested in participating with his ideas, but not until she'd established herself in the arena. Every new conversation she imagined was more twisted and convoluted than the last, and every night ended up with her curled up in her hammock with a belly full of fruit and meat and a mind full of fantasies.

Then, after a full week of insecurity and confusion, she woke on the first day of the weekend and realized too late that she hadn't done anything to prepare for the coming fight. Still, she bundled up her weapons and hide armor in her bag, and joined the rest of her people to collectively trek towards the river to boat their way to the Isle of Ashoor. She remained silent for the entire trip, still internally conjuring up imaginary discussions with her opponent.

The hull of the canoe hadn't even touched shore when she hopped out and bounded towards the tree line, splashing in the shallow water and quickly leaping into the trees, bounding from one to another like she did back in Endra. She wanted to reach the Arena Glade before anyone else so she could find Revau and tell him her decision. First, she dropped her stuff off in her own clearing before running through the pathways and pass the Glade.

However, when she finally did arrive at the ciennic camp, she had no idea where she was going. It had been a week since they met up at his cabin, and though the layout of their encampment was simple, every cabin and clearing looked the same. The various dozens of Cien she came across seemed to have no idea why she was roaming on their side of the island, and seemed unable to answer her questions about the location of Revau or where he might have been. After asking a dozen different warriors including the two she fought the prior weekend, she eventually gave up for the day and returned to her camp only to find Tavi had already set her tent up.

She decided to call it a night the moment the sun disappeared over the horizon, even though her companions were all out barbecuing food and enjoying a party. All the while, her heart fluttered with anxiety as she wondered how the following day would end up since she had something very important to tell him and the last thing she needed was for a misunderstanding on the battlefield. Throughout the day, all she could think about was how much she wanted to see him; as the day turned to dusk, her mind transitioned from conveying her decision to just wanting to see him again.

Even as she fell into sleep, their reunion was all she could think about.

The following dawn, she repeated the same morning ritual she usually enjoyed, sans her brief self pleasure. She rolled out of her hammock and stretched her every muscle, sure to keep herself limber for the following fight. Battles in the Arena Glade would commence early, soon after sunrise and she still had no idea what the actual plans were or what match ups had been determined so she quickly got dressed and was about to wake Tavi to find out when she decided she'd rather go to Revau.

When she popped her head out of her tent, she saw the island was blanketed with fog as it had been the weekend before. She thought maybe, just maybe, she would be able to use that to guide her back to Revau's cabin. Visual memory was one thing she was good at utilizing, and it seemed to be the last thing she could think to do in order to meet up with him before their clash. She briefly thought she might want to bring a dagger or something, but then shrugged that thought away as Revau's voice came into her mind reminding her that his people were not the angry type and not prone to violence.

She darted out and carefully navigated the twisting pathways of the Endarian camp site to make it to the wide open Arena Glade, where she then retraced the steps that she and Revau had taken the weekend prior. After passing a few cabins, she came up to one with a bonfire that had little fish bones strewn around the stone rim of the pit, and that was when she knew this was the place.

A unwitting smile spread across her face as she hopped up to the tall door, tail swishing behind her and ears up tall in eager anticipation. Only a brief memory of the nude canine's sheath she saw last time she was here prevented her from immediately knocking on the door. Such an image was only the faintest of deterrents and she quickly knocked thrice, then waited for a response. Inside she could hear bodies shifting and growling a bit as they presumably got out of their bunks and made their way to the door.

"Who's there?" A female growled before yanking the door open and sticking her head out to look; she was naked as well, with fur purely white with a light brown nose. She glanced from side to side, then down when she noticed the relatively short Kila. "Oh. Okay. Who might you be, my dear?"

"Um, I'm Kila!" She gulped and thought up a lie. "I'm scheduled to fight against Revau some time today and I wanted to give him the opportunity to give up now before I embarrass him again."

The canine flopped an ear down and whimpered a bit with a smile. "Aw, how cute. I like that. Anyway, I'm not sure why you came here, he didn't sleep at this camp last night."

Kila's talons curled into the dirt. "Oh, well that's a shame. Really wanted to say some nasty things. Do you know where he is?"

