i

cut my own throat / close my own wound / wear my own nightdescended blood

---

He’s foolish for coming here, but he has nothing left.

By the time he had mustered enough will to return to the Summit, it was empty. Usurped, made anew. No family, no army. And try as he might to summon the courage to beg help of the sister he barely knows, he finds Scilla in just as much disarray. They had scores of their own prisoners scattered among enemy prides. @Jazmin would have to wait.

And wait she did.

Until waiting became agony.

Days—then weeks. He watches the Vermedan border as if expecting Jazmin may walk from them at any point, freed and just as well-fed and well-kempt as she was the day she was taken. It’s a silly little hope, he realizes; one that only seems to soften the squeeze in his chest that’s wholly unfamiliar. He has experienced loss, grief; he endured the sight of his mother dying at his feet only to hear she lived and breathed hours after. But this is different. It feels heavier, hotter, more incessant; it is not something that can simply be ignored.

It demands something. Anything. Anything more than this.

Even if it is foolish.

He paces the border, indecisively patrolling and refusing to yet cross. He’s debated once or twice calling out to her, but he knows he’s more like to attract the attention of anyone else—and anyone else was more like to set war upon his heels than listen to his demands.

So he waits, and waits and waits until he finally takes a step over the line. Her scent barely catches on the breeze, but it’s enough to finally spurn that last indecisiveness that had kept him fettered to his hesitance. He ignores the way his heart seems to cease beating, and he follows the trail of her scent closer to her den, deeper within Vermedan territory.

As the princess grows older and her body grows more suited for oversized clumsy cubbish feet, Zira hones in on her exploring. She had made a pact to herself. She would memorize every step of the brook, each nook and cranny, each individual tree from its roots to its trunk until her nose and eyes hurt. Until she got tired of trying so hard to memorize. And most importantly until she didn't have to think about where she wanted to go. If only to traverse her home as easily as her mother. That also meant getting to know everyone and so when she spots @Radahn creeping through the territory, she cannot help but feel the urge to greet him. "Hey mister!" she calls out attempting to run up and zig zag between his paws. Immediately her pale eyes fall on the wretched scar and instinctively she gasps. "Woah! How did you get that?" Though she fails to realize that he doesn't belong here especially so deep inside her home.

code by corvus / art by drifter

Velasco X’uekai

The monster travels along the border in a lazy manner, pissing on a tree every now and then as he goes. He had a need to stretch his legs, to breathe in fresh air not polluted by a perfume of blood and lust. It was wonderful yet tiresome to be married not that the monster complained. However, he would complain about that unknown stench crossing over the marked border. A border that should have been hard to miss for the trespasser. He rumbles displeasure turning to bliss as he turns to follow the fool who'd dared cross into the brook uninvited. Whomever they were they would bleed for their mistake.

Unfortunately what meets his eyes is not a lone stranger but an unknown lion and his little sister. The monster grumbles, as much as he wants to just rush the intruder getting @Zira trapped in the middle was not a favorable outcome. Or maybe he should wait and let the stranger take a bite out of the pale princess. After that anything was fair game, any punishment his twisted mind could imagine acceptable.

Overhearing the little princess's question the monster chuffs as he walks closer tail flicking and eyes narrowing on the stranger. "Probably from waltzing into other people's homes uninvited" he rumbles his tone not threatening but pointed. "You've crossed our borders señor" The monster comes to a halt eyes on @Radahn "And we do not normally greet trespassers favorably"

March Y13 || Vermeda brook
Vermeda Brook Royal || 8 years

code by corvus

Hey mister -

She knew that voice, the youthful innocence attached and wondered only at what Zira might be doing out of bed. Night had fallen and while the darkness was no longer the deep blackness of winter with spring starting to rear it head, she wasn't certain Icefang would be best pleased with one of her daughters being out so late. Freja considered the alabaster Queen's children that of family and had been around enough that they would certainly know her. Her steps had just begun to turn, to alter her course to see who Zira was accosting in the middle of the night, when a wisp of scent tickled her nostrils.

Rogue male.

It was unmistakable, the unattached, wild scent that penetrated deeper into the Brook than should be possible. Icefang did not slack on border patrols, Freja knew that. But as her body lurched forward, heart hammering in her chest and fear tightening her stomach, she did not give much more thought to the how. Why a rogue male thought he could trespass this deep into a territory she didn't know, but she knew Icefang's laws. Attack first, ask questions later.

It terrified the shit out of her.

