This one is.. intense.

Intense, gritty, exciting, occasionally brutal.. and award winning. I'll let you see why it won the award before I get to the award it won.

 
Warning: Harsh language

Cattaras sped toward the spot he knew his foe lie. He hadn't needed to hear the report; once he'd been told, he'd noticed the obvious. Daisuke was standing upwind of the camp, taunting Catt as few could with his scent!

He rushed toward his target, only slowing after he'd slammed his fist into Daisuke's masked face! Even with the enchantments of that dread thing, Daisuke was forced to stagger back from the attack.

The monster lion turned to face Cattaras, who immediately launched into his second run, throwing punch after punch into Daisuke's body, looking to beat him into a bloody pulp. No matter what that damned mask tried!

What he met was a buzzsaw as Daisuke fought back, opening several gashes on Catt's striped body with his claws. The two feline men battled literally fang and claw, their furs matting with blood. Catt eventually was forced to kick Daisuke in the gut to separate the two, needing a moment to recover. Daisuke crouched, looking even more bestial, even more evil in the tiger's eyes as they growled at each other.

"P- pathetic… G-grown soft…"

Catt roared and leaped at Daisuke, who side stepped the flying feline and delivered a knee into Catt's gut. As he recovered Daisuke... purred.

"A-after I kill… will find… mate. Show her… real man."

Catt roared and attacked again. This time he was caught by the lion, who held him suspended as his arms strove to crush Catt's life out of him.

Jen's heart leapt into her throat as she sensed the danger Cattaras was in. She flew high overhead, taking longer than she'd like to get into position. Carefully and stealthily she winged downwards, creating a sword from her cysuit en route. She dove towards Daisuke, aiming her weapon squarely for his back. Except, either through exceptional feline senses or some buff of the mask Daisuke sensed her approach and turned so that her thrust would pincushion Cattaras!

"At least… won't have…. Hunt you down."

He tossed Catt aside like a sack of grain and charged the elf, who threw a bolt of lightning into the berserk beast. Catt watched, momentarily blinded and deafened, panting as he recovered, his only thought to his love being Go! Get out of here!

Daisuke rocked with the blast, but kept advancing. He growled menacingly.

"I'm stronger than your parlor tricks, bitch!"

Jen was shocked and a little surprised. She figured that some kind of magic must be in play, and true to her style, she would prove herself superior. She disconnected her laser and held her suit's energy conduit in her fist, believing that the full force of her power supply should be more than enough to disintegrate this monster.

The Morlencirin princess charged her foe. "You will never hurt my mate, or anyone, ever again!"

Daisuke roared as he took the blast full on in the chest, but by some miracle (or some Dark equivalent) the big cat survived, dropping to his knees. He was bowled over not only by the elf but by Catt, both lovers double teaming the monster- stopping in shock only at his words.

"Yes...more! It's working!"

This guy's a damn masochist! Jen radioed to Cattaras.

More of a sadist. came the reply. I dunno what he's up to but if he wants us to kick his ass… Cattaras proceeded to grant him his wish.

Hold, my kitten…

Catt froze, his claws set to deliver what would have been a killing strike on Daisuke. He blushed as he looked up and saw her, the Goddess herself!

Immediately he felt embarrassment at the blood on his paws, but still he could not help but ask. Why? You above all know what he has become!

She smiled. I do. None better. But I also know more than that. I know his heart- his true heart. Be patient, your part in his salvation has been played.

Jen made a face, fixing her equipment and glancing in the direction that her mate gazed in. She could perceive the presence of another through her link with Cattaras. Her technology refused to admit that anyone was there, however. She felt a twinge of jealousy that she wasn't the only girl to have a special bond with her great cat, and a fear at what this being represented and desired. But she felt no fear from her mate and so focused to visualize the visage and words of a goddess.

The Goddess pointed, and at first Catt was of a mind to resume his attacks. Daisuke was kneeling, his paws on the mask moving as if he hadn't been so near death. But as he watched the big cat growled, then roared as he struggled to be free of the mask!

There! That is the true foe!

Catt sprang to action now, grabbing the mask, wrestling to pull the mask away from the lion even as his roars turned to screams, then broke along with the hold the mask had on him.

This provided a new fight for Catt, who now had a living, evil mask in his paws orienting to possess the nearest warm body- his! He could feel it reaching out, touching his mind making him promises. Wealth, power, women. He growled at the suggestion that he could have a thousand Jens to answer his every need. One was just fine for him!

Any suggestions? Catt could feel it getting closer to its goal. Only his cysuit blocked it now.

Jen watched this strange battle, unsure of what to do. After all, she could count her encounters with evil, living magic masks on the fingers of one finger!

She shook her head, feeling a strangeness. Was the mask able to reach out to her or…

Her eyes widened a bit, hearing something.. Somewhere. She reached forward, forming her cysuit helmet in her hand. It wrapped around the mask, trapping it inside. Catt collapsed back into the grass, panting. He glanced over at Daisuke, who lay asleep with the Goddess cradling his head in her lap. She smiled at him.

He will be okay- in more ways than one. He has seen more than enough of the Darkness, and is ready for the Light.

With that she let Daisuke's head settle into the grass as she crawled over to Catt's weary body. As for you, my Champion…

Catt blushed as the Goddess kissed him, straddling his body to do it properly, feeling his body respond as it was meant to do when you were making out with a Goddess. His thoughts, however, wandered, fearing that somehow Jen was watching all of this…

To that, the Goddess laughed before fading away. She is beautiful, my kitten. I am sure you will have many beautiful litters together.

Jen gave Cattaras a light push before climbing into his lap to press her hips to his. "You'll have to introduce me to her sometime," she said with a grin. She gave him a light kiss before he could respond.

This is one of those stories I love sharing off for a specific reason. In this case, it's the action above all else that makes this piece great. In fact, the award for the KOKOL quest's Best Action set Piece goes to Cattaras and Jen, the second Diasuke fight, with Ichiro pointing out this piece really benefitting from the first confrontation (which won best RP title on the KOKOL side, by the way.) He called it a "well written battle," very intense, and a "joy of a piece" with "Good description and fight set up." Which really doesn't leave me much to say.

The idea of Daisuke working with our heroic adventurers started way back in Enter Hey Daze, which is also where Daisuke got his name. Definitely worth a read. It'll also be interesting to see where things go from here, when or if Daisuke returns. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of the big cat yet. Amazingly enough, we've still got almost a dozen pieces before the Finale to go, by the way! (I am up way too late writing this, but I can't help it. It's fun archving such a successful mission.)