Daikon did nothing to mask the fact that he was quite proud of himself. If there was anything he'd learned of the younger haremaid, it was that she would not turn down a challenge or be made fun of.

He watched in silence as the crowd parted and allowed Eula to come up and jump lightly onto the log. Daikon waited until she was prepared before he turned and walked off to his side. He gave a flourishing bow to his opponent, forcing Eula, although reluctantly, to give a bow as well.

Another hare, seemingly a self-appointed referee who stood just off the side of the mud-filled pond called out to them. "Ready?"

They both gave a nod, not taking their eyes off of each other. Daikon's calm confidence made Eula nervous, even though she knew it was just what he intended. She'd played this game plenty of times before, of course, but she'd always been pretty sure of herself. She was quickly regretting accepting this challenge.

"Then go!" she heard the voice call out again. They quickly approached each other, Eula going along as if she were walking along solid ground. Balance was always her advantage... but she was counting her disadvantages at the moment.

Daikon lunged at her, going to grab her around the shoulders. Eula reacted instantly, dropping down and kicking a footpaw out forward. She hadn't counted on Daikon reacting as quickly. He'd changed in the blink of an eye, stopping short and grabbing her by the ankle, trying to throw her off balance.

Eula held her arms out, holding strong on her other leg to maintain her balance. She turned, giving a quick twist of her ankle that forced Daikon to release her before he stumbled. There was a pause in the competition as the two eyed each other. After the initial attack, they were both impressed with the other, though they were by no means about to admit such a thing at the moment.

Eula stood, watching him warily for a few moments, weighing her options. She kept strict eye-contact with him, an important rule in one-on-one combat. In the pause, she didn't realize her mind wandering. Daikon had unusual sea-green eyes. She distantly wondered how someone so awful and close-minded could have such wonderful, soft eyes.

She snapped back to reality when Daikon came at her. She didn't have time to think of a proper defense, so she went down again, performing the same move as before. This proved a mistake. He caught her ankle again, this time twisting it and making her fall back. Lying flat, she went to kick with both footpaws, but before she actually kicked him, she pulled forcibly back towards her.

Having anticipated being kicked, the second movement threw him off, sending him right over her. She got up quickly, turning back and getting on him, pinning him to the log by his shoulders. She knew this was a stupid movement, as she was counting more on strength now, which she was certainly the underdog in here.

She lost herself, basically fighting with him rather than the real point, which was so throw him off the log. Not pin him to it. He brought his legs up, and Eula, thinking he was going to kick up at her, quickly jumped off him. She was waiting for him to get up, which proved to be the biggest mistake. He used her own move against her, reaching out to kick her footpaws out from under her.

Before she could realize what had happened, Eula had tumbled off backwards into the mud. As she reached up to wipe the gunk from her face, she wondered how she could go along with this and not look like a complete idiot. Not that it would matter; her ego was bruised enough.

Hearing the sounds of the applauding audience, she looked up just in time to see Daikon go flying over her head into the mud. Blinking in confusion, she shot her gaze up to the log where Del stood grinning and waving. "That'd make me the winner, wot!" She shouted enthusiastically, but it didn't take long before she was also tossed into the mud by one of Daikon's friends.

Eula, shaking her head in disbelief, went to try and get out of the sticky mud before she heard yet another body hit the pond. Del had thrown a well-aimed mud ball straight into the other hare's face, felling him.

Before she could get her bearings, a full-fledged mud-fight broke out between Del and the other hare she didn't know. Recognizing her chance to escape with her pride, she turned again to make her way out. Before she could clamber out, she got a face-full from a stray mud ball.

Coughing and spluttering, she clambered gracelessly up the bank, trying to clear her vision. She felt someone grab her arm from beneath the elbow and gently help her to her footpaws. She accepted the help, and the commenced trying to wipe the mud from her face.

"Good game," she heard the familiar voice of the one who'd assisted her. She raised her eyes, fully prepared to give quip, haughty reply to her opponent. When she caught his gaze, she was shocked to see a sincere smile across his likewise mud-covered features. Her resolve melted off and she shrugged one shoulder.

"Good game," she agreed before turning and leaving before she could be humiliated again.

**********

A/N- I'm back!! With motivation to write! Yay! *insert long, overdrawn apology/explanation here*