FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

---====== Chapter 06 - Combat ex Annum ======---

Kila leaned into Revau with a wide grin on her face, tail flicking out behind them on the bed. "You know, I have a confession that I can't keep inside any more. It's been a year and I just can't hold it in any longer."

Revau lowered an ear as he grinned sidelong at her. "Let me guess, you love me and just can't keep your anniversary plans a secret anymore!" He cupped one hand in the others and faked a moon howl to mock her. "Can't wait to see what it is!"

She flicked him on the thigh, then immediately gave him a gentle rub as if to apologize. "No, not that. You know the first fight we ever had one on one? I didn't let you win, I stumbled and you capitalized on it, beating me. I was not planning on letting you have that victory, and I was going to use your desire for style over substance as a way to further my legacy."

He just shrugged. "Oh, I know."

"Wait, what? Really?" She pulled away and flattened her ears to her skull, somewhat irked. "What do you mean, 'I know'? How could you know if I never told you that?"

"How could you not know I knew?" He grabbed her by the waist and plopped her down on his lap so she was facing him, legs straddling his thighs. "Come on, Kila. Look back to yourself when we first met, you had a huge ego and I could not bare to do harm to it. If I popped that inflated head of yours," He paused to poke her between the eyes, "the crash to Dalon would likely kill you and any desire you had for combat, at least for a while. You needed to keep on believing that I believed you."

She flicked her tail and narrowed her eyes. "Of course I have an ego. It is the best ego in Endra or Yelfrit, and don't you go disrespecting that!" She fake-slapped his cheek and leaned in for a hug, nestling her muzzle into his neck. "But I guess you're right. I probably wouldn't have been able to maintain the facade of self confidence if you confessed your knowledge to me. Ah well, it's in the past now, and now I'm going to destroy you!" She booped him on the nose and hopped off to get dressed, deliberately bending over with tail up to show her rump as she grabbed her skirt.

Revau got up and stretched with a yawn before gently pinching her butt cheek. "Come on, get dressed, I think the final fight will be starting soon."

Her tail whipped around to grab at his wrist as she turned and pulled him into an embrace. "Are you...telling me what to do?" She asked with a sinister tone in her voice, hands pressed against his muscled chest. "Because I love it when you force yourself on me." She hopped up to peck him on the nose before grabbing her equipment and bounding out the cave door through the hanging moss. "Oh, and keep up. You're not even dressed yet."

He nodded and grabbed his own equipment before following her out, only to find she must have already hopped up onto the canopy of tangled roots above them.

The stream under the Terrestrial Mangrove roots was bubbling nicely with crisp, clear water that Revau could see his shimmering reflection in; it was so clear and pure looking he couldn't help but steal a taste lapping at its crystal-clear surface. When he got up nice and close, he could see some big fish swimming in place against the current, which made him think of Kila, knowing that was her favorite food. Upon finishing his drink, he hopped up and grabbed at one of the roots, hoisting himself above their blanket to see Kila putting the finishing touches on her sword and dagger belt before sheathing them and winking at him.

Her talons were gripping the mangrove root to keep her balance as she looked over at him. His movements rattled each of the roots like a tree branch since they were interwoven, which meant she had to be particularly careful. Luckily, she had the balance of her feline parent. "Come on, I'll race ya?"

As Revau pulled himself up to the bed of woven mangrove roots, he sat heavily and sighed at her. "Come on, we all know you're awesome, you don't need to continue to prove it by besting me in competitions I don't stand a chance of winning. I will never have your speed or balance."

"Sounds like an excuse to me." She chirped at him as she grabbed her blade by the handle and bapped him on the forehead. "See ya there, slowpoke!" With that, she darted off over the thickly tangled web of Terrestrial mangrove roots to return to the Arena Glade with Revau begrudgingly following in her stead. She stopped every few dozen trees to let him catch up, lightly teasing him every step of the way.

While trekking their way back to the camp site - after having breached the edge of the Terrestrial Mangrove forest - Kila let Revau catch up to her and the two of them had a wonderful conversation about their lives after that night they slept together for the first time.

As it was their one-year anniversary almost to the day, they were recalling that first time she gave into his wiles and slept with him, which they had since came to agree was the day they officially became mated.

Their recollection of the past started the very next morning after their drunken exploits, when Kila awoke in Revau's arms, surrounded by a dozen other Cien warriors all curious as to how this happened. The night before had been quite the good time for all involved, and the alcohol had been quite powerful so few remembered the details of how they ended up together.

Revau knew. He wasn't as affected by the ale as Kila was her wine, and he did all he could to protect her from the playful teasing his friends gave her.

Contrary to her usual behavior, Kila was quite shy and reserved to the point she could barely show her face from under a blanket. She only came out to show some anger when one of the cien called her a kitten. That was not a title she liked, especially not when she was on the defensive and feeling vulnerable. Her feeling of exposure got even worse when she returned back to her side of the island to join her tribe in the exile. Revau escorted her, which made it even worse, yet she couldn't bring herself to get angry at him. When she meekly kissed him goodbye, she got a bit of a cat-call from Tavi, who seemed a touch upset at the revelation that she had slept at the Yelfritian camp with Revau.

Having given into her base urges, allowing herself to fall for Revau, she quickly found the strength and will to be confident in her decision regardless of how foolish it made her feel. By shedding her reservations, she was able to embrace life to the fullest without a shred of regret.

As the following week went on, she enjoyed her time back in Endra without any of the dour overcast mood that plagued the week leading up to her battle with Revau. She was happy, chipper, and was in such a good mood she got careless when hunting, yet didn't even care when her prey caught wind of her scent and darted away. Everything made her smile, with tail up and ears perked. In a way, even an Annelook darting away through the thick Endarian foliage reminded her in some odd way of her first fight with him.

She barely noticed that Tavi was often nowhere to be found, mostly because she was too busy in her own world remembering the warmth of his embrace. Kila wanted to share her joy with him, tell him of her time with Revau and the fun they had, but he seemed to be avoiding her. Fortunately, her week was going so well she didn't let his absence taint her joy.

When Kila's tribe and Revau's pack met at the Isle of Ashoor again, the Saurossin watchers decided not to pair the two up to settle the score. In fact, both of them were left out of that week's battles. This worked well for them, as they decided to take this time to slip away from the festivities to go and be alone. In reality, that's what they wanted, anyway; any excuse to spend more time away from the prying eyes of their companions where they could make out and enjoy one another's company.

"So, what did you do in the past week?" She asked, her hand in his as they trudged through the low foliage of the island. The two of them were far away from the camps, heading towards the edge of the terrestrial mangrove with the sounds of their battling companions in the distance.

He didn't answer at first, instead swinging her around and lifting her up to give her a cute little lick-kiss on the nose. This told Kila all she needed to know about what was on his mind while they were apart. She didn't ask farther, but they did keep trekking north to the unused half of the island.

While they were alone, they climbed up in a tree to relax in the branches together. Kila felt at home, with her leg and tail dangling down through the canopy; she was feline so living in trees was her default setting. Revau, on the other hand, was a bit less comfortable in his position near the trunk. His body was much thicker and heavier, so he had to stay on the innermost section of his chosen branch to ensure it didn't snap under his weight. Kila noticed this, but he didn't complain because he got to be close to her while they were discussing their further plans.

Many topics were discussed there in that tree, for it was a significant, life changing day for them. It was the day they decided, without question, that they were comfortable calling each other 'mate'. At first it didn't seem right, since both held very much opposing views on the world, but their mutual love for combat and entertainment as well as their personalities meshing well ensured that it just felt good.

Kila was single and hadn't really thought much about finding a partner, until she met him. Even when she started having inexplicable flutters in her chest, she didn't want to accept that maybe she felt something for a 'filthy pup', as she liked to call him. Still, affection was affection, and his persistently pleasant mood and elegant desire for her respect chipped away at her until she couldn't resist.

A little bit of alcohol and a few bad choices later, she found herself waking in his arms with only the slightest hint of regret. That regret was not that she was with him, but that his pack mates all saw it. That revelation that her only reservation about mating with him cleared things up in her mind quite thoroughly.

"So, what's next?" Kila asked, head on her arm and face aimed towards Revau. "I mean, we slept together. Does that mean anything in particular in your culture? Are we a pair, now? Does that count as being mated?" She asked, keeping her words brisk despite having a thousand thoughts swirling in her mind.

He grabbed at two higher branches and lifted himself up to his feet, precariously balancing himself to ensure he didn't fall. "Well, it means whatever we decide it means, though I'm not sure what to say since we're not of the same race. You're jysar, I'm cien, so I'm pretty sure such acts between us could only mean what you and I decide it to mean. Tradition from my culture or yours alone doesn't really play a role, here. Do you want it to mean something more than just two like minded warriors enjoying each other's company?"

"Do you?"

A pause fell over them as a smile curled at his lips. "I do. Yes. I would be quite happy to embrace this. Us. It is 'us' now, right? Is that what just happened?" His foot inched forward a bit as though he was going to try to reach out to her, but the branch shuffled a bit and he couldn't continue for fear of falling.

Kila saw this and hopped to her feet on the branch, daintily stepping towards him with her eyes locked to his. As part feline, she had impeccable balance, plus her avian talons gave her a proper grip on the bark of the tree. "I think so, yes." She stood up next to him, not holding onto anything while he struggled to stay up, only to hop up and peck him on the cheek. "And I am glad, because I would like that. Took me a week to accept it, but I'm comfortable admitting it. But my question still stands. What's next? We can't just go telling everyone we're together, it would ruin the illusion of us hating each other for the people watching our fights."

His eyes went wide as his ears flopped. "I suppose you're right. I hadn't thought of that."

Naturally, this opened up a whole line of conversation they hadn't planned for, and their discussion turned into one of logic and planning. How would they embrace one another as mates while not bringing attention to their relationship? How would they keep that part of them secret while their story in the arena played out? How would they get together to plan if they couldn't be seen together? These questions and more got brought up in a lengthy discussion that threatened to turn into a dispute many times, but neither Kila nor Revau had any interest in fighting over the silliest things, both were still in a body-warming afterglow of their mutual affections for one another.

They were both intelligent problem solvers, so they worked together to find out solutions to all their problems. Rather than fight, they embraced in an affectionate and cute kiss before praising the other and getting back to brainstorming.

Most of those answers were hinged on the same few elements and solutions. Their decision was to only get together on the weekend, and to find a place on the island that gave them privacy far away from everyone else. It would be in the northern end of the island, potentially buried under the Terrestrial Mangrove roots for added seclusion. If they couldn't find a place, they could make a place; Kila was adept at survival and Revau was strong, so a solution would present itself! There, they could enjoy each others' company while planning their next battles. They could choreograph acrobatic moves and counters while also taking time to occasionally 'practice' on one another while hoping the ones watching forgot about their drunken night together.

At least that was the plan.

Once they had a strategy laid out before them, they returned to their respective camps with fantasies starring each other in their mind. More weeks passed, with them disappearing every weekend morning to search the island for an appropriate spot. Most of the time, they went to the northern shores far away from their pack and tribes, which served them well but didn't feel homely like what they were planning for. It wasn't until a couple months later that they literally stumbled into the cave beneath the mangroves that would become the base for their creativity.

While they were out, dancing on the mangrove roots together, Revau's weight snapped one of the branches and he fell into the water flowing below. It was a river running a few meters below the underside of the woven roots, and right next to them was an open cave between two rocks with moss hanging down over it to partially cover it.

The entrance made it look like someone had been there before or that it was carved out and created on purpose, but when they explored inside they found no evidence of previous inhabitants. Just a shallow cave with tendrils of gnarled roots poking through the ceiling and weaving back into the surface above them. Inside it wasn't particularly large, but it was enough to house the two of them comfortably with some jumping and acrobatics. They did need to carve out against the dirt and rock around them because they kept hitting their heads when doing jumps, but it was quite nice.

Over the following weeks, they broke their agreement to only meet up on weekends in order to work on their cave and import some personal items like desks, candles, and a bed. Kila even brought a chunk of wood she'd carved into the shape of a cock and coated in the wax of a Honeydew Vine. Once something was coated in that it stayed solid like glass, and she needed something to keep her loins satisfied while she waited for her slower mate to arrive from his camp.

To her surprise, he wanted to use it on himself, too. She allowed this, but he had to clean it in the creek afterward.

Carrying furniture from home, over a wide river, and across a forest floor made of Terrestrial Mangrove roots was a true test of their desire for one another, a test they both passed. They also had to find a way to better navigate from their respective camps to the cave itself without making it too easy for anyone else to find the way there. This was their private place, not to be shared with others. Since the Terrestrial Mangrove trees had roots that completely blanketed the forest floor, other trees could not grow there and there were only a few bushes here and there to break up the monotony. To an outsider, the entire northern half of the island seemed like the same thicket repeated until the shores on the north end.

To wit, they started embedding gems in the bark of trees, angled just the right way and color coded to show which direction was right. A green gem - usually an emerald or floral sapphire - would be forced into a notch in the tree, with the exact opposite direction being the way they would look to find the next tree-post. Green meant go towards the cave, Red meant go towards Revau's camp, and Yellow meant go towards Kila's camp. It was obscure to anyone who didn't know the code and wasn't informed on how to follow it, but to them it was remarkably simple and they each had a way to get to their cave from their own camp site.

Of course, upon bringing and setting up the bed from Revau's home, they had to put it to good use before parting ways again. By the time they were done with each other, they barely had any energy to return to the Arena Glade to witness the matches that weekend and Kila found herself sore to the point she walked with a wide stance. It was a great weekend.

In time - a month or so - the cave became their home away from home. The ceiling had been fortified, the floor had been smoothed over with a light mix that kept it firm and relatively water-resistant, and the walls had been boarded up for added stability.

All the while, as they were taking the time to renovate the cave, they had to keep up the illusion of two warriors on opposite sides of the conflict. Sure, it was well known that neither the Jysar nor the Cien took the battles too seriously and it was all for entertainment, but they wanted to cultivate a story to the onlooker that would be more engaging than just 'two opposing warriors fighting for whatever reason'. They wanted their tribe and pack mates to really believe there was a hatred there, and doing so required they not be seen outside of the fights fraternizing and occasionally mating with one another. Instead, they spent a few hours every morning in their cave away from their people, planning and devising ideas for their further bouts.

But even four months later, they hadn't been booked to fight each other again, at least not in singles competitions. Both of them were fighting on a regular basis, but they rarely met in a battle that wasn't a team fight. Both gained considerable winning streaks, but were never set to fight against one another much to their disappointment. This was a shame because they had thought up so many different moves and counters for each other and they felt that their planning had gone to waste.

As a result, they fought hard and campaigned for the Saurossin Watchers to book them together, and they kept it up until they successed; they had so many things they wanted to show off that they needed a release. Eager, they put together what they felt would be a perfect way to end their months-long rivalry with a series of dozens of planned 'spots' they had choreographed.

During the actual fight, which looked more like a dance of fire, ice, and bolt, they kept the crowd captivated for nearly an hour straight - the longest fight in the history of the Arena Glade. In the end, both had expended so much time and energy on the magic and making it look and feel authentic that, rather than go with the planned win of having Kila go over him, both met in a final explosive clash in the middle that rendered them both too exhausted to stand up, thus creating a draw.

That battle went down as one of the best any of the spectators had seen. People were talking about it for months, even as the two of them lightened up a bit with their desire to not let people see that they weren't enemies. Having finished their little story proving both were equal - each with a win and a final draw - the two of them collectively grew quite complacent about maintaining the facade. As far as the story was concerned, they were equals, and it had been proven that way, thus giving them both closure.

Of course, there was just enough of a cliffhanger for their companions to cling onto, which they never stopped hearing about when their fans started to approach them outside of the Arena Glade. However, both had to dismiss it as something they weren't interested in pursuing together. In fact, they were so uninterested at that time that they even started a storyline 'couples' friendly competition to see who could accomplish better feats in the Arena.

Kila went on to spend time establishing herself as one of the best of her tribe, and Revau did the same by standing out among his pack mates, but both seemed keen on avoiding the territorial fights that always capped off the weekend. Neither wanted to get involved in that scene, for neither wanted to end up fighting each other again - at least not at that point. Plus, Andyr had been running roughshod over all competitors and a loss would have killed Kila's spirit.

Seven months passed in total with the two of them finally calling off their game almost entirely. Revau always invited Kila to his camp when their team inevitably won again thanks to Andyr, and few questioned it. Their battles - all three of them - had been well documented and epic for all the right reasons, so to the observers it was two mutually skilled warriors enjoying each others' company. They didn't let others see them kissing or flirting, but they were together a lot, even in the eyes of the public.

In response, the few times they did disappear into their cave, others who were close to them would follow and track them down. Tavi was the first one to follow Kila back to the cave, in which he confronted her in front of Revau. In order to calm him down, Kila and Revau both agreed to let him in on their plans and fill him in on the rigged nature of their battles.

Surprisingly, Tavi loved the idea. He may have been more relaxed than Iteciu in regards to how seriously he took the Arena Glade, but he was still pretty serious about his standings and record so it was a bit out of character that he was so willing to accept their grand design. However, his inclusion also got him to blab on to Iteciu, Kindaven, and finally Pedonne, who further shared with Saido, Elaria, and Otangi.

In the end, nine people ended up getting in on the deal, and they collectively dubbed themselves the 'creative team', which Revau thought diluted it, but actually proved to be better for everyone.

Only about ten fighters were regularly competing from each nation of the territorial disputes, and with four on each side involved in the 'creative team' with Kila and Revau, it allowed them some control over how the encompassing story progressed. As long as they were rigging fights and determining who won and who lost, it was increasingly dramatic and entertaining to the spectators.

Andyr never heard a wink of it, but two months after the group had started emulating Kila and Revau's choreography, he mysteriously retired. He wasn't losing his fights, he wasn't getting old, and he was showing no signs of weakness or fatigue, but after a year of never losing, Revau assumed he just got bored and had nothing else to prove.

That left open two new slots at the top and nobody to compete for the territory, where one Jysar and one Cien would fight to regain ownership. The Saurossin Watchers conspired with the tribe and pack leaders to pit Yelfritians vs Yelfritians and Endarians vs Endarians together in mini-tournaments to decide who would fight for the territory. Eight from Endra would participate in a single elimination tournament to crown their champion, and the same would happen with eight Yelfritians on their side.

While this was somewhat beyond the control of the creative team - the group of nine who were booking their own wins and losses in advance - they managed to adapt well in a stroke of luck, wherein each of them were pitted against one outside of the inner group, meaning that if they each won the first round they would be able to completely control the pace and flow of the tournament and resulting territorial fight.

In that first week, Revau, Saido, Elaria, and Otangi all won their fights, resulting in the four of them squaring off the following week. Likewise, Kila, Iteciu, and Kindaven all won their fights, but Tavi lost to a surprisingly powerful newcomer by the name of Ashef. She was a relatively small oairan who had some real skill with magic, and that's how she was able to best Tavi in a fight.

Of course, Tavi's strengths were always that of support, not offense, so it made logical sense that he lost to an aggressive avian with grand command of ademagi arts.

During this tournament's quarter-finals, Revau and Kila rekindled their rivalry by boasting in and out of the Arena Glade about how they would meet again and finally prove who was the better fighter between the two. They had acted out a series of arguments and disputes outside of the Arena Glade, thus deepening their story, including one where each of them would raid the others' camp to cause a ruckus and taunt the opponent.

This was the perfect opportunity to take control of the fights, and to decide who had the territory since that's where the tournaments were leading to. Neither wanted to be in the main event, but it was inevitable and gave them an opportunity to flex their creative muscle once again.

After the first week's quarter-finals, the second round of tournament battles commenced. Revau bested Elaria in a long, drawn out battle, while Saido won over Otangi in a rather quick fight, resulting in a Yelfritian Final of Revau and Saido. On the Endarian side, Iteciu came out as victor over Kindaven in an average length fight that was full of some really well choreographed acrobatics. This put Iteciu in the finals on the Endarian tournament, her opponent to be determined by the winner of Kila and Ashef.

The creative team felt that, as the rookie of the year, Kila would have the best chance at beating Ashef, since she was slated to end in the finals with Revau. The resulting battle was quite explosive, with Ashef using a combination of concussive blasts, ranged magic, and her ability to fly to keep her distance from Kila for much of the fight while Kila tried her best to maintain aggression. Luckily, Kila's skills, tenacity, and experience combined to give her the win against the newcomer, resulting in her advancing to the finals with Iteciu.

In truth, that semi-final fight might have been the hardest of Kila's career up to that point. Not only was she fighting what was potentially the most skilled opponent she'd ever seen - even including Revau - but she also had to take extra care to make the fight look as beautiful as the others had. The onus of entertainment was on her, and she had to carry an opponent to an amicable end that genuinely wanted to beat her and prove her own worth.

After the fight and the resulting healing, Ashef came to Kila to thank her for such a wonderful fight. As it turned out, Ashef was a massive fan of Kila's work in the Arena Glad and had idolized her in the preceding year. Apparently, that fight was a dream come true for her, and she couldn't have possibly been more honored to suffer her first loss to anyone else.

Revau, Kila, and the rest of the creative team were shocked to hear this, as they had been too busy in their own plans and stories to notice that an immensely skilled and young fighter was so quickly making a name for herself in the under-card. They briefly considered inviting the fledgling up to the creative team, but decided they would wait until after the tournament now that she was out and no longer a threat to their plans.

The following weekend - the final weekend before Kila and Revau's final confrontation - The two of them engaged in their most intensely acted scene yet. In the interest of making both seem powerful beyond their kin, both squashed their opponents in a matter of minutes. Kila utterly destroyed Iteciu, and Revau brutalized Saido. When the final two combatants were determined to be Kila and Revau, the two met each other in the Arena Glade to mince words and threaten a conflict until their allies pulled them away from each other.

Unfortunately, the resulting passion of the crowd stirred into a boiling froth that ended up erupting into a bit of a riot until the Saurossin Watchers calmed everyone.

During the scuffle, both Kila and Revau darted out together to have some alone time in the final weekend before their fight. The cave was, as it always was, homely and well kept for them, and the others knew not to interrupt them outside of officially scheduled meetings there. Only the nine knew about the cave, and they all knew that interrupting the two lovers would result in poor booking and a potential beating.

There, they bared their love for one another in one of their rare knotty sessions. Kila was much smaller than Revau, yet their passion was as fierce as any. However, his anatomy didn't exactly fit into hers the way they wanted, and doing anything all-the-way required some magical assistance or some potions. Sure, they mated a lot, but it was usually more about her pleasure than his. Revau was quite the gentleman and put her before him, resulting in him needing to manually take care of himself afterward.

However, this final week, she felt the need to please her sire, so she ensured that once they met they stayed tied all night.

The following morning, both teams were dispersing and returning home despite the fact that the previous month had set the precedent that both teams were welcome on the third day. Apparently the brawl had gotten out of hand, thanks to how well Kila and Revau had worked the crowd. As such, the two parted ways with a subtle kiss, to return back home.

If nothing else, they knew that they had their fans in the palms of their paws. Now all they needed to do was give them the climax that the past year had been building towards. They just needed to stick the landing.

---====== Chapter 07 - Glory of The Arena Glade ======---

"Darling, I've been meaning to ask you something." Revau started as he pushed a fern away. The two of them were past the edge of the Terrestrial Mangrove forest, and were still making their way through the dense foliage towards their camps. They would be separating soon, but were taking as much time as they could together before parting ways for the final time.

Kila sighed and stopped in her tracks. "Oh boy, here we go."

Revau stepped up behind her and pressed himself to her back, neck arched to look down at her as she craned upwards, their eyes meeting. "Oh, it's nothing like that; it's not serious. I do feel I've adopted some of your traits, and my curiosity is getting the best of me. Tell me, Kila, what made you change your mind and fall for me? When we first met I could tell you were trying to hate me, but I never guessed you'd turn around and come to care for me as you did."

"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Just felt right." She reached up to rub at his chin. "The alcohol helped, too."

He leaned down to give her a gentle kiss on the forehead as he gently rubbed her behind the ear. "There has to be more to it than that. You weren't drinking when you decided to spend the night partying with me, the alcohol came later. You know you couldn't resist."

