Ghyslaine

Just as soon as she arrives, she can’t help the infectious grin she shoots her friend at his welcoming chuff, and then the presumed leader emerges. Except that she looks exhausted, and as if she has had a horrible time. A prickle of guilt at her own excitement for her friend seeps through her and she frowns slightly. As @Violarum speaks to her, she wonders if her friend is feeling guilt as well, but he also…. He has wanted this for so long.

Another has arrived, and she hears her say ‘You’, presumably to Violarum because she doesn’t know her, but Ghyslaine merely watches her curiously, keeping to herself at her own spot. She isn’t here to cause any further drama.

@Fallow arrives then and Ghyslaine watches her carefully as she approaches, her eyes skimming over everyone else present to ensure none would try to harm the pregnant lioness as she walked. When her pride-mate and best friend’s wife takes a seat, she speaks, and Ghyslaine nods. “Vio’s challenging for the rainforest.” She says quietly, to her friend. Because to Ghyslaine that was what Fallon was- a friend.

She notes some other’s arrivals, but she pays them little mind- keeping close to her best friend’s wife, as if she could defend Fallon from any who may wish to cause her harm while Violarum was otherwise occupied. The thought that the war on their own lands had begun as a challenge… wasn’t far from Ghyslaine’s mind, and she only hoped this fight wouldn’t become something like that.

_{art by yumpy}

+1 - Make a BWP-related post

(Viggo is part of FR, joining thread is not yet complete)

Maybe he should have seen the chaos of the land as a sign. Which, he had, but not as a sign that trouble was coming to their doorstep. The rainforest had burned but it still stood, providing a chance for new growth, new life. It would seem as though someone had decided to come and take the place for themselves, though, judging by the roar that went out.

A low, rumbling growl preceded him and failed to die out until a few beats after he had swept in and come to a halt beside Asherah, intending to protect her should anything go too awry here. He looked to Talitha, waiting, watching. Just give the order, his gaze says.

Look, she didn't know what any of this was, but what she did know was that her friends were going somewhere and so she would as well. She pranced along behind Ghyslaine, but was quickly distracted by playing in the soot and ash that coated the rainforest floor. It was only when Violarum's voice boomed out that she jumped and remembered what she had been doing.

Basura skidded into the gathering, sliding to a stop at Ghyslaine's side. There was a lot of talk going on, very little of which she understood, so she just looked around excitedly and remained at her friend's side because she had, at the very least, learned that when someone was standing in front of a large group you didn't just waltz on over to them, however much you might want to.

"Ghys, Ghys," she said, waving a paw at the woman and then pointing at the other lioness standing in the center of the gathering, facing off against Violarum. "Vio.... friend?" she asked, trying to ask if the woman she didn't know was a friend of his.

Sweet Jesus, she would need to tell Falki about this one. The mere thought of Violarum taking his own pride was shocking, but she supposed he hadn't seem overly attached to the mire. Willow didn't blame him -- the muck was gross. Still, she couldn't help but be nosey as she shimmied her way in, hopeful to go unnoticed as usual. She noted with some interest the lioness that Falki had mentioned and did her best to gauge whether or not she was happy, but the only thing she could tell definitively was a pregnancy. Willow scowled at that but shrugged it off. Not her problem, despite how it might kill her friend to learn about it.

She supposed that's what they were. Friends.

ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY LARS

@Ragna's presence is anything but expected. She had all but disappeared from her nest at Stygian Shore. Seemingly untraceable. Stolen away with their kids. Despite her accusing 'you', Vio can only think of the cubs - were they okay? He is distracted, gaze intense upon her masked face, wondering if Ghyslaine's fear for her drowning them was warranted.

He wants to ask her, but she moves away, and Violarum is left feeling extra befuddled as Talitha spoke. "I know," he says simply, he could only assume she did, no matter where he challenged for he would be uprooting somebodies family. It was the way of life. Though her next words are unsettling, and his ears fell against his skull. Violarum needed somebody far better versed in politics to make sense of this.

Could he even do that? Force them to stay here - and why? "Your family could go," he confirms, completely unwilling to try and chain anybody down, "Or they could stay." He perks again, as if he has had a brilliant idea, straightening to stand more akin to a great warrior and less of the naughty puppy-dog he was moments before.

"You can all stay, if you don't want to fight," and well, her talk of a buried son is not Vio's expertise, and he merely grits his teeth in wait. Surely, there was nothing a stranger could say to a mourning mother anyhow.

