Double Exp Event

+5 10 Observe a fight
+5 10 Study the landscape of an area
+5 10 Learn the extent of a pride’s border

The shadow had her own shadow. Oleander followed after Vermier and Cassine. The yearling was still trying to keep himself smaller than his patron and walked with hunched steps. He kept his body held low and his belly very nearly dragging the ground. He probably looked quite the sight to anyone paying him any attention but he wasn't used to being paid any attention. Vermier's attention only came when he needed something of Oleander.

Lips peeled back away from his teeth in a grimace at the smell of the place and the wet, squelching sounds that tugged at his paws. Once white toes were now covered in muck. Why would anyone want to live here in this filth? Ole wasn't the sort to be overly concerned with bathing but then he never got this filthy on a typical day.

He paused with his family to look at the dark lioness whom had joined their pride now already after one of her own. "Ce sera bientôt toi." (That will be you soon.) He spoke from where he stood off Cassine's left flank.

The yearling watched and waited but so far no challenger came. "Vous voulez regarder autour de vous?" (Want to look around?) The question was open to both even if it was mainly for Cassine's benefit. Ole doubted that Vermier would leave his spot nor take his gaze away from Genya.

@Cassine @Vermier

The fuck was this?! Lysander might have been a bastard boy raised in a brothel, but the other half of him was still royalty and he knew what a call for a throne sounded like. The trio had a nice thing going here. There was plenty of food and shade, even if it was a little muddy, and nobody seemed to mind all that much if Lysander would rather laze about all day. This could ruin all of that. He stalked into the clearing with obvious annoyance in his ruby gaze and on his handsomely gilded golden face. He trusted Kiton's strength of course, but this also meant lots of intrusions. Even if he'd wanted to avoid this, where would he go? He shook out the little bit of mane he had growing in as he settled near the outskirts, looking around at all the new faces and waiting for Delphine or Aphelion to show.

table by ferus

this was not of his plans. it never was it seemed. this was the second battle that sole had pursued since his time within the bluffs. driven by the honor that came with learning from piece of sight. two pride challenges in a season was apparently not uncommon for these natives. the call for the throne was something that he had heard once before, and yet became familiar with it right away. but to tread unto another pirde's territory. what blasphemy. it was sinful, a truce of death that would surely end with be headedness - and yet the crowd cared little. crooning like vultures upon the sidelines with the call of battle. he cannot seem to bring himself to find boldness in crossing the borders - yet when his hues catches the sight of Zoticus and Arjana. the bluff brute is compelled to press forwards.

sole is vauge. staggering next to @Aleksandra just in time to get a careful mutter from the child and examine the challenger once and for all. she was familiar. known by name no but he had seen this fae before...but where? The Oasis battle. She had been brooding among side the mongrel of dishonorable affairs - posing as a side piece to his garment of false king hood it seems to slip from his lips in a murmur before the lilac male can staunch such words. ive seen her before he is caught within his own whirlwind of memory at the stale words that had spat from the sabered woman in reconciliation to her kings claims. bad news.

+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results (1/2)

[OOC: +10 (20) Sneak into another pride's territory without getting caught. Sangria is hidden.] She remained crouched, well hidden in the muck of the Mire, though it disgusted her. Still, the carmine woman would wait in hiding, watching those that would arrive. @Vermier came and as expected threw his loud mouth behind @Genya. It was then she remembered the close proximity of the dark woman to the Scillan king at the Oasis battle. A scoff was silent, but she moved closer towards her cousin. Should the loud mouth windbag continue to flap his gums as she expected him to do, she had no problems leaping from the underbrush to tear into his rather tempting rump again. By colored gaze noted a few others gathering..but remained focused on @Zulema...and the scillan lion. Give her a reason, she had no qualms about putting him in his place. Again.

code by koi

+10 (20) Sneak into another pride's territory without getting caught

+10 (20) Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught
+5 (10) Gather useful information on a enemy lion or pride

Another day, another pride challenge. At least these were interesting, and now that she was actually an important part of the Cove she knew that she needed to attend such things and gather information. Of course, that didn't mean she had to visibly be in attendance.

At least here she could easily work her way into the underbrush, using the terrain to her advantage as she snuck onto the pride's lands and came around the back of the fight, scanning the area for anything useful in the meantime. Nothing too interesting there. Now to see who the combatants were and who was rooting for who.

-arcania is hidden-

+5 (10) Explore the borders of a pride or group
+5 (10) Learn something unique about another pride’s territory

+5 (10) Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

Oh dear, it seemed there was to be another fight. She felt like the last one had just happened, and yet here they were again. Honestly, she didn't like that these lands were in such turmoil, nor that yet again she heard a woman calling out for control of a pride. That was a man's job! And, she realized as she approached (getting horribly lost on the way because of the terrain and winding up running into the scent markings multiple times), this was a pride already let by a male! The audacity!

