FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

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CHAPTER 14

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"His name was Fran you say?" Jun'lao asked, after I had explained what had transpired in the village earlier. "Then that must be Grandou Fran, son of Ghal Grandou."

I was sitting round the camp fire in Jun'lao's camp with Master Jun'lao and Master Kami. The others were busy sparring on the other side of the campsite. It was the middle of the afternoon, but they had the camp fire burning in order to brew his tea. It was almost unbearably hot when combined with the heat of the afternoon sun as well. I had to sit well back to avoid being cooked by the heat.

"You know him?"

"I have only met Fran once, but I have certainly heard plenty about him." Jun'lao nodded.

"Their family would be the equivalent of nobility back in the Mortal Realm, if the Masrur had such a thing." Master Kami explained. "His father is a Champion of Gias. Everyone knows him, and as a result know of his son."

"That doesn't excuse his refusal to give his name to you." Jun'lao added. "You were perfectly justified in your actions." He took a sip from the cup he was holding before continuing. "But you should try and learn to be a bit more diplomatic. Even though he was in the wrong, there was no need to make an enemy of him."

Jun'lao's words hit me hard. Be more diplomatic? I guess I could have ignored the fact that Fran had not offered his name, or explained that I honestly had no idea who he was. I may have had the right to show him disrespect after the way he acted, but as Master Jun'lao suggested, was returning the disrespect he had shown me worth making an enemy of him?

"Do you have any idea why he was visiting the village today?" I asked.

"More than likely his father is helping with the preparations for your upcoming Hakar." Jun'lao explained. "It will take several weeks to ensure everything is properly arranged."

"A Hakar is a rare and extremely popular event in Aaru. Spectators from far and wide will gather in order to watch." Master Kami added.

"They can't seriously be travelling all this way just to watch me fight?"

"Not exactly." Kami smirked. "While the fight is definitely the main reason for the Hakar, the main reason they travel so far is for the chance to see the Guardian Deities and the Champions who gather for the event, and pay their respects. While the event has been created in order to test you, you are not the main attraction."

I was aware of the fact that I would be participating in this Hakar for several moons now. But I had no idea that it was already being organised, or was going to be such a public spectacle! It was going to be a test, a very public test, of my skills and ability in battle.

"All the races of Aaru are loyal to the Guardian Deities, and incredibly thankful to them and their Champions for the safety and protection we offer to them." Master Jun'lao explained. "Just like other Deities in the Mortal realm the Guardian Deities gain strength from the worship of others. So making events like this open to those willing to travel to them, are essentially politics."

"Appease the masses and they shall love you." Master Kami said. "Not exactly an inspiring proposition, but it has always been effective."

"I guess politics exist every where, even for Gods and Deities." I said with nervous chuckle.

"Quite so." Master Jun'lao nodded before taking a sip of tea. "Which is why you should learn to be more diplomatic, even when you are confronted with an individual who has wronged you. Although I will admit that sometimes a show of force, while not being the most proper way to handle most situations, can certainly expedite certain results. However doing so will often have consequences further down the line."

"But there are extremely rare occasions where force actually has provided unexpected outcomes, which actually prove to be better than what diplomacy could ever hope to accomplish." Master Kami added. "Despite that fact, force should always be the last resort. Violence begets violence, and can easily become a never ending cycle. You should be familiar with this, given the volatile relationship between the wolves and dragons back in the mortal realm."

"I guess..." I sighed. "But I can't do anything about that."

"Perhaps not." Master Jun'lao smiled. "But we don't know what opportunities await us down the line. And while you may not be able to fix that particular problem, you may be able to incite the start towards the change itself."

"How?" I asked.

"I believe there is a wolf being trained by a certain Masrur that we all know."

"Khaine?" I asked. Master Jun'lao nodded.

"If you can befriend that wolf, and earn his trust and approval, then his attitude towards you will change. And perhaps his attitude towards other drakes will change as a result. But perhaps not. We can never know the outcome of our actions, even Oracles struggle to do that."

I thought about what Jun'lao said. Sure, befriending Khaine may improve my quality of life during our stay in Aaru, but once we return to the Mortal realm, if we return, then how would that help the relationship between wolves and dragons?

