Chapter 37 37: Leo vs Roku (1)

[1st POV] Imagine the roar of an engine. Now make it alive and angry, with a little bit of savagery mixed into it – like the creature that made it was a mindless beast. Maybe then you would get close to creating the sound of a raging lion. When two killing machines both weighing around 200 kg clashed to kill each other, it was a scene straight out of fantasy. For people who were awed at humans fighting, the fight was almost impossible to comprehend. It was nature's finest showdown. Our bodies clashed with the weight of thunder. Dust exploded beneath us as we struck each other, claws raking fur and teeth searching flesh. But while my opponent was more focused on clawing and biting, I focused on pushing him. My powerful hind legs which had grown incredibly big and explosive to make up for my lack of long tail, showed their superiority in full display. It was nature to take one thing and give another. I might lack supreme mobility but I had sheer explosive power. He released a roar of surprise, his eyes opening wide at my unexpected strength. I drove him backwards, his claws skidded on dirt and rocks. His back paws scrambled for purchase but my strength made his attempt futile. Eventually, his legs gave out and he crashed to the ground. A resounding thud silenced the surrounding and he was disoriented. I took that opportunity to finally bite at the side of his neck. My jaw clamped down on mane and skin. A lion's skin was not attached to the flesh which made it flexible and almost impossible to tear through. But when I tugged roughly, he released an agonizing scream. His scream didn't result in his defeat though, it only worked to anger him more. He quickly rolled on his back and his hind paws caught my face. His claws sank into my face and if I didn't let go, he was going to tear it away. I released my bite and jumped away. That gave him enough time to get back to his feet and lunge at me with even more aggression. *ROAR!!* I ducked under his swing and slammed my shoulder into his stomach. His jaw immediately clamped down on the back of my mane and he thrashed violently, tearing my mane and causing sharp pain. I speared him onto the ground and then we rolled in a tangle of claws and teeth. The grass buckled and we kicked up dust in our collective struggle. We were like a ball of fury as we did everything to hurt each other. Strangely enough, I quickly found myself beneath him. This was unexpected since I thought I was stronger than him. But in a rapid fight driven by instinct, his experience shone and put him on top. He pushed me on the ground, claws sinking into my skin and then he roared in front of my face. His yellowish fangs were extremely sharp. It almost made me second-guess my decision to fight him. He had fought before, that much was obvious. The only experience I had was fighting against Scar. On the other hand, it seemed like my opponent had seen hundreds of wars. And he probably did. He was a lion king in his prime. He was unlike Scar who became king because there was no other candidate. The lion in front of me had earned his title in blood and conquest. His jaw flew down and they snapped right beside my cheek. My mind worked fast, focusing solely on the fight. I threw my paws up and grabbed him by the back of his head. Then I used that as a way to control his head. Whenever he came down to bite me, I guided it away from his target. I managed to defend against his flurry of attacks and when his paws slipped down from my chest and onto the ground, I rolled and got back on my feet. Then I pushed myself up with all my strength. I easily stood up with him on my back and then I threw him down from on top of me. He landed with the grace of a cat but no longer attacked. "I expected you to fold quicker, but I see now that you have some fight in you," he said and circled around me. I did the same and we both walked in circles, taking another assessment of each other. We both underestimated each other heavily. He did not think a young lion like me would be able to clash on equal ground with him and I did not think his experience would make much of a difference. It seemed basing other lions on Scar was an insult. Scar was pathetically bad at fighting. "What is your name?" he asked. "Leo," I answered. "And you?" "They call me King Ruko, the thinker," he said and then stopped circling. His body faced me once more, ready to start the battle again. "You are a worthy challenger," he said and then he pounced at me again. I smiled at his declaration but also smiled at something else. His cautiousness had made him pause the battle to reassess me, but that did not only work for his benefit but for my own. You should never give the lion with a human brain time to think and strategize. He came at me with a roar, his body wrapped in fury and he feinted a lunge. And instead of coming up, he went low. He disappeared under my swing and his head slammed into my stomach. His jaw aimed for my inner legs which were more vulnerable than the outside. It was a great strategy that showed off his immense experience. Experience taught him how to fight well even though he might not think. It would've worked on any other lion but me. I quickly dropped my lower legs down and put my weight on his head like I was defending a takedown. I gave a growl and wrapped my arms around his body, my claws sank into his lower belly acting like an anchor. And then my hind legs exploded and I pulled his body upwards. I heard him release a grunt of astonishment as he soared and flipped in the air. I crashed him on the ground. Perhaps it was the first time in the history of nature that a lion was body slammed. If I fought like a lion, his experience would win him the battle so I stopped fighting like one. It was like shifting the battle