Never Look Back

Word of a pride challenge had drifted upon the wind to his attentive ear. One of their own... one of the Mire... was challenging to take her place at the helm of another pride. Intrigue was the predominant response the young man felt. He did not know the woman that was challenging, nor did he know the one who was being called to defend. What he did know, was that the outcome was going to be profound.

As he made his way onto the scene, it would seem the battle was already underway. A rather large gathering had come together to wittness the spectacle, and (worringly) it would seem some were on a warpath if this did not end according to their interests. Kiros stayed relatively far from the collective, close enough to watch but far enough to avoid any spontanious angry claws.

In silence he watched.

You're Not Going That Way

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He didn't know much of the woman who had joined him in his training but she held the same ambition he did. She wanted her own place. Her own kingdom to rule away from those that her from achieving more. The call for the Lagoon went up and Adeodatus was keen to follow. To show support for a fellow pride mate, telling Gabrielle to stay behind and keep their unborn children safe ( though if she listened with up to Cyber ) and made his way to the Lagoon. It would be his first time to the Lagoon pride, causing him to follow the trail of scents that came from everywhere. He took note of each one as he got closer to the growing crowd.

Bloodied jewels scanned the area, taking note that there were not enough Mire lions here but enough of their allies if it came down to a fight. He was always ready for one of those, but for now he was keen to move through the crowd and towards the only other Mire lion here ( @Kiros ) and even though it wasn't someone he knew personally, he was of the Mire and could be of some use. Only you and me have come to support a fellow pride mate? He would ask as he got closer and sat down next to the silent male.

Adeodatus is observing.

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The call caught her attention even though no one else from the Bluffs seems to be heading that way. She was interested. The Lagoon had been marked had been marked as an enemy of the Bluffs but she was always aware that had things gone a different way, she could have been raised in the sands of the lagoon and not the cold rocky lands of the Bluffs. Elaine loved her home but there was interest in knowing what could have been. A pride challenge opened the doors a little for her to get a peek into what could have been. Sands of other lands had been under her paws before but would the Lagoon feel any different? Would there be some connection there that she would feel or had all of that been forgotten? It was where her parents met and where they fell in love. It was in the sands of that Lagoon that she and her siblings became a possibility. Against her better judgment, she left the Bluffs and headed toward the Lagoon unable to toss the feeling of needing to know away.

The cloudy princess arrived to see that the battle was already happening. She knew the pale lioness and had a mild case of mixed feelings. She had seen her fighting her mom, knew that her mom had been attacked by another here, but still she knew that the white lioness didn't handle shit well. She had seen how the leader had brushed off that male with the half face with such ease and hadn't let it get her bothered. There was something about it that she liked. Something about the white queen that she liked.

She didn't see any faces right away that she knew so her main focus was on feeling the sands under her paws as she moved along. She was careful to stay close to the group, aware that she was in enemy lands but hopeful that her disinterest in it would help her. She kept her eyes on the fight and those around it as she walked. The sands shifted and made way for her weight. Her paw pads seemed to wiggle as the grains found new places between them. Her claws slipped out and reached for the sands in an effort to feel a little more stable. Was this where Vermier had fought? Winning the family their first stronghold in the lands? Was it where her mother had fought as well?

She looked toward the center of the lands, where had they slept and feasted? Was there a place in the Lagoon that would feel like home to her? The heat here was different, it seemed to cling to her as she stood at the gates of the Lagoon looking toward a forbidden land before her blue gaze returned to the fight once again. She studied the pair fighting for a long moment, she wondered what had brought the other lioness there. She didn't know her or that she was from the Mire but there must have been something that tied her to these lands. The Bluffs had been attacked before, been challenged for, and it was something she never really understood. There were plenty of lands out there, what did they want with rocks and cold? She wiggled her toes in the sand a little more and tried to feel any connection that wasn't her own mind looking for one. Something, anything that could bring her closer to the father she hardly knew and now never would. She found nothing, felt nothing but sand and humidity. There was nothing here for her but the outcome of this fight it would seem.

Slight disappointment rolled through her as she studied those around the fight, could she tell who was a Lagoon member? Her gaze flickered over a few who seemed to be very upset, a feeling she could remember feeling each time. It seemed that those were the Lagoon members and that they were the ones who might lose their home if their white queen falls. The others seemed to be there in support of the lioness challenging or like herself, just here for another reason. Today she wasn't looking for a fight from an enemy, though she knew that one might come to her anyways and remained ready, but was looking for part of her history that she didn't seem able to find here.

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Never Look Back

Kiros heard a male voice cut through the chaotic sounds of fighting and chattering, one that was close and strangely familiar. The scent of the mire mixed with the scent of a stranger could be tasted on the air as the other male approached and sat beside Kiros.

Blue eyes glanced at the other before scanning the crowd. Was it truly only them here to support the Mire woman? "It is why I am here, brother. But... I worry for her too." He would admit. She seemed strong, fit and clearly she was able to fight fiercely... but after one battle, to take on the entire pride of another? " Whispers among the Lagoon pride do not encourage a peaceful transition after the fight." He muttered, now turning his eyes back upon the challengers.