But it was then that I remembered that the hatred between the races had stemmed from the bitterness of Dalton and Tau'ruc's broken relationship. They had been lovers, but Dalton had felt betrayed when Tau'ruc chose to have a family over being with him. I had experienced that first hand through the memories I had inherited from them during the mingling. His anger was justified, but over the generations, that anger had become hatred, and that hatred had seeped into the other wolves. Hatred that was buried deep in their being. Time and time again they had found new reasons to hate one another; most of it now stemming from the bloodshed of war.

My Mother and Father were the first to break that cycle of hatred, and as a result of that I existed. Part of both races, but not fitting in completely with either of them. I was an an... anol... anomaly; yes, an anomaly. That word was what Jun'lao had called me once when we were discussing my heritage one time. I always struggled to think of it correctly; let alone speak it.

I was something new, something that the world struggled to find a place for. I learned from a very young age that if I wanted to be accepted by the world, then I needed to fight for my place within it. But what that place was I didn't know yet. Master Jun'lao told me once that none of us truly knew our place within the world, until we find it. Perhaps my place was to help the dragons and wolves take the first steps to ever lasting peace, or perhaps I would die at the paws of the spirit within me; perhaps neither.

"I'll worry about that whenever the time comes. For now I have more important things to worry about."

"Quite so." Master Kami nodded.

"I agree." Master Jun'lao agreed. "And since you are here, shall we work on your technique? Master Kami, would you mind watching over the others while we are away?"

"Not a problem."

"Thank you." Master Jun'lao smiled and after finishing his tea, placed the cup down and stood up. I did the same. "Are you ready Malakye?"

"Always Master."

And so we departed camp, using our wind bending to fly to the usual destination where we practised powerful bending techniques; to avoid damaging the camp. We flew to our destination and I admired the beautiful landscape, filled with trees, grass lands which stretched out for miles in every direction, numerous feral animals; both packs of dangerous predators and large herds of prey alike. We landed at the edge of a large grouping of trees by a rocky outcrop. This was where practised my techniques.

There were several techniques I was currently working on. A blade made of the very air itself! The ability to use my nen bubble to manipulate my flying ability to even greater degree than what I was currently capable of. But the one we were going to work on today though was still relatively new to me, but given the training I had already undergone to try and perfect the wind blade, I felt like I was advancing quickly with the ability.

As a wind bender striking your opponent with either large bursts of wind, or weak focused strikes was quite common place and easy to do. However what I was attempting was to summon a powerful, focused blast of air quickly enough to be used in battle. The speed was essential, otherwise I would never be able to use it without being a sitting duck.

Building up the power in the attack took a lot of focus. When given all the time I needed to prepare the attack, well over a minute, I could shatter a large chunk off of a tree trunk with the attack, leaving a wound several inches deep. Against an armoured foe the attack wouldn't seriously hurt them as wind bending does not fare well against steel, but I could knock them off their foot-paws leaving them vulnerable.

We practised for several hours. Remembering a lesson from Xavier back in Zangar, where he taught me the principal of 'less is more' on the battlefield, I managed to cut the time it took me to prepare my attack to just over half a minute by reducing its overall power by a third. I could reduce the power further to speed up my progress but reducing the power any further would reduce its effectiveness below what I wanted from the attack. What I needed to do now was practise! If I could master the different stages of building the attack, not only could I save time, but perhaps I would be able to build the attack while still fighting opponents in close quarters! Right now the intricate technique required my full attention. There was still a lot of work to be done before this was battle ready!

"You have made some impressive progress in a short amount of time."

"Thank you Master." I said, a little breathless from the effort I had been putting forth.

"The sun is getting low. We should return to camp, and then you should return to the village."

We flew back to Master Jun'lao's camp, the sun was almost completely gone from sight. The horizon was glowed with an intense orange which was fading by the second. In a matter of minutes the last rays of light from the sun would disappear, and the pale light of the full moon would replace it.

When we arrived I noticed that there were visitors to the camp. There were a group of uniformed Masrur waiting with Master Kami and the others. Master Jun'lao and I landed and slowly approached the group. The Masrur stood at attention, clad in armour of blackened steel and purple cloaks. I recognised that uniform from earlier today. The two Masrur escorting Fran had worn the same outfit. What did they want?

