Autumn Assault
What started as a relaxing autumn stroll through this dense mysterious forest, quickly escalates into an epic clash between our ever-adventurous feline, and a fearsome forest dweller. "Another archer?" Dexter thought, reflecting on the numerous archers he's faced in the past. He was at first quite confused, wondering what he'd done to deserve arrows being shot at him without provoking his opponent, but he couldn't worry about this now. Whoever or whatever this hostile being was, is proving to be an enormous threat; shooting arrows at an impressive pace and forcing Dexter to defend himself. Hidden behind a tree's trunk that's just wide enough to conceal his body, Dexter takes a deep breath, then holds his left arm out in front of him with his paw cupped as if grasping at something that wasn't there. Suddenly in his paw a spark, a flash of bright blue fire that quickly grows into his signature blade. Dexter then lowers the blade before him, keeping his body pressed to the tree that shields him from this archer while he analyzes the situation. He wields a sword while his opponent stood a good distance away, equipped with a long-range weapon. "A serious disadvantage? No..." Dexter whispers with a smirk, knowing he had a new trick up his sleeve that could help him in this very situation; allowing him to close the distance so that he might have a chance to strike.
It was now or never. Dexter braced himself, reaching down to grab a pawful of leaves then tosses it out to one side of the trunk. As expected, within seconds an arrow slices through the collection of leaves as they drift back towards the forest floor. At the very instant the arrow whizzed by, Dexter bolted from behind the trunk on the opposite side, sprinting as fast as he could towards his opponent with his sword held out to his side. He was still amazed, admittedly impressed how fast this being could operate the bow, only needing a swift movement to have another arrow drawn and ready to shoot. But before his foe had a chance to release, Dexter holds his right forearm in front of him in a blocking position, and within a few seconds the air in front of him began to glow a bright light blue. He formed a semi-transparent glowing barrier of fire; a shield with a trace, barely visible trail of steam flowing off its surface from the extreme heat contacting the moisture in the air.
Dexter's feetpaws tear through the colorful blanket of fallen leaves that cover the forest floor as he speeds ahead. This move shocks his opponent! Although impressed by the blazing bright blue of the sword the feline wielded, he thought a frontal assault against a long-range weapon was surely foolish. No matter though, the archer holds his shooting stance... *release* the arrow launches from the bow, slicing through the brisk autumn air aimed right at Dexter's chest. As the arrow sailed towards Dexter, the archer just stood still. Not attempting to prep another arrow, but rather watching in what seems like slow motion as the arrow's sharp tip gets closer and closer to this unusual glow coming off of Dexter's arm until... *shatter* The archer's eyes open wide in disbelief as the arrow shatters on contact with that mysterious glow. Dexter smirks, figuring he had the upper hand now, but that smirk quickly fades as he bares a determined focused look, managing to sprint just a little faster. He may have blocked the arrow now, but he knows this shielding technique is a massive drain on his energy, not to mention the energy already being expended to maintain his sword's bright blaze. His shield would eventually drop, so he had to close the distance as quickly as possible to stand a chance. The archer shook his disbelief to concentrate, drawing another arrow only to release for the same result.
With only 50 yards to go and closing rapidly, Dexter smirks again as the confidence within him rises, figuring he was nearly in range to finally launch an attack of his own. But this smirk doesn't last, the rising confidence shaken as the archer makes a curious move. Despite Dexter's rapid approach and the ineffectiveness of those deadly arrows, the archer makes no move to continue firing or even retreat. Instead, he lowers that sleek bow and firmly plants both feetpaws to the ground. "Hmmmm?" Dexter narrows his eyes at this odd move, unsure of what tricks his opponent might have; but he was already driven to strike back after having his own life threatened. With only 20 yards to go, Dexter launches himself into a dashing strike at blinding speeds! But the very moment he gets close, the collection of leaves that rested below his opponent explodes into a whirlwind of twigs and various colored leaves as the archer launches himself skyward with an impressively powerful jump!
Dexter's strike had only managed to miss the archer's feetpaws by a mere inch, a split second. But Dexter didn’t have any time to process this as the force of that powerful jump sent him flying backwards until his back slammed against a tree's thick trunk. A loud crack echoes through the autumn forest as the sturdy tree bent at the point of impact, the collision sending shards of bark in all directions from the tree's natural coat of armor. Dexter tried to maintain his grip on the fire sword but he couldn't, the fiery blade leaving his paw with enough force to continue twirling through the air in spectacular fashion. But separated from Dexter's spirit, the blade soon dissipates just before it makes contact with the blanket of leaves that covered the forest floor. Dexter clenches his teeth and grunts, momentarily wincing in pain from the violent impact with the tree as he drops to his knees then falls forward. The confused feline coughs and pants, trying to relieve the sudden soreness in his lungs strained from the impact. For only a few more seconds Dexter stares at his left paw, steam flowing from where it was planted in the leaves as the residual heat from the blade he held reacts with the ground's moisture. Dexter was just beginning to process what had just happened, more pain from the impact setting in throughout his body "W-w-what... *cough* the hell was tha..." Before Dexter could finish, his ears twitched, eyes flashing open as an explosive burst of adrenaline flares through his body hearing the very faint sound of the bow being drawn once again! With all his might he launches himself high into the air, and not a second later an arrow slams into the spot he just leapt from.
