[DAMBE - SRP] Fiesty Foes (Azizi x Bali)

[Polette]

Pacing the edge of the makeshift "ring", Azizi was eager to jump in and face his first opponent. The previous duelers were just dragging themselves off - the match had been pretty brutal. It was this combined with the overall excitement of the tournament that had Azizi's blood running - this was what he had always enjoyed in life, being able to go out an just fight someone without long-standing repercussions. As an adolescent, he had sparred frequently with other boys, but due to his rank at the time, they never fought against him fully. Here, in the Dumanne, he felt free and accepted.

He could see his opponent across from him; a male about his age, one he'd seen from another clan. There were old scars on him, he could see - a worthy opponent, for sure.

"Next up!" A voice rang out and Azizi could feel the adrenaline run straight through his claws. He took a few steps into the ring, waiting for the signal.

 

[Polette]

Bali was calm. He had been calm all morning. While he always enjoyed scrapping with others, he never really got the pre-fight jitters or build-up that so many others got. He could hear the growls, the cheers, all through the fights happening around him, but he was a silent spot in the crowd.

He honestly only watched about half of the previous fight - he ended up watching his opponent slowly become more antsy from across the arena. He recognized the dark cheetah - he was a Claws in the Deathstalker clan, a fairly highly regarded position. It was probably the only position Bali would have ever dreamed of taking on, if he didn't enjoy the relaxation his current state brought him.

The voices around him had all seemed like muffled noise - that is, until one specific voice rang out - "Next up!" With that phrase, his eyes widened, and his mind returned to the present. Taking in a breath, he took a few steps forward, adjusting his paws for the first blow.

 

[Polette]

There was a brief calm before the arena judge announced the start of their match. Azizi's bi-colored eyes stared into his opponent's, seeing a cold determination.

A soon as the signal was given, Azizi launched himself, paws extended. His opponent seemed to have anticipated an initial attack, as Azizi's paws didn't hit quite as hard as he had intended. Nevertheless, he was starting strong, and he wanted to keep up the pace.

 

[Polette]

Bali stared firmly at his opponent across from him; his two-colored eyes might seem daunting to some, but not Bali. He had heard his reputations and new what to expect.

It was only a moment before the signal was given, and Bali had seen the shift in his opponent's weight, giving him just enough time to avoid a fuller hit. With his dark opponent so close, he took the opportunity to try and sink his fangs into him, but only managed a light bite, barely enough to draw blood.



(( WHOOPS FORGOT 1 WAS MISS, WE'LL JUST PRETEND IT WAS A LIGHT SCRATCH ;; ))

 

[Polette]

Feeling the light teeth of his opponent, Azizi winced, but continued to move quickly. It stung, certainly, but wasn't enough to slow him down. Turning quickly on his paws, he swiped hard at the back haunches of his opponent; he could see the blood darken against his paler fur.  

[Polette]

His previous hit was an internal embarrassment, and Bali knew that he had lost some momentum. The key in most of these fights was to do well early on, and try to physically and mentally weaken the opponent from the onset; it was something he feared his opponent had been able to do first.

A yowl roared forth from his lungs as he felt his opponent's claws slice through him. The hit was deep, and he felt slightly limp in that leg. He could smell his own blood, and its dripping through his fur was an odd sensation.

Giving a slight kick forward, he turned and tried to swipe at his opponent, but his injured leg gave him an unfortunate brief wobble, causing him to just miss.

 

[Polette]

Azizi could see his opponent falter, and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to land an ending blow. In his confidence, however, his paw slipped, and he felt himself falling. Not taking his eyes off his opponent, he rolled quickly, springing back up to anticipate his next move.

 

[Polette]

Taking a breath, Bali was relieved his opponent had slipped. He needed that extra few moments to steel himself, stiffening his injured hind leg so he could get back in the fight.

While his opponent rolled, Bali reared, knocking his claws right into the maw of his dark opponent. It wasn't quite as deep as his own cut, but he knew it was hard enough to knock him back, hopefully putting Bali back on the upper edge.

 

[Polette]

Azizi snarled as his face was hit; it hurt. His brief moment of failure had led to this, and it only motivated him to counter with even more ferocity.

He had been crouched slightly, but was now sprung forward, both claws digging deep into his opponent's shoulders; he was latched on, and gave a twist, knocking him off balance.

 

[Polette]

(( po you are DUMB and we're just going to ignore this post ))  

[Polette]

The tan and brown cheetah was hurting. His back hip had been aching for some time now, but he had been able to successfully block that pain out until this last hit. Both of his shoulders felt the sting of his opponent's claws, and Bali had briefly felt helpless as he swung him to the side.

Staggering, he didn't let himself go down, no matter how much he hurt. Though his opponent was still latched onto him, Bali snarled, pushing through the pain to rear up, slashing at his opponent's belly. This time, he knew he cut deep, and in such a sensitive area too. It was just the right move to detach himself, and it also caused a slight pause in the fight as the two tried to take a moment of recovery.

 

[Polette]

Azizi's breathing was ragged, and he wasn't sure how much more he could put up with. He was impressed that his opponent had taken the beating that he had and still been able to put up a fight. He knew the next few moves would determine the outcome, as neither male could go much further without an intervention.

He took a few steps, putting on a snarling face as he lifted a paw, barely making contact to his opponent's previous wound. He knew that his claws didn't cut in this time, but he was hoping that a repeat hit would cause his opponent to finally go down.

 

[Polette]

Bali's balance was starting to give, and he knew he couldn't last too much longer. His opponent came at him one last time, and Bali gathered his strength to provide one final blow - either it would knock his opponent out, or it would be the last move from him.

His shoulder hurt, but he could tell that his opponent was weakening just as he was. He brought his own paw up, dragging his claws through the dark male's shoulder. It was a solid hit, but not enough to knock his opponent out.

And Bali just couldn't keep going. He had lost a bit of blood, and would need a great deal of time to recoup after this. His sight was beginning to blur, and he didn't want the embarrassment of having the King step in on his behalf.

"Enough." His words silenced the crowd, and the judge came forward.

--


"The victory goes to Azizi of clan Deathstalker!"

(( Azizi - 13 Bali - 12 ))