@Léonie speaks, and Ghyslaine shakes her head. "I fail to see the difference between taking a prisoner and claiming someone against their will. Two different kinds of imprisonment, I guess but one in the same." If Ghyslaine could not forgive Tiamat, who was she? "Some people just suck at making friends the normal way." A small joke, and a friendly smile to the sleuth- whom she wasn't really trying to argue with.

"Tiamat could have do anything to me, and she had a healer tend to me and took care of me." She shrugs, just as the Queen herself arrives and rubs against her. "None of it isn't true." She said to her words. "Go kick some ass." She'd breath, a good- luck, for the female.

When Tiamat orders Andal lions to leave, Alizabeth to be removed, and any Summit lions to go- except her and Nero, she looks first to her husband. @Nero - "I understand if you want to go, but I need to see this through." She would say softly, for his ears only. "Your mom should probably leave, before-" She broke off as a male went for her. "That." She sighed softly, and shook her head- and moving out of the way, so that she could watch the main challenge.

ART BY NAME KIM, CODE BY LARS

She was crying. Tormented by something he didn't know - they were all surrounding her and Alexander wanted nothing more than to pick her up, put her on his back and carry her away from it all. Make her forget the heartbreak - he could do that. It was what he was good at.

That is what they all used him for. Nazonal, Tinúviel - he was a warm embrace, a heated kiss and a pleasure to help them forget the pain that plagued their every day life. Part of him resented it, being nothing more than a tool. Being told he was loved when in truth...they were always waiting for the right Knight to come back and arrive.

Nero. Alaric.

Alexander could sit and dwell on it. Could let jealousy seep into his pores like a poison.

He was better than that. Is better than that.

Features draw into a hard line, looking away from the little bird and all her pain. Perhaps another time, another day he could be there for her. Today, however - he was not that man. For his own sanity.

Alexander is drawn from his thoughts by the approach of his son, @Lucanus. The touch to his shoulder is welcomed. "Szia, fiam." A low greeting to the male, happy to see him - have him there at his side.

As he was settling, getting ready to view the battle to come, Alexander noticed @Ember amongst the ranks of those in the Lagoon. He hoped that she was not apart of this pride, and simply just here to observe as well. There were too many scents on the air to know for sure. The beast forces a smile, offering one to her from across the way.

Blue eyes lift, the voice of another catching his attention in warning. Turning, the Savante Patriarch looks to his side to find a sun kissed lioness running at him - closing the distance fast. With a grunt he gently nudges Lucanus away, then is able to turn slightly ( back end attempting to swing away as fast as possible ) before Lyric reaches him full on.

Their shoulder slams forward against his own, the meaty skin there bursting with color from an immediate bruise. The muscle aches, the pain rippling down the full length of his leg from the force. Talons of her left paw find purchase in his mane off-center due to his shift, the claws slicing through thick hair and creating thin, yet deep lacerations that cause his mane to blossom with blood.

A snarl rips from his lips, head immediately lowering in an attempt to slam it directly into the side of hers, above her left eyebrow as she's coming at him. Simultaneously his left limb would lift, curled up into a fist almost, to try and ram it upwards toward and into her chin as his head is coming down. This is done to try and stun the woman, at least momentarily. If he could avoid drawing blood, he would.


Alexander vs. @Lyric
For Minor Maim
1 2 3 4

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 3 + 5 + 14 + 12 + 15 + 18 + 17 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 12 + 17 + 9 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 7 + 18 + 20 + 11

code + art

(1/2) +5 Observe a fight (alexander vs lyric)
(1/2) +5 Observe a fight (fernweh vs tiamat)
Why was she not surprised to hear the cousin who she disowned was trying to claim a pride. It made her lips peel back in a silent snarl as she padded across the blackened sands of stygian; she had ventured out toward the ocean this day to try her paw at saltwater fishing. It was more complicated for the Greyflood than she would have thought, and when Isla had no catch pierced with her claws she decided for herself that her brute strength was not for fishing; fishing took patience and these days she were severely lacking in that department.

With a half growl, the Summit Heiress would begin to march her way toward the Lagoon's borders, mismatched eyes watching around her as she went. Scilla was not a friend to the snowy pride, and even if she wanted to steer her direction back home she knew she needed to witness the events that were about to take place. As much as she wanted the Lagoon to fall she also wanted to see Fernweh bleed, even if it wasn't at the expense of her own tooth and claw.

There were many that had already gathered by the time she made her arrival, something Isla was not shocked at. Challenges seemed to be growing in numbers, and with that always came the thick tension. She notes many familiar faces, some from the Summit themselves while others were either friend or foe. The sight of the Rike whore she had tossed off the cliff after removing her tail would cause Isla's fur bristle, half disappointed that the bitch didn't bleed out and die after thudding on hard rock. The lack of her having a tail seemed to smooth out the disappointment, though, and it was a reminder to the wildcat that she were a lot more dangerous than some of her family. The sheer savagery that flowed through her body that day was a feeling she had been grappling with ever since she turned a year old, and for so long she tried to keep it at bay, to try to satiate it by lesser harms, but now?

