Canopus, Rigil Kentaurus, Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Rigel...

AND FINALLY THERE IS SIRIUS

The world did shout for violence, the lands had tasted blood, sweat, and tears and craved for more. We were all too happy to obliege but shyed away all the same. War. What a dirty word. Harm, ill wishing, betrayal was fine. But no, don't take that last step. That's the line. Flirt with it, tempt it, but to cross it is to be scolded. But if this world was so ill opposed to war then perhaps there was beauty in these actions anyways. Aquila was not of his right mind and more sound, comforted, in his thoughts than he had been for a long time. Large prides, alliances, political shit were nothing. He had his own paws, they worked just fine. He had to do something- he was tired of wondering, waiting. Letting the 'smarter' lions move the chess pieces around... what had that done? No one was better off here than where they were. They did not have security, they had nothing promised to them. If not by other outsiders than by Aquila himself. He was not guilt free. Part of him knew what it would lead too. All along he'd worried about it and now he stood upon the threshold to open the door himself. It was inevitable. Violence, was inevitable. Maybe that was what Maua wanted to teach them all along? And that he, so entrenched and protective of their ways, would be the one to usher them into this new design Maua had and bury what they had been before? It was the only way this all made sense. The only truly peaceful thought he'd had in a year, it oblieged his worries, his prejudices he'd carried. It settled all the questions he'd had about Maua's intentions.

Give their ways a chance Aquila.

A chance I shall.

Earlier that evening he set out alone he set out from the Oasis across the landscape so that no one might be blamed or tied to this anymore than they already were. Upon moonlight, into the night, and a warm summer wind they carried him eastwards to the edges of the Rainforest. He'd trekked towards the north end, near the mountain range that stumbled between the forest and the tundra. It was dark and starlit by time he arrived. He glided across Sangria's borders into her home. But purposefully not carrying himself too far before his call began to hum on the wind, threatening, daring a deep rumbling voice that he hoped would send Sangria into a flurry to get here. He didn't want to be found too soon by anyone else before the Sovereign could answer his rising voice, he trekked a little further eastwards. It was her he came for, none of the pride, none of Wolfbron he'd angrily called enemy in the moment. It was her. He didn't speak for his family, he was his own. He and Her. As it should be. Teach me your violent ways.

( Yes you read right. Thread is AW and he's obviously not hiding, but please avoid officially engaging him in a fight. Sangria gets first dibs on that <3 )

art by aurora, code by bluey

[OOC: HERE WE GO YO. Let the BULLFUCKERY......COMMENCE. ROUND ONE DING.] Sangria had been resting, curled amongst the boughs of the Rainforest. It was perhaps a fitful sleep.. but it was a sleep nonetheless. The carmine woman heard the call that echoed through the trees and frowned, blinking herself awake. When she stared blearily into the dim opening that made her den, she thought she might have imagined it... Then it came again and the colossus was up and moving. Her snarl ripped forcefully from her breast as she lurched from her den, throwing herself into the bosom of the lady forest. Ears pinned to her skull as bi-colored gaze narrowed in the direction of her quarry. Claws bit deep into the sandy loam as her form hurtled through the well familiar pathways. She had promised the Oasis King when he last left her lands that should she see him again - he would leave with a few less body parts. She was going to make good on that promise. A roar of rage rent the boughs above and sent birds of different colors scattering in panic, colored feathers fluttering to the ground below. "You!" Her snarl preceded the angry word as she crashed noisily through the brush to face the intruder. Sangria cast her gaze around behind him - expecting more of his pride to come slinking from the foliage. Slinking like the snakes they were. "I warned you what would happen if I caught you here again!" The woman would bristle, standing before the Andallan, firmly preventing him from moving farther into Firnen lands. Rage pounded in her veins - and she cleared the last hurdle of a fallen tree before attempting to slam her form into Aquilla's side. To try to knock the King out of her territory before she REALLY tore into his hide. One Chance Kingy Boy. "Sangria" -vs- "Aquila" -for- "DEATH" -Round- "0"-of- "5"

code by koi

water & oil

"Aquila, NO!"

But it's too late. She's already seen the pieces set into motion, already heard the cry for blood from the angered queen. Furia races to the scene behind him, but her steps falter when she realizes what is about to transpire. There's a solid chance he'll win, of course, but Furia is immediately lost at the idea of losing him. "No, please, don't do this," she wants to scream, but from her throat comes only a whisper as the inevitable tears begin to fall. Furia doesn't know what to do, and so she does the only thing she can: she calls for @Nymeria, she calls for @Kiton and @Roan and Dero, she calls for everyone she can think of as she wails in her grief, unable to stomach the idea of losing someone so precious to her. Again.

