[[probably set a week or so after his last visit and 2 or so days after the leadership shift?? timelines are fuzzy if the setting isn't canon until it's finished XD; sorry he's just impossibly impulsive and feeling very insulted right now, he processes most of his emotions through violence]]

---

Since the last visit several days past, he'd spent a lot of time roaming and trying to regain some sense of normalcy. Reconnecting with his wife, plotting how to get his son free, and indulging in old hobbies that now mostly consisted of mixing random poisons together to see what they would do (traces of such still coated his claws and forepaws, but he'd seen no need to wash for a visit). Thoughts of starting a new garden in a neutral area had eventually led to thoughts of the garden he'd had to leave behind in Firnen, and then those thoughts had circled right back to his efforts to free his son.

It hadn't sat well with him. His last visit had been...a fiasco, if he was honest about it, but more than that it was the way he'd been met and treated. Last he knew Amara was the High Sovereign and, thus, the ultimate authority on what the pride did or did not do, and she hadn't even shown up. He'd been met by her daughter instead, who acted as if she had the final say. Was that true? Had some internal shift happened while he was away which put Louve as the ultimate voice within the bluffs? Or did her position put her on equal footing with Amara and he'd only assumed her role was appropriately lesser? Or was it all some internal family politics he'd never managed to untangle - connected to them but ever the outsider, truly.

He lingered a moment by the borders, scenting the wind and the invisible lines that marked out the edge of the territory, searching for any obvious clue that might aid him in making a conclusion. In the end, it was frustration - anger - that moved him to act and take a chance.

Impulse may well be the death of him one day (today?) but this one was too strong, the slight too recent. The call echoed across the territory before Ryker himself realized it had come from his throat, his body already adjusting for what was to come next. It was too late to rethink things the second the challenge had sounded, he was committed, now, no matter what. Backing down was not within his general skill set, and he supposed he'd be attacked for the audacity regardless.

If it was Amara who arrived with the crown of the High Sovereign still firmly on her head, well...he supposed he'd find an excuse to back off in the promise he'd made years ago. If not...well, whatever happened next surely wouldn't be boring, at least. And if the Dieudonné didn't kill him, Levana probably would.

@Ryker vs @Louve
Wolfbron Bluffs
0/5

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

someone calls for her mother, which might not be unusual in any other circumstance. but this? no. someone - some man calls for their home and the bluffs seem to shake with the audacity of it. manon rises, legs pumping quickly to bring the girl to where he waited - the man so bold, so brave, so arrogant. "homme stupide, maman va te tuer, stupid man, mama will kill you. a guttural snarl as inky black lips rise over gleaming teeth. clack, clack - her blood thrums in a heady song of promise as her jaws chomp together in excitement. "et nous régalerons de tes os." and we shall feast on your bones. the bluffs, so tightly and completely wound together with the dieudonné, would not allow an outsider to rule over them.

a low, dark chuckle leaves manon, the sound rumbling in her chest. tasty, he looked oh so tasty. perhaps if they were lucky, maman would severe a ear or limb and send it flying in their direction - what a lovely appetizer that would be, indeed! clack, clack - she paces without realizing, a caged lion biding her time and waiting to be unleashed. "you 'ave come to zhe wrong pride, boy." never mind that ryker was almost twelve times her age. clack, clack clack, short ropes of saliva fly into the air with each chomp as her mouth begins to water. "les hommes viennent à wolfbron pour mourir." men come to wolfbron to die.

manon is watching, open for fights - tag me in discord if you start one

coding by daanyen | art by rabbit

Valaine had heard the call from the borders and stalked towards it. She felt tension sit within her shoulders as she took higher ground, to observe the border from a higher facing rock. The woman had only begun to settle into her new pride, and already a challenger had come knocking. Valaine's tongue clicking against her teeth as she laid her blue eyes upon the man that stood at their border. She didn't know the man personally, but she'd seen him around. She'd known he led the rainforest for a little while until he lost it. A shame.

But why was he here trying to take away their stability?

A small snarl escaped the woman's jaw as she settled into a seat higher up on the rocks than Ryker could reach (not that he was here for her, of course). She sought to watch the show, and lend her support if required.

@Manon arrived shortly after, spewing hateful words to the man in a language she could not understand. The girl was young, but the drive within her bloodline was evident. Valaine sought that drive, too.

