The call that she heard on the wind was not one she recognized. Elixir perked up from the plants she had been eyeing to try and identify them, glancing around as if searching for clues of what it meant. At last, curiosity got the better of the cat and she started trotting in the direction the call had come from to get to the bottom of things, finding a pair of lion's tracks heading in the same direction. She bent down to the earth and lapped her tongue against a single paw print, smacking her lips to take in the gritty taste without even grimacing. They tasted of a pride, though she was too new within this land to be able to identify them all.

Trotting forward, Elixir continued tracking the prints all the way until the territory around her began turning rocky and mountainous, much like the entrance passage she had scaled previously.

---

|| april y7 | three years old | pride vague/unknown | at obsidian hollow | double exp from calypso ||
+10 - Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (OH pride)
+10 - Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (Saga DM)
+10 - Track someone through a neutral territory

_{ART — CODE}

TRADE EXP (BARBARIAN): +10xp - Observe a fight (Alaric vs Roan) [1/2]
+10xp - Observe a fight (Saga vs Eulalia) [1/2]
Double XP from Calypso.

A challenge.

Upon a personal ally, no less, so of course Magnus had every intention of attending - in support of Roan, of course - to see what would become of it. He had an especially vested interest as his daughter, Hrefna, lived within these walls with her betrothed Lysander. As obsidian attention shifted to @Alaric, Magnus would note that he did not recognize him; all the titan would note was that the pair seemed evenly matched, and already well into the swing of their own brawl by the time Magnus had joined the audience. Attention swept over the rest of the gathering, brow furrowing as he detected the scent of Rike.

The fur along the nape of his neck bristled unpleasantly.

@Saga would be seen once again leading an onslaught, and he would note the target as none other than @Eulalia - a man he had not locked eyes on for many a moon now, but one of the other few Rike faces he actually recognized beyond their scent. He could not determine any other figures alongside him - most of the clan were clearly in hiding, alongside his own - but it mattered little, for now; his attention remained focused on his sister and the wheat-pelted Jarl.

Take him, sister, and with it your penance..... or else I will.

He slowed to a halt alongside @Hrefna, pressing his shoulder to her in silent greeting as his gaze remained locked elsewhere - upon the brawl, which appeared it would be to the bitter end.

Haven't I given enough?
Always the fool with the slowest heart

She made quick work of tracking down Roan, breaking through one of the entrances to their hollow to see a crowd had assembled. Hrefna swept her ears back against her skull as she was assaulted by the scent of many strangers within their home.

"Skepnur," she spat angrily, dropping her materials at her paws. She had acquired a chunk of meat from their cache and hunched low over it, wielding her fangs and thorns by plunging each of them into the parcel with vengeance. "Megi Vellen bölva þér. Megi krákur rífa út augun þín!" As she spoke, she smashed the blood-red berries and the toxic cave mushrooms into the specimen with one of her paws, allowing the thorns to pierce her as she smeared it and her own blood mixed with the concoction as it bubbled up on the pad of her paw.

Her half-seeing gaze swept over the crowd of them and her charcoal-gray nose twitched as she relied on scent to tell her more about the situation. There was a distinct presence of the oasis pride, cluing her in on the identity of the challenger. Her gaze darted around to those she suspected were oasis members, unable to find any signs of turmoil or regret displayed. We have no ally in them, she resigned herself. She would not forget this slight any time soon.

Hrefna's thoughts were harshly interrupted by a call for blood. She jolted there where she lay crouched, searching the scene for an understanding of what was going on. There in the crowd, her own aunt had thrown herself against a large lion in a bloody struggle. She furrowed her brows with an overwhelm of adrenaline as she sought to understand why and jerked her head to the side as she was approached.

"Faðir," she exhaled to deflate the tension from her body, assessing his expression to try and understand how she ought to feel. "Saga frænka, does she know the pride challenger? Why is she fighting him?" she questioned him, flattening her ears back against her plush crown.

---

@Magnus
+20 Learn something about pride/group/family relations (AO/OH not allied)
+20 Cast a curse or blessing on a character
+10 Follow someone through a territory

The world is lost to Eulalia as he is wrapped in the throes of battle, what was once an event to bring the Rike closer to power now a fight for his life. The jarl's heart thundered in his chest, bloodlust lending him the strength and fervor needed to fight to kill.

While Eulalia is successful in retrieving his leg from the Sigrun's grasp, it doesn't come without a price. Her grip tore ribbons in the skin and flesh as he did so, dragging furrows along his haunch. Swearing under his breath to cope with the pain, the two are now face to face.

His strike lands true, satisfied as she is knocked to the left slightly. Hot blood greets his claws. An onslaught begins again, her jaws diving for his left forearm while at the same time her left forelimb shoots up to slash at the left side of his face. The left side is his blind side, and her left foreclaws crash into his face as he approaches, scoring over old scars across the left side of his face once more. The eye there was long dead and gone, though the sting of reopening old wounds had the desired effect. Her jaws would just miss closing around the jarl's left wrist as it came back down to earth, though her canines sliced across the top of his left wrist, wounding him despite his best efforts.

