Chapter 4: Time of peace...

[Sabre]

Nadur freezes and looks back toward Blaze, his lack of a response and dumbfounded expression showed that he does NOT have any forces to place against Blaze, the entire circle turning to face Nadur, all eyes were on him. Rendarin lets out a chuckle before looking to Blaze. "I have personally witnessed the actions of the accused. And I formally accept the terms that it is to the death." He states, Nadur's eyes shooting open and ears pinning down as he hears this, and now he had a catch 22. Accept the trial and die, or refuse the trial and be dishonored, or call for surkai, which would likely also end badly.

[Blaze]

Blaze looks at Nadur, no mercy to be found in his eyes. "Will you accept this challenge, dezgra, or will you reject it? You have acted in ways most dishonorable, retaliating for a fair loss in combat in a most detestable way, and conspiring to have me killed through a task that you yourself would surely have failed in. Accept and, as the defender, the choice of location is yours. Or, you can call for surkai, if you wish."

[Silver]

(Rox, at the moment Aina is with my two charries Maluum and Khalfani xD and Anisa but she can't get on at the moment her laptop died or something)

Maluum chuffed as she continued to rub against her brother, they'd stayed in the lands many moons now and she was quite content just to laze around and mess with him as she batted at his ears poking out from his mane, irritating him enough to let out a low growl. Hearing her brother's growl the sandy fae laid back her ears and leapt to hide behind the younger female from her brother's wrath, a small whine like noise leaving her throat, soon accompanied by a small mew.

Khalfani huffed as his sister hid behind the other fae, turning back to look out over the plains at the pride in the distance, tail flicking across the earth before addressing the female. "Haven't your father's said anything about the amount of time you spend over here with us? A pair of rogues who no one really knows anything about?" He asked, ear flicking to listen to her reply as he watched her from the corner of his eye.

[Sabre]

"...I call surkai!" Nadur suddenly blurts out, which causes a few of the Shaderians surrounding them to let out groans of disappointment, some even breaking from the circle to go do their duties. Rendarin just shakes his head with an amusing chuckle before looking to Blaze. "Well he calls for forgiveness...but what shall the price be? I am certain you will have a very fitting punishment. Unless you desire my hand in the matter." The large feline says as his scarlet eyes look to his new clansman. The very mention of Rendarin giving a punishment makes Nadur become even more uneasy.

[Blaze]

Blaze shook his head in response to Rendarin's statement.

"With all due respect I was mostly looking forward to seeing his life end at my feet. I have full confidence that you can come up with a far more...creative punishment, Overlord," the Barbary lion respectfully said.

He bowed his head in a show of loyalty to the large Shaderian.

"I defer to your judgement."

[Sabre]

"Then it is decided." the large Shaderian says, turning his piercing gaze back to the cowering Nadur. "You are hearby forgiven, Nadur." He simply says. Nadur looks caught off guard and raises a brow, looking to his Overlord for a moment.

"..R..really?" He asks after a moment of silence, until the overlord speaks again.

"However. You have a serious dislike of freeborn, like most of us. But you took your dislike and turned it into hate. As for your punishment, I hearby exile you from the clan, to join Heshima-Mlinzi as a member. YOU will be the freeborn. As of this moment, you are no longer a brother of ours, and if we see you in the future, you will be treated accordingly." The overlord rules out, Nadur's expression seeming as if he was just shot. Rendarin nods to an elite standing guard next to him, the scarred male moving toward Nadur, shoving him away from the group as he starts leading him toward Blaze's home. "Punishment by making him the one thing he hates the most. Death would have made him suffer much less."

[Blaze]

"Knowing Nadur as I have for this time, it won't take long for him to say something foolish to either Sabre or Ikazuchi Radi as to what he did while I was under his paw, figuratively speaking. I suspect he'll be dead within the month. Sabre's temper is more volatile than my own, and I doubt he'd be thrilled to hear what happened."

He looks at Rendarin, a sly smile on his face. "You're every bit as creative and ironic as I remember, Overlord."

[Asani]

(I don't remember where anybody is character wise at the moment except for Aina. Time to wing it!)

Since her Father had given her permission to go and play, Nadya began exploring the tunnels of the pride's cave. As she toddled along, the cub eventually came to a series of smaller caves within the tunnels. "Raka!" she called out running towards him once she had found somebody that was inhabiting one, all the others were unoccupied. Why did she come here again? The little princess had spent a good majority of the day playing outside that she had forgotten her mission. "Um..." She had to think. Perhaps wandering a bit might jog her memory. Nadya began pacing around the older male in a circle, a determined expression forming as her body moved. It involved her father, and Naraka but what was the rest of the problem? "Daddy wants you..." she mused aloud. "But that's all I can remember..." Coming around full circle, she sat at his feet, her head tilted back as she stared up at him. Maybe Sabre had mentioned something to Naraka that she was forgetting?

[Blaze]

As Blaze spent more time with the Shaderians, his strength and battle instincts were honed to just about where he initially was before the incident with Brownie happened during the Bolshevik War. In the span of a month he had jumped straight from the rank of Grunt to Marauder, bypassing the rank of Scout entirely. Within another month of training with these more skilled and powerful peers, he reached the rank of Warrior after a grueling amount of training. His considerable rate of progress plateaued at this level; while as a slave, grunt and marauder he was able to defeat marauders, the gap between a marauder and a warrior was a considerable one, and so he started out on the losing side of Circle fights against them. It took a month before the fights against them were victories after an equal fight, and another month beyond that in order to be able to defeat them with relative ease. So, four months after casting off his proverbial shackles of slave, he rose to join the same rank as Lisirra, who he had come to be closer to and enjoy the company of during his time with the Shaderians. He was now an Elite.

Of course, spending so much time in a society where strength and honor are the most crucial aspects of life has had other impacts on the exile. His patience for weakness in other warriors has been greatly diminished, and his sense of mercy towards a defeated foe has all but vanished; mercy was granted only to those who never had the strength to be warriors to begin with, and those who had earned his respect. And though he was of the same rank as Lisirra, it did not mean he was on the same level of strength as her. Thus he had set an additional goal while he was here with the Shaderians; surpass his teacher.

He turned his head to the side, seeing the female in question walking towards him while he watched the Circle below from a higher vantage point. "Yes, Lisirra? What can I do for you?"

His attention moved back to the Circle to observe the current trial going on.

"Actually, your timing is quite good. This trial's just about over. Up for another round? I'm determined to beat you at least once, you know," he teased.

--------

Ikazuchi prowler through the tunnels of the cave system. He briefly looked at the new arrival, Nadur, with contempt before focusing on the two ahead of him. His bright golden eyes were focused on Nadya and Naraka.

"Good morning you two," he said.

The lion's white mane shook slightly as he turned his head to look at the Shaderian.

"When you have the time, there is something I must inform you of, Naraka."

[Blaze]

Blaze walked down to the Circle, and stared up at the outer ring at Lisirra, waiting expectantly for her to join him."Well? Shall we go another round, and give the others something to look forward to?" he asked.