TASKS: 5xp - Observe a challenge and learn the results.
5xp - Learn a new scent.

Juicy.

Basira was fit to burst, and frankly she has no business being anywhere that wasn’t her den so close to the impending birth of Najma heirs… But here she was. She knew very little of Andal Oasis, and of the man who led it, but @Violarum she did know. Seeking out the other familiar face in the crowd she would move to sit alongside @Alaric with a chuff of acknowledgement and a knowing smile. “Did you put him up to this, Alaric, or are these own ambitions?” No disrespect to Seneca, but she certainly knew who she was rooting for. She liked having powerful friends - who didn’t? The lioness gave her company ample time to answer, tilting her head subtly as she then shifted her paw to glance over her rounded abdomen.

“Oh, and about those betrothals….”

Better to start early, was it not?

ART COPYRIGHT ANALESE

Kismet, of course, is just as curious as all the rest. But when she reaches the border of her home to find Basira's trail leading out of it, her curiosity turns to concern. "Bas-!" she huffs in a flustered manner, kicking up a flurry of sand as she surges into action, loping steadily towards the pit. How did she manage to get so far ahead, toting along her quickly-growing belly?

When the crowd breaks into view, she finds a relatively small group, and it's easy to locate exactly who she's looking for. When she spots @Basira, Kismet lets out a sigh of relief. "Basira!" she scolds, slowing to a trot as she approaches. It's rare that the younger Najma takes on any sort of protective role, but the medic in her worries, and it manifests a sense of anxiety in Kismet — an anxiety that doesn't allow her at first to consider that Basira might be sitting with someone important.

Nuances of politics have never been Kismet's strong suit.

However, she does manage to settle enough — upon seeing that her sister-wife is well and safe — to recognize that there is someone on Basira's other shoulder when she presses against her free one. Her chin arches over the sanguine woman's withers so that she can peer owlishly at @Alaric, her ears perked curiously towards him. "Hi," she offers a bit breathlessly after a moment, a girlish simper breaking across her lips, "I'm Kismet."

ART BY MAX, CODE BY LARS

Barb: EXP +5 Observe a fight +5 Maintain your weapons (sharpen claws or care for teeth) She arrived with a calm yet hard expression sent to the lions around but mostly to the usurper. She came down through the walls of the pit, taking the chance to sharpen her claws with the rocky terrain, as she didnt see far the idea of engaging with someone. Amaryliss could be a very dynamic place, with big chances of getting into a fight for whatever reason. Either way she was ready. As she would take a place for her to watch, she stared at the others. But still with calm demeanor. Then as her firey eyes return to the challenger she would say. "Perdedor." She said uncaring if someone would understand or not. She never shown fear to speak what was in her mind. "Seneca will kick his ass." She held no doubt with her prediction. t. Perdedor= Loser

ART By Cloudy ,CODE BY Cloudy

Brynja

She secretly hoped for the best for Vio. If he was going to bring himself to harm like this she hoped it'd be worth it in the end. Better come out of this with more than just scars. He'd shown himself to be the fun sort, if not a little too eager to fight for Brynja's liking. But for her respect of him she did not skulk around in the shadows like she'd taken to in bigger crowds. The bald wolfish woman remained in view as she approached, coming up to stand by herself around the edges of the pit, drape her paws ice the edge and peer down towards the fighters already engaged in tearing into one another. No real emotion over her face, she remained fixated and interested on the Mire Noble and Andal Sovereign.

The day's peace is shattered by yet another call for a crown, resounding enough to reach Myra even within the confines of her den where she laid, gnawing upon the bone of some unfortunate prey animal. Once again, there was no real reason why she should need to be present for the challenge. She held no stakes in the fate of a different pride, had no reason to care about who won or lost.

But why should today be the first day she missed out on all the excitement?

Still clutching the bone within her jaws, the golden huntress made her way to the Pit, finding that the battle was already underway. She knew little about the Oasis's King, but his challenger did catch her eye, vaguely familiar as he was. A large, brown beast with startling red eyes. This was the Violarum that Ghyslaine had described, surely. How very interesting.

Blue eyes flicked across the gathering crowd in search of familiar faces, before she moved to join @Alaric and @Zelda, settling down on Alaric's free side, shifting her bone to be held between her front paws. "Expanding the empire, are we?" She spoke lightly, not fully expecting an answer from the wheat King. She was hardly the one to comment on his political plays, no matter how unusual they might've seemed.

She turned her attention more fully to the ensuing battle, now far more interested in knowing how this would end then she had been before her arrival.