In a bid for control the jarl gathered his weight beneath his haunches and launched himself at her to close the distance between them. Her outstretched neck was a perfect target for him and the jarl dove with parted jaws for the soft part of her neck just behind her left cheekbone. Using his weight he would attempt to shove her backwards a few paces, his jaws seeking her neck if not whatever flesh he could reach first.

Give me your blood as I have given you my own.


Eulalia vs. @Saga
for death
Round 2 / 7
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 12 + 18 + 5 + 1 + 13 + 11 + 16 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 5 + 20 + 1

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 10 + 19 + 9 + 15

""

	+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results - Alaric vs Roan (1/2)
	+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results - Saga vs Eulalia (1/2)
	+10 Observe and study a new scent (2/2)

Hiccup watched as the crowd grew. He frowned deeply, somewhat frustrated that they had become a spectacle, but he understood the need to know. It was important to keep track of such events. Nevertheless, he sighed out, nodding when Avana said the challenger was possibly from the Oasis. ‘Not an ally,’ she commented and Hiccup nodded again, agreeing as he breathed in. The Oasis scent filled his nose as more lions that were marked by it arrived — a realization that had him clenching his teeth.

A flurry of movement pulled his attention away from the battle. Before he could even realize what was happening, the Lagoon leader — and mother to his Asteria and Nero — had launched an attack on an unfamiliar onlooker. That alone had Hiccup sucking in a surprised gulp of air. Then, as he saw how … vicious the encounter was and his heart seized and stumbled. Sank.

The icy dread that crashed over him left him gasping. The din of the crowd faded under the sudden pounding in his ears. Wide-eyed, Hiccup stood while his head whirled around, searching for @Asteria and @Nero with panic in his racing heart …

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

They came to a head, a reset, both more bloodied and bruised but neither very worse for the wear. Roan's claws had left their mark on his right side, digging deep in to the flesh there, but the injury would do no more than irritate for now. Pain did not exist in the heat of battle, with the adrenaline pumping strong through his body. As they engaged in this dance the rest of the world faded away and there was only the all consuming need to win. With blood on his tongue this desire was amplified -- he could taste the victory just out of reach and wanted nothing more than to emerge the victor, here.

His teeth scraped at the outside of the Hodari's jaws, useless, and he snarled his displeasure as he tucked his chin back to his chest to recalculate. They were both skilled fighters, clearly, and Alaric knew this would be no easy fight to win. It seemed they both took a moment to gather themselves, grounding all four paws and evening out their weight. They were head to head, something Alaric was familiar with in a good fight -- neither of them would budge or leave any easy openings.

Alaric waited, biding his time until the Hodari launched his next attack, watching with calculating venomous eyes. It did not take long before a flurry of teeth and claws once more shot his way and things moved quickly, then. Instinct guided his face away from the teeth, and as the leg lifted he opted for a less common move. His head dove down, moving half on instinct (away from the teeth) and half with a goal in mind. His jaws snapped open and he attempted to sink his teeth deep in to the top of Roan's left leg, near where it joined his chest, as it raised from the ground -- if he could managed to tear through the flesh there he would no doubt leave the Hodari at least a little bit compromised. Again he sought to avoid the bulk of Roan's mane, his aim more towards leg than chest.

Unfortunately this did leave him somewhat compromised himself, and he felt his opponants claws tear along the back of his jaw - not over his eye, thankfully, due to the downward traction of his head, but near the top where his jaw met his ear. They would not be small cuts but those that would scar -- he could feel the blood pour instantly down his face. He kept his focus on his attack despite the snarl of pain; putting everything he had in to causing enough damage to slow his opponant down. Thankfully the downward motion of his head would cause Roan's other attack to again only snag that same right ear, though Alaric felt the flesh tear with the repeated assault. He thinks that perhaps a chunk of it has been lost completely, but this is something he will not assess until the battle is done.

Never one to waste any opportunity he also lifted his left paw from the ground, sharp claws extended as he attempted to hook behind Roan's grounded right leg, aiming for the knee. If he could wound both legs at once, well... that would be ideal.


