Oh hell no. Oh HELL. NO.

Xerxes' eyes snapped to the lioness who showed up to challenge his mother, but it was @Gwyn he focused on afterwards. Deathly glare met with deathly glare, the injured yearling flashed his teeth. "Don't look at me like that, ya little bitch. Wouldn't be in this mess if it weren't for you." The lion snorted in defiance, unsheathing his claws to dig into the earth as he braced. "Go sulk in a corner, asshat." Xerxes didn't care if the man was technically a step-father because much like Manes, the beast had failed to prove himself worthy. Those who lost crowns were not worthy, leaving only Ambrosine left standing. His tail lashed irritably as he stood there, almost dating the man to attack.

1v1 me outside, scrub.

with withered wings and broken bones

these vengeful thoughts trapped underneath / rage, scorn, misery / payback for what you took from me / hope, love, sanity / i heard that you reap what you sow / so here's to believing in ghosts

code by corvus

ambrosine had considered not attending at all -- in fact, she really did not want to be anywhere near the lagoon. she had grown tired and exasperated by the ebb and flow of fickle people in her life, the ones that whispered such sweet melodies into awaiting ears, only to fall terribly short of her expectations. she was half to blame, she supposed, given that she had not sought a crown of her own from the beginning -- but ah, hindsight was twenty-twenty, wasn't it? and now the dieudonne matriarch was left simply hungering in the shadows, waiting for another opportunity at salvation, should it ever arise.

eventually, the tug of her curiosity forces her back towards the coastline, strolling up to the event, fashionably late, in all of her self-proclaimed glory. unlike usual, however, the woman had opted to throw away her usual aura of charming charisma and the coy warmth of her smile -- rather, today, she is but a glass statue, composed of hard lines, cold eyes, and taunt lips. she anticipates being the only one other family present, but thankfully it only takes a few moments for her amethystine gaze to fall onto the figures of @Vermier and @Amra, relief seeping secretly along her chest. her chest rumbled in a low, chuff in their direction, agitated that they were in this situation once again, and assuming that they mirrored such frustration. however, it was the rising voice of @Xerxes that grappled most strongly at the parisian's attention, passing a fleeting glance across pistis and the unknown challenger within the ring, so that she could hone in on her son's presence.

it seemed that his curt words were directed at none other than gwyn, who had apparently returned from the abyss that he had disappeared into, materializing somewhere amongst the fray. to be frank, it didn't matter so much to ambrosine -- but what did matter was the tension slathered thickly across the air between them, and the teetering of potential conflict. silently and without pause, the woman would look to push herself forward, taking a protective stance along xerxes' flank, with her eyes never so much as even fluttering towards the casimir man, as she opted to settle them across the squabbling women. she could play the part of silent, brooding phantom for her son -- a bodyguard, should he please, or should it be deemed necessary in the moment. hopefully her presence would be enough to deter further wailing, as ambrosine would much rather wallow in her own self-turmoil. it was with great sorrow that she had come to realize that few others in her life were dependable and true -- barring amra and vermier, of course, who stood as testaments to ambrosine's ability at love and share unwavering fealty with her kin.

((+5 Spy on a thread without getting caught))

Her pelt had been coated in mud to conceal her scent. As soon as she had heard the commotion beginning, she had found the nearest puddle and dunked herself in it, rubbing mud all over already brown, brindled pelt. Rising from the puddle, she hurried towards where all the lions were gathering, careful to ensure that no one saw her approaching through the trees. She intended to watch what was happening without being seen.

Priory found a perch a small distance away from where the challenge was taking place, watching as lionesses clashed below. She crawled into the underbrush, branches scraping against her skin as she observed.

His niece eh? The Casimir line grew yet again. A good thing, no doubt, so long as she was as much a hellion as her father. Though truthfully, Wodnik still wasn't entirely certain his faith in the patriarch was well placed. Time would tell. There was the possibility for forgiveness, and truth be told Wodnik wasn't entirely hard to please.

He nodded politely at the babe, mentally marking her as someone to keep an eye on when she grew as she could likely be a threat. A threat to what he wasn't certain, but that look in her eyes as she stared up at him... it wasn't one to be taken lightly.

