Notes:
Everyone's so worried about Lionardo becoming another Tamerlion..! Well, to reassure you, Lionardo stays a good boy throughout. No insane lion-people in this fic. It should also be made clear that there are, nor will there be, OCs in this fic. All characters have appeared in the manga/specials. I just gave them names.

Ain Ghazal: Accounts of a Gazelle-man

By Son Rhandi

Chapter 03: "The Plot to Discourage Enkidu"

Lionardo groaned as he tapped his pen at the edge of his desk. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork… There would be an awful lot of new students in the coming year, a thing the man-beast was most grateful for. He was not, however, grateful for the mountains of applications, letters of reference, and admissions essays that entailed. The Chôjin Guard was so low on reserves that he was tempted to just approve them all without reading over a single piece of paper. But procedures were procedures... Lionardo cleaned his glasses in preparation of reading what had to be the millionth essay. His eyes had barely scanned the first sentence when the telephone rang, jostling him out of his mental funk.

"Tanzania Chôjin All-Boys Academy," he answered.

"Lionardo, please," sniffled a voice on the other end. The lion quirked an eyebrow. "Daggerhorn..?"

"I… I got a problem, Lionardo..!" The buck yelled into the transmitter, distraught.

"Daggerhorn, what's the matter..? It doesn't have anything to do with Enkidu, does it?"

The buck began to bawl at the mention of his son's name. "My boy…" He paused for a sniffle. "My boy wants to be a wrestler..!!"

The lion nearly fell out of his chair. "Why, that's terrific news! What in the world are you blubbering for?"

"Are you kidding?! This is terrible news! Is this what I get for being honest with my kid?! What am I supposed to do now?!" He let the waterworks flow once again.

Lionardo rolled his eyes. As much as he would have loved to sit through his best friend's wailing, those apps weren't going to file themselves. "Listen, Dagger," he began. "If Enkidu wanting to be a Chôjin upsets you that much, then why not give him what he wants and then some?"

"Huh..?"

"Here's what you do: Wake the kid at sunrise; Don't say good morning, don't fix him breakfast or anything; Make him run for the first half of the day till he's good and tired; give him some water and let him eat a piece of fruit or something; make him run with weights for the second half of the day; When bedtimes comes, ask him if he still wants to be a Chôjin wrestler. If he says yes, repeat schedule the next day. A little kid like him wouldn't be able to take it for long, right? That activity should keep him from ever wanting to hear the word Chôjin ever again, much less become a wrestler..!"

"Ohhh… You're such a good friend…!! I love you, man!!" He could hear a metal something rolling across the floor on the other end, followed by a fizz and a top popping.

The lion rubbed his temple with his free hand. "Daggerhorn, are you drunk..?"

"A li'l bit."

Lionardo stifled a groan.

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Break of dawn. Enkidu was nestled in the warmth of his blanket as the sun rose a fiery red over the horizon. The little fawn's face was plastered to the pillow, his drool creating a wetland of warmth for his right cheek. He snuggled deeper into his bed, head filled with dreams of hyenas and wrestlers and such. And then…

BLOOSH!

Enkidu gasped, sputtering and coughing, his eyes open wide. He found himself cold and soaking wet. Before him stood a silhouetted figure clutching what looked to be a now empty metal bucket. "Get up," said a deep voice, emotionless.

"Daddy..?" Enkidu managed between coughs.

"I said get up. There's a lot to do today." Daggerhorn turned on his heel and exited. His voice was uncharacteristically cold and harsh, as was the method in which he woke his son. Having a bucket of cold water thrown on him wasn't exactly a pleasant way to be brought from sleep. Shaking the water from his ears, Enkidu gathered up his sopping wet blanket and laid it flat along the windowsill to dry, then made for the living room. No sign of Daddy.

His ears twitched, shifting in response to a series of grunts coming from outside the home. He peeked out the front door, that Enkidu, to find his father doing squats. "Got your shoes on?" Daggerhorn bellowed, facing away from him. "Come over here and do what I'm doing."

Meekly, he slipped on his running shoes stationed outside the home and joined his father in ten sets of ten, then they moved on to stretching of the legs and lower back. The African sun coupled with their activity warmed his small body quickly. Daggerhorn punched the air and cracked his neck. "That's all. We're ready to go."

"Where are we going?"

