Zinnia

She had heard the call, the bellowing cry of challenge. Her ears perked up excitedly, listening to the anger within the call before giggling and grabbing a couple stems of lavender and running from her den. Aphrodite had left ahead of her, following her strong scent to the swamp at a quick run. Even so, it took her much longer to navigate without ruining the lavender that she had brought with her. She wasn’t sure if she would need it, but with how much her best friend liked to fight…she was sure she could use it somehow.

When she arrived, the fight was just starting, wide yellow eyes took in the sight of many that were gathering, @Aphrodite was sitting with a male she didn’t know and then there were strangers and oh! A friend! The bronze and black spotted girl would immediately recognize @Elara and grin around the lavender. "Oh hi friend!" She called, lifting a paw to awkwardly wave in the direction of the older lioness, a grin plastered to her facade. Giggling she would walk up to Aphrodite, sitting next to her…well.. between her paws as usual, she looked over to Elara and would call out again. "Come sit with me!" She was not to be denied, as she gently sat the lavender down and looked up to the scarred features of her best friend. "That’s Ewara, she’s my fwiend too." She was just making all sorts of friends.

speech

artwork • coding

in between being young & being right
you were my versailles at night


Nyaxia is patched up well enough now that she feels comfortable attending the challenge. That, and she doesn't truly have a reason to stay away. It's not like the scent of any pride was heavy enough on her skin to paint her as a threat to anyone and she hardly thought herself a worthy trophy to steal, so she simply strolled her way towards the battle without a fuss.

She spotted @Elara from a while away and made a beeline for the lioness, chirping a happy greeting as she came to bump her head against her friend's shoulder. "There's the best healer in all of Amaryllis!" she crooned in praise, coming to settle alongside the woman with a flick of her tail.

artwork by ryuu

Interesting, perhaps. More alluring than the drudgery of rogue life - but never see her admitting that to anyone. Worse, never see one asking. Many who lost crowns simply faded away. Having dropped Luther, she was loathe to reattach. Unless he begged. And somehow, doubting he would, she wished to evade the situation at all.

Nonetheless... pride challenges meant drama, fighting and flames to kindle her sense of gossip. Keeping her toes high, she stepped back toward the familiar pride lands. Muddy. Gross. Even in high summer, the dry expanses of mud only seemed stagnant. Wet tracks showed where others had passed. She took a sniff around, decided Luther didn't have too many supporters, and cemented her decision to wait just outside the borders, peering in, and watching as a monstrosity of a red lioness (ugly hue, an undiluted pink) tried to catch the invader from behind. Interesting that a female ruled here now. All superstition aside, the pridelands themselves had not risen to throw her aside. And it was chance and fate who would win.

This being out of her paws, she decided to give the impression of caring nothing. Seated, her long fur spilling around her, and poking at her claws.

The ongoing conflict had captivated her attention, so much so that Elara hadn’t noticed the figures in the growing crowd. That changed when a familiar squeak directed at her broke her focus, causing her to swivel toward the sound. Her ears perked up as she recognized the small figure of @Zinnia, who was waving at her, a bundle of lavender clutched in her maw. “Oh, hello there!” she chirped back warmly, her tone reflecting her delight at seeing the cub. She was pleasantly surprised to see Zinnia settling next to the dark form of @Aphrodite, who was conversing with a male she didn’t recognize. While Elara still couldn’t identify prides by scent alone, she could at least discern that they seemed to share a similar scent.

Just as she felt the urge to join them, a gentle bump on her shoulder drew her attention. “Nyaxia!” she trilled warmly, her face lighting up with recognition. Her ears tilted back bashfully as she responded to her friend’s praise, “Oh stop, that can’t be true…” Her voice was light and flustered by the compliments. As @Nyaxia seemed to settle next to her, Elara gently nudged her friend’s shoulder in return, catching her eye. Her teal gaze flickered back to Zinnia, who appeared insistent on having her join them. With a decisive nod, Elara rose to her feet and began to pad toward Aphrodite and Zinnia, her tail giving a gentle, inviting flick for Nyaxia to follow.