"Manon, let us vatch your mama tear zis boy to meat strips," she called down to the younger girl, hoping to add to the viciousness of the gathering lions and lionesses.

-Valaine's observing from a rock above! She's open to fights as well; poke me on Discord and we'll plot something!-

the dark can leap and fall upon you

code x art

Hadn't they just done this? The call roused him from his sleep, the pale beast emerging from his little cavern in both curiosity and annoyance. Louve had only just won her crown, and now someone called for it. Sébastien sighed lightly, heading toward the border. There were a couple present already, and the vampire would pick his way up to @Valaine's perch, to seat himself near the unfamiliar woman, his dark gaze settled, unreadable, on the agitated male below, and the pacing youth. Had he not seen that very man standing on Wolfbron's side in past conflict? Interesting.

"Tu devrais garder tes distances, mon petit. S’il a des alliés, vous êtes de petite taille." You should keep your distance, little one. If he has allies, you are bite sized. He did not shout, or raise his voice any more than necessary to be heard, but his tone did carry just a shade of amusement. As if any of the residents would allow any of the children to be targeted without backup. A glance, then to the woman nearby "She has spirit, non?"

Je repars à zéro

Non, je ne regrette rien

code by corvus

The change in leadership within the Bluffs was new, so new that Amara had yet to try on the retirement hat. Everything about her was still the same, plus some new wounds which wasn't out of character for her. The star covered lioness startled sharply when she heard Ryker's voice calling for the Bluffs. What the fuck? She quickly made her way toward him and found him among the small crowd. She looked at her grandcubs with a sharp look. Silence* She commanded them. She was after all still their grandmother and would put them in their place if they didn't listen. She glanced at Sébastien for a moment before facing Ryker.

Her golden gaze sharp and full of slightly controlled rage. What the fuck do you think you are doing? Her claws slipped out and pulled along the dust under her paws. He was supposed to be an ally. Supposed to be someone that she could count on. Had he heard that she had fallen to Louve or was he coming for her. Amara wasn't sure which was worse. Learning that her allies wouldn't respect her daughter or seeing an alliance she built fall apart, for what? Old habits died hard and Amara was ready to rip into him just because he was here and making this call for her home.

artist Vasilia; coded by irish

Wow, what was this? She would have thought that men would have learned not to challenge for the Bluffs at this point, and yet here was one calling for it. She wanted to laugh at his foolishness, except that she knew this time it was Louve who would answer the challenge (it didn't occur to her that the sovereign could and perhaps would do so instead), and she was as of yet untested while Amara's legacy of victory had been set aside. Well, if she fell here then that was the answer, wasn't it. She'd just have to find somewhere else to be. Maybe she'd return to the Lagoon, though whether it was as a member or as a one woman war party was up in the air. Granted, she had a feeling Louve was about to show up like a one woman war party herself.

She approached, sitting on the sidelines and watching as Amara questioned him, spitting fire as she did. A slow smile spread across her features at the sight of the former matriarch and high sovereign taking charge of the situation. Old habits died hard, evidently, and she loved to see it.

+1 luck to all pride-mates when fighting on their pride territory (must be present prior to the start of the fight).

x

1 year, no perks


When a challenge rang out, his brow would furrow. So soon? Already lions were beating at the door, ready to test Louve’s mettle. She was one of the few lions that terrified the boy (though he would never admit it) so he couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to fight her. Still, it was a show that he could not afford to miss. Whatever happened today, he had a feeling things would change, Louve would begin her reign the way her mother had, or the Duiedonne would lose their home….albeit briefly. There were children here, they needed protected and ferried away from the grasp of the Duiedonne’s newest and most hated enemy.

