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Well my first random short story with the intent of opening up your eyes to a different world. Any comments to [email protected] and I am aware they're out of order, because there isn't one, stop trying to find the links.

Be careful when you duel with someone, for you might just expose your heart to them. -Avanti Halfhorse.

When I was a cub, I was bullied at school because I was the runt. I didn't like being teased, so I often spent my lunchtimes in the library. I quite often studied the ancient books of our history, particularly the Blades of Peace. As I grew older, my grandfather came to me and said how worried he was about me, particularly because I was soon to start high school, so he was going to teach me how to defend myself. So in the last few months of my final year at primary school, he started training me as a Therorin fighter. Now in the old days, a Therorin fighter was the best warrior in a squad and was quite often the lead soldier in a charge. Coupled with my detailed understanding of the Blades of Peace, my grandfather felt I was ready and in the first week of high school, I signed up for the Therorin team. Of course, when I arrived at the tryouts, everyone laughed at me, even the coach who then proceeded to tell me that the badminton tryouts were next week. I calmly said that I was here for the Therorin tryouts and I wasn't leaving until I had been allowed to try. They continued to laugh at me before the coach put me up against the team captain. They all laughed as I put my armour on, saying that I was going to need it with the beating I was going to get. Because the team captain thought there was no way I could beat him, he simply wore his helmet. Five minutes later, the team captain dropped his staff in submission. Everyone, including the coach, was amazed. The team captain hadn't been able to lay a single blow against me whilst I had given him a bruised hip. A 12 year-old panther cub had forced a 17 year-old wolf into submission in a staff fight. At this point, the coach picked up a staff and said that if I could beat him, I'd be on the team. Ten minutes later, holding an icepack to his head, the coach, though somewhat reluctant, told me that I was on the team. From that day on, I was the most respected Therorin fighters in not only the school, but in the entire high school competition. By the time I had finished high school, I had been selected to compete in the world competition, but now I was a fully grown panther and one the females loved to chase. In fact, I was actually voted the most handsome bachelor, but I digress, so onto the day in question.

The world competition was over for the time being and I was on holiday up in the mountains, simply savouring being away from it all. I was resting by Crescent Lake, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun on my black fur, when I heard a splash come from the lake. I lazily opened one eye as my paw reached for my staff. For several minutes, I lay there with my paw on my staff, carefully watching the ripples fade away.

'Must have been a fish,' I thought to myself as I closed my eye and took my paw off my staff. Then, without warning, something grabbed my leg and pulled me into the lake. It dragged me out into the middle of the lake where it let me go. I floated in the middle of the lake for a few minutes as I caught my breath, wondering what had dragged me out here. After a few minutes, I decided that whatever had dragged me out here must have decided to leave me alone, so I took a deep breath and started to swim back to shore, but then it grabbed me again. I was dragged under the water, straight down. I held my breath as long as I could as I watched the water darken. Just when I felt like my lungs were going to burst, we started swimming straight up again and when I felt like my next breath would be water, I broke the surface of the water into an underwater dome. For several minutes, I simply gasped for air, trying to recover after almost drowning. As I slowly recovered, I started to look around, wondering where I was. It looked like it was someone's home. I rested in what appeared to be the access hole, before someone pushed me out of the water and onto the floor. As I lay on my back, panting heavily, an otteress hopped out of the access hole and shook the water from her fur.

"This, is kidnap," I gasped as I rolled onto my stomach.

"I don't care," she replied coldly.

"Someone, will come, looking, for me."

"I said I don't care."

"I will, put up, a fight," I gasped as I got up onto all fours. "You won't, kill me, without, a fight."

"That's what I hoped for," the otteress said as she threw a towel at me. "Now take off your clothes."

"Why?" I asked, having finally caught my breath.

"I really don't think you're in a position to argue," the otters said as she smirked, " but I'll humour you. As a former Therorin Duellist, I know you can not fight in wet clothes."

She turned to face me, wearing only her bare fur.

"So I suggest undressing if you want a chance at defeating me."

I gasped as I stared at her naked figure. I had faced many female Therorin fighters in my time, ¬but never a female duellist. A duellist was the finest warrior and to get the rank of duellist on a team was a great honour. The reason female duellists were rare was that you needed a slender figure, but you also needed endurance, because a duel could sometimes last for over an hour, but now I could see this female duellist, without armour, standing in front of me. Her body looked sleek and slender, but strong. I could see her arms were strong and firm. Her legs looked fast and dangerous. She smirked as she watched me gaze at her body.