Alaric vs @Roan
for Obsidian Hollow
3/5
Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 1 + 20 + 17 + 14 + 7 + 5 + 16 + 3 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 12 + 11 + 5 + 2

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 2 + 10 + 6 + 16

code by corvus

(bein vague about where she is... lol) it was the call for the hollow's that pulled her from her slump, if only because she thought immediately of her friend. asteria was a walking disaster -- she had not had a proper nights sleep since slipping away from the lagoon -- and she knew it was dangerous to go where there were bound to be many. it was reckless, but at this point she simply did not care. perhaps she went because it was reckless. but no, it was the thought of hiccup that pulled her to the scene of the challenge. asteria was dirty and weak but she came for her friend, spotting him immediately at the sidelines. she sees him first and then... then she sees saga. her heart squeezes tight and she feels the sudden urge to flee, the blood stained chimera stirring a thousand different emotions in the small maned girl. the battle is vicious and she can only imagine that the male is a Rike -- the knowledge that this will end in one of their deaths comes certain to her. for all that had happened, for all that saga had broken her heart, she still loves the woman... she would not wish her death on even her darkest day. it would be a cruel act of fate if the last words ever had between them were her calling her a monster... on staggered steps she is pulled to @Hiccup, seeking to fall in to his touch, to draw comfort from her very best friend in the world.

image by papertiger, code by koi

This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of death, extreme emotional distress, dissociative seizures

He is numb by the time he arrives, because he has heard the trumpets of death and he knows what he is about to see. Nero makes no move to acknowledge anyone as he enters the fold, only stands in blank silence as he watches his mother in battle. He remembers all too well the grief and fear he has felt when she had simply lost her eye, but this? It's too much for the yearling. It's too much to watch another parent die. Nero stares blankly at the ground, his eyes unable to focus on anything outside of the memories he had done his best to ignore. The blood splattering on his coat, the belief his pink spots are nothing but stains from the death of his family. He watches his mother and father bleed to death, and now he fears he will watch another as well. Emotionally, mentally, Nero cannot handle it. The albino yearling stumbled backwards and trips, hoping to stay out of Saga's sight so as not to be a distraction. He doubts anything can distract her now, but any flash of white in her peripheral could be devastating if it takes her attention for even a moment.

He sucks in shaky breaths, gasping for air that he feels will no longer sustain him. Nero has always known the day might come when he would lose his parent, but he hasn't even gotten a year with her. Why doesn't he deserve at least a year with her?

Nero finds his way, stumbling, to an area he hopes is secluded enough and collapses onto the ground. Convulsions shake his body, uncontrollable, as his eyes roll back into his head. Overcome with the anxiety and grief, the memories washed in blood, the terror --

His body simply breaks.

Table by Amanda

Morrigan had been intended to visit the Hollows soon, always curious about how her first home was fairing and more so now that she knew it hadn't been in Sigrun hands for some time. She had seen Roan in passing, but nothing more. Still, the Hollows were just on the other side of the passage road and when the call for a challenge came, Morrigan tucked her youngest children away safely before making the journey.

The Greyflood monarch expected nothing more than a simple challenge between ambitious men, but considering the way things had gone recently perhaps that was foolish. The fight was already underway by the time Morrigan arrived, but she wasn't close enough to distinguish anything particular other than the vague familiarity of Roan. His opponent was a stranger.

As she looked around at the rest of those gathered she found far more Sigrun than she had expected to still remain in the Hollows, but as purple and silver locked on the other fight, Morrigan understood why. Saga was fighting again, this time with a different man. One the Greyflood recognized as Rike. Morrigan's body tensed immediately.

She nodded a greeting to @Keir as she passed nearby, but was already on edge otherwise as she approached @Magnus and @Hrefna. She would move to sit on the colossal beast's open side before casting a cursory glance above herself for any strays. She was no sleuth, though, and the Rike hidden around them remained unnoticed.

"Who is he?" she questioned her Sigrun allies curtly, referring with a twitch of her tail to the man Saga battled, muscles twitching as she waited for further violence to break out again around them. At least this time she might get to fight alongside Magnus, she thought as she watched the two pairs of fighters, one seeming far more intense than the other already.

table by ferus

(1/2) +10 observe a fight (roan vs. alaric) (double exp from calypso) When he noticed his aunt leaving rather quickly from the Cove, Arkyn's curiosity seemed to get the better of him. It caused for him to follow @Morrigan, making sure to keep a safe distance away so that he could try to hide if she decided to take a glance behind or, nor did he want to alert her that she was being followed. She were heading in a direction he'd never been, but to be honest the majority of Amaryllis was still unknown to him. Wide eyes would drink in the different sceneries and nostrils would flare to take in the overwhelming amount of scents, and once his aunt arrived at a rather large gathering with several lions fighting did Arkyn's curiosity grow all the more bigger. He would find his way tucked behind some rocks and brush that littered the outskirts of those that were gathered, peering to the side so that he could be able to watch the two fights unfold. Seeing the way they all threw themselves at one another seemed to make his blood rush and his heartrate quicken, and something in him told him that that was what he was made for. Bobbed tail would vibrate and his body would crouch low to keep himself better hidden, ears pricked forward and gaze shifting between both battles and occasionally glancing around him to ensure he was going undetected. arkyn is hidden

image by scarf, code by koi