You cannot cage me.

She notes her niece and nephew in the throngs of bodies, a new wave of anger surging over her - they didn't have the say in who their biological parents were, but they sure as hell had a say in who they wanted to be around and which part of the gene pool they wanted to be affiliated with. Friend or foe, who will my blood become? Colossal form was beginning to stalk toward the two children, ignoring the verbal fights that typically happened at large battles. Gaze would flicker over toward where the Mire rulers were at, accompanied by Ronin and his wife, and when a small lioness that Isla vaguely remembered as Scilla's other leader from that absurd meeting the Oasis King had called would a brow rise in slight curiosity.

It is the hard-to-miss red frame of @Alexander ♔ that catches her eye then, but before she is able to make any solid decision on if she wished to make her way to him he would be ambushed by a bronze lion. A low growl would sound in her throat as she watched, giving herself a couple of seconds to numb her emotions and refocus on her task at hand. "You two should not be here," the Heiress would tell @Mirime and @Mithril, following them toward where the boy was leading his sister. Using her body as a shield of sorts, Isla would catch Tiamat arrive, ears hearing her call out that Andal was the enemy and everyone else (aside from Ghyslaine and Nero which made the wildcat confused) to leave. Dual toned eyes watch as the true challenge begins, tail sweeping lowly behind her and keeping herself in front of the children.

up to minor maim is okay!

_{BG — ART — CODE}

It was quite nice that this time around she wasn't absolutely swamped by strangers surrounding her. Especially when she heard from somewhere in the crowd a lioness speak out to chase out certain individuals by any means necessary. Those included Andal Oasis (this meant Alex, she knew) then some white, tiny ball of fiery words in the form of a lioness. Wonder what she did to desire ire all by herself, was Ember's only thoughts. As well as any of the Summit members. None of that included her. She was a nomad, through and through. She smelled of nothing and no one always because that was how it was meant to be.

Thankful of this, too, for once. The being alone. But mostly she keeps her eyes looking and sees him. @Alexander ♔ nearby but nearly too far, she knows he does not have long before they find him and make him leave. As soon as she finds his eyes and finds his smile, she tries to give him the faintest one back but it falls as quickly as he came as soon as someone approaches him and challenges him to a duel. A fight to encourage him to get out; though, she supposed the quicker way would've been to chase him out or herd him out... but she wasn't all that familiar with prides and their ways. Only familiar with her rogue lifestyle.

Gazing towards the woman that had issued the command as she watched her engage the incoming challenger without another second to waste. Ember felt the need to watch and learn, to gauge what they did and how they did it. It was pleasant that the two were both female, it always felt empowering in a sense to witness it. Casually scraping her claws on the pebble she had found almost like it was a habit. Feeling a slight nervousness that it was about the only thing keeping her stationary.

The thing was that she was not at any loss for conflict for not but several yards from where she sat did some andal folks, ecrosian folks and a couple rogues bicker. Something about not knowing that something was good for them or bad for them, someone trying to dictate what was best for them as though they knew. Perhaps the only thing that nearly made her position more obvious was when a striped lioness screamed how many women are you FUCKING? And she nearly snorts but keeps her composure and listens as best that she can. Keeping incognito to her eavesdropping.

+5 - observe a fight (fernweh vs. tiamat for sl)
+5 - maintain your weapons
+5 - witness drama between prides (tinuviel-sl/ronin-ao)

^{ART BY LARS, CODE BY CALA}

MARKUS RIKE

---

Markus heard the call echo throughout Amaryllis. He could not deny himself such an opportunity to witness war erupt almost effortlessly, so the Rike departs from the Mire and follows the scent trail of @Alaric over to the Lagoon. He understood that the Lagoon were allies to the Mire, so it was important for Markus to attend in order to defend his pride if it were needed (oh how @Rainer would disapprove).

Slipping into the Lagoon territory and trespassing over the border, Markus descends into the belly of their territory. He pauses on the edge of the crowd for a moment, observing the battles that had already erupted. He was about to take a seat to simply watch, but the loud and rude voice of @Léonie catches his attention, and the Rike man hones in on the Oasis Lead Scout as she snorted about Alaric's personal life. Markus snarled and, without prior warning to anyone, begins to close the gap between himself and the Oasis woman.

She needed to be taught a lesson, and what better way to do it than show her? Markus's large legs move quickly over the wet sand, leaving prints in his wake. Parting his jaws with a rabid snarl and forcing his claws into the ground beneath, Markus comes up behind Léonie and lunges, attempting to use his momentum to attempt to essentially jump on top of the lioness, attempting to sink his claws into her shoulder blades and attempting to use his weight to force her to the ground. Simultaneously, Markus would attempt to latch his teeth around the back of her nape in a bid to find purchase.

Markus vs. Léonie
for Minor Maim (ear tip removal)
Round one of four

Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 20 + 16 + 11 + 1 + 3 + 9 + 17 + 12 + 8

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 7 + 12 + 1

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 10 + 11 + 4 + 3

Lead Fighter Perk: +1 hit rolls when fighting on your pride territory or an allied pride's territory.

