And now the kingdom comes, crashing down undone
and i am a master of a nothing place, of recoil and grace

a shift in the current brings the scent of trespassers - summons were heard; the call ringing with resounding clarity, challenging for the throne of the desert. the winter titan heeds @Zabrina's call, peeling away from his patrols to meet her form with a smouldering gaze. he prowls in the darkness, tail lashing against his muscular haunch.

apathy is written across his wiry visage, masculine angles sharp and severe; an aura of detachment surrounding the great beast, as he prowls forth with a dishevelled hunger. laughing low and manic, he would seek to keep this trespasser entertained, his muscled limbs flexing through the sand - talons running through soft gold, as his steps became wolven and hurried, stealthy and feline. his frame finally shifts in momentum, attempting to rush her head on. his right shoulder would jut out, attempting to jolt forward and stun her breast muscle - simultaneously, his jaws would remain agape as he attempts to sink his fangs into her neck and ravage the tender flesh there.

Harou vs. Zabrina
AO
1 of 5

Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 17 + 3 + 11 + 6 + 20 + 4 + 2 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 20 + 16 + 14 + 12

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 12 + 1 + 13 + 5

Rolling barbarianberserk 1d30: 14
Look out! You have gone berserk! (+1 to hit roll for the next round of your fight)

Rolling barbarianbuffer 1d30: 20
You have failed to buffer the attack!

Rolling paladinbuffer 1d30: 12
You have managed to buffer the attack! (+1 to dodge roll for the next round of your fight)

I will strip away all that you know, all that you love
until you have no shelter but me -
shifting through the darkness, his muscled form moves in serpentine fashion. the filthy stench of trespassers would be inhaled, and arawn feels the need to tear into flesh, to let that blood ooze over his tongue and satisfy his thirst. he swerves like a restless shark beneath the tenebrous shade, palms wavering overhead to cast deep umber along the earth and the ivory of his muslces. for now, he would bide and wait his time, lurking in the darkness ready to skin the flesh of the unsuspecting. his sire has heeded the call and arawn would wait in the shadows, fully expecting the only outcome.

table by ryuu

+5 - observe a fight (zabrina vs harou)
+5 - practice covering your scent
+10 - sneak into another pride's territory without getting caught

she hears the call ring out and is eager to see what will come of it.

these challenges are all too normal in the valley. each new call is as exhilarating as the last. this pride - andal - manon knows to be an ally of wolfbron's and thus, the young cannibal assumes her mother would appreciate their family showing their support. though her support would be much more subtle than others.

the yearling has long since covered her scent, having rolled in the dusty, parched badlands. brushing against twiggy bushes and the desert herbs that she finds on the way there. crossing the border into the oasis is easy enough without being found out and her large form finds a lush patch of ferns and palm trees next to the water. perfect to be hidden in. it is there that manon chooses to wait out the fight, red eyes trained on the challenger as they all await the arrival of the sovereign.

they're not kept waiting long for harou charges onto the scene and begins the fight without further fanfare. surely this would be an entertaining match.

manon is hidden and observing_{BG — ART — CODE}

+5 - discuss a battle strategy
+5 - observe a fight (zabrina vs harou)
+5 - maintain your weapons (care for claws)

karsa is always curious when it comes to these events.

they always seem to draw most of the valley together and often have plenty of drama sprouting up around them - enough entertainment to last anyone until the next one. blue eyes are quick to find his cousin and karsa flops down on his stomach next to @Levana, bringing one of his forepaws to his mouth.

the walk here had been dusty and sandy, to say the least, so the young savante takes care in cleaning the claws of each paw just as the fight begins in earnest before them. "didn't give her much of an introduction," he notes, gaze flickering between the fighting pair and the task of maintaining his claws. "doesn't give her much of a heads up or chance to prepare for his attack." it's off-handed commentary and karsa doesn't expect his cousin to respond much. after all, the fight was far more interesting than his opinion. "smart." a last comment before the man settles in to watch the rest of the fight unfold, moving on to the next claw in the meantime. the less messy they were, the more effective they'd be if it came to a fight.

coding by daanyen | art by rabbit

Reina had mostly kept to herself within the Oasis. She was used to solitude and she struggled to socialize properly because of it. Being a prisoner within the Mire during her pivotal growing stage had not done her any good.

It also felt strange living within the Oasis once again. It was a place that she had called home with her family when they had all been together as one strong unit. Now they were few and far between.

A call from the borders grabbed her attention. Her soft gaze narrowed slightly. She had just begun to settle in, and now there was a chance that things were about to go south.

If the challenger won today, there were a few possibilities of what could happen. The chimera woman could allow her to stay if she won today. Or, she could forcibly make her stay as a prisoner.