Dexter had just reached about the height of the treetops, when just as expected, he began to hear that familiar faint sound of an arrow being drawn against its bow. He couldn't tell exactly where the archer was but he knew the general direction considering where the previous arrow came from. Knowing this, he brought his right forearm forward into a blocking position, the air just before him smoothly igniting into that glowing shield once again. Within a second, an arrow strikes the shield, shattering on impact just like before. Dexter held his arm up to maintain the shield and protect himself as he dropped back down, soon landing on a thick branch rather high up. He then holds a firm defensive stance for a short while, but this stance began to sag into a sloppier form as he panted from exhaustion. Dexter's thoughts were now racing as he contemplated what to do next. His shield was quite effective at protecting him from these arrows, but it was still a new and very unrefined technique that drained his energy at an exponentially faster pace than his fire sword. And if he continued using his shield too much longer, he'd be too drained to use either.
Dexter figured his only chance at beating his opponent would be to go on the offensive again. Holding his ground was simply not an option as his shield wouldn't last, and he doubted any attempts to escape would be successful. "I just need to get close enough to strike again. But..." Dexter thought back to his previous strike, and the sudden shock-wave that sent him flying back. Dexter closed his eyes to think about what to do next. It didn't take long for him to hear that dreaded sound of an arrow being tugged against the bow, but then nothing. His eyes remained shut as his thoughts continued to race, his heart beginning to pound knowing the clock was ticking, but he fought to remain calm; shoving out a smooth exhale through his nose. Another tense few seconds pass by, the entire time Dexter could feel that sharp tip of the arrow at a distance burning into his chest, that he knew was aimed right at him as the archer waited for his next move.
A gulp... Dexter's eyes drift back open as he swallows, then lets his maw open slightly to draw in more of the cool autumn air. Finally coming up with a strategy, he braced himself for the next flurry of moves, attempting to fill his lungs with as much air as possible, but not wanting to take a deep breath and alert the archer who he knew was carefully analyzing his every move. For this to work, he needed to make his first move as sudden as he could, so he waited just a little longer, taking long slow breaths to ease and focus himself. Small vibrations begin to rattle his body, especially his legs as the anticipation and adrenaline grew, waiting for a few more tense seconds, when suddenly... *EXPLODE* The branch that Dexter stood on shatters into hundreds of pieces as he launches himself forward with tremendous force; sending him into a full-speed sprint in the archer's direction!
After a high-speed landing, Dexter's feetpaws are tearing through the colorful leaves that blanket the forest floor once again, keeping his shield up as he reaches back to make that grip with his paw. Soon enough a bright flame ignites within that paw, extending into his blazing fire sword. *shatter* *crack* *burst* Three arrows strike against the shield in rapid succession, but to no effect as he dashes out into an opening. For a brief moment Dexter's eyes dart up towards the top of a tree where the archer stood, but then narrows his eyes as he keeps charging towards the tree's base. The archer had loaded another arrow, keeping it trained right on Dexter, but refrained from firing knowing his arrow would have no effect. A few seconds pass when the archer lowers the bow, feeling that something was off. At first expecting Dexter to leap up at him for a strike, yet the lion kept dashing towards the base of the tree. The archer tensed up, trying to figure out what Dexter was up to, but he didn't have to wait long to find out. For the very instant Dexter was in striking distance of the tree the archer stood upon, he unleashed a powerful strike with his blade that cut clean through the wide trunk. The archer silently laughed, thinking this another foolish move as he simply leapt from the toppling structure of the mighty tree, towards another branch about 100 yards back in acrobatic fashion.
Little did Dexter's opponent know, this was a part of his plan. Dexter continued dashing forward again as he quickly determined the spot where the archer was to land next. He allows his protective shield to drop in order to concentrate a massive amount of energy into his sword, making it pulse with heat and energy as it grew considerably in size, glowing brighter than ever! Dexter then lets out a tremendous roar as he threw his sword, sending it like a blazing long-dart towards the branch that the archer hurdles towards. The archer was surprised at this move, but he kept his focus on Dexter noticing that the glowing blue shield had disappeared. "Bad move" the archer thought, seizing the opportunity as he finally has a chance to nail the charging lion. Despite flying through the air at high speeds, the skilled archer was able to load an arrow and take aim, quickly releasing a deadly arrow right at Dexter! Dexter strafed to his left just in time to miss having the arrow pierce his chest, but immediately after, he glances back up towards the archer who already had another arrow ready to be released. A smirk suddenly crossed Dexter's muzzle, as just as the archer was reaching the branch, so did his sword blazing with energy. Dexter had concentrated so much energy into his sword, that it could not only travel a short time longer without having to be in direct contact, but it also had another surprise within.