@Adeodatus

You're Not Going That Way

code by corvus

Tanaz was not terribly familiar with the lioness who had called for the Lagoon crown, but in all fairness, she wasn’t terribly familiar with many faces on this continent. However, she would trail after the two Ecrosian lions with a light step, nerves ablaze and hazel eyes glittering with a caution as she followed them – belatedly, true – across the borders. “I am here too,” She interjected quietly in a low alto, coming to the other side of the brown lion (@Kiros), and after a quick glance and nod to @Adeodatus she would turn her attention to the crowd. The fight itself was engaging enough, certainly, but the tension amidst the crowd (presumably the lagoon citizens and perhaps their allies, but again – most were unfamiliar faces) was enough to keep her guard up and her hazel eyes scanning those faces regularly. The chestnut warrioress flexed her toes into the sand and fixed her pointed ears forward; alert, guarded, and wary.

Tanaz is observing

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MEDIC EXP
+5 x2 Collect herbs
+5 x2 Study the flora of a neutral territory
+5 x2 Test herbs for their healing properties

Patchouli did not know all that was going on here, and she did not come with the intent to aid her pride mates against animosity from the lions of this small paradise. The fact that the lioness challenging for the crown was from the Mire had slipped her mind, having never met the female personally. She could not name most anyone that lived there in fact, not even the newly appointed queen.

Patchouli has come for reasons of her own, wishing to observe the plantlife in the vicinity, plants that she may not have had access to before, as she was too wary to come anywhere near pride borders when out collecting. She would do so now, observing, collecting and carefully sampling a few different plants with interest. She was not oblivious to the goings on, but it was obvious she had little care for the goings on._{BG — ART — CODE}

and we don’t need saving

We’re hell raising

Scilla Lagoon. It brought back memories she didn't want to remember but this would help her go further in her newest career. Following behind both @Gareth and @Aquila, pushing herself to ignore any scents that may interrupt her concentration. She hadn't been close behind the two men and so when Ygritte crossed the borders and kept moving through the territory she got a smell of him. Stopping just enough to close her eyes and shake it off before moving towards her Uncle and Pa. She would ignore him, or try to. Brushing up against Aquila's free side she would listen in and learn.

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Patchouli might not have noticed, but a small little cub of similar color was following along behind her, struggling to get her short little legs to keep up with her. Thankfully, the lovely lioness was moving at a rather leisurely pace, collecting various plants along the way. Bordeaux would observe closely, noting which plants were picked, which were merely observed or later discarded after it was sampled. It was all rather fascinating to her and she was eager to learn as much as she could.

The cub would slow only when they came closer to a gathered group of strangers, warily observing each in turn. While she would not leave, nor disturb or distract her mother, she would make a point to keep herself well out of the way while observing.

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Oh bother.

His large form was hard to hide after all, so he wasn't going to be too annoyed when a lioness finds him. He merely flashes her a- what he hoped was a charming grin-

"Hard to stay out of sight when you're a giant like me," he rumbles softly, studying her with a speculative look. "You're welcome to join me, I guess." He says softly- his eyes leaving the one who ruined his hiding, to the fight. He reckons that if she wants to fight him to try to run him off... oh well, he'd entertain her with that.

@Ceres

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Roan Hodari

i wanna taste love and pain wanna feel pride and shame

It was only a matter of time before another challenge came along the winds. The call against the Lagoon was not particularly anticipated, but it was not unexpected either. Alizabeth would need to defend her title eventually, as did all leaders, some more than once. By the time the Hodari found himself along the familiar borders of Scilla, the fight was already well underway. The challenger was unfamiliar as Roan watched the small white female fight against the stranger, but the scent of the Mire was heavy in the air. It would come as no surprise to see yet another of their members seek a crown of their own as the Lagoon's heir seemed ready to sound the drums of war. It probably wasn't such a bad idea to be prepared should things go south.

The gathering so far wasn't the largest of crowds the masked man had seen for a pride challenge as his minty gaze scanned the faces. He noticed both @Aquila and @Maia among the spectators, but it would be his own pridemates who would draw his attention the most. Only two of the Hollow lions seemed interested in watching the fight as Roan made his way closer towards @Toblerone and @Marja. The latter was still fairly new to Obsidian, and as such, the king wanted to keep an eye on how she reacted to a pride challenge. Likely, the swamp creature wasn't well versed in the politics of Amaryllis yet, if she was even interested in learning such to begin with, so to have her here in a situation with so many different prides represented, the Hodari didn't want to see anything get out of hand. Toblerone, on the other paw, well... frankly, Roan never quite knew what was going on in the youth's mind, so again, it was probably best just to keep a little closer to the unpredictable young woman.

As the mauve man came closer, he moved to sit on Marja's free side. "We defend ourselves and our allies, if it comes to it. Nothing more," the sovereign muttered in hushed tones as his rump settled against the sandy ground. Gaze shot towards both of the women, fully expecting their understanding and cooperation before returning his attention to the fight at hand.

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