Or Reina would be told to leave and find a different place to call home.

The plum Saxe had not grown close to the leaders, but she knew Luther trusted Harou. So as she sat down in the sand to observe, she quietly hoped that the winter king would win and keep a hold of the Oasis crown.
- ★ -June Y12 | 1 y/o | Andal Oasis Yearling | in Andal Oasis
+5 Ambassador: Observe a challenge and learn the results.

---

★ REINA SAXE ★

code by scorpixia ♡︎ art by ryuu

As movement takes up one of her open sides, the lioness sneaks a peak over, noticing @Karsa, she gives him a kind smile and gently bumps her head against his, before pulling back to look as Harou enters the fray. After two litters, she'd gotten quite good at watching things around her and keeping an eye on her family, so she turns an ear towards the fight as she gently leans into him, taking comfort in familiarity.

"I do not know her. But the Andal male and I have met once, back when I first arrived here. He is strong. A powerful beast." She gives a slight nod, she would silently root for the Andal king because that one snowy night years ago, he'd left an impression on the then young lion. And an impression could last a lifetime of it is the right one.

Forest green eyes flick back to the fight, then to the others around her, she would prepare for anything, but at the moment, she acted relaxed, calm, collected, though she could spot a few faces she was not happy to see.

+5 - sunbathe or take a nap
+5 - maintain your weapons (care for teeth)
+5 - observe a fight (zabrina vs harou)

aspen had learned from his last foray into observing fights. the last one had turned out to be a horridly long affair and so the yearling comes to this challenge with something to keep himself occupied - a thick bone - while the fighters sorted things out between themselves. it seemed they were going to waste no time with it, immediately spurring into the beginnings of a vicious fight as soon as the sovereign appears in the makeshift arena.

he plots down just outside of the borders, making sure to have a good vantage point of the pair as they begin their sure to be bloody fight. the yearling flops onto his stomach, holding the bone between his legs, making sure to keep orange eyes trained on the fight. his teeth begin to scrape against the bone in a rhythmic motion, up and down up and down, scraping away the build up that might be growing on them. the spot aspen has picked out is flat and like much of this part of the valley, has little cover to offer shade from the bright sun. though there isn't much worry about overheating, considering it is only a short time before it dips down under the horizon entirely. aspen figures he'll use the remaining moments of sunlight to his advantage, stretching out on the warm sand to soak in the last rays of warmth of the day.

she's got the devil in her eyes
pretty in the light, even prettier at night

The call for the Oasis goes up and Aphrodite finds herself venturing towards it. She knew that in time someone would come for Harou's crown and he would have to fight for it but she just want sure when of who would be the one to do it. She wasn't the only one to show, obviously, but she seemed to be the only one that showed up from the Cove. Ears twisted on top of her head as she glanced around to see if she saw any familiar faces outside of those who lived in the Oasis while she was here and found none so Aphrodite stuck to herself and picked out a spot that she could watch and observe without being near anyone.

+5 Observe a fight

table by ryuu

It was only mere days ago that she had given birth, yet it seemed the woman could not catch a break. Wearily, Valentine emerged from her den at the sound of the challenge. Please, not again. She could not bear to lose her home once more, for her children to lose theirs. Tired eyes peer at the lions as they brawl, and then dart to see all the strangers which had invaded the Oasis. If she wasn’t so drained, the woman would attack them herself; such insolence, for them to drive in the moment the pride is at a time of weakness. It was nothing short of cowardly.

Sitting now, she hisses beneath her breath: Trespassers should be ashamed. The vixen would squint her eyes, and flash a look at the general crowd; she was certainly far from pleased. Valentine would look once more towards Harou and the stranger, yet nothing more would escape her lips.

+5 Observe a challenge and learn the results ( 1 / 2 )

bg x art x code

wild, feral stare —
her winter lips as cold as stone

The feeling that burned in her chest now was volatile and cruel and hot – it was anger incarnate, pure and raw and terrible in its form. Arduinna prowled onto the scene with her lips already curled, discontentment palpable as those bright, burning eyes found the shape of the challenger amongst the fray, and then twisting, only to find their lands littered with the company of onlookers – though the majority of which had been smart enough to hang beyond the heathen’s territorial reach. That would not save them for long, however, should this not end the way that she wanted it too – the banshee already thought of vengeance, if only for the mere insult of this woman having come here so brazenly, clutching at their sands with her dirty fingers in an effort to make them her own. The princess was a terrible, selfish little creature – that was much evident.

Instincts drove her to @Draug's side without thought, a low hiss expelling from between those dark, velveteen lips – a warning, clear as day, for others to remember their place. The oasis was still theirs, and the crown still sat, where it belonged, atop @Harou's head.

table by ryuu