As the days passed, she got more and more irritated. Yes, her husband had won the battle but… that woman had been a coward. So, Pistis decided to go to The Pit. They ladies could figure this out amongst themselves. She hadn’t asked for Gwyn’s permission, had simply gone there, seeking an answer. The woman relied on her own husband to fight her battles. But not this time. She’d have to answer to Pistis.

She got into her defensive stance, slightly bent limbs, tail out for balance, eyes narrowed, jaws parted. Then, she let out a loud roar, basically releasing an angry, ‘Ambrosine!’ From her lips. She’d learned the woman’s name from Ames’s whispering next to her. Storing the information away for later. Now she had cause to use it. She was irritated and ready to fight. She didn’t care whether she won or lost, she just wanted to get a few snacks in.

Pistis vs @Ambrosine
For Dominance
Round 0 of 3

we get colder... as we grow older

manip by Rowan | code by twesh

the days following the challenge, and her husband's fight, had been interesting to stay the least. the tides were turning and, one way or another, ambrosine intended for her family to remain afloat, despite any temporary setbacks or difficult forks in the road. she did not place too much weight on what had transpired at the lagoon, but when she hears her name rise up over the silent breeze, she knows that someone has had it on their mind.

the parisian takes her time arriving, no urgency or purpose to her gait, as serpentine limbs draw her in towards the stone arena, eyeing the grey woman waiting there within a ring. oh? there is the slightest quirk to her brow as the dieudonne descends into the stadium, her defences set idly and nose wrinkled in a look of distaste. "and you are?" tones ask dryly, amethystine gaze narrowed as she stands before the other in the pit with squared shoulders and stony features. they liked to throw hissy-fits almost as much as her children, she supposed -- but such was the way of dramatics, as she was accustomed to.

@Ambrosine vs. @Pistis
for dominance
round 0/3

The look of disgust on the other’s face made her blood boil, but she kept her face neutral, if perhaps a bit cold. The nerve... though. Pistis opened her mouth at the question, “Pistis Casimir, your husband attacked mine with little reason, though, mine won. I feel as though you need to answer for allowing him to fight your battles for you.” Because she knew she would lose to Gwyn, if Pistis had to make a guess. Part of her, though, was not as confident when she heard that accent. It was like that of her Grandmother’s and it caused her to remember her past. Would Éve approve of such a thing? She’d been confident, outspoken, and feisty, but never gotten into a physical scrap. But unless Ambrosine convinced her otherwise, she was still ready to fight.

Her tail swished, though not necessarily angrily. Keeping a phantom tempo that seemed to play in her brain. She definitely looked tense, and there was no mistake in her body language she was ready to battle the small woman. She supposed she could see her reasoning to not wanting to fight Gwyn, as he was huge. But Pistis was much closer to her size. Surely she would not back down? She seemed the stubborn kind.

Pistis vs @Ambrosine
For Dominance
Round 0 of 3

we get colder... as we grow older

manip by Rowan | code by twesh

ambrosine remains curious, albeit tensed, as she moves into the arena, unsure as to what strings of fate had tangled up and drawn her here. it is only when the other woman explains who she was that everything fell into place — pistis casimir. a brief memory of the faces present at the challenge flashes before the parisian’s eyes, her expression flickering in tandem as her features smooth out, twinged with acknowledgment and understanding.

"believe it or not, i didn’t want it to come to that," the dieudonne starts with a brief shake of her crown, claws flexing slightly against the stone as her gaze hovers along @pistis’ visage. "but i’m sure you know how men are, always with something to prove." she finishes evenly, perhaps even withholding an idle sigh in regards to the statement. aside from the fact that gwyn’s continued tangent would have changed ambrosine’s opinion on withholding from a fight, manes had still beat her to it, regardless. but, she didn’t need to divulge that much — they had all seen how quickly and fervently it had spiralled, after all.

"if you agree with what your husband said, then let us fight. we can judge each other without the influence of all that testosterone around." and that was that, finished with the slightest upturn of those dark, velveteen lips. ambrosine had never been one to deny another woman the thrill of battle, or shy away from her own retribution. if pistis demanded some sort of justice, then they would let it unfold as it may. besides, ambrosine kind of liked the confidence and vigour of the pale woman before her, despite their difference in opinion.

@Ambrosine vs. @Pistis
for dominance
round 0/3

She sees the look of recognition cross upon the other’s face. Ah, so she did recognize her, at least a bit. She remained in her stance, listening to the smaller woman’s words. She could believe it, but that didn’t make her any less irritated. At the comment about how men were, she nodded in agreement. It was true enough. The two really hadn’t had a need to fight, all things considered. It was mostly an overstepping of boundaries from everyone. Telling someone else’s child what to do and all. They probably all should have minded their business after Ambrosine had it under wraps, admittedly. But the battle had happened nonetheless.

“Perhaps after this fight is over, the two of us can put this behind us.” She didn’t want unnecessary bad blood. But for the first time in her life, she itched for a fight. She didn’t mention anything about their husbands, as the two would probably continue to be angry at each other for some time. Then, without much other warning, the pale woman sprinted forward, attempting to slam her left shoulder/upper leg into the woman’s chest, slightly closer to Ambrosine’s left then right down the center. Her right paw streaked out, attempting to claw at her left side, towards her upper rib cage.

