And it'sx my whole heart, xxweighed and m e a s u r e d xxxxxxxxxxx i n s i d e And it's an old scar, trying to bleach it out

She had mulled over it for some time, considering whether or not she had been present long enough to try such a thing as challenge for a rank. But as the days and nights passed, spaces above her remained open, and the desire to prove herself of worth to the sovereigns would be easier with a place higher up in the pride. She could defend those being claimed by unwanted pursuers, help those in need. She could not help but feel some guilt that her desire for such power was of greed.

But as the sun sat behind the mountains, Arachnae stepped near the training area tree and called for any who may face her, or the Sovereigns to appear and deem her unworthy. She would accept such a fate without question.

@Arachnae vs. ???
Noble Challenge
Round 0/3

who's a heretic now?

code by loki - art by Aurora

night has long since fallen when the call goes out.

like before, he’s the first one to arrive — clearly the nosiest guy in the summit. he has no qualms about this, and approaches with excitement rather than embarrassment. @Arachnae is little more than a stranger, though he recognizes her from the previous hunt — she looks a little different without the fur pelt draped over her shoulder, though. maybe it’d get in her way? he'd have to ask once this was all over. good luck! he calls out as he plops down on his haunches, shooting her a toothy smile. there’s no way mutter will let this challenge go unanswered — assuming morrigan shows up, of course.

code; background;

he slides in after @Virgil, his ears hidden back under his growing, curled mane and his expression one caught between embarrassment and anxiety. the last time he was here to watch a challenge it hadn't exactly been, uh, great. but he understands better now ( or so he assumes ) what the difference is between a spar and a challenge and an attempt to murder someone. not every fight means a lion kills a lion, he reminds himself. only where violarum is concerned. or something like that. he nods politely to @Arachnae as he comes in to sit next to the prince, angling his small head up to peer at him. there sure are a lot of these things around here. he murmurs, sniffing a little as he glances around. y'all like to fight a lot?

"Only when it is needed," Isla would respond to @Alastor's question, emerging from between brush and stone. She had heard the call of one of the Summit's members challenging for a rank, and for several minutes she debated on showing. The alluring thoughts of a meal and a long nap were very appealing to the woman, but she also knew keeping her presence a constant within the pride was more important, especially as of late.

So she made her way toward the direction she had heard the call come from, and now her eyes would shifting between her brother and Nero's son before finally landing upon the peach woman. There didn't seem to be any stepping up to contest, telling Isla that she would have to take matters into her own paws, just like what she had done with Nero and his rank challenge. "You will fight me." Isla would pad forward, facing Arachnae head on. Shoulders would roll and her claws would unsheathe while her toes flexed, ears pinning against her skull as her head lowered to align her neck and head with her spine. You first.


Isla vs @Arachnae
for IS Noble
move o/iii

ART BY NAVARRE, CODE BY DEE

And it'sx my whole heart, xxweighed and m e a s u r e d xxxxxxxxxxx i n s i d e And it's an old scar, trying to bleach it out

Some time would pass, and concern would grow within the older lioness that she would have to toss away her challenge and try again some other evening, lest the sun arrive and ruin everything. But eventually, the first to arrive would be @Virgil, the much larger lion happily giving her his best wishes. In return, she would smile, feeling warmth spread across her body in hope. She could do this, right?

The next to arrive would be much younger, the little mauve cub curious as to why it was their kind threw around their paws so much. A small chuckle would come from the witch, who was about to say nearly the same thing that the heiress @Isla ♔ stated as she arrived. Only when needed- that was a perfect answer. So instead, as the colossal princess announced she would be the one the priestess would fight, Arachnae took a very deep breath and turned her attention towards the new opponent.

It had been a very long time since she had fought, the last time had been a challenge like this with her brother, whom she was less concerned about disappointing. This girl, she was different, she made the peachy lioness feel anxious even as she steeled her body, flattened her ears and lowered her head down to protect her neck. May the moon bless us both. She'd state kindly, a smile on her maw before she would lunge forward with onyx paws outstretched towards the pale wolf's chest in an attempt to catch her off guard and compromise her balance by pushing hard.

Arachnae vs. @Isla ♔
Noble challenge
Round 1/3
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 17 + 3 + 4 + 9

Dodges:

Rolling 7d20: 20 + 19 + 2 + 12 + 17 + 14 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 4 + 6 + 10 + 14 + 7 + 1

who's a heretic now?

code by loki - art by Aurora

his attention shifts away from the challenging lioness as @Alastor arrives — looking nervous, aye, but not quite as bad as before. the wolf prince perks up to see it, shooting the younger boy a big, perky smile. hey, you! he says with a little chuff, happy to be joined on the sidelines. there wasn’t much more to do tonight than watch, after all. ears tip forward at his statement-question, glancing to his sister as she answers arachnae. a little delayed, but hey, it was late at night and everyone was already in their jammies. you kinda get used to it, he says with a casual roll of his shoulder — clearly, he wasn’t too worried about it. and — hey! just think! if you ever wanna learn, i can totally teach you. to virgil, this is a sweet offer — thinking of the way he and penrose bonded over tumbling around the den. and maybe alastor wouldn’t be so shaken by fighting if he understood it, and could do it himself. virgil wiggles his brows at the smaller boy, as if this might sweeten the pot.

BG & CODE

There are certain rituals of pride life that are still unfamiliar to the petite girl, despite technically having lived in one for just about all of her life. As far as she could recall, the Plains had been entirely lacking in any sort of violence for as long as she'd lived there. Until she had very suddenly not lived there. Because her dad might have been killed otherwise, it turned out.

Alright, so maybe Violarum's pride really wasn't the best standard for comparison, for many reasons.

It doesn't quite ease the vague trepidation she feels as trails after @Alastor, settling down at his side around the same moment the massive Isla passes by, leaving Maven to blink owlishly up at her moving form. Er. Are you sure this is normal? She whispers the question into her brother's ear, her own dark-rimmed ears lowering against her skull uneasily when the pale woman charged at the smaller lioness with bright peach fur. It was all rather disconcerting.

Even more disconcerting to her are the unnecessarily chirpy words she overhears the older boy on Alastor's other side speaking. What? She exclaims, uncaring that the conversation wasn't meant for her, leaning back to get a better look at @Virgil's dark, patchy face. No! You're way too big. She's automatically defensive of her brother, narrowed crimson gaze shifting between the two males, quietly insisting that Alastor decline lest he end up hurt. He might squash you! She not-so-quietly insists.

She doesn't intend any offense upon either of them, but the thought of Alastor flattened beneath that fluffy bulk isn't one that she can quietly sit on._{BG — ART — CODE}

Narrowed eyes watch the woman's movements, seeing her lunging toward her with front limbs outstretched. Their rather drastic weight difference (as well as Isla being several inches taller than Arachnae) would seem to come in handy when the shove was successful, causing for the Heiress to stutter backward a step or two but not entirely causing her to become unbalanced. As claws scraped at the stone ground she would be quick with her retaliation, left front paw lifting itself and attempting to strike toward the peach woman's lower right shoulder. Isla was attempting to hook her paw in the armpit area to try to attempt to jerk her paw back toward her own body to make the woman lose her footing. As she did this her jaws would snap forward, attempting to bite and nip at the woman's right side of what she could reach of her neck, a move to possibly protect her left leg from being bitten. Tail would lash out behind her to help keep her steady as she moved, her focus solely upon her opponent.


Isla vs @Arachnae
for IS Noble
move i/iii
hits:

Rolling 7d20: 5 + 3 + 16 + 11 + 2 + 14 + 19

dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 13 + 20 + 1

luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 5 + 6 + 19 + 12

ART BY NAVARRE, CODE BY DEE

And it'sx my whole heart, xxweighed and m e a s u r e d xxxxxxxxxxx i n s i d e And it's an old scar, trying to bleach it out

Her paws would make purchase, sending the young lioness back a few inches before she would make her own move, the white wolf's large paw hooking beneath the witch's arm and tugging her forward, onyx paws sliding against the stone to try and regain her composure. Fangs found their way against the side of the peachy woman neck, a grunt emitting from the priestess in response two toned eyes searching for an opening.

Rather than going to the leg that pulled her unbalanced, Arachnae would aim to attempt and grasp at Isla's left leg where it met the chest muscles, lifting her right paw to attempt to grasp her claws into the heiress's shoulder for stability.

Arachnae vs. @Isla ♔
Noble challenge
Round 2/3
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 6 + 18 + 17 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 7d20: 19 + 13 + 6 + 14 + 1 + 18 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 12 + 14 + 1 + 4 + 9 + 13

who's a heretic now?

code by loki - art by Aurora

Her left front paw caught behind the woman's right armpit, Isla yanking her paw toward herself and causing for the other to stumble a bit. Her teeth would gain a hold onto the right side of Arachnae's neck, but it wasn't enough to keep her left leg safe. She felt jaws wrap around the middle section of the limb while also feeling a paw being smacked against her left shoulder. The piercing of claws into flesh would bring forth a snarl, and as the stinging pain pulsated the Heiress would relinquish her hold upon the woman's neck and instead attempt to throw her skull toward Arachnae's own. Isla was attempting to knock the woman's hold of her leg loose enough for her to get it free.


Isla vs @Arachnae
for IS Noble
move ii/iii
hits:

Rolling 7d20: 13 + 2 + 16 + 17 + 6 + 1 + 8

dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 2 + 6 + 16

luck:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 18 + 9 + 13 + 12

ART BY NAVARRE, CODE BY DEE