The fight before them began, but someone called out to Gwyn and that stole his attention. Wodnik rose with a snarl, fangs bared at the boy's insolence. His muscles strained as he held himself back from lunging, awaiting his patriarch's command to do so or not. Merely say the word Gwyn, and loose the newly loyal hound at your side.

@Gwyn

Another call, this time the voice was familiar to the young lioness. Lilith made her way through the lagoon and although she hadn't been a member when her father's fortress fell she had lingered around the territory. Most of her family had resided here after all and Lilith was never quite far from her loved ones. That branch had been extended when Pistis had formed a relationship with her father and Lilith found that she had grown quite affectionate of the woman. To now see her in the throes of battle, for a home nonetheless, Lilith found herself in awe. She was of course worried for her wellbeing, but would be here to assess the damage afterwards. Pistis was more then capable of tending to her own wounds but Lilith didn't have any doubt in her mind that she would dote on her afterwards regardless of whether she wanted the affection or not. Smoothly the quiet woman made her way to stand next to @Siofra, her voice reaching out to her younger sister. "She will be okay, will you help me tend to her afterwards though?" Immediately asking for her sister's help Lilith reclined back onto her haunches, keen on watching intently in order to fully take in what they would be dealing with afterwards.

+5 - Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (1/2)


@Pistis @Siofra

_{BG — CODE}

All that glitters is not gold

This time he bites the bullet. This time he follows the sound of the call to arms, to claim a land far to the southeast of his home. It's taken a while for him to work up the courage for it, even if he will not admit such weakness. He is too curious now too, having encountered a few of the strangers at this point. Wanting to know, to understand, to learn to help his sister better navigate the challenges they posed to their home. It just took him a moment to gather the energy to stalk from their home and follow the paths of @Aquila, @Talisa, @Tullia, and @Nymeria across the world.

He blinks as he nears, poleaxed by the variety of scents, and then the sheer number of faces in the crowd. Sunny eyes seek familiar faces, hoping to take shelter in their comfortable presence. Ah there they were. Aquila was bristled like a hedgehog, full of spit and vitriol for something he did not know of, had not heard. Something that someone had said perhaps? He didn't know, and his sister was elsewhere, talking to some of the others. For a moment, he is torn as to where to go before he falls into step behind Nymeria. Catching her words as they fall from her lips and the look, understanding flashing in yellow orbs. Yes, he would like some clarification on the battle at the center of the mess.

So the golden shadow stepped beside his tawny sister, settling in. A silent presence of support as she took the lead in the investigation. He was a touch overwhelmed by it all, and took her presence as a lifeline in the chaos of the challenge.
""""

Manip by Era, Code by Saph

(Observe a challenge to learn its results)

After Kimagure hit her head on the rock a few days ago he'd been following her, not bothering to hide his presence. The boy found no shame in stalking her if it meant ensuring that she was in peak condition. Being the high sovereign of the rainforest made her health just as important as her rank. Anyone that knew him knew that her rank had nothing to do with him watching her though. No, he did it because she was his mother and he cared for her more than he cared for anyone else- excluding Tamotsu, he loved his brother as much as he did his mother.

So when she walked past the stale borders of another pride, he followed without hesitation. The call that rang out proved that there was no official leader, so he wasn't too concerned by her actions. It took some time for him to arrive to the scene, where he laid eyes on a bunch of lions he'd never seen before. Luckily, there were a few he recognized, specifically his fellow pride mates.

As he neared @Kimagure, he offered @Avreya a small nod in greeting. Once he got closer, he'd flash a smile at @Eina then attempt to bump his head against his mother's shoulder affectionately, before seating himself next to the yearling. He looked around, noticing the tension between a grey yearling, a brown lioness, and a palomino male. The possibility of a second fight breaking out remained at the back of his mind. However the main event instead drew most of his attention, causing his gaze to settle on the battling lionesses. Should either of them become injured, he could offer them some aid.

