Opportunity did not arrive with heraldry. There were no trumpets to warn of its passing, nor dazzling displays to catch the eye. It was swift and soft, as was Freya. She kept her head ducked low as she glided across that sandbar, her ears swept back against her crown as if to keep out the downpouring rain from their folds.

She was grateful for its pelting embrace – for its cool breath in contrast to the harsh heat of daylight. Freya's nose shone red as evidence of her ceaseless journey across that vast desert, still stinging even as droplets made their feeble attempts at kissing those burns better. She could see a passage on the horizon. She would press on that much further, or she would perish – there remained no other option.

---

|| march y11 | three years | rogue lioness | at maua's passage | open ||

code by scorpixia♡︎

He was here again. Then again, had he ever truly left? He was in the limelight of politics since day one, and even if his so-called relatives wished to discard him and ditch him somewhere where nobody could see him - he persisted. One day he was banished, cast out from his rightful throne, and branded to wander aimlessly. The other he was a would-be usurper, then he dons the cloak of Noble... and on and on it went. But those were just masks. Just tools to get him the rightful title.

The true title, his true identity - a King. A conqueror. That is what he will be, and what he is regardless of what this valley wants.

"Hallo," He'd spotted her pristine pelt from afar, nothing seemed to escape his sight in this vast wasteland. Especially not a woman. "You seem like you would enjoy the comforts of my Oasis home. It's not too far from here -" a charming smile pulled his lips. @Freya was a beautiful, albeit exhausted woman. She was rivaling his size, but that did not stop him. When has size stood in front of his greed? "- I will bring you there." Wandering around was no option for a lone woman.

Luther vs ???
for Freya

"Hallo."

Freya paused. She ceased making those clear-cut prints in the sands, lifting her head slightly to try and locate the source of that sudden, accented voice. A pale figure loomed several yards away, gilded with silver and neat cuts of jade. Even at that distance, she could tell he was handsome – in a rugged, beastly sort of way.

"You seem like you would enjoy the comforts of my Oasis home. It's not too far from here -" He spoke of how she seemed and what she would enjoy, though Freya knew better than to take him for his word. A hidden meaning lurked behind what was presented – an intent of possession.

"Is this the part where we argue over my best interests?" She drawled, twitching her tail idly behind her. "Spare me." The burning of her muzzle was forgotten for a moment, the pelting rain slowing to a dull hum. Freya only lingered in that quiet for a moment before skirting forward in a mad dash, attempting to sweep one of the lion's legs out from under him.

We'll see what I enjoy.

---

FREYA vs. @Luther ♔
For Freedom
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 7 + 6 + 17 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 3 + 13 + 20

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 5

code by scorpixia♡︎

midnight mass
a crimson pool so warm and deep
lulls me to an endless sleep

Gauthier is not the knight in shining armor. Perhaps in clinking mithril, tarnished and scaled, worn and blackened with the soot of a great weathering — he is also not one to be an audience to bloodshed when it is so welcoming. He could, by a split-second deciding just on the brink of their brief exchange, sit and watch. Enjoy the show and the taste of iron that would linger in the air, salty-sweet. He could garner, watching the lioness fight beautifully or tragically, the worth of the while in invitation.

She was sizable, brawny, young and potential. Were looks what won your way in Amaryllis, it would have been enough. But he wanted fire, he wanted vim, enough to wear an unprejudiced flag of bloodshed, enough to survive the standards of the sisters.

And what could not be won by delight for the sampling of those both – even the ashen man, whose familiarity escaped him still, enough not to be hindered, certainly not for the mention of the Oasis. They had few allies as it was, and he had little to lose for losing. And he was robust, fit… certainly worth a refreshing sip.

It was thrill that moved him, after it all. Thrill that she had not run, as many who were softer were keen to do, run from the gnashing of fangs into what stretch they had bounded from. She fought instead. And so, so did Gauthier.

As Freya lunged with the intent to sweep a leg from beneath Luther, Gauthier threw from the muck of the rain-packed sands, attempting to barrel into Luther’s right hip to help offset his balance.

@Gauthier & @Freya vs. @Luther ♔
Freya's Freedom Interview
Round 1 of 3
Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 17 + 10 + 20 + 11 + 13 + 18 + 3 + 1 + 14

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 4 + 3 + 5 + 2

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 11 + 3 + 5 + 18

_{BG — ART — CODE}

The desert witch had only visited the passage once during her time in Amaryllis. It had been merely to enter the vast cursed lands. But now as an Oasis Gentry, she decided she would visit the territory once again, to fulfill her duty and attempt to add more numbers to the pride.

Besides, she couldn’t help but notice the thick scent of Andal within the rainy air. Besides that, the scents of rogue and Rainforest mingle as well.

Azula approaches calmly, her sapphire eyes narrowing as she notices her fellow pride member getting attacked. Her jaw clenches and her pace quickens, knowing it was best to aid the young pale man. She hadn’t met him yet, but Azula was a loyal witch until the end.

Azula gallops around and positions herself behind the younger rogue lioness, and with jaws agape she attempts to grab at the woman’s tail with her teeth.

---

@Azula & @Luther ♔ vs. @Freya & @Gauthier
For Freya
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 16 + 9 + 1 + 12 + 5 + 10 + 7

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 16 + 20 + 14 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 15 + 9 + 14 + 1 + 11 + 8

art by drifty | code by scorpixia♡︎

"Is this the part where we argue over my best interests? Spare me." Oh? Violence it is. Perhaps one day when he claims a woman and she willingly comes with him, pigs would fly.

Well, so be it. She charged and he quickly took on a defensive position. The moment her paw reached for his leg, he lifted it purposefully, readjusting his weight on the ones left. And his claws sought to dig across her chest. As a result, her own claws left minor lacerations upon his moving leg.

