The only reason the stranger is given a chance is simply because he is that - a stranger. The face is unfamiliar, the scent that of a pride Scorpius has no opinion of. If he had been covered in other prides’ scents, it would have been different. He would offer no peace, no chance. He would expect nothing but the same from his enemies. The stranger does not answer, but he does listen. Scorpius regards him silently while others begin to trail in, following their challenging roars. He ignores them all, not even to look and see if his family are among them. He cannot afford to be distracted. He needs this - he needs to win their home back.

Finally, the male moves. He orders Scorpius to fight for it. And so, he will.

Scorpius’s eyes narrow and focus on the lion as he begins slowly, and then comes faster. Harder. The Miroslav remains where he is, spreading his limbs and letting them sink a little into the sand. His tail flicks out behind him, and his head lowers. His jaws open, revealing still-white teeth and curled lips.

He waits. And waits.

And then the lion is almost within reach -

Scorpius shoves forward as Ronin lifts his forelegs, skull cracking to the side and open jaws attempting to sink into the lion’s upper chest, through dense mane, to try to grip and hold the lower part of his neck. Sand flies across the Miroslav’s face, and he’d laugh if he weren’t so focused. An attack he has used countless times against siblings and others, now used against him. His eye waters as small flecks of sand get into it, but he blinks it away unwilling to let it bother him. Ronin’s other paw lands solidly against his neck, but the boy notes a lack of claws and he wonders - how seriously is this challenger taking this fight?

Scorpius vs @Ronin
For Andal Oasis
One of five
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 9 + 8 + 5 + 18 + 17

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 13 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 15 + 18 + 7 + 5

All the blood that we're bleeding

Could fill up a broken heart

code by corvus; image by yumpy

speech

His adversary would blink away the sand, eyes watering, but not hindering him much. Perhaps Ronin should expect as much, given this was the boys home for generations. The lack of reaction would roll off his shoulders, unbothered. His strike on the neck would land, but it was without claws, purposefully. It was nothing more than a brace. He would aim to keep his paw there, as his young opponent would sink his fangs into the plush of his mane, cutting through the fur to bury into his neck.

Ronin would snarl, jaws reaching down now in an attempt to bite into the top of his skull and hold. Jaws stretched wide in hopes of grasping a larger amount of his skull into his mouth, but not so wide that it would hinder his grip- as Ronin had every intention of holding onto this mouthful. His right paw would attempt to press into the boys neck, claws unsheathing now to puncture and grip. His own way to stabilize himself, you could say.

Ronin was absolutely serious about the fight at hand. He wanted a pride and he didn’t really care who he had to fight to get it. It was time for him to lead.


Ronin vs. @Scorpius
for AO
Round 2 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 2 + 16 + 15 + 11 + 18 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 9 + 14 + 11

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 2 + 14 + 19 + 15

There is a lot happening in her life nowadays. Whereas before she had felt almost nonexistent and invisible, now Septima feels the vigor and enthusiasm for life returning. The Miroslav family is having new life breathed into it with her younger brother at the helm, and she could not be more proud than when she hears him contest a claim made over the sands. Naturally, she's quite amused that the king has fallen; her uncle must have injured him far more than it appeared. Good, she thinks. A Miroslav will reclaim the throne and all will be right in the world, won't it? Septima chuffs for @Prometheus, announcing her intentions to attend the battle. She wants him beside her, of course, but he is a busy man and she will not fault him for having other business to handle. The silvery lioness slips towards the small gathering, noting the scent of Wolfbron on.. a tiger? The Dieudonne are recruiting tigers now? Laughable. Their numbers must truly be weak to resort to such tactics. Septima does not settle but stands, her ears swiveling constantly for the approach of anyone.

Khadija

This place was damn hot. The Mire was hot as well but at least there was plenty of shelter and water to fight the thirst and hunger. Why would anyone like this place to live? The young lioness found it funny someone was actually fighting for it. Yet it could be a good thing to distract her. Being confined into the Mire got boring quite a lot. It was time for a change of scenario, at least for today. Slowly she took awake to watch and maybe learn a bit about wounds produced. She was hopping to be a great medic, like her mother before her was.

+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds.
+ 5 Observe a Fight

coded by flea - Art by Shazaki

Scorpius’s teeth sink into mane and flesh. Locks of it stick to his mouth and gums but he ignores it, still blinking sand from his eye, still determined as ever. The wounds on his body ache already, telling him it was perhaps too soon to fight - but he doesn’t care. He will bleed to defend his home - his family’s home.

He feels fangs scrape against his head, digging into the meaty flesh at the back of his skull. He growls, pretending to ignore it for a second and attempts to slam his paw into Ronin’s grounded left forepaw from the top, claws out and trying to pin it down. THe male’s claws dig into his neck, through his growing mane. There’s little he can do for that, however.

When he feels those jaw begin to close, seeking to secure a grip, Scorpius does the most logical thing he can think of. He lets go of Ronin’s chest and attempts to shove his thick skull into those fangs in a vicious, abrupt headbutt.

