TO WATCH YOU CRAWL OUT OF YOUR CHANGING SHAPE

all his dreams would feel heavy with turmoil - laced in blood and violence, hunger and vengeance - nights spent tossing and turning in what little sleep he could muster. the winter wolf is without rest as he keeps to the twilight hours, constantly patrolling the borders of andal, stirring wide awake in the middle of late evenings, ensuring that both helah and their cubs were safe. his first and utmost duty was the security of his family, the security of andal - and in light of recent events - sleep would prove futile as harou is kept wide awake by the incessant demands of his young children, with the restless energies of plotting away the demise of his enemies. tirelessly balancing his responsibilities as both king, patriarch and father.

he knew by intuition alone what little peace left would be fractured, shattered, and while his recent meetings with both @Icefang ♔ and @Isla ♔ would prove to be less than savoury due to the tension inter-connecting between all the pridelands and their clans, it is clear harou and his family had to pick a side - otherwise, suffer the consequences of violence coming from all angles. in the end, he had chosen isla's side in a secret meeting with the scillian queen, the side of the greyflood-tollaire clan. he had slept with isla prior to solidify such an alliance, and he would not go back on his word to support her, not on a friend he would silently cherish and protect. isla is dear to him, in one way or another, regardless of how hard icefang and @Luther ♔ had tried to sway him, otherwise.

this agreement was done without helah's knowledge, ofcourse, harou unable to deter whether he could completely trust his violent and blood-thirsty lover, a woman he has come to respect over time. in light of everything, he could never rest easy, always silently glimpsing over helah's sleeping figure as she nursed their children, wondering if he could truly trust her; a woman whose ties remained with wolfbron, something that was out of his hands at the time. while the talon wolves were just beginning to grow, beginning to flourish - he will shoulder the burden of it all with an unwavering, icy facade: even with the seperation of general @Brighid ♔ from his ranks, harou is still with unshakeable faith that this is what he must do. tensions would thus sweep in, like the growing shadows of violence, the vehement call to arms - it all comes down boiling to this moment, where screams and bellows would echo from the direction of the lagoon, resounding with a vivid, hungering clarity.

the weight of the universe would thus shift over brawny shoulders, the lengthy snarls and screams echoing amid the vast territories of amaryllis making the winter titan pause abruptly, lifting his bearish skull with a ravenous hungering of his own. it is enough to make his blood boil, to draw the heat from his icy flesh as the tension between the prides comes to a boiling point, cascading forth with deadly friction, deadly attraction. the calls to war first resounds at dawn as a loud roar (@Cassius ♔') catches harou's attention - the battle drums swift and precise - whilst the beat to violence crests upon a dark, heart-pounding tempo. isla's banshee yell sails over the beast's head then, and everything spirals into a frenzy of chaos, as sides are brought forth and the chess-pieces were laid out before the bloodied battlefield.

harou would be there, amid the thick of it all, his obsidian lips slashed into a gruesome, blood-chilling smile as the tension would spring down his muscular frame whilst long limbs carried him into the lagoon's territory. water saturates his frame, dripping hungrily against masculine flesh, as swiftly, he would scan the area, noting the various positions of the many lions and detecting the numerous scents gliding across the tell-tale wind. @Nyaxia is there too, her lilac form bristling in wrathful femininity - a bright and divine vision to behold - as he seeks out his beautiful huntress with eager eyes; desires to fight alongside her, but he cannot - not now, their blooming love must remain a secret if they are to withstand the test of time. multiple fights would then break out, first starting with cassius and isla, then icefang and an earthen lioness (@Cassandra), and undoubtedly, more would come. more heat, more flesh. more blood. it would all unfold like living creatures, living nightmares.

harou snarls over the collective noise, his voice booming with authority, masculine and direct, rallying the desert members, rallying his family with a defeaning roar: "defend the lagoon, we side with isla and her allies!!" the command would be given out with bloodthirsty means, his jaws snarling savagely as the torrential wrath pours throughout him, his physique tense and eager for the brawl. he wants to revel it, bathe in it - soak in the blood of his and isla's enemies.

harou is actively looking for fights!

there is a beast made of murder

The Rike boy crashed in to her with all his weight, however, it did not stagger the lioness one bit. He made a mental note - though, brief - about this, and revelled in the taste of her blood in his mouth. He was able to successfully wrap his claws around her midsection and bite at her spine, though it costed him by leaving his sides open to her wrath.

She turned towards him as they met, and while she attempted to bite at his face, the angle just wasn't there (much to his favor) and she likely got a mouthful of his black mane instead, completely missing his face. However, his right side was open for the taking, and the woman easily reached over and left deep scratches into his shoulder with her claws.

