Vin'Tuk'Ti jumped from the sparring mat and roared in victory.
Atorah squeezed through the crowd of Yautja to congratulate her,
"Vin'Tuk'Ti that was amazing! I am almost glad that I did not have to fight you!" Atorah chuckled.
The female Yautja's sharp mandibles clicked together and she trilled in delight,
"No, we must both go on our Chiva! Which is why I am confident that you will do well!"
Rah approached Vin'Tuk'Ti, praising her on her fighting skills and taking sparring advice. His sunken eyes ever so often flicking over to Atorah, until Atorah finally motioned for him to go on and enjoy his chat with her.
Hours passed as fight after fight ensued. Tradition dictates that once the sparring events started, it could not end until all participants had gone through. As the sun set and the torches were lit to give the area adequate light, Atorah began to feel the looming threat of T'uhtell challenging her at any moment.
Rah and Cuda went on to spar.
Relief flooded her as they both easily won their fights and with barely a scratch on them. Their training far too rigorous and hard for them to do any less.
As Cuda wiped his hands of blood there were murmurs and gossip within a section of the crowd that only grew stronger and closer. His eyes searched the parting crowd of Yautja before golden armor filled his vision.
T'uhtell gracefully emerged from the crowd. Sword in one hand, sisters and brothers scurrying behind her like bees to their queen. Behind them came her father. An old, large, graying Elder with a crown so sharp and thick that Cuda could only dream of having such decoration.
T'uhtell did not break eye contact with him as she walked onto the stage. Hips swinging, males purring in pure lust at the sight of her. Her armor was gold plated, barely covering her aside from the netting and could be mistaken for traditional decoration.
She was passively showing off her wealth like some sort of spoiled brat with their nose in the air.
"T'uhtell." Cuda nodded his head respectfully, just to avoid conflict.
"Cuda." T'uhtell responded, before her eyes searched the crowd.
"Who are you looking for?" Cuda asked with irritation.
"I think you know who." T'uhtell answered back with a hiss. When she could not see the half breed she growled in annoyance, "I have already declared a challenge to the half breed that many of you sympathize with so much." T'uhtell snarled at the crowd, "I will bring her to her knees and you will see that she can never be one of us! Stop hiding Atorah! Face me!"
But she received no answer.
"Hmph..." T'uhtell glowered, "you see? She is too afraid to even face me." The crowd remained silent, some looking around for Atorah, Cuda himself looking around as well, "Cuda, do you see now?"
"T'uhtell!!"
T'uhtell and Cuda both turned their heads to then roar behind them. Atorah stood yards behind Cuda, holding her ki'cti-pa in a tight grip. If Cuda thought she looked beautiful before, he had no words for her beauty now.
"I accept your challenge."
Minutes later the Drums of Challenge were being beat on as T'uhtell and Atorah faced off on the stage.
Cuda, Rah and Vin'Tuk'Ti stood ringside. Rah prayed to Paya to protect Atorah while Vin'Tuk'Ti roared affirmations of confidence and swift feet.
"You will know your place Half-Breed." T'uhtell sneered. Mandibles tightly pulled in to display her disgust.
"I already know my place." Atorah took a fighting stance, "it's here. Kicking your ass."
T'uhtell snapped out a roar and charged her. Atorah was ready for the golden clad female to attack. T'uhtell thrust her sword at her, but Atorah slapped it away with her spear. T'uhtell came at her again with a slash to her head. Atorah raised her spear to block it, her strength never faulting under T'uhtell's working muscles. Atorah broke away from her and went on the offensive and attempted a slash to T'uhtell's middle which was blocked.
T'uhtell quickly recovered with another attack, and then another, becoming a whirlwind of offensive blows that Atorah skillfully blocked or dodged from. Atorah followed with the offensive attack. Equally as quick with her staff as T'uhtell was with the sword.
The two landed blows and cuts upon each other. T'uhtell bleeding green while Atorah bled red.