+5 Observe a fight
+5 Maintain your weapons (care for teeth)

ART COPYRIGHT IRISH

Bard EXP
+5 attend a challenge

Kinki as usual followed after her pride mates to the challenge that now took place. One who's main characters were one of their own and the Oasis king. @Violarum was it who stepped to try claiming this pride for himself. Of course as she loved every single Mire lion she supported Vio in today's fight. She drove towards @Myra to take a seat beside her. Stretching her toes to feel the dust between them. She said nothing while her eyes of cyan blue lurks around, mostly to find their way to @Alaric and @Zelda who she had met in the previous challenge. A soft smile formed at the image. Hello Zelda! Hello Alaric! She would greet both for then returning her attention to the fight in progress.

code by Cloudy

Never before had Léonie heard such a sound — a demanding summon, intended to provoke her father, who answered without hesitation. The disquiet and unease that had sparked in her over the call only deepened on seeing him disappear over the dunes, which she soon crossed. She closely followed his tracks that guided her to the battlegrounds, but not before the fight had already begun. A crowd had gathered around the arena, she noted in the distance, and paused as her worry worsened. She stood there for a moment, her spotted ears folded back on her head, as she tussled with her anxiety. Eventually, she overcame it and moved in, keeping her body low as she slipped along the rocks to avoid being seen. Quickly, she found a pair of limestone columns and squeezed between them, hiding.

Once she’d wedged herself into what she thought was a safe place, she turned her attention down into the sunken bowl, where her father battled a clay-colored male. A rush of adrenaline hit her, leaving her paws shaky and her stomach queasy. Having never witnessed a challenge, she found herself both strangely energized yet anxious over the show below, though she trusted her father’s strength. Hopefully, he wouldn’t let her down.

Léonie watched her father intently for a moment, but her focus soon shifted the crowd again, wondering who they were. She found the scent of the Oasis in the air, yet there was another, much stronger presence — one she’d not yet encountered. It was the scent of another pride, undoubtedly the one this challenger belonged to. Her gaze lingered on those she didn’t recognize, her spotted ears swirling on her head to catch any nearby chatter. While she listened, she watched their mouths, trying to read the words as they left their lips. Maybe she could piece together what they were saying and learn something about the other pride …

Léonie is trying to hide!

	+10 Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread

	+10 Learn something about pride/group/family relations
	+5 Practice reading lips

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

In a convoluted way, Aarani still very much feels the Oasis is her home. She may have given the crown to Seneca and abandoned it altogether, but there was always the desire to return. It had been sullied by the princesses and nothing else, and she hoped dearly that they had grown out of their attitudes. While she does not want Seneca to lose, there is a part of her that hopes the girls will face reality for the very first time. Life was not always kind and royalty was not always royalty. She had learned that, her children had learned that, and now she settled into place to see whether or not the Miroslav girls would learn it as well. Her attention drifted to the combatants, wondering curiously about the challenger. Who was he?

^{_{CODE & ART BY D}}

The challenge was not for an ally, yet the young ambassador arrived regardless of the fact. If he was being honest, he was somewhat bothered to learn the troublemaker was a member of the Mire, a conclusion he drew based on the scent of the crowd. Hiccup remembered the day Alaric had challenged Roan for his crown — he’d belonged to the Oasis then, and now one of his followers was challenging Seneca. He wondered if something had happened between the prides. He would’ve assumed the groups to be friendly, but obviously not …

He recognized several faces, but none of them he was close to. He remembered Myra and Zelda too, of course, and his mercury eyes passed over them before he looked down into the arena. Hiccup seated himself away from any groups, choosing to simply observe the challenge so he could report the outcome to Roan, should his king not attend for any reason.

Exhaling slowly into the winter air, Hiccup curled his tail over his toes to keep them warm while he watched.

	+5 Observe a challenge and learn the results

code / artwork / background

it felt like eons ago that diantha and her sisters were born. between those times, and the time when she was gone, none dared to uproot her father from his throne. diantha had seen the passing of the sovereign seat from one woman to the next, beginning with mother. now, she realized that that must be a curse. but it did not spread beyond that of the sovereign rank.

until now.

a crowd had gathered. diantha saw no one of great importance to sit close to. instead, she chose a free spot, big enough for her siblings to sit next to. the usurper was a man she was unfamiliar with. but he was no miroslav and no men outside of her family were strong and war-bred as the likes of them. on the other paw, diantha wished she could step in and fight for her father. but what was done was done. in her opinion, father would win and continue his reign.

_{BG — DUSK/ALE-TIE — CODE}