Private Of Claw and Sand

[Darth Tormenta]

Twin suns baked the sand as Khamesi finished preparing her armor. She was nervous, and it slowed her movements as she slipped the last gauntlet on. What lay before her, what the Tuskan's she had paid handsomly, in weapons andw ater, had managed to snag was better than she had ever dreamed. It was young, for a Greater Krayt Dragon, but it was still nearly sixty meters long. Trapped as it was in the canyon, seperated from the sand that surrounded the makeshift arena, it was still a major threat outside of the sand it swam in. Higher up on the canyon walls, seats had been prepared. There was only one she cared about being filled, but many were invited to watch, to see her power and her strength firsthand, a lesson and message to her her current allies and possible enemeis.

The Krayt Dragon gouged into the rock, trying to find purchase as it attempted to escape the trap it had been lured into. The seats were safe, armored metal walls and an overhang kept it from reaching them. Eventually it would find another way out, the only way out. The makeshift gate, and it would only get through it if Khamesi was dead or at least no longer able to fight. And she would only be leaving when it's blood soaked the stone, and it's pearl was in her hands. She growled as she stepped out into the light. The Dragon ignored her at first, she was after all just one person, no threat to it. Then she slammed her fist into the gate several times, the loud ringing, amplfied by the canyon walls, drew it's attention.

It's claws dug into the stone as it paced before her, it's eyes studying the tiny thing, compared to it, making so much noise. It was smart enough to know that the thing she was hitting was it's way out, but the question is what something so small was doing. Then it felt it, that feeling of something else stalking it. She was hunting him, he could feel it. She shouldn't be a threat to him, but that feeling of another predator facing him down couldn't be shaken. He couldn't risk it, the gnat must die, then he could get back to the sand.

Khamesi grinned as the beast finally put it's focus on her. At her signal, a shield snapped into place, sealing the arena, ensuring that the only way out was when she was dead, and the spectators could not interfere. This was her hunt, her prey, and she would handle it on her on. She moved, circling the dragon, studying it's movements, noting that one of it's clawed feet had some damaged claws. A weak point, not much, but she could use it. Then it charged, feet scrabbling against the stone as it came to try and end the threat to it. It wasn't a fast beast, but it was big, it was powerful, and it was angry. It was perfect.

Khamesi channeled the dark side through herself, and pushed free from the ground, landing on the dragons back before lashing it with flames conjured by the same powers. It wasn't a deep burn, but it got the things attentoin, and was the final bit of assurance it would stick around for this fight. She had wounded it, and now it could not let another predator live that could wound it. She leaped free from it's back, landing on the stone and quickly rolling to avoid the slash from one if it's claws. The games had finally begun,

Domina Prime

 

[Domina Prime]

"We Are, All of Us, Stardust. Held Together by Love For An Instant~"

CROWN OF THE INHERITOR

Darth Tormenta
​

The twin suns of Tatooine bore down upon the scorched dunes, their merciless heat rippling the air like a living thing. Domina sat astride Azura, her great warmount's wings flapping slow and steady, kicking up torrents of sand as they hovered at the edge of a canyon cliffside. Beneath the impassive steel of her Mandalorian mask, five alien eyes narrowed, focused intently upon the gathering of Tuskens assembled below.

The nomads had turned this canyon into an amphitheater of death. The rocky peaks had been transformed into jagged seats, overlooking the deep gorge where a mighty beast had been corralled—a spectacle of blood and might arranged for one purpose alone.

And standing at the center of it all, preparing for the trial to come, was HER.

Khamesi.

The Cathar warrior, golden-furred and lethal, the only creature Domina had ever stalked only to find herself ensnared in turn. Since that fateful encounter on Felucia—where hunter and hunted had danced at the edge of death—Domina had become smitten with the feline's tenacity, her strength, her refusal to break. The Mandalorian Warwitch had tasted her defiance like a fine wine, and now, she would savor her triumph.

Khamesi had extended the invitation personally, luring Domina here with the promise of a true hunt. A beast worthy of war, worthy of legend. A Krayt Dragon. Not so different from the Dovahdrake Domina herself had tamed and brought under her heel. But today, she would not be the one proving herself.

No, today, her consort would fight. And Domina would watch.

The thought sent a delicious shudder through her bones.