Violarum vs @Talitha
Round 0 of 5 - Firnen

_{art by kairi —}

There is a growing excitement buzzing in the pit of her stomach -- either that or it was a cub kicking relentlessly at her sides from within the womb. She had been witness to @Violarum's first attempt at achieving leadership, back when he had challenged for the Oasis. On that occasion, he had been unsuccessful though certainly it had not diminished his appetite or ambitions.

There is more chatter between her husband and the woman and the Salem woman would wish that she could listen in -- the growing anticipation tickles at the fur on the back of her neck as she waits with bated breath.

To @Ghyslaine, she nods and her bright fuchsia gaze notes the arrival @Basura who asks about the situation. She would leave this one to her newfound friend as Fallon's attention reverts back to the situation at hand. Though heavily pregnant, the charcoal figurine would be prepared to leap herself into battle should it warrant her involvement. Not that it seemed very necessary judging from the current atmosphere.

Ansella

Though she has stumbled into the forest, she’s still finding herself on the brink of death, and unsure where she really is. When a roar commands her attention, she stumbles and staggers from the den she had been brought to see what all the fuss is about. As she nears, she collapses into a brush, where she may not be easily seen, but where she can watch what is happening.

She is coming back into her mind enough to know that if the throne is disrupted… where will she go? They had cared for her thus far… and instead of simply leaving her to die…

So Ansella would watch and see what would happen.

— Ansella is just observing and watching. She has a joining thread in progress with fr

"Speech"

code by corvus

Of course.

Leave it to Zulema to join a pride and almost the second that she had finally situated herself within a decent den and put a few odds and ends, someone came knocking. Whereas she could certainly throw her support and still keep herself off to the side, she instead begins to gravitate towards her supposed pride mates. Their smell is fragrant even among their territory. Finding @Ragna (someone she vaguely knows as a Sigrun, given the woman's obvious relation to Saga), @Jurgen but it was to @Asherah that she sits beside. Them monochrome-colored women always took Zulema by the heart.

Perhaps what she had not expected was for her presumed leader that she hadn't met to come forth and express that he could simply have it. With the stipulation that her family be set free and that younger version of herself crept forward asking what about me? But she had little care any more about where she stood in a pride because there was always a way out. Looking at @Talitha all the more it was clear to see that she had recently given birth and seemed to be run rugged and into the ground. Perhaps she simply didn't have the strength to want to keep up with the work.

@Violarum spoke out then, addressing that her family could leave if that was what she wanted -- or they could stay. Judging by the crowd that seemed to be on the male's side of things, she didn't believe that staying was appropriate. Not that anyone present had any idea who she was aside from some lone woman that hardly smelled of this rainforest yet.

It had seemed inevitable that Violarum would try to take a crown for himself again at some point. Myra had suspected that it might be soon, and now it seemed that today was the day. Would it prove more fruitful than his last challenge had? Naturally, the huntress had to go and check it out for herself.

Myra doesn't know much about the current rulers of the Rainforest. She supposed that the little woman holding the title of High Sovereign had managed to impress her with her pluckiness, having gone against the odds to win her crown before Myra's very eyes. Challenges were to be expected when one held such a position, however, and so she couldn't say she felt all that sorry for Talitha, even if she did like her a little bit. Besides, Violarum is more familiar - it wouldn't be a bad thing for him to be in charge of the Mire's closest neighbors.

However the cards fell, Myra wouldn't be particularly displeased either way.

Naturally, upon her arrival the huntress gravitated towards the cluster of pridemates already on the scene. @Ghyslaine's presence is expected, considering her friendship with the would-be King. @Fallon too, is becoming a more familiar face, though the gray woman has grown considerably rounder since their last brief meeting. She nodded to them both, and then to @Basura, who Myra was wholly unfamiliar with, before she turned her gaze towards where Vio and the Rainforest woman...seemed to be having a discussion.

"No fighting yet? That's a surprise." What were they even talking about over there, anyway? Her pointed ears angled themselves toward the exchange in obvious curiosity, but she couldn't quite make out the details from here.

code | image | image

How curious.

When it came to matters of enemy prides, Leander would do well to keep tabs. The challenger is one that had come for Seneca's throne and though he does not know him personally, the patched male knows that he is from the Mire. He does not challenge for Andal, which comes as a surprise to the Heir who might have thought it to be the better tactical decision.

He crosses the borders and chooses a spot a little ways away, interested to find that there was no actual fighting as of yet. From a great distance, the Heir keeps an eye on the challenge, interested to see how this may pan out.

table by sentinel / lion + cliffs