"No, I really don't. I don't even know how you'd be able to find him short of a howl, but I'm not starting one of those so early in the morning. Can't you just, I dunno, meet him before the fight?"

A brief moment passed while Kila thought up a retort but couldn't find anything scathing or witty enough to use. She slumped her shoulders and nodded in defeat. "Okay, thanks for your help." She turned and walked away as the female cien closed the door behind her.

There wasn't much more that Kila could do now. The sun was going to be rising very soon and after that she had virtually no time to find him or say anything. If she was lucky she might be able to catch him while another fight was happening, but that was really her only hope. Defeated, she trotted away from the cabin to return to her tent.

However, before she got to un-zip her tent flap, she was distracted by the sound of hustle and bustle nearby as dozens - nay, hundreds - of jysar and oaira started waking up and emerging from their tents in the nearby clearings. Right next to her, Tavi slipped out from his tent with a stretch and a yawn.

"Oh, hi Kila. Good morning!" He said, still not dressed for the arena. "You ready for your match?"

Her mind once again returned to the image of the hulking warrior Revau and she sighed contentedly as she nodded. "Yeah. Just gotta get my blades ready and sharpened." She immediately dove into her tent and started riffling through her bag, only to be thrown off guard when Tavi followed her.

"You haven't sharpened your blades yet? You know you and Revau are going on first, right? They'll be waiting for you in the arena within the next hour."

"What." It wasn't a question, somehow, but a statement. "And why didn't anyone tell me this? I've been trying to get in contact with him ever since I got here and I can't find him anywhere!" Suddenly, her heart was racing and she was starting to panic. What if he didn't show up? Was he shy? Was he avoiding her on purpose? How was she going to tell him her decision to not let him win? She couldn't just tell him in the middle of the fight, that just wouldn't work.

Tavi lowered his ears to his head. "I did tell you, Kila. We had a nice long chat about it after I finally caught up with you after your extended hunt."

"Oh." She sighed to herself. "My mind was on something else at that time. I just wanted to be left alone."

"Your mind should have been on Revau, because I get the distinct impression you are nowhere near prepared for this fight."

Ironically, that's exactly what was on her mind, but not for the reasons Tavi may have been thinking. Still, she acted like that wasn't the case by rolling her eyes and hissing at him. "Look, I'm sorry. I just had first fight, it had a bit of an impact on me and I needed some time to think."

He shrugged in response. "We could call it off, get him a different opponent if you-"

"No!" She hissed at him, then blushed when she realized how silly it seemed to be so defensive. "I mean, no. I can't back down now. I would look like a fool, and I have a reputation to uphold; as of right now I'm undefeated and I need to see him again. I mean, er, fight him again, show it wasn't a fluke."

In all their years together, Tavi had always been quite perceptive to Kila's behaviour, and he was picking up on her peculiar actions in response to mention of Revau. He squinted his eyes and smiled wide, sharp teeth poking out from his lips before purring and giving her one final bit of advice before leaving. "Just get ready and put on a good show. Don't disappoint us." He winked and darted out the tent, leaving Kila there alone.

"I will put on a great show." She mumbled to herself as a deep purr built in her chest. The thought of returning to the arena to pit herself against Revau again made her happier than she'd have liked to admit, but now she needed to fight. The blades didn't need to be sharpened, since a mercy kill shot only needed to look deadly without any actual piercing happening, so she just grabbed both sword and dagger and left the tent in a hurry.

Outside, there were already hundreds of jysar and oaira walking towards the Arena glade, some with chairs and others with ropes to climb into the trees that surrounded the combat zone.

This was it. She didn't have any time to think, just to act.

The crowd flowed around her, guiding her towards the Arena Glade; when she arrived, she pushed her way out from the audience line and into the arena to a deafening chorus of cheers from her side and boos from the other. She winced a bit and raised her fist high, dagger in hand, to get another rousing ovation. She could hear people chanting her name among the nondescript cheers.

Amidst all the adoration, she found herself focusing her mind on two things, equipping the blades on her belt and wondering where Revau was. After fumbling with the leather to attach her sword to one hip and her dagger to the other, she grabbed the sword's handle and unsheathed it, pointing the tip to the sky to another rousing ovation as she turned to her people on that side of the Arena Glade.

Moments later, another powerful wave of cheers came from behind her. When she turned she saw Revau pushing through the crowd with his gauntlets equipped and a mean look of a snarl on his face. His lip was raised to show his fangs and he was growling with enough anger to spew droplets of drool all over the place.

"Well that's not what I was expecting." She grumbled to herself as she put her blade back in its sheath. One step at a time, she made her way to the middle of the arena where one of the tall Saurossin Watchers were waiting for her.

The reptilian biped looked at her, then over at Revau as the canine fighter lumbered his way to the middle of the arena as well. When the three of them met together, both crowds went silent as they anticipated the first words, which came from the Watcher. "Jysar and cien, oairans and saurossins alike, we come here to the Isle of Ashoor to settle our disputes. The fate of this island and all it represents will be settled here today when the Yelfritian warrior Andyr Gren will be defending his territory in a handicap match against Endarian warriors Iteciu Morin and Tavi Shous!"

What? Tavi never mentioned that!

Or maybe he did and she wasn't listening, just like when he told her that she was going to be fighting first. At this point it was quite clear that she just needed to pay more attention; potentially indicative of her focus on the fight before her.

Still, the Watcher continued. "But that fight comes later! We have here a match up from last weekend, a rematch of sorts, with some honor on the line. We have the seasoned fighter Revau Irfan fighting to defend his pride against the spunky newcomer Kila Eryn!"

Revau was pacing on his side of the arena glade the whole time, snarling and growling and drooling saliva down into the dirt as he balled up his fists and slammed his gauntlets to his chest. The sharp spikes on the knuckles drew some blood from his bulking pectoral muscles, resulting in a vibrant red mess that trickled over his well-defined abs. The image made Kila shudder a bit, but when he stepped forward to interrupt the Watcher, his words ruined that.

"And this here kitten thinks she got the better of me! She got lucky, and that's it. They say every warrior has beginner's luck? Well, Kila, your luck just ran out and I will crush you between my paws. I hope your healing team is very, very experienced, because they're going to need every bit of magic in them to put you back together when I'm done with you!" He growled at her, followed by a long-winded howl to the morning sun that his people mimicked.

Up to this point, Kila had just been standing in surprise, shocked at his nasty threats. She knew that part of the fun was playing up the crowd - something she failed to do on her first fight - but that just seemed mean. It really deflated her opinion of him over the course of his rant and she was ready to 'accidentally' slice his gullet right open just to watch the blood pour.

He continued. "And if she thinks she's going to get another win over me, well, I'll make sure you never see her in this arena again. When I'm done with her, she'll be too scared to tussle with a litter of kittens back home! You'll see!" Again, he slammed his fist to his chest and held it there as he howled, standing tall while leading his people in a long, wailing cheer.

When he finished, he glared at her with an intensity she'd never seen from him before; his emerald and orange eyes both trained on her like a starved feral.

But in that brisk moment when their eyes locked, she could sense his features soften the slightest and his visage morphed from aggressive to compassionate for a brief moment before he returned to the angry look he had prior. He wasn't angry, he was acting! Not only was he faking his hatred, but that brisk look told her he was happy to see her.

Now she had no choice but to play along. Play along, but that didn't mean she'd let him win.

"You really think so, do you pup? Well, if I truly was a fluke, I wouldn't have won on my first fight! Maybe if I was fighting a more skilled fighter I would have been 'put in my place'?"

The crowd chanted 'ooooooooh!' as if she'd laid a devastating insult.

"Yeah, that's right. You step across this line and we'll see who sends who home!" She taunted, dragging her blade across the dirt in the middle of the Arena glade. Instantly, he bounded forward and snarled in her face while toeing the line, paws balled up into fists in the gauntlets.

Between them, the Saurossin Watcher used his massive body to part them from getting into a scrap before the fight started. "Hold back, you two. Get back to your sides and we will get this fight started." He instructed.

Both Revau and Kila backstepped away from the middle of the arena, never taking their eyes off each other. In that brisk final moment, Kila saw another brief crack in his facade, where his features softened and he smiled a bit at her. Most wouldn't have caught it, but she did.

She was ready.

"Kila! Revau! Ready your weapons!" The Watcher called. "Fight!"