"Ignorance is my life." Rifel admitted, his hot breath hitting Duncan in the face as he remained pinned to the soil. "It is all I need to know; and so I know everything."
Valessa cringed as Duncan took no credence from these words, choosing instead to raise his fist and bring it down upon Rifel. The sound that followed was indescribable – only signalling the extreme pain of the older vulpine.
"You crave knowledge; and so you know nothing..." Rifel continued under his breath, clearly in a pain most intense. "That pursuit of knowledge... will only bring you hurt and sorrow. Hurt and sorrow will... deliver you to death."
Duncan started to audibly protest, but was interrupted as Rifel grabbed a piece of rock from the eroded outlook, and brought it smashing against the bear's face. Valessa heard noises that she would rather soon forget, as Duncan gargled in pain at his crushed cranium. Rifel used the other male's daze in his favour as he gripped Duncan by the chest and pushed him aside -- freeing the vulpine to let him stand. Duncan was on all fours, crawling and coughing up his lifeblood and teeth as Rifel looked down upon him, exaggerating his dominance.
"Pathetic like humanity. You thought you were in charge, and then the tables turned. Your own ideals and aspirations are what hurt you, Duncan!"
Rifel kicked him in the gut and took pleasure in his pitiful whines, as he tried with every ounce of courage to regain his balance. But it was difficult, and his paws slipped in the soil, getting his fur wet and muddy as he continued to fail.
Rifel brought his foot to Duncan's face this time, causing the ursa to turn over and fall on his back, writhing in pain as his vision was reduced to a red blur.
Valessa was conflicted as to whether or not she should be witnessing this violence, for if anyone else were here, they would be shielding her eyes in fright. But part of being independent, as young as she was – was the ability to maintain her calm in such peculiar situations. The ramifications that awaited her if she didn't get information worth any money, was her sole motivation. Starvation, was scary.
"It's okay..." Rifel said calmly. "A death for The Triumvirate is a meaningful one. I could not think of any other way even as remotely righteous as that. A death that serves to prove a point to all... that is a good one. So, if killing you saves our world from hurt – it is worth every moment of pain so long as it helps us endure."
Duncan gave up his attempts to return to his two feet, and instead started to crawl towards the edge of the outlook, grunting intensely with the move of every limb; the trail of blood in his wake starting to stain the outlook's beauty.
Rifel placed his paws softly on his thighs, next to daggers resting in their sheathes, and took slow steps to remain beside him; looking almost regal in his stance. Valessa had never seen those weapons before, but then again she had never really placed much attention on the thighs of the older vulpine. So for all intents and purposes, these blades appeared as if out of nowhere, one now gripped tightly in his paw as he knelt beside Duncan -- whose head was now over the edge and staring endearingly below. He reached out into the vast nothingness and tried to grasp it with his paw, groaning and saying indistinguishable words as he did.
"I am sorry for this, I am. But your death will give life to many kin." said Rifel as he brought the dagger down harshly, piercing Duncan's back and making the ursa give out high pitched screams as Valessa saw the blade effortlessly sink in.
"This is how you killed them, isn't it?" Rifel asked, as he twisted the blade, causing Duncan to emit even more grotesque sounds. "This is how you killed your family? With a knife through the back..."
Duncan turned his head to Rifel, his mouth opened as if in shock.
"Don't worry." Rifel smiled. "I know that tactic all too well. But you need to realize, there is no such thing as family... There is no such thing as a friend or a foe. It's actually much simpler than that -- a friend is just an enemy you let get close."
He pulled the blade out in one simple movement, as if Duncan's fur was butter, before he turned around and shut his eyes tight.
"I am not without my mercy." he started to explain. "If you are so eager to see what lies below, then I will grant you that desire. Your... final wish."
He kept his eyes closed as he wandered back into the amphitheatre, displaying the fact that the layout of the building was implanted in his memory. He said nothing, and showed no morsel of remorse. He didn't know it, but he left Valessa to watch in horror as the ursa slowly took after the stream, trickling over the edge and embarking on the long and fateful journey to the surface.
This was the first and only time she let the notepad fall from her paw.
However I do have a few things to comment upon.
If you are indeed looking to publish this I would elaborate on the terms vulpine and ursa
I know what they mean but not everyone does. Character description is key especially in a fantasy/scifi world.
for instance is Rifel brown, black, white, albino. he could be anything however the reader only knows what is on the page not what is in your head.
you also have a few issues with slipping over into telling what is occurring rather than showing.
look at it like a painting and chose the words to describe it accurately. Try doing so with pictures on this site (with the artists permission of course) It will help you get better at it.
and as for future animal-sci-fi Take a look at Breed to Come by Andre Norton. It has a similar premise but yours seems far more broad in scope.
I do rather like your way of writing fight scenes, the added detail would help a great deal more with visualizing what you are trying to convey.
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