Again.. and again and again and again.

One thing is for certain. Should he fall, she will avenge him tenfold.

He managed a side step of her shove, a figure large and in carmine brushed through the space he once occupied and the bronze Sovereign took a few more strides into the Rainforest's homelands. I wasn't listening. He mocked, embolden and ablaze he egged her one. Delighted, elated she'd come along first. He seemed almost happy to see her in the most perverse way. Twisted, cruel humor- but he was used to the world laughing at him so this really all made sense. They all want to wait- He uttered. -do nothing. But you know... you know how frustrating that is? Of something building in your gut, of the need to do and act. He'd come to realize Sangria was more alike to him than met the eye. She just did not have the leash, the expectations, maybe not the responsibility either. And he envied that... The Oasis King's body tightened where he stood, braced, unmoving and unrelenting. He could settle this right now, like it should have been settled months and months ago before the outsiders got so entrenched, so entitled.

@Furia's voice broke something free of that numbing, but heightened, state of feeling Aquila was going through. It pierced right into his heart and stupidly he turned to face her instead of Sangria. Confusion washed over his features. ... Furia? For maybe the second, maybe third, time in his life he was unhappy to see her. But he'd never felt quite this level of guilt for making her upset.

Sangria -vs- Aquila
-for-
DEATH
-Round-
0-of- 5

Odette wasn't a typical lioness when it came to her way of thinking or even her way of living. She had taken to her home in the rainforest as well as could be managed and the very petite lioness had grown to like climbing the very tall trees, choosing to stay up high near the canopy versus lower near the ground. Because of this simple fact it was she that noticed the arrival of @Aquila perhaps even before @Sangria did. She could smell the tension in the air, could see the hostility in his movements. But Odette was drawn forward eagerly, moving with stealth and ease across the tree branches as she balanced and then paused, her yellow gaze narrowed just slightly as she leaned down a bit to better watch the show below. It did not take her Queen long to respond to the call and for a brief second Odette expected things to escalate rather quickly, however there was a pause. She shifted her gaze then, watching as an unfamiliar woman screamed the name of the man, apparently they were connected somehow. This caused Aquila to falter and Odette watched greedily, this would be the perfect opportunity for Sangria to attack! She leaned forward on her perch, claws digging into the tree's branch to help stabilize herself as she watched, right ear craned forwards to gather as much intel as she could all the while.

@Furia's call sent ripples of ice shooting down nymeria’s spine, jolting her from her resting place and instantly sending her mind into a vivid panic. her thoughts instinctively went somewhere dark and somber and evil, but she could not bring herself to believe that it was within the realm of possibilities — it couldn’t be. but the hodari would not be calling for the valour in such a way without good and dire reason, and that fact alone was frightening, prompting her heart to sink and her stomach fo double-over. but the queen could not wait a moment more, as she scrambled from the brook on clumsy, erratic paws, heading in the direction of the rainforest and from where furia’s plea had come from. as she moved, she would send out a series of calls for her own kin, while also instructing the children to stay put; she would not force anyone to get involved, for there had already been too much stress and carnage put on their people in recent times — but they had a right to know what was happening, for they were all family

Nymeria bursted from the tree-line, the voices of those already present ringing across the cool, silent air of the evening, slicing at her skin like daggers. and instantly, as her eyes fell upon the scene splayed before her, nymeria could feel her heart shatter into a million, tiny little pieces within her chest, her face breaking into an expression of pure shock and dismay. she would move protectively to furia’s left side, head spinning, as she hoped to try her best to speak, to rationalize, whilst her eyes searched for those of @Aquila. "you don’t have to do this — please, there has to be another way," the woman nearly begged, voice rasping, as pain and fear clasped tightly around her throat. he did not have to give his life to prove this point; he did not have to give his life for the name and lands of maua — surely, their deity would never ask for such a thing from aquila? this could not be the only solution. and yet, a small part of her felt as though her words would never be enough to soothe the fractured tensions and the rage that so fervently filled the air around them, and the fact that, maybe aquila was right when he had said this had always been coming for them upon the horizon. but still, the thought of losing her cousin suddenly became all too real, realer than she ever imagined it would be — and so she could only pray silently for his understanding, as well as that of the firnen sovereign.

Oh? What was this? The call for battle that drew the demon forth and into the fold. He was not a crowd person and never would he as he traveled towards the sound of such a call for death. Who would have thought that he would not be the one to deal it out. Oh, but this was the one time that Envy would hide that delicious scent of his. He had taken it upon himself to roll in mud and rub on different trees and herbs that would hide the scent of death that clung to his very body before traveling into a group so vast.

Paws carried the shadow into the Forest, a place he had yet to explore but had seen on top of the Peak nearby. The adrenaline that he smelled mixed with scents that he was not familiar was rather interesting and intriguing all in the same. It drew him closer until he was on the edge but not inside. Envy did not plan to be within this crowd if things went south. He wasn't going to put his family into the situation that Pride had done.

Envy found himself hiding within the very shadows and foliage that was nearby. Keeping himself close to the ground as he was large but not that large. Ears fell on top of his head as Envy would hide himself from the growing crowd and watch as the fight began to unfold. Who would come out the victor? He was unaware of who was who, not being close enough to get their scents. He was here for strict information.

+5 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught
+5 Practice hiding your scent

image by moogle/code by saph

It wasn't a call for him but it was a call that stopped the pink Viking in his tracks. At first he thought it were but a joke, a ploy to see how he would react to such sound. But as it continued would he kick himself into high gear, crossing the land of Amaryllis at breakneck speed and not stopping until he arrived at the Rainforest's doorstep. As sides heaved and nostrils flared to regain steady breathing, golden eyes would stare blankly at @Aquila. What was he doing? Never did Valhalla thought the Oasis ruler would pull a move like this, shocking even the Brynmawr. There he would stand for several moments, seeming to lose himself in a world that was slowly turning shadowed and red.

"Let him do this!" the colossal would call out, above @Nymeria's voice. It was a response to her pleading, but even she must know the Valour King wasn't going to listen. Not now, not in this moment. He had set his mind to what he wished to do, and if this was Maua's will... A scoff would be released as he thought of that; this could never be Maua's will yet there they all were. With a slow and steady inhale and exhale would Valhalla move closer toward the Brook leader, a rather eerie calm now washing over him. "If he dies, she will die, too." Words were spoken in clear and even tones, almost too steady for the boiling rage that was swirling within him. If anything happened to Aquila today Valhalla would not stop until that red bitch was gasping for her last breath, preferably with his jaws around her neck.

table by sentinel / lion + cliffs

battle song reached the rogue's ears, piquing her interest. the rainforest was buzzing tonight, it seemed. drama lurked beneath its canopy, and theia wanted to find out exactly what that was all about. paws tread lightly over the peaty earth, the clay woman lurking in the parts shrouded in darkness. the moon had a difficult time penetrating the thick collection of leaves, branches, vines that tangled overhead. it was useful for a nosy rogue such as herself.

but the woman didn't truly care about hiding herself. it sounded like the residents had much more to worry about now than a vagabond in their midst. she'd linger among the edges of the gathering, sitting with her back against a particularly burly tree trunk. crystalline eyes shone with intrigue.

a massive behemoth of a woman had barrelled into a man. one who seemed rather...confused? she couldn't put her thumb on it. others were begging for him to stop - she caught this, as their eyes glued meaningfully to him. don't distract him, you fools! theia thought to herself, frowning.

yelling at gladiators mid-battle was the worst possible thing to do as a spectator. especially if you're holding out for one in particular. distraction in a fight made for a quick loss. it was clear that this was a death match, bloody intent clear in the sounds she'd heard and the looks on the faces of both those fighting and those clamoring.

argos was missing out, probably napping somewhere while she'd just snarled at him to hunt. this is what he got for being lazy, missing a possibly key point in their quest to learn of the people in this land. their services required knowledge in the political wax and wane of prides.

this was the perfect opportunity for them to assert themselves as pawns in this war.

-theia is spectating-

Ygritte may be busy creating her own life. Creating her own garden full of herbs didn't mean she was not aware of the sudden change that went across the atmosphere. Ears pressed against her head and forwards as she would listen before taking her den to find the pouch that she would carry her herbs in. Once she had it secured on her body, Ygritte would take off towards the scents. Her mother being one of them and her body felt panic. Ygritte had been aware that Aquila had found himself a new home. A place that could be his own but was unaware of the things that were happening outside of the Brook. She had been caught up in her own safety. But this was something different and the panic and fear that she could smell coming off of her mother as she came up to @Nymiera's side with a slight brush. What's happening? She couldn't smell any blood but the tension in the air was thick and heavy. Something she was not comfortable with and it showed.