A bellow from the forge fires of war and conflict. Brynja is only unused to such things because of how often she's spent time on her own. It resided in places deemed less than desirable by others. She knew theft was a part of the world but it so rarely came her way- you needed to have things worth stealing to be a victim of the crime. No one came for small stretches of land home to one. But evidently you did come for blazing hot deserts in the middle of summer.

She clung back, finding the most shade that she could while still staying in view of the fight that has just begun. Onto her belly she lay, one paw over the other in patient sentinel for the outcome.

Observing & Open to Interactions

KHARASH TALON

Something is happening. He can feel it in the song of the wind and the breathing of the dunes. Entropy reigns, for how meaningless must life be if you are left content and happy? Kharash knows little of the world and yet in his soul there is but one truth, one innate bit of knowledge he's been gifted from the womb. It's that the only thing you can rely upon was change. Something in the old souls of the world did not like to remain stationary and peaceful. These were the things that drove the earth on. Sometimes it was with tooth and claw that we wrench the wheel around, other times there is the gentle push of unity and congregation of the church. He is pulled to this moment, he is to be ushered into the world of violence by right of his father's fight.

Small and dark the sand flea toddles forth, having come from the family den in pursuit of the noise and smells. Iron is in the air - it's like the kill mother brought them. A scent so unlike that of the fatty milk he's grown plump on. A smell just as delectable even when come from the veins of lion. He watches, ruby red, baited and breathless.

Observing & Open to Interactions

A move she's not entirely calculated for. It's an interesting event - Zabrina's attempt to stake claim in Andal. Maybe this will satisfy her mother's wife. Maybe this will also satisfy Kvare if things go well. They could have their own little kingdom again, it leaves Caladan all the more open for Pyrrha to make her move on when it's time to do so. But- Andal as it stood now was a bit of a question to the young would be ruler. She knows someone at the challenge carried the scent of the Oasis but little else of their relationship to the rest of Amaryllis. It would not be a bad thing to have Zabrina in a position of power, but was it the best option for Pyrrha? Questions. Questions. All without answer.

She moves in to observe, staying just on the off side of the border, and waited for the outcome. For she can't do anything until this shakes out and they're all left to see who is left with the crown. Strawberry lips smirk- her eyes dart around for any advantageous company she might go decide to keep instead...

Observing & Open to Interactions

_{BG — ART BY RABBIT — CODE}

ATTEMPTING TO STAY HIDDEN (Roll Success)


The Viper moved stealthily, a fierce determination burning in her eyes as she followed her wife as the pride challenger's call echoing in the wind. An ally in trouble could not go unanswered. She shed the remnants of the Cove's salty waters from her fur, preparing herself for what lay ahead. The sound of battle reached her ears as she drew closer, but this time she would stay hidden, observing from the shadows.

With a sense of urgency, she disguised her scent and blended into the desert surroundings as she passed into the border in the shadows, ready to offer sanctuary to those in need. Her heart pounded with anticipation as she scanned the area, watching silently as the conflict unfolded before her. Her beloved Black Widow was there, a familiar presence amidst the chaos. She held her breath, waiting for the outcome, ready to offer support to those in distress.

Every muscle in her body coiled with tension, her focus unwavering as she kept a keen ear out for any hint of conversation. The Viper was a silent guardian, a protector in the shadows, ready to strike if needed. The stakes were high, but she was ready to stand her ground and offer refuge to those in need.


Using the following Assassin perks:
Level 2: Able to fabricate pride scents (Andal Oasis)
Level 3: 50% chance to remain hidden (can’t be discovered; threads not marked P)

Rolling assassinhide 1d30: 1
You are successfully hidden!

Potential Sleuth Tasks: Doubled for Miaran
+20 Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught (Andal Oasis)
+20 Learn something about pride/group/family relations (Learning Allies of Andal Oasis and potential allies of Zabrina)
+20 Remain undetected in a large thread (Oasis Pride Challenge)

(Squid say I can edit)

table code by daanyen

Well, well, well. I wonder who comes calling?

Noemi ceased her steps along the pride’s western border and looked around towards the source. Heat waves made it impossible to see across such a distance, but she didn’t need to see who it was; knowing that there was a challenger at all for the crown was interesting enough. Who knows what sort of opportunity this would present?

She abandoned her duties and made a beeline for the challenger, eyes sweeping side to side to see members of the pride doing the same. And they weren’t alone. As she approached, she noticed the king and the woman he now fought drew quite the crowd of outsiders. All anticipating the outcome. One such outsider gave Noemi a pull that she couldn’t ignore: @Pyrrha ♔.

She circled the fight and onlookers, glancing occasionally at the grappling duo, until she arrived to sit next to the floppy-eared woman. "So, you return to the western reaches. Just as Caladan fell to challenge, so may this one, though our king, Harou, seems quite strong. I wonder if he’ll do what your high sovereign could not."

---

[barbarian exp]
+5 - Observe a fight
+5 - Patrol your borders

[ambassador exp]
+5 - Have a conversation about politics

code by scorpixia♡︎

let's be alone together, we could stay young forever
— scream it from the top of your lungs

She should have expected it, but the challenge comes as a surprise. Nyaxia swiftly departs Firnen, galloping her way through the forest and dunes until she skitters to a halt near the battle. Her eyes narrow on the challenger, a strange looking woman with no discernable affiliation. Nyaxia cannot stifle the anger building inside her chest, a resentment towards anyone who would see @Harou fall. She wants to scream at them all to leave! Out! Be gone! But she is bound to silence outside of an encouraging chuff to the oasis sovereign. Her ears twist anxiously on top of her head as she moves to settle down, kneading the sand below her paws to channel her nervous energy somewhere that wasn't damaging to his focus.

artwork by ryuu

Sable approached the edge of the plateau and looked out over the expanse of desert below. She had yet to visit the desert pride—the once home of the woman Aphrodite—but now she had an enticing reason. It seemed the current king had a challenger.

