Well that was unexpected. He had expected that the rogue would put up a fight but instead he was insulted and attacked by one who smelt of the Brooks. "Filthy traitor!" He hissed as her words hit his ears as well as, as her body rammed into his own. Though he didn’t move that far maybe an inch. He hadn’t been expecting to be attacked by one who should have been an ally. Eyes narrowed and ears pinned he snarled as her claws raked down his hip. Shifting on his paws he attempted to sling himself towards her in a spin. Jaws open he was angry and would show no mercy as he attempted to try and bite the higher end of her back just below the shoulder blades. He could feel his own blood rolling hot and stinky down his hip and wanted to return the favor of drawing blood.

Fight Perks; +1 luck for pride-mates in fights when medic is present from Melusina.


Horith vs. @Ixora
For Imprisonment of June
Round 1 of 3
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 11 + 13 + 10 + 5 + 6 + 1 + 3

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 4 + 1 + 13 + 5 + 15 + 10

Luck:

Rolling 7d20: 19 + 2 + 9 + 3 + 15 + 10 + 16

code by corvus & art by Rabbit

She did not know Luther, and she did not care to know him. Avril's loyalty extended as far as her aunt-queen and that was it—one simple, focused goal. An unwavering loyalty, uncaring of Miaran's reasons, the delicacies of the who's and why's. Avril is exactly what she is, and that is one of the few soldier's in Caladan's army, and one of the three remaining pieces of their family that left their old life behind to start anew.

Luther, for his part, she could care less about.

The one thing she could not ignore, however, was the summons that called for her instead. Immediately, she prickles with anxiety, unable to wrench herself away from her current opponent and forced to watch as near-strangers defend Asbjorn's claim against her.

The uncomfortable pinch of his teeth in her otherwise thick scruff made an excellent distraction, and it wasn't until she felt the cold water licking her heels did she realize that @Khal was pushing her out. Her small, slim frame compared to the brawny one of his could not stand this dance for long—she would have to improvise, and fast.

I trust my queen, she whispers, her doe-brown eyes bearing into the handsome lilac-silver of his. The only thing I care about is her safety. If that means we are enemies now and allies tomorrow, then so be it.

So she lets herself drop, and hopes that she takes him down with her. Or, at the very least, cause him to stumble over the entanglement of their legs, and the grip of his teeth in her neck.

---

Avril vs Khal
for dominance
ii of iii

Hits:

Rolling 4d20: 7 + 2 + 5 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 17 + 3 + 2 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 5 + 7 + 3 + 1 + 9

reel me in

and just send me off

The darkness allowed the leopard to blend seamlessly into his surroundings, that narrow bar of sand showing him all who dared enter the violent fray. While more and more poured in, he could not help but wonder why they came so readily – what could possibly be worth sticking out their necks over. Even if he had arrived under the Firnen banner, there was no force that could pry Lorant out from the safety of hiding.

Though he had found a place safe from the main chaos, further erupting brawls had the cat's skin crawling uneasily. He looked over one shoulder to check that it truly was the only way in or out of that lagoon before kicking off to make a quick exit. He was not needed there; he had seen what he needed to see.

---

-exit- HIDING
+20 - Find a notable landmark in a territory (double xp via Peregrine)
+20 - Explore a territory and find something useful in it (double xp via Peregrine)
+10 - Use the terrain to your advantage (double xp via Peregrine)

code by corvus | art by max

This. Was. Madness. Rosalind had never seen such a mess before in her life. Not only was it more lions in one place than she had ever witnessed, but the number of fights breaking out left and right, up and down, and back again. The maned woman could hardly keep up with it all. Actually, she couldn't keep up with it all. Other than watching Colsun fight and trying to pick out who among the crap-ton of lions wore the Lagoon scent, she didn't know which way to look, what to watch, or who to help. She only just joined and hadn't met a soul besides the Heir. It was pretty clear to see who the High Sovereign was, but other than that, Roz was at a loss. For now, all she could continue to do was hang out along the outskirts, perhaps just looking for some clear sign that her help was needed.... however it was she could even help someone.

tb | bg | lines

She's never seen that sort of hate in Magdalena's eyes, and it does not invigorate her like she thought it would. Instead, dread and guilt and regret sinks deep into her belly, and it's just enough to cause her to hesitate for just a moment, for just a breath of a second. She can't do this. She can't do this. @Magdalena might be capable but Melusina has never killed anyone before. She can dream it and speak it and will it into existence, but now that she's staring right down its maw she takes it all back. She's just a little girl. She's just a little girl.

No...Magdalena, NO!

She can vaguely hear Dominic's voice through the blood pounding in her ears. Her sister's throat in her jaws, and she can't tell if she's wearing Magdalena's blood or her own. She swears, above the rancorous cacophony of battle, that Dominic's saying her name instead. Certainly, she just misheard him.

