ORIGIN

Cancer had never run so far, so fast, in his life. The race had certainly been one to witness, though there had been few or none around to see it besides the pair. The cat had led the bear on a wild chase, through narrow passages and over steep cliffs, down declines and across rivers and streams. All the while, he kept himself just barely one step ahead of the bear, pausing only long enough to catch his breath before picking up again and sprinting for the next goal point. A sharp turn into a familiar tunnel led him into a less familiar cave, and he had to skid to a sudden stop to avoid falling into a chasm ahead. The cat stopped only for a moment, wide eyes staring down into the depths, his whole body heaving with every forceful breath.

He didn't have long to think. He'd come here with the purpose of losing the bear, to avoid the conflict just a little longer, maybe end it before it could start. With a glance over his shoulder, he cringed at the rapidly growing shadow behind him, the sound of angry bear just bursting from the tunnel he'd left behind a second before. He'll rip my throat out, given the chance. He thought grimly, turning back towards the gorge and without another moment's hesitation, he began a speedy descent. Half-leaping, half-sliding down the sloping cliffs, he brought himself down deeper, beyond the howling winds and into the darker belly of the Monoceros.


"Speech"

It was adrenaline and rage that pushed the bear on after Cancer. They wound through the cave's tunnels and rooms, and Leon could always see just the tail end of his new quarry, just the fleeting shadow before it may round a corner or descend into another cavern. But he didn't care. He chased, and he would continue to chase until he had Cancer between his teeth. There was nowhere the leopard could run that Leon wouldn't find him. To each end of this cave, Leon would chase; he would knock down boulders and burn down trees if he had to, but he would get Cancer, and the leopard would pay dearly for what he had done. By now, it wasn't just yelling at Makyna. It was taking her. It was all the horrible things he had said about Leon and every way he had looked at him and every way he looked at Makyna and weeks and weeks of culminating anger that he had struggled to keep down for so long.

His muscles screamed at him for reprieve, but Leon couldn't stop. Every so often the leopard would slow and try to catch his breath, but Leon would be on him just as quickly. Even as his body begged for rest, he wouldn't have it. He pushed himself to the very fringes of his capabilities. He would sooner collapse dead than give up on all the fury that mounted inside of him. Before long, they had entered a room Leon hadn't seen before; a vicious whirlwind spun in its center, a loud rushing that filled his ears. For a moment, Leon fumbled over his paws, but he knew that as soon as he stopped he would be unable to continue. He couldn't stop.

Orange eyes were ablaze and searching for the leopard - there, he saw the dark shadow slip over the edge of the cliff. Leon didn't even think. His only goal was to get the leopard, and so he ran, and he plunged himself over the edge, hoping to catch Cancer in mid-descent and cause the two of them to go tumbling down to the bottom.

Round 1/6
Attacks: Throwing himself down the cliff to catch Cancer and make them both fall down >:)
Defense: None
Injuries: Sore tumtum

It wasn't long before Cancer heard the scrape of claws across stone above, and a shadow eclipsed him. The cat was faster, though, proven time and time again, so when the Bear launched himself over the edge, he missed his mark, but only by a few inches, as Can ducked his head back and into the stone to avoid those claws that flew past him now. He'd watch the bear touch ground before turning away again, following the ledge he'd stopped on sideways, across the wall in that way only cats could- as he went, that metal armor scraped across the stone, until he ran out of paw space and was finally forced to stop. Down below, Leon was sure to be gathering himself together for a new assault... he'd beat him to it.

"I never wanted to fight you, Leon!" He snarled down at him, those horns beginning to gleam...

...but the rock he stood on had other ideas. Just as he began to summon his magic, the stone he stood upon gave way with a near-silent crackle, sending the cat once again sliding downwards. He winced- this wasn't planned, so as he caught his balance, those paw pads began to rub raw against the stone. The stark glow of his horns ended in an instant and he barely managed to right himself before sliding to Leon's level below...

---

Round 1/6
Attacks: Tried to use Bloodhold, failed.
Defense: None
Injuries: Sore Pads

"Speech"

Blinded by his own intent, Leon had missed the leopard, soaring right over him. The snarl painted on his lips very quickly shifted into a scowl, and then a fleeting look of panic as he realized his mistake. The bear landed on the sloping descent and tumbled, his body rolling over the ground with a series of grunts and yells, chipping the jagged obsidian point that sprouted from his shoulder. The pain his body sustained was nothing compared to the resounding ache that poured through him at the sensation of damaging his stone - he rolled and then came to a stop on the bottom, barely hearing Cancer's voice over the pain that blared throughout his entirety.