He expected to have her in seconds. What he didn't expect, however, was another joining in on the fight. Another one fighting against him. He felt something big crash into him, and his hips swung the other way. Pain was immediate. He snarled furiously, trying his best to maintain his balance while pivoting in the direction his body was sent to turn. Who the hell...? The stranger was older and reeked of Firnen. He had no clue who the hell ruled Firnen, but in the end, did it matter? The whole valley stood against him, and against Andal. He was surrounded by enemies, and he began to feel frustration build in.

But before he could begin thinking about how to fight off two enemies, a miraculous ally appeared. He would've preferred a man old and big enough to match the ghoul in front of him, but the Oasis female would do. He couldn't be picky right now.

And so he focused his attention on the man, while Azula fought the rogue. His jaws parted as he attempted to grab a hold of any part of Gauthier's face. He planned on making it even uglier today.

@Luther ♔ & @Azula vs. @Gauthier & @Freya
for Freya
Round 1 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 7 + 11 + 3 + 10 + 6 + 12 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 1 + 9 + 2 + 13

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 20 + 7 + 3 + 13

While the moments of her journey had stretched on like eons, how quick they were to begin sprinting with that pallid lion's presence! Beat for beat, she narrowly managed to scratch at the claimant's withdrawing foreleg, snarling at the white-hot pain of claws tearing at her chest. It took Freya a few moments to understand what had happened – that another had come to her aid, barreling into the man's side as he began his own onslaught. She had not even enough time to celebrate chivalry's resurrection when she felt the acute pinch of something gnawing at her.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Freya lifted a rear leg in an attempt to give a mule's kick in her attacker's direction, trying to strike the very face biting down upon her tail. Already scarlet tarnished ivory and her sunburns appeared a decadent pleasure in comparison.

---

FREYA & @Gauthier vs. @Azula & @Luther ♔
For Freedom
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 15 + 8 + 18 + 7 + 5

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 11 + 3 + 1

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 5 + 11 + 1 + 8

code by scorpixia♡︎

midnight mass
a crimson pool so warm and deep
lulls me to an endless sleep

Unfortunately for her, Gauthier's bulldozing isn't so timely enough to spare Freya a nice cut. But there's no sympathy spared when they are all in such close quarters. Another joins, and the fray ensues.

He cares little for the means of chivalry, hardly the gentleman, but the discourtesy of not even allowing him his part in bargaining! A travesty. It was a means to some end: win or loss, he would have his chance whether in words or claws, and oh he was a terrible conversationalist. This suited quite fine for the heathen, and he’d gratify himself on the carnage far more than he would discussing business with a cold tongue.

There was nothing personal – that is, was being the chosen word for it. But there were only so many ways his face could be cut up, and as much as the patchwork of scars had worked their way voluntarily into his flesh, he had found an annoyance in any suggestion that his face should bear the brunt of more. Furthermore, it wasn’t much of an excuse later when he arrived home: Ah hello darling, I lost my eye (or ear) today fighting over a complete stranger. That wouldn’t do.

So as his opponent spun to face him, he tucked his ears and ducked his head, the ogre-beast’s lower canines slicing stingingly over the broad of his forehead and collecting with his jaws a parcel of pulled mane. Gauthier, unprejudiced for the choice of cuts on the menu, followed the chain of motions with a rush in, his jaws making the attempt to secure a wrenching clamp on Luther’s meaty right upper foreleg.

He arrested his care in what became of Freya in the now — paying close attention to her fight with the new contender would only cause him distraction, they preoccupied in their own tangle while he occupied himself with his own.

Gauthier & @Freya vs. @Luther ♔ & @Azula
Freya's Freedom Interview
Round 2 of 3
Hits:

Rolling 9d20: 1 + 18 + 7 + 10 + 19 + 12 + 4 + 20 + 14

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 18 + 11 + 15 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 13 + 15 + 3 + 14

_{BG — ART — CODE}

Azula's jaws clamp down on the lioness' tail, and she tastes blood on her tongue. She could see within her peripheral vision that her pridemate was fighting off the other lion. Good, at least she was able to make things even now.

Though she couldn't pay too much attention to that fight, as soon a paw was flying towards her face. Pain blossomed upon her cheek, and quickly, she let go of the girl's tail. An irritated growl left her lips then.

Without another thought, she would move once again. Her heart thumped against her chest, adrenaline coursing through her veins. She would definitely have a bruise on her cheek after this and perhaps some swelling.

She would make the girl pay. So, Azula attempted to slash her claws along the girl's right hip.

---

@Azula & @Luther ♔ vs. @Freya & @Gauthier
For Freya
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 6 + 9 + 12 + 3 + 1 + 20 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 10 + 16 + 12 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 4 + 14 + 16 + 6 + 9 + 12

art by drifty | code by scorpixia♡︎

His claws meet their mark upon Freya’s chest, and momentarily he feels regret that he must damage his property. But hey, she is the one that chose this route. His hand was… forced. Regret was quick to go, and satisfaction – sick and twisted one – set in its stead. The flesh of her breast felt so plump and yet so firm between his talons, how unfortunate it was that he must deal with a far more unseemly opponent instead!

His teeth grazed flesh, but not nearly enough. Flesh and hair that he spat to the side. He saw Gauthier’s teeth headed for his limb, and so Luther had no choice but to attempt ramming the brunt of his right shoulder into the older man’s front teeth in a counterattack. He braced for the possible impact, fully aware of the damage he was about to endure should it land.

@Luther ♔ & @Azula vs. @Gauthier & @Freya
for Freya
Round 2 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 12 + 8 + 5 + 3 + 4 + 11 + 17

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 7 + 15 + 16 + 6

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 20 + 7 + 18 + 4 + 6