Pain vibrates throughout her frame as Aryana makes her way back to the Summit, the journey long and her energy near zero. The maim she was in had been enough to deplete her- she wasn't a skilled warrior and she was still trying to figure out the ropes of fighting. Hunting was her skill- but it seemed she was doing less of that and more of combat as of recently.

@Kyros was with her and Aryana was thankful for that, peering over to him every so often and looking over his wounds. The falls weren't far, and she knew it could make a good pitstop for them to hydrate and cleanse theirselves. How is your foot? She wasn't sure the extent of his injuries- but she had noticed his paw had been covered in a whole bunch of blood. With her back turned to her surroundings, she nears the falls of water- the noise of it tuning out everything else, and tries to relax as she takes a drink.

@Markus ((set right after the exit here link

_{ART — CODE}

He noticed the way she kept looking back at him, the way her eyes lingered on the gashes along his side and the gore on his foot. She wasn’t much better off herself, but KYros couldn’t help but keep his gaze long on the shadows around them, his muscles stiff with worry that someone might have followed them. He was barely hanging on, not entirely sure he could make the rest of the journey to wherever the Summit was, and that vulnerability left him feeling exposed. Maybe they should have found others to make the trip back with, made themselves less of a target, but both of them were far too used to being on their own and the thought hadn’t even occurred to him until now. The sound of the falls was nearly deafening, muffling the sounds of the world around him.

Her voice snapped his attention back to her, pulling him from the paranoid thoughts swirling in his head. "I think I’ll live." He said lightly, lifting the paw up and stretching the remaining toes, wincing at the sharp pain that shot up though his leg at the movement. "How are you?" He looked her over again, taking note of each scratch and bite mark, cataloging every wound. This was their world, and he was glad that at the very least, they weren’t alone in it anymore.

@Aryana @Markus
"Speech"

MARKUS RIKE

---

Markus follows. He is silent, placing his paws down carefully on the soft ground as his jaws parted. The stench of pain and suffering found its way into his nostrils - a hunger seemed to brew within his chest that had been bubbling for some time. The Rike had always been unhinged and unwavering in his determination, so why stop now?

Pausing on the edge of the sacred falls, fiery eyes watch. They see @Aryana as she lowers herself down to drink. The smell of blood floats almost effortlessly through the air, drawing in the sharks so eager for an easy meal.

But she is not alone.

The figure of another man caught his attention, and Markus watched as he seemed to utch closer to her, tending to her own wounds as well as his own. The green-eyed monster seemed to swirl around in the Rike's mind, and anger bubbled within his chest.

@Kyros did not belong here.

Markus cannot stop himself - he sees red. Moving effortlessly out of his hiding place and into the deafening roar of the falls, the merle man closes the distance between him and the other male. He was injured, so this would be an easy fight, right? His arrogance and self-righteousness told him so, and before Markus knew it, he was entering into a fight with the man who was none the wiser.

Kyros had his back to Markus, and so the colossal man closes the distance between the two. His movements were whispers on the wind. He attempts to lunge forward and jump onto the man's back, outstretching his claws and attempting to dig them into the man's shoulder blades, whilst simultaneously attempting to clamp his jaws around the center of his neck, where his spine led from his back into his skull.

Markus vs. Kyros
for Major Maim (tbd)
Round one of five

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 19 + 9 + 8 + 14 + 16 + 7 + 3 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 10 + 1 + 6

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 1 + 13 + 12 + 17

The deafening noise of the falls made him deeply, deeply uncomfortable. He could hardly hear anything else around them, nothing but the roar of water and the pulsing rush of blood in his ears. As eager as he was to get to the safety of Aryana’s pride, it would be nice to rest for a bit, to lay down and close his eyes, to get off his aching limbs. An unsettled feeling crept along his spine, though, riling him enough that he remained standing. He didn’t lower his head to drink despite the dryness of his throat, instead turning his head to slowly look out, peering over his friend's hunched shoulders. He couldn’t shake the feeling they were being watched, but that was crazy, paranoid thinking… Right?

He didn’t even hear the other male approach, didn’t think to keep an eye out behind them. It wasn’t until the weight crashed into him, claws digging into his shoulders and teeth grasping his neck that he realized that his suspicions had been correct.A sharp cry of pain and surprised burst from his lips, legs buckling under the weight of his attacker "Aryana, run!" He cried out, glancing towards her to make sure she wasn’t dealing with an attacker of her own. His options were limited given their position, so he made the only move he could think of and dropped to the ground, rolling to the side to try and knock his unknown assailant off his back. He didn’t assume he stood any chance of winning, but hopefully he could be a distraction long enough that Aryana could go and find help.

Kyros vs. @Markus
Major Maim
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 6 + 9 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 4 + 3 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 10 + 6 + 9 + 8

@Aryana
"Speech"

MARKUS RIKE

---

It is obvious from the way that his attack falls so easily that @Kyros had not heard Markus' approach. His claws dig easily into the man's shoulders, drawing blood as his teeth grasp firmly into his neck. The sinking of flesh in his mouth is satisfying, and the Rike man attempts to grip even harder, attempting to violently shake his head from side to side.

The sharp cry of pain that comes from Kyros is music to the unhinged man's ears, and it seemingly pushes him on further. Kyros' legs buckle under his colossal weight, which was understandable... he was much bigger than the younger male. The jolt in his movement as he forces Markus to the floor only means he attempts to hold on, attempting to increase his grip to prevent a loss of purchase.

