Kill the King and throne the Queen.

Cirilla had dreamed of this day since she had been old enough to walk the sandy beaches of the Cay. Her mother had been a Queen for a brief time before the strange mist had seemingly taken her crown from her with nothing but a breathless whisper. She had disappeared a short time after that.

Cirilla had spent most of her adult life as a rogue, with nowhere to call home. She had clung so closely to the Cay - it symbolized a place of safety to her, a place where she felt grounded at times of turmoil and uncertainty. But in recent months she had grown restless, and could she be blamed? The woman had @Aurelia to look after now, and needed stability for her growing family - which, strangely enough, included @Uma and @Ambrose now.

The sun had begun to rise as she rose from her slumber. She stretched eagerly, looking back briefly on Reli to ensure she was tucked away quietly in the safety of their den. She could follow her scent trail if she wanted when she woke. Vellen had been calling to her (or was it the influential words of @Saga?) and she knew she needed to take action. She needed to take responsibility for her family - for the Sigrún - and bring the greatness of her family back into the light.

The travel from Stygian to Caladan was short. She would often look at the pride territory on the horizon during her walks along the shoreline, but today seemed surreal. She pauses briefly at the border, looking to her left and right as memories seemed to flood back to her from her childhood. There was a brief flood of emotion that seemed to wave over her, but the woman was quick to push it to the back of her mind. Emotion was something she did not need today: she needed to remain focused on the task at hand.

Silently, the tan woman slipped across Caladan's borders, and she made her way through the pride territory. The woman was bold, brash: she did not hurry or rush, but instead took her time. She wanted to inspect the space in which she used to call home, where she had spent the first few brief months of her life before everything turned upside down. Most of the dens seemed empty, or partly occupied, but the Sigrún was satisfied enough that this would be a good enough place for the Sigrún to call home and rebuild themselves.

Departing from the dens and making her way onto the beach where she imagined most of the pride meeting and events would take place, the woman slowed down to a halt. Her back was to the sea, the roaring of the waves rolling over her as her whiskered twitched against the salty breeze. It was not quite the Cay, but it could be home.

With a deep breath, Cirilla called out for @Gauthier. She did not know who the leader of this pride was, but she was determined enough to take their crown from them. It was time.

Horfðu á mig.
Ég mun fara til minnar eigin sólar.
Og ef ég brennist af eldi þess,
Ég mun fljúga á sviðnum vængjum.

Watch me.
I will go to my own Sun.
And if I am burned by its fire,
I will fly on scorched wings.

Cirilla vs. Gauthier
for Caladan Cove
Round zero of five

fernweh couldn't find it in herself to not attend a challenge any longer. the sheer amusement at watching other lions fight for a pride was a far cry from the dullness of spars. but, of course, if fernweh was to be asked, then she would say she was no warmonger still. for a month now, fernweh had set aside all that that had to do with fighting and politics for motherhood and peace. she, andrás, and their children deserved their happiness. now, it felt like she had shed another layer of her story as she trekked to the sandy cove, paws finally nimble enough for her to make the trip quick. there weren't many lions present and fernweh was able to find a seat near the lapping waves. the heat of the lowland was a pleasant one for the first time. even though she was built for the winter weather, it became monotonous once she lived among them long enough. as she glanced at the scarred challenger, fernweh wondered if there'll ever be a pride challenge where the challenger won. she had not been to the ones that came before, but she heard none of the ones vying for a throne were able to claim one.

ART COPYRIGHT RABS / CODE COPYRIGHT ANALESE

The land is clothed in a seemingly endless vestment of sand, sparkling underneath the sun like gold foil. The air here is crisp and refreshing; nothing like the stifling climate of the Oasis. The drum-roll of the waves is steady in his ear as Ambrose saunters past the line of coconut trees, deeper into the Cove. He's on the scent of someone very familiar, and last time he checked, she wasn't a pride lion.

Then, a call.

He knows what that means. He quickens his step, jogging down the length of the gold-paved sands. She stands there as if the place has always belonged to her, unshakable and steadfast. She's trying to gain control of the place? The concept makes the guard hairs on the back of his neck stand on end—not many have arrived yet, but he knows it's just the calm before the storm.