Though the brawl still drew her concerned glances, being in the company of friends mitigated her unease. She settled down next to Zinnia, offering a warm smile as she greeted Aphrodite, “It’s good to see you again.” Her gaze then dropped to Aphrodite’s noticeably rounder belly, and she couldn’t help but chirp, “Oh, congratulations!” assuming the context involved a happy expectation. As her attention momentarily returned to the intense fight, her voice carried a tinge of worry, “Why are they fighting?”

everything is better in california

code by loki

+5 Observe a fight (Zahra vs. Luther)

+5 Gather information about a character

Oh, they were going to the challenge? Well... okay then. He hadn't actually gone to watch a pride challenge that wasn't instigated by his grandmother, so it seemed like a nice change of pace to not be personally invested in the results. At least, he thought so until he caught up with @Lorelei and saw her greeting a pale colored male, similar to the one challenging, and realized two things: a) this was probably one of her brothers and b) the challenger was likely also related.

Oh goodie! His first proper introduction to the Rike family.

He took a seat on her free side, trying to sit up straight and look just a bit older and more in charge than he really was. We're rooting for him? he asked softly, nodding towards the man who was fighting the scarlet woman. He couldn't imagine who else, if they were related as he thought. From what he knew of the Rike, they'd never tolerate the idea of a woman ruling.

art by inky, code by corvus

Wholly unaware that Icefang would want Cassius to know and be allied to Luther; or that the current ruler of the Mire was closely tied to Scilla, he arrives with a mindset of having no side in this fight. Here purely for entertainment's sake.

He was just about to settle down on the outskirts of the skirmish when he spotted the familiar white dorsal and solid tail of his kin. The boy he had dismissed from healing him the day he fought Velasco. Cassius shifts his direction right for @Temero. Taking up on a free side. Hello there little relative. A winning grin offered. Him? Head inclining to the pale challenger after overhearing the younger's question upon arrival. Do you know who he is?

From here, Cassius could detect nodes of heat and sand. If this unknown brawler was meant to be on the side of the X'uekai then The Darkling had no qualms with picking any fights with those in Ecrosia.

code by scorpixia♡︎ | art by drifter

+5 - observe a fight (luther vs zahra)
+10 - sneak into another pride’s territory without being caught
+10 - successfully stay hidden for the duration of a thread

a call for the throne reels the young dieudonne ghoul in, red eyes peering through the thick mire foliage to the fight that has already begun. her dark, chartreaux fur blends easily into the dingy swamplands of ecrosia though the young princess makes sure to stick to the shadows anyway to avoid detection by the rest of those gathered. after all, she is technically trespassing. not that it mattered for all the other dozens of felines who were doing the same to watch.

vaguely, she can remember the pale man being king here before - an enemy, if manon was recalling correctly. the pride challenge would serve as a good opportunity to go snooping, to be sure. with all the movement in and out of the territory, it was likely the yearling wouldn’t be noticed until she was already long gone. at least manon had been smart enough to roll in the mud that caked anaidar jungle like a perpetual blanket on the way in - she smelled like nothing but damp swampy musk.

manon is hidden and observing

coded by flea + background credit: TLK

The Monster

Velasco X’uekai

He did not know the story of the mire, any more than he knew the story of the brook. The rich history of Amaryllis is lost on the monster as he makes his way to the challenge.

The mire was far from the brook but he felt like a little exercise. His wounds still hurt from his encounter with the rambling crazy lioness but he was healing. Slowly but surely.

The mire's mud sticks to him, but at least he is leach-free. The boy he'd claimed adopted had clung to him like glue for the first months of being in the brook. It was tiring, it was bothersome. But he could deal with it, it was his son, and he sure as hell wasn't about to hand his newfound possession over to Icefang.

