[IC, open to all] Thor Fight Club

[pirateangelbaby]

It's a beautiful spring day in the Nexus, rolling green hills boasting bright splashes of color where flowers have blossomed in all their glory, birds singing in trees sheltered with new green growth, and the sun is shining merrily through puffy white clouds, the breeze only a little on the cool side.

In one of the flatter fields out towards the Wilds, however, things are not quite so peaceful at the moment.

There's an enormous rough ring marked out with scorch marks in the grass, large enough to rival the gladiator arena on Sakaar, and on the edge of the ring there's a cloth laid out with a small variety of weapons that look... well, very second-hand, to put it mildly. But enough to give a good selection of swords or axes or hammers, with a shield or two for protective options.

Thor stands to one side, checking his armor to make sure it's securely fitted before battle, training session or not, and can't quite chase away the grin on his face in favor of a more serious, kingly expression that he probably should be wearing. Learning to compensate for his missing eye is a matter of life and death, probably, whether his or someone else's, but he can't help but feel excited to face something other than a half-assed training dummy shoved into the corner of the cargo hold.

Right, then, who's up for a little sparring with the god of thunder?

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[thewiselion]

Spring is the best time for Aslan to be out and about. He feels as young as a kitten, but still as strong as the lion he is. And being out in the Wilds... well, the Lion can truly let himself be wild.

He walks past the cloth with the weapons that are laid out. He does not need them.

"You wear that with pride, fellow King." Aslan grins, showing his fangs.

[pirateangelbaby]

Aslan may not need a weapon, but Thor prefers to have his options open, just in case. He grins over at the Lion, tightening the last buckle of his vambrace. "I should hope so." Being king is not what he would have chosen for himself, not this soon, but he's stepped up to the challenge and he, at least, is convinced he's doing as well as expected given the circumstances.

Given that Aslan only has his own natural weapons, however, it doesn't seem necessarily fair for Thor to take up a blade against him. This is only a friendly sparring match, after all, and Thor is far from helpless without a weapon in his hand. So he doesn't grab one either, limbering up his arms a little in preparation for the battle ahead. "Any particular rules of engagement?"

[thewiselion]

"Since I believe neither of us are interested in spilling blood today, how about that as our main focus. No blood shed between allies."

Aslan starts to pace around the ring, familiarizing himself with the fighting area.

"We should not depart this ring, as not to accidentally harm others."

"And since this is about physical proficiency, how about no magic either?" He glances over at Thor, to see if his suggestions are fitting.

[pirateangelbaby]

It's all entirely reasonable rules for Thor, and he nods in agreement. "No magic, no deliberate bloodshed." Though he can't help but wonder if that'll hinder Aslan's combat prowess more than himself, given that the Lion won't be allowed to use teeth or claws, but then, Thor has neither either.

He steps into the ring, bare-handed, already assessing the best places to strike at the giant cat for maximum effect. The mane, besides being magnificent to look at, is a thick shield against throat strikes but might be useful as a handhold in a close quarters grapple. Or perhaps attempting to pin the legs, although having to control four powerful limbs is going to be a challenge.

Either way, he is more than prepared to give it his best shot, and when Aslan signals his readiness, Thor does not hesitate to close the distance, though his first strike doesn't quite connect, misjudging just how close to the Lion he is. He follows it up quickly with a second hand-strike, though, testing his opponent's reactions as much as his own sense of orientation on the battlefield. Better to get a good idea of his foe's skill before the battle begins in earnest, both of them testing the other for weaknesses.

Thor's biggest weakness is also his most obvious one, the missing eye giving him a massive blind spot on his right side. He's aware of it enough to stay moving, however, circling and sidestepping to keep Aslan in his field of view as best he can.

[thewiselion]

While Thor was studying Aslan, the Lion was studying his opponent. The missing eye is obvious. But there are other obvious things too. Like how heavy the other man, and how he would go down hard if struck just right. And that armor might be worn for protection, but it too will impede movement.