Master Jun'lao stopped a short distance away from them, I stayed a couple of steps behind him as a good student should. He gazed over them for a few moments before tilting his head slightly in curiosity. Master Kami walked over and exchanged a few hushed words with him that I couldn't make out.

"I would say it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, however that would be a lie." Master Jun'lao said coldly. I was a little surprised at how he was speaking to them; he was normally friendly and accommodating to all, but he seemed to have taken an immediate dislike to these Masrur for some reason.

"Champion Jun'lao." One of the Masrur stepped forward and bowed respectfully. The others behind him bowed as well. "We have come here to escort your student back to the village."

"So I have been made aware." Master Jun'lao spat back. They... were here for me? "You may return to the village, and let your Master know that Malakye shall return of his own accord in due time."

"What is this about?" I asked curiously.

"A Kinyar has been issued." Master Jun'lao explained. "They are here to escort you back to the village to participate in the Kinyar! As if you were dishonorourable enough to run away from it! It is an insult to you, but also me as your Master!"

"I apologise for any ill feelings you may feel as a result of this. We are just following orders." The Masrur bowed his head once again.

"I assure you, my anger is not directed at you, but your Master!" Master Jun'lao huffed. "Now leave, and deliver my message to your Master!"

"But..."

"LEAVE!" Master Jun'lao shouted angrily, I think all of us flinched as he raised his voice for the first time ever. "Deliver my message or I shall challenge you to a kinyar myself!"

"Understood." The Masrur bowed and left quickly.

"So I assume Fran has accepted my challenge?" I asked.

"No. Fran has not accepted your challenge, someone else has challenged you a Kinyar." Master Jun'lao sighed. He turned and placed his paws atop my shoulders. "I should have seen this coming, I apologise."

"Why are you apologising Master?" I asked. "You haven't done anything."

"I wish that were true. This challenge is the result of my refusal to train Fran."

"Wait... what?" I was confused.

"Fran's father, has repeatedly asked me to take his son on a a student. I have refused each and every time."

"Okay... so why has he challenged me to a Kinyar because of that?" I asked.

"Pride perhaps. As a way to punish me... Ghal's reasons are his own, and I can only speculate as to the reason. But ever since I have refused to train his son he has been at odds with me, and now it would seem he intends to get at me through you."

"I won't allow him to." I stated.

But how I could stop it was still in question. I could refuse the kinyar, such was my right, but doing so had certain social stigma's behind it. Especially among the Masrur, refusing a kinyar branded you as a coward, and only certain circumstances allowed you to refuse without consequence. I believe my pride could handle that, but as a student of Jun'lao my actions reflected on him as much as myself. I could never disappoint him in that way, even if he said it was okay to do so.

"I appreciate the sentiment Malakye." He cupped the side of my muzzle affectionately, like my mother used to do when I was a small cub. "But, he will participate in the kinyar himself, he is not the type to use a champion in his place. And as strong as you are, you are no match for him."

"You don't think I can win?" I was a little wounded that Master Jun'lao was willing to say that so bluntly to me. Yes he was a Champion, I knew my chances of winning were slim, but I had overcome great odds before.

"You are a strong warrior Malakye, your potential is staggering, I don't think you realise just how much so! But I know what Ghal is capable of! He is an opponent that I know you can not defeat!"

"Malakye," Master Kami stepped forward. "If Master Jun'lao says it to be so, then you must believe it. Because Ghal was once a student of Master Jun'lao, just as you are now."

That went my eyes go wide. Ghal had been trained by Master Jun'lao! Then I had to assume that he was at least as good at martial arts as Master Kami was! In terms of pure skill I couldn't compete against Master Kami, I had come close to beating him a few times, but that was when I had used my greater nen to try and overpower him. My nen... Ghal was a Masrur and couldn't use nen. That could be my one and only advantage.

"I know what you're thinking Malakye." Master Jun'lao said. "But it will not work. Ghal is a champion, and as such is far more powerful that your typical Masrur due to the blessing of Gias. And Ghal's boon especially, makes him dangerous."