"You want to be a Chôjin wrestler, right? This is your training. Now, let's be off..!" Daggerhorn took off like a shot, little Enkidu scrambling to keep up. He was acting so strange, little Enkidu thought. No 'Good morning. Sleep well?', no kiss on the forehead… Heck, not even breakfast..! But, if that's what it took to become a wrestler, Enkidu was willing to sacrifice a little nurturing and nourishment.

The sun turned the sky blue in the second hour of their run. The buck was fairly surprised that his son had managed to keep up with him for that long without slowing. But then, he was the son of a Chôjin… Dagger felt himself growing even more concerned. Deep down, he was wishing little Enkidu wouldn't be able to hold himself, that perhaps if he saw himself finding difficulty in this, it would discourage him from entering the wrestling circuit. Seeing now that his son was capable of this much, and at such a young age…

He just couldn't let his son enter that deadly world the Chôjin called their own, not his only son...

Daggerhorn picked up the pace and sprinted ahead. Enkidu immediately stepped it up in response.

He kept his eyes fixated on Daggerhorn throughout, that little fawn, watching his father stride gracefully with his long, muscular legs, his ears pulled back to keep tucked from the wind, his expression, focused and determined. He was amazed. Could such a man really be his father..? "Enkidu!" He barked, as if able to sense his son's admiring gaze. "Keep your eyes straight ahead! If you trip, I'm not going to wait for you!"

Daggerhorn took off again, leaving a plume of dust in his wake. Little Enkidu kept at his pace, coughing a bit from the clouds of dust but speeding up once he was clear of them. Imagine the fawn's surprise to find his father jetting over the horizon..! Determined to catch up, he began to run at top speed. But alas! In his speedy fervor, young Enkidu did not take notice of a rock jutting out before him and suddenly found himself tumbling in the dirt. Quick to right himself, Enkidu began again.

But another misfortune..! In that last mishap, one of his shoelaces came untied and Enkidu found himself down on the ground once again. He really had to hurry now. At the speed Daddy was running, he'd be lucky to get close enough to see him in the distance. Quickly, the little boy scrambled to tie his miscreant shoe. Now what was that saying? Up and over, around the tree..? Something about a knothole..? Enkidu groaned inwardly. Why was this so hard..?!

__________________________________

The buck had already made it to the water hole. Cupping his hands in the liquid, he splashed his face with what he'd gathered, cooling his skin, then proceeded to do the same to his chest and back, glistening. The day would only grow hotter, but that was the way it went on the African continent. He sat for a moment, mildly enjoying the company of the zebras and the few warthogs who had come to cool off, as well. Daggerhorn wondered why he'd yet to hear Enkidu crying. Surely by now he would have given up and wailed for his father, right? That's what little kids do, right?

But then, it had gotten hot fairly quickly that morning, and Enkidu hadn't had food or drink since last night. He could have fainted from the heat. The crimson stag began to worry. His worries only multiplied as he saw a pair of scruffy-looking hyenas skulking about in the distance. If they were out and about this early…

"Daddy!!"

Ah, there he was..! …He was…? A completely shocked Daggerhorn spotted his son coming in behind him, shoes tucked under his arm, still running and showing almost no sign of fatigue. Enkidu trotted up to his father, laughing and happy to be reunited. "I caught up with you!" He announced proudly.

Daggerhorn smacked his forehead. "Enkidu! You were supposed to cry and I was supposed to come get you!"

Enkidu looked back at him, utterly confused. The buck's ears drooped. "Never mind. Drink up. You've earned it," he sighed.

Shrugging off his father's previous statement, Enkidu gladly hopped to the water hole to refresh himself, while Daggerhorn grumbled, slightly annoyed. This whole 'taste of Chôjinhood' thing was turning out to be counterproductive. He wasn't supposed to be enjoying this at all..! He'd remember to really let Lionardo have it when they returned.

"Daddy?"

The buck looked down to meet his son's gaze. "I forgot how to tie my shoes again," The little boy stated matter-of-factly and held up his sneakers to his father. "Show me?"

Daggerhorn smiled warmly. "All right. Sit down."

Enkidu did as told, putting his shoes back on. "Okay. Pay attention, now." Daggerhorn took the laces of his son's left shoe in his hands. "First, you pull the shoestrings nice and tight. Then, take your strings and make an X, like this. Do it with me."