Aslan is a Lion. And this means he has all the blessings of the Giant Cat. And so he is very quick on his fight. Dodging out of the way, he Thor attempts his first strike. And moving quickly to the Thor's side, to avoid that second hand-strike.

Aslan uses his weight to slam up against Thor from that blind spot, trying to get him off balance for a second. And aims two quick clawless strikes of his paws at the other man.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor is quite used to throwing his weight around in a fight, using his size and mass to his advantage. Aslan is an extremely large Lion, however, and while he may not be quite as dense as Thor, the agility and speed make up the difference to present quite a challenge.

Not quite fast enough that Thor can't keep track of him, but enough to force him to react, to turn and shift his footing so he can keep Aslan in sight, such that when the Lion hits him, he has one foot off the ground. Thor staggers under the full weight of his opponent for a moment before he grabs two fistfuls of that glorious mane and deliberately leans into his fall backward to the ground, pulling the Lion with him and using his foot against Aslan's belly to heave him up and over in an arc.

Thor rolls to his feet as quickly as he can, rushing close to try to pin Aslan down, if he can get there before the Lion gets back up.

[thewiselion]

Aslan bats at Thor with a few clawless strikes when his full weight is on top of the other man. And then his mane is grabbed and Thor attempts to flip him. Aslan reacts with the agility of a cat, rolling so he is not available to be pinned.

He aims a body slam at Thor's ankles hoping to get the man off balance.

[pirateangelbaby]

Of course, Thor had half-expected Aslan to be that maneuverable since he is a cat, enormous or not. Even so, the speed of the Lion's recovery is swift and his counterattack moreso, and Thor misjudges the timing of his attempt to leap over the incoming attack, his legs summarily knocked out from underneath him by several hundred pounds of Lion. His torso slams into the back of Aslan's neck, and if they were allowing bite attacks, he'd probably expect to feel those mighty fangs gnawing at his belly in short order.

But since they're not, Thor scrabbles to grab hold of his opponent's furry ears, a weak spot in the thick mane, using them to attempt to force the Lion's head downward enough that his front paws can't pin Thor down by his legs, and give him a shot to gain the upper hand.

[thewiselion]

Aslan gives a mighty roar at the sensation of Thor grabbing hold of his ears. He promised he would not use magic. And so doesn't even think of changing form to escape the hold right now.

He butts Thor in the stomach with his big head. And bats Thor again with clawless paws to make the other man try to concentrate on other things, and let his head go.

[pirateangelbaby]

Ah-hah, he's found a weak spot indeed. This close, Aslan's headbutt doesn't have enough momentum to do much more than knock Thor's breath from his lungs, though the meaty strikes of the Lion's paws are not as restricted, battering at Thor's sides powerfully enough that it might leave bruises, if he lets the assault continue.

No matter. Thor has a new cunning plan.

He abruptly jolts a knee up toward Aslan's chin, simultaneously using his hold on his opponent's ears to try forcing the Lion's entire head to the side enough that he might be able to wriggle out of Aslan's hold, if he's fast enough.

[thewiselion]

Aslan rolls to the side, as Thor attempts to force his head down. So Thor's knee scraps against his jawline. The mighty Lion rolls, and uses his powerful legs to throw the man off him before he is caught in another hold.

When both are freed of each other, Aslan springs to the other side of the ring, and starts circling Thor again.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor goes tumbling much as he'd done to Aslan, though he lacks the catlike grace to land on his feet. Instead he leans into the fall, tucking into a roll that pops him back up on his feet and ready to fight, fists raised defensively in case the Lion is pressing his advantage.

He's not, but Thor keeps his hands up anyway as he watches Aslan ponder his next move, doing much the same himself.

The ideal thing would be to knock him off his feet somehow, but it's much harder when your foe walks on four instead of two, and now Thor's had a taste of just how strong those powerful forelimbs are. Perhaps a strike to the hips or side, higher up, although that would require outmaneuvering his more agile opponent.

"You're not tiring yet, are you?" he calls, a friendly taunt across the field, much as he's often traded with Captain America.

