Oh? What was this? The sound of a commotion echoed down the tunnels of the Hollows and the maroon cub skittered through the shadows, edging closer to the small group of adults gathered. Onyx always did well to mind her own business, but anytime there was the sound of bloodshed she was not far behind. Morbid curiosity plagued her young mind, this was something that she would not ignore. She didn't quite care what they were fighting about, simply that she wanted to watch and perhaps learn a thing or two. Eventually despite her inclination to remain tucked away in the shadows she would creep closer to the adults. Close enough to hear @Kayla address the grey woman as @Thella ♔. But the words 'your majesty' is what catches her attention. "Are you the Queen?" She pipes up despite her notion to stay quiet, eyes ablaze with curiosity before they would shift back to the men fighting. She was torn for the moment, but eventually returns her gaze to the strangers. She'd yet to truly interact with anyone other then her parents, she supposed there were firsts for everything.

---

Ambassador EXP
+5 - Learn a character's name and rank (thella/yass Queen)
+5 - Meet a new member of your pride (Thella)
+5 - Observe a challenge and learn the results (Dmitri v. Hero for Lead Fighter)_{BG — ART — CODE}

There was a lot of pride to be had in watching @Dmitri fight for a role like Lead Fighter. Not only pride but also respect and further admiration. He had been one of, if not the, first friend that she had made in the Hollows and she still felt the strongest connection to him. The continued address that the male he was fighting was indeed a Hodari was a nice surprise. Strange that she and this male had come back to the same place after all these years... gravitating to the same places it seemed.

As for the pleasant @Kayla, Juliette shook her head. Oh no, I stem from a different family here in Amaryllis. One that was older in terms of this land than the Savante but she wasn't so vain as to brag about that in the present or the future. Juliette would leave Thella to explain her non-relation to the girl and was perfectly happy to let her attention sift primarily upon the striped tiger and the moves that he weaved.

^{ART BY AURORA, CODE BY CALA}

A fight for a rank, where he didn't want to genuinely injure his opponent, was a tricky endeavor. When the onyx lion managed to successfully slice a bit into his opponent's neck, his minor victory was tinged with guilt as he placed his paw back down on the ground. Still, the Hodari didn't let up, at least not yet. When Hero felt the triumph of holding the tiger's wrist in his jaws, the masked lion had to fight the urge to bite down harder. His plan to try and trip up his opponent was immediately thwarted, however, the moment Dmitri rose up on his hind legs.

Weight was pushed down on the Hodari's shoulder, leading to Hero wondering again just how much larger the striped beast was than himself. Did he even stand a chance with such a big size difference? He didn't leave himself time enough to figure that out before deciding it was probably best to release Dmitri's paw in order to focus on his own balance. Assuming he had no chance of pushing up against the striped man's weight, Hero squared up his footing for a moment before deciding to try and drop his right shoulder beneath his opponent's weight. Jaws were parted, but did not yet seek a target just in case he was successful in throwing the larger feline off his shoulders.

Hero vs. @Dmitri
2/3
for OH Lead Fighter
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 5 + 18 + 3 + 15 + 4 + 17

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 18 + 16 + 20 + 7 + 14 + 15

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 8 + 12 + 19 + 17 + 10 + 11

tb | stk | dv

She was late to the occasion. Had she slept longer than intended with her nap? perhaps. But when the call rang out for a challenge she wasn't super interested in it. But then her mind continued to prod at her, telling her that she needed to at least make an appearance. It would make her look good and involved in the going-ons of the pride. Which could be invaluable to show her devotion and such to the pride. She needed that if she wanted anyone to take her seriously with what she had in mind.

