Here he was again. The Hollows would belong to his family, one way or another. Always would he be grateful toward Ronin, to Scorpius, for giving them someplace to belong - to recover from the war that had driven them away. Yet now, now was the time to rebuild. Alexander, his Empire - his legacy, it could not be done sitting on the seat of a Nobleman. With the alliance brokered between he and Scorpius, and the others blossoming to life - he was not afraid of whatever would come his way. The Savante were getting a foothold in his land, this would solidify it. If he could come out the victor.

While confident, his previous failure had him mildly concerned, but he wouldn't let it get to him. Couldn't. Too much depended on this victory. Moving toward the border of the Hollows, Alexander does not step over it - nor does he seek to delve into the deep caverns even though they called to him. Instead he calls for Vermier to come, to face him once again. The Savante Patriarch had not been prepared before, he could only hope this time he was. Muscles grew tense, blue eyes searching the horizon for any sign of the Hollows King. The Mother sings to him here, and he feels his blood come alive, anticipation building.

Alexander vs. @Vermier
For Obsidian Hollow
0 1 2 3 4 5

code + art

fernweh remembered the man who called himself alexander. knew him well enough to be discreet and follow the scent to obsidian's border. she was careful about not being seen nowadays, only so that no other war could erupt and she is caught within. but, she was curious, knowing all too well the cost of a pride challenge. fernweh could no longer stomach too much fighting, but in a few days, perhaps she will be in the arena. for now, all she could do was brace herself. the phoenix took to stand beside one of the many openings, back facing the sleek walls and watched. for everyone's sake, this fight better stay short._{BG — ART — CODE}

Roaming around the area in a quick-step as she brushed through the dunes of the desert with ease, getting used to the terrain as she ran. Making quick turns to try and get better at pivoting, knowing how she was going to slide and if she could minimize how long it took to regain balance. Only when the call nearby went up did she screech to a halt an looked towards the Hollows. She didn't know the pride very well (and had never had any intention of knowing any pride well) so it made wandering closer to its territory that much easier. Ember had little to lose and so as she slowed her gait to observe a familiar face (@Alexander ♔) calling for its leader -- for the pride itself -- she stared in quiet thought before sitting down and getting comfortable.

+5 - Observe a fight (alexander vs. vermier for OH)
+5 - Exercise to gain strength

^{ART BY LARS, CODE BY CALA}

Perhaps it had been fate that stirred the air around her, that had @Alexander ♔'s scent dancing around her. Blue eyes lifted from the task at hand, catching sight of him slipping across the Oasis borders, and for a moment, Laerke considered leaving him to whatever task drove him — until, with a fleeting, further study, the healer noted the tension bracketing his body. Brows furrowed, and after a momentary glance to her task, Laerke was off. She would not catch him ( for he was nearly twice her size ), but he remained in her sights for the entirety of her trek across the desert.

Sand gave way to solid ground, and the curiosity blooming within her breast made room for a glimmer of apprehension. There could only be a handful of reasons as to why the Savante lion was here, and the summons that soon followed only confirmed it. He was careful not to cross the demarcated line that signaled the pride’s territory, and Laerke was careful to remain on neutral ground. A soft chuff escaped her lips—a whisper of encouragement—and as she seated herself, Laerke noted the presence of two others, though her gaze soon returned to Alexander.

---

vague pride
+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (x/2 — Alexander v. Vermier)

code to pine

Those rockscape caverns would always harbor Sedona's interest. The tiny lioness scaled them with practiced ease. It was as if no time at all had passed since she wandered those halls – since she had been just a girl, eager to blossom from amid the shadows of Obsidian's refuge. How time had changed things. She flocked to the call of a challenge with a few other onlookers, raising her brows with interest as she noted that she was one of the first to arrive. There at the scent border stood a lion familiar as a clear member of the oasis pride, though she could not place a name or anything about the man. Silently, she attempted to take a seat at a comfortable distance from a towering lioness while offering her a small smile, before settling in to watch how this would all go down.

---

|| november y9 | two years | [vague pride] | at obsidian hollow | @Ember ||
+5 - Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

image by moogle/code by saph

The benefit of not giving a fuck was exactly that: a benefit. Safia didn't have allies or enemies, she just had faces she recognized and those she didn't. It wasn't ideal given how social she typically was, but at least she was making an effort or something. Pride challenges seemed to be the place to meet people, so she slithered her way into the mix of onlookers and tried to blend in as seamlessly as possible. Yeah, no, she totally belonged here. For sure. The Hodari glanced to those few other faces, hoping to find someone familiar and frowning slightly to see.. no one. She recognized no one. Oh well. At least she'd get a show.

i wanna feel high on a sunday morning

I wanna feel like it's all brand new

code by corvus

Keligan was a glutton for punishment it seems as the Cove Gentry crossed his pride's borders and headed to the Hollows. He had his own personal beef with Vermier and the Hollows was still not an ally of the Cove. So it only made sense for the Gaia lion to see out this challenge. Flicking his ears back against his skull, Keligan snuck into the territory as the call was made by Alexander for the pride. Periwinkle gaze glanced around, wondering who would show up and then who would win the spot as the King. Would Vermier remain as High Sovereign or would he fall? Settling himself where he could watch but keep it from someone attacking from behind, Keligan sat up against a rock face with his claws at the ready for anything.

SUBMASTER: PALADIN
+5 Observe a fight (Alexander vs Vermier)
+5 Learn information about a potential threat

_{— ART — CODE}

She had been hunting. Tracking down a target that wasn’t really what one would think a hunter would want to find. She was trying to find her enemy. Why? Bloodlust maybe? Or maybe it was because fighting him had brought back some memories? Yes perhaps that was it. In any case she had been searching for Vermier when a call to battle had rung out. Because she was nearby and because the enemy of her enemy was her friend the orange faced lady moved forward. Crossing the line to stand within the crowd that was growing. She didn’t really know the relations between the challenger. Nor the bad blood between the pride he came from and the one she currently stunk of, but didn’t care. "Kick the stupid morons ass!" She cheered showing support for Alexander even if she didn’t know who he was

code by shelby

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

The voice was but familiar as that of an enemy. Many he had fought and emerged bloodied, like Vader from the pit of lava against anyone who had the high ground. Or maybe that was Anakin at the time? Vermier's player has never seen a Star Wars all the way through so going by internet memetic osmosis here. Anyway, with jowls lathered, wrinkling tongue pulsing and feral, the vermin king approached like a rabid Anakin-Vader dog and the sound gusting from his chest, harsh against wounds and spite, seemed nearly mechanical. That uncanny valley of almost alive, category belonging to the neurologically nearly deceased and the just-not-quite-right.

Pie was his new enemy, preferable to the decadent Dieudonné than the old enemies of salt and sea. The flashes he had seen of his enemy's allies at the last challenge bore a similar pattern. But he knew this one. The colossal red who had been driven away last time partly by the efforts of his comrades. The gazelle had grazed up a brain cell from somewhere and arrived this time with more allies on his heels, most of them smelling like rogue except for that fun boy Keligan and the most fun to antagonize hippo butt @Arjana who was characteristically cheering on his demise. Vermier would be no different in her place but he would have a higher brow category of insults such as "Nique ta mère avec tes boules d'hippo!" ("Fuck your mother with your hippo balls!") he snarled at her with an increase in his guttural growling, skull dipping, ember eyes burning within his face's frozen hearth. He would much rather fight her, although he knew the tactics of them both. He couldn't expect Alexander to throw a kiss in his ear. Well, maybe.

That was the enemy so that was where his focus fell, aiming to accelerate into his chest from the front, Vermier's right shoulder slanting to try to slam into the front of Alex's left limb. His skull was actually heft in challenge and arrogance and a fixed sense that he was not meant to be outsized and ground into the dirt like so many other times. Fangs attempted to fix high alongside his enemy's muzzle at the inner corner of the right eye cavity while with his front left paw he attempted to bludgeon claws against his enemy's right forelimb.

@Alexander ♔ vs. @Vermier
OH
1/5

Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 1 + 19 + 9 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 19 + 6 + 9 + 15

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 11 + 18 + 12 + 16

Analia was present if only by curiosity; she stood back as far away as she possibly could to avoid any kind of trespassing. Keeping her distance on the forethought of being safe and out of the way, eyeing those that passed her by feet or yards. As royalty and as an ambassador, she had to get better at watching these challenges. Perhaps she wouldn't mind so much if they were just that but none of them she had seen were ever just.

The scents here were easy to pick out this time. Whether that was because there were few in the Hollow to begin with or that there weren't that many lions currently present. There was one trail of the summit and its snowy textures, easy to pick out since they were family and mingled often enough. The mire's scent was also tangled up in this again but it wasn't the scent of its sovereign, that much she knew. It would be far too easy to notice a blue-shaded woman here over all the others.

So towards the challengers she looked as the one defending his home appeared and shouted gibberish at a lady nearby. All before he charged in with his head and teeth glaring in the sunlight to show this stranger his own personal tango.

+5 - Observe and study a new scent
+5 - Observe a challenge and learn the results
+5 - Attend a challenge to assess the wounds

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}