Waking up with the bloodstains
My state of mind is a hurricane

[[he's a few yards outside the borders, not officially trespassing]]

Some time had been taken since his promise, but it had been a necessary gap. He'd first had to move up the ranks, and then some time had been spared to heal and rest and ensure he was in top condition for what was to come next.

Did she think he'd forgotten?

She was wasted in the oasis.

And he was basing that on absolutely nothing more than the fact she'd seemed to have enjoyed their fight.

Andal stretched out ahead of him, a glimmering spot of green against the shifting sands. Elongated claws flexed, testing the terrain; he knew the desert-dwellers might have an advantage here, but the sheer drama of it all was more thrilling than seeking reliably stable footing at the pit.

He would pause a few yards from the border as the first light of dawn broke over the horizon - dramatic, sure, but a time before the heat became annoying here even in the winter months.

With a confident and ready stance he faced the border - and without a single thought to what Amara or the rest might think - raised his head to the lightening sky and roared out a summons for whoever cared to defend the girl's membership.

Ryker vs ???
for That girl from the war (@Alma)
0/3

I'm a wild boy, ready to destroy

code by corvus

He was surprised to hear a call for a lioness of the pride. Such challenges didn't happen often, he knew. Naturally, he was quick to head to the border and somehow wasn't surprised to see the man he'd fought with at the pit.

"You," he said simply, stopping just on their side of the border. Surely that was all the introduction needed. "Does she even wish to go with you?" If she wanted to leave the pride then she would just ask Seneca, wouldn't she? So why was he demanding to fight for her? He wasn't opposed to taking the man on again if it turned out she wasn't interested in leaving, not that he thought she couldn't fight for herself or anything like that. It was just in his nature to protect others. Why not let him do the fighting for them, if it came down to it?

Either Seneca had made some enemies of other prides or he just somehow had all of Amaryllis' most desirable women in his pride. Either way, Halimede was immediately drawn toward the call, coming up alongside @Seraphiel to peer down at the stranger who called for another Oasis lioness. Though she'd felt half-tempted to immediately launch into battle, she knew such a thing would be futile, and the battle would be better fought by someone of a rank who had the capability of defending the lioness. Nevertheless, it would not stop Halimede from poking the bear.

She rather loved poking things.

“Clearly⁠—” she began after Seraphiel spoke, clearing her throat, ⁠“he loves her.” Her gaze turned from the challenging @Ryker to the Oasis Gentry she came up beside, fluttering her eyelashes in an oh-so-dramatic manner. “And who are we to stand in the way of their love?” There was an almost taunting sarcasm in her tone, but the potential ramifications of this challenge were lost on her.

There was a call at the borders, and ever curious, Promaetheus stood up from where he lay in the sun and followed it. When he got there, there were already two other older lions - @Halimede and @Seraphiel - engaging with this lion, but when he moved out from behind them, he recognized the lion that sounded the call.

The guy with the cool hair!

Promaetheus stepped around the gathered adults and approached the edge of the borderline, resting his blue eyes on the familiar lion. "Hey," he spoke to the Wolfbron lion, not knowing any better for the moment.

He didn't understand what was going on, and why, it seemed, everyone was on the defensive. The lion called for Alma because she was his friend, no? He just wanted to hang out and play some games? Right? He looked back over his shoulder, eyeballing Halimede and Seraphiel, and to see if Alma was coming to the border yet.

---

dear lord, please excuse this child :| @Ryker

If @Ryker wants a fight, Seneca will gladly give him one. Never mind his wounds, never mind the ache in his bones and the urge to shutter the windows and close out the storm. It always comes knocking, and he is always ready. Whatever the cause of this challenge, he knows that it comes from his enemy — and he knows that @Alma has never been anything short of loudly loyal to his cause. She has nothing to do with Ryker's desires — of this he is certain. The rest, he can figure out later. Unlike the patient caution of @Seraphiel, the sovereign does not bother to waste time lingering on his side of the borders or opting for the political route. That is not why the Bluffs lion is here, after all. He descends near silently from a rise overlooking the growing group, the low rumble of his approaching growl the only warning that @Promætheus will get to make distance before a fight ensues in earnest. Seneca attempts to approach speedily at Ryker's right side in a perpendicular angle, trying to collide the bony frontal ridge of his left shoulder into the roach-maned lion's right shoulder, his outstretched jaws surging forth to try and sink his teeth into the right side of the man's neck. He needs no words to make his point — Seneca has always been better at letting his teeth do the talking, and he isn't about to change that now. seneca vs ryker for alma move one of three Hits: Rolling 8d20: 7 + 11 + 2 + 16 + 9 + 4 + 10 + 20 Dodges: Rolling 4d20: 17 + 6 + 11 + 20 Luck: Rolling 5d20: 12 + 10 + 9 + 13 + 20 Note: Seneca has +1 hit due to Andal Oasis pride tier 4 boosting his level 1 trade perk.

code // art // do not use without permission

She was just returning with a mouth full of meat she had brought form a good hunt she had. She had taken her time to bring as much fresh as her mouth could carry in one time. And now that all was done she walked over the pride borders right towards the food catches. Hopping to deliver he package for others to use whenever their bellies demanded for a good sized steak. The incursion had left her claw coat stained with some blood from both the killing bite and the meat processing. Leaving the maned lioness with a bad shape. Cleaning it up she heard a call, but not whatever call. One for herself. Of course. It was clear who it was, not by name but she didn't forget his threats back in the war. She really didn't think he was going to fulfill what he had promised. She arrived to the scene to already seeing @Seneca giving this stupid their well deserved payment for such audacity. An smirk formed as she took seat. "Hah, but if it's the fucker I beat up! Did you want more?" More bitter defeat? And surely her king would give him such and perhaps even more than she did back then.

ART By Cloudy ,CODE BY Cloudy

Léonie was busy ransacking the pride provisions when an unexpected roar boomed out across the Oasis and made her nearly choke on the morsel she’d been chewing down. The sudden surprise quickly gave way to annoyance, her expression darkening. WHO in the— ?! Muttering darkly, the grumpy child looked around and found a snack to take with her — the tibia of a duiker, with some meat stuck to the bone — before she headed outside to see what the hoopla was about.

Naturally, her dad was already taking care of it — whatever it was. It looked like some random lion had come yelling in their yard about something and dad had come out to kick him off the lawn. @Promætheus was already there, Léonie saw as she glanced through the small crowd, trying to read their expressions.

It probably came as no surprise that she chose her littermate to plop down next to, dropping her snack down in front of her paws so she could ask, “Who’s that guy?” She doubted Promætheus actually knew anything about him, but maybe one of the older members would overhear and chime in. While she waited for someone to answer her, Léonie focused her attention on the unfamiliar challenger, wondering if her dad’s attack might reveal any weaknesses in him. His lack of mane seemed like an obvious one — less protection for the throat, she thought. But maybe there were others, and she just couldn’t quite catch them yet.

	+5 Gather information about a character
	+5 Learn or exploit a character’s weakness

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

Waking up with the bloodstains
My state of mind is a hurricane

First, a familiar face. @Seraphiel's 'greeting' was met by a wide and wicked grin. Asking her what she wanted had never actually crossed his mind, he'd been far too swept up in the lure of shaking up a few lives and burning off some energy by stirring up a little more trouble.

Wolfbron and Andal were at war, right? What was war without an attack or two from time to time?

In the back of his mind, he acknowledged the possibility of the girl being immediately released upon arrival to the bluffs if he won here today, and that hardly mattered to him. The act of challenging itself was more interesting, and held more potential for future drama and excitement than whether he won or lost.

"You know, I never asked."

He wouldn't dignify the striped girl's jab with a response.

Mostly because another, smaller, familiar face popped up from behind his once-opponent. He only lifted an eyebrow at the boy - as if they were only now meeting for the first time.

'Sorry, boy, do I know you?' sort of look.

Any further interaction with the gathering audience would be promptly cut off by the approach of an aggressive-looking man he vaguely recognized from the challenge for the bluffs a while back.

--- [fight start] ---
An angry black-and-white shape charged, and Ryker would pivot quickly as Seneca approached, turning to face the man. Rear limbs spread for stability as his chin tucked tight toward his throat; he would attempt to surge forward himself and slam the flat of his head hard into Seneca's nose in an effort to interrupt the man's efforts to get at his neck, to rupture the nose and maybe jostle a few teeth (oh, wouldn't it be dramatic if one broke!). A move sure to result in impressive bruising, and an eventual headache if it connected.

Ryker's right forepaw would lift, initially aiming to hook claws deep into the meat of Seneca's left shoulder, however, his opponent's attempted shoulder-slam would interrupt the motion. Instead, his claws would aim to land within the man's mane, hook, and rip free what he could. And Ryker would find excitement in the thrill of collision, and the telltale signs of a fresh bruise blossoming along his right forearm.

Ryker vs @Seneca (@koi)
for That girl from the war (Alma)
1/3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 11 + 15 + 4 + 8 + 2 + 19 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 11 + 18 + 2

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 4 + 2 + 19 + 20

I'm a wild boy, ready to destroy

code by corvus

Leander had taken inspiration from his brother Antares' book and found himself fashionably late to a gathering that required his immediate attention. There, upon the borders, a stranger from the Bluffs called for members of Andal to come fight for @Alma, a lioness that the patched male was yet to encounter but a member nevertheless. Hurrying back from a journey beyond the borders, the Heir finds @Seneca already embroiled in battle with an unknown male. He does applaud the stranger for coming right to the borders as no doubt, there would be no shortage of loyalists who wished to punish external threats -- Leander being one of them. As he looms nearer, he spies @Halimede in the background, pleased that she was present. He approaches from behind @Ryker, breaking into a headlong sprint as the Oasis Heir attempts to latch onto the left hind thigh of the challenger, claws unsheathed from their pockets and hoping to seek a deep purchase into muscle. Simultaneously, the Miroslav male attempts to bite into his left rump, aiming to use his large weight to drag their opponent to the ground. @Leander & @Seneca vs. @Ryker For @Alma Round (1) / 3 Hits: Rolling 7d20: 8 + 5 + 7 + 19 + 2 + 18 + 16 Dodges: Rolling 6d20: 11 + 14 + 18 + 20 + 9 + 1 Luck: Rolling 5d20: 15 + 20 + 9 + 8 + 4 NB: Leander has +1 dodge due to Andal Oasis pride tier 4 boosting his level 1 trade perk.

code // art // do not use without permission

Um.

What?

Confusion was the first feeling brought on by the call. Then amusement. Then confusion again because, really, who was stupid enough to walk up to a pride and start yelling challenges? Unless it was for the pride itself, he supposed.

Oh. Right. Seneca had been, when he'd gone off to the bluffs to challenge for one of theirs a while back.

He was late to the party, but the scent on the wind brought the amusement back. Bluffs lion, it was almost poetic. Sure, it had taken a really long time for it to happen, and Haros wondered if the stranger even knew about all that or if this was just the universe laughing at them. Probably the latter. The universe was a dick.

Joining the group, he'd find a place to flop down next to @Alma, since the commotion seemed to be about her in particular. "Friend of yours?"

code by corvus