She took one of the paths down to the base of the Bluffs but didn’t head straight for the fight. Instead, she wove through the red rock pillars of the badlands, looking all around to make sure she wasn’t being followed, until she reached a point where the cracked earth turned over to sand and a foreign scent became strongest: Andal’s border. From there, she turned to circle along the border until the voices of those attending the challenge could be heard and their many scents mingled together, again making sure to remain unseen.

She slipped quietly past the border, fully into the territory now, and found a spot near one of the rocks to hunker down on and where she could watch the challenge and its outcome from a distance without having to deal with all the chatter that came from hanging around other onlookers.

Sable is attempting to hide

---

[sleuth exp]
+10 - Remain undetected in a large thread (5+ characters)
+10 - Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught
+5 - Learn the extent of a pride’s border

code by scorpixia♡︎

Silas didn’t really care about the call for challenge that rang out; the politics of prides were fickle and beyond his interests. BUT, challenges presented opportunities through distraction. He left to shade of their crimson tunnels and turned north. He’d been to the pride once before but nothing had really come of it. This time, he was going to take advantage.

When he reached the southern border, heavy with the leader’s scent, he dropped and rolled around in the warm sand before heading straight for the foliage around the lake and rubbing against anything and everything to pick up the scent of the pride and disguise his own. Satisfied, he began to sniff around. Their caches had to be around somewhere and he was hungry. Ah, now there we go! Near the bases of the tallest red rocks, he found a pretty substantial store and picked out a small leg of some sort of ungulate between his teeth. Just a little morsel for the show.

Now, it was time for the actual show. With his snack, he headed towards the gathered circle of attendees confidently, as if he certainly belonged there, and took a spot by himself to start eating and watching. He would share, of course, if someone asked, but he wasn’t just going to offer up his hard-earned meal all willy-nilly.

---

[outlaw exp]

+10 - Infiltrate a pride’s borders by pretending you’re a member
+5 - Tell a lie without being caught
+5 - Steal from a pride or lion without getting caught

+5 Observe a fight (Harou vs Zabrina)
-
+5 Collect herbs
+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

While he was somewhat steadily exploring the whole of the land in pieces, he'd found himself gravitating toward the familiar landscape of the desert and badlands. There was a really nice canyon with plenty of little nooks and hollows, one of which he'd settled into until something more interesting came along.

Zaahir had been out taking advantage of the cooling air as the sun crept toward the horizon, collecting herbs and things to stockpile. A few dates had been piled up on the bit of hide he'd been using to carry things, and he was in the process of carefully uprooting an aloe plant to transplant closer to his current home when the challenge call reached him. His head popped up, swiveling in the direction of the sound. That was much more interesting than plants.

Still, the small aloe plant would be freed from the dust, and carefully placed with the rest of what he'd gathered before he picked up the hide and all to trot toward what he hoped was an entertaining event.

Upon finding the border, he'd pause and move to find a place where he could easily lay down and observe from the sidelines without barging into the place, his herb parcel held between his forepaws. There were others scattered around, and Zaahir didn't know nearly enough lions yet to guess who lived in the pride and who had just come to observe. He could guess the half-purple, half-bronze girl was the challenger, given the positioning and the assumption the dark male had approached from within the territory. Size-wise, they seemed fairly matched, but even he knew that didn't necessarily mean anything when it came to skill level.

not trespassing, open to interaction

code by corvus || art by drifty

Others started to trickle in, and she could tell her challenge for the crown of Andal had ruffled a few feathers. She would not be kept waiting for too terribly long, but before she got stuck in the fight she did a quick glance around to see if she could spot any familiar faces. She spotted @Pyrrha ♔ in the crowd, and aimed to meet the gaze of the younger lioness for a moment before the fight would begin.

As the Andal Sovereign came rushing towards her, she would brace herself for impact. This is where she'd truly test her mettle - and put her skills to the test. Her muscles would tense, and as his shoulder jutted into her chest she would allow herself to slide backwards on the sand from the impact. The impact knocked a slight bit of breath out of her, but because she slid backwards some it wasn't as bad as it could be. She knew sand - knew how it moved beneath her paws and how it could be used to her advantage. Now to just use that knowledge to her advantage. As he aimed to bite her neck, she would aim to pull herself to the side and his fangs would merely graze the side of her neck rather than sinking in like he had aimed.

Time for her counter-attack.

She would aim to twist her head around, her jaws aiming to sink into the right (his left, her right) side of his face - specifically aiming to sink her fangs between his eye and his ear - and to hopefully tear into the tender flesh there. Simultaneously, Zabrina would also aim to lift her left front paw and attempt to slam her claws into the side of his face that she wasn't aiming her jaws at.


Zabrina vs. @Harou
For Andal Oasis
Round 1 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 8 + 11 + 13 + 3 + 19 + 18

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 4 + 10 + 12 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 19 + 17 + 13 + 9

if anything's confusing do reach out ^^
"She starred in one of the ones that became nothing."

artwork • coding