This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of cannibalism, gore & blood.

Electricity crawled down his spine like a sleek viper, blood coursing through his body faster and faster with every passing moment that Amara battled the Andal woman. @Louve's words brought an amused sneer upon his otherwise punchable face. His wife had long grown apart from the bloodthirsty girl he'd had to temper. "Let them show their true colors, my love," "Le rouge leur irait bien," "Red would suit them well," She'd become the perfect leader, far more level-headed than he ever was. Louve now knew the strength in patience. If they played their cards right, they would have the world at their feet in no time.

The approach of a Wolfbron female caught the charmer's attention, his blood-red gaze shifting onto @Adelita as she fretted over his chartreux dove. There was hatered in her tone when she spoke odd words toward the girl that had charged toward Faustine.

@Léonie was quite vocal with her insults toward his precious little princess. He was certain that such vigorous hatered was carefully groomed by the constant superiority of his kin. The Dieudonne warmonger would've felt pride if the curses were not so grotesque and spoken to his beautiful daughters. No wonder the girl was mad!

The Andal female was a loud one, trying to justify her actions by headlocking Amara in a "you would do the same" kind of argument. Apollinaire would certainly pick a... juicier prey than a child, if the roles were reversed, but he would pick one regardless. Unless the Matriarch chains him by order, he would be at their throats until their blood runs dry.

But did that prove Léonie's point? Even if she tried to climb to their level she, and the rest of her allies, would never reach them. They were Dieudonne - they did not live by this valley's moral compass. They lived by their own. They were the predators and everybody else - the prey. Predators have the holy right to pillage, conquer and consume. Cattle have the holy right to be conquered and consumed.

@Tripfire's voice brought Apollinaire away from his obsessive thoughts, pulling him back into reality. "Il paraît que nous allons bien boire aujourd'hui, mon ami." "It seems we will drink well today, my friend." He hoped that the menu had more to offer than scrawny girls on a suicide mission.

@Alexander ♔'s arrival was expected, and by now Apollinaire was aware that this man was the Patriarch of the Savante. The family he'd torn into time and time again, and the family that had struck a deal with his own now. Surely a tricky political situation for many, but for a man born in a Matriarchal, murderous society, and having lived and thrived among them for years, Apollinaire adapted quickly. Way too quickly. "Mon ami!" "My friend!" He called out cheerfully as the lion nodded a greeting. He paused himself, as Alexander seemed uneasy, preparing for what followed to be a short speech so everybody else knows of their little ceasefire agreement. Ah, yes. The Oasis was their ally. A truly uncomfortable situation for the Savante. A quite entertaining show for Apollinaire. The slender Dieudonne watched Louve's reaction in return.

@Constantine, an unfamiliar relative to Alexander sat nearby. Apollinaire nodded to the man with a very friendly smirk. "Apollinaire Dieudonne, a pleasure." The vague curiousity of this one's taste emerged in the madman's mind.

And as a few more began to flock in to them, it was about time to greet @Dragos who couldn't take his gaze off Apollinaire. "It's good zho see you zhoo." The Savante man's expression showed nothing but dislike of his leader's decision. Apollinaire absolutely slurped up every moment of it.

"A challenge is enough reason for an attack on us,"  "You seem uptight, mon ami," It seemed Dragos wished to stretch his muscles. Apollinaire would enjoy that very much, but watching the Savante tear from the inside proved to be very entertaining as well.

Then amidst the tension an insignificant little whelp sauntered near them and then in a less than flattering display... showered the ground in her own liquids before launching herself at Louve. Apollinaire suddenly GASPED loudly and over-dramatically, placing a paw upon his long-haired chest. "What a zherribly mannered child." Disgust was evident upon his features. He felt insulted the girl would even dare touch his Matriarch with her filthy paws. He pitied Louve for having to taste such low quality upon her tongue.

Amara disengages from her battle, rising victorious as anticipated. He hears speech, but something else catches his attention. Another Savante appears, and this one seems to be siding with Dragos. Apollinaire's red gaze settles on Anthonius, measuring his movements carefully. The lion approaches, an evident threat rumbling from him. Apollinaire's brow raises in another overly-exaggerated surprise. "Bonjour zho you zhoo," He takes the hint and moves away from Faustine, confident that @Pyracantha and @Amara would defend the girl. How quickly the Savante broke their agreements. Not that Apollinaire minded in any case. They were all dogs unworthy of the Dieudonne's time. He would sieze this opportunity to show them that going back on an agreement with his Matriarch was a worse idea than any other slight.

Too bad it was Anthonius. Out of all of them, this one had the foulest taste.

------------- Fight begins here (finally) -------------

As the man charged forward, Apollinaire attempted to brace his back feet, splaying them evenly beneath him. His lips twisted in a mischevious sneer, taunting the man to approach.

He stood his ground, attempting to meet the man head-on. At the last moment of Anthonius' approach, Apollinaire attempted to sharply move his head downward, causing the lion's teeth to leave long, deep marks that reached down to bone across the Wolfbron man's forehead and tearing a chunk of hair from his head along the way. The pain was searing, hot blood pouring down. The damage was made only worse by the power behind the charge. His feet would've skidded back if he hadn't braced his whole body.

From his current position, Apollinaire attempted to align his skull slightly to try and wrap his jaws tightly around Anthonius' jugular.

Apollinaire vs. @Anthonius
Minor Maim
Round 1 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 19 + 11 + 13 + 16 + 1 + 18 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 15 + 7 + 9 + 3 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 20 + 11 + 1 + 15 + 19 + 9

She had only just entered these lands and already she could hear the sound of chaos in the distance. It was an easy choice to bypass the claiming grounds and head straight to the source of the sounds, the battle cries. What better time to enter when such an event was happening? A great place to hide out and watch everything unfold, and get a head start on uncovering the state of the political climate, and which side she might want to place herself on. Perfect for someone who detested making blind decisions, and preferred to make more calculated plans based on information she gathered. She slunk closer to the fight, maintaining some distance between herself and the majority of the crowd to try and remain undetected. There wasn’t too much cover in the desert, but she managed to find a a rocky outcrop that concealed her well enough, while still giving her a good view of the show. It seemed the main event wasn’t the only thing going on, though. In the battle for the crown, she noticed the defending king;s wound on his leg. It seemed worse off than just a normal cut, and she was intrigued at what had caused that damage. In surrounding fights, she could see others aiming to try and maim one another. Plenty of wounds for her to assess and mentally plot how she might heal them, if she were the one to take on such a task. Not that she planned to, but it was good mental practice. -Evadne is attempting to hide-

A lioness from Andal approached, spouting off the demands her king had made to disperse the crowd but she paid little attention to that. They didn’t have claim to the entire desert, and Keligan had already begun speaking to her, so unless she was commanded by her own leadership, she fully intended to stay put where she was. Around them, other fights began to break out in addition to the battle for the crown. Her attention flickered between all of the different bouts of combat, her interest mildly caught at the verbal confrontation happening off on the sidelines, wondering if that too would devolve into yet another fight.

The sound of a challenge being called almost immediately had the man's blood pumping, and he set off towards the sound to go and see what the commotion was all about. He wondered if his father had plans for his own challenge, and how far off that might be. Because, of course, the idea that he might not want to claim a pride to rebuild the Praeses Empire had not occurred to him. It was only a matter of time, in his mind, so for now he would gather what information he could, and find ways to keep himself entertained. Perhaps he’d even make some friends that could benefit their future endeavors. For now, though, his main focus was to sit back and watch the multitude of fights that has broken out along the desert prides border, attention shifting back and forth among them, taking note of the moves each player made.

That man, he's a monster

In an interesting twist, it seemed he was both late and not late, simultaneously. Drama had already begun, but the actual challenge itself seemed barely fought. As always, when leaving Firnen, the scent of his cubs had been washed from his fur, which left him trailing slightly behind his queen. And when he arrived, it was such an interesting sight. A standoff. @Levana and @Amara facing down @Dragos, with @Rainhart nearby.

Ryker was unaware of the specific context, but something seemed to be brewing between Amara and Dragos specifically, and he caught his queen's words as he neared. Ah, but it was far too early to let on that he'd been learning alongside their children, and so he kept any amusement off his face. Instead, he would step up along Amara's free side, though would pause a pace shy of drawing even with her. It was her conflict, whatever it was, he only sought to offer a show of support at the moment.

His gaze, devoid of warmth, or anger, or really any emotion at all, did settle steadily on Dragos, though. "Have you run out of children to use as bargaining chips, then?" His tone, too, was flat, neutral. It was a little hard to actually judge the man for that kind of thing when it was a tactic Ryker might use himself, so it seemed best to keep any clues as to how he might have felt about it out of his voice.

Made a deal with the demons He's a cold-hearted heathen

code by corvus || sirius-sdz

don't say it's love!
your fragile heart feeds my contempt

@Isla ♔ speaks and Alexander sighs, knowing all too well what she spoke of. "Yes...very delicate." Ears sweep back, daring to gently and ever so subtly press his shoulder against her own. Blue eyes sweep to @Léonie as she falls in battle, @Amara the victor.

The boistrous woman calls out loudly, hearing the explaination behind her attacks. Despite understanding, he could never condone attacking a child to get back at another. To often had he been forced to do unspeakable things for the name of his family, never again would he do that - nor would he allow others to.

