oh, but this place was gorgeous. no wonder someone wanted to call it home! he picks his way easily towards the growing crowd, intent to see what all the fuss was about. ruslan, surely, would prefer a home somewhere a little more rocky and less sandy, but this seemed like a paradise to elijah. he sighs softly, a fluttery sound, as he slips among those gathered - surprised to see that the claimant is a familiar face. he knows so few in these lands - and it's a delight to be in the know. of course vas's claim does not go uncontested: soon, a cub confronts him, proclaiming the lands to be his. "good luck!" he calls to dirius, smiling as he does; he had fierce competition! the cub was all claws and fangs - a truly fearsome sight.

""

"Some of you never grow out of it." Siofra chastized her brother with a growing and knowing grin across her face. She'd heard of his adventures thus far- in father's words a fool. Damning enough to give the calm sister means and method to press brother's buttons. She arrived from behind Zagan and feet carefully danced across the earth below towards him, ready and willing to stand at his side should he need another breathing soul there, or should the need arise to have back up.

The arena was crowded, Siofra focused away from the man proclaiming himself to be majesty. There would be time later to afford to him, anything excited or spectacular would come from elsewhere for right now...

OOC: none
Tag:@Zagan

Of course she was interested! Aarani had missed the two previous pride claims and was all sorts of downtrodden over it. The victor didn't matter as much whether or not anyone needed healing, because quite honestly it had been a while since her skills had been out to use. Although she wasn't hoping for bloodshed and death, Aarani would be around on the off chance it happened. She picked her way through the crowd to settle by herself, glancing at her swollen belly with a nose twitch of annoyance at how rotund she was. Giving birth alone would be depressing, she thought, but that was alright. Nothing happened unless the spirits willed it.

The ebony and steel woman cast his mismatched eyes toward Zagan noticing his approach to her side long before he spoke up. His words were a little entertaining but she did not particularly agree with the clay yearling. A thin smile drawing over her lips as she watched him try to distract the bold cub that wanted to challenge for leadership.

"It is not so foolish, prides do need to be formed to give us places to live." Artemis had no quarms with how the lion society dealt with claiming and challenging - it was a test so that the strongest and the most capable found themselves incharge. "It is not just lions either. I saw another claim where a lioness claimed the land and then beat a challenger. It was at the cove." Artemis would explain her odd gaze of ice and fire looking toward the golden lion who wished to rule for a fleeting moment before turning her attention back to the child whom wa trying to interupt.

Zagan's approach was to poke the cub while Artemis tried another. "Perhaps it would be wise to sit out of this challenge until you grow a little older and larger, child." She would get straight to the point, her smile growing a touch more as she overheard Siofra's quip back at Zagan wondering if the pair knew each other because of it.

This is mine? Untrue. All land belonged to Dieudonne. Vermier hoped Ambrosine's blood was whet enough. She had not challenged the claim for the dismal underground cave system, but of course that was a pathetic place! She had been ascertaining the numbers of the gazelle that now ruled there. And Vermier had been studying too! Ambrosine would never guess that but he had! He had counted those who were with his sister. And those who were with Genya. And those with Gwyn. The Dieudonne and their allies numbered enough to be a contender for a pride.

Ambrosine had not ordered him to take a pride, but neither did she order him to eat and kill and fight and breathe. These were his natural duties. He growled once as each of his two brain cells came to the same decision. Fight for glory of Dieudonne! An opportunity upon a beautiful landscape. Amra would scout the bounty of the lands. Ambrosine would stretch out tendrils of influence. And Vermier would sit on a throne of blood. Through this beautiful landscape skulked as its supreme predator, striding in plain sight with confidence. He approached the gathering, flicking his ember gaze rapidly around until he found the large male whose posture reeked of arrogance and who seemed to be the center of undeserved attention. A fine gazelle to be sure. One of his sister's bastards was already in attendance... trying to claim the glory that was due to him, as her brother!

Vermier charged, attempting to approach the beast's right shoulder diagonally from the frontish. His eyes were narrowed and ears back, expecting retaliation (a rain of blood) and his tail waved out, thrashing vigorously in time with his movements. There was no finesse for this hound nor mercy for his target as he attempted to bite into the muscle of the outer right shoulder, trying to sheer off chunks for the feast. All his limbs were invested in balance, claws out and toes spread, bearing the weight of his attempted charge to try to invest brutality into his attack. The first strike must be true; if false, still delicious.

