We fade in on a dimly lit clearing surrounded by towering trees. The song of cicadas fill the air. A single spot of moonlight beams down on Fedora Noir, adjusting his wide-brimmed hat. He begins speaking, his voice almost accompanied by old-time radio crackle.
Fedora Noir
MASQopolis, the metaphorical urban jungle. But tonight, we are in the heart of an actual, literal jungle, located on the outskirts of the island. Far from prying eyes, this is the hunting grounds of La Leona Del Sol. My understanding is she is stalking nearby as we speak.
Before Fedora can say another word, Leona appears, seemingly falling from the shadows themselves with feline grace, landing directly beside Fedora in her orange and yellow combat attire. Fedora doesn’t so much as flinch.
Fedora Noir
Incredible. Leona, very soon you’ll debut in the Mettle Tournament against Medico Muerte, a man whose prescription is pain. What’s running through the mind of the lioness?
La Leona Del Sol
Fedora, I was born to hunt, to fight. When I step into the ring, I transform it into my hunting grounds. Medico Muerte? He fancies himself a predator. But I know predators. I am a predator. He’s no hunter. He’s a scavenger, peddling poison to the helpless.
She steps forward, slivers of moonlight illuminating her fierce eyes through the mask.
I’ve seen men like him before—men, who prey on fear. But strength isn’t in breaking others but in standing unbroken. That’s what this tournament is about after all. Mettle. Guts. Spirit.
Fedora Noir
Spoken like a champion. But Medico Muerte is one tough cookie. What makes you so confident you’re ready to defeat this killer quack?
Leona
Because I have battled far more fearsome foes than him. Medico Muerte attempts to evoke the unsettling plague doctors of yore. But a lioness doesn’t back down from any mere bird of prey. She doesn’t cower. She hunts. And when I enter that ring, I’ll show the world why I journeyed to MASQopolis in the first place. The Mettle Championship deserves someone who embodies resilience, fights with honor and heart. With the heart…of a lion.
Fedora Noir: Quite fitting. Anything you’d like to say directly to Medico Muerte before the bell tolls?
Leona: Medico, you’ve made your career feasting on the weak, the sick. But you’ve never faced a true huntress. Prepare to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have become prey. I am La Leona Del Sol. I am strength and fire and fierceness. And I’ll prove to the world that even in the shadows of MASQopolis, the lioness reigns. ¡Teme mi rugido!
With that, Leona runs off into the jungle, leaving Fedora alone again.
Fedora Noir: And there you have it, folks. The lioness has spoken. The hunt begins at Bloody Snowflakes, exclusively here on MASQTV Christmas Day.
The spotlight dims, the cicadas growing louder as the scene fades to black, the distant sound of a lioness’s roar echoing in the night.