The First Battle

[Kula]

"Now that's not quite fair!!"

Far be it from likely that a soldier of actual rank be lacking in guardianship. With a cackling roar another shadow detached from the throng opposite the patch of dirt that Mystic had occupied at Nasira's heel. Clad in straps of varying greens and encased in a supple leather the lioness was the very picture of preparation. Kula was ready in body and spirit for this battle, her taste for bloodshed having only been whet by the murder of her false king brother. She wanted action. Adventure.

Most importantly? She wanted to cause someone pain.

The lioness circled wide around the tiger male's hind, doing her best to keep her back to Nasira within the movement. One ear remained perked on the battle that the lady cats' shared overseer had begun in the case of her requiring more direct assistance. For the moment that situation seemed more than adequately handled, but one never knew how fast a fight would turn. Mystic, however... She had too pretty a pelt to mar with blood. In addition Kula didn't quite like the odds of a tigress closer to her own age taking on a specimen as scarred and... Well, male as this particular tiger. So perhaps she'd need some help. Maybe Mystic would even be appreciative of it.

So she padded back and forth, a moving obstacle between Khan and Nasira as she waited to see which way the tides would turn.

[Nasira]

Aladdin's scimitar struck her dagger hard, almost grazing her knuckles in the process. The collision had sent the blade flying out of her hand, landing an orgye away. "Ibn el sharmoota!" As the street rat rolled back, Nasira briskly outstretched her dominant arm. Like a compliant hound, the dagger's hilt landed back in her open palm. She gripped it hard, and in a single stride, she attempted to slash at Aladdin's exposed throat, aiming right for the jugular vein. She could almost feel the hot blood gushing over her hands like bath water.

At that moment, an winged woman wielding a long silver dagger also swiped at the street rat. The creature was, obviously, not one of her subordinates, so Nasira inferred that the angel belonged to the Rogues. However, Nasira made no move to attack her. Aladdin was her sworn enemy. The angel, on the other hand, was a nobody as far as the evil necromancer was concerned. And two enemies beating the tar out of each other was always beneficial. Oh Jenn was definitely next on her to-do list, but for now, Nasira left her be. She focused on Aladdin, though she was careful to keep Jenn in her line of sight in case the angel decided to switch targets.

[Mystic]

Mystic let out a low snarl at Khan's insult, her own blue eyes narrowing at the older tiger.
She turned her body as he circled her, making sure not to let him get behind her. For a few heartbeats the two tigers had a stare down before Shere Khan lunged at her.

Mystic jumped out of the way of the attack, though she didn't escape unscathed as his claws managed to rake along her hindquarters. Letting out a pained snarl, she twisted around and swiped at him with her own claws, trying to aim for the scarred, clouded eye side of his face, seeing it as a possible weakness.

Out of the corner of her vision, she noticed Kula was hovering behind the two tigers, presumably to help if it was needed. This was a relief, she had a feeling that this other tiger was probably too experienced for her to take down on her own.

[Deleted]

Chaos had quickly become the description of this skirmish, he swore more soldiers were appearing out of thin air. His focus was wavering from the tigress, his mind becoming a little frantic between what he should do, and what he was currently doing. His claws met their mark across the female's white pelt and he felt a little pride at that. He dug the yellowish talons as deep as they would go. Yet his attempt was halted as he heard another's voice. His head turned to look towards the lioness, it was a rookie fumble but he was out of practice it felt like; and whether that mistake saved him or not was up for debate.

Mystic's claws slashed across his face. Tearing through it like it was the hide of a newborn deer, it missed his already damaged eye but tore through his muzzle and cheek leaving deep wounds in it's wake. He yowled loudly, scrambling a pace or two back. His own paw raised mere seconds afterward, touching the damaged area tenderly. A sunlike hue caught the sight of bright red smeared across his paw pads...

He felt his breathing hitch for a moment, no one had gotten him that good since the incident with Mowgli.

Anger flicked across his face in an instant, teeth-baring again but that once 'calm' look seemed to disappear. There was something in his eye that gave away the fact that this was no longer a game and he growled deeply. "You will pay for that." He lunged for Mystic again, this time with full force planning to bowl her over with as much strength as possible. He. Was. Pissed.

[Aladdin]

Aladdin almost didn't see as Nasira went to slice at his neck. He fumbled with his sword and managed to block it, though barely. He took a step back to regain his footing. He wasn't sure if he was gonna win this. But by the look of things, probably not.

[Nasira]

Aladdin dodged again. "What. Are. You. Doing?!" she hissed like a pot on the stove, brandishing her dagger. "Hold still!" It was futile and a bit silly to tell someone to "hold still" while trying to disembowel them. Her left arm drew back like a cobra preparing to strike.

"DIE!" she exploded.