Scorpius vs @Ronin
For Andal Oasis
Two of Five
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 2 + 19 + 20 + 8 + 12 + 3

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 3 + 5

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 16 + 14 + 19 + 3

All the blood that we're bleeding

Could fill up a broken heart

code by corvus; image by yumpy

Tiamat was not too far behind @Carina, curiosity summoning her from the sands of the Lagoon as the call of claiming rang out. Her ears twitched. Hadn't the Oasis just been fought for recently, perhaps barely two weeks ago? So what then had happened that the leader would allow things to fall apart so easily? Very curious.

The wheaten women casually made her way across a different type of sand, the heat bearing down from above and reflecting off the grains, heating her paws. The Oasis loomed, brackish water surrounded by desperate vegetation in the middle of thr inhospitable wasteland. She was early. Not so many were here yet. And no war had started, even though the fight had.

She approached Carina and sat down beside the girl, plopping her haunches into the sand and eliciting a cloud of dust from the dry ground. "The older one looks familiar," she grunted. He was covered in scars, the sign of a good warrior, and she might try to seek an audience with him when all was said and done. The younger one was big but looked untried. An upstart, like the peach fellow, who probably didn't have enough wisdom to even begin to know how to rule.

As she watched the fight, she rather hoped the young one would lose.

image by rabbit, code by anyu

4 years, no bonus.


Success, in a way…though not as intended. As his jaws squeeze, the boy would release his neck and thrust his head upward. Hardened skull would meet hardened canines, causing pain to erupt in his mouth and head. Jaw would ache, begging for a retreat, but Ronin would not allow it. Jaws would attempt to tighten on whatever hold remained, determined and undeterred by the collision.

What he would not expect is for the boy to stomp onto his paw, claws digging into his toes causing the warmonger to snarl in pain, startled by the sudden pain. The boy was smart, he could give the boy that, and thus far he fought well given he was still wounded from another fight.

Ronin would now attempt to shift his weight forward, hoping to press into the top front half of his adversary, his clawed, one pawed grip hopefully helping. His aim? To bow the boy, to force him down into the sand and make him release his paw. To submit.



Ronin vs. @Scorpius
for AO
Round 3 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 13 + 1 + 10 + 9 + 11 + 7

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 3 + 2 + 4

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 19 + 5 + 1 + 8 + 17

A loud roar, a powerful call, reached her dark ears. They slightly shifted towards the sound, and the woman got up from her resting spot. There had been many challenges as of late, and Reah had been there to witness plenty of them. The scenes of violence and blood all were blurred within her memory, however. Her thoughts were mainly about Aeistrios nowadays, and she didn't really mind that.

She found herself walking into a sunny desert, not really impressed with her surroundings. Was this truly another challenge? If it was, she didn't understand why someone wanted to live in the middle of a desert.

She approached the oasis, realizing that was where the call had come from. She silently stalked forward, keeping away from the crowd and simply peering through the foliage. She certainly didn't want to bring too much attention to herself.

Two men brawled, the one of dark brown fur getting his opponent's head rammed into his mouth. Reah wondered if that would leave any bruising after the fight. The peach-colored brute definitely would have some pain within his head too. Reah couldn't help but narrow her eyes, watching the battle closely.

-
Medic XP - Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

CODE | ART

He expects his skull to be released from that assault. It isn’t. There’s an ounce of begrudging respect, but Scorpius is undeterred. The male’s teeth sink into the skin of his neck and skull, and he bears down on Scorpius’s frame. The intention is obvious - and the Miroslav refuses to bow. Not on his father’s land. Not now.

Unable to lift his free paw and unwilling to let go of the one he has trapped, Scorpius only has his jaws as weapons now. So he twists his skull, attempting to either break free to the lion’s jaws or slide his head around within his mouth, angling upwards and shoving forward to try to get his jaws around the vulnerable throat in front of him.

Scorpius vs @Ronin
For Andal Oasis
Three of Five
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 12 + 7 + 3 + 1 + 11 + 6

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 17 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 4 + 20 + 14 + 5 + 18

All the blood that we're bleeding

Could fill up a broken heart

code by corvus; image by yumpy

Has the Oasis fallen so soon already? Perhaps Septima's Uncle had done more damage than was known at the time; or perhaps Spirits in their mischievous and cruel nature decided the outcome unworthy, thus claiming back the sands for themselves. Whichever the case, the titan was not far behind @Septima. Not with the lingering tensions of before still coursing through his veins, though he didn't know either of the fighters - it wasn't hard to see why his wife was so charged with life today. One of yours klein blume? Rome inquires, his large frame does not settle among the sand though. Instead he looms like the sentinel he is, iron hide pressing close to his silverlit mates. The desert didn't exactly look very desirable, but the Oasis.. oh the oasis invoked memories enough and the Frei knew then what a treasure might be hiding amidst all the dust and ruin.