this challenge is semi-private!
Important: With Corvus' approval, this challenge is marked as semi-private for any FR member, as well as any immediate ally of Ludivine's. Please respect this when posting, thank you.

It wasn't personal — it was just business.

That's her mantra as she stalks through the rainforest, one of the few places in Amaryllis that doesn't immediately turn her stomach with bad memories. The soil felt soft and cool beneath her feet, much different from the shifting sands of the cove where she'd once made her home. Immediately the cannibal queen knew this would be the place they would birth their new reign of blood.

Far from that which she wanted to leave far behind.

A soft chuff of warning leaves her throat as she trots further and further inland, only loud enough to alert the pride of her presence — of her intentions. She knows not who currently ruled the pride, but it wouldn't be long. The day's sun cast heavy shadows in the undergrowth, forcing her to keep moving until a suitable clearing could be found for their battle. Only then does she finally draw to a pause, pacing back and forth like an anxious predator, nose flung high to catch scents as they drifted her way.

She was ready. Only one question remained: were they?

Ludivine vs @Ryker
Firnen Rainforest — 0 of V

Hits
[roll=#d20]
Dodges
[roll=#d20]
Luck
[roll=#d20]

+10 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds (2XP)
+10 Observe a fight (2XP)

Rainhart knew well this song and dance. It was not too long prior that the Rainforest had been under similar contest. Though Rainhart had been badly injured then and unable to attend, this case is different and so he has no hesitation in shifting toward the autumn-weathered borders where the call had come from.

There in a clearing the intruders stands and Rainhart’s scarred face twists in distaste - what was it with the power hungry women in these lands? It bemused, irritated him. It felt out of line to his values. With a curl of his lip the Noble scans the treeline for threats he could actually deal with. Tresspassing would not be tolerated on Firnen land.

code © hinter

[OOC: <3 Sorry for her - but she's not the type to let sneaksy stuff go. I am fully prepared for the IC ramifications 8D] The call came and at first Kireena didn't know if she'd heard it right. The Heiress paused in her work with her garden and turned her head towards the sounds before she drew her fangs back into a heavy snarl. The red giant would feel the shift that came with knowing battle was in fact coming.. a rise to awareness that had her fur spiking and her muscles trembling. Druid she may be, but she wasn't one to shy from battle. She knew she had done this very thing mere months ago, and the irony amused the red woman as she stalked through the boughs of the Rainforest. Bi colored eyes landed on the challenger as she slunk from the forest, sizing the lioness up. With a rumble towards @Rainhart in warning that he should prepare, the red giant leveled her gaze on @Ludivine. Kireena said nothing, but a smile slipped across her lips before she parted her jaws and roared. It was obvious by the quiet chuffs that this challenger wanted to approach with the cover of secrecy on her side.. and though Kireena was learning that honor held no place here in Amaryllis - she had children within Firnen - as well as others that would need warned. Warned to be ready.. and her roar also was a command. To arms - for those of Firnen with skills and knowledge to prepare. Claws, fangs, or Herbs. Among other things. She stood, staring down the challenger in defiance after her roar faded - the echo sending the colorful birds to the skies above. If Ludivine wanted to keep her actions hidden .. Kireena would ensure they were anything but.

code by koi

Chuffs of warning.

Haider wanted to laugh at the idea someone might think to warn him from danger, when the boy had every sense in him to run towards it. He wasn't sure who exactly had warned them, especially when it came to their own home. Someone brave, at least? It made Haider eager to find out.

A groan split his lips when he heard the roar of @Kireena , a lioness Haider didn't like. Especially when her roar held a command in it, and he only listened to his parents. Sometimes. Scowling, he stalks forward to the scene and gives a rather nasty look to the Heiress. "Why don't you just fight then? One step closer to the crown right?" He remarks with a scoff to her, still thinking it was her goal. From Prisoner to High Sovereign... all in the same land, what a feat that would be. He was still angry his father even let her taste freedom.

Looking to the outsider then, @Ludivine , he notes her brown pelt and medium features. He offers her a mischievous smile then, before addressing her. "My dad is going to hurt you... a lot." He shrugs then, plopping down to his butt bored. Where were his siblings at? It was time to rouse some trouble.

