She had been fairly closeby when the challenge shattered the stillness of the shore, and she froze in the midst of her gathering, her grip upon the plant she was pulling out by the root tightening. Her search for certain commodities had brought her closer to the shoreline than she had planned and as much as she detested the heat and taste of salt in the air, it was a given necessity. Her stores had been lowered by her own injuries and needed replenishment, and she had begun the long process of seeking out those that were most needed; thus the unfortunateness of her trip. Yet, it would seem that the original unpleasantness was rapidly turning to delightful possibilities for the widowed Rike. With haste, she was quick to stuff what she had accumulated so far into her white stoat satchel, snatching it up within her jaws and turning on heel to make her way towards the commotion in great interest. Knowledge was key and power, and there was no one better at gaining such things than Dagmar. She did not have to travel far, soon coming upon a wide array of spectators all splayed around the man that stood within the sultry sands of the territory borde. Dark, roseate eyes gleamed as they roved eagerly from unknown face to unknow face, even more so when she didn't spy the familiarity of her sister amongst them. Though she could be hidden perhaps, Dagmar was still, in her mind, much at an advantage. She did not attempt to disguise herself as was her normal endeavor, knowing that the only way she would be betrayed would be by Uzma's own eyes. Not Rike nor Sigrun that had come to Amaryllis knew of her, and thus, she was the perfect wolf amongst the sheep. Smirking smugly to herself, the lioness would saunter silently forth with a roll of her slender shoulders, donning herself in the mask of a stranger. It had always been so easy for her to become someone else, to pretend she was something she wasn't, and it was no different here. She found a spot that held considerable view of all and was quick to claim it, sitting back with ease and placing her medicine bag at her feet with gentle care. An ear would flick to the side as @Violarum loudly declared the identity of the contender, her eyes shifting to the male preparing to fight with only a small portion of her curiosity satisfied. He didn't need to be good at hunting to win here, this Sahir, only triumph over his opponent. One who did not seem to be stepping forward yet and making themselves known; at least, not to her. "May I ask, who is it that he challenges?" She offered softly, politely to Violarum, deciding to hone in on him as her source of hopeful information.

code // art

She cannot fault him for his choice. Kismet does not doubt that Sahir has seen a sign, and that sign has led him here; she and Basira are simply pieces of the whole, and their husband can rest easy knowing that they will follow. Even when they are surprised into action, they will follow. She does not rush — she knows she doesn't need to. Whilst they've been wandering from place to place, she has been careful to keep her supplies stocked, and she does not answer her mate's challenge empty-pawed.

The crude satchel slung around her neck, she heads in the direction of the call, a bit of breathless excitement on her lips. There is no doubt in Kismet's mind that Sahir will arise victorious. He has to. All that she has seen cannot be wrong — she will not allow it.

She arrives to an abundant display of greenery overlooking the expansive beach of crystalline sands, and her simper widens. Only for a moment, and then she's searching the crowd with a curious quiver of her nose. They sit in clumps, mostly — she imagines divided by affiliation — but there is one that lingers on her own, and Kismet perks her ears, making her way casually towards @Evangeline, beside whom she moves to sit. She smells strongly of salt and sea.

"This is your home?" she queries with a sense of whimsy and wonder, clearly enamored by the whole thing. "What do you call it?" She's being presumptuous to assume that Evangeline will have any interest in talking to her, but Kismet is something of a social butterfly, and she just can't help herself. She's quite good at sticking her nose where it doesn't belong, but she truly only has the best intentions at heart._{BG — ART — CODE}

There was a lot of unknown faces showing up but there was also a few she was fondly familiar with. So as she quickly gathered a pouch of herbs the shadow lady raced to where the call had arose from and settled near @Revna, @Finnulf and @Cirilla. The lioness wasn’t pleased a stranger was here coming for her new home. One she was settling into, but that was life. Life was never fair. Sitting next to the children she looked at them as she placed her pouch of herbs down. Eyes than swept to @Zahra with concern. “Hey try not to push yourself too hard to quickly.” She said calmly but seriously. The words leaving her lips before her brain could really stop them. Turning her gaze from the girl she than looked back to the challenger. “Do we know him?” She questioned. Knowing one’s enemies is also an important tool to take into account.