A loud boom shatters the forest ambiance! The moment the sword struck the tree, a rather large explosion obliterates the upper portion; its shock-wave sending the archer twirling back through the air another fifty yards or so. Dexter's smirk grew a bit thinking he'd got a little payback from earlier, but refocuses himself; keeping his speed up to intercept the archer before he had any chance to recover. The archer's body soon slams to the forest floor, tumbling a few times in a burst of leaves and fallen branches that littered the ground. Before his body could roll to a stop, Dexter shouted "I have you now!!!" as he leapt a few feet into the air from his sprint, then swipes down at his opponent with his claws fully extended. Much to Dexter's surprise, his opponent made a swift motion to bring his bow into a blocking position, just in time to catch the brunt of Dexter's devastating strike. This move was successful, but the block would cost the archer his treasured weapon as the bow's frame split in half against Dexter's claws, falling to the disturbed bed of leaves. Dexter was just reaching around with his other paw to make another strike, but before he even had a chance, his opponent thrusts a footpaw upwards, managing to deliver a good kick to his chest. With Dexter caught off-guard, the archer seized the opportunity to reach for his damaged bow, then positions himself to deliver a quick jab at Dexter's stomach with the broken bow's jagged edge. Before he could connect, Dexter dashes back a foot or so, reluctantly giving the archer the split second needed to hop up and assume a fighting stance.
The two now stood a mere few yards from each other, eyes locked in an intense stare. Despite having expended so much energy using his fire weapons and the explosive movements, Dexter's adrenaline kept him fueled; ready to engage with his fists clenched before his frame. His opponent, who although was battered and visibly shaken from the explosion and falling a great distance, was also ready to take on the lion; fueled by his own adrenaline as he drops the broken bow and holds his paws in the shape of knives before his frame. Dexter wanted to give a confident smile, figuring that he must have much more hand to hand fighting experience, but he knew better than this, to expect the unexpected and never underestimate any opponent. A single leaf falls between the two. Slicing through the thick tense air but their eyes remained lock to one another, tuning out any distractions. Dexter's feetpaws slide into a wider stance as he prepares to strike, to which his opponent does the same. Both preparing themselves for the true fight ahead. Readying for a true test of each other's abilities that was just about to begin...
Yeah so uhmmm.... that story wasn't supposed to get anywhere close to that long >.>;; Welp it's there haha. Hope you've enjoyed it. It was a bit rushed and didn't really take as much time to edit and revise it, or beef it up. But purrhaps one day I'll return to fix it up and refine it to a proper story... when and if I ever find the time that is v.v There actually was a whole intro I wrote a month or so ago for this, that I scrapped but do have it saved. So maybe I can attach that too
Another stunning work of epic art from the skilled artist angiewolf With a piece this great, I absolutely had to write something to give this work of art more depth. Love his take on Dexter's fire sword, as well how he chose to render Dexter's fire shield. A new concept I hope to bring back from time to time. But won't be introducing too many more new "abilities". Don't want an OP cat running around haha
Warrior lion belongs to me DexterLion Accompanying writing too! also at [@DexChillViber]
Category Artwork (Digital) / All
Species Lion
Gender Male
Size 1150 x 856px
They're certainly mine too! Altho I love all big cats a ton
Gorgeous, just gorgeous
And the backstory is kickass too
And the backstory is kickass too
Many thanks sir Borgon! Every once and a while the lion has to get up and answer the call of adventure, sometimes getting into some hairy situations x3 ....altho im sure a fellow adventurer such as yourself is all to familiar with this
Nice story muh dude! It catched my attention with the action and description s on the forest. I'm purrrrrty sure Dexy will win this one ;3
Why thank ya sir Luis! Was def hoping to give readers a fun action packed experience and think it came out pretty nicely! Oh im more than pawsitive he'll win, he has a few other tricks up his sleeve.... well in his mane x3
Once again I'm amazed by your sheer storytelling talent. I loved reading this one!
Thanks very much captain 'Gus! Glad you enjoyed the read and def stay tuned for more thrilling adventure
Thank ya kind my good collie sir! Good to step away from being a lazy lion every so often to go on some thrilling adventures !
Thanks very much dude! I must say Purple looks great on your Jaguar :)
Angiewolf was the purrfect artist to pull off this scene and so happy with how it came out! Epic scenes + Epic artist = a totally badass work of art!
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