And at first, the wound was your average laceration. It itched a bit, stung more, and bled with eagerness. The blood easily stained his white coat, though the brutish boy did not let it hinder him at all. Though, it did hurt.

The Rike boy went on like it was nothing, choosing now to attempt to push into her, using his back legs to try and destabilize her, perhaps make her stumble - especially when one of her paws were up and busy burying itself into his shoulder. He grew tired of biting into her spine and instead sought to drag his claws from her left side, hoping to leave lacerations in their wake as he dropped them one by one to the ground. If she would not falter, he'd have to try another way to get her on the ground.

As she had done before, he assumed she'd twist once more and try to meet him at her side, so this time, he angled himself towards the right side of her shoulder / neck, and he aimed a bite for her neck, hoping to grab her scruff with his teeth and pull her, again trying to get her to stumble or fall.

---

Grimm vs. @Zahra
For Minor Maim (Gnarly New Scar)
Round 2 of 4
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 12 + 16 + 9 + 8 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 2d20: 5 + 20

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 6 + 1 + 15 + 8 + 19

Current Injuries: Deep (and poisoned) claw marks in his right shoulder

that I can no longer keep chained

code x art x inspo

anger was not a friend to brighid. her world had constantly spun at a decent pace, forever in her orbit, forever in her favor. anger was a fleeting thing; she had never felt it for long, keen to remove the things that upset her with an iron claw. in amaryllis, brighid finds herself consumed by it: a vehemence unlike no other that has turned the fluidity of her smile glacial. she lingers about the sands in the early morning, unable to rest. brighid bides her time, attempts to soothe the pangs of emotion that threaten to grasp her. she imagines rending flesh from bone to garner her some relief. a 'bargaining chip', haakon had called her once, but when a call goes up for the neighboring pride, brighid knows that she will always be more than that.

she arrives in a flurry of movement, not surprised to see the sheer amount of lions that have already gathered. the scent of blood is in the air and she is smothered by the salt and the iron tang, along with the taste of home - of harou. the general hears him before she can see him in the crowd and it is all the direction that she needs. her loyalties are always with andal.

the once-queen is quick to choose her side among the lagoon and its allies, pressing her way closest to where andal will rally. she announces her presence with a snarl. brighid is feral, her once pristine pelt tangled with salt and sand, her claws unsheathed and her teeth bared. it's a message to enemies of the lagoon that she is not to be trifled with and she heeds the command of her forever king, tail thrashing behind her like an army's red flag. to war!

---

brighid is on the side of scilla and its allies! i'm open to fights!!!

art by ryuu, code by javs

[[would be an AO member at this point, just waiting to be sorted]]

+5 Observe a fight (Cassius vs Isla)
+5 Observe a fight (Cassandra vs Icefang)
+5 Observe a fight (Fairytale vs Obsidiana)

Chaos seemed high in this land. It was quite the contrast from the quiet, somewhat nomadic, life he'd had with his family, and Zaahir was finding he thoroughly enjoyed all the excitement. Still, he managed to contain himself enough to avoid crossing into the territory uninvited.

Upon arrival he found a number of fights already in progress. A black-and-white male battled a grey lioness. The flash of white clashing with a darker brown caught his eye as well (and he might have been more entertained if he knew the history there). It was the contrast of pink and black facing off against each other that caught his eye next, and Zaahir finally seated himself a couple feet shy of the border. There were other battles, his silver gaze flicked to each in turn and he was reminded of the utter chaos that had occurred not too long ago in the oasis.

He stood again, tail twitching restlessly, until his attention was seized by the Oasis king. Ears turned forward to catch the orders, and his energy shifted from a directionless buzz to a focused anticipation. Defend the lagoon. He could do that.

Now. Who needed defending?

not trespassing, but open to interactions/fights, actively looking for potential opponents

code by daanyen || art by seffiron

She was at the Lagoon at her king’s request, but not necessarily to do his bidding; she just wanted a fight. Her few tussles at the pit arena had left her wanting more—more than just a few scrapes. She wanted to inflict some real damage. She hit the sandy beaches in the middle of chaos and it was oh, so exciting. Fights were breaking out all over and it was all she could do to resist jumping in without thought.

She hugged the edge of mayhem, slowly striding along where the water reached its highest point. A gaggle of young lions and lionesses that looked about her age doing nothing but standing around caught her eye. Some sort of weird reunion between opposing sides? We can’t have that during a war now, can we? She kept her eyes on them as she stalked around, trying to figure who was who. A couple of Lagoon members for sure; their scents blended in with their surroundings. And was that? Yes, two Brook members for sure; she recognized the scent from when she had gone to visit her sister, however unfruitful that visit had been. One was being pulled into a hug, leaving the other free for the taking.