Champions gained a portion of power from the Deity they swear themselves to. Not only a boost to their nen, but also what is known as a boon. An ability that forms as a result of their Deities Rune of Power, formed as a result of the bond between them. Master Jun'lao was granted the ability to bend lightning as a result of his bond with Hesh'na, the Guardian Deity of Storms. Master Kami had gained the ability to bend fire as a result of his bond with Pyrrat, the Guardian Deity of Fire.

Ghal was the Champion of Gias, the Guardian Deity of the Earth. Could he earth bend? Or was it some other ability? Would Jun'lao tell me if I asked? What ever it was it seemed to be powerful enough to make Master Jun'lao doubt my ability to even have a chance at winning in a fight against him.

"So I can't win?" I asked, looking Master Jun'lao in the eye.

"I seriously doubt it." He said, not breaking our eye contact.

"Then... I will happily prove you wrong!" I declared, smirking confidently even though I was anything but.

Master Jun'lao's expression softened and he smiled.

"I hope you do." He nodded. "You have surprised me time and time again, since I gained the honour of calling you my student. Your previous Master I have no doubt felt the same way. If you say that you have a chance of beating Ghal Malakye, then I believe you. But know this, win or lose, you will still be dear student."

"Thank you Master." I bowed my head respectfully to his words, but to be honest felt like my chest was going to burst with pride. I was not afraid to go into this battle against an impossible foe. I had everyone's support behind me and I would try my hardest to prove my worth to them!

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We arrived at the village and made our way to the village square where everyone had gathered for the evening meal. Ghal and Fran sat with the village elders as guests of honour next to Jan'Zar. Ghal's uniformed warriors mingled with the villagers and other warriors. I could feel many eyes following me through the village as I walked towards Ghal. You could literally hear the silence following me as more and more Masrur became aware of my presence.

Ghal saw me approaching and stood himself. He was certainly a figure of strength. He was bigger than most Masrur, but he certainly wasn't the biggest. No, Garr still held that honour by a clear margin, but Ghal was definitely the 2nd biggest Masrur I had ever seen.

"So you've finally arrived." Ghal smiled.

"Yes." I replied. There was a heavy silence after I had spoken that single word. Everyone knew what was happening and they were waiting for my response. "I accept your challenge!"

Ghal's smile grew even more, and there were many cheers from the crowd. Everyone loved a good spectacle, and what greater spectacle was there than watching a Champion fight? Within seconds I heard some of the Masrur making wagers, some of the demanding payment; they had obviously been betting on whether or not I'd accept the challenge.

"Good. Now we shall agree the terms of the Kinyar." Ghal said getting straight down to business.

This was a rare opportunity for me to negotiate the rules we would abide by during the fight. What rules would benefit me?

"Here is my proposal." Ghal declared. "You may not use your kii or your k'tan powers, nor I my boon. This shall be a test of pure skill. Weapons are not allowed, bare paws only! How does that sound to you?"

I thought about it for a moment before responding. Master Jun'lao had proposed that Ghal would make stipulations such as this. However he had also been quick to point out that as the one who had been challenged I did not need to accept them, or that I could propose I counter offer. So long as both parties agreed to the stipulations there could be no calls of foul play declared after the fact.

"You are a Masrur, blessed by the Deities with great strength and vigour, but as a result you are unable to manipulate your kii, but neither are you able to stop using it." I countered. Thankful that Master Jun'lao had explained that fact to me to be able to use it now. "Allow me to use mine to fight you as an equal, but I shall not use my k'tan powers."

Ghal smiled and rubbed the underside of his muzzle for a moment as he considered.

"I accept your terms." He said. "Do you wish to do this now, or at dawn?"

"I'm ready now!" I declared.

There was a cheer and many of the warriors stood and began making their way towards the training grounds, obviously hoping to grab a good spot to watch the fight from before everyone made their way over. Ghal nodded and with a cocky smile turned and walked towards the training grounds. Fran stood and smirked at me before following his father. The ass-hole was probably looking forward to watching his father kick my tail all over the training grounds during this fight, and not having to fight me himself!

"You did well." Jun'lao whispered over my shoulder. "This was the best result for you. But the biggest challenge still lay ahead."

"I know."

"You'd better put up a good fight!" Jan'Zar smirked as she approached.

"I intend to." I said with as much confidence as I could muster.