+5 (10 boost event) Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds 1/2 - Medic

image by moogle/code by saph

it's oddly naive of her to think there won't be a time when her rulership is challenged for. so in norm is it to go to a pride challenge that úlla, vellen bless her, forgot she too can suffer the same fate. but it's always vellen's will, for a challenger to step up. and she, the high sovereign, must take the mantle of being the challenged. however, despite the rumor of a lioness coming in as her challenger, úlla sees a male. a foreign one. someone she knows nothing about; not even his name or where he came from. already, numerous lions belonging to her pride, her sigrun kin, and rogues are standing, waiting for the fight to happen. i welcome you to the cove úlla says, her tone deep and serious. but i will have to stop you here. she redirects her path until she's standing just a few feet away from @Sahir. with her ears flat, spine straight, and tail whipping behind her, úlla lunges. she attempts to knock the lion backwards with her chest. meanwhile her left leg, and with its claws out, raises in an attempt to curl around sahir's right ankle, hoping to trip him.

úlla vs sahir
for caladan cove
move 1 of 5
@Who vs. @Who
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 16 + 7 + 3 + 19 + 1 + 2 + 6 + 12

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 6 + 10 + 19 + 11

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 1 + 20 + 13 + 7

table by ferus

TASKS: (DOUBLE XP) 10xp - Observe and study a new scent (1/2).
10xp - Observe a challenge and learn the results (Sahir vs Ulla).

It was time. Kismet had made haste towards their intended target, and so Basira would follow; yet, as the crowd came into view, she would break away from the trail that her sister-wife had left and instead move to the opposite side of the arena. While the comfort of having an ally at her side would have been appreciated during such a tense battle, Basira knew full well that it would be most sensible to sit apart and gather as much information as possible. This fight may not last long, so time would be of the essence. As she skirted around the back of the audience, she took a moment to take in her surroundings; the scent of the sea was thick in the air, and while it was not her favourite - nor would it have been her first choice - it would certainly serve its purpose. If it was what her husband had chosen - what the spirits had guided him to - then she would grow to love it. Her attention settled on @Violarum - as he seemed to be the loudest of all the spectators - and the one who had moved to speak with him; @Dagmar. "I would be interested to know too, sir," she hummed to the Frei as she drew close to the pair, tone just as polite as Dagmar's and expression relaxed open, seeking to draw them in; or at least enough to make them think that she was just another innocuous member of the gathering. "Whoever she is, it doesn't seem like she'll give this place up without a fight, does it?" She would smile and shrug then, as if it didn't bother her at all. As if she had no horse in this race, and that after this she would wander off without a care in the world. Poker face - smooth and practiced.

_{BG — ART — CODE}

OOC: No claiming, please. Vermeda joining thread in progress c:

The call echoes throughout the land, and Ophelia was never one to ignore such calls. Despite being absent from Amaryllis for the past three years, the inquisitiveness that piqued when such a bold claim was made certainly interested her. Pink and ivory paws move silently away from the Brook and toward the Cove, a pride she had never visited before. She knew of it and its locale, but quite who ruled there was something she did not know.

Alas: the woman stepped quietly over the border and took a seat as the fighting began. Seafoam eyes look around the crowd but recognize no one, so for the time being she simply remained hidden in the shadows to observe. Should the woman - who seemed to claim the pride as her own - fall today, she'd deliver the information to her sisters.

Since arriving in Amaryllis, Asriel had not seen a large amount of drama. It seemed as though these lions were quite content to live peacefully, and that - well, that was boring. So when the call for a pride had been called for, Asriel could not help but be interested in the events that were about to unravel. Striped paws move effortlessly through the neutral territories of the peninsula and onto the owned land of the Cove. He pauses for a brief moment and notes the salt in the sea air, how it was fresh and inviting. Mismatched eyes look over to his right, and he sees the vast open beach that the members of this pride could reap the benefits of. For a second he is jealous of this, but it is quick to dawn on him that he can bathe anywhere he wanted to: he did not need to be restricted to a pride to enjoy the benefits. The battle begins and the sound of violence draws his attention back to the event at hand. The thrill of savagery saw adrenaline course through his veins, and his paws drew him closer. The tiger would not intervene with this battle, but he would be more than happy to watch and observe. Any information he could gather on these lions and their abnormal ways, the better.