from boxing to karate when my opponent was a world-champion boxer. I knocked the air out of his lungs by crashing him on solid ground. I immediately rushed at him to take advantage of the opening. I feinted aiming for his jaw and his body reacted on instinct. His hind legs came up once more to tear me away but I quickly pulled back without biting him. I learned from the first time. That's what's so dangerous about me, the same trick wouldn't work twice. I'll adapt. His hind legs lashed at the air and instead of lunging at him, I swung down my paws at him. My ripped shoulders rolled to produce force and then my giant paws smashed his head on the ground. I was not clawing but slapping. I hit like a tiger and not like a lion. His body trembled like it was caught by electricity. And then finally I lunged at him and bit the side of his face. My teeth disfigured half of his face and ear. I dragged him using all my strength towards the rocky ground and then I smashed his head on the rock. A crack resounded. I was not sure if it was the jaw, the cheekbone or the skull but something cracked. But contrary to my expectation, that seemed to rile him up more. He moved with fury and got up to his feet faster than I expected. Perhaps it was adrenaline. Ruko slammed into my side with enough force to make me fall and roll over. He threw himself on top of me but I did not allow him to mount me again so I rolled using his own momentum. My claws attempted to tear his shoulder and I clamped down on his neck. He roared in fury and twisted violently. His paw slammed on the side of my head, making my ears ring and then his claws tried to move my ear to my cheek with his grip. I growled and retaliated by opening my jaw and taking in a bigger bite at his neck. We rolled on the grassland once more. We sprawled around like beasts at war, the pace of the battle was now too quick for the mind to follow. I tried my best to not give in to my instinct. An animal instinct was sharp and dangerous but it was a weakness for me. A sharp mind wins battles, not the instinct of a savage. I struggled to strike a balance between a clear mind and instinct. If I tried to think before attacking, it was too slow and came too late. If I attacked without thinking, my attacks were useless. Lions had evolved to fight other lions so it was hard for both of us to inflict serious damage. We moved across the grasslands like angry forces of nature. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, giving me power I did not know I had. But the longer the fight went on, the better I got, the stronger I got. I struggled to find the balance between instinct and clear mind but as the battle progressed, I was starting to strike a balance between them. At one point, it was no longer just a fight for me but a lesson. I started learning from the older and more experienced lion. The price was blood but that was worth it. I started realizing my advantages and disadvantages. One huge discovery I made during the fight was just how strong my opponent was. And I meant that more than you would initially expect. The thing was, Ruko was an incredible fighter. He had immense experience under his belt and his body was at its physical prime. I was only slightly heavier than him. I was not even stronger. Sure, I had more muscles but he made up for it with matured strength. So we were basically equal in power. There was no reason for me to be able to fight with him. It was illogical that I was able to contend with him. A young lion against a prime king was akin to a boy against a man. But I stood there, on equal ground. At first I thought it was because of my human mind but it was not just because of that. I realized this when my mind was out of the equation during the fast-paced battle and I relied on instinct. Even without it, I stood and fought still. I was not beaten at all. And all of this was because of my build. My unique build that stemmed from a lack of tail. A body that compensated for what it lacked. I moved differently compared to a lion. I behaved differently from others. My actions did not begin nor end at the same place my opponents did. I was not your generic lion. I knew this, I intentionally made these changes to adapt. But I never realized the full consequence until now. I was a completely different beast in lion skin. So it didn't matter how much experience Ruko had fighting other lions when I did not fight like them in the first place. I was new, I was different. His experience was nearly void. It seemed like I was a beast solely made to kill experienced lion kings. Something forged to win wars. And I didn't even realize it. But when I finally did, something changed in me. My mind cleared up, no longer blinded by adrenaline to survive the situation. There was overflowing confidence in my actions, one that rivaled a king when I was still nothing. I growled, deeper and louder than I ever did. And then the tide of the battle changed swiftly in my favour. "Is this your tail?" I asked while I slipped under his lunge and came out beside him. "Must be nice," I said and then I crushed that shit between my teeth. He roared in agonizing fury, his paws spiralled, searching for something to tear and his teeth also clamped shut in search of something to bite. But he never found my tail. I tugged at his tail and dragged with a grin. My first goal was simply to fight him off but my confidence set a new one. If I killed him today, it would be much easier to take over the pride with two kings than three. So I told him. "I'm gonna kill you today." He roared in retaliation. I acted on bloodlust. ... ... [Important Images of Rhko and Leo's home] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Join my patreon to support the story and read 10 chapters ahead. Patreon : Emmamuel_Capricorn