"Good. But just in case you need a little more motivation, if you make a fool of yourself, and of me as a result, I will kill myself." She scowled. I couldn't tell if she was joking or not, but she certainly seemed serious enough that a cold chill ran down my spine and I gulped nervously. "But if you do manage to win, then I will allow give you the remaining time until your Hakar to you as a reward!"

"Wait... what?"

"Are you slow as well as stupid?" She snorted. "You win, you are no longer tied to a training regime! Now best of luck to you, because your going to need it!" She chuckled as she turned and began walking towards the training ground.

She didn't think I could win. But she was trying to encourage me to go all out to win, otherwise she wouldn't have offered that reward to me. She was a bitch at times, but she did have here good side; even if it was buried under all that bravado.

We followed the crowd to the training grounds, Ghal was standing waiting for me. I took my position across from him and took up a fighting stance. He smiled and did the same thing. I had already decided to take the offensive, hoping to use my speed to gain the upper-paw early. But I had to remember that fighting Ghal was the equivalent of fighting Master Jun'lao or Garr. I was the under-dog in the fight.

Harlock stepped forward and stood between us. He was to mediate the match, and call an end to it before it went too far, and ensure that we followed the terms of the fight we had made earlier; he would also give us the starting signal. He looked at Ghal who nodded his readiness. He looked at me and I nodded as well, my gaze not breaking away from Ghal. I readied myself and drew on my nen. Harlock raised his paw in the air and yelled the command to begin.

Before Harlock had even started to back away I sprinted towards Ghal, hoping to catch him off guard. He backed up a couple of steps as I approached and raised his arms. I threw a few solid punches his way, hoping to entice him to attack. He was surprisingly patient though, even when I left an obvious opening he didn't jump at the chance to take it like most would. Not liking his reserved stance, and also being unable to break through his guard, I leapt back and created some distance.

"That all you got?" He mocked. "Must say I'm a little disappointed!"

I hadn't used my full strength against him, I didn't expect that to work on an opponent like him. Hopefully he thought I had and would underestimate me. I raised my guard and readied myself for his counter-attack.

I didn't have long to wait, he launched a fierce flurry of punches at me. I was able to dodge a couple of them, but unlike the other Masrur I had fought he seemed to favour speed over power! It was like sparring against Master Jun'lao, only with the natural unbridled strength of a Masrur!

I ducked under a right hook and countered with a nen enhanced left punch into his side. It was a solid hit, and despite his leather armour he wore, I knew that hit should have affected him. Before I knew it I getting punched in the side of the head. I reeled from the blow, my vision blurring for a moment as I raised my arms to shield my head from other blows.

As I raised my arms he targeted my mid-section, each blow driving the air from my lungs with devastating force. I lowered my guard to protect my mid-section from the next blow from his right fist, only he clocked my in the side of the muzzle with another vision blurring blow. He followed up with a kick to my chest which sent me rolling head-over-heel. I scrambled back up to my foot-paws and raised my arms.

"I expected better from a student of Master Jun'lao!" Ghal grinned. "Maybe you're not ready for a Hakar at all!"

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. But what chance had I had to fight back? It didn't feel like I was getting punched by his fists at all! His blows may as well have been war-hammers they hurt that badly! Not only that he was able to anticipate my moves and get round my guard effortlessly! The left side of my muzzle twinged as it began to swell from the two times he'd hit me there. If I was going to beat him I had to give up on trying to defend! I was going to have to try and dodge his blows while attempting to over whelm him! If I could get him off his foot-paws I might just stand a chance!

I dashed forwards, ducked to the right as he threw a punch and then swung my right leg at the back of his left leg. My kick connected solidly, but was met with incredible resistance. His leg didn't so much as shake, let alone buckle; It was like kicking a stone wall! He turned and I narrowly avoided getting punched in the muzzle for my trouble.

I was warned about getting into a grappling match with Ghal, but at this point it was looking to be my best option. Even my nen enhanced blows didn't seem to so much as phase him, while his hurt like a bitch! The constant stinging from my muzzle was a good reminder of that!

I was faster than him, but even with my nen I was obviously at a disadvantage when it came to power. But the difference in our speed was certainly not as great as I'd hoped, he was faster than most Masrur, and he had nearly no wasted movement; every move he made was executed with purpose and intent. If I was going to do this then I was going to have to read the flow perfectly!