Evren was not the first to arrive, the teenager arriving just as Amara called for silence, demanding to know what he was doing. Black gaze shifted to the would be usurper, but Evren did not know him. Whatever history he had with the pride, it was unknown to him. @Dysnomia sat on the sidelines and with Faustine not yet there and the cubs handled, he would find himself walking up next to her, brushing her shoulder with his own in greeting. "I hope she kicks his ass…I don’t want to lose this home." He murmured to her quietly, for her ears only. She understood his meaning, having lost a home before. He’d lost the Oasis under the rule of his father and then Scorpius, they’d fled not long before Scorpius had lost it but it was still a loss in his mind. He liked the Bluffs, but he could not see living in it under the rule of this guy. "Who is he anyway?" He asked, louder this time, he wasn't trying to hide his question as he had his former statement.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

The call comes — she is ready! She's been ready since Firnen fell to her bloody paws, since she took the man's son hostage as a prisoner. She was ever so ready to fight @Ryker in another challenge, to prove once more she deserved the crooked crown atop her skull. But... It was not for her. It was for them. Confusion floods her body, swiftly replaced by anger. She could remember from her own challenge the way Wolfbron had taken away Firnen's young and vulnerable to give them shelter — even if Ludivine had no intention to chase them further into harm. They had been allies... Hadn't they? So what had transpired to cause this?

W R A T H
The wrath of a matriarch protecting her family. Still heavily burdened, it doesn't matter — she is a warrior, a queen, a killer, and nothing will stop her from attending this greatest insult. She could have taken a challenge against her in stride; Ryker deserved at least one chance of revenge against her. But this? To go after his allies for some strange, unknown reason? That certainly won't do. Ludivine still had to toy with the strength of the loyalty her new family had with her, but even she understood that loyalty severed deserved a punishment most painful.

F U R Y
She arrives with all the grace of a warrior Queen, her skull raised high as her gaze fixates on Ryker — fixates on @Amara, so angry and filled with hate herself. Clearly this was not an expected assault. Her eyes land on those of the pride already gathered for the fight — on those of her blood, already gathered to witness what may befall the family this day. They are soon to gather and swell in greater strengths, and thus, she tips her jaws skyward and releases a thunderous roar for the family.

“Your Queen — your Matriarch — has been betrayed! Come, witness, and I will bear unto you your first command as your new Co-Matriarch!” Her eyes move to look at Ryker, a sneer emblazoned across her lips as she calls for the entire cannibal clan — come, witness your new meal!

“The rat that has challenged for this pride has now earned himself a kill on sight target by the entire Dieudonné family.”

So it is said, so it is done.
D E A T H

So this is how things went when allies didn't agree with something? Interesting. Elaine knew the last meeting with Ryker didn't go well at all but for it to turn into this. Well, that was unexpected. The new heiress arrived in the shadows, watching her mother step up to Ryker. She wouldn't really have expected anything less, not only did few know that she wasn't the leader here the alliance with Ryker had been her doing. It seemed right that she was the one to question what he was thinking. Icy gaze snapped to @Ludivine when she arrived. Elaine still had feelings when she saw the lioness, mostly those of murder that she now forced back. Louve had figured out a way for the family to live as one, without either side needing to fight the other and it wouldn't be Elaine who broke that in any way.

She walked up next to Ludivine, standing on her left side, her gaze fixed on Ryker and her mother as Ludivine's words rang around her. He demanded that Louve get his child from you. She said to @Ludivine. Leaving the reason for the challenge unspoken, figuring she would be smart enough to put it together, no one from the Bluffs had shown up at her doorstep looking for his child. They had made a big step, in Elaine's mind, toward honoring what Louve was putting into place. Even over a long-standing ally. Elaine isn't aware of many who stand with him but her gaze swings around for his wife. It would be fun to tangle with her.

Art by Lars

Pride status vague, but probably WB? Joining thread in progress.

To say that she was pissed to hear this call, would be a rather massive understatement. While normally a connoisseur of chaos, she would normally appreciate the call for a challenge, if only to watch the creature calling it to be used to cleanse their blood from stone at the edge of the Dieudonne claws. She arrived at the scene of the call to see a familiar male- one she did not know she'd ever one on one met but had seen plenty of times the one to make the challenge. @Amara was there, and the Queen or... former Queen looked pissed. Helah was a bit confused about all of that- to be honest. (Because she wasn't at the last challenge because timelines and idk where her returning/joining thread would fall into those)

She comes to stand there- eyes scanning the crowd which was steadily growing into those she did not know, her eyes locking on the strangely marked male with the curl of her lips revealing her teeth- the sign of her displeasure. (And because it's Helah.) Her stance was even, paws spread as she eyed the male- looking for any supporters before she asked anyone who could give orders- "Do we attack any who may support him?"

Just give her one chance to spill some blood and to taste it again. Just one chance for such a sweet release.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS