she followed the whispers of family into this foreign land, lured onwards by what she had always toyed with, and yet had never taken the plunge for. until now. one might think that such a great journey would have spurred from a life of distress — but for gisa, it was quite the contrary. her life had been comfortable, but oh had it bored her — painfully so! she had played many parts in the courts, taking fleeting joy in her games and in the role of puppeteering to the breadth of her own desires. but they had begun failing to satiate her pallet, prompting hunger to gnaw at her bones like a dog until her desires had been set free upon the winds.

and, well, the rest was history, wasn’t it?

now, she searched for him, the fabled brother — and yet by some horrid twist of fate it was only dirt and debris that she found, prompting the turn of her nose and the scowling of velveteen lips. what a disgusting, horrible place. and though her body had been made tired by weeks of walking, searching, she had made a point to keep her poised appearance in tact, with not a single wayward strand of cream out of place amongst the valleys of her frame. a purposeful creature, always, she would continue on despite the ebbing of her fatigue, Feeling that she was close by the sensations that lurched wildly within her gullet. nonetheless, the woman would never once break stride, bright eyes traversing the horizon in sharp fashion as she edged deeper and deeper into the territory, eagerness hot and pooling upon her tongue.

It had worked too well for him in the past. Sahir strode casually along the sandbar of the passage, his ears rotating atop his skull like satellites as he listened in on the occasional encounter he detected, usually determining the rogues too entangled for him to bother trying. Oh, but this one – this lioness was alone, and it made her as good a target as any.

"Welcome to Amaryllis," he greeted her in his signature thick accent, attempting to arrive merely a few yards away from the lioness who was golden like sunrays. "I am king of cove pride near here – we welcome you as our member," the midnight lion declared with a bow of his head.

---

|| january y8 | four years | CC high sovereign | at maua's passage ||

Sahir vs. ---
claim of @Gisa
Round 0 / 3

_{BG — ART — CODE}

she continued, silently, growing more and more agitated by each and every minute that she was forced to wander this vacant land alone. but thankfully he does not keep her waiting for much longer, the approach of his figure garnering the acute, poignant attention of the siren’s gaze as she slowed to a halt before the man. or, perhaps, not just a man — for he declares himself a king, and more specially her king, within the first few breathes. charming, albeit the fact that he was not the one that she was looking for. but perhaps, for now, he would do.

"that’s a very bold welcome for a lady. and not even a name first." she feigned disproval with a small tsk slipping from between her lips, though her eyes told a different story as they swirled with coy interest. in truth, she favoured the assertiveness with which he spoke, and the way that brutishness hovered beneath the exterior of a well-composed czar — strong and simple, as it should be. but that did not mean that gisa favoured such treatment when she was on the receiving end of it, nor when it came from a foreigner that had not earned her service or restraint. exemplified by the fact that she had little to lose (for there was no way that that accent was stärke), she would indulge his little game, but not without having some fun of her own. "do you mind if i test my king’s gall?" the woman lulled again, her own tones now warm and rolling, before she sprung forward — uninterested with his genuine response, of course. if @Sahir wanted to have her, he best know what he’s dealing with. she would say that she was doing him a favour.

and so it was in a flash that gisa leapt towards the king, swallowing the space between them as she sought to pivot her hips instinctively to the left. at the same time, with her tail extended and her chin tucked, both forelimbs would rise as she attempted to wrap them around his neck, aiming to tug him down to the left (his right) in the hopes that she could send them both toppling to the ground. her eyes, all the while, remained bright - gleaming, almost - as thrill pounded with her breast and darkened lips curled up into a simpering sort of smile.


gisa vs. @Sahir
for claim
round one out of three
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 6 + 8 + 15 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 2 + 19 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 17 + 9 + 7 + 12

At least half healed now, Violarum wanders towards a scent that is familiar and one that is less so. A lioness at the passage was always inviting enough as it were, but he is urged onwards by the smell of Sahir. He was mostly indifferent to the lizard-man, but his limited knowledge of the male entices him onwards - if not to go nose-to-nose with him in the endeavor for a new lioness.

Though, as he arrives there is words of claim and the rather large and capable looking woman is throwing herself at him somewhat violently. Late to the party as always. Lazily, the clay male takes a seat, letting his injured forelimb rest, watching on for the winner with interest.

"That’s a very bold welcome for a lady. And not even a name first," the lioness greeted in turn with a click of her tongue. Sahir narrowed his gaze as he watched her, alert for any sudden movements as he noted the spark of her gaze as she regarded him – and, why should she not be interested? He was many things, but shy was not one.

"Sahir al-Najma," he introduced with a toothy grin, happy to oblige on his own terms. She asked if she could test his gall as her king, and Sahir parted his jaws as if to respond with a swell of his chest, only he did not have the time. She leaped at him without another word of warning, her frame quite similar to his own large stature in a way that was not common for a woman. Sahir could not say whether he liked it or not.

Adrenaline ignited an explosion within the king as he saw her golden frame launching at him with her arms outstretched. He flattened his ears against his skull, lashed his tail behind him, and narrowed his suspicious gaze to protect from whatever chaos would follow. He felt the impact of her like a cannonball as she collided with him, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging to his right. He staggered as he felt sharp pain pulsing in the muscle where she grabbed him, bruising sure to form as a marker of what they did that day.

Sahir shot out his right forearm to aid in his balance, shouldering most of the weight to prevent the man from toppling over. What was it they said, the bigger the man the greater the fall? He was determined to be no such man. Flexing his arms to hold himself steady, the lion lurched his head with his jaws parted to try and bite at the lioness' right cheek with a violent snap.

---

Sahir vs. @Gisa
claim of Gisa
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 3 + 6 + 5 + 17 + 15 + 18 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 11 + 17 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 9 + 14 + 5 + 1 + 15 + 16

code by corvus

@Sahir VS. @gisa FOR claim of gisa
— DEFAULT —

Due to Gisa not posting in the allotted time, this fight has defaulted.

SAHIR HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR GISA!

Please allow the challengers to respond to the fight results first. As per the site rules, if 3 days go by without a post from the challenger(s), they can be skipped. Whichever comes first! Any posts made before this will be removed.

it was boldly that she went for him - @Sahir al-Najma, he finally called himself - but, just as quickly as she had lunged, the woman would look to dance away, revelling in the sharp pain of his teeth as they tore across her cheek in protest. the lacerations spilled thin lines of crimson across her fur, staining lace red and garnering the hints of a grin to form across her features. so he did have gall, after all, and certainly did not disappoint gisa with the fervour of his instincts.

and so she took his counter willingly and conceded, fangs flashing whilst the dirt swirled around their tangled frames. it was only once gisa had shifted back a foot that her eyes would search for his, crown bowed slightly albeit the fact that her gaze danced behind those dark, webbed lashes. "a pleasure, king sahir." she cooed then, almost as if their fleeting tussle had never even happened. and it was in a well practiced fashion that the woman’s lips fell back into smooth and demure lines, attention finally shifting to the spectator that had slipped quietly within their company. hopefully @Violarum had been entertained, but it was doubtful considering how quick - too quick! - it had all happened. though gisa had no one else to fault for that, other than herself. "my name is gisa stärke - i came here looking for my family but the fates have decided something different." and at least she knew that she would be laying her head beneath a capable and strong king until she discovered this long-lost brother of her’s.

It was very brief, it seemed the battle certainly not one of particular importance to the woman; who yielded easily. Though he hadn't arrived in time to truly scope out the reasoning behind it, he could assume that the peachy woman had tested a claim.

Violarum watches with quiet interest (albeit some disappointment in the short show) as the woman unfurls from @Sahir and reveals her identity. Starke? Vio is not one to remember names, and yet he is quite certain that is Alaric's surname. "Alaric?" he says first, interest piquing, round ears cupped forward; testing her reaction.

"Ecrosia Mire's high sovereign is Alaric Starke," was this a sister? She didn't look quite old and wrinkly enough though.

@Gisa

It ended in a flash, with the lioness dancing backward with a little smile. Perhaps she had only meant it as a jump-scare or was trying to call Sahir's bluff. Whatever the case, he stood crouched with a watchful eye as she began to speak. "My name is Gisa Stärke - I came here looking for my family but the fates have decided something different." The words only had a chance to spark vague recollection before Violarum spoke, voicing a thought Sahir had not yet had: was Alaric not a Stärke? With his brows knit together, Sahir kept switching his attention between the two standing before him.

"Do you know an Alaric?" He asked the obvious question, the beginnings of frustration brewing within him. After all of that, the lioness might carry more baggage for Sahir than she was worth.

---

@Gisa @Violarum
+10 - Win a fight
+5 - Claim a lioness

_{BG — ART — CODE}

the woman thought this to be the end of a simple manner — a quick tussle
followed by the warm beckoning of a new home. she was not, however, expecting the luck that so graciously swept itself at her feet, however, eyes flashing from @Sahir and towards @Violarum, as he provided insight on the unspoken questions that loomed within her mind. it would appear as though a starke ruled here after all — meaning that, perhaps, this had not all been in vain. "while i have never met him, i’ve heard much of him from my mother, and came here looking for him. i had heard humours that a starke king ruled in these lands, but had to see it for myself." she explained smoothly, shoulders rolling back and her gaze sparked with something warm, something curious.

"i’d like to see him." she added on after a breath of silence, attention falling back fully onto the king as the request tumbled from across her tongue. though she would not cross the line of demanding her freedom from the man she had given her claim to, gisa supposed that she could either meet alaric as a free woman, or as a woman under the reigns of the cove. she could only assume, after all, that her brother, alaric, had built himself enough of a reputation to sway sahir one way or another. the next few bouts of decision would be rather telling, after all. but she would wait, quiet and posed, for the reaction of the men.