She turned in his arms and kissed him back on the nose. "It's actually a combination of that, a few other things, and especially curiosity. Your behaviour was completely foreign to me - still kinda is - but it was different in all the right ways. I wasn't looking for love back home, but that was mostly because I really don't enjoy mating with other jysar. Not a pleasant experience for me; barbs are not fun to deal with unless in heat. You are nicer than anyone else I know even when I'm being nasty and moody; your patience is well beyond anything I've ever seen before. And you're the only one I've met who can match me in skill. There was nothing about you I didn't like, except the fact that you were technically enemy; the only reason I didn't fall for you immediately was because I was supposed to hate you. At least that's what my mind told itself."

"Wow, it's almost like you fell in love at first fight!" He said with a grin, proud of his own pun.

"Really?" She grabbed her dagger and pressed the back of the blade to his throat. "Don't ever make a joke like that again, please." When she pulled away, she had a sly look on her face and her one fang poking out from under her lip in a goofy grin.

He grabbed her and pulled her in close. "Tell me I'm wrong!"

"I can't. I had fantasies about you as soon as I met you. Those powerful muscles flexing under your armor. The speed and grace of your movements, and the gentle nature of your every action. There was no way I would be able to resist your charms, fellow warrior! I'm shocked you didn't fall into me in the middle of the arena!" She swooned and pressed the back of her hand to her forehead, letting him catch her in mock crooning. "If not for mighty Revau, I would be lonely and angry my whole life! I offer myself to you, my liege!" She pulled away and turned around, wagging her hips with tail up; her leather battle skirt barely keeping her modesty. "Take me now!"

It was clear she was gently mocking him, so he leaned in close and gently pulled her tail down to cover her. "I'm being serious here, Kila. I genuinely want to know what made you willing to offer yourself to me after only a week."

She rolled her eyes a bit. "I told you, just now. I may have joked a bit but those are the reasons. You're too cute, you know that?" She poked him on the nose and grabbed his hand, pulling him through the underbrush. "Come on, Revau, let's have the fight of our lives."

Kila dragged Revau back to the edge of the forest before deciding it was time to go to their respective camps. She offered him a peck on the cheek and a smack on the rump before hopping into the treetops to dash through the canopy back to her tribe.

Upon arrival, she was met with reverence by her mates, who all came out to give her a round of applause and well wishes. She was to be fighting for the territory after a year of proving herself, and that meant she was the pinnacle of Endarian warriors. Though not undefeated, her record was outstanding with only a handful of losses in nearly fifty fights over the prior year. Her people respected her, some admired her, and a few were even her biggest fans; she was quite happy to know that she wouldn't be disappointing them.

Crowds were beginning to build up around the Arena Glade, with spectators finding seats on logs and in the suspended rope bridges that were connecting the trees surrounding the battle zone. Thousands of spectators had travelled from Yelfrit and Endra and had come to see this most monumental of occasions.

Nothing like this had happened before in the decade that Kila had been watching the Arena Glade matches. Never had a champion retired as such, since they were expected to fight until they lost, thus transferring the territory to the opposing team. This was the first instance of a tournament deciding the replacement champions, and the first instance of teams fighting among themselves for any reason. The tournament finale that pitted Kila against Revau was a truly special event in every way, and it was to be a spectacle for all to see.

Despite all that, Kila wasn't too nervous. She and Revau had spent weeks planning their battle, from one 'scene' to the next, and it was more like a performance now than a fight. They had already decided who was going to win, and at this point it was simply a matter of toppling that first domino to get the devices in motion.

Still, the stakes were high and her desire to impress her people was at an all-time high. Three weeks had been building to this exact moment, with the creative team carefully putting all the blocks in place. The narrative was that of two young rookies climbing to the top, with a mutual need for dominance and superiority over the other. People had bought into their fake hatred for one another, going so far as to start riots in their name, which meant that Kila and Revau had succeeded.

After this fight, they could tie up their scabbards, and stop with the facade. With a clear winner declared between themselves and in the eyes of their people, they could accept their differences and be the lovers they were behind the scenes.

But now, they needed to actually have that fight.

Kila eventually came to settle just outside the arena glade on her side of the island, where Ashef cooked her up a surprisingly wonderful salmon steak with fried calamari on the side. While it was a touch unnerving that this young fighter was so eagerly fawning over her, Kila enjoyed having someone else cook for her and treat her like the princess she always wanted to be.

Right about the time she finished up her meal, she heard a powerful explosion in the arena glade. When she looked, she saw that a fire-spell display had started with Saurossin watchers blasting fire and bolt into the sky.

The festivities were about to start, so she wiped her lips of the fish juices and got to her talons.

Unlike most weekends, there was no under card to the tournament finals. The only fight that was taking place was theirs, and they needed to give watchers of both sides something to remember. The last time they met in the Arena Glade was considered by many to be the best and most fun match of the last decade, so that was a huge milestone to overcome and improve upon.

Time had come, the crowd was getting worked up, and Kila remained at the edge of the Arena Glade with her eyes closed and hands on the handles of the dagger and sword. The calamitous roar of the crowd drowned out her thoughts even as her mind drifted back to Revau and his impeccable form. His presence in her fantasy made her smile, just as the announcements began.

"Ladies and gentlemen, kittens, pups, and hatchlings, it's time." The Saurossin Watcher began. His voice hushed the crowd, so he continued. "Throughout decades past, the Isle of Ashoor played host to the conflict between Endarians and Yelfritians. Once bloody, the territorial matters of pride grew civilized until we ended up where we are today. Now, at the rebirth of this grand tradition, we see two young fighters from opposing sides of the river meet in battle, to determine the nation that will dominate the island for the immediate future. With the retirement of the inconquerable Andyr, we shall see what nation presents the better fighter." He raised his talons to the sky, shooting off another explosive blast of fire that encouraged the crowd.

Once the cheering had died down again, the Saurossin Watcher conginued. "After one full month of preparation and tournaments to discover their best, the Endarian nation brings to us Kila Eryn. Born of oarian and jysarian, she is a rare hybrid gifted with unbridled skill in acrobatics and swordplay. Opposite her is Revau Irifan of the Kaydennic pack, unparalleled master of hand to hand and ademagi arts. These two warriors, opposites yet equal to one another, will come together to prove which gladiator - and by extension, which nation - is superior." He bowed and backed away, where he would return to near his observational deck straddling the line between Endarian and Yelfritian sides.

