Pashnirix made the first move, rotating his wings and pushing himself high into the sky. He sent the six scimitars flying towards me with a sweep of his arm.
I predicted the landing spot of each blade, scampered into a nearby tree, and directed my chains to intercept all of the blades. As my chains wrapped around them, they all dematerialized, and a single scimitar appeared in his outstretched hand. Before he could throw his scimitar for another attack, I viciously threw my arm into the air, and my chains followed the motion, rising high into the sky to wrap around Pashnirix’s ankle.
He struggled furiously, flying even higher into the air. My chains were taut with resistance as I threw my energy into holding him, but suddenly, they relaxed in my hands. I looked up, and saw eight blades cutting through the air towards me. Pashnirix had abandoned his struggle to summon another attack against me, knowing it would distract me enough to free himself.
Sacrificing my concentration on holding Pashnirix, I jumped out of the tree and landed on the roof of a nearby tower, rolling into a crouch as the blades embedded themselves into the tree where I’d just been. I snarled as my chains slipped from around his ankle, and he flew down to land on the roof across from me.
“Please tell me that’s not the best you can do, Tigress,” he commented cockily. “I was expecting something a little more…feral.”
“When you insist on fighting as humans,” I spat, gesturing at his scimitar and my chains, “then this is as feral as you can hope for, Dragon.”
He looked surprised for a moment, and then laughed. “I see. A battle purely of weapons between us would only end in a draw. Our animalistic instincts allow us to predict each other too well for such a refined art.” He paused for a moment. “A battle of Spirit, then?”
Pashnirix held up his scimitar, and then stabbed it into the rooftop. I retracted my chains, draping them around his scimitar, a gesture to lay down arms and a sign of agreement. We glanced at each other, tiger eyes versus dragon eyes, and truly began to fight.
I rushed at him, and he gracefully dove into the air. Moments later, I heard a whistle as his tail whipped through the air when he landed at my back. I lithely jumped in the air, narrowly avoiding being hit, and I lunged at his face. As I grazed the skin on his face, he flew into the air, shouting, “Here, kitty, kitty!” Then he dived back down at me, talons reaching.
I growled. “Enough of this,” I said. It was time to break out my secret technique. “You think you have such a great advantage because you can fly, Dragon.” I focused for a second, and watched a Pashnirix landed on the roof, confused. His eyes searched the area, his nostrils flared, and his ears twitched as he set all of his senses on finding me.
I snuck behind him before he could sniff me out and said, “It’s called camouflage,” before sweeping out his legs from beneath him.
Pashnirix fell onto the roof with a grunt, but quickly rolled to his feet. “I see now. The Tigress, queen of camouflage, the stealthy hunter,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “You can hide, but I will find you.”
“You’ll have to rely on more than that famed dragon sight to catch me, then,” I sneered.
“Very well,” he replied calmly, “Just try not to be caught too easily.” He rushed towards me, gliding a few feet above the rooftop, and dropped me off the edge. Twisting in mid-air, I barely managed to land on my feet as he landed beside me.
He whipped out his tail again, this time catching me in the stomach. I grabbed onto his tail and vaulted myself onto his back, reaching around to claw at his face, before falling away. Pashnirix hauled me up again, this time flying us up to the roof of another tower. He dropped me like a sack of rocks. I grabbed onto his leg as he passed over me, slammed him down onto the roof, and pulled out of my camouflage.
“Fine,” I snarled. “It seems you know how to play games as well as I do.”
“Of course,” he said, smiling snarkily, “I am, after all, the Dragon.” He climbed to his feet.
“Final round,” I said, “No holding back. We do this like animals.”
“A fight for survival,” Pashnirix mused, eyes glittering. He nodded. “No holding back. I hope you don’t regret it.”
We rushed towards each other at the same time, clashing in a tangle of claws and teeth. He tore into my side with his talons; I clamped onto his neck with my teeth. Blood flew everywhere, both mine and his mixed. We rolled and slid, scraping ourselves along the roof in our scramble for dominance. Rolling over one last time, we fell off the edge of the roof, landing with a thud on the hard ground, each refusing to let go of the other. It was a deadlock: I held his throat clenched precariously within my teeth, and his claws dug into my ribs, ready to tear my torso apart at the slightest inclination.
“It would seem,” he said hoarsely, that we have reached an impasse, Tigress.”
I breathed heavily through my mouth, tightening my grip in response.
“I must say, however bothersome it was, that I rather enjoyed our fight. You have true talent,” he said, “unlike some of these inexperienced weaklings you are dallying with. Personally, I do not understand why one such as you even bothers with them.”
I listened to his words, and wondered myself. Why had I joined this new Organization in the first place, when so long ago I had refused?
Pashnirix shifted slightly, removing his claws from my flesh. “I would like to concede this fight, Tigress, as well as extend an invitation to join our Organization. I truly believe you superior talents would be better utilized in the environment we would provide. There is much I could teach you…much we could learn from each other.”
An invitation? To join yet another Organization? I considered this proposition seriously; there actually was tangible reason for me to join this other Organization, the pursuit of strength…and someone like me.
After a few minutes had passed, Pashnirix spoke again, softly. “I understand that you may need some time to consider you response. If you would release me?”
Slowly and carefully, I removed my teeth from his neck, gathered all of the blood in my mouth, and spat it to the side. Pashnirix stood up, holding a hand to the gash in his neck, and extended a hand to help me up. What a gentleman, I thought.
“Thank you,” I muttered with a low growl and a wince.
He nodded. “As I was saying, should you wish for more time to consider my offer, I will personally return here in a week’s time to hear you response.”
I held my hand to my side. “And should I refuse your offer? What will become of me, of this Organization?”
Pashnirix shrugged, and his scimitar reappeared in his hand. He was covered in blood and cuts, his wings dirty and wounded. He looked to the moonlit sky.
“Who knows what the future holds for either of us? Who can predict what Fate’s next move will be? As for myself, I can only hope you play a part in my future, Tigress. I look forward to you.” With those words, he touched his nose lightly to my neck, a sign of affection and respect.
He spread his wings, alighted on the roof, and with a final backwards glance and a slight bow, disappeared into the darkness.
I summoned my chains to myself, whispering, “Legato Melodies.” I ran the chains over my bruised and bloodied paws, the metal links of the weapons clicking against my claws. One week until I see him again, I thought. The only one I had ever even considered calling an equal. I smiled to myself. One week.
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KitKat: Gah! Long post! I tried to read most of what happened since I last posted, but I don't have time to read it all! Could someone please give me a quick update on what happened with all the fights since the other Organization arrived? ^_^