Wandering to the source of the challenge. There were quite a few members of the pride gathered, and she spotted the one who'd been at her own practice fight with her younger sister. An ear would flick as she meandered towards the gathered crew, aiming to plop her butt down next to @Thella ♔. "Who do you think will come out the winner?" She asked, gaze watching the fighters as she aimed to take note of the moves each was using.

code by corvus

The commotion could be heard through the many tunnels that made up the Hollows. Yet Clara was trying to focuse on making some mixed ups of plants to come.up with her own antidotes. Which weren't coming as right as she was hopping for. But she knew better to not let small struggles stop her from becoming the good healer she wanted to be.

But her curious nature was making it impossible not to want to go and see what was making such.

Finally she had lost all self control. She had to go and watch.

And so in a few moments she found herself on the scene, where some pridemates were into a fight for who knew what rank. But it might still give her the entertainment she didn't know she needed.

She lied down to watch.

+5 Observe a fight

Clara Savante

code by loki

Later, he'd be impressed by how many had come to watch. Seemed like he was more popular than he thought, or maybe most of them had just been bored. Though it was also entirely possible that they were interested in watching the newcomer to the pride fight. He would consider that later, as his paws were currently slipping down the other man's shoulders. He allowed it instead of trying to sink his claws in to keep his position, though he did let them out a bit in an attempt to leave some light scratches behind. He also allowed himself to fall forward slightly instead of straight down, attempting to throw some of his weight into the other man. Which might not have been the greatest idea as he saw his gaping jaws awaiting him, but hey, nothing ventured nothing gained.

Dmitri vs. @Hero
for OH Lead Fighter
Round 3 / 3
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 13 + 2 + 5 + 6 + 16

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 17 + 5 + 13 + 15 + 7

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 5 + 13 + 2 + 15 + 19

art by era, code by corvus

Feeling the weight on his shoulders shift and lessen, Hero knew he needed to act fast if he was going to avoid being taken down along with the tiger. The Hodari would aim to sidestep to his left as best he could in an effort to limit the amount of force being thrown forward from his opponent. There was a slight sting as the striped man's claws raked shallow cuts down along the lion's shoulder, but nothing that would be detrimental in the long run. Those hungry jaws, however, now found a target to aim for as Hero attempted to snatch at the right side of the tiger's neck. Despite not having a mane, it did look like the tiger's fur and skin was rather thick and loose, so the Hodari didn't presume he would do much damage if his teeth found their mark. He simply wanted to find a hold that could have been used for further attack had this been a real fight. His mind whirled in a sort of point system since neither feline was attacking with I'll intent. All the while, the masked man was oblivious to the growing crowd around them.

Hero vs. @Dmitri
3/3
for OH Lead Fighter
Hits:

Rolling 6d20: 1 + 2 + 14 + 4 + 18 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 6d20: 16 + 3 + 14 + 10 + 1 + 13

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 17 + 19 + 9 + 8 + 10 + 3

tb | stk | dv

Storm was late to follow the call, the crowd already gathered and the fight reaching its conclusion. She saw @Thella ♔ among the watchers and made her way to her. "Greetings." She nodded to the others around Thella. "What was the fight about?" She asked Thella, not having watched a rank fight before.

She recognized one of the fighters as Dmitri and she was sure she'd seen the other lion before, but wasn't sure whether she'd learned his name. They looked... calm. Respectful. Almost as if this were more of a training spar than a fight. It left her a little confused.

@Zsófia @Juliette @Onyx

---

+5 Observe a fight

edited to add tags

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY LARS

@Dmitri VS. @Hero FOR OBSIDIAN HOLLOW LEAD FIGHTER
— RESULTS —

Dmitri Hits: 3 + 4 + 2 + 4 luck = 13 hits
Dmitri Dodges: 3 + 3 + 3 = 9 dodges

Hero Hits: 3 + 3 + 2 + 5 luck = 13 hits
Hero Dodges: 4 + 5 + 3 = 12 dodges

Dmitri Successful Hits: 1
Hero Successful Hits: 3

HERO HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR OBSIDIAN HOLLOW LEAD FIGHTER!

The results of this fight cannot