With a smooth motion, she slid from Azura's saddle, landing with a soft thud upon the canyon's edge. Reaching up, she peeled away her military cap, allowing the suns to beat down upon her skin. Then, with deliberate reverence, she removed her mask, baring her true face to the elements. A sharp, wicked grin curled her lips as she turned and flicked a clawed hand—Azura responded instantly, lowering himself into a protective coil, his azure flames crackling softly in the dry heat.

Now unburdened, Domina leaned over the cliff's edge, her elongated shadow spilling over the canyon floor, reaching towards Khamesi like an omen.

Below, the beast stirred.

The Krayt Dragon, a titan of fang and scale, uncoiled its massive form, sand cascading from its ridged hide as it hissed a deep, guttural challenge. The ground trembled beneath its weight. It was magnificent.

And standing before it, her golden fur stark against the dark sands, was Khamesi.

Domina exhaled slowly, relishing the moment. This battle was no mere trial of skill—it was judgment. Not just from Prime, but from Ha'rangir himself. A test of might. A dance of death. A lover's offering.

Her grin widened.

She lifted a clawed hand, kissed her fingertips, and cast the gesture toward Khamesi, her voice rolling through the canyon like a war drum.

"SHRED! RIP! AND TEAR, MY LOVE! UNTIL IT IS DONE!"

Azura shrieked in answer, rearing back and expelling a pillar of azure fire into the sky, a signal, a battle cry, a benediction.

And then—

The hunt began.

Khamesi lunged, a golden streak against the sands, her weapons gleaming in the dying light. The Krayt Dragon roared, lunging in turn, its cavernous maw snapping shut just shy of her form. The impact shook the canyon walls.

Above, Domina watched, her lower arms folding neatly behind her back, while her upper set gripped the hilt of her blade in quiet reverence.

The Tuskens around her whooped and cheered, their voices rising in a cacophony of exaltation. But Domina remained silent, watching.

For in this moment, Khamesi was not merely proving herself to the Tuskens.

She was proving herself to Prime.

She was proving herself to The Destroyer.

And by fate, by fire, by blood—

She was proving herself worthy of Domina's love. Because more than anything…love was worth dying for.

 

[Darth Tormenta]

Sweat already clung tightly to Khamesi. Tattooine, for the wonders hidden in it's sun-baked sands, was hot enough to cook many species alive. Khamesi could likely be considered one of them, but she had some help. She ducked beneath another swipe of the Dragon's claws, this time responding by launching up into the wrist, slamming into it with as much force as she could muster. She felt something crack, but the limb didn't deform. This beast was to large, to powerful for any single blow to truly cripple it. Still, it was another injury on a creature far larger, far mightier than herself. At least in body. Unlike it, she had a sharp mind, and the power of the dark side to fuel her.

Once she felt sand beneath her again, she sprinted, trying to circle the beast and force it to keep it's weight on it's lightly injured limb. She couldn't give it time to rest or think. It was an ancient creature, and the longer she dueled it, the longer it had to draw on centuries, maybe millenia of survival to possibly blindside her. Her favorite weapon, ice, was all but useless here. Even if she could summon enough energy to freeze a large portion of the creature, the thick, clinging heat of this blasted world would mute that power, and thaw it quickly. Her flames only worked because they burned through the dark side, not just heat alone.

She needed to tap into powers she rarely touched. She-. Her thoughts were caught short as the beasts tail whipped around faster than she expected and caught her shoulder as she tried to duck under it. It sent her flying and slamming into the sand. The wind was knocked from her, but the energy of the force kept her moving so that it's follow up pounce missed. She growled as she slammed her fist into it's injured wrist again, this time with a crack of thunder as she channeled a burst of Sith Lightning into the wound. More cracking, and lichtenberg figures crawled up the titantic limb and down into it's claws. Most of them faded as quick as they appeared, flashes of light as energy surged, but some remained, smoking as the flesh damaged from them did not recover so easily.

The Dragon roared at the pain, backing away from the small creature that wounded it so, keeping the battered, burned limb off the sand. Khamesi glared it down as she took a moment to catch her breath. This wasn't going to be a very long fight. Neither of them could afford it, every hit was to serious. She forced her injured shoulder back into it's socket before she got moving again. The pain only made her stronger. The Dark fed on the pain, and the heat and light in the arena seemed to dip slightly as she fed the dark in her. This beast would not be the end of her. Just another tally on her belt, but coming with a prize greater than any other kill.

Domina Prime