+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (1/2)

+5 Spy on a thread without getting caught
+5 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught
+5 Study the landscape of an area

[[hidden]]

A commotion along the coast drew his curiosity and attention. Well, more accurately - a denser and fresher collection of scents, tracks, and voices, all heading in a similar direction, caught his attention as he passed near the southern coastal peninsula (arm of a larger gulf? cove? further exploration was required to discover and map out the precise geography). Curiously, he passed an enormous dark figure going the opposite direction, though made no move to address him. Whatever mission the man was on was not really his problem or concern.

His pace slowed as he neared the area of interest. Ahead, scents piled on top of each other - too many to pick apart quickly, to assign a number with any hope of accuracy - as did the tracks (easier to count, but not terribly important when the desired data was gathered just as simply by continuing on his path).

Opportunity presented itself in the form of a patch of low brush and a convenient pair of mature palms, more than sufficient cover to conceal him from the group as a whole. Times like these made him thankful for his more common, if dark, coloration. Several in the crowd were far more exciting to look at as far as fur color and markings went. He recognized one as the oddly green boy he'd encountered (or who had encountered him?) up the coast a while ago. And another, more commonly-colored beast he dubbed 'hemlock' in his mind, for lack of learning his actual name.

In the rough center of the gathering, a white female clashed with a grey one, and then he understood. A territorial dispute. Dull, honestly. Politics in general held very little interest for him unless it was somehow relevant to a more intriguing puzzle. Here, then, his attention began to wander to the land itself.

A small psuedo-island, labeled as such in his mind due to the fact it was clearly still connected to the mainland (a fact revealed by a low tide). It didn't seem to be linked to the larger coast at any other point that he could see, and he filed that fact away in his mind. Strategically, quite desirable. One way in or out, unless one's enemies were adept swimmers. Rare for lions. A dip in the distance indicated a probable inner source of water, though he wondered if it was fresh or seawater. If the latter, that was a disadvantage; members would be forced to head into the mainland to seek a place safe to drink. Although, with a bit of effort and creativity, even seawater could be rendered safe enough. Assuming, of course, there weren't other fresh sources that weren't immediately visible.

Palms seemed the dominant foliage, and it was easy enough to assume any previous dens or storage areas would be located distant enough from the shore to remain safe during high tide. Of course, with the old group disrupted, the current locations were likely to change as things resettled. They always did.

code by corvus

OOC: Maia support crew! +5 Observe a challenge and learn the results It wasn’t mere curiosity that brought Clementine Linette Gable here. It was rather…solidarity. Though not quite best of pals with the girl, she had taken an almost instant liking to Maia. After all, they were of similar age. And well, Maia had talked to her. That’s it. That’s really all the incentive she needed. So desperate she was for a friend. A bosom sister. Someone to shriek and giggle with, to rant about to when the thought of one the boys back home made her mad, to cry to when she missed her family. Clementine picked her way through the crowd, trying to find a place where Maia would see her and feel supported. But the fighting had begun already, and there would be little chance to talk until the end of the match. Still, the peachy girl couldn’t help but smile awkwardly in the challenger’s direction, hoping, praying that somehow it would fill her with confidence. As she would’ve like, had she been in Maia’s place. Though she could hardly beat up a frog, how would she fight a lion? "Speech" I may never sleep tonight *image referenced by Sebastian Niedlich on Flickr under creative commons liscense 2.0*

attempting to stay hidden
the vixen had been lurking on the edges of the coast when there was an abrupt shift to the air — a change, as the sweet whispers of drama and ambition swept forth upon the wind, luring curious souls and members of fealty together towards the southern edge of the land. she watched their bodies trickle past her down the beach, electric pools looming upon the wayward shapes and the purposeful steps with which they moved, until she finally convinces herself that it may actually be worth her while to take a little peak at the happenings at the lagoon.

and so she goes, an ethereal phantom amongst a sea of mortals, keeping her body low and tucked beneath the cover of shadows as to not bring any attention to her arrival. kalisz looked on eagerly through the crowd, focusing only on the challengers within the centre of the fray — so much so, that she would fail to see the company of her clan, hanging upon the beach in the same fashion, blended amongst the crowd and far from the gaze of their younger progeny. velveteen lips remained sealed, the woman’s slender form nestled along the outskirts, secluded, hidden, and content in her lonesome as she watched.