Kila saw this opportunity to make her grand entrance. She pushed through the crowd, only to have it part as her fans noticed who she was, and emerged into the dusty arena glade with her sword held high and her dagger held tight to her hips. She let out a terrifying battle cry as she surged magical energy into the blade, resulting in an arc of explosive electricity dancing off the tip and into the sky.

Every Endarian and a few of the Yelfritians erupted in cheers as a few select onlookers chose to boo at her. Good, she needed some hate from the enemy.

Her intention was to wait for the cheering to die down before making her speech, but the longer she stood there with her sword in the sky, the louder her cheers got. For the first time, she realized just how supportive her people were to her; in the months leading up to the tournament and their fight for the story they were telling, she completely glossed over the fact that she was accumulating real fans who were particularly invested in her story and rise to prominence.

This blossom in popularity came as a surprise despite the fact that the whole point of their choreography and creative lean in the fights was concocted specifically to get a more emotional reaction from the crowd. It was meant to be more engaging, and thus more entertaining; they succeeded, yet somehow it still felt weird to her.

Minutes passed with her waiting for the crowd's cheering to die down, but that never happened. The roar of the onlookers only intensified when part of the Yelfritian side opposite Kila parted to show Revau standing tall with a red and gold cowl around his neck. He stepped forward with grace and dignity, already equipped with his gauntlets and ready to fight.

Kila was used to standing next to him, and she knew how big he was compared to her, but when they were together he was usually partially hunched over with his legs bent in a sort of crouch. Even then he stood a couple heads taller than her, but now he was standing straight up with legs hoisting him up as tall as he could go. He towered over her as he looked down into her eyes.

The glint of pure joy flashed in his green and orange eyes as he peeled his lips up in a grin. He couldn't speak, because now his side of the Arena Glade were chanting and hooting and hollering in support of him. Their cheering made the Endarians cheer louder, which bounced back to encourage the Yelfritians to drown them out.

While the crowds were filling the atmosphere with exuberance, Kila decided to play with it a bit by gently circling her opponent.

Kila and Revau both locked eyes as they sidestepped around each other, weapons at the ready in case the Saurossin watcher decided to kickstart the fight with an explosive blast of magic. Her paw gripped at her sword's handle and he clenched his fist in the violently ornate gauntlets, prepared for the draw.

This was it. Within mere moments Kila and Revau would clash in the middle of the Arena Glade, and they would put on the best show of their lives.

"Are you ready?" She asked in between her aggressive-sounding hissing.

"I couldn't possibly be more prepared." He responded through gritted teeth and growls.

A sudden concussive blast exploded to kickstart the match, with trickling trails of sparkling fire dancing in the skies above the Arena Glade. The crowd erupted into a frenzy, cheering on their respective champion.

Kila unsheathed her sword and dug her talon into the ground as she bolted forth towards Revau with blade raised; he stepped back and assumed a defensive stance with his forearm up in a blocking position. The two clashed together as she swiped and swung at him, dancing with an acrobatic flair that brought her blade to his gauntlets time and time again, the clang echoing back against the trees.

She kept her eyes trained on him to catch every minute twitch of muscle that would precede a movement, that way she could keep up with his swift actions. Her blade kept at him, stabbing and slicing in every direction only to have him perfectly angle his forearm for deflection and use his hands to redirect her jabs.

When it came his time to return, he grabbed her blade and tossed it harmlessly to the side, the resulting yank throwing her off guard as he began his volley of punches and jabs, his fists swinging mightily at her body while barely missing every time. She ducked and twisted as her talons scraped at the dirt, avoiding his attacks. Their motions together were truly like a dance, with the most deft footwork and poetic flourish put on display; every motion was deliberate, and every reaction was perfectly timed to the point neither landed a hit on the other.

After dodging his flurry of jabs and swings with a series of acrobatic leaps and flips, Kila ducked in close to him to launch herself up, kicking off his chest and flipping back while slicing up his torso with his dagger. Naturally, he managed to twist his body to avoid this, and as a result was able to lunge at her when she landed.

He swung back and forth as she continued to back-flip and vault out of the way with precise dodges. Upon reaching the edge of the arena, she redirected her momentum and brought herself in close to him, pushing her dagger towards his chin. In a stunning display of surprising skill from him, he kicked away and did a back-flip of his own, landing heavily on both feet a few meters away from her while showing perfect poise as he taunted her.

The crowd gasped at his acrobatic still, as he was a heavy bodied fighter and not one to do flips and gymnastics. Jysar were most commonly known for such displays, not cien.

Revau nodded and grinned as he goaded her into following up, which she happily obliged. When she dove inward, he used a single hand to deflect her punches, kicks, and eventually lean in and heavily strike her chest, leaving her to be knocked back a few meters with blood trickling over her fur as her talons dug furrows in the dirt.

Kila took in a few long breaths as she regained her composure. The crowd was cheering and hooting and hollering for her while jeering at Revau, with the opposite being true of the spectators on his side. She grinned and tossed her dagger up, catching it with the blade against her forearm before darting in again.

This time he played on the offensive in response to her, bringing his hand down in hammer swipes while twisting and kicking at her in a flourish almost as elegant as hers. However, this cockiness on his side opened him up for a counterattack, which Kila gleefully took advantage of.

Midway through one of his power swings, she leaned inward and twisted, the blade of her dagger neatly opening up a gash from his one pectoral muscle to his underarm. While he stumbled back, she sauntered back to the middle of the arena, where she picked up her fallen sword and confidently sheathed it. "Well now, looks like that's a tie thus far, Revau." She mused, rubbing the puncture marks on her chest. The punch he'd offered her earlier had actually stabbed into her with three bloody holes, while her blade sliced him. "Maybe we are equal after all." All part of the theatrics.

What she wasn't expecting was for both her people and his to start hollering and jeering at the both of them in response. That was supposed to hush the crowd, not rial them up.

Still, she went with the next plan, pressing her hand to her chest as a soft teal mist emerged from her wrist, plugging the three puncture wounds and stopping the bleeding in a patchwork healing spell. He did the same by sliding his opposite hand over the gash, with a similar mist emanating from between the thatch work of the gauntlets.

"You think so, do you? Well, I've not begun to show you my true power." After the dagger wound closed up and the bleeding stopped, he balled up his fists and widened his stance, eyes glowing and body steaming with that same teal ademane mist. After only a few seconds, he stepped forth and leaned in with both open palms forward as a bitter cold air started blasting from his side of the arena to the other.