Loosing panicked calls to both @Icefang ♔ and @Cassius ♔, Freja broke into a sprint towards the sound of the young girls chatter. Zira, get down. It was panic really, that coloured her words. Sheer panic at what could happen, why this male was here, what she knew she would have to do. Icefang would not accept negotiations, Freja already knew that. Seeing Zira winding between the males legs was enough to put a snarl on the Lead Hunter's features. Stranger Danger Zira, for fuck's sake!

It was sloppy, it was nowhere near as thought out as a warrior might had approached it. Freja was no warrior, she had very little when it came to battle training. She launched herself at @Radahn's face regardless, a snarl of fury (and fear) erupting as she slashed the fully extended claws of her right paw across his face. For starters, she wanted to stop him in his tracks, but in reality she was stalling until the big guns arrived. She just hoped they came quickly, before she vomited her guts up.

Freja vs @Radahn
for Dominance (GTFO)
Round 1 of 3
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 4 + 14 + 11 + 18 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 6 + 15 + 18 + 13

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 18 + 14 + 6 + 16

code by scorpixia ♡︎ || art by editjackson

Vincent had smelled him soon after his arrival. And he'd gotten closer and closer to his den. Not hers. His. Where Jazmin had been staying. Too close. The tiger couldn't risk her thinking or realizing that her white knight had come to try and save her. A long growl sounds in the back of his throat, but he quickly realizes that others had come to greet this boy. Irritation erupted within him, exploding into full on anger as some stupid girl attacks him.

They were too close. Every instinct within him screamed to chase them all off. Man, woman or child. They were too close to his den. The one he'd taken extreme care to keep away from others, to keep secret. To keep Jazmin a secret.

So he slips from his hiding spot and moves forward with heavy paws, a snarl ripping from his gullet. "Fuck off, you twat." The beast snaps at @Freja in warning as he's barreling toward his target. He had to get this boy off the territory and fast. Jaws would attempt to immediately grab for Radahn's scruff as he's hopefully distracted by the chit that had attacked him. A shoulder would simultaneously try and ram into his side to cause him to stumble.

Vincent vs. @Radahn
For Dominance
0 1 2 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 7 + 12 + 5 + 17 + 2 + 4 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 14 + 7 + 20 + 11 + 4

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 15

His mother hadn't called for him. No one had. Yet here his fat little ass came. All grinning milk teeth and tapping of tiny claws. Big for his age but still obviously too young to be in the crossfires of whatever this was.

But @Zira was here! If she was allowed then he was allowed. No ands ifs or buts.

Kincade arrives just in time to see some striped.. lion.. thing.. help his dame fight off someone he'd never seen before. Yeah! The tyke cheers from beside @Velasco. Twat! Clearly he assumed @Vincent to be speaking to @Radahn.

With the excitement of battle waging right before his young eyes, Cade turns and tries to attack Velasco. Latching onto a front limb and snarling with all his might. et em! et em! He continues around fur. Get him! Get him!

code by scorpixia♡︎ | art by drifter

It wasn't like @Freja to call for him in such a manner. But not only him. @Icefang ♔ as well. The Darkling's immediate thoughts went straight for his boys. Yet when he arrives it is but one son that he sees. A daughter. And a not so unfamiliar face.

Cassius had every intention of barrelling in and confronting whatever had distressed the mother of his children, yet now his fury had quickly gave way to confusion that just as swiftly shifted into amusement. To actually witness Freja throw hands was definitely not on his bingo card but he'd gladly take it. Even if she had help from the tiger, it looked as if she were finally flinging out some real punches.

Attention slips momentarily down toward his boy as he tried to assault @Velasco's front leg. To this Cassius decided to ignore. Either the older male would tolerate the child's antics or he wouldn't. Either way, Kincade would be learning something in the end.

I remember you, boy. The Heir sneers as the young man is flung into a fight he probably would not win. Come to reclaim what I stole? That girl. The one he'd been crying over back on that battle field. I think my friend here is quite fond of her. As am I. The beast moves to circle around the scuffle. Ensuring that this intruder could hear every word. She is far from lonely here, I assure you. But if you are so insistent, perhaps she could use the.. Motivation. Motivation for what? To listen? To comply? To give in? Cassius didn't really feel like explaining it further. But this man clearly meant something to @Jazmin. And if that were the case then perhaps she'd do anything to avoid seeing him injured. I think you'll look quite nice beside her in her cell.

