Life is precious.

Just as she knew she would be doing the lioness was accompanying Leon on his travels. Since he was a Scout his job was to go out and explore which in her opinion seemed lots of fun! She liked her job too though, to use her wits to come up with solution. The lioness never fancied herself especially smart but apparently others put stock in that. It made her feel good that others thought of her as smart and reliable to come up with solutions. Another thing that made her feel good was everyone putting stock in Leon's strength and adventure skills. She was glad that he was depended upon by the group. Maybe it made him feel like it was home... even if Cancer was there. The lioness enjoyed Cancer's company, he was cool in her book because they were the same species... or at least close to the same species. She just wished that her two friends would get along better.

While she walked next to her friend she glanced up at him, wondering what they would explore and do today. For now she was free to go with him because Pisces was awful quiet... for now. She savored every bit of her free time with him for they always had some sort of fun. Her mind suddenly wandered back to council day when Leon mentioned training... What sort of training had he meant? She almost opened her mouth to ask when she thought of something... A new power that had stemmed within her. With her tongue hanging partway out of her mouth in concentration she sent her thoughts out to to Leon. "When... training... for Maji?" The words were silent and sent no actual verbal inquiry his way but he should hear it and understand what she meant. "Should practice?"

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 303
tagged: Leon
ooc: ---
muse: 5/10

Leon had visited this room only once before, when he met the gorilla inspecting the mushroom. He thought she was a curious creature, and part of him half expected to find her here again. When they entered the room, Leon delighted in the fresh earthy scent of the soils and the plants, keeping by Makyna's side as they drank in all its verdant details. He'd liked this room when he first discovered it, and he liked it still. He felt it would be wrong of him to claim he liked any room more than Pisces - but for a bear with an inclination towards the heat and tongues of flame, a constantly wet, cold room really wasn't at the top of his list of favorite places ever.

But it was a discredit to Makyna to simply decide he didn't like the place. He knew he'd have to give it a chance, and if he stayed there long enough, maybe he'd end up knowing it to be home. Maybe as a scout, he'd be able to get a taste of other rooms still, even if he was permanently bound to just one as his home. For now, he shoved the thought aside. He didn't want to worry himself over issues like that - they were petty in the face of what was really important. The bear turned his head to glance down at Makyna, watching her quietly for a moment. When she made the move to begin speaking, Leon's gaze quickly flitted elsewhere, but seconds later he'd hear no sound. Instead, it was a voice just barely breaching the fringes of his voice.

Leon furrowed his brow slightly and glanced back at Makyna. It was her voice. "That was you, right?" The bear asked, uncertain, and narrowed his eyes slightly. The smile remained on his lips. "I don't know, I thought Cancer was going to arrange it. Why? Do you want to train now?" He blinked and slowed his pace, suddenly nervous at the idea.

Life is precious.

Makyna was glad to see that her powers had worked even if the confused the bear cub a little. The little lioness laughed as his brow furrowed. He looked so cute when he was confused! To alleviate his confusion the lioness nodded her head. "Was me. Been working on new magicka!" It pleased her greatly to be able to test her new powers out and to see they worked.

Leon's next words sounded a little uncertain to her ears. Why was he so unsure, wasn't it his idea to train? Besides it would be so fun to practice her skills! Well... lack of skills since she'd never really practiced anything but her mind. This was the perfect chance to do so! "But wouldn't it be fun to train with just you and me?" She thought it would be! "We could practice some new moves then teach the others!"

To show her enthusiasm she bounded ahead of Leon and turned easily, crouching on the ground before him with her rump wriggling in the air like a playful kitten. "I've never been able to train or even play fight before... Come on, Leon! It'll be fun!" Her tufted tail wagged back and forth quickly with her mounting excitement. She normally wasn't so loud or enthusiastic but with Leon she felt different... As in she could totally go for a complete rough house through the dirt and plants!

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 235
tagged: Leon
ooc: ---
muse: 6/10

"Oh cool!" Leon beamed at her as she explained that she'd been working on a new spell. Man, her magic was so cool - it was so useful, so discreet and quiet, and if it went wrong, it probably didn't hurt too bad. He envied her and her capabilities. Leon felt like he was way behind in terms of magic. It was still kind of scary to use it, facing the constant threat of it backfiring and harming him. He had yet to master it. Then again, had anybody else mastered it? When he awoke, there were so few Gembounds. He was probably one of the oldest around. If he hadn't mastered it yet, it was highly unlikely anybody else had.

He glanced to her again as she explained her reasoning. "Yeah... you're right! I think I'd rather train with you anyways." Leon answered, entirely modest and lacking in any bashfulness whatsoever. It was true - he trusted her the most, he felt most comfortable with her, and even though her magical expertise made him second guess his abilities, she was most likely to give him confidence, too. So... was he really ready to risk using his magic to train with her? Sure, he could train without using any magic, but that wouldn't do him any good at all... He still needed to learn how to control it. So what better time than now?

She bolted away, only to turn around and wiggle her rump playfully. Leon laughed and thumped his front paws on the ground, taking a few steps after her. "Okay... Let's do it!" He agreed and halted a few feet away from her. There, he got himself into position - what he thought was a good position, anyways. He partially mimicked her posture, his front half lowered and front legs splayed in front of him. His hind legs were tucked, too, ready to lunge. "Just... tell me if you need to stop, okay?" The bear added. "Are you ready?" Always the gentleman - he'd let her go first.

Life is precious.

She was glad that her friend understood her reasoning. Her smile was positively beaming as she looked at him. The bear understood her perfectly! That was why she loved him so much! She could explain anything to him and he would understand her perfectly. "Me too!" She mewled in assent.

In the back of her mind a voice warned her that training could be dangerous. Leon was bigger than she was plus he had the power of fire on his side. Makyna had neither of those things, just speed and the ability to toss rocks a few inches across the ground... that was it. Still she thought it would be fun to practice with her friend. What better way to hone her skills than with the one she trusted the most?

The lioness gave a quiet whoop of joy when Leon agreed to her plan, tail wagging even faster through the air. She waited for him to take his position opposite of her. Little butterflies twisted in her gut as she waited for them to start. "I will!" She said in response to Leon's words on if she needed to stop. "Ready!"

She stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth as she tried to figure out what to do first. She'd never play fought or trained before so she didn't exactly know what to do. So, relying mostly on some instinct she rushed straight in towards Leon and leaped, aiming to get herself onto his back and... well... she didn't know what. Perhaps try to off-balance him or nip at his ears.

Surprised that she even made it onto his back she clung on to his thick fur with her paws, careful to not dig her claws into his pelt, and began to nip at his fuzzy ears playfully. A playful growl erupted from her jaws as she attempted to softly chew on them.

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 265+
tagged: Leon
ooc: Uh... didn't know if I should do the physical combat attempt or not since they're play fighting XD
muse: 5/10

Makyna wasted no time jumping onto his back, initiating the spar. Leon had no idea what he was doing, really - this thing was new to him, and the fact that she was his friend made it harder to articulate his moves. He didn't want to hurt her, but he did want to improve on his movements. He wanted to be a good fighter so that he could protect her in the future, but how was he supposed to do that when he didn't want to hurt her in the first place? Still, with her on his back, he knew he'd have to find a way to displace her. He scowled loudly as he felt her weight suddenly, legs bending as he tried to remain upright. She nipped at his ears, and Leon retaliated with a powerful burst of strength from his hind legs, trying to stand up and in the process cause her to fall off.

Round: 1/5?
Attempt: Trying to stand up to make Makyna lose balance and fall off him
Defenses: None
Injuries: None

(NOTE: During this battle Leon advanced to Pupil, but he'll still be counted as Fledgling for judge purposes)

Life is precious.

On his back she didn't expect the bear cub to retaliate so suddenly. While she was chewing on his ears the little bear cub threw his hind legs up and quite easily the lioness tumbled off of his back with an "oof" as she landed on her chest with the air partially knocked out of her. Quickly though she managed to get back up to her paws, panting to catch her breath. The lioness turned to her friend with a smile on her face. It had hurt a little to fall but not too badly, she was more proud that Leon had figured out how to dislodge her. "Nice job!" She said, hoping to build his spirits further. She didn't want him to feel like he had to treat her specially just because they were friends.

Now what would she do? Hmm... The lioness started to circle him, giving herself a chance to think while looking for an opening. Then, she had an idea. From when she fought with Aza'zel she remembered stalling his wing when he was in flight. Perhaps she could do the same for the bear! Keeping her paws light in case the spell failed and she had to run and attempt to dodge, the lioness focused on one of the bear's forepaws with her magic.

She could feel the magic from her gem focus around the paw and knew that it would probably work should he move towards her but how well, she didn't know.

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 249
tagged: Leon
ooc: Round 2
Attempts: Using magic to stall one of Leon's forepaws.
Defense: Keeping her paws light and able to carry her away to dodge.
Injuries: Breath knocked out of lungs from falling, formerly.
muse: 5/10

Before he knew it, he had managed to stand tall. He felt Makyna's weight slipping off of him until she rolled to the ground, briefly losing air from her lungs. Having knocked her off, Leon whirled around to face her, immediately concerned for the little lion - but she was quick to rise again, shooting him a "Nice job!" before continuing business as usual. He thumped his front paws back on the ground, examining her closely to make sure she was alright. She didn't look too grievously wounded or anything... still, his furrowed brows would betray his concern for her.

Suddenly she was moving circles around him. Leon would watch her closely, giving her another shot at him. He had a feeling his own mass would be able to quickly do her in, so he resisted attacking her for now, opting to give her another shot. She took it, but not in the way he expected. Rather, the lioness suddenly summoned her magic. He could feel the energy winding around his left front paw and as he tried to move to watch her still, he found himself stuck. Leon's eyes widened as he glanced down, unable to see what was holding him there. That wasn't going to hold him back, though!

The bear looked back up at Makyna. He had a trick up his sleeve too. A cocky grin suddenly parted his lips and though he was anchored to the ground, he cranked back his head, widening his jaws. Heat burned within him, he could feel it. It coursed through his whole body, pulsing through his veins until it coalesced in his chest and up his throat. Suddenly, Leon let loose a hot wind from his lips, intending only to deter her rather than harm her.

Post Roll Edit:
Success! He felt a broiling heatwave leave his lips, burning his tongue and his teeth, but besides that there was no pain. He managed to spew a breath of hot air without injuring himself - here's hoping the heat wasn't too much for Makyna, either.

Round: 2/5
Attempt: Trying to distract Makyna by blowing a gust of hot air at her
Defenses: None
Injuries: None

Life is precious.

It seemed as if her magic worked and Leon for a split second seemed confused... But only for a split second. The grin on his face confused Ky next. What did this large cub have up his sleeve that he was so sure about? The lioness didn't have to wait for long because the cub inhaled and out came a gust of hot air. She'd expected him to run at her, not blow hot air in her face. It was much harder to dodge hot air!

Makyna attempted to dance away from the attack but was caught on the side of her face and flank as she tried to escape. The hot air singed her fur and made an uncomfortable burning sensation all along the area. Immediately she wanted to stop and lick the place for comfort but this was a fight. What if she had been in a battle with a real opponent? They wouldn't let her stop and lick herself. So, bearing the pain as best as she could with only a wince as she turned to Leon, crouching down and preparing to launch herself at him.

Or rather, she would have if the size difference wasn't so apparent. Instead she rushed forward then right before she would have collided with him she turned and struck out with her right paw, attempting to catch him with a glancing blow with her claws inside of her paw.

However, with the stinging in her side and the speed at which she tried the maneuver it made her stumble and trip over herself. Instead of managing to swipe at Leon she tripped and fell head over tail landing at his feet, vulnerable.

"Speech." || "Thoughts."

table by lisa

words: 281
tagged: Leon
ooc: Round 3:
Attempts: Swiping Leon with her paws.
Defenses: None
Injuries: Slight singes and uncomfortable pain on her right face and side. Left vulnerable from tripping over her paws.
muse: 6/10

He successfully deterred her, watching as she turned her flank away from him in an attempt to escape. At that moment, his paw had been freed from her grasp and he was delighted to be able to move it again. In doing so, he lunged after her, only bounding once before watching her turn to face him again. He stepped back and braced himself, prepared for another onslaught from the female, be it magical or not. He hadn't realized that his attack had left the side of her face stinging - it wasn't his intention, and there was no way to tell what kind of damage he'd done behind her thick tawny fur. Out of sight, out of mind, and right now Leon was growing more and more confident in his abilities. So much so he didn't chance a second thought about it. What mattered now was winning.

She came at him again, and he could see her raising her paw and unsheathing those claws, ready to strike him down. Leon prepared himself by raising his paw as well, to try and block her from getting his face. Only she seemed to overshoot her move and tripped. This caused Leon to lose his balance as well, having expected to be met with a paw swinging at his face. He fell forward and landed with both paws on either side of Makyna. Momentarily stunned, it took him a while to realize what happened. Once he did, he merely laughed and tried to ruffle the top of Makyna's head with his paw before bounding away from her. This time he would be sure to set his defenses; whirling around to face her again, he tipped his muzzle down and braced himself.

Round: 3/5
Attempts: None
Defenses: Muzzle down to protect neck, braced legs for balance
Injuries: None