Atorah quickly realized that T'uhtell was trying to tire her out. Before long her lungs were burning and her heart was racing. But her muscles were no where near fatigued or tired.
The two warriors were breathing labored breaths as they circled each other.
"Look at you, half-blood." T'uhtell spat, "it's harder to breathe with those tiny little Ooman lungs isn't it?"
Atorah held firm, firmly gripping her bloodied ki'cti-pa as she mirrored T'uhtell's steps, circling each other. T'uhtell was bluffing. Atorah could see it. The Yautja was wearing down just as much as she was.
"It must be hard keeping balance. With those giant Yautja feet." Atorah calmly shot back. There were chuckles coming from the audience at her insult.
"How dare you!?" T'uhtell hissed.
T'uhtell's temper spiked again. Bringing on a new flurry of attacks from her sword.
In the midst of blocking T'uhtell came down with the sword, hard. Atorah blocked over her head.
SNAP!!
Atorah watched helplessly as her spear snapped in two under T'uhtell's blow. With a spinning kick T'uhtell's foot landed square on Atorah's chest.
"Atorah!" Vin'Tuk'Ti snarled out.
Atorah flew back with a grunt. She landed on her back, head hitting the hard mat and spotting her vision.
Cuda's eyes darkened, "get up Atorah."
Rah repeated what he said.
Atorah's feet twitched, good, she wasn't paralyzed. Atorah slowly got up, and cracked her stiff neck.
T'uhtell swung her sword threateningly, "you are like a bug that will not die."
The female Yautja rushed her again, her movements getting sloppy now that she was tiring. Atorah grabbed her wrist, smearing green blood onto her fingers and using T'uhtell's momentum, rolled along her form. Atorah cocked her arm forward and struck T'uhtell in the back of her head with the hard part of her elbow. T'uhtell's grip on her sword lessened at the contact, giving Atorah all she needed to rip the weapon out of the females large clumsy hands.
T'uhtell roared and swung around to sucker punch her,
Atorah ducked from T'uhtell's messy punch. Her leg lashed out, swiping under the female Yautja and bringing down a painful blow to T'uhtell's ankles. T'uhtell roared as her feet whipped from under her. With a shaking thud the female landed flat on her back.
Atorah twirled the sword over her head and swung it down. The crowd gasped, expecting T'uhtell to be beheaded.
The blade now settled against T'uhtell's throat. Disarmed and in no position to fight, T'uhtell glared daggers at the half breed who had just bested her.
"What are you waiting for? Do it!" T'uhtell snarled, mandibles now extended in anger. With a daring look, T'uhtell's muscles flexed as she only slightly attempted to move. Atorah pushed the blade against T'uhtell's throat,
"Submit." Atorah breathed. Bloodied chest rising and falling.
T'uhtell looked at her in horror. A rare look on any Yautja's face.
"I will not!"
"I will kill you if it secures my win." Atorah growled.
T'uhtell paused, there was no bluff there. Atorah was pressing the sword so hard into her throat that green blood began seeping out.
"I...I submit..."
Like a spell being released Atorah removed the sword. There was the sound of roaring cheers filling her ears. But Atorah wasn't paying attention. She had already turned away from T'uhtell and her eyes were now settled on Cuda's who was looking at her with such intense heat that she couldn't look away.
"Atorah look out!"
Atorah barely registered the warning. She spun around as T'uhtell thrust a dagger her way. Atorah felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. T'uhtell must have felt a sharp pain too, as she gasped in pain and her mandibles curled into her bleeding mouth.
Atorah had stuck the sword so far into T'uhtell's stomach that the other end was peaking out of her back.
Atorah backed away, hand clutching her profoundly bleeding shoulder. Cuda, Rah and Vin'Tuk'Ti were on her in seconds. Atorah kneeled, the pain overwhelming but she tried to still her facial expressions to appear strong.
"I want that half-breed arrested!" She vaguely heard before her vision swam and went black.