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

Would it ever end? Etain had been off in her own little world, hidden away quite content with herself as she trotted along the borders. The chuffs weren't as loud as the calls she'd grown accustomed to. But they meant exactly the same anyway. Months ago she'd have hidden herself away, feeling smaller than she was. But no longer. No. She'd had enough.

Large paws drummed heavily on the ground as the near colossal sized female ran through the foliage. Her usual game of duck, weave and leap forgotten. Small twigs and leaves tangled in pale bronze fur as she closed in on the scene rapidly. By the time @Kireena roared to call for the pride, she could already see them. Her mother, the darker noble (@Rainhart) that she hadn't familiarized with too much just yet, @Haider and a stranger. Moving towards them in a brief game of parkour, more out of necessity than for fun, she came leaping out of the undergrowth with a vicious growl of her own, landing directly behind @Ludivine.

She didn't know her, but she didn't care. All she saw was the color and similar pattern of a coat that reminded her of the ones she still sought to fully banish from her memory.

Pale bronze fur rose on her neck and down her spine, floppy ears laced back and her maw twisted in yet another snarl. With a hint of amusement she noticed that despite clearly being a bit older than her, the brown female was quite a bit smaller and she straightened her posture a little more. "This won't be your home," she snarled, her tail lashing behind her. This wasn't her fight, but she was ready should anyone who didn't belong there dare to step even a single paw over the border.

code by corvus

The firnen lioness perks her ears as she hears the call, her fur rises and she stands, she moves through he foliage and comes up beside @Rainhart, fur brushing his as she snarls at the lioness before her, and the her scent hits her and she claws into the ground. She shifts to come up alongside her son and gently nips his head, he was still in trouble with her but she would not allow the enemy to see that she were angry at family.

She licks her lips, fangs flashing as she angles her body toward the intruder, a low growl escaping her throat as her tail lashes, her husband had proven time and time again he could protect them, she could only hope this time would be no different.

Her eyes find Kireenas and she gives a nod of appreciation, she'd earned Levanas respect and it showed with the trust the piebald girl gave her.

[[he's washed off his scent, and dipped his claws in poison. since he doesn't yet have the assassin perk, the poison is just for flavor and can be effective or not icly

also confirming that yes, i've agreed to this to be semi-private for ludi's allies and fr's allies]]

It never really ended, did it.

Actually, it wasn't until @Kireena called that he even realized there was someone fucking around waiting to find out.

Ryker had been on the far opposite end of the territory, so any quiet calls had gone unnoticed - and she was probably lucky his heiress had thought to summon and warn them all or she'd have been faced with a much different sort of challenge if he'd found her on his own.

With the distance, and advanced warning, he had time to prepare. A detour through a river to wash away his scent, and then to his stash to dip his claws in his favored poison (manichineel tree sap). It had been somewhat effective in the past, and he was still experimenting with amounts - the last lioness to come calling for his crown had found out just how effective it could be. Funnily enough, she was the same who'd alerted him this time.

He took the long way around, silently skirting the clearing their intruder had found, his darker coat helping him to blend with the deeper shadows under the rainforest canopy and his knowledge of the land helping him to move without a sound. From a distance, he noted those already present - and the frustrating fact that @Etain had taken up position directly behind their intruder. He might have found it in him to be glad anyone had blocked off the stranger's retreat if it wasn't the very place he'd intended on coming from. Well. She'd learn.

And if they shifted position, he would shift his accordingly, so as to remain behind the stranger.

For a moment, he just observed. She was a complete stranger, which meant there probably weren't any personal vendettas coming to kick down his door. Which also meant he was free to royally fuck her up without possibly bringing war on them all. Cool.

Ryker crept, crouched, slunk, as close as he dared without leaving the concealing shade of the underbrush. He'd really hoped for more time to adjust to his fresh new blind spot, but, well, what better way to learn than to jump in head first?

Without warning, without announcement or posturing or question, he was a dark blur erupting from the brush. He aimed to rush the woman from behind and slightly angled from her right (to keep her on his own right and, thus, in sight), elongated fangs seeking to clamp down hard and puncture deep into the meat of her right rear limb, his left forepaw flashing out in an attempt to reach forward and hook poisoned claws into her left ankle and yank it toward himself in an effort to unbalance her. Ryker wanted to use his weight and momentum to try and knock her rear end to the ground, to plant her left hip on the jungle floor, and hope the rest might follow.