Aladdin was a moving target, but Nasira was almost as quick as him. The malevolent necromancer had missed the street rat's black heart, but the dagger got his left shoulder. She would have loved to twist the hilt like a screwdriver, but she noticed Aladdin's scimitar hovering precariously by her hip. Nasira immediately backed off, abandoning the dagger for good. Dark magic scintillated at her now-red finger tips, foreboding what was to come.

[Aladdin]

Aladdin yowled in pain as the knife sliced his shoulder. He stumbled a little but caught himself. But fortunately, Nasaria missed his heart. He felt his shoulder throb and he winced. He hefted his sword up but had a hard time managing to do so. 
He took a short step back.

[Hikaru]

Knees bent, lowering her center of gravity, minimizing her silhouette, Hikaru crouched behind a small outcropping of rocks. Her back was pressed to it as she examined the field of battle. She wore her trade mark heavy hooded jacket over her body armor. The symbol of the Freedom Fighters marked over the left side of her chest. It had the lowest rank marked on it, technically incorrect because a cadet, she was lower than even that. But Jasper had made an exception for the Ex-blackblood.

She had no qualms about turning on and fighting her old comrades. Hikaru had turned her back to them when they asked her to torture and innocent person. She owed them no loyalty in the first place. She had been conscripted by a man who virtually owned her. No, she was fighting now because she wanted to. Hikaru planned to make her choice count.

Hikaru unclipped the safety lock over her dagger sheathe on her thigh to prepare for easy removal. She was still far enough from the skirmish that it was more reliable to use her rifle for the accuracy when shooting long distance. But should some one rush in close, she wanted to be able to switch weapons as smoothly as possible. Hikaru let out a slow, focused breath, and then shifted out of her cover, rifle raised and carefully aimed.

She scanned for her target, and took her shot.

[Clopin]

The sound of hooves pounding on the dry ground reverberated, as Clopin urged the pink-haired unicorn to gallop faster. He had heard from his scouts about some skirmish going on nearby, and he had abandoned all exploration duties to join in the fun.

Today would be the day that the other two armies would learn the real power of the Rogues.

As he approached, he spotted a familiar pair of purple wings.
Jenn?


“Clopin…I mean, your majesty, I’m gettin’ real tired, I can only run so fast.” Bob panted, as his gallop began to slow down into a canter.

“Just a little closer and we’ll be there, mon ami. I have some scores to settle here.” Clopin said, scanning the battlefield. He spotted one of the Blackbloods’ overseers, Nasira, fighting against an all too familiar face.

Aladdin…

Out of thin air, a scythe materialized into the gypsy king’s gloved hand, and a dark expression came over him. Now, he had no intent to kill Aladdin, but more so to maim him. Aladdin had been a former friend of Clopin’s, but just before the gypsy king had left the post of Simba’s second in command, the two had a terrible falling out. Once that happened, Clopin had deemed the Freedom Fighters and all that were associated with them his enemies.

And now, there was no turning back. Aladdin seemed to be blocking Nasira’s every move, despite the fact that she was quite the powerful sorceress…according to the scouts. Sometimes, they liked to exaggerate things.

Bob pressed on, leaping with ease over another battling pair. He then rounded the corner, closer to Nasira and Aladdin. Clopin readied himself, and before either of the pair could react, he swung out with the scythe towards Aladdin’s shins, in a move that would be nearly impossible to miss.

[Copper]

The sounds of battle raging around him reminded the hound very much of the hunt, albeit a bit more chaotic. Body lowered slightly to the ground, Copper had his nosed lifted into the air to scent at the various odors around him. He could smell the distinct scents of the Freedom Fighters as well as the other two armies. He’d had help picking out the Blackbloods’ scent easier thanks to Hikaru, who had come to the camp smelling of them. The Rogues’ on the other hand was a little harder to pick out, only because he wasn't used to it, but because it was different from the other two, it wasn’t too difficult to figure out which one it was.

Dark brown hues scanned the fighting bodies around him as he stalked around the outer edge, keeping himself away from most of the conflict for the moment. The sound of hooves quickly drew Copper’s attention, and long brown ears swung slightly as Copper whipped his head that direction. He found himself staring after the Rogues’ leader Clopin riding on a pink-maned horse(was it a horse?) with a horn. He watched as the large animal raced toward where Aladdin was fighting with one of the Blackbloods and another of the Rogues. Realizing that the man was severely outnumbered, Copper rushed forward to help. Leaping out just as Clopin moved to swing his scythe, Copper ignored the horse completely and sank his teeth into the handle of the weapon, digging his paws into the ground. Pulling back as hard as he could, Copper aimed to wench the scythe from its wielder’s hands. Whether or not he succeeded in that plan, he would just have to wait and see.