I weaved around the left hook aimed at my head, and threw an uppercut at the underside of his muzzle, but he caught my punch, and his massive paw clamped over my fist. I tried to pull my paw free from his grasp but he was just too strong! I raised my arm to block the incoming left hook, he struck my arm, and pulled back for another attempt.

I kicked his leg a few times in futility, he punched me again, this time my arm started to go numb as a result. My defence wouldn't last long, so I abandoned it. I Spun on my heel, grabbing his right wrist and using his powerful thigh as a springboard, leapt up wrapped my legs around his neck and swung my torso around.

Even Ghal couldn't brace both of our weight when caught by surprise it seemed. My weight dragged him forwards and pulled him to the ground. Either intentionally, or by surprise, he released his grip of my paw and I rolled free of him. There was a loud cheer from the crowd, but I the desperation I felt drowned them out, this was my best chance to gain the upper paw in this fight! I scrambled to all fours and propelled myself towards Ghal as he was picking himself up off the ground. I landed a powerful punch which snapped his head to the side and stopped his progress to stand-up. I stood up and focused all of my nen into my right arm and fist and struck him in the muzzle as he raised his head up to look at me.

The impact of the blow reverberated up my arm and into my body. It was a solid hit! Ghal grunted under the impact of the blow, and was nearly knocked back to the ground. The pain from my fist was hard to ignore even using my nen to stifle the worst of it; Ghal had a really hard head! My knuckles were bloodied, but so was Ghal! Above his right brow there was a not so insignificant gash. The blood trickled from it freely.

But I couldn't stop and revel in this success! The fight was still far from over, and my opponent was not yet defeated! I raised my fist once more and aimed at Ghal's head, right at the bloody gash. I swung my fist downwards towards the wound, but he blocked my blow with his left arm. He shifted and began to rise, I couldn't give up the advantage I had right now! I swung my other fist at the side of his head, but he blocked that with his right arm. Desperate now, I thrust my knee up towards the underside of his muzzle which was perfectly situated for the blow, but he blocked this attack as well and struck me in the belly with a fast but powerful jab.

I grunted and staggered backwards as I tried to retain my balance and not fall on my tail. In those few seconds it took to regain my balance he was already standing. He scowled and wiped his bloody brow, wiping blood from his eye and stared as his blood stained fur on his paw, snorted in annoyance before glaring at me. He lowered his stance and raised his fists. I readied myself for his assault.

He attacked a moment later. I did my best to dodge his blows, not wanting to take the brunt of his attacks if I intended on having a chance at staying in this fight. I dodged his opening attack, a fast left jab, and then the next, a right hook which I had to duck to avoid being struck in the side of the head. I wasn't able to dodge his next attack, a swift knee to my sternum with winded me slightly, and left me open to his next attack, an upper-cut which made my foot-paws leave the ground as my head snapped up towards the nights sky. I landed on the flat of my back, the cool, dry dust of the ground cradled my back as I lay there.

Ghal grabbed me and hefted me up with ease, and tossed me into the trunk of a nearby tree. The impact hurt, but I braced myself against the tree and used as support so I could raise my arms in defence. Ghal struck me in the side; first the right and then the left. Each blow hurt like hell, and made my legs quiver and threaten to buckle. While struggling to remain standing, I had just enough awareness to weave my head to the side to avoid the punch he threw at me.

His massive fist struck the tree trunk and there was an audible cracking down which resonated around me. I returned the favour by driving my right fist into his side a couple of times, but his muscled torso, and leather armour, made my blows seem to have no effect what so ever. He struck me directly in the stomach in retaliation; a blow which made me gasp and go limp for a moment, but thankfully I managed to lock my legs in place, and braced my back against the tree and I didn't collapse to the ground. At this point if I fell I don't think I'd be able to get up again!

Ghal smirked, knowing I was on my last legs and slowly pulled his arm back to land the finishing blow. If I didn't move now this fight was over. Using every ounce of strength and will power that I could muster I pushed away from the tree and grabbed Ghal as he threw his finishing blow!