@Ambrosine vs. @Pistis
for Dominance
Round 1 of 3
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 13 + 17 + 7 + 8 + 12

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 20 + 6 + 2 + 1

we get colder... as we grow older

manip by Rowan | code by twesh

stuck doing phone posts until wednesday — bare with me!

ambrosine, though she would not admit it, was well aware that she would do the same for her husband. that she was going to protect his honour, until her last, dying breath. it would be foolish to fault @Pistis for following a similar philosophy — but oh, if only the ashen beauty had picked a different brute to fawn over! maybe then, their passion could have brought them together.

and yet now was not the time for such wandering reveries; it was time for battle, and justice beneath the weight of their wills. idly do the woman’s defences set into place, shoulders rolling forward, knees bending to secure her stance against the larger opponent, ears flattened, and tail lofting purposefully behind her figure. watching carefully with narrowed eyes, the parisian braces for the impact as pistis draws nearer — and at the last moment, ambrosine would look to push herself towards the other, hind legs springing her forward to meet the other woman head-on. ambrosine mirrors pistis initial movement by jutting her left shoulder forward as well, hoping to make contact with whatever part of her opponent’s chest that she could reach. she could already almost feel the impending collision and bruising that it would result in — but the breadth and severity of it would depend on how exactly the women collided in those next few moments.

Simultaneous to all of this, ambrosine abruptly feels the hot rake of claws across the left side her ribs, blood spilling from four medium lacerations, left behind by the uninhibited attack. it fans the flames within her chest, and instinctively would ambrosine look to snake her jaws forwards and up (due to their height difference), parted wide with hungry, ivory fangs. ambrosine would attempt to clamp her jaws down across the lower left side of pistis’ jaw beneath her cheek, as the adrenaline thrums wildly within her ears.

@Ambrosine vs. @Pistis
for dominance
round 1/3
hits:

Rolling 4d20: 18 + 14 + 1 + 5

dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 9 + 8 + 14 + 5

KNEEL TO THE CROWN       The roar had been heard even in the depths of the Hollow. A cry for vengeance from a lioness he hadn't considered to be the type. Heart lept into the throat as realization for what was happening dawned on him. And he was on his paws and racing toward the Pit faster than he'd ever run before. Pistis would not be alone. Not with that bitch of a mother.       Panting hard, he skid to a stop a the top of the wall. He was too late. They had begun. A savage snarl left him as he turned and raced down a slope that lead to the bottom. Full of adrenaline and concern, he jumped the last five foot drop and landed on heavy paws. Stupid or not, he sized up the pair and looked for an opening in the battle to leap upon Ambrosine. 144 words | @Gwyn, @Pistis, @Ambrosine Zagan will NOT intervene. Just waiting on Gwyn to stop him and, if Gwyn doesn't show up, Zagan will stop himself. STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king

His sister had been the only one of the bloody three not to leave the lagoon with blood on her claws. He had not paid attention to her words of politic forgiveness. She was Dieudonne. And he was sure she yearned to rip into flesh as well, spurred with pointed vengeance as well as the bloodlust innate to their kin. Vermier stretched his claws out, digging into the sands as he pulled himself to his paws, and he followed his sister across the distance keeping back and limbering himself up. He didn't want to distract her and his swollen mouth he knew was chipper to speculate. He did so inwardly, thinking to himself with an occasional pained grin. Hopefully there would be enough for each of her cubs to have one. Even the adopted bastards.

Careful not to rip open the scabs on his forelimbs, he was slower and heavier to descend. He scanned the surroundings as he swaggered closer. He wasn't large, and he wasn't old, and he didn't have his full mane growth, but because he didn't have these things his arrogance was even more insidious. He saw someone even younger than him - pathetic! He snarled, keeping his sore maw agape and ready for combat. "Ay! Shsseethead 'uck Casxzzimir? Go 'uck you!" Vermier aimed to approach him directly at a trot, his skull already low and neck slackened with muscles ready to tense his mane for combat. His tail flickered rhythmically at a low angle, passing tuft from ankle to ankle. He would prefer a bigger gazelle than this but @Zagan would do if their enemies were so desperate to send them heirs for hors d'oeuvres.

she'd no reason to attend; no true joy from blood sport. it seemed pointless, but Camelia supposed by most standards she would be wrong. she approached the pit, cautious and if even a shade worried. there didn't seem to be many gathered around the two women, but enough to inspire an insinuation there was sour blood between the warring parties. she found a familiar face around the battling queens. she approached to his left, pausing as the gallic creature cast his own aggression towards @Zagan. She hung still, knowing more than enough to keep out of the fray. a brow lifted, as she pondered the heft of the older beasts' taunt. shoot, shoulda brought some snacks.

_{being a curious lil rhino; spectating.}

The lioness had been skirting the pit when she heard the call. It never hurt to learn something, especially when one had as few resources at their immediate disposal as she did. Passing her tongue over her lips, she slipped forward to a vantage point just a little above the fight in time to hear a garbled cry, though she could only make out some of what was said.

Her eyes fell on two women locked in a fight at the bottom of the pit, one of them relatively small. She scented the air, finding within it a scent she had smelled passing borders on her way into these lands, and she saw the same young male who had appeared at the mouth of the passage.

She took in the lions present slowly, lowering herself downward so that she would not stick out quite so much from her position above the others. Her ears were kept on a swivel, listening for approach even as she watched what was happening below, her claws extended for grip and paw spread slightly to promote her balance as she crouched down.

-Kimagure is observing.-