Enkidu nodded and performed the first two steps on his right shoe. "Next," his father continued. "Take the left lace and tuck it under the right one like this, then pull it tight."

"I remember the rest!" The fawn took over from there, tightening and looping the laces to make a perfect bow on each shoe and displaying a winning smile upon completion.

"Very good, Enkidu..! You didn't need me after all..!" Daggerhorn patted his son on the head and rose to stand. "So then, ready to run some more?"

The little one nodded and they were off again, turning back around after an additional three hours and continuing for another two before the sun got too high. In the noon to 3:30 bracket, the buck and fawn killed time by doing simple calisthenics. They began again in the late afternoon, around 4, and did not stop until they reached home, 7:30, an hour past sunset. Well, if Enkidu didn't know what it meant to be tired before, he certainly did now. With drooping ears and hunched posture he kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the couch. He had never felt this tired before, too worn-out to even play Gazelle Man and Wonder Lion. His feet ached, his legs ached, his back, his shoulders… Never again… thought the fawn, sighing. Being a wrestler wasn't worth this kind of exhaustion. He had to admit, though, it was sort of fun.

Meanwhile, Daggerhorn stood in the doorway, giving his back a good couple of stretches before giving a happy, manly grunt and punching the air a bit. With a bit of a skip in his step, he made his way to the couch and plopped beside his son, pulling the boy onto his lap and scratching behind his ears. "So, boy, how'd you like your first day of Chôjin wrestler training?"

Enkidu released a yawn in response and settled against his father's chest, closing his eyes. "That's what I thought," Daggerhorn chuckled. "You did very well today. I'm proud of you. And just think, you'll probably do even better tomorrow!"

The little fawn groaned quietly, snuggling deeper into the buck's bosom. With a warm smile, Daggerhorn wrapped his arms around his son. "Sleep if you want," he said softly. "I'll give you a bath in the morning, 'kay?"

Deep, soft breathing was his only reply. Daggerhorn had to admit: he was impressed with Enkidu's performance. But then, he was the son of a Chôjin, and a gazelle-child, too. Running was in his blood. Even so, to run all day was a feat in itself. Daggerhorn settled into the couch and rested his head back, figuring an early bedtime would do him some good.

It seemed as though the buck had barely closed his eyes when he was roused by a knock at the door. "It's open," he called in partial yawn.

In stepped Lionardo, grinning as though he'd just come back from a successful hunt. "Lionardo, what brings you here?"

"Just making sure you don't drink yourself silly again," he laughed.

"Shh. You'll wake Enkidu."

"Ah." The man-lion took a seat beside his friend. "You're always holding him every time I see you. Fatherhood suits you, even if it has made you awfully doting.

"Yeah, yeah…" Daggerhorn exited the living room to put his son to bed, then returned.

"So, how did things with Enkidu go today?"

"Oh, yeah..!" Daggerhorn put the lion in a headlock. "You and your advice..! Things went terribly today! I'm certain he wants to wrestle more than ever now!"

"H-Hey..!" Lionardo choked. "You'd better be nice to me, or I won't let you watch the DVD I brought…! Highlights of the Legends, Volume 5: Warsman. Ugh…"

"Ooh! Why am I wasting time like this then?" The buck released his grips. "Pop that baby in!"

_______________________________________

It really had been a trying day for the little fawn. After all that running, he had begun to have second thoughts about the whole Chôjin wrestler thing. No thoughts of the ring now, though. Now was the time for sleeping, an activity --or inactivity, depending on one's point of view-- that Enkidu was currently engrossed in. Or rather, he was. The boy found himself unpleasantly awakened by the sounds of laughter and shouts coming from beyond his door. Rubbing his eyes, Enkidu made little footsteps to the source of the noise, emerging from the living room.

Uncle Lionardo was over, he noted, as he watch him and his father hoot over something on the television. Curious, he came up beside the couch and sat, going unnoticed by the two men. A man wearing a black helmet came on the screen, claws suddenly jutting out of both hands. Leaping high into the air, he rotated his body and came drilling into his opponent in the ring, a man with an elongated head and a mustache just a long.

"Yeah! Warsman is awesome!!" His uncle hooted. Dagger joined in, too, punching the air as he was known to do and cheering the clawed wrestler on. They both seemed really excited. Would they cheer for him like that if he became a wrestler?

He'd give this Chôjin thing another try, then, and headed back to bed.