"What are you staring at?" she asked with a sneer.

"My opponent," I replied as I stood up. "I have never fought against a duellist without armour before, so I want to make sure I know your weaknesses before we fight."

"Then I must give you credit," the otteress said as I removed my shirt. "Other males would have commented on my body."

"Well it's not the place to make such comments," I said as I removed my belt. "The fact that I have to fight a duellist without armour is more important that how attractive or beautiful said duellist may be."

"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said as she turned around and walked towards a rack of staves, "so I suggest you prepare yourself instead."

As I kicked my boots off, she threw a staff at me. I managed to grab it out of the air before she charged at me. I barely had time to avoid her opening volley of strikes as I fumbled with the button on my jeans. I decided to leave it be, hoping that my soaked jeans wouldn't slow me down too much. I picked myself up and prepared for her next attack.

"I warned you that wet clothes would slow you down," she said as she began her second volley of attacks.

"Well if you'd given me another minute," I said as I blocked her blows.

"I haven't seen you give me reason to stop," the otteress noted as I blocked a facial blow. "You haven't struck out against me once yet, how do I know you'd be able to finish the job?"

I gave a fierce jab with the end of my staff that the otteress was barely able to avoid. She smirked as she took a few paces back before coming to a halt.

"Impressive," she said as she took the ready stance, "you could finish this duel, you are worthy."

"So can I remove my jeans?" I inquired as I stood ready.

"That you may," she replied as she sat on the floor. "You have one minute."

As I took off my jeans, I remembered what my grandfather had taught me. He had once said that what a warrior was feeling would be translated in how they fought, so I started to wonder how she was feeling. It was evident that she knew her weaknesses, she always kept them protected, but she had a flaw. If felt as thought she was fighting with raw emotions and this caused her to expose them.

"Your time is up," she said as she stood up. "Now we fight until one of us is dead."

I kicked my jeans aside, feeling weird that I was fighting in only my boxers, and prepared myself. She let out a cry as she charged at me, but I was ready. Her first strike came in hard and fast, but I blocked it and gave a counter-strike, using most of the energy she put in her strike to put more force into my own. I put a firm strike into her ankle, which caused her to take a sharp step back, dropping her guard enough for me to put a second strike into her shoulder. As she fell forward, I placed a final blow in the centre of her back, which caused her to drop to the floor. I took a couple of steps back as she gave a moan in pain.

"Finish it," she said as she looked up at me. "Kill me."

"It's done," I noted as I dropped my staff. "Your bruises are enough."

"I said finish it," she said as she tried to stand up, her bruised ankle unable to support too much weight. "I want to die. My career is over and I'm alone, so just kill me."

She stood as straight as she could and started to cry.

"Kill me," she begged, her eyes filled with tears.

Now that I had a better chance to look at her, it occurred to me who she was. A year before I started in the world league, a team of Therorin fighters known as the 'Black Mambas' dissolved due to infighting. The rumours stated that their duellist was fighting with another member of the team, apparently over a male. I remember having the duellist's picture on the wall of my gym and she was known as...

"Strike," I said as I remembered her battle name. "You were Strike from the Black Mambas."

She stopped and looked up at me.

"You remember me?" she asked she stopped crying.

I nodded.

"You were Strike," I said as I remembered her record. "The best duellist in the league and you were the duellist for the Black Mambas. You remained undefeated in the world league, winning the Duellist trophy for four of the five years you competed. You never turned up to your final duel."

"I couldn't fight," she sobbed. "I simply couldn't bring myself to fight my last duel. The love of my life deserted me for some bitch on the team, so I simply couldn't face anyone in battle."

"But that was over three years ago," I noted. "Your former team dissolved and the other fighters scattered and retired. Nobody remembers anyone on your team anymore."

"Then how do you remember me?" she asked.

"I still have that cute poster of you in my gym," I said, nervous with embarrassment.

"You mean you're just a fanboy of mine?" she inquired with a smile.

I gave a nod.

"Now I remember you," she said she remembered something. "You were that little panther cub that came up to me and asked for my autograph and told me that you were going to duel with me when you got older."

"Yeah, but now I've grown up and won the world championship."

"And you got to duel with me."

"I just never thought I'd be fighting for my life."

We both chuckled as we looked at our feet. We both looked up and our eyes met. For a moment, we stared into the gaze of the other, our thoughts not shifting from one thing, each other. Our paws met, palm to palm and our fingers locked together. I extended our paws out to the sides, drawing our bodies close together and she gasped as our bodies met, chest to chest.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as I stared into her eyes.