The monster's eyes swept the crowd finding the air surprisingly lacking the strong scents of other prides. Something he'd come to associate challenges with. Or had he just been lucky enough to attend all the best parties? The monster's eyes fall on two frames, one is the pink boy from the brook, the other their new patriarch.

The monster wanders over to join them keeping an eye on the main event, the fight for the swamp lands between a brightly colored woman and a pale man. A low amused growl echoed from his throat in greeting. "Any idea who's free for the taking?" his tone is a low hum meant only for @Temero and @Cassius ♔. Though his eyes do shift to the brook yearling and young male by her side, both were potentially close enough to hear his question.

@Lorelei @Everick

August Y12 || Ecrosia Mire
Vermeda Brook Royal || 7 years

Potential xp
Barbarian
+5 Observe a fight (Luther vs Zahra)

Beatnik
+5 Gossip with another character

code by corvus, manip by wolfsi

Of course she was going to show up. Her family would be silly to think Icefang would miss this party. She might of taken longer, the inconvenience of a swelling abdomen and waddling gait slowing her down but she would be here to see Luther reclaim his throne. Once she arrives, blue orbs lock onto the fighting pair watching for a few minutes before her attention drifts around the arena curious on those present. Most don’t hold more than a second of her eye until she lands onto the family huddle going on. Oh no, now that wouldn’t do.

Her skin prickles - uneasy when she notices @Cassius ♔ seated next to @Temero and @Velasco. Astarte’s son, @Everick is present along with @Lorelei. She feels a slight drop in her stomach considering the blasphemy he might be telling them. The truth about her ear? The pregnancy? He hadn’t seen her since their intimate night, but even she didn’t think he would be stupid enough not to realize the change in her body. Swallowing her uneasiness, the queen saunters over to the group, confident in her regal ways as she shifts herself into their conversation. A small rumble of greeting to the rest as blue orbs land onto Cassius. “Getting reacquainted with your family?” A soft raise of the brow as her eyes burn intensely behind a cloak of calmness. What are you discussing? She wants to shake him. Demand him to spill what they’re whispering about. Fear threatens to choke her, but she takes a chance to look away and towards Temero reminding herself that the rest are present.

She needs to compose herself otherwise she would give herself away before he ever could. They all seemed calm. She was freaking herself out for nothing. Her position as the head of the family and her grasp on the throne was safe. Or at least she would convince herself of it in this moment. Blue orbs continue to float amongst the ground when she notices an odd sight. Brow furrows as piercing gaze snaps up and settles on Temero, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

“What happened to your toes?”

Table by koi. Do not use without permission.

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

Aphrodite would glance towards the fight as it began before returning her attention to @Skjol when he had begun to speak. Ears twisting on top of her head when he spoke about not molding a family after northern ways before further explaining what he had to do as a child. What he had to endure as a child. She would chuckle at him. You misunderstand me, Skjol. I listen to the traditions of others and take what I think would fit my family. The Marvos family. She would start to explain. Don't get me wrong, my grandmother taught my mother the ways of the family she had married into which sounds just as brutal as the family you grew up in. So she had an idea about what he might have gone through.

Ears twisting on top of her head as she would listen to his question. No, we are not native. I lived in a land much further from here and grew up in a peaceful place where I craved chaos more. She would explain just as @Zinnia showed up and settled between her legs as she normally did. Dipping her head, Aphrodite would give the princess a sweet nudge before she would glance over towards who Zinnia was speaking to. And violet jewels landed on a familiar figure which brought a smile to her face.

Her scent came to Aphrodite and she could see that she was still pride less. Regardless, Aphrodite would give her a smile. Well, it's been a while @Elara. How are you doing? She would question before hearing her comment. Thank you. She would state but knowing that she had no pride on her pelt worried her about Luther possibly getting the Mire's crown again. She takes note of Vermeda here and the Bluff's. Two of their allies but something just gnaws at her stomach.

table by ryuu