He was an idiot. An absolute fool of a man. Only one as deluded as him would walk back to the place that felt threatened and boldy attempt to infiltrate it. He covers his smell in that of the rainforest again: mud, flora, mist. He missed it, even before this other pair had claimed it for their own. Firnen was his gateway to a better life, and now it had a friend potentially locked within...or so he thinks. There was still a high chance for him to find her corpse, and in that situation he had no idea how he would truly react. Maybe he could ask for her remains and claim it was to honor her traditions. Could Kovirah really strip away the flesh and carry it with him? That was something the Third House did, as trophies. But this wasn't a trophy, this was how she honored the dead. And so, he thinks, maybe he could at the very least retrieve her body if the worst had come to pass.

He waited outside their borders in aniadar, then closer he crept looking for any sign or sight. But there was none. Just the lingering smells of the battle days prior. Kovriah paces a hidden distance from the clearly marked border of the pride, trying to reign in the torrent of things he couldn't quite understand. All his life he'd been told to shove himself down, choke it down murder it if he had to. He was a weapon, weapons were incapable of weeping. Of feeling. Of forming an opinion. Of free will.

The man stops then and forces himself to close his eyes. Take a deep, long, rejuvenating breath. This was no different than most of his old profession. This was no different than all those dumb, stupid celebrations he'd hid in plain sight, waiting to strike. Find what he can use, and he will flourish.

He had to know, either way, and that required walking into the viper nest. Calming himself, he approaches casually. He is relaxed, appearing to be nothing more than a curious rogue, trodding along paths he used to take. Carefully he crosses the border but has yet to wander too far in. Best not test those boundaries yet. Even here, however, he can still scent her strongly. A little spark of hope dwells in him then. Maybe this wasn't all a waste of time--but it was still a horrible idea.


(Kind reminder he has been present but hidden during the challenge :) )
@Ryker ♔ @Levana

code by daanyan, Art by Rabbit

Patrols had been increased, at least as far as he went. They'd recently been invaded by someone intending to seize control, and though he'd won, he knew it had been a narrow victory. Now came the phase of upped security and paranoia, made a bit more difficult by the presence of a prisoner to keep confined.

So he was quick to notice someone near the territory while he traced his own borders, though nothing was done until the man stepped inside. That was unacceptable even in the best of times - trespassers were not tolerated except, perhaps, in the instance of a very close ally getting a little too excited. So it was with a low warning growl that Ryker would emerge from a few yards to the stranger's left, ears pinned back. "Out." A sharp order that left no room for argument. He could move back over the clearly-marked border into neutral territory, or he could sacrifice a pound (or more) of flesh for his boldness.

@Kovirah

No shackles on the demon in me

I'd rather be dead than average

code by corvus

"Out*

Comes the resounding call, and almost immediately Kovirah is met with the from of the victor. It would seem his attitude had not improved despite that fact, something to which the assassin had hoped would quell the heat from said challenge. Mentally, he is sure this was still one of the worst fucking ideas ever.

He keeps a steady gaze though, stoic and unmoving. Stance relaxed, he was not there looking for a fight. He calmly nods, turning slightly to the side to at the very least, accommodate his commands. Kovirah steps back over the line of @Ryker ♔'s territory, and promptly sits with his tail coiled. A paw presses against his chest as he speaks, voice sincere--"Apologies for crossing, sometimes it's easy to forget you can't just wander everywhere freely" he offers. Already he regretted all of this. He thinks for a moment, keeping his calm yet inwardly panicking This was not how he had hoped it would go, but then again, maybe he should have thought it through just a tad bit more. "If I have offended you, I would see to it that it's made right."

code by daanyan, Art by Rabbit

It was only mild disappointment with which he watched the intruder choose the smarter option and retreat. He'd almost hoped for another body to relieve some of that tension knotting his muscles. But Ryker was in no mood for games, really; there were bruises that ached, and scabbed wounds that pulled uncomfortably if he moved wrong. Some of which he was sure would probably remain as additions to his growing collection of scars.

The stranger sat outside the border, but Ryker remained standing, though his stance relaxed some. As the man spoke, his expression smoothed into something coldly neutral. "No. You can't." His borders were meant to be obeyed and he wasn't about to suffer another insult on the heels of the last. "My members are encouraged to attack, or kill, trespassers on sight." So where might he have come from where one could wander freely, disregarding territory markers?

"Why are you here?" If he was a rogue in search of a home, he'd already made a poor first impression. Probably didn't help the man's case that Ryker was not the easily trusting sort, quicker to jump to nefarious conclusions than to believe the best of others - so the idea that this stranger, so bold as to pass over the border so soon after another had done the same, might be somehow connected to his prisoner did cross his mind, double back, and settle down there. It was likely any rogue who approached Firnen for a few weeks or so would be met with the same suspicion.

@Kovirah

No shackles on the demon in me

I'd rather be dead than average

code by corvus

He felt his heart settle when @Ryker ♔ relaxed slightly. The tension seems to ease enough to more palatable levels. Kovirah kept the information about attacking on sight in the back of his mind then, but curiously wondered about Firnen's numbers. If he had demanded his own attack trespassers, why had there not been more at the border? He wanted to ask, to poke and prod, but ultimately he knows should he be accepted he will find out soon enough.

Focus, Kovirah, he inwardly tells himself. "I wish to join." was his answer. "Firnen was my first home here, I hold it in high regard." he states matter of fact, not quite an outright lie. He did have respect for the rainforest, history with it even. "I held the rank of lead fighter once, though I am content with simply living within its borders again, if you will allow it." And what if he didn't? What if this was simply a waste of time? Better yet, what if he was accepted and he finds Kireena in there? How the fuck would he get her out?

code by daanyan, Art by Rabbit

It wasn't all that surprising, when the man continued. What other reason did rogues have for coming to the borders of a pride if not to spy? And, actually, he didn't rule out spying as a possibility. He still didn't know if the woman who'd challenged him had any allies in the land, or if she'd truly been operating alone.

And anyway, the man's reasonings were largely irrelevant at the moment.

Ryker listened as the stranger explained himself, letting his expression shift into an appropriately considerate 'I'm listening' face. He even nodded to himself and hummed like he was considering it, "I see, well, that does make sense, I guess." A beat, a blink, and the mask dropped away, his features shifting smoothly back to blank and unimpressed. "No." Was he being paranoid? Maybe, but more truthfully, the guy had pissed him off by crossing the border without invitation and Ryker wasn't in a terribly generous mood to begin with. Healing aches and a recent challenger would be enough to sour anyone's mood, right?

"Why would I trust a man who can't even respect borders. Makes a guy wonder what other lines you'll cross." What laws he might disregard - Ryker had a very loose regard for rules, himself, while living under others, actually. But for his own members? They were iron-clad. Maybe that made him a hypocrite, but he was hard pressed to care.

@Kovirah

No shackles on the demon in me

I'd rather be dead than average

code by corvus

Now he felt an anger boiling somewhere in him, to be denied simply for crossing a border--even when he was suspicious of the low numbers to begin with. He knows @Ryker ♔ is wounded, the fight was a hefty one and Kovirah had seen it all. He could take him now, in a one-on-one or at the very least, have a better chance at it. But The man is unprepared. His stores were washed away in the tragedy that drove him and the others from the rainforest ( him from amaryllis for a time) and had yet to fully recover his arsenal. One couldn't deny that Kovirah had a well trained thumb on his expressions. Perhaps the only thing that gave away his rising irritation would be the soft spark behind blue eyes.

He levels a stare at Ryker, then, unmoving. "Would it be wise for one to turn a willing body away?" he questions evenly "At a guess, the pride is small. If the laws dictate as you say, I would have suspected more than a singular body to meet me here" and then he adds "Especially considering it appears you have been in a fight, and recently." maybe flying too close to the sun, Kovirah betrays nothing. These were all things even someone who hadn't been at the challenge could deduce. It was true, after all, he had his suspicions about its size. "I am willing to prove loyalty, should it quell your paranoia." he straightens up slightly, though clearly still portraying more than relaxed. "I suppose it's only natural to be in the aftermath of anything."

A long, silent break. Kovirah takes a breath before standing being sure to do it slow enough as to not cause alarm. "Shame really, I quite enjoyed it here." Kovirah turns and takes a few steps back towards the direction in which he came, risking himself with his back turned to the paranoid, irritated king. Truth was, he felt a pang of anger and defeat. He stops, a good distance away from the black and white male, tilting his head to see him out of his peripheral. "The red woman, if she perished, peel the skin from her bones and carry it with you wherever you go to next. You owe her that much, at least." he lets it slip out freely, one last little chance to potentially hook the man in somehow. But he has neither name, reputation or livelihood here. He is nothing but a meager rogue, just as he wished for. Only now does he see what he once had was golden, and would kill to have it back now. Perhaps he would continue his search for the night rainbow, if only to fulfill his promise.

--potnetial exit! unless stopped.

code by daanyan, Art by Rabbit

[[gdi ryker lmao i was hoping to avoid a fight so close to my absence, but, well, he wouldn't just let kovirah go after that]]

Actually, he was a little annoyed with the lack of backup, but the pride was small and they couldn't exactly swarm the borders every time they heard a twig snap. Still, his expression pulled into a sneer, "Oh never assume you're not being watched. My members know I can handle myself." Hadn't he just proved that against a larger opponent? Again. How many was that now? Three? So this smaller male was less than intimidating. One shoulder lifted in a shrug, though, "It's my home, I can accept or refuse whoever I want, for whatever reason."

But he implied he'd lived within the rainforest before, and that wasn't unusual or unexpected. It wasn't as if Ryker had founded the place, after all. He was sure plenty of others had lived within before he'd found it abandoned. And he was really willing to let the man slip back into the wider jungle, until he spoke again.

Ears pinned back, "So. You were there." Hiding? Inside or out? It was about as much warning the man would get before Ryker moved, charging forward in an attempt to clamp jaws around the base of the man's tail, left front claws attempting to reach forward and hook around the front of the man's ankle and yank backward - both in an effort to affect balance and to make the joint more painful to move.

A few fresh and healing wounds had never stopped him before.

Ryker vs. @Kovirah
Dominance/Belated punishment
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 15 + 2 + 14 + 12 + 3 + 10 + 1 + 17

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 7 + 8 + 9

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 16 + 9 + 17 + 12 + 15

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

(Haha I’m sorry he was sassy xD I’m all for the smack down though, he needs it tbh)


Kovirah, you fucking idiot.

He should have kept his mouth shut, or at the very least, turned and bolted to a far safer distance. As it stood, his mind had been so unfocused after watching the challenge he didn’t really understand his own actions. Why in hell did he care so much anyway? Thoughts are cut short when he has but seconds to react, the sounds of Ryker’s pace was enough of an alert before the pain settled in. He moves, just a hair, and the other man’s jaws land just left of his tail. He feels the claws around his ankle a moment later, and knows he needs to react—and quickly.

He finds himself in a pivot, doing his best to yank his hind end to the right as his body twists—left arm, with paw and claws ready, attempting to swipe at the face of his opponent. There is a snarl building upon his once calm visage, a gutteral sound forming in the depths of his throat. He did better in the shadows, watching and waiting for the right moment. In a full on fight, Kovirah knew he stood a chance only against a wounded oponent. And even then, as the teeth and claw of the Rainforest sovreign sank into his flesh, he couldn’t help but hear the words of his mentor all those years ago:

emotions were the rope he said and love was a noose

All of this for a pretty face? Kovirah should’ve been ashamed of himself.



Kovirah vs. @Ryker ♔
Dominance / Punishment
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 4 + 12 + 1 + 8 + 17 + 11 + 9

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 14 + 6 + 15 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 3 + 19 + 12 + 13

code by daanyan, Art by Rabbit

She heard the sounds of a fight at the borders, and at first, the red woman would have ignored it. As a prisoner, she had no business going near the borders or getting involved.. but the wind shifted and with it carried a familiar scent. Kireena felt a tightknot form in her chest, breath catching her throat. Paws carried her limping towards the borders where she found herself stumbling on a scene she couldn't believe. @Kovirah was locked in a fight with @Ryker ♔ and she struggled closer with a gimping, uneven gait. "Kovirah....". Why? The lions name choked from her throat - a throat suddenly too tight with an emotion she sought to strangle down All she could do was stand within the trees of the rainforest and watch as the lion she had spent a wonderful evening discussing stars, and the rainbow lights with fought a battle she knew would only be bloody with the rainforest sovereign. What was he doing? Why was he fighting Ryker? What did he stand to gain? She let her eyes trail over the pair, heart in her throat as she hoped to the stars above that he would come out without severe injury.

code by koi