Kila shielded her eyes as the icy blast of winter whipped at her whiskers and started to freeze the tips of her ears. Soon, she could feel sharp blades of ice slicing at her fur and chopping off bits of feather here and there while tiny icicle daggers lodged into her skin and melted immediately to leave watery blood trickling down into the dirt.

In response, she lowered herself and leaned into it as though braving a blizzard, one hand forward to counter his ice spell with her own firestorm. An equal blast of wind burst from her form, triggered by her own ademane surging out of her and igniting in midair to form a wall of fire that mixed with his ice storm to form a swirling twister of fire and ice that roared and howled against the awestruck crowd.

This was a move they had practiced in the past, so both Kila and Revau had no problem controlling the resulting storm and keeping it from veering off into the crowd. Both of them sidestepped, ensuring the twister remained in the dead middle of the Arena Glade, counteracting each other while the wind whipped at the clearing and blasted out to tickle the fur and feathers of all the spectators.

Next came the one move Kila was most worried to commit to. She grabbed her dagger and tossed it just off to the side of the twister, the wind and torque of the vortex grabbing it and redirecting it in such a way that it greatly accelerated the velocity of the projectile right into Revau, burying itself to the hilt in his upper chest next to his shoulder.

Perfect. The aim on that move was tricky and might have resulted in a spectator getting wounded. Kila didn't want that, but it is an inherent risk in participating.

The distraction halted his contribution to the fire and ice twister, thus canceling it out entirely and letting Kila's powerful fire wall to wash over him. The blaze singed his fur and super-heated the blade inside him, thus cauterizing the wound as he pulled it out by the heated handle.

She was already capitalizing on this by diving in with her sword held high above her, ready to come down on his head.

Revau couldn't actually see her do this, but he remembered the choreography during this segment, so he brought both gauntlets up to block the blow, resulting in a reverberating clash of metal on metal that silenced the crowd.

Upon landing, Kila remained with her blade lodged between his wrists in the air. Both were heaving with each breath as their eyes locked a bit. Though they exchanged no words, the subtle restrained grin on Revau's face told Kila that he was proud of their show so far. Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and they still had plenty of planned spots left to show.

The flash of his grin was brief, as he quickly pulled back and lunged forward to tackle Kila in one fluid motion; he flipped and rolled with her in his arms before using his momentum to toss her by the midsection right out of the arena and through the crowd of Endarians behind her. All of them caught her and went to push her back into the arena again, but Revau lunged forward and tackled her right through the crowd to land in a pile of fur and leaves as the two rolled in the underbrush.

Kila dodged out of his grasp and readied herself with tail up and blade at the ready, broken ferns dangling off branches around her. She had only a few seconds to catch her breath before Revau dove at her with fists swinging, the metal of his gauntlets ripping and tearing through sticks and branches and leaves leaving a swirling mess of vegetation in his wake. She effortlessly dodged his moves and countered with both dagger and sword, slicing up the ferns with ease and leaving a matted mini-arena behind the spectator's designated watching area.

Her people had been watching in shock, with the cien and saurossins from Yelfrit shuffling around the outer rim of the Arena Glade to catch a look at the two of them. However, that wasn't to last long as their scuffle had him kick her away off the ground and through the air to land back in the battle zone.

He leapt after her and kicked off a nearby tree to launch himself back into the thick of the battle, bounding forth on all fours past her, backhanding her across the face in the process. She twisted in the air as she flew back, landing on her rump in a bloody mess. When he turned back to her, he stood over her with his body leaning over in a partially feral pose, howling into the air.

That brief distraction gave Kila the split second she needed to dodge between his legs, rolling in one swift motion and upper-cutting his back with the dagger to slice open a long but shallow gash next to his spine all the way from tail base to shoulder blades, barely missing the straps of his gauntlets.

His howl was strained yet powerful, reverberating off the surrounding trees and drowning out the crowd. While in pain, he turned around to face her and extend his paw forward with a pulsating throb of ademane mist expanding from his fist, a powerful concussive mass of energy threatening to explode in Kila's face.

But Kila was prepared. After landing a few steps away from him, she spun and did the same with her paw forward and her own spell of physical magic held out before her to counter his. A neutral flow of wind pushed out from the ball of energy that they held together as the solid immaterial force kept them apart. Both warriors pushed against the concussive blast as if heaving into a powerful tackle with talons and claws digging at the dirt.

The harder they pushed in towards each other, the more concentrated the magic and the more the pulsing waves of energy blasted out against them. The force was so strong that it was blasting out to the very rim of the arena, tossing bits of sand and pebbles towards the spectators. The sheer power of their magic contained in a field between them was distorting their vision towards each other, like a mirage billowing up from a hot rock or open desert in summer. All she could see through the shimmering haze was the glow of his green and orange eyes, and he could only see her glowing amber gaze.

In a bold act of mutual creativity, Kila's tail grabbed at her dagger and tossed it over the ball of energy while Revau kicked sand at her. The resulting distraction disrupted the tentatively stable mass of volatile ademane and magic, forcing both to lose their concentration enough that they lost control of the magic.

A massive explosion burst from the two of them, knocking both warriors off their feet from the blast with such veracity that both combatants were propelled away from the center of the arena. Revau's massive form bowled through the Endarian side of the clearing with Kila being flung through the air above the Yelfritian warriors to ricochet off some branches and land in the canopy.

Around them, a resounding gasp emanated from both sides of the crowd; even the Saurossin Watcher seemed shocked at what had happened. Kila and Revau were both motionless outside of the arena on either side as the Endarian and Yelfritian teams both started to chatter amongst themselves.

Revau was laying in a bloody pile in the underbrush with his arm twisted underneath him and his tail bent at an abrupt angle, while Kila was hanging over a branch with her tail and arms both dangling down from the canopy. A moment later, her sword unsheathed and fell to the ground beneath her with a clatter. Neither moved for a solid two or three minutes, as the murmuring from the crowd intensified, the spectators unsure of what was happening.

