they tumble and fight

and they're beautiful on the hilltops at night

It was luck that led him to this place, though yet undetermined whether good or bad. Kiton had been wandering through Amaryllis for months, unable to find a suitable home for himself and Silver despite looking at the usual avenues of both a neutral land and networking with whatever lions they could find. In the end, they concluded that Kiton would have to claim a land for them. He was content to oblige.
He had been pressing further into their new land when he finally caught the scent border. It was weaker than the others he had seen and did not belong to any of the acquaintances he had made since arriving. What's more, it was draped in a protective shade perfect for a lion of his dark and furry complexion. He could inwardly hear complaints about the mud but shooed them aside as needless whining. They had no other options, as Kiton saw it.
Stalking through the swamps, the Hodari lion let out the most thunderous roar he could manage as he stood immediately past the scent border. He intended to keep this land as his own if his efforts of the day were successful. Kiton spread his limbs apart evenly as he set up his learned defensive stance with his ears flattened against his skull and his eyes narrowed from where he stood in a small clearing of trees where the mud was a little more firm for his purposes, his powder pink gaze scanning his surroundings quickly to try and prevent an ambush. Try and stop me.

Kiton vs. @Viné
for Ecrosia Mire
Round 0 / 5
Hits: ---
Dodges: ---

code by corvus

avreya rurik

Naturally, the Rurik Commander is near, and she appears as a shadow at the borders, stepping from the darkness of the mixed swamp. Sharp yellow eyes fall upon the challenger, absorbing his features. There's a small part of her that wishes that Kimagure is here to see what she hopes will be the unpleasant neighbor's downfall, but there's another that wishes it were she doing it instead.

The stranger is a mauve, with a reddish mane -- completely unfamiliar, though the curious band across his features reminds her a bit of Roan's own mask. She'd heard Kimagure mention the man looking to bring the rest of his family, but since this man is here challenging for the Mire, she (incorrectly) assumes that the similarity in unique marking coincidence, not relation.

For now, she stands back, watches a good several yards away from the neutral side of the border. She's not going to get her hopes up, but she will keep an eye out for any lionesses that emerge from the direction of the inner territory.

photomanip by mono / table by k'sariya

well. wasn't this interesting?

Oberon had decided to go around, scouting the borders of other prides. trying to see if they were weak or not. some other guy had the same idea, and promptly challenged for a pride of his own. that took guts - something the bard warrior didn't feel he had - yet. oh, he had blind courage but knew he wasn't exactly ready to lead. not yet.

he stands close to the border, making sure not to go over the Mire's scent-line. he was here as a member of Caladon Cove, not a challenging male. it'd be interesting to see how the fight played out though. maybe this mauve guy was a piss poor fighter. maybe the leader of the pride was. who really knew until the alpha bitch showed up? he sat openly, looking in the direction of a woman he didn't know.

if they locked eyes, he'd flash her a grin, amused by the turn of events at play here. but he also knew it was important.

"he speaks"

code by corvus

10 exp - witness event (vine vs kiton for EM) - bard - 1/2
5 exp - attend challenge - bard - 1/2

Exigo a me non ut optimis

I require myself not to be equal to the best

double exp boost
+20 Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught
+10 Spy on a thread without getting caught
+10 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught

hidden


Well. Wasn't that interesting. Searching his memory, he found it was the first call of it's kind he'd heard in the land since his arrival. Unique enough, in his experience so far, that it effectively pulled his attention away from observing a curious mushroom growing atop the roof of his den.

Other battles for territory he'd attended had been fought over abandoned lands. As far as he knew, the swampy mess of a territory south of his own den was still occupied (it seemed like a thing he should be keeping tabs on, should an opportunity to explore inside the territory arise). Which meant someone was actually trying to take over, rather than seizing an empty land. Exciting.

Swift, sure, steps carried him toward the sound, having memorized the path he'd taken once before. Unlike the others (save the apparent challenger), he did not halt at the borders. Why would he? For the next few moments, they meant even less than usual.

He skirted the few individuals he could see gathering ahead, giving the soon-to-be crowd a wide berth as he used the ever-present fog as a convenient cover, along with his natural coloring, to hide his presence.

Sherlock would find a spot several feet into the territory, well out of view, and crouch down in a patch of convenient cover (inwardly cringing at the muck soaking into his fur). The challenger was not a man he recognized, but there was one familiar face already present. The girl with the white patch on her face who had been with Kimagure during the...unfortunate turn of events in the fields.

but to be better than the bad

par sim sed ut malis melior.

code by corvus

Not one to miss many challenges, the mauve lion was intrigued to hear the first challenge to be set against an existing monarch. Knowing that the Mire was ruled by a Casimir already put points in favor of whoever this challenger might be, in the Hodari's eyes anyway. Speaking of which, there was something familiar in this voice as it rang over the lands, but after years of separation between the two brothers, Roan didn't immediately place it. He though his twin long since dead, after all. Why would he ever anticipate finding the ashen lion in these lands?

Ever the curious ambassador, the Hodari didn't waste much time in moving towards the challenge, curious as to how it would be received. Certainly, not well by the lions of the Mire, of course, but who else might show up to watch the fight? As he neared the swampy lands, the scent of the Rainforest was already present as he followed that ever forward. Finding @Avreya first, the mauve lion moves to his sovereign's side before casting a glance around for any other familiar faces. Only then did he finally set his sights on the one seeking to challenge.