I grabbed the back of his head, pulling it forwards while also kicking his left leg. The dry dust helped I think, because his left foot-paw slid back a few inches, throwing him off balance just long enough to allow his momentum and my strength to cause him to fall forward and smash his head into the trunk of the tree.

I didn't wait for him to recover, I needed to get him off his foot-paws if I wanted a chance at winning! I leapt off the tree trunk and wrapped my left leg round the back of his neck, inadvertently pinning his right arm in the air as my leg wrapped itself under his arm pit and around the back of his neck because I didn't get enough height from my jump. Because of the lack of height from my jump I also wasn't able to get my right leg around his neck, so instead jammed it into his throat. I grabbed my left ankle with my right paw, in a desperate attempt to complete my intended plan; so my weight would drag him down as I fell.

My descent came to a sudden stop. I looked up and saw that Ghal had grabbed a tree branch with his left arm. For the next few seconds we locked eyes as we both came to grips with the stalemate we had found ourselves in.

He was desperately trying to remain upright, while I hung from his neck. I thought I was screwed, until I realised I actually had the upper paw. I pulled harder with my right arm, pulling my body upwards, and pushing my right shin into his throat and began to suffocate him! With his left paw supporting our combined weight and his right arms pinned in the air as a result of the hold I had him in he had no way to fight back!

His thick muscular neck flexed and tried in vain to prevent me from choking him, but he made choking noises as his neck spasmed against my leg. The guttural snorts and coughs were unpleasant to hear to say the least, but all I needed was for him to lose consciousness! He struggled to try and free his right arm, but I used my left arm to restrain it further, using every ounce of strength my nen and muscles could produce! I could hear myself growling fiercely under the strain I was putting my body through!

"Just give up!" I snarled at him.

If he broke free this fight was over! After what seemed like an eternity I could see his eyes begin to struggle to remain open. He was losing consciousness! Emboldened by this, I felt another surge of strength and drove my leg further into his throat.

But Ghal was not going down that easily. I felt him shift and take a step. With his new footing he spun quickly to the side, slamming my right shoulder into the tree trunk. I yelled in pain and my grip loosened. Before I could tighten my grip he swung me into the tree again and this time I hit the ground as I fell from around his neck.

The pain in my body was bad, not a single part of me hurt, but nothing compared to the excruciating pain in my right shoulder. It took everything I had not to cry out in agony. I knew what had happened, he had dislocated my shoulder! A quick glance over to Ghal and I could see he was gasping for breath, unable to come and finish me off just yet, but it wouldn't take long before he would! I needed to get up!

I rolled over, and grabbed the tree trunk with my left paw, digging my talons into the bark to try and drag myself up. Slowly, painfully I got to my knees, and then up to my foot-paws. I was leaning against the tree trunk, trying to catch my breath as I ignored the pain, bracing my right shoulder against the tree in a futile attempt to alleviate the pain but using the tree as support.

I don't know how long Ghal had been standing for, but the next thing I was aware of was a crushing pressure which pushed me into the tree. My dislocated shoulder was forced against the tree trunk and I cried out as a flash of red hot pain coursed through my body from my shoulder. I felt and heard the audible pop as my right shoulder popped back in from his attack. He yanked me from the tree and punched me in the stomach once, twice, three times, each blow powerful enough to wind me by themselves. Gasping for air I fell to my knees and desperately tried to replace the air he had just knocked from me.

"I'm ending this fight!" I heard Harlock announce.

"No..." I wheezed. "NO!" I yelled, but it came as more of a hoarse whisper.

It was enough though. Harlock stopped and looked at me quizzically, so did Ghal. He shook his head and sighed.

"You can't even stand Malakye!"

"I-I... I can... stand." I said, my voice rough and strained.

I used everything I had left to slowly push myself up to my knees, and then by some miracle, up to my foot-paws. How I managed it I don't know, but I was standing! My legs were quivering under the strain and I couldn't raise my arms to defend myself.

"I'll give you this much credit runt!" Ghal chuckled. "You can take a beating! The fight is over. And unless you want me to knock you out, I suggest you give up now!"

I glared at him, and then at Harlock. "I'm not... giving... up!"

Harlock shook his head and Ghal snorted.

"Foolish!" Ghal spat. The last thing I remember was staring up at him as he pulled his arm back.