"I can't remember the last time someone held me this close," she replied.

"Then let us give you a good memory," I whispered as I stared into her eyes.

She gave a quiet squeak as I leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Stop," she begged as tears formed in the corner of her eyes and she turned her head away.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I pulled my head back.

"My heart," she sobbed, "it's still broken."

"Even after three years?"

"You're the first person I've brought here, to my refuge, in three years."

I nodded, realising that I was in her space, her domain. She let go of my paws and went to take a step back, but her ankle gave out underneath her and she hit the floor, giving a yelp of pain as she landed hard.

"You're still wounded," I said as I crouched down and held one of her paws. "I'll carry you to your bed."

"I've had worse in the three years I've been here," she said as she went to stand up.

"But I wasn't here," I said as I picked her up. "Now where's your bed?"

She giggled as she pointed towards a bed roll on the floor. I walked over and unrolled the bedroll with my foot before I lay her down.

"You didn't have to," she giggled, "I can help myself."

"I was the one that injured you," I noted. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," she replied as she rubbed her bruised shoulder.

"Well I didn't have too many choices," I noted as I sat next to her bedroll.

The water outside the dome started to get dark.

"It can't be sunset yet," I said as I looked up.

"It's probably a storm," she said as she rolled onto her side. "There tends to be a few up here in summer."

"What are we inside anyways?" I asked as I looked at her.

"It used to be an underwater observatory," she explained as she drummed her fingers against her bedroll. "But the project ran out of money, so I purchased the dome and it's been my home ever since. It has fresh water, electricity and an oxygen supply, so there's nothing to worry about."

"What have you been doing these last three years?"

"Training, feeling sorry for myself and sleeping."

"Did you ever get lonely?"

"Of course, but then I'd remember the alternative."

"Being loved?"

She stopped and looked up at me.

"I'd forgotten that."

"You've been alone for so long," I soothed as I rubbed her cheek. "No wonder you've forgotten."

I lay down next to her as I continued to stroke her face. She gave a whimper as a tear formed in the corner of her eye. I gently brushed the tear from her eye as she gave me a smile.

"You're so careful," she whispered, her voice trembling.

I inched myself closer until our noses met. She gave a small cry as our bodies met, but I silenced her with a kiss. She whimpered as our lips seemed to join, barely parting between one kiss and the next.

She placed her paw on my shoulder and pulled me on top of her. All she wanted now was my body and the freedom I offered, the freedom from the prison that her loneliness had imprisoned her within. Our lips broke their dance as I started to gently lick and tease her body, the taste of her sweat on her fur driving my desire to see her freed from her pain and free to love again. As my tongue and lips graced her bosom, she gave a jump, like she had never felt such feeling before. I continued to lick and nurture this feeling, this warmth, knowing I had to be careful with this spark, lest I smother it completely, but I was careful and the spark within her started to grow. I could now hear her heartbeat within my ears, the beating growing so loud I could barely hear her moan and gasp as the fire of her passion spread throughout her body. I felt its warmth as it spread throughout her body and I could feel sweat forming on her body. She begged for me to fuel the fire of her passion with the fires of my own. The moment our bodies fused that first time was sheer bliss; I could feel the warmth of her insides upon my bare skin. She moaned as I fuelled not only the fires of her passion, but my own as well. Then after fanning out desires for so long, the two fires became one in a firestorm of ardour. She cried out as she finally freed herself from the prison her heart had contained her within for so long, it's icy walls unable to stand against the heat of our passions. As the fires of our passions slowly subsided to burning embers of love and desire, she started to cry.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I wiped a tear from her eye.

"What now?" she sobbed. "How do I know that you won't desert me like my lovers from before?"

I gently kissed both of her closed eyes.

"I would never leave you," I whispered as I nuzzled her neck. "Once two warriors have joined in love, they must both agree when it comes to an end."

"Then we shall remain one for eternity," she sighed happily. "A warrior pair."

We remained within her underwater paradise for almost a week, living off the fish she caught for us. We spent most of our time fuelling firestorms of our passions and bonding even further. When we returned to the surface world, she wanted desperately to return to open competition, but she failed the physical, her blood tests showing that she was pregnant. A year later, we were a family and I was forced to take up a fulltime job in order to support our family. But that was many years ago and I am now a grandfather. One of my grandchildren is a runt, just like I was all those years ago, so I think it's best to continue the cycle, after-all, where would the world be without Therorin fighters?