She appeared. Sahir knew this place must belong to someone, though each cat filtering in along the sidelines lacked the initiative to suggest it was them. Only when a silvery lioness approached did he recognize her as the monarch of this beach, large in size and seemingly seasoned for battle.

"You may try," he rumbled a thickly-accented response with the faintest hint of a smirk. He preferred her declaration to the mindless whining he heard from the outskirts, suggesting that she may prove a worthwhile adversary, even though she was a woman. He leaned into his defenses to signify his steadfastness, parting his jaws agape in preparation for the battle that was to come.

They began with a frenzy of movement, no use in wasting time with more words when they would not change the outcome of that day. She surged forward and Sahir took a single step to his left, causing the force of her blow to hit his right shoulder rather than his chest. He snarled as sharp pain throbbed within the muscles of his shoulder, her large stature enough to leave moderate bruising there in the hours that followed despite the near fifty pounds he had on her.

With his positioning altered by one step to his left, though her paw managed to rake claws against the outer edge of his right ankle, he was able to keep his own limb firmly balanced under his weight. The slashing of her claws succeeded in shedding the first blood of the fight as his cuts bubbled with scarlet liquid to tell the tale of what they had done there, two moderate lacerations to trouble him with stinging pain.

Fueled by adrenaline and excitement, Sahir was eager to take his turn on the offensive. He snapped his head to his own right in an attempt to knock it roughly against the right side of his opponent's skull, trying to injure and even disorient her with the impact. Lifting his right paw from the sandy shores with his claws extended, Sahir attempted to rake his weapons down the center of her chest in a slashing motion.

---

+20 - Use a creative move in battle (headbutt, double exp event)
Sahir Najma vs. @Úlla
for Caladan Cove
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 8 + 1 + 3 + 18 + 11 + 17 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 12 + 13 + 10

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 14 + 12 + 8 + 16 + 11 + 20

ART BY MAX, CODE BY LARS

the call had come from seemingly out of nowhere, and it caused her to jump, startled by the thundercrack voice that splits across the cove. their cove. she was fond of this land if only because they were — she did not care much for elias’s cousin at the helm, but that was okay! as long as they were happy she would go where they went. but today, revna is decidedly not happy. she can feel @Revna's anger crackle across the sands as she draws closer. a few cove lions have gathered to watch the spectacle ( the unknown male and ulla have already started to fight, and the others simply flank them and watch ), while even more rest comfortably across the borders, their faces pressed up against the window. as they peer in. it is strange feeling and her tail curls at her ankles, flicking nervously as she zeroes in on her wife. revna? eira murmurs softly as she comes to be at her side, where she belongs — mismatched eyes turned up towards her wife, wide with concern. what’s going on? who is he? and what was he doing here? ears twist forward, a terrible little frown curving her features as she glances around, obviously unsettled by the afternoon's turn of events.

On most days, the wraith was not one to meddle in the affairs of others; she had other interests to occupy her time, and she was hardly the nosey type. However, today presented her with a situation that she could only label as an opportunity, and it appealed to her good sense too much for her to ignore. New as she was and having met next to none of this continent’s occupants, a challenge seemed like an ideal – if not risky – setting to acquire a taste of the continents political situation, and who were the major players. If she could manage to get in and out unscathed and unnoticed, that is. Elora slipped across the borders with her head and posture low, mitts touching the earth with practiced silence as she advanced. Despite the territory being unfamiliar, the crowd was easy to find, and the woman found a place to observe several lengths away from the farthest ring of onlookers. She settled carefully on her belly behind a outcropping of the cove’s stones, folded ears hiked forward as her pale eyes considered the bodies of those gathered. Her position made it difficult to glean too much in the way of detail regarding those who fought – and she could tell the fight had already started – but, she would make do for now. ** Elora is attempting to hide ** +10 Sneak into another pride's territory without getting caught (x2)* +10 Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread (x2)* +5 Practice speed or stealth (x2)

code // art