Vermier vs @Vasilis
Scilla Lagoon
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 10 + 7 + 6 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 9 + 19 + 20 + 1

Edited by Ice: correct dice roll. Was #d20. Added in the correct number based on sidebar. Removed luck round.

"and i would think twice before laying a hand on him —" the parisian’s voice is sharp, electric, as she barrels in behind vermier’s formidable form. where her initial reaction had been pride and glory for her dearest brother, the mood soured quickly when she saw a stranger reaching out, prodding towards @Tripfire. her son. she had already lost two of her children, and it had sent the woman into somewhat of a spiral, teeth barred and eyes glowering with even the slightest hint of a threat towards her kin. ambrosine did not trust these lands, nor these strangers, and her instincts were starting to drive her off the deep-end of reactionary spats.

the ebony woman, who ambrosine remembered vaguely from the beach, was regarded with a brief flicker of her gaze; artemis’ words were valid, but for the other yearling to touch? sacré blue! without hesitation do serpentine limbs push the dieudonne forward and into the crowd, looking to take a stance behind tripfire, casting her shadow down upon his smaller, amber figure. her lips were pursed into a thin line as her gaze settled rightfully on @Zagan — and to make matters worse, amra and rythian were present also amongst the challenge. truth be told, that only made ambrosine’s angry flare further, wildfires burning within her chest as she sweeps a glance towards her cousin, who had been so mercilessly snatched away that day in the hollows. there was certainly unfinished business on that front, as well— but the woman could only deal with one thing at a time.

Amara was fair less pleased or proud that Vermier decided on this place to try and claim. It wasn't anything special and was far to close to the other pride for Amara to ever feel comfortable. Still, she followed Ambro. Mostly relaxed u til she saw Ambro's body language switch and heard her words. Golden eyes lock onto what had caused the change and Ambro's fire spreads through her. Do not touch. Amara saw Ambro's and Mona's cubs as her charges and wouldn't allow anymore to fall. The dark lioness made her way so she came up behind @Zagan and @Artemis. Her focus mostly on the male but not forgetting the other was there. She remained silent, steady, and ready to leap into action should she be needed. He was tiny but they still didn't know who was who here yet and they didn't need a repeat of the rogue attacks.

KNEEL TO THE CROWN       With the woman's response, he wondered if she'd misunderstood him. "No, not that. I meant," He gestured toward the cub. "That. Prides are necessary. Challenging for leadership when one isn't fully grown... not so much." He shrugged as she tried her own method of talking the cub down. A nice compliment to his physical touch, distracting both of body and mind to keep the youth from angering a full fledged adult male who could--though most would never dare--shred him quite easily. He could not keep a scowl from his face when Siofra chimed in, though. Leave it to his sister to appear and tease him at the most inopportune of moments.       The attempt at peacible redirection, however, had failed. Just when he was thinking that killing the cub would be a terrible waste of good bravado, too. So much for changing his mind from its primal ways. He supposed there just weren't many worthy families anymore.       The clay-clad clossus withdrew his paw. "You should keep a closer eye on your cubs." His voice was venom and anger. Protective mothers were respected, yes, but unreasonable ones were hated almost as much as their male progeny. "Lest they stumble into trouble and there is no kind bystander to keep them from doing something stupid." The hair along his back stood on end as his muzzle wrinkled into a snarl. It seemed that, no matter what his course of action, he was wrong. No more. "If my attempt to direct him away from danger should demand violence," He was well aware of his sister at his back, knowing she could hold her own in a fight, but unaware of another female lining up behid him. "Then so be it."       Ears flattened, eyes narrowed. Paw back on the ground he needed only to bend his limbs slightly to achieve balance. Let her come, if she wished. He was unafraid to cut her tongue from her mouth for daring to scold a Casimir for going against its instinct to protect a threat. Let her cast the first stone, though, so that his was the role of revenge. 352 words | @Artemis, @Siofra, @Ambrosine, @Amara STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king

So many had arrived at his claiming of the Lagoon, many he had never seen before and others he had met not long before now. He shifted his gaze to the young lioness that entered, the very one he met in the caves as he dipped his head to her. "It's quite alright.." He knew that someone or others would not like his claim on the new land. He shuffled his weight as more and more came, and then a child came forward - he was very daring he had to tell himself, the little cub was brazen to step forth during such a stressful time. More and more started to join and his eyes swept across each face, a few more he knew and more he did not. Wonderful, he thought. His eyes set forward and his body never left his defensive pose - his mouth closed as he took large sparing breathes in his wait. Which wasn't long might he add if someone were to ask him.

