the clamoring of yet another impending battle roused valens' curiosity. the plains pride he had come to know little about, his focus remaining mostly upon that of the safety of his family. so it was with cautious interest that the dappled man would arrive to the source of the sounds.

settling off toward the side, he didn't quite make an effort to hide himself, but also wasn't looking to be talked to either. the goal here was observation, to learn who ruled here and the outcome of this battle. it seemed there were quite a few lions of the pride that arrived less than happy. understandable, as he assumed this was a stranger trying to usurp their home.

the current king - at least he assumed that was him, as he'd stepped up to the plate - was smaller than the challenger, valens noted. but that didn't always mean the results would be clear. smaller often meant faster and more agile. the savante had no skin in this fight, having no way of knowing the personalities of those fighting and the current goals of the pride as a whole.

may the best man win.

The sound of challenge rang through the air, such a sweet song to the small lionesses ears. She’d kept to herself for the most part so far, but what better chance to familiarize herself with the locals than such an exciting event. The crowd was still relatively small when she arrived, leaving plenty of room for her to pick a spot to herself and get a good view of the show. Just in time to see the first blows being struck, the challenger seemed to look so familiar. Plum in color, massive in size, he reminded her vaguely of her lost husband. Perhaps this was the brother she’d been looking for, the Saxe man she’d been on the lookout for. How perfect it would be if he managed to steal these lands, but if not… Perhaps she’d be able to catch the eye of some other powerful beast. She wasn’t quite ready to bring Empires crumbling down around her, no real allies to back her up in these lands, but soon, perhaps. For now, she would sit quietly and watch.

template by Mouser x

+10 Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread
+5 Gather information about a character
+5 Study the plant life of a neutral territory

If it hadn't been a vaguely familiar voice calling out, he might have passed the event by without a second glance. Attempts to steal territory seemed to be a common occurrence here, as odd as it seemed to him. But, then, many of their local customs were quite different from the stable and sprawling empire where he'd been born, raised, and trained. Culture shock only lasted so long before acceptance set in and he shifted gears to 'just go with it' mode.

He did recognize the voice, though he'd only heard it the once, and so diverted his attention from scouring the plains for interesting plants and toward the impending chaos. Lucky for him, the grass was reaching a nice, thick, summer height (and he could spot the bright dots of flowers here and there he would like to investigate later), and he lowered himself to the ground before he got too close. Thanatos paused his careful approach just barely close enough to see what was happening, keeping the breeze in his face to carry his scent away, and distant words toward him.

What a pity the plains didn't seem to house any monkeys.

-hidden-

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

These Plains, once informally inhabited, now had a pesky border in his way. Vermier disliked this as he disliked anything that was in his path. No matter who won, the plains would still be an impediment to him, though he might be soothed if the leader was a good servile thing to the Dieudonne. Neither lion he recognized, nor was the challenge densely attended, nor was it violent. If you were the most important thing in the room - and he was - you should act like it, and the mending king placed himself on a high rise of swelling grass close to the fighting. Best view, best blood. He saw with a dismissive glance one commonly colored male and one gargantuan purple thing. Both male... so he could expect the fight to be boring, and lacking in true strategy and wit.

He carried a bent carving of splintered antler, its scent long lost to the wind and now covered in his own dense slobber. His scarred lips tugged over it while the gnawing sensation satisfied his teeth, and he glanced sidelong at a piebald thing that smelled like sand @Valens. Large. In his pride. And mostly that obnoxious white dappling! The other beast stood alone and apart... one pesky ant. Maybe the rest were recovering after his cousin tore a path threw them. He speculated with a glint in his ember eyes, violence and malice gleaming, skull tossed and fangs flashing around the antler. Certainly he'd rather have actual meat.

+5 Maintain your weapons (sharpen claws or care for teeth)
+5 Learn information about a potential threat
+5 Observe a fight

While he had little desire to attend yet another challenge it was against an ally. One of his oldest friends, too, no matter how complicated things might have become. All the same he respected Violarum enough that he would make his way from the Mire to the plains, intending to show his support and stand with the man should the worst come to pass.

@Bruno is there with a smaller creature, and Alaric sidles up beside his ambitious son. He says not a word but merely arches a brow at @Freckle, a silent question punctuated with a questioning look at the Royal.

His eyes do not rest on his family, though, but focus on the fight, hoping for things to stay as they are here, too.

_CODE

@Aideen

It was hardly surprising that she would find the scent of Aideen heading towards the most recent summons. Louve had come with little interest, making the trip more out of a desire to keep in the know about any potential changes. Now her pregnancy was beginning to show, her sides swelling just enough to make it clear if one looked long enough, though she did her best to not draw any attention to it.

@Vermier was there too, of course, but for him she only gives a quick nod as she heads towards the smaller girl. "Z'e roi* of z'e plains is Violarum," she answers, "and z'at male 'as come to try to take 'is throne." A gesture towards the challenger, whom she knew little to nothing about.

"Z'ey will fight and one will leave a King."

*king

art

The promise of an outing had Freckle in the highest spirits. With growth, he no longer struggled to keep pace with the longer strides of his guardian. With consistent food, endless romping of the mire's muddy limits and even some self-driven forays into the surrounding jungle, Freckle was filling out, and quickly. Every day more baby roundness turned to stringy muscle, and his confidence and enthusiam for the world grew with it. "I never lose!" he defied cheerfully, darting through fern and undergrowth and wiggling under mangrove roots to keep up with @Bruno. Even the densest forest barely seemed to slow his rampant pace. Into the grasslands they eventually break, and Freckle took the opportunity to race around the tall fronds whilst he could - for it didn't feel like long before Bruno had slowed to a halt, looking at something over the grass. Freckle tried to peer over the grass but aside from the scents of many strangers, he wasn't entirely sure what was happening. Tipped ears cup toward Bruno at his hushed words, eyes narrowing as the boy tries to recall what those specific ones meant. Immersed in the new language he was quicklyt picking it up, but more complex sentences still tripped him. The general idea of be careful he did identify, and so Freckle's spotted head would dip in understanding. He found a spot at Bruno's side with splayed whiskers and much excitement for the large gathering in his amber eyes; a stark contrast to the Stärke-Rike man's tension. Although he settled his wandering attention initially on the fighters, Freckle was soon distracted by the approach of @Alaric, whom the spotted cub offered a grin. He was of the mire, so he was fine to chat to, right? "Hi!" he chirped with enthusiasm, "Who's gonna win?" Because adults tended to know things like that, he was sure of it.

The lands are alive with turmoil.

He toddles after @Valens, sticking close to the hulking man as they filter into the Plains. There's a huge congregation of lions, voices coalescing as excitement seems to work itself up to a fever pitch.

He's glad when the dappled man decides on a fairly secluded spot for spectating. Hopefully, all the way over here, he won't have to deal with any strange eyes wandering his way... he splays out next to Valens, comfortable enough, but only as long as the dappled man is near. He pays some attention to the violent brawl, but his unsophisticated, young brain quickly finds other points of interest... like super long grass blades and the bugs living on them.

Content just to be by his side, Viggo rolls onto his side, batting at an enticingly saffron blade of grass and watching as it bounces back into place every time.

code by corvus

He turned at the sound of paws crunching against brittle blades, his eye easily latching to the discerning jade of his father. Bruno dipped his head quickly to the king, watching as his eyes traced their way down to that Freckle. It was involuntary, the way having the boy out in the light made him cringe inwardly. How was he supposed to conceal a flame so bright? How was he supposed to keep it for himself, flickering and fuming with each stoke of the wind?

"This is Freckle," Bruno introduced lowly, careful against drawing unnecessary attention to their small grouping. "I take care of him." He left no room for question in the statement – no vagueness of will. I take care of him. And, he would do his best to keep the darkness within the mire away from him, to keep him sparkling and chaste. And, he would do what he must to forge strength within him, tightening his edges and pruning his technique until he could be sieged by no power.

And, Bruno would not entertain that these goals might be exclusive of one another.

"Fleckchen, meet our king – Alaric, my father," he explained to the boy, casting his gaze then down to the small cub. Perhaps it was best that Alaric only met him now, Bruno considered – now that Freckle was not the same scrawny thing he had picked up. He eyed his plush, youthful frame for a moment, slipping on the lens of the scrutinizing monarch as the cub beamed over at Alaric.

Well, at least there was still time for him to grow.

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@Alaric @Freckle_{BG — ART — CODE}

A few weeks had passed since the most recent challenge, and Léonie was beginning to wonder if the dust had truly settled when another summoning voice announced its intention: to pry the Plains away from its current leader. Léonie was not directly involved with them, but did that stop her from sneaking in to watch the match? Nope. Besides, it was good to know the outcome. She wanted to see if there’d be a new king to lord over the Plains, or if the troublemaker would be chased away.

She arrived without fuss, using the high grass as cover to conceal her presence. Through it, she peeked around, studying the crowd. For as many Plains members as she counted, there were as many non-Lorien spectators there, including the Mire royalty. Pffft. Eye roll incoming — three, two, one …

Ultimately, her focus settled on the battling pair. There on the sidelines, hidden by her environment, Léonie pressed low to the ground to wait and see who would come out the victor.

Hidden
Sleuth Level 5: Can't be discovered if actively hidden in threads

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