Kiton?

The breath was knocked from his chest in shock as Roan felt himself looking upon a ghost. He stood rigidly at his queen's side, unable to tear his minty gaze from the sight of the challenger. Could it really be? Everyone else seemed to come back to life in these lands. Why not Kiton as well? But the masked lion couldn't move. Couldn't speak. Could barely breathe as he simply stared upon his brother in disbelief.

Table & Reference by Amanda | Lineart by WolvesWoodGlenAdopts | Background from unsplash

under a black flag we sail

and the sea shall be our empire

+10 witness an event worthy of making history
+5 attend a challenge

The sound of roar caused the nearby group of hornbills to take to the sky in an agitated cloud. Argo, who had been watching them lazily for the past few moments, was suddenly alert - it wasn't often one heard a battle cry quite like that. His interest piqued, Argo made his way towards the source of the sound. It didn't take long before he scented a few lions on the breeze, and walked towards the small gathering already in waiting to witness the challenge.

Argo moved to stand at tails length away from an unfamiliar lion with spots across his pelt. His first inclination was to turn to this lion and strike up conversation about the upcoming match, but when he finally got close enough he realized that he recognized the lion who made the roar. "You bastard," he couldn't help but whisper to himself, a toothy smile crossing his face. It looked like his new friend wasn't just a boring ol' ambassador after-all, it looked like this prince was finally going to make himself a king.

code by corvus

The orange faced lioness was in a rather pleasant mood. Her mind had been thinking about those that she had met so far in the short amount of time she had been within Amaryllis. There had been some friendly females as well as some handsome males. Were as she did remember her encounters with most of the lionesses it was the lions who she was thinking about. All of them had been strong handsome devils. Large - well one had been rather small compared to the others but he had been fun to play with even still.

As she strolled she heard a roar and smirked. The girl realized it was the voice of a lion she had met at the peeks not long ago so she decided to make her way towards his roar. This challenge sounded like a good time. At the very least the was bound to be some yummy eye candy of two fighting lions.

And more it appeared. Coming towards the gathered she noticed all the gathered lions and lionesses on the neutral side of the border. Making her way over there she took a seat next to @Oberon and gave him a playful smile and a wink. ”Hey handsome.” She speak softly as she wrapped her tail around her and looked at Kiton. ”Break a leg Kiton. But try not to let it be yours.” She called out to him to give her support.

Always the curious little heathen; the carmine Noble made her way out of the Hollow's that morning and happening across the resounding call of a challenge. The first challenge that she had heard of, as most of them had been a claim of an otherwise empty pride that had turned into a challenge. But this - she knew Vine had still been a leader here so it was the Casimir that was being called to the show. If not for seeing what the outcome came to be, Zulema was most interested in roaming about to see Vine for herself. To get a good idea as to what kind of numbers he had and the general information of what came with it.

Perusing through the Mire and taking note of the swampy nature of the place, further cementing her dislike for the swamp and its murky appearance. Though, she was pleased to see that there were only a few that lingered to support this challenger even if no one had yet showed to begin the fight. So Zulema hunkered down and kept a watchful eye, staying (hidden) so that she could gauge the crowd without interference as well as to scope out the territory while she had the chance.

+10 Find a notable landmark in a territory
+10 Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught
+5 Spy on a thread without getting caught

Now that she was an Heiress, a leader for Vermeda, she had even more reason to attend these now more than ever. The last claim and challenge that she had been to had turned her world upside down - almost literally. A panic having risen in the midst of it all as a non-native shouted and called Nymeria out right beside her. Claiming things that were not true and if they were, then they were misconstrued information. It was only that set of mind that made her hesitate to go towards the familiar call but she had to be there.

So the woman made her way towards the call and with each step was able to bring herself more confidence. Reminding herself of her title and of her mission, eager to bridge the hate and uncertainty that non-natives had for her family and kin. Though, as confident as she was when she arrived and saw Kiton there she sat on the outside of most of those that had gathered. A thin layer of fear wrapped itself around her mind but she kept her eyes mostly on Kiton, proud to see him go for something and supporting him mentally and emotionally. After all she had grown to be rather fond of the mauve male and hoped that he might succeed so that he might have an alliance ready at his toes.

^{TABLE MANIP BY MONO, CODING BY DUSK}

+5 Explore the borders of a pride or group

Hera didn't have to venture too far into the mire before confronting the thick, dark mud which stuck unpleasantly to the pads of her paws. She tried not to focus too much on it, and instead on the plants around her - if one could call the thick, sharp bushes that surrounded the border plants anyway. It was interesting how these bushes appeared to be right at the edge of the mire territory, and she intended to see exactly how far they went when the roar sounded. Hera didn't know if it was just her imagination, but it seemed to shake the hanging branches above her.

Instinctually, Hera's head moved in the direction of the sound. It had been loud enough that she bet the source wasn't too far away, and (as quickly as she could move through the damp earth) she made her way towards it.

Sure enough, it didn't take long before Hera spotted the crowd of lions surrounding whoever had made the challenge call. Not wanting to draw too much attention to herself, she moved quietly to a spot far enough away from any one particular lion. As she found a place to stand and watch, she cast her yellow gaze to the front, where an unexpectedly familiar face was waiting for his match to begin. Looks like Kiton might be king after all, she thought, her heart racing in equal parts excitement at the prospect, and fear that her new friend could get himself badly hurt.

Art & code by Zodiac