In came a challenger and Vasilis were quick to go on the defensive. The stranger came at him head-on at his right side, The man growled at the stranger. His hips sway and turn his body slightly to the right - his left paw rises from the ground and aims an attempt to grab at his opponent's own right side, hoping that he could possibly hook near the inside of brutes elbow. The stranger's mouth did land on Vasilis's shoulder, (but a few inches to the left due to Vasilis swaying to the right from before) but it had still landed and he knew he'd feel that for days to come as it healed. There would be bruising there as well Vasilis knew since his opponent had charged at him from the get-go, and just by looking at his size he definitely knew there'd be an underlining bruise below those punctures. Sneering with his nose wrinkling and eyes nearly hooded as he squinted to protect them, Vasilis would use his remaining legs to keep him balanced as his head reacted like a knee jerk reaction.

He would attempt to slam his face into the stranger's head (not to headbutt him) but to aim in an attempt to grab at his opponent's right ear and if he had landed his attempts successfully, Vasilis would seek to pull his weight and aim to roll the male to the left. The stranger's fangs would leave deep punctures into his shoulder though, causing Vasilis to suck in air into his mouth. His tail whipped behind him low and never too high, his neck scrunched so his mane would protect his throat and nape for anything that may come to him.

OOC: a rundown of Vasilis's moves:
DEFENSIVE - moves slightly to the right.
ATTACK - Aims to attempt to grab at Vermier's elbow with his left paw, and attempts to grab at Vermier's right ear.
WRITTEN DAMAGE - Deep puncture wounds to Vasilis's right shoulder and underlaying bruising.

Vasilis vs. @Vermier

For: Scilla Lagoon

Round: 1 / 5

Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 1 + 17 + 16 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 7 + 3 + 14

There was always a part of Vermier that was attuned to his sister. Her command could end the fight, or escalate it. If she ordered him to go belly up before this stranger he would do so. All of this without question, and none of this bothered him. He focused on his fight but he was aware of her tension. She navigated with words first. Himself with fangs that had glanced their mark, taken blood and bruise from the shoulder meat but not peeled it from the bone. His appetite whet, saliva coated his fangs. His ember eyes were still narrowed. Vermier had charged in with caution taken for his footing. He had not overextended himself, but he had invested in his weight, so that he could not easily lift or adjust his right limb to avoid his opponent's swipe. Claws wound three swiped lines, back to front for 2 inches along his right side at the level of his elbow and terminating in deeper trenches in the fat behind his right elbow. Vermier snarled, disliking pain that was not his, the reminder of his mortality and the possibility of failure. Hot blood. The sensation of ripped wounds. Blood that he could not enjoy, because it was his own.

The older male had obviously done this before. Experienced gazelle. The neck was obviously scrunched and protected from sneaky cannibals such as himself. A shift of the head had Vermier deciding to counter it, unwilling to cede a higher position so early in the fight. Three limbs grounded, he pushed himself backward a foot to try to better create space and avoid the whole pretzel lion situation. Meanwhile he tried to sneak his left paw up, claws out, and try to drag downward from the punctures in his opponent's right shoulder. He also tried to angle his jaws slightly upward, necessary to attempt to cage the other lion's muzzle within his own fangs and thus try to counter whatever sneaky motions the other had planned for his still perfectly flattened ears (aka damage to ear and roll of weight pending) - though a couple scratches stung across his own whisker pads, beading blood, were unavoidable. Mess with the jaws, get the fangs.

Vermier vs @Vasilis
Scilla Lagoon

Round 2 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 14 + 15 + 20 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 17 + 11 + 4 + 20