It was really bo surprise that the youngster followed the rest of the lions trailing to the pits, where a sound had rang out to summon his father. The shadow of a boy followed the tracks of his father, no surprised either to catch the scent of his sister already on the trail.

When he arrived at the pit he did not see her, but he did see many other lions - his uncles included - gather to watch as Seneca defended his crown. Some of the faces were familiar, but there were those that he did not recognize. Some smelled different from the Oasis. Other prides? Most likely, he assumed. Artæmis considered moving closer, seeking out the safety of his uncles, and watching the fight for his home.

Instead of doing that, he perched on a rock near the edge of the pit, away from the others. From here he could see everything, from the battle to the intermingling lions surrounding it. The ground sloped away from his rock, towards where his father battled the would-be usurper.

That was where the shadowy boy chose to sit, eye narrowed as he considered the predicament, tail lashing with otherwise hidden anticipation.

code © cala // art © drifter

Potential XP: +10 remain undetected in a large thread (5+ characters) }} +5 practice hiding your scent

He's a curious beast at best and downright nosy at worst. When the powerful challenge echoes through the land, he can't help but be drawn to the commotion. Does it concern him in any way? Not really, except for in the way that information concerned all of those smart enough to wield it and know it's true power.

Despite his large size, he creeps towards the fight as the sounds draw louder- aiming to hide. He's glad he had covered his scent- yet again, that morning- as leaving a trail did little for his desire to gather any and all information of the land he'd found himself in.

He watches the battle, watching the two males clash and fight- wondering if this is for a proverbial crown or if this is over some female. Time perhaps would answer that.

Eskel is attempting to remain hidden.

"what i speak"

ART COPYRIGHT IRISH

the summoning call piqued her curiosity for one reason in particular — it didn’t seem to come from any prideland in particular. The pit was a unique place to have a pride challenge, and so the girl wandered from her shadowy home in to the open. It was bloody cold, and by the time she got to the pit she was looking for a familiar face to sit next to. @Hiccup, namely, and when she does spot him she wastes no time approaching. Reclining next to him she pressed her smaller form against his much larger one, drawing in his heat and feeling all the better for it. Asteria was surprised to see Seneca in the ring, along with a male she did not know. “Do you know him?” maybe Hiccup had more information than she did. He was much more well versed in politics than she. +5 - observe a challenge

+5 (1/2) Collect herbs
+5 (1/2) Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds
+5 (1/2) Exercise to gain endurance (excluding spars)
Well this was interesting.

Valkravn couldn't remember whether or not she had ever heard a challenge for the Oasis pride ever since arriving back to Amaryllis, but whether or not it had happened it was something she wasn't going to miss. She had been taking time to seek out baobab trees in the badlands to collect the bark and leaves when she had heard the challenge ring out in the air. Taking what she had collected so far would she place them in a small hole in of the trees, tucking them away so that she didn't have to travel with them and instead return for them once the fight was over. After she were finished would she start in the direction of the pit, a slow paced jog keeping her heartrate up as she made her way.

Once arrived would the woman slow down to a walk, tail flicking behind her and shoulders rolling forward. Lavender eyes would scan over the crowd, not seeming to see or scent any fellow Brook members. After she assessed those gathered would her gaze finally settle onto the two males in the center, watching them with interest as they each lashed out blows as well as took them, keeping an eye on the injuries as well as the overall fight at hand. She weren't familiar with either lion so she really didn't have much of an opinion, but the scent of the Mire was a bit overwhelming here, causing for Valkravn's muscles to tense slightly, keeping her wits about her just in case.

code by dee, art by spu

A shadow in his peripheral pulled Hiccup’s focus away from the battle, and when he realized it was @Asteria, he smiled. She joined him and pressed into his bigger body, making him lean into her as well — though not as heavily, of course. Hopefully, he could shield her from the icy breeze and effectively warm her.

Her question was answered with a shake of his head, before his voice followed, “No. But I’m going to assume he’s from the Mire. There’s a lot of their members here.” Briefly, he looked away from the battle, but his attention quickly returned to the main event. “When Alaric challenged Roan, he smelled like the Oasis, and now it looks like one of his followers is trying to take it. I thought Alaric would’ve made an ally of the Oasis, but it doesn’t seem to be the case,” he shared with her as he observed the challenge below.