Valerian is slow to answer this call, even as his father and brother head toward it. When he crosses the sand bank with a curious intent in his heart, he finds @Alexander ♔ already in combat with a individual he did not recognise. Valerian lurks in the nearby of his littermate, a rumble announcing himself to @Lucanus to take their father’s place as he lurches forth in combat.

“Careful.” he warns lowly as he views the gathered - many strangers, some now. Valerian settled into a guarded stance. Evidently tensions were high, as they always were at these challenges and he would not be taken by surprise.

art © drifty

Hearing the challenger call for his queen, Caelum rushed towards the borders and the battlefield, seeking to defend the pride in any way he could. If he could fight the pride challenge for Tiamat, he would have offered, but he knew (at the least) that the queen had to do that herself.

He arrived moments before @Tiamat had, and watched as chaos unfolded before his eyes. Damn, he didn't even need to be here for it to start. Nice!.

Tiamat declared Andal Oasis the enemy - expel them. Check. Summit members must leave. Check. Alizabeth, target. Check.

Icy blue eyes search for the white pelted woman, finding her easily amongst them - behind another white pelted man. It would seem Dagge beat him to the prize, but he noted a burly lion at her side ready to defend as Dagge closed in.

Check.

Caelum turned and bounded towards them - while Dagge aimed for Alizabeth - Caelum aimed to crash right into @Alabaster with the barrel of his chest. He didn't know who this male was, but he lingered rather close to Alizabeth, and therefore, he was just as much the enemy.

---

Caelum vs. @Alabaster
Major Maim (TBD)
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 6 + 5 + 4 + 14 + 15 + 12 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 17 + 3 + 12

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 18 + 4 + 19 + 10 + 15 + 8

+1 Luck from Lead Scout Present

CODE | LINEART | BG

There was little more than a very minor sense of relief in successfully luring his sister away from their mother, whose opponent soon appeared. Mithril paused to look back, wincing at the violence before them. He found himself blaming their father again. Had he not betrayed them, none of this would’ve happened.

In spite of the Lagoon leader giving the order to remove any intruders, the boy would not willingly leave his mother. “No,” he murmured as he quickly took @Mirime to the sidelines, where he would’ve explained had they not been suddenly approached by none other than @Isla ♔. Mithril remembered her words that day on the Summit, and as he recalled them then, his ears twisted back.

“And where would you have us go?” the youth asked accusingly. “You banished us.”

Then, stubbornly, but with an emotional crack in his voice, he declared, “I will not leave without her!”

Yelling and growling in the distance quickly caught the medic's attention - nervously she waits at the edge of her den, keeping an ear out for the noise. Scents of her own pride mates mixed with strangers, and though she was too far away to know exactly what was going on, Hera had a pretty good idea.
Heart pounding, the pink lioness grabs some herbs from her stores - wormwood, frankincense, baby bush, whatever she could fit into her pouch. She probably takes more than necessary, but Hera wants to be prepared.
Once the pouch is full to bursting, Hera rushes out into the sands and follows the noise.

Coming up behind the line of on-lookers, Hera squeezes past a few strangers, too focused to even apologize for her rudeness, and darts her gaze around for familiar faces. Tinùviel's small form is the first spotted - her face covered in tears, facing off against a lion almost double her size. Not too far away from her, Tiamat is locked in combat with another lioness - with context clues Hera guesses she might have been to one to challenge for the pride.

The sovereigns accounted for, Hera takes note of the flashing red in her periphery. She sees Lyric's snarling face for only a moment before a behemoth of a lion attempts to smash into it. A gasp is punched out of Hera's chest, and without conscious thought the medic moves closer to her friend, herbs jostling against her neck and ready to be used. Hera hopes they won't need to be.



+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

there is bravery

in being soft

code by corvus

Mirime imagined she and Mithril would sit, and watch, and wait. However enthralling the challenge might seem to some, seeing Fernweh getting engaged by a woman much larger and much older lioness. Miri sucked in a breath, biting onto her lower lip as her head frequently turned backward, watching as the fight unfolded right where they'd been sitting, right where they could have been nearly trampled. Suddenly, she was thankful @Mithril had taken her away from it; toward the sidelines, where they would hopefully be left alone.

Hopefully.

You two should not be here.

Mirime whipped around just as @Isla ♔'s shadow cast over the two of them, a look of surprise sprawled across her face. Where Mithril was harsh and accusatory, Miri was quiet, thin-lipped. She had not been there to witness the chaos that had happened at the Summit's challenge and their father's subsequent betrayal and disappearance, but the picture Mithril had painted was far less sparing than the one Fernweh had, and Miri was inclined to believe his tale of it. Regardless, she had never seen Isla angry, and the tense air that existed between them now felt strange, unnatural. But one question rose above it all: If we are not here, then where do we belong? Fernweh was here. Fernweh was the only stability they had left.

Miri's shocked-still expression falters only when she hears the crack in her brother's voice; she spares him a glance, before her gaze returns back to the Illyrian Heiress, hardening. Y-Yeah! You can't tell us what to do anymore. They were not part of Illyria, anymore. They were alone, they were hungry, but at least they were together.