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Phlegyas had decided to test his skills with a little sparring before going on his next reaving (fatherhood made him feel pretty old sometime, and he had discovered in the Stormborn that he was something of a great-great...great? grandfather? Lions were prolific). He heard a challenger announce their presence with a great roar, and answered with one of his own. It was only when he rounded the corner of the stone walls that made a natural fighting pit that he saw whom he was to fight.

He only barely stopped his jaw from dropping, but his heart nearly jumped out of his throat and he froze in his step before he regained his composure. It was a face he had not seen in a long time.

"Tucagwathiel!" he called. "It is a good day to die," he shouted the traditional Stormborn greeting.

He gritted his teeth. What had he gotten himself into?

Though Phlegyas had renounced his former demon-hood (was it something in the water? mass hysteria? he didn't know but he didn't buy into it anymore), he knew that as "demons," he and Tuc were not likely to ever discuss their issues. Ever.

Well, not with words at least.

He could still hardly believe his eyes that she was here, now. Of all the little prides in Africa, she walked into his... But his musings left him off guard. That, and a little bit of reluctancy to fight her in the first place. None of it had to do with her being a lioness. He wouldn't insult anyone by pulling punches for being a female. It was just that he had a lot of complicated feelings about Tuc.

Her claws glanced his face, but drew a few drops of blood. He'd barely managed to yank his head back at all in time to spare his eyeballs. Half-heartedly, he tried retaliating with a swipe of his own, as he still struggled to get into a fighting mentality.

Phlegyas almost didn't listen to (though he heard) what Tuc was yelling at him. He was too busy trying to decode what her expression meant. Even though he was at odds with the current ordeal, he knew he'd best mask his doubts and confusions and at least fake it.

"How do you know you're just not that much stronger than me?" He said wryly with a sly grin. He took another swipe at her- but this one was more playful, clearly meant to taunt the already aggravated lioness. The purple male leapt back and danced around his old companion.

"Really, Tuc? You followed me all the way here? I thought you had better things to do," he said, looking down his nose at her.

Phlegyas only suffered about half of her hit, she managed to get the same spot and more blood welled forth. But when she spoke again, he froze in his spot and the light left his eyes in a flash.

"I seem to recall that you were the one who was so quick to breed with that... What was his name? Roth?" He hissed it out between his teeth, the taste of the betrayal could have made him spit- or hurl.

"Is that who you're going back to?" It was his turn to strike a blow, and coldly, he shoved his shoulder into Tuc.

He shook his head.

"You have to see this through, Tuc."

Gone? Did she mean when he was gone on the quest for his demon name? That scarcely counted. He was only gone when he left the pride after it disbanded for a time- and Tuc and Roth's offspring were by and far adults by then... She was making excuses...

"I didn't know I specifically had to tell you I would be back, or that I had to ask you not to have cubs with the first lion who talked to you," he hissed out.

"She had needs too." He said, coldly, throwing her words back in her face. He stood his ground as she charged, but she seemed to pass on her turn to attack. He chose to do the same.

"Then why here, Tuc." He still used her nickname from their childhood. The pint-sized squirt didn't seem to merit the "-agawathiel" back then, it was too much name for her (and so, apparently was Phlegyas for him, often just being called Phle). They'd grown apart before she'd matured enough for the rest of it, so to him she would always be just "Tuc." She reminded him of his past so much... So much of it was good at the time, before he understood all that he understood now (his insane father, the mass hysteria of the "demons" and on and on and on). He missed her and wanted to push her away all at the same time.

"Why here." He repeated, though it still wasn't much of a question. He was here for his progeny, and they were vast in numbers. So what drew her here?

He stayed silent, but at her charge, he tilted his head down so her blow would hit not his chin, but his skull, dealing them equal damage. It seemed they were always out to hurt each other.

"When you earn it." He frowned deeply at her, dissatisfied with her argument, but her reason for coming to the Stormborn was acceptable. He never believed it was because she was following him. It had been years since they had seen each other and years since he had spoken of the demoness he once knew.

"Don't worry, at least the pride is big enough we'll never have to see one another or speak again. That should make you happy." He looked at her coldly before he turned his back on Tucagawatheil and walked back to the pride. He wouldn't be accepting any more challenges for a bit, he thought to himself, but he would be constantly wondering if the black and red lioness had won her way in.