Cassius v ?
For @Radahn

code by scorpixia♡︎ | art by drifter

(Xarkla say Miaran can grab Zira.)

Amidst the bustling sounds of chaos that erupted within the borders of Vermeda, the Executioner felt an insatiable curiosity bubble within her soul. Her torn ear perked, straining to decode the fervent cacophony that surrounded her as she sought it. Finally, she caught sight of the vibrant crowd ahead, a whirlwind of fury. Her heart raced as she spotted her Mari, her Husband, entangled in conversation with one of the princesses, the words undoubtedly laced with urgency and tension.

Not far from them, a start of a clash unfolded, and her eyes fell upon a younger cub, foolishly daring to lunge at @Velasco's leg. A flicker of annoyance crossed her features, a fleeting shadow of discontent as she raised a single, questioning brow. As Miaran's keen gaze fell upon the innocent white cub teetering on the brink of danger, a surge of false protectiveness ignited within her. Without a heartbeat's hesitation, she sprang into action, her heart racing as she seized the fragile creature by its tender neck skin. In that pivotal moment, everything else faded away—the chaos of the fight, the cacophony of growls—and all that mattered was safeguarding this princess's life.

With a practiced strength, she swiftly moved the cub to safety, her own legs surging with every powerful movement. As she finally set the cub down on the ground, but she was far from done. Her paw came down decisively on @Zira's tail, an unyielding anchor intended to keep her tethered and secure. Watch, do not move, enfant, child she commanded, her voice a taut string of intensity, devoid of the warmth that one might expect in such a moment. Yet beneath her stern exterior lay the unmistakable grit of a protector—the readiness to dig her claws into the cub's flesh should she dare to stray. In that heartbeat, she became both guardian and devil, driven by an unquenchable fire to shield the ones who were now her family and one that she would held so dear.

table code by daanyen

More chaos at their door, how annoying. First a prison break and now a dumbass getting into their home uninvited. It was time for them to make an example of these, or else lions would keep making of the Brook a joke. This was when cruelity was needed, when it should be seen as a persuasion tool. Obsidian, newly made into a fine woman, arrived to watch the chaos unfold. She found two going after the trespasser and Cassius going into imprisonment. She shook her head at the scene that should have been done differently. Maiming seemed better, in her opinion, but she was late, and thus, she had no power to change the events. She simply stood there to watch the fight and check on any wounds. A call yet calculative expression firm on the fight ahead. Sharpening her claws now that she was on it. +5 Observe a fight +5 Maintain your weapons (sharpen claws or care for teeth) +5 Attend a fight or challenge to asses the wounds.

art by Kaori + code by spu

His scent is faint, carried to her on a gentle breeze. She's dreaming. Or she's gone insane. Anything - anything but reality. He is not here. He isn't coming.

And if he did... Surely he wouldn't be foolish enough to come alone.

Vincent slips away when the sound of commotion follows that soft scent, leaving her in his den, her prison. At first, she's not motivated to move. She stares after the hulking beast until he is entirely out of sight, but his voice - his voice trails back, a hushed murmur just beyond the treeline.

"Fuck off, you twat."

He sounds... Truly pissed off. More than he ever did with her, even when she's baited anger out of him. With her, there's always a hint of amusement in those cold eyes. She's learned she won't die at his claws, not until he's bored of her. The months kept as his plaything have taught her that.

But if Vincent is furious, it might be for one reason. One reason Jazmin is truly scared of.

The fight that had been sucked from her body returns like a tidal wave, overwhelming and all consuming. Motivation to stand, to move, to defy the orders beaten into her. Not for her own safety, not for her own freedom.

Radahn.

Jazmin cuts through the trees, following the sound of a fight, until she stumbles into a quickly growing crowd.

There - there. Her prince. Her Radahn.

Vincent is all but on top of him, vicious and deadly. Bigger. Stronger.

"You'd look beautiful watching him die."

She hears Cassius over the din, and her heart leaps and clenches. Pulled on strings, she slips around the group until she's face to face with the black lion - the one who claimed her from the Lagoon.

"Stop this." Her back to the fight, she finds it easier to speak. To pretend that the boy fighting means nothing. "He's just a stupid boy. He's here to save me." Cold, icy, Jazmin is the bitch she needs to be - always has been. Her skin crawls as she steps closer, steps forward, puts herself so obviously on display, her fur thick with Vincent's scent from weeks of being forced to share his den. "But why would I want to go with him when the real men are here?"

Take me instead.

@Cassius ♔ @Vincent @Radahn

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS