If Arkyn was one thing, it was being persistent. He never took losses personally, always seeing them as a lesson and stepping stone in helping to better himself and sharpen his skills. He took those losses and mulled them over in his mind, replaying the battles and remembering things he should and shouldn't do the next time around. He knew in the end that fate would ultimately win, but would it be in his favor today would be the biggest question.

He moves closer to the ocean pride's borders, nose sniffing the air and catching not a feminine scent overpowering the rest but a masculine one, causing for a brow to raise. Did another take over Caladan in between his loss and now? Or did the woman he had fought have a significant other that took her place? As curious as he was, the Viking would quiet his mind and calm his nerves; it didn't matter which one he fought in the end, as long as he was the hopeful victor today. Yellow eyes peer into pride territory before he pushes past the invisible boundary, releasing several deep chested and loud roars to call out to whoever it was he had to fight today.

And if he lost here today, he would continue to come back until his birthland was under his control.



arkyn vs @Kvare
for caladan cove
round o/v

BITE BACK IN ANGER

ART BY 86, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

there was always this stickiness that clung to the air of shore prides. mixed in with the salt made it worse; her nose twitched and itched constantly but she couldn't sneeze. faustine felt annoyed, but she trudged onwards until her paws touched the sands below. she noticed the male lion and the incoming lions, but none of whom she was familiar with. faustine took to the rocks that laid strewn across the pride and began to slide her claws down them, eager with anticipation for a good long fight. it would not be a bad idea if others broke out due to the challenger's presence; perhaps a war would suffice too.

ooc; open for battles!

code: cala | art: drifty

olympia had her bag overstuffed with premade salves bundled into evergreen leaves and cushioned between palm leaves. she was warned about the potential feud that could happen in the midst of a pride challenge and was she glad she wouldn't be swept up in it. to play it safe, olympia sat farther behind the border, in a position where she could still see the challenge. to her surprise, not a lot of lions had come. all she saw was a green swamp teen who looked like she was ready to eat both challengers and some other nameless, forgettable lions. being among a crowd wasn't her favorite, but olympia would rather use her skills for good than keep them to herself. o' spirits of the land, please guide these lions to the end; allow their claws to be sharp and their minds clear. it was certainly more tactful and official sounding, but the truth was that she made the blessing up as she went.

_{BG — ART — CODE}

i

have known anger before war or walking / i have known fear before i have known love

---

His children were hardly weaned by the time @Arkyn returned for the pride. Kvare wasn't sure what to think of it; Sunder had given him enough of an ass-whooping that he'd half-expected the boy to crawl off to attempt after another pride. But, like most men, there was some level of persistence. Kvare had kept his promise and had produced heirs who'd just as much claim to the throne as this man, and he would fight fiercely to defend it. He was thankful, perhaps, that it were not Sunder who had to face him this time. Ragged and raw from all the hunting and sparring he'd done in the last few weeks, the Caladan King felt as achingly ready as he didn't. But he'd little choice in the whole affair. There would always come a day when he would have to fight for what was his.

He gave not the chance to speak, to sit around and bicker with their words. Arkyn were here for a fight, and Kvare would eagerly oblige. Thus, his approach was wordless; the challenger's intentions were clear, and there was no need to waver from his path. He aimed to approach the man head-on, emerging from the bushes at the last moment but not attempting to directly hide or ambush him. If he were able to clench the distance between he and his opponent, he would lift his right paw, and attempt to swipe it toward Arkyn's head; his claws were fully extended, aiming to start his swipe just beneath Arkyn's left ear.

Kvare vs Arkyn
for Caladan Cove
i of v

Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 11 + 8 + 15 + 4 + 19 + 1 + 6

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 13 + 18 + 2 + 17 + 16 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 14 + 7 + 5 + 3

Art by Rabbit, table by cala

She had known that this day would come. Arkyn had mentioned that he would be back when she defeated him the first time, and always his voice had been nagging in the back of her mind. Had kept her on edge until he would fulfill that promise. It would have been naive of her to expect that he would stay away, and this time he would not be met by her own claws but by her husband's. Sunder makes her way towards the borders again, her eyes immediately landing on the hulking frame of the not-stranger. He looked the same as the last time, with the few addition of light scars that she'd given him. Her's had faded as well but they were still there, the most prominent being on her right cheek. Sunder would move to sit only a few paces back from @Kvare and Arkyn, her eyes glued to her husband. The cubs were tucked in safe in the den, but she wouldn't leave them for long. She had faith Kvare would protect them, but if some godforsaken reason they lost today she'd scoop them all up and leave for the Summit, immediately. There was no room for emotions, not yet at least. Sunder would raise her muzzle, sending out a few chuffs to the others in the pride; @Skjol, @Lagertha, @Typhoon and @Sabran. Her swords, she knew they would come and would wait eagerly. Keeping a steady eye on the borders she flickers between the fight and the pridelands, surveying it all stoically for the time being.

art by hush

He no longer knew the politics of the land. Although he doubted much had changed in the past few months, he was never one to turn down the opportunity to learn a thing or two about the current political landscape. For what felt like the first time in a very, very long time, Nero attended a challenge without worry that he would be attacked -- or worse yet, that any of his kin would be. The rogue albino rested just outside the borders and listened to the commotion, intrigued but unwilling to trespass.

Unless he started seeing a bunch of others do it, in which case he would absolutely fucking trespass. Yessir.

_{BG — ART — CODE}

I put my armor on, show you how strong I am

She'd been waiting, oh yes she had. Ever since that day the last challenger had been defeated. He'd said he would return and so he did. The warrior queen stretched, moving from her casual walk along the border into a trot, then to a run. Was she eager to see him fall again? Perhaps. Though more than anything, she was itching for a fight herself.

By the time she was being called, she was already almost upon them. Closing in, she slowed again to a trot, fur raising on the back of her neck, down her back. With a vicious snarl she stalked the border, fangs bard at anyone who dared to step too close. Cold emerald gaze landed on @Faustine first. She remembered the girl, but this was not the passage and so the girl was met with a greeting of bared fangs. A warning to stay away. As her gaze wandered she took note of @Olympia and @Nero beyond the borders and for the time being she seemed satisfied that they appeared to respect the borders. But eyes narrowed in a cold glare. They were safe, for now. But it wasn't hard to guess that the pale, scarred lioness wouldn't hold anything back should they decide to cross.

Eventually she came to a halt next to @Sunder and brushed her nose against her cheek in a small gesture of affection. While her friend was sitting, she stood at her side. Her guardian, her shieldmaiden to command.

Lagertha is open for fights

---

Barbarian
+10 Observe a fight (Kvare vs Arkyn) - Sept Double exp

code by flea, art by irish

Elliya Lolthu

zin'olhyrran, zuch

How anyone could enjoy the sand, she'd never understand. She'd been sitting on a stone, sulking and thinking about how one would get sand out of fur. So itchy on her skin, especially with the salt lingering on the breeze. But then her ears perked up, still such an odd feeling. A call. A challenge?

Intrigued, the dark lioness slipped off her perch and towards the water, letting it soak into her fur as she moved along the shore before finding the forest border where she rolled in the dirt and leaves until she was satisfied with how the dirt covered her. Disgusting. But it had to be done. The scent along the border was easily found. It smelled very strongly of a male and other lions, really hard to miss. A smirk tugged on her lips as she brushed against the scent posts until she was more than content with how the scent was clinging to her. Surely no one would be able to tell that she didn't truly belong.

Only once she was satisfied did she moved towards the commotion. Not many lions seemed to be present for the time being, but that suited her just fine. Perhaps their attention would remain on the fight and she'd go largely unnoticed. Dancing along the border in graceful steps, she let her dark eyes wander, studying the lions that were present. Though eventually she settled on a stone that seemed to be partially inside the border, but with most of it on the neutral side. With a small huff she sat down, her tail flicking behind her as she let her gaze linger on the two fighters.

Sindriia is open for interactions and dom matches

---

Assassin
+10 Practice covering your scent (Dirt/Mud) - Sept Double Exp
+10 Practice fabricating another’s scent (Caladan Cove/Kvare) - Sept Double Exp

code by corvus

As he waits his body slips into its defenses. His muscles tense and his neck lowers slightly to align with his spine, shoulders rolling up and forward and claws unsheathing themselves and sinking into the packed sand below. He stayed alert, eyes shifting while a couple lions appeared. Ears twist forward before falling back upon his skull as he caught sight of his opponent, watching as he came from behind bushes and charge the Viking head on. He would brace himself, fully awaiting the impact, eyes narrowing on his target.

As Kvare raises his right forepaw Arkyn attempts to take a step toward him, wanting to try to close any sort of distance between them. His left shoulder leads with this movement, attempting to shove it squarely into the man's chest right as he feels claws dig into the skin below his left ear, dragging down the side of his face. The sting of open wounds brings a snarled hiss from the beast, blood beginning to drip down and to the sandy ground. His jaws attempt to snap in the direction of Kvare's right limb then, attempting to gain a grasp of the lion by the the wrist, to bite down with as much force as he could place behind it.


arkyn vs @Kvare
for caladan cove
round i/v
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 2 + 4 + 20 + 17 + 11 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 5 + 16 + 6 + 1

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 14 + 7 + 12 + 9

BITE BACK IN ANGER

ART BY 86, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

The girl was steadily exploring around the fields when she had heard the call for a challenge. Thankfully, it wasn't the pride that she and her her twin had just joined and that was enough relief for her. So she began to mosey her way towards the Cove -- taking note of the sunshine that was beaming down but thankfully, they were entering into winter so it was as though the sun wasn't shining at all. It was just bright as hell but in the very least, she could rest assured knowing that she wasn't going towards the coast just to find rain and storms.

Moving closer to the Cove, of course, she knew better than to traipse in. There weren't enough lions present currently to go unnoticed in the majority. It was better that she stay outside the borders, but she could at the very least get an idea right? So Daneri began to trail the borders of the Cove and moved as it did, taking in the scent of the leaders that lived within including the one that she could scarcely see down near the main stage. Just beyond them an open sea that beckoned her like a sea siren's call. It's waves looked magical as they crashed along some rocks surrounded by the water and slowly lapped at the shores.

Daneri shook her head; focus. Clearing her throat quietly she continued her wanderings of the borders. Learning her limits and getting more acquainted with the leaders without actually having to be social and mingle.

+20 - Find a notable landmark in a territory
+10 - Study the weather or an astronomical phenomena
+10 - Explore the borders of a pride or group

^{ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY CALA}