Slowly, Leon shook his head and brought himself to his paws. He was dazed for just a moment and heard the sound of the ledge Cancer was on cracking. His round ears pinned against his skull as he struggled to regain composure, but once he did, he had looked up just in time to see Cancer arrive at the bottom of the gorge with him. The bear braced his legs, given only a couple seconds to ready himself. Falling had slowed him down, but only a little - still, it gave him the opportunity to set his proper defenses. With his body slightly lowered, securing his center of gravity (not that the hulking bear had any chance of being knocked over in the first place), Leon cranked his jaws open with the intent of pouring forth a stream of blazing air.

Round 2/6
Attacks: Fireblast at Cancer!
Defenses: Braced legs, body lowered
Injuries: Bruises interspersed across body, stone chipped

He'd turned to face the bear, backing a few steps away, head low to protect that vulnerable chest and throat. What met him, though, was a steadfast bear, angry and low, jaws snapping open... and fire. Cancer all but shrieked at the oncoming flame, lurching to shove himself out of the way. Heat poured past him, singing his fur, curling his whiskers, but he remained unharmed by it. As he slid to a stop a foot to the side, he snapped his head head and those eyes widened. Red glow returned twofold...

...and snapped back at him just as hard. The cat howled in surprise and pain as the bear's hot blood all but burned him physically, though the pain had been a mental warning of sorts. Blood leaked from his nose as he released the cast, and stumbled backwards with a violent shake. Hot blooded indeed! Cancer curled his lips back in a snarl, and lowered himself down, jaws agape, half-ready for another attack, but more trying to clear his head of the burning sensation it had left him with.

---

Round 2/6
Attacks: Tried to use Bloodhold again, failed AGAIN.
Defense: None
Injuries: Sore Pads, Headache / Bloody Nose

"Speech"

Through a vivid stream of hot flames, Leon had hoped that he'd managed to catch the cat and light him on fire - maybe it would slow him down a little, too. But as his breath ran out and the tongues of flame dwindled into the stale cave air, he realized that Cancer had backpedaled enough to avoid the majority of the attack. Lips curled back over the bear's massive canines and his head ducked even lower, expecting Cancer to jump at him. However, Leon was met instead with the faintest pull against everything inside of him, his nerves, his veins, his blood, and suddenly Cancer howled out and began to bleed from his nose. Leon snorted and shook his head, lunging forward without considering what Cancer had just tried to do. Whatever it was, it hadn't worked.

His skin began to burn and sizzle, and Leon decided to take a different route. What at first looked like the bear running straight at Cancer had turned into a fake out; Leon wasn't agile enough to make a sharp turn, but maybe with the sudden clouds of smoke that curled off of his skin, Cancer wouldn't see him suddenly dodge to the side. Leon intended to move around Cancer as waves of thick black smoke began to slough off of him, filling the gorge with the distracting stench of burning hair and skin, a stifling and choking smoke that would hopefully cause the cat to falter. The bear ran in an arc around Cancer until he ended up behind him, then lunged forward.

Round 3/6
Attacks: Filling the room up with smoke!
Defenses: None
Injuries: Bruises, chipped stone

Cancer flinched as Leon charged at him. At the last second, the bear turned away, and left the cat confused, but guarded. He watched the bear disappear into the smoke he left behind, and once out of sight, Cancer began a very speedy retreat, the way the bear had come from. He pawed his way backwards quickly, but as he did, with a stifled cough, the cat snarled.

"Dirty trick." He spat, and then, one last attempt...

...those horns flared bright for a second, then dimmed the next. No, nothing. He reached out, but that extra sense felt nothing come back to him, nothing to grab on to. He retreated that cast before it could hurt him again, and this time, he didn't wait. He didn't stop. He didn't waver. The cat knew where the bear wasn't now, so when he launched himself from the smothering smoke, Cancer launched himself right back at him, lower, tucked. As his hind legs left the floor, and he felt himself close in, he snapped his head back, in hopes of landing a stabbing blow on the burning bear with those conveniently shaped stone horns, so otherwise useless today...