Still, as always she held her peace as she approached and took a seat on the outskirts of the group, waiting as always to see if she could be useful. There were so many around that she doubted she would be, but she'd always offer her services.

Why this place though, she wondered. It seemed so dark and dreary, not to mention muddy and sticky. Well, no doubt there was something here she just wasn't seeing.

+5 (10) Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

Oh no, that was Roan's brother's tribe! Kiton, that was right. Oh, how she hoped he would win! Roan had been so happy for him, and she couldn't imagine how he would feel if what he had earned was taken from him.

She made haste to the challenge, but she was small and could only go so fast. As such, she showed up when many others were already gathered, but it was easy to spot @Roan's form through the crowd. She wasn't surprised to see him sitting beside @Hanneth, though she didn't immediately recognize the other woman with the pair.

She approached anyway, attempting to conceal the concerned look on her features as she studied the woman challenging for the tribe, waiting to see how Kiton would answer her.

+5 (10) Observe a fight

As heir, it was surely his duty to ensure that he knew who the current sovereigns of the prides were. So, if there was to be a challenge for one he would be there. His wounds were still healing from the last challenge, not that he'd technically been a part of that, but still he made good time in his approach, getting there before the battle had started.

He heard the loud mouth of the Scilla king once again, and his jaw tightened automatically. At least this time he wasn't going on about trying to take loners at the challenge. He could cheer on the challenger however he pleased, Seraphiel supposed. Still, he kept as much of a wary eye on the man as he did the arena for the pride battle to come.

+5 (10) Gather useful information on a enemy lion or pride
+5 (10) Learn the extent of a pride’s border

+5 (10) Observe a challenge and learn the results

Well, wasn't this place just hard to get to. He'd wound up having to traverse a good portion of the border before reaching the gathering, and not because he'd been trying to. No, he'd wanted to come a more direct route, but unfortunately with how muddy the place was he hadn't trusted most directions. At his age, it would take only a slight misstep to hurt himself, and the mire was a perfect place for that to happen.

He heard his sovereign before he saw the gathering, and sighed to himself, sitting well apart from the other Scilla lions once he got there. He strongly suspected now that the sovereign needed to be tested, but as of yet he'd been unable to come up with a plan for it.

Now wasn't the time to consider such things, though. Instead, he focused upon the challenger, noting who else seemed to be rooting for her, and who seemed to be concerned and looking for the current leader to show up.

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

The king was trailed by his niece @Cassine. She elected to be silent in a place of solidarity beside him but unlike Oleander he did not believe she was unintelligent and unobservant. He was sure she was here to learn about the political arrangements that scattered the sidelines. There were things she could read that he could not. He saw immediate strengths and weaknesses. Predator and prey. Females saw farther. Saw things that were now potential that would become inevitable.

What he saw was a lion @Roan approaching the gathering and this would not be interesting, except that he stopped and circled and reappeared on the Mire side. Maybe did not want to be spotted making an entrance. This was a motive his niece would know for sure. To Vermier it was simply interesting. Was this fear or strategy? Fear was very interesting to him. @Jewel's weakness was also intensely interesting, causing his ember gaze to shine upon it. The balance of scents in the Cove had changed away from hers. He did not know who ruled it now but he knew she had been a strong queen. She was smart enough to protect her blind side... not smart enough not to broadcast that she had a blind side now. He knew his sister had history with her. He would need to see how much of it Cassine knew, later.

He recognized the disappointing singer @Sole but more interesting was the shadow he revealed in his approach. A dark pointed young lioness. Was this one of Jewel's, or... he tried to work out whether @Aleksandra could possibly be Genya's but his brain whirred, not able to spin one gear around the concept of time when his heart was flooded with black jealousy and desperation. He quickly whipped his skull around to his companions. @Oleander had joined them at a convenient time and Vermier would much rather distract himself here than think about... Genya-lings. "Maintenant, c'est calme. Le roi peut ordonner une attaque à son arrivée. S'il insiste pour que le défi reste ennuyeux, vous êtes libre de renifler, mais gardez un œil sur mon dos cette fois." (Now, it is calm. The king may order an attack when he arrives. If he insists on keeping the challenge boring then you are free to sniff around, but do keep an eye on my back this time.)

And speak of the challenge possibly being boring but here came the most stoic-looking but temperamental giant @Seraphiel! Pointedly not approaching him. Coward. Vermier peeled his fangs and pointedly gave a laugh in his direction and then resumed scanning the crowd with a greater sense of agitation. Come on, lions! Someone here had to be fun.... he spotted (almost ninja'd!) the older male who had joined the pride. This one was sitting off by himself, not in a way that was posed to cause offense though. Maybe he was lonely, or shy, or didn't like crowds, but in the interest of camaraderie Vermier would invite him over. "@Tobin! Here! Here!" the russet king yelled, all the spirit of a magnanimous frat boy beckoning his shy classmate over to the cool section of the bleachers.