The Oasis Heiress finds her way to his son, @Dragos - though there is a decidedly uneasy aura that follows her. Brows furrow, not understanding what the issue might be, but the beast turns his gaze from the two to find his brother had arrived. There is a smile on his lips, happy to see his kin coming to support their allies. Suddenly there is anger.

Irritation. There is a inferno building within Anthonius and as if in slow motion he watches his brother, someone he thought was loyal, dedicated - determined to protect there family...single-handedly shatter it all. The sound of violence once more erupts into the air, his heart pounding in his chest, his blood hot. Lips twitch and he feels every muscle in his body tighten.

A betrayal.

How could Anthoinus do this? Unable to look past his own vendetta, and selfish desires to see Apollinaire bleed. Everything and everyone they loved was now in danger. Before long, the consequences of his brother's actions swell to a furious head - Amara's head snaps towards him and she orders him to call it off - call it off or suffer her rage directly. Pupils dilate, his blood surges to life in his veins as fury builds.

She commanded him? Nose wrinkles, the normally calm and collected beast giving way to the appearance of a guttural, snarling creature. "ANTHIONUS, CEASE YOUR ATTACKS!" He bellows, his voice a monstrous roar that echoed over the land.

Nostrils flare, but before he can do or say anything more, Dragos steps in front of him, abruptly cutting him off. That fury inside of him falters briefly, brows furrowing - confusion clouding his throat. SO much was happening, so many things for him to process. Dragos was...protecting him. His son...desite everything, in this moment when it mattered most, he showed unfaltering loyalty to their cause and their family.

He could not be more proud.

Suddenly he hears, No! And the small, delicate form of a striped body rushes forward. For one so small she does not falter in her conviction, showing a unique bravery that not many had. Don't hurt him!

Dragos, his son...

Blue eyes look over the small tigress, only to notice the swell of her stomach. There is a lump in his throat as his massive form slides in beside Dragos, his voice a low whisper for his ears only, "Take her, go..." They could go to the Hollows, go somewhere safe. It did not matter, they needed to leave here. He could only hope no one else noticed...

And finally, the sound of another's voice creeps in - a memory he was trying so hard to forget. Another betrayal, another foolish enemy hiding behind others as she ran her mouth. Head turns abruptly, the rest of the world falling away into a blur as the once invisible form of Levana comes to life before him. A ghost, a banished spirit damned to the underworld, to H E L L.

Her words are crystal clear. Suddenly he steps forward to close the distance between he and Levana. His beating heart a audible sound as he snarls, deep in the pit of his chest. It rumbles through him like a raging volcano, "Értéktelen." Worthless. Shameful. Levana was a disgrace of the worst kind. A woman who had turned against her family for the sake of a man she barely knew.

No matter what pitiful story she told others, it was the truth he and his kin knew - and the truth they would continue to tell. There is only a split second between the time the word leaves his lips and the world turned black, then red. The beast snaps, the fury that had been building, reaching a pinnacle until he fell over the edge.

Teeth attempt to snap brutally right for her face, for her eyes, as every inch of his weight attempts to slam into the traitor full force. Alexander is gone in this moment, replaced by the beast that had fought in that war, that had turned it all off to do monstrous acts. Muscles grow taunt, his back limbs doing their best to balance out his weight with his shove.

He does not see or hear Ryker arrive - he is too far gone. Punishment thy enemy, make them kneel. The words chanted in a hoarse, raspy hiss in the back of his mind. Over and over. No one could save her now.

Alexander vs. @Levana
For Minor Maim
1 2 3 4

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 5 + 3 + 8 + 7 + 19 + 13 + 6 + 16

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 5 + 1 + 17 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 14 + 11 + 9 + 12

postscript by aurora & lyrics by kamelot

A glance was given as she saw Rainhart, she would have to thank him later for accompanying her, it was nice to know her pride would go with her to give their assistance, her claws dug into the ground as she stared down her cousin, waiting for something. She hears someone arrive and step up on Amara's other side and she glances to her left, her mate standing there gives her a swell of pride causing her to send him a gentle smile, her tail flicking briefly to touch him behind the Bluffs queen, a gentle way of giving her thanks for him to being beside her.

Her gaze is stole back towards the Savante man only when an exclamation is heard, green eyes focus on the small tigress who smells of the Bluffs but stands between her queen and the enemy.

Don't hurt him!

The Firnen Queen feels her fur raise along her neck and down her spine. She snaps her attention to @Alexander ♔, her lip pulling back at his words, ""I'm quite aware that the Savante are worthless, but thanks for the reminder though, uncle.""

She would not regret the life she made with her husband, she would not regret the children she had gotten from their union, or the crown Ryker had given her, no, she did not regret this one bit, because she had a family now that wouldn't just throw her away. And anger boiled over as she thought of her children, how she could never disown them, she would never not love her children, these monsters were not a family, they were a cult.

Disgusting

Alexander lunges towards her, teeth snapping near her face, the Firnen queen inhales sharply and attempts to pivot backwards, her body lowering and turning to the side so she could circle slightly around him, trying to get back from Amara and Ryker, her eyes glare up at her uncle, Levana attempts to lash out, claws unsheated, aiming to tear down his face.

Face the ghost you created, you bastard.

(OOC: if anything is confusing please reach out!! Theodora’s’ turn!)


Everything was red. His vision, the lioness he sank his teeth into, the blood that welled in his wake. So entranced was he that he barely noticed the other lioness approaching as she barreled into his left side. The air sucks out his lungs, gasping for relief as his jaws are pried clean off from the maroon lioness’s hind end. Trying to keep his balance from the impact on his still spread limbs. Side already sore from the collision, bruising beginning to bloom from the impact. Emerald eyes widening in surprise, but also something carnal. Something akin to adrenaline fueled excitement. Bringing his right paw back to the ground, the earthen beast leans heavily into his left side out and up, in an attempt to shove the red lioness backwards. Her claws hooking into the meat of his shoulders, missing his neck only because his own head turns towards her, Opened maw attempting to graze and puncture any part of the Red lioness’s limbs, shoulder, or face he could reach. Not seeking to latch onto her, just to cause injury in any manner that he could. This did put him an awkward position after all with her attached to his shoulder.

Hungry, desperate, reaching canines trying to get a taste of her. He should have expected that they wouldn’t have let the lioness fight two against one. For the moment he would turn his attention to the red lioness, knowing Elaine could handle the maroon lioness on her own just as well. This was shaping up to be more interesting, maybe a little messy, than he thought. But if they wanted to dance with the Dieudonné, he was more than happy to sink his teeth into a few of them.


@Jean-Claude & @Elaine vs. @Kireena ♞ & @Teodora
For Dominance
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 11 + 14 + 19 + 16 + 5 + 15

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 20 + 8 + 16 + 19 + 11 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 1 + 14 + 5 + 19

I’m a waking hell and the gods grow tired

But I’ll take a pound of your flesh before you take a piece

code by corvus

don't say it's love!
your fragile heart feeds my contempt

His teeth land on her face and the beast revels in it, blood touching his tongue and rushing to invigorate him. A rumbling roar vibrates in his chest as she moves, attempting to move his own body with hers - pushing and pushing, attempting to shove his weight even more so on her. This time, however, a paw reaches up to try and swipe at the offending paw that comes at him, but not before her claws slice at his cheek - his form towering. Blood trickles from the lacerations, staining the Oasis floor below, but it's not enough to stop him.

It only serves to encourage him. Nothing she said mattered, nothing she thought - nothing.

She was nothing. And would always be nothing.

Alexander's fury was too much, it was all consuming. Like a bleak darkness that choked and suffocated, a dark cloud looming over an otherwise brilliant man. There is nothing in this eyes but the desire for carnage.

The paw that had been attempting to dissuade her attack suddenly attempts to swing toward her right, his backend moving with the motion to put as much weight and power behind the attack as possible, talons extended to try for maximum damage on her face.

I want to make you unrecognizable.

Alexander vs. @Levana
For Minor Maim
1 2 3 4

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 4 + 14 + 1 + 17 + 20 + 9 + 6 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 19 + 15 + 1 + 17

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 2 + 7 + 16 + 5

postscript by aurora & lyrics by kamelot

The roars of his soldiers are what sweep the General in from the desert sands. He crosses the border unafraid of any consequence. The smell is a familiar one and soon he sees the one who introduced him to it. @Léonie sits leaned against the name sake of a love long past. He is quick to notice the blood on her pelt.

His one bright eye rolls to assess the damages being brought upon by his granddaughter @Teodora and by her nephew @Anthonius. Tattered remains of what should have been ears flick to the sounds of @Alexander ♔'s roar for his brother. Anthious was not to fight? Interesting.. And even more peculiar, the Patriarch lunges at his own kin.

Za'ire slithers to join the likes of @Dragos, @Leila and @Isla ♔. He notes the way that each of them smell. The small tigress smelling of the star speckled lioness who stood across. @Levana smelling of the dark man beside. He did not fully understand what was going on. But he didn't need to. He trusted whatever judgements Alexander had to make. The tiger was not a Savante. He did not follow their traditions and culture. He merely trained and led their bodies into battle.

code by corvus