One lioness already seems to have been lured in by the promise of violence, but she doesn't smell of the place. He gives @Fernweh a dubious look before returning his attention to the scene unfolding before him, waiting uneasily as eyes sweep the Cove for a sign of the would-be ruler. Cirilla's well-being is all he can hope for. And if not, well... he will be there.

BG — ART — CODE

Being busy with her own busy work, Zelda was already exhausted and once she saw her "boy friend" leaving the Oasis, she made quick work to follow him. Perhaps not as quickly as one normally might but she made her way regardless. Not making any pit stops and journeying to what she knew to be the Cove. It was a nice place, she reckoned with plenty of sun, sand and palm trees and enough little nooks and crannies to hide in. Trespassing within the territory wasn't exactly splendid but she figured she could manage herself. It wasn't as though there were a whole lot of able-bodied trees that she could climb and hide in like she normally would.

With @Ambrose taking a position, the grey self-made queen proposes a seat right beside him. Silent as she does so and regards @Cirilla with a curious look, as well as @Fernweh who was the only other lion present. Thankfully she doesn't realize that her friend here already knows the challenger otherwise she might feel a bit of a burning jealousy. She wasn't very good at having friends, especially girl friends, so it wouldn't be a concrete bridge to be built that was for certain.

Eventually she chose to lay down upon her belly in the nice warm sand. Letting out a gentle ooh as it burned just right before it warmed to her own temperature. A nice little bathe in the sun sounded quite nice and there was no one here (yet) to tell her to do anything otherwise.

+5 - Study the natural world
+5 - Sunbathe or take a nap
+5 - Relax with someone else (?)

^{ART BY NOVI, CODE BY CALA}

This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of a small blood ritual.

Mostly healed as she was, Morrigan took the opportunity to make the journey south, something which she would not have normally done in the heat of August if not for her recent restrictions to the snowy north. The heat was strange on her dark coat as she slipped down the familiar coastline toward the call for the Cove. Morrigan had thought she seen @Cirilla in passing more recently than her most memorable encounter, but the grown woman calling for Caladan's crown was much grown from the girl who had fought against Arkyn when they were cubs, the day that Saga had slain Sunniva.

She moved along the coastline to where the fight would apparently take place, slipping into the water when necessary to avoid the border markings until they could no longer be. The rockslide that had dethroned herself had only changed the landscape so much in the years since. She spotted @Fernweh and moved to join her. "I'm fairly certain she is one of the Sigrun children, but I know someone who can confirm." She bowed her head before lifting an ivory talon on her right limb to the healing flesh of her left, reopening one of her fresh scars so that the long ivory fur of her leg ran red,

"@Saga, come and see," she summoned, switching her limbs so that her blood dripped onto the sands of the Cove, still wet from the touch of Vellen's kingdom.

coding & image by flea

(1/2) +5 Gather information about a character (cirilla)
please notify me if you are going to attack so i have a heads up!
Isla was not too far behind @Morrigan. She had caught her mother descending the mountain when she were climbing one of many cliffs their home harbored, the intrigue of wondering where she was going enough to make her desert her current task. She would make quick movements to catch up with the High Queen, settling then at a steady pace around the lioness' right side. Another challenge was in the air, forever keeping every lion on their toes.

It had been a long time since she had stepped paw into the sandy terrain where she had been born. The warm breeze would cause for her to lift her maw into the air, taking in the nostalgic scent of saltwater one she didn't realize she missed until now. She would follow Morrigan as she followed the coastline, the water lapping at them every now and again as waves made their way to the shore. Caladan was a place that she would always hold near and dear to her heart, even if there was a possibility that she would never live there again.

Dual colored eyes would shift and focus on the small group of lions that had already gathered, ears twisting forward as Isla listened to her mom speak. And then she would slice open a wound almost healed, allowing for the blood to trickle down her leg and soak into the sand beneath them as she called out to another. Brows would furrow but she would not question it, instead settling next to Morrigan with a roll of her shoulders and the flex of her claws, a quick nod to @Fernweh given in greeting. "Wo stehen wir?" Where do we stand? She knew that Illyria and Caladan were wary of one another, but the wildcat needed to know where her mother would stand today just in case things went sideways - and they usually did at a pride challenge. "Und wer ist sie?" And who is she?

ART BY NAVARRE, CODE BY LARS

Part vampire Part warrior
Carnivore and voyeur
we all feed on tragedy,
it's like blood to a vampire

As far as Amaroq could tell, judging by the scents on the wind, this was his brother's lands. Even so, Amaroq had kept himself distant and away for most of the time, choosing to linger in solitude despite his love for his older brother @Gauthier. Something changed with Amaroq, ever since Avaneira's death. He rarely felt happy, and often lingered in his silent depression, brooding and unable to escape his sadness.

Now, the call for Gauthier has summoned Amaroq, and Amaroq would appear along the horizon to witness this scene unfolding. It is a challenge called out by none other than @Cirilla, a woman he had met on his travels. She was a venomous woman, and a mysterious one at that, intriguing Amaroq in ways he couldn't entirely define. Quietly, Amaroq watches from afar, choosing to keep his distance for now. Amaroq was a ghost, a shadow, a forgotten face in a sea of other faces.

He did not care to be seen.

+5 Observe a fight

5years, no bonus.

The very place his Queen had wanted to call home, it was being challenged for. The warmonger would frown as he approached, curious who would come out the victor here. Gauthier was the only pride that had not went to the Peak meeting he’d called, perhaps now it would show that it’d have been a waste of time anyway. If the challenger was able to be victorious. Mismatched gaze would fall on the growing crowd, typically, he would hide, but not this time, today he would approach the crowd with confidence and a smooth gait.

@Morrigan, @Fernweh and @Isla ♔ were present, to all three he would nod, noting some ritual going on in the sand from the Summit leader. It seemed that her wounds were healing well, she would be able to at least hold her own if a fight erupted. His gaze would shift to the contender, an average sized lioness that was heavily scarred. Curiosity would gleam in his eyes as he came up to @Ambrose. Do you know her? He would ask, head tilting slightly, to look upon his pride mate.

(0/2) +5 Observe a fight
please notify me if you are going to attack so i have a heads up!
One of many perks of being a rogue was that he had no lions to keep track of or to keep safe, giving him the opportunity to wander wherever he wished to go. And it would be while padding rather lazily across the blackened sands of stygian that Arkyn heard the familiar sound of a challenge for a pride being released. But this one was different, for it was for the place where he was born and grew up in. Even though there were many memories surrounding the Cove he wished to wipe away from his memory completely, he knew he had to witness the battle only to become aware of who would be the ruler at the end of the bloodshed.

Colossal form would move in the direction of Caladan, one he knew he could make with his eyes shut and arrive there uninjured. Even though a rockslide had happened such a long time ago it didn't seem to change the way he remembered the sandy pride, and as he spotted lions already gathered he would see cousins and aunt already present (@Fernweh @Morrigan). Arkyn would halt a little ways away, debating on if he should stand by them or if he should continue to stay on the outskirts like an outcast he created himself to become.

With a rather heavy sigh and the rolling of shoulders would he decide to join them, letting out a gruff chuff as he neared, standing close enough to the throng of Summit women to show he were associated with them but far enough away that he wasn't invading much of their space. Eyes would then focus on the younger lioness that appeared to be the one that had released her challenge, noting how scarred and maimed she already appeared at her age. With Arkyn's own recklessness he was surprised he wasn't looking similar to her by now.

SENTINEL

Livyatan hated to admit when someone else was right on a hunch about him. thus when he heard the call it made him curious enough to attend. Carefully the ebony and ivory-marked lion slipped through the Cove's borders with caution. Hadn't the Cove been pretty much silent since its claim? Why interrupt things? Oh, but of course, too many feed on the chaos a challenge created. And honestly, though he hid it well, Livyatan was no exception. So he slinked in and glanced around at the gathering crowd, so far no one of interest. Then he saw her (@Fernweh), no longer heavy and fat with possible genetic defects. For a moment he just simply stared at her with a blank expression, his eyes burning into her. Then he turned his head to move closer to a spot that would shield his rear. A precautionary measure if you would.


Livyatan is observing

ART BY IRISH / CODING BY SENTINEL