Please! Stop, please! Magdalena, I love you!

I know, I know, I know.

Wait—

Her head swivels to @Dominic, but it is not her he's looking at. It's her sister.

Her eyes widen in disbelief.

She's not worth it. She's not worth your life!

What is the worth of her life, Melusina wonders? How does one quantify the value of one who's betrayed everything she ever was? Magdalena has always been what Melusina wanted to be; just as small, just as sickly, but powerful. Clawing her way from the bottom through nothing but her own merit and determination. She's everything Melusina could never be, for there's not an ounce left of kindness or valiance or love left within her. None that isn't gnarled beyond recognition.

She shouldn't be surprised she has Dominic, too. She was more than capable of putting back together all the pieces that Melusina cleaved apart.

But she still has one thing her sister does not. She—she—

She turns to @Cassius ♔, and sees the shock register in his eyes just as quickly as it dissipates. With an almost annoyed snarl, he turns and walks away. Melusina chokes out a startled cry as Magdalena's teeth sink deeper into her.

Look at me.

But she cannot will him to read her thoughts, and she cannot speak with her sister's vice grip around her neck. He doesn't turn back.

Look at me.

Look at me!

Please...

But he doesn't. He disappears through a sea of lions, and is gone just like that. Melusina clenches her eyes shut, reeling from the pain through the grit of her teeth.

How much is her life worth, she wonders.

By the time she hears @Arion's desperate calls from behind her, tears are slipping from the corners of her eyes. She's been holding this position but the grip her sister has on her is suffocating, and her lungs are too weak and too small to suffer it much more. How easy it would be to give in now; to give Dominic what he wants, to spare Cassius the sight of her death before she's even begun to live.

I want to live.

I want to live, I want to live, I want to live.

So she reels her head back from Magdalena's throat, and attempts to wrest herself free of the Barony's grip with an ear-piercing scream.

---

Magdalena connects with her left should at the same time, and Melusina's feet skid across the cold sand as they're pushed toward the water. She's only just barely able to keep her balance against her sister's rough shove, but her paws are unsteady, and all four of them have to remain grounded lest she be wrestled to the ground.

So she uses her teeth, again, and seeks to grab ahold of Magdalena's ear, hoping that enough of a yank on the sensitive appendage might be just enough to lessen the suffocating grip on her neck.

---

So this—is it, she manages between pants. You're choosing—him.

Choosing Alaric, who would have been better off dying that day and being remembered as a valiant father who hadn't chosen their once-enemy over them. Choosing Dominic, who loves Magdalena over her, who perhaps has always loved Magdalena over her.

And Cassius is walking away.

Melusina is entirely alone. A fate of her own design.

I want to live. I want to live. I want to live.

I want justice. I want revenge. I can't let you kill me.

Even if it means ruining everything.

Even if it means being entirely alone in the end.

---

Melusina versus Magdalena
for death
ii of vii
Hits:

Rolling 2d20: 13 + 11

Dodges:

Rolling 8d20: 8 + 19 + 2 + 11 + 7 + 6 + 15 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 10 + 17 + 1 + 5 + 12 + 20

code by cala, art by yumpy

+10 20 Infiltrate a pride’s borders by pretending you’re a member
+10 20 Break a pride law
+10 20 Participate in a raid or war
douple exp from peregrine

[[coming in hot with a minor maim, but can downgrade to a dominance match if you'd prefer]]

He'd find his own way, he'd said, that night at the passage. And what a way he'd found. Sure, it had taken some time - the weather had turned and gone bitter - but the symphony of violence ahead was one that always sent such a pleasant tingle down his spine (among other places).

Did he know anyone present? No. Would that stop him? Also no.

Maō did take the time to skirt the borders and size up the event, though it offered no clue as to what had sparked it. By the decorations and such, it seemed the original intent had been a party of some kind, but it had turned into something much more fun. He'd find a spot out of easy view and take a moment to adjust his scent, picking up the scent of Scilla Lagoon from the border itself so that he might slip in, unnoticed, as if he belonged there. Then, he'd pass right over the scent line, so that he could approach the battle from within the territory - as if he was just a member who was late to the event.

There was quite a bit of chaos, but Maō was perfectly at home in such an environment. He stalked and wove between and around battles easily, unbothered by flying fur and blood. Many seemed paired up already, but finally someone captured his attention. A lone lion. Calling for his mother? Friends or family? Adorable.

As the convenient stranger ran toward someone he seemed to know, still yelling names, Maō would begin his approach. He aimed to rush the stranger from behind, attempting to hook the claws of his right paw deep into the skin of the younger male's right-side hip, and clamp his jaws down on the base of the stranger's tail. He'd plant his rear paws in the sand and try to yank the stranger to a halt by his tail.

Did Maō know that this boy was from a pride allied to the one he was impersonating? Absolutely not, but that wouldn't have stopped him anyway.