Markus vs Kyros
for Major Maim
Round two of five

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 2 + 10 + 18 + 19 + 7 + 12 + 14 + 6

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 12 + 13 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 20 + 5 + 4 + 17

Futile. His efforts were entirely futile. Even if he hadn’t already been exhausted, on the brink of collapse, he was untrained, and the brute not only had the element of surprise on him, but judging by the crushing weight on his back, he was massive. Far larger, stronger, and more powerful than Kyros was. In his years of wandering he’d been able to take care of himself well enough by keeping to himself, but only a few weeks back in these lands and he was already caught in a whirlwind of chaos that he was not prepared for. Not only did he have his fathers enemies to look out for, but he had likely just made a whole prides worth of his own, if not more. He only hoped Aryana listened to him, that she took this opportunity to run, to find safety for herself and maybe, maybe find someone who could help them.

The claws dug deeper into his shoulders as he fell to the ground, that grip becoming more firm, more difficult to escape from. His mind flashed through the possibilities, the different options and he could think of none. No clue how to get the giant off his back, and no ideas on how to retaliate while he was there. So he continued to thrash, attempting to roll onto his back, in the hopes that the move might dislodge the opponent and give him some sort of opening to do something more impactful.

Kyros vs. @Markus
Major Maim
Round 2 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 16 + 3 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 3 + 2 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 10 + 20 + 1 + 19

"Speech"

She was still worried about him, regardless of how he assured her he would be fine. His wound looked worse than any of hers- and perhaps that was only due to the fact of him losing his fight. Or, she assumed he had lost with his missing toes- but she dared not to speak it. While Kyros was proving to be different in so many ways from other males, she still knew a lot of them had egos- and she dared not to want to bruise his anymore. I'm-

Words were stopped by the sudden noise, the sudden burst of merle fur of massive size as it collided into @Kyros. A loud gasp exhales from her lips, eyes wide as she witnesses the onslaught of the attack- and confusion settles deep on her gut, mixing with fear. The enemies had followed them! Panic stung through her, head whipping around, looking for their allies... but she saw none. They weren't at the war ground anymore, they had left, safe... so they had to of been followed. But why? It made no sense to the red woman.

Aryana, run!

She felt her muscles tense, her brain wanting to abide by the demand of him- run, run and survive. Save yourself... but she couldn't. She couldn't make her limbs move as she watched Kyros buckle under the colossal male. She couldn't leave him to face this alone... she just couldn't. Go away! She screams at the merle brute, Illyria will be on their way, leave while you have your life! A empty threat, for there was no help coming. No saviors to rid them of this beastly threat.

@Markus

_{ART — CODE}

MARKUS RIKE

---

It was cruel, really, what Markus was doing. He had no reason to attack the younger male other than because he wanted to, but Rike's were always known to be a little unhinged, even at the best of times.

Kyros thrashed and tried to roll onto his back, forcing Markus to dislodge his claws and jaw from the skin of her opponent. The Rike rose to his paws as the duo stood head-to-head, and lunged forward in an attempt to close the gap between the pair. Parting his jaws, Markus attempts to clamp down on the man's left shoulder, attempting to gain purchase there and bite into muscle and flesh. Simultaneously, Markus would release his claws from their cover and attempt to dig his left forelimb into the crevice between his shoulder and his stomach, attempting to wrench it forward to cause damage to Kyros' right forelimb.

Markus vs @Kyros
for Major Maim
Round three of five

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 19 + 7 + 9 + 11 + 12 + 14 + 2 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 15 + 11 + 2

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 4 + 8 + 18 + 19

At the sound of her voice he could only feel his panic continue to rise, recognizing her shouted threats as false. They had traveled far separated from the rest of her pride, and he had learned enough times in life already that he couldn’t count on anyone else to come save him when he needed it. They were on their own, and all he could do was bide her time. He strength was sapped long before the male had launched his sneak attack, and once he inevitably went down, Aryana would be on her own, too.

Finally, he felt the claws and teeth relinquish their grip on him, and he managed to scramble to his paws just in time for fangs to sink into his shoulder. A heartbeat later, he felt claws gouge his right forelimb, the movement throwing his balance off. He could feel the blood pour from his wounds, too much blood. It took all his focus to even remain upright at this point, but he wouldn’t give in until his body finally failed him. Jaws parted, he aimed to sink his teeth into the males closest ear.

Kyros vs. @Markus
Major Maim
Round 3 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 3d20: 8 + 13 + 7

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 12 + 16 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 13 + 6 + 4 + 18 + 15

"Speech"

MARKUS RIKE

---

Markus' teeth seem to find an easy purchase on Kyros' left shoulder. They sink into his flesh, and the warmth of blood combined with ruptured tissue spurred on the lion with ease. Markus attempts to latch on harder to the man's shoulder, attempting to get a solid enough grip on the man to be able to control him: limit his movements.

His left forelimb found grip in Kyros' right forelimb, claws attempting to wretch it forward in an attempt to cause permanent damage. This was becoming a battle too easily won until Kyros' fangs sink into his right ear, easily ripping away the tender flesh that housed the delicate tissue that enabled him to hear.

Markus attempted, with one final lunge, to force Kyros back down to the ground, attempting to force his weight over the younger and smaller male. He hoped that with his grip on his shoulder, combined with the grip on his right forelimb and his already vulnerable balance, it would not take much to outweigh his balance.

Markus vs @Kyros
for Major Maim
Round four of four (not me thinking it was five??)

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 3 + 11 + 13 + 16 + 19 + 17 + 8 + 14

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 7 + 17 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 19 + 15 + 8 + 16 + 20