---

Round 3/6
Attacks: Tried to use Bloodhold to pin Leon down again. Failed to find a target, so goes in for a charging headbutt instead.
Defense: Front legs and chest tucked, to protect that unshielded belly- armor's still on.
Injuries: Sore Pads, Headache / Bloody Nose

"Speech"

Leon didn't feel the cat's attempt this time. Emitting a thick cloud of smoke, he had hoped to blind and distract the feline while Leon rounded and came up behind him. The bear wasn't agile, nor was he sneaky or quiet or swift - an attack like this was risky, and it came with its disadvantages. He was built for brute strength, to attack head on with the sheer force of his own powerful body, so it wasn't surprising that when Leon charged at Cancer from what he thought was behind, he was quickly met with the sharp pointed horns of the cat. He must have turned around; too late, Leon couldn't avoid this attack. As he lunged at the leopard he very quickly found himself locked between the curved horns sprouting from the cat's skull, his throat and neck painfully pinched between Cancer's stone.

Panic again flushed through him. The cat's forward motion was enough to push Leon back, causing him to stand on his hind legs as he attempted to maintain his balance. With nothing else that he could do without risking stabbing himself with Cancer's horns, Leon braced his hind legs and pushed back down against the back of Cancer's neck. His jaws parted again and with a furious roar, the bear tried again to unleash a torrent of fire across the cat's back.

Round 4/6
Attacks: Pushing his weight down on Cancer's neck, trying to breathe fire down his shoulders/back
Defenses: Braced hind legs
Injuries: Bruises, chipped stone, choking a little bit as his throat is lodged between Cancer's horns

He felt weight upon his head and once those hind legs touched ground again, he didn't let up. He pushed, hard, to try and keep that upper hand he'd just been given- Leon was trapped now, at his mercy, and he'd never let go! The cat didn't want to hurt him, not really, but there was no stopping it now. He pushed harder, until...

Cancer felt a torrent of flame rush down his back, super-heating the metal armor, melting it to the leather, charring his fur to melted nothing and bubbling his skin- and he howled into brown, singed, smoking fur. The sound was strangled, his throat clenching- he had pushed so hard, he'd trapped himself, and now that fire licked at his back and--

He did the only thing he could think of. He twisted his weight sideways, still pushing forward, but now, he rolled into it. Those horns no longer cupped the bear's throat, they now dragged into and against it, across his jaw, sharp points likely to cause some serious damage as the cat rolled to try and be rid of the pain, the fire, the heat. He'd aim to roll down the length of the bear's throat and chest, to smother the flame in the bear's own blood if he had to... anything to end it!

---

Round 4/6
Attacks: Twisting himself forward and downwards against Leon, trying to smother the flames and gore him at the same time!
Defense: Bottom parts are still defended.
Injuries: Sore Pads, Headache / Bloody Nose, Severely burned back, kinda on fire!

Notes: Armor is now melted together, limiting mobility slightly, extremely hot.

"Speech"

Tongues of hot flame danced across Cancer's back, he could see the hot and bright fire light up the cave and flicker across the reflective surface of his armor, he could see the leather straps begin to melt into the metal and stick to the cat's fur. He emitted a close burst of blazing fire, hot enough to melt the leather and burn the cat's skin - and in a fleeting moment of realization, Leon realized what he was doing. All this time he had been trying to set Cancer on fire. He wanted to see the cat light up. He wanted the cat to feel the burn, to hurt him, to maybe prove that Leon wasn't the person that Cancer should be fucking around with. Yet before his very eyes he saw the cat burn and heard his squeal and hiss and choke in pain, and he realized the true extent of the damage he was causing. The pain. This had gone beyond proving a point.

Before Leon could do anything, Cancer was suddenly twisting beneath him. One horn suddenly jerked against his windpipe while the other dragged up and across his jaw, piercing the skin and slicing through his flesh. A thick goop of crimson suddenly sputtered from the freshly opened wound and pain, not like the burning - no, this was stinging and cutting, reached up from his neck to his face and across the bridge of his nose. He managed to withdraw just in time before the other horn pierced his neck - it managed to cut across the flesh, but the wound wasn't deep enough to open his throat. Leon had pushed himself away from Cancer, stumbling backwards on his feet.

The horror of his deeds remained, causing Leon to quake, eyes widened in fear of what he was doing. But Cancer was still the one that had hurt Makyna. How could he do this? After what Leon had done, he gave up, he let Cancer win, and he still hurt Makyna. Horror and pain and anger and fear all concentrated into the pure desire to end this any way possible. Leon's front paws slammed back on the ground and he ducked his head down, hoping to catch Cancer under his chest and flip him back onto the ground - maybe, if he was successful, he could smother the flames he'd lit by his own fury.

Round 5/6
Attacks: Tucking his head under Cancer's chest and trying to lift him up/flip him over
Defenses: None
Injuries: Bruises, chipped stone, large open gashes across throat and up the right side of Leon's muzzle