Maō vs. @Fearne
Minor Maim (partial tail removal based on angle of approach, can change)
Round 1 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 3 + 10 + 4 + 7 + 5 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 17 + 12 + 9 + 11

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 4 + 13 + 19 + 5 + 9

code by corvus || pattern

"Nullam sodales posuere leo, sed dictum magna feugiat eget."

It was over. He had failed. Failed so epically it was embarrassing, but where he should have ducked his head shamefully, he offered his opponent a wicked grin. He may have failed, but as he glanced around, he was able to note that the bride was not there anymore. Hopefully someone else had succeeded.

Gaze shifted to Matti as he tried to get back to his paws, only to see that damned coconut coming at him and before he could respond it had connected with a thud to the side of his head, pain exploded for only a moment as his vision went black and his body slumped back down to the sand for a nice, undeserved nap. He would have quite the lump on his head when he woke up (hopefully back in the brook).

-exit via being knocked out-
@Matthieu

Assassin
+20 Participate in a raid or war (actively fighting, healing, or helping others) (double xp from peregrine)
+20 Successfully poison someone (non-lethal) (double xp from Peregrine, poisoned Matti during fight)

code by corvus & art by rabbit

Orson lay crouched on the outskirts of the absolute shit show that played out before him. The sandy terrain and the tickling sea grass was familiar, though it had been so long since he had stepped paw upon his birth land. He had been nearby when the chaos has erupted, stalking the outskirts of the swamp land, where he had last picked up her scent. That very fact alone had him feeling quite irritable these days. Imagine his surprise when he laid eyes upon quite the number of familiar faces as he lay poised in the shadows, observing the happenings with a snarl curling his lip. He caught sight of his siblings, caught wind of the words exchanged as he fought for Anniston’s freedom. It was touching, really, but Orson made no move to join in on the action. A creeping sense of betrayal held him in place, his confusion and distrust further abetted by Olive’s actions as she turned against the very lioness whom they both shared a certain fondness for. Orson didn’t want to believe what he was seeing, he wanted to turn away and flee but a morbid fascination locked him in place and so there he stayed. His azure gaze swept across the war field, alert and observant from his place of concealment. Orson is currently hiding

"speech"

The chaos ensued and Sarai settled in quietly to watch, her gaze darting back to the Noble of the Brook as his fight came to an end. He had lost, if anything could be told by the way he slumped over, trying to get to his paws before he was hit by a….what was that? A rock? No, it was too rounded, too smooth. It wasn’t a rock, her head tilted to the side. She had never seen a coconut before so she wasn’t sure what it was. Either way, Lathan slumped back into the sand and this time- he didn’t get up.

Sarai felt a pang of worry in her chest- not because she knew who he was, but because he was making their pride look bad and well…her mother didn’t like that. She had seen the sharp looks given to the noble here and there, but there was also worry because…well.. him laying in the sand made them vulnerable. What if he was captured and interrogated? Little did the young X’uekai know that Lathan had been interrogated and tortured many times- that he was one that did the torture for the Brook.

Little paws itched to move, to go and wake him up. Before she thought too much on it, she slunk forward, gaze warily darting to the male that had knocked him out…but he seemed sufficiently distracted. Sarai stopped at the nobles head and nudged him with her paw. Nothing. She rolled her eyes. Using both of her front paws she pressed against the side of his skull to try to shake him awake. "C’mon…wake up…" She grumbled quietly. Eyes darting around to make sure no one was paying attention to her.


@Matthieu

-- she is in the works of being abducted. Please do not steal her.--

code by corvus & art by rabbit

Alaric is familiar with defensiveness. He is familiar with the way she spits at him, anger and vitriol to mask where there is no clear answer.

Oh, but Alaric knows. Was it not himself that taught Luther the ways to win favor, after all? The charm that his white son oozed, the lies that fell so easily from his tongue? Alaric Starke knew it well, and so should he be so surprised that she had fallen victim to it?

"Once," he admitted, "before he crossed lines that even I would not cross." But he did not elaborate, and it did not matter. Before they could talk any more on the topic there is a body flying at the girl and his own attention is torn away, snagged by the magnitude of fights that erupt.

Focused on the only one that really mattered with an emotional "NO" torn from his throat. The sound that wrenches from him is echoed by another, one more intense, even. Enough that his eyes are drawn that way -- to settle on the boy he had thought long lost. The son he had imagined could only be dead.

"Arion..." a gasp as wild eyes dance from the sisters to the brothers (one as wide-eyed as himself and the other locked in a deadly battle with yet another son). All around him the pieces are scattered, the bonds torn to shreds, and a piece of Alaric Starke dies a cruel and brutal death.

Without thinking he is lurching towards the boy and attempting to step between him and the fight, to block his view of a scene he hopes against all hell will not come to fruition. @Arion @Anniston

coding and art by dusk