In their distraction, Noemi bounded forward toward the white, spotted Brook member, lunging as she neared to try and tackle him to the ground. He was larger, but if surprised, might not be able to maintain balance.

---

@Noemi vs @Nikandr
Minor Maim
Round 1/4

Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 8 + 10 + 3 + 14

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 4 + 1 + 12 + 17 + 8

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 11 + 17 + 6 + 5 + 18 + 14

code by scorpixia♡︎

Arcania X'uekai

count my cards, watch them fall
I like the way they all scream

She kept a wary eye on Fissure, but then another called for her focus. Demanded it, really. He came at her in a blur, a massive wall of fur. She braced herself for the impact, ducking her head as he came at her to protect her throat and feeling his teeth graze her ear as they snapped shut just above it. Well, she was already bleeding freely from her shoulders and her ear tip. She would have to return the favor.

She swung her head up in an attempt to slam it into his jaw, and then down again in an attempt to get her jaws around his left forelimb. She didn't know him, and didn't know that he recognized her. She wouldn't have cared if she did, actually. This was war, and it was expected that there would be fights. That was simply how this sort of thing worked.

But she would make him regret his choice.

Arcania vs. @Asbjørn
for Minor Maim
Round 1 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 17 + 18 + 5 + 9 + 2 + 20 + 12 + 8

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 18 + 16 + 14 + 2 + 10

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 8 + 11 + 18 + 20

code by scorpixia♡︎

Why was she there? Why was she heeding her queen’s call? It wasn’t to fight for her or whoever him was, that was for sure. But, she did want to see how the other Bluffs members faired in real battle should they choose to participate. Their ferocity was clear against each other, so she expected it tenfold against their enemies. Would be pathetic if not.

The queen in question was already present, flanked by a couple of her loyalists, when Sable arrived. She turned to head along the outskirts of all the fighting, away from the trio to find somewhere unobtrusive to sit and observe. So, these were some of the prides that Aphrodite had mentioned? The Lagoon, where they now were, was clear. And the Brook as well. Those two seemed the most prominent in attendance, though a few other unfamiliar scents flitted around the mix as well.

---

-open for shit. bring it to me!-

coding by muu

it's not until her face is buried into the side of @Melusina's neck that magdalena finally breathes, the gasp of air so forceful that it's punctuated with a hiccup. "melusina-" she gasps, her sister's name a prayer on her lips. "sister," there is so much to say in these first few moments but in the same moment that melusina stiffens, so does her sister. vermeda - the thick scent of the brook in her neck registers at last.

the slow backwards movement is mirrored, shoving @Rohan's limb off of her shoulders, brows furrowed together into a confused line as magdalena stares down their missing piece. the space between sisters feels wider than a canyon - sister, yes, but also enemy. from somewhere behind her, magdalena can hear the deep bellow of @Asbjørn commanding magdalena to end her. she does not so much as twitch in acknowledgement of the order. "vermeda, mel?!" incredulous, leaning into that familiar anger that's begun to bubble in her chest again.

why - melusina asks. "where else?" it was familiar, it was safe. at least safe enough for now. "how long have you been back, if you're in the brook?" why hadn't she come to seek any of them out? the questions come quickly and in great number, enough to make her head spin. she had been within the valley long enough to make a friend, it seemed. her eyes narrow in suspicion as they focus on @Nikandr, the splotched fur all too familiar. instead of an easy back and forth, he instead stokes the fire within her further. the water and wounds had dampened his scent that day but today, he too is enemy.

on the heels of nikandr comes @Dominic and she can feel her heart pounding faster and faster with each second that passes. breath coming in soft pants as she looks from one face to another. end her, they want magdalena to end her - and there is no one here for her to lean on. her throat closes despite her ragged breathing, rage turning so quickly into panic. melusina could not be so far- could not live under and enemy - what if luther found her or aeistrios returned - what if she was hurt, what if she died? magdalena would not fight her this war, but surely another would try. they she had lost so much already. could not risk losing anymore. she cannot stop the racing of her thoughts, the slew of scenarios that play in her mind, each worse than the last. "papa," she chokes out, eyes seeking out @Alaric - fix this. alaric would, because magdalena can not.

in one moment, her head is spinning and in the next there is nothing but a low, droning hum. she looks first to dominic, bi-colored eyes swimming with too many emotions - sorrow, despair, fear, and somewhere deep underneath, a sliver of affection. he had come to check on them. no - magdalena almost laughs out loud at the absurdity of the thought. he had come to check on melusina - he was melusina's. nikandr too, despite sharing a moment of easy laughs and a certain level of understanding, is also melusina's. in the end they all are. her sister, the brilliant, shining star at the center of their galaxies; she, the dark, devouring void which stubbornly clings to her.