[thewiselion]

"I am not that Old yet." Aslan chuckles. He sprints forward, faking an attack at Thor's left side, and then dodging quickly to the right side to aim a furry cuff of his paw to the other man's jawline.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor's watching for signs of a feint, the obvious weakness of his blind side too strong for a determined foe to ignore - it's something he would take advantage of, were he in the Lion's shoes. Er, so to speak.

So when Aslan's trajectory suddenly changes, Thor sidesteps, just enough that the giant paw catches him on the shoulder instead, shoving him further into a half-turn. As he does, Thor clenches a fist and whips it sideways at where he last remembers seeing the Lion's nose, now fully out of his field of view.

[thewiselion]

Aslan takes advantage of the fist passing over his nose, and lifts up to his hind legs and tackles Thor from right under his raised arm. Yes, this Lion does know how to stand on Two Feet. When necessary.

[pirateangelbaby]

It's a cheap, dirty trick, but then there are no rules in real combat and Thor would be hobbling himself if he trained otherwise. He goes down hard, unable to repeat the same trick to flip Aslan as he did at the first of the fight, ending up tackled onto his side and pinned down by several hundred pounds of divine Lion.

Thor manages to get an arm up to guard his throat, and throws a pointed strike at the soft spot of Aslan's chin, unprotected by his mane. If he's going to be up close and personal, that just means the Lion's vital spots are in better reach, or so he hopes.

[thewiselion]

The strike hits the mark, and Aslan shakes his head, struggling to catch his breath for a moment. He moves back, giving Thor space to get up.

[pirateangelbaby]

Getting up is not in Thor's plan. At least, not in the way Aslan likely expects. He rolls swiftly to the side, enough to get his hands and legs under him before he lunges at the Lion's shoulder, aiming high enough to hopefully use Aslan's center of gravity against him and tackle him to the ground. If it works, it'll put him in prime position to be clawed at with all four paws, unless he can wrangle the Lion's legs into a secure hold before he can recover.

[thewiselion]

Lion stays on his hide feet -- standing. So his center of gravity is now closer to his waistline, like most humans. He wraps his mighty paws around Thor, when the other man lunges at him -- and attempts his own flip of the other man.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor threw his full weight into the strike, so when Aslan resists and pushes back, it's not quite enough to bowl him over. He plants his feet firmly against the ground, sinking his grasp deep into the Lion's mane as they grapple with each other, almost like the gods' equivalent to arm wrestling.

He bares his own teeth in a strained grin, pitting his strength directly against Aslan's. "Not getting tired yet, are you?"

[thewiselion]

"No. I do not tire easily. This has been quite an even match, my friend." Aslan grins, with big fangs.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor chuckles, smiling back just as broadly, a friendly snarl of his own. "Good thing we're only sparring." There's no telling how rowdy this fight would get if they weren't both holding back.

Face to face, strength against strength, whoever relents first is going to lose ground. But something has to give, and Thor is a risk-taker. While Aslan is hopefully distracted by the trash-talk, Thor abruptly pivots to the side in an attempt to wrench the Lion around, off-balance, and legsweep a hind leg out from under him.

[thewiselion]

"Indeed." Aslan wonders how this battle would be different if they were allowed their powers. It would be a lot more spectacular.

Aslan is not willing to relent first right now. He is taken by surprise by the pivot to the side, and down he goes. But luckily a cat always lands on his feet... and he is still a Mighty Cat. And down to all fours he goes. He headbutts Thor in the place where the Sun Doesn't Shine. The place that most human males are most sensitive.

[pirateangelbaby]

Of all the things Thor was expecting to happen in this fight, that was not even on his list.

His armor is well-designed, and takes the brunt of the impact, but Aslan is a big cat and he strikes hard enough that Thor definitely feels it far more than he wants to, and he stumbles back and drops to his knees. "Cheap shot!" he groans.

[thewiselion]

"I don't know about your enemies..." He takes the opportunity to tackle Thor down to the ground. "But many of mine do not hesitate to take cheap shots."