It was early morning, but Ulla had risen first among her pride mates. For a moment, she laid on her bedding, watching the shadows dance across the dark cavern. Light from above poured in, but it was not enough to drench the ground. It had been two months. A whole month since she became Magnus's noble. If she ever could bring herself to challenge her brother for his pride, she would've done so. But Magnus held his pride together spectacularly well. His children were strong and healthy and his people full. Ulla would never go against her brother, regardless of her title as jarl. Instead, she sought to strengthen him, as he would do the same for her and their kin. She could watch the shadows dance forever and the days pass in the comforts of her den. Bring rogues home beneath her brother's banner and fight for her right to orphaned clubs. Or she could take what would be hers, by might or words, she would take it and unite the Sigrún beneath her banner.

Finding a pride to take was an easy task. Ulla cared nothing for the rainforest that Sangria took. Allies were untouchable lest they broke their pact. So it was left down to three. Ulla never liked the desert and she knew of Aquila's relation to the Hollows via Nymeria. A mire was inhospitable for her to stay in, much less anyone else, and it stinks of fetid odors that remind her of days-old bodies. So that left the lagoon, a paradise tucked in the far corner of Amaryllis. It was close to the cove and touched by the stretch of the blue sea - Vellen's sea. By the time she arrived, Ulla was rife with excitement. It was the same raw openness that she felt when her uncle's blood-drenched from her muzzle. It was the rush of drunken joy after a hunt, the feeling of girlish impudence all over again. And Vellen roared once more, her family's god awakening at the sign of a fight. And she will spoil him right today as she peeled back her lips and called for all to come.

Ulla versus @Vermier
For Scilla Lagoon
Move null of v

image © argent 2021

She knows now what that sound means -- that someone is challenging for a crown. The difference is that this voice is upon her borders today, challenging her king. Beelzebub does not feel worry, for she has faith in Vermier's ability to thwart a challenger; instead, she skips straight to fury that anyone would have the gall.

She is swift to head towards the borders, her temper seething and claws churning the earth as she goes. The woman who waits at the edge of their territory is a stranger to her, a scarred and gnarled creature who earns a display of the Bezra's teeth, her ears slicked back against her skull as she comes to halt a short distance away.

"We'll eat you alive," she hisses, fixating @Úlla with a most infuriated glare. Little does she know just how literally true her words are; the Dieudonne will swallow her whole. Even if she does succeed by some incredible feat, she will never be able to lead them -- they will not bow to the likes of her.

image by munk, code by koi

The challenging roar echoes across the landscape and Bhas was lucky enough to be nearby the dark shores that the natives called Stygian, hunting for fish to bring back to the ever-growing group of renegades back at the Jungle. They all prefered a bigger catch, but sometimes when he had free time, he went for a more exotic meal. The water dripped down his chin and mane, as his head and ears perked up at the sound. His eyes narrowed in suspicion, but in the end, curiosity got the best of him and the colossal man was on his way to witness the challenge. After the previous pride challenge, he didn't expect to hear another one so soon. Moving forward with heavy but quick steps, he pondered if these battles for a throne were a normal occurrence around here.

The closer he inched towards the two figures in the distance, the more he could scent the marked borders of what seemed to be pride. So this time it was a direct challenge, straight in the heart of a pride territory? He paused for a bit, wondering if he should proceed forward. The two silhouettes didn't seem to be inside the territory, and so he drew in closer, finally stopping not too far from them. His narrowed gaze saw the grey challenger, her scarred face was peculiar. The brown woman on the sidelines didn't seem pleased at all. She must be a pride member. It was somehow morbidly interesting to watch what will happen, his fascination growing with each moment.

"I doubt that." She said in response to the yearlings statement. She walked in with an ice cold expression in her eyes. Looking down to the brown pelted lioness. She has came to of course support her aunt, as she did with everyone of her family. And she was sure @Ùlla was more than capable of winning this.

She took a seat away from the Scilla member to watch from he down spot her aunt's ascension. Whatever happened she was going to always be on her aunt's side, and if things went awful she would use her claws to get the messages clear. Sigrun weren't a bunch to mess with. When one of them wanted something, expect them to just take it in a way or another.

+5 observe a fight or challenge.

code by corvus

The Dieudonné rat has been in the shadows on death’s door; taking more than he could chew at the time that’s left him marred and broken. Alas, he reveals his face if only by the lure of the booming call that echoes early in the morning. His jaws click — unhinging and greedily sucking in the scent of lions and pride. Tender, healing mouth twinges, yet he catches the familiar whiff that piques his interest further. Alight with interest, the boy approaches. Swarmed on the sidelines are plentiful prey — one such kid mimicking the bulk of the giant that split his tongue.

It is the girl from before, however, that he spots and captures his attention. Toes flex and a noise rumbles within his chest. He strides forth, attempting to circle around @Beelzebub — tail curling over his back — and he stills on her right side, standing with her as if old friends. Purposeful, too, with eyes sweeping down to her right leg — a shiver crawling up his spine at the mark he’d left there. Much too pleased. Her ruffled feathers towards the opposition, however, does not go unnoticed.

A peculiar squeeze leaves an ache in his chest. The feeling uncomfortable — irritating even, and such frustration lands on the screamer and her support that has stolen attention away from him. Claws peak from dark toes, vampiric teeth hungry to sink in. “eeeeaa?”

There is a noise, a shift in the atmosphere early in the morning. Hattie had heard callings such as these plenty of times before, she knew what it meant. A challenge. She had only just gotten settled back in her home again, relieved to finally be back within the place she was most familiar, but here she was again with her home being threatened. The small strawberry lioness made her way through the Lagoon to eventually arrive to the scene of the challenge, the challenger herself a silvery lioness that was completely unfamiliar to Hattie. To be fair though she was amongst a sea of strangers but she was still part of the Lagoon nonetheless. She wanted her King to be successful in defending their home, if only so that she could stay where she had become most comfortable. Silently she settles towards the back of the growing crowd, ruby gaze ever watchful all the while.