did any of them deserve this - a creature so broken and full of hate?

mel secretly yearns to rent bridges asunder and yet somehow it is her sister who attempts to deal the first blow. for a second, she pauses to reconsider but the loss of two homes, deaths of her mother and father, and imprisonment rot within her. magdalena aches with the emptiness she feels in her chest, gaze landing now on nikandr again. snip, snip. "we don't need your help fixing anything." she snarls, lips curling in the most disgustingly vicious expression she can conjure. please, understand. the war cry comes from deep in magdalena's gut as she launches forward - equal parts grief and rage.

her small body is propelled forwards and upwards - and then skids to a stop as a flash of white attempts to slam into nikandr. magdalena's scream continues, the rage building as her plans are dashed due to just a moment of hesitation. with claws out her forelegs slam hard into the sand once, twice, and thrice, the scream turning hoarse as it shreds her throat. her eyes flit about the battlefield wildly as magdalena turns her back on them all on a desperate hunt for anyone to fill the void that her failed fight with nikandr leaves behind.

someone please fight her she's open up to minor maim

coding by daanyen | art by yumpy

((Keeping this Vague as her joining thread is still ongoing--regardless, she is VB aligned and open to all interactions))


In the blink of an eye, chaos erupts. The weave of unending opposing forces dances before her very fingertips, the scent of blood begins to hang heavy in the air. Death is close at hand, The Whispers in Nazara's skull scream in ecstasy at this front row seat to unfolding discord. The girl, though usually more collected, can't help but let the smile spread across her face.

She was enjoying this far too much for one who didn't actively fight. Though one might look for each injury, Naza couldn't help but fantasize about all the shiny, clinking bones this could produce.

Her mind is realer back in when @Icefang ♔ is confronted with another--and a true fight begins. Her body goes tense, the blackened hair of her pelt stands on end. A roar comes from her throat--"Kill her! Strike her down! Let me see her bones break!" she shouts with utmost glee at the fight between her mother and the scilla wretch, obsidian eyes dancing with blackened fire. Her claws were out, she was ready.

Of course, she would heal her allies--of course she would tend to the wounded. But right now, Naza wished she could tear the flesh from another just to get this energy out. So far, no one seemed to need her full attention.

Her eyes lock onto @Cassandra as she embraces the fight, and the foul words drop from her lips as she cuts the palm of her paw--letting blood pool, shaking it towards her intended victim "May your claws be brittle, may your bones creak and break, may your blood turn to water! I cast ye down from Life and unto Death--where the maggots shall eat your flesh and pick clean your skull!--"


Potential XP:

+10 Cast a curse or blessing on a character/group (Onto Cassandra)
+10 Participate in a raid or war (actively fighting, healing, or helping others) (pending?)
+5 Attend a spar or challenge to assess the wounds

I could burn your motherfuckin’ village to the ground—

I could crack your skull between these motherfuckin’ thighs—I could doom your lineage with one look from these eyes! I could name the date in which they’ll put you in the ground—you’re the one who said its justice watchin’ witches drown!

code by corvus art by drifty

artwork • coding

He listens. Quietly observing the scene as it plays out in slow motion before him. How long had she been back? Was this his fault? Could he had prevented it by telling Magdalena about Melusina's where abouts? Why hadn't he mentioned it? The betrayal and hurt is raw amongst them, evident in every syllable spoken. Instinct drove him to want to approach each of them, to try and fix this somehow. Yet so many arrive, so many are suddenly there - shattering the picture of his world.

His heart thrums heavy in his chest and the young male feels overwhelmed. Suddenly out of control of the situation with no possible course for correction. Brows knit together, his features upturned and those odd blue eyes suddenly landing on @Magdalena as she launches herself as if to attack Nikandr. The male that always seemed to be accompanying Melusina. Someone far more brave than he. For a fleeting second his gaze locks with @Melusina.

A flash of something, before he turns to look away. Back to Magdalena as she searches desperately. For violence, for restitution. Muscles tense, his body inching toward her with intent. Dominic didn't want to hurt her; he never would. But in this moment, he knew. He understood. Magdalena needed to hurt someone, to usher that flood of emotion, pain and hurt into something.

Let it be him.

The beast launches at Magdalena silently. There is no ferocity, only a quiet acceptance of his fate. The mass of his weight is the only thing he attempts to throw at the young lioness, that massive head of his attempting to smack into her shoulder roughly. Dominic's way of saying, Hey, it's me. I'm here.


Dominic vs. @Magdalena
For Minor Maim ( Or Major if you want )
0 1 2 3 4
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 9 + 1 + 2 + 8

Dodges:

Rolling 1d20: 17

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 3 + 20 + 18 + 17 + 9