The Saurossin Watcher hopped down off his perch to tentatively make his way to the middle of the arena, unsure of what to say. He took in a deep breath and was about to make an announcement, but was cut off when Revau let loose an aggressive howl from behind the Endarian side; his vocalization was so loud and angry that it parted the crowd to let the Watcher see him clumsily get to his feet and snap his elbow and tail back into place. In response, Kila fell from the tree and landed on her feet, screeching like an eagle as she grabbed her blades and sheathed them while twisting her back into alignment. The Yelfritian crowd parted for her, giving them each a clear-cut view across the Arena Glade to see each other, and they both grinned and trudged their way back into the battle zone.

Seeing that they were prepared to continue the already-long fight, the Saurossin Watcher hopped out of the way and let them carry on.

She stood tall as she paced into the arena, unsheathing her now-clean sword and dagger. From each blade came a cascading mass of sparks that crackled and sizzled on the ground at her feet highlighted by an arc of electricity connecting the tip of both. Her eyes hummed and glowed the teal hue of ademane as she pumped more electrical energy into her weapons. "I'm not out of tricks yet." She said with a half smirk.

Revau growled a bit, peeling his lips back in a snarl. "Neither am I." Around him, pebbles and specks of dirt started to hover and swirl around him while the dirt at his feet seemed to vibrate. He leaned in and extended a hand forward to launch all of the rocks her way like a sideways hail.

Kila trotted forward as she swiped her blades from side to side in a series of loud clangs and tings as each bit of rock and dirt was deflected to the side, harmlessly skittering over the earth of the Arena Glade. The sparks and electricity kept flowing out the end with a zapping sound even as she was bounding towards Revau.

When they met again in the middle of the glade, she went on an all-out assault by slicing back and forth, stabbing up and down, and dancing in an acrobatic motion to avoid his reactive kicks and swings. When he went to punt her, she ducked down and cross-sliced under his calf to shock him with the current through the blades. When he swung she lightly tapped the end of each blade to different points on his metal gauntlets, resulting in an explosion of sparks erupting from the sleeve near his head. She flipped, he pursued, she countered, and he dodged, ensuring their weapons and twisting bodies remained intimate while never touching.

The buzzing shocks of her blades drew his fur to stand on end near whichever weapon was closer to him, the arc of lightning tracing along his muscle bulges and bridging to the end of the dagger from the end of the sword. Every time one of her magical impulses hit him, his body tensed up and twitched, slightly throwing him off balance and giving her little openings to get closer and slice nearer his body.

Mid-swing, she leaned in close to plunge her dagger into his upper thigh, only to have him pull back and stomp his foot down hard. A flash of magic surged out of his whole body through his foot and traced along the ground towards her. Around her, a series of hexagon pillars jabbed upwards to knock her off balance and into the air, her sword falling out of her hand near the erupted soil. She was flailing about as she tried to regain her equilibrium and land on her feet like the cat she partially was.

With her still in the air and flipping around, Revau leapt onto the raised pillars to meet her before grabbing her and kicking her to the ground. She bounced and rolled a bit before establishing herself on her two talons and one paw, dagger in her other hand. He landed next to her and stood up straight, the pillars of soil disintegrating back into the ground as a cloud of dust billowed out over his ankles.

They were getting quite tired at this point. Nearly an hour into their battle, both were about ready to call it, even if they had a few more ideas they wanted to get through including one where she would deflect off his gauntlets to be juggled in the air, attacking him upon every landing.

As they stared into each other's eyes, they silently agreed to carry on with the planned finish. Revau started lunging towards her with one fist raised and ready to strike while she used physical magic to remotely pull her sword back into her hand - an incredibly rare ability she'd developed only weeks before.

He gave her an uppercut that made her gracefully flip backwards in a moon-sault with her blade extended forward. When she came down on him, her sword clanged on his armor as planned, so he immediately struck back in a way that made her launch back up into the air. Time and time again, he'd hit her blade with enough force to propel her in the air, and over a dozen strikes had happened before she landed on the ground again.

As planned, Revau reached in to grab her again and she leaned into him with her blade aimed at his chest. He was supposed to grab the blade itself and redirect it while getting a good hit on her, but he stumbled over some of the remaining dirt from his quake spell and landed with chest square on the end of her sword. The blade plunged itself through his body and emerged out his back between the gauntlet straps, ministrations of blood trickling down its length to soak his fur. He grunted once before wheezing and tensing up.

Kila gasped and her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. She gulped deep as his gaze met hers, his green and orange irises quivering in fear while hers twitched in dismay and sorrow. Her sword had pierced his heart in one brisk motion, a true killing blow.

Though the onlookers may have made some sort of reaction to this sudden and decisive victory, both fighters were too focused on the other to pay attention to that.

He coughed up some blood and tried to caress her cheek only to have his strength fail him. He collapsed onto her, then fell to the ground as more blood pooled out of him and into the dirt, the blade being withdrawn from his torso.

Everything went dark for Kila as she froze in panic, sword still in her hand. The healers had taken note of what happened and were mobilizing, but were on the opposite side of the clearing and she had mere seconds before Revau would be gone from her, to the point where even the best healers wouldn't be able to bring him back.

She tossed her blade away, having it land tip down nearby as she fell to his side and cradled his head so she could look at her. His eyes fluttered but were barely able to stay open as he whined like a pup at her. "No...no..." She whispered to herself as she patted at his chest, a thick teal mist billowing out from her body to siphon into his gaping chest wound. "....d-don't you dare..."

His lips curled up in the faintest of smiles for a split second before every muscle in his body went limp and his head fell back against her arm.

A terrifying hesitation crept over Kila as she continued to pour every bit of magic she had into him, but it wasn't making a difference. The wound remained gaping and bloody even as the bubbles stopped billowing out of him. His flesh was not reconstructing itself, which could only mean one thing.

She shook her head and held back a sob by gulping and keeping her jaw stern and rigid; deep down she knew that being stoic wasn't going to make this any easier for her. Still, her mind wouldn't let her accept that it was too late for her or the healers, she just pressed harder and focused more magic into him. Soon, a glowing cloud of enchanted ademane mist was gently swirling around the two of them to funnel into his body.

In her hands he started to grow cold, so she kept at him by draining every last bit of her energy reserves into him even after her mind started to grow hazy and the world started spinning around her.

The corners of her vision started to blur and fade out as the healers arrived. To her last breath, she kept her focus on Revau, eager to give every last bit of her own life force to him in order to keep him alive until she collapsed with her head resting on his chest.

Then everything went black.