Ryker vs. @Ludivine
Firnen Rainforest
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 7 + 6 + 5 + 9 + 15 + 3 + 20 + 8 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 13 + 14 + 20 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 15 + 9 + 11 + 19

code: daanyen || art: lars || bg: sirius-sdz

Even when she was announcing danger, the sound of Kireena’s voice irritated the princess. Her parents had made it clear that they had her back above their children’s, so she would do her best to play nice, if only to ensure her own place in the family wasn’t disrupted. But oh, would she enjoy stoking the flames of Haidier’s hatred behind the scenes, encouraging him to act out the malicious fantasies that played through her own mind. Though she did not like answering the Heiresses summons, a threat to their home couldn’t be ignored, and there was no way she was going to miss the chance to watch another challenge. She stalked forward, keeping low to the group so that she could watch the fight while tucked away in the underbrush. She paid close attention to the fight between her father and the challenger, but made sure to take note of everything else going on around as well. If anyone questioned her on where she was later, she wanted to make sure she could prove her diligence despite not making an obvious appearance. Iskra is hiding! +20 Successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread +10 Observe a fight

template by Mouser x

Slowly they gather, like buzzards to a kill. She watches them as they emerge from the shadows, all manners of posturing to try and— frighten her? Persuade her to leave them alone? She answers their cries with a snarl, wicked and full of fangs, but does not audibly give them her time or patience.

But she commits every last one to memory.

She continues to stalk in a circle, her body naturally slipping into its defenses as the heat of battle draws closer. A thud of her heart, adrenaline fueling her as she drowns out the crowing of the Firnen Rainforest residents— Snap. There it is. The snap of branches and leaves come from behind. That's the one thing about a rainforest, it's never quiet. She turns, albeit a little later than she might have hoped, and sees him flying from the shadows like a bat out of hell.

A turn fueled by adrenaline has him coming at a forward angle to her right shoulder instead of her right hip. The hit of his weight is mostly absorbed by planted limbs, talons wrecking havoc in the soil underfoot as she's pushed back along with the force. A snarl of fury as fangs sink, instead, into the flesh of her side. The momentum of the push back causes the fangs to rend flesh but not clamp — his talons follow suit, raking across the front of her back right foot and causing it to burn.

My turn.

She attempts to continue turning to bring them more head on as she launches her own attack, jaws gaping wide in an attempt to secure a position around the meat of Ryker's right shoulder. Her own left paw flashes upwards as well, weight distributes more to her hind end now, and reaching claws seek to try and score themselves down the brute's right side.

Ludivine vs @Ryker
Firnen Rainforest — I of V

Hits

Rolling 6d20: 6 + 4 + 13 + 8 + 20 + 5

Dodges

Rolling 7d20: 16 + 7 + 6 + 12 + 15 + 19 + 11

Luck

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 10 + 12 + 8 + 2

double exp
+10 - Observe a fight
+10 - Maintain your weapons (care for teeth)
+10 - Learn a new fighting move?

Hadn't they just done this? Lucifer sighed as the call (the loud one) rang out over the territory, rolling his eyes. Much like his siblings, he was reluctant to answer anyone but their parents, but if there was some idiot trying to steal the territory again, he should probably go see what happened.

When he arrived, it was with a rib from an old meal clasped in his teeth, and the beginnings of a sneer on his face. His mother and brother were already there, and attention snapped toward the sudden movement that announced their father's arrival. The sneer finished forming as he settled next to @Haider, clasping the scavenged rib between his forepaws so he could speak, "Think we'll keep this one?" a brow arched at the much darker boy - it was difficult to miss how Haider felt about the last challenger-turned-prisoner. Lucifer wasn't sure how he felt about it himself, only that it probably wasn't how he'd have handled things. "Or will we get to run her out?" Keep a bit of fur (or skin) as a souvenir? Pin her hide to a tree at the border as a warning? Ahhhh mount the skull on a spike? That'd be cool.

Head dipped down to gnaw at the bone as he watched the adults clash, fully expecting his father to win once again. That last time up in the bluffs had totally been a fluke, right?