	+10 Discuss pride, group, or family relations with another character
	+5 Observe a challenge and learn the results

code / artwork / background

+5 (1/2) Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds The call made the blood in her veins go cold. She hadn't been back to Andal ever since her mother made the decision to leave. Jiera never even thought about the pride since their departure, wanting to forget the horrid time she had there in the beginning of her life. But the call made her curious, and when she caught scent of @Aarani making her way toward the call she, too, had to follow (mostly to make sure her mother would be safe). Slender frame would move swiftly, and soon would she make it to her mom's side as they neared the pit. A gentle bump of her shoulder would be given to her, green eyes glinting with slight anxiety. She would try her best to ignore the princesses that caused her life to be a living hell, instead focusing on the fight and the injuries, pressing herself up against Aarani as she reclined back to sit.

table by cloudynight, stock from Jeffrey Rolinc

The Miroslav woman had made an art of keeping a sanguine expression on her face no matter the circumstances, but on this day she wore an obvious scowl. She'd only just put int he work of getting her brother together again when someone decided to threaten the regime. Such was the way of Kings, though. Bicolored eyes shifted across her younger brother but she moved to @Leander's observation point before settling down stiffly and wordlessly. Her attention would seem focused solely on the fight between @Seneca and the rust colored challenger but her ears twitched to hear the words of those nearest if possible, listening to who would be friend or foe.

table by ferus, art by grav3wolf

+5 - observe a challenge

It was easy to spot @Hiccup. The man was growing to dwarf him, and with that unruly head of white mane, he was difficult to miss. The Sigrún was about to beeline for him when he spotted Asteria there as well, clearly comfortable with Hiccup's company. Nero froze in his tracks and wilted, not wanting to interfere with Asteria's happiness. If she was happy, well. He wasn't going to fuck that up for jer. Instead he chuffed a greeting to the both of them, flashed an awkward smile, and moved to stand off by himself and focus on the battle at hand. He needed to learn if he would ever take a pride for himself.

code by dee

+5 (1/2) Observe a challenge and learn the results (seneca vs violarum)
It wasn't the pride what was being challenged for that caught Keir's attention, but who it was that was challenging for it. It caused for the fur along his spine to bristle, muscles to tense and a snort to be released from his nostrils. He had been wandering around Amaryllis when he heard the bellowing call, causing for him to turn his direction and instead head straight for the pit. Blue gaze would catch sight of those gathered so far, the scent of Ecrosia overpowering the rest that were here, as well as several lions present he more than disliked. His lip would pull back in reaction to the smell, the lash of his tail given.

Once his eyes land on @Nero, though, would Keir force his anger and annoyance down, instead heading toward the young lion and giving him a chuff of his own in greeting. "Hey there," he'd greet in a gruff tone, ears twisting forward as attention then went to the fight at hand. "Seneca better win." The comment was mostly spoken to himself, but if any others heard him it wouldn't have bothered him much. It wasn't like he were here to root for a Mire native - quite the opposite.

CODE • BG

more lions gathered, more to spectate what would become another mark upon this land's history. diantha was attentive to every face that came through, eager to find familiar ones — ones from her father's kingdom. she looked forward to seeing how loyal they were. and if they were not loyal, she would let them know, and see to it that they will never step foot in the oasis sands again. @Rielus was one of the few that diantha know was loyal to her family. and he stood by her side as she watched, soothing her in his baritone voice.

i'm not she told him, and only for him to hear. father will win. he was a miroslav, after all. she continued watching, eyes gazing over the silver of her youngest sister @Septima. they were never close, not like how she and victoria was. septima had always been distant, more ghost than sister. her presence haunted spots that diantha rarely visited, rarely even knew. her desire to reconcile - whatever it was that needed reconciling - felt impossible.

other family members arrived — an aunt and a blood uncle. but diantha paid them no heed. it was only when she spotted her half-brother, the dark-pelted @Artæmis that she decided to move. i'm going to my brother she told rielus, before moving towards the child. artæmis had found himself a nice rock to stand upon. but the lack of supervising adult worried diantha. it was a sudden emotion that never quite felt foreign to her, despite it's appearance. she slid behind the boy in one fluid movement, hovering over as his guardian. you shouldn't be out here alone, brother diantha said, voice low.

_{BG — DUSK/ALE-TIE — CODE}