+5 - Observe a challenge and learn the results
+5 - Attend a challenge

image by irish/code by saph

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

This was interesting. The king stirred at the note of a hungry but unfamiliar female calling for his pride. His mane rose in agitation as he stomped forth, snapping and swinging his fangs at the air outside his den to warm up. There were so many lions he had pissed off, either directly or simply by being more bold and impressive than them; were they all cowards, to have avoided coming for the seat of his power, or was he just so intimidating that anyone who saw him gave up all hope of standing against him? He grinned and snapped at another piece of air. Strangers would do as well. More meat for the grinder.

Once he was warmed up, a quick process driven hastily by the pumping of his gut, he trotted toward the scene. He roared for @Amara @Cassine and @Kieran with a heavy note of aggression, calling the war bugles. Arriving, he saw the female was a stranger as he had thought. Nearby was another darkly hued female @Ragna, stiff in haughty pretention. It was the wrong master she served. Dieudonné were superior. This one seemed content to only engage in verbal biting with one of his yearlings, but his yearling seemed to have acquired a servant and he knew at least one of them was hungry for blood. "Eye!" his own gleamed as he mimicked snapping at the allied interloper, passing a quick gesture between @Beelzebub and @Ragna to direct his pride member that not only was it time to attack but she could maim in the most violent way she desired.

He hadn't paused, only taking a second to impulse his order, and aimed to accelerate once he reached the clear sand. He attempted to approach his opponent from basically head on, but aiming his approach to be slightly offset such that he would try to charge his right shoulder into the center of her chest. Simultaneously he attempted to attack with left paw and jaws - his left claws swinging out long, trying to slice forward (from her perspective) along the right side of her undercarriage; and his fangs, inspired by their recent order, attempted directly to try to carve out her right eye. His own eyes were narrowed and his ears tucked backward. His tail lashed extending outward for balance. He wished he could know what came of his suggestion to Bee but alas! he was only one limited poetic mind, limited to a singular bloody perspective, one field to light to fire.

@Úlla vs Vermier
Scilla Lagoon
1/5

Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 5 + 4 + 8 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 15 + 11 + 1 + 12 + 3

Nephthys moved towards the call with curiosity, her ears drawn forward as she did so. Although she didn't know where her family stood with the Dieudonne (pending thread completion), it bothered her that so many prides were being thrown into disheveled heaps. So many families being torn asunder, and her heart went out to those impacted by the battle. The first thing she noticed was Ulla smelling heavily of the Hollows, another sign Magnus was losing control. He hardly seemed the type to let his members challenge whoever they wanted, but perhaps she didn't know him well enough to think that. Either way, Nephthys settled down a respectful distance away to watch and learn what she could. If she were to avenge her father, she needed to study and learn.

+5 observe a fight 1/2
+5 Learn something interesting about a character 1/2
+10 Learn something about pride/family relations 1/2

art by saph, code by corvus

It was early morning when a distant call rang out, one that was quite curious to the wheat lioness. She was still relatively new to Amaryllis but since having a roof over her head provided by the rainforest she was feeling more ballsy then usual. Curiosity drove her from her newly acquired home and towards the Lagoon. Odette was quick to notice that this particular territory only had one way in, it was unsettling nonetheless. If things went south it might be difficult to stay hidden in her retreat. For now though she allowed herself to brush up against the tall palm trees in passing, hoping to pass the scent of the Lagoon against her own fur to stay further concealed as she moved deeper into the territory. The white shores were certainly picturesque the further she moved and once her gaze landed upon the group up ahead she moved to the lightly-packed foliage to lower her frame down against the ground in hopes of staying concealed. Her wheat fur made it easier to blend with the sand and so for now she laid in hiding, watching. None of these individuals were familiar to her but perhaps if she could gather some information she would be able to relay it back to @Sangria and then she could really prove her worth to her Queen.

*Odette is attempting to be hidden

+5 - Study the landscape of an area
+10 - Spy on another pride
+10 - Sneak into a pride without getting caught

ART BY IRISH, CODE BY LARS

And so the man came. He brought not the force she'd imagined him to have, so unlike that of her dear brother Magnus who commanded the room with his sheer strength. The man known as @Vermier was simply a lean lion with a minimalistic pelt. Immediately upon seeing him, Ulla's ears pinned back, her legs parted for balance, and her spine aligned with her shoulder and her chin tucked. There was still a size disadvantage in favor of the Lagoon King. But that would have to be brushed off. Her claws unsheathed into the ground just as Vermier came at her, his right shoulder jutting out and clashing almost painfully with the center of her chest. With her left paw, Ulla lifted it and attempted to bring down her claws and rake them down Vermier's right shoulder. If done right, she could even get a hold of him. Meanwhile, Ulla attempted to move towards her left to escape his claw - despite the throbbing in her chest - and yet still they found their mark anyway. She felt it slide down her underside at the position Vermier wanted. A sharp growl escaped out of her mouth and barely missed his fangs. Thankfully only flesh wounds were left, two on her upper eyelid and one half an inch below her right eye. Ulla seized the opportunity to duck and twisted her neck to her right in an attempt to bite into Vermier's cheek as her right paw came up and attempted to grab a hold of Vermier's left shoulder for grip.

Ulla versus @Vermier
For Scilla Lagoon
Move i of v

Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 16 + 9 + 4 + 5 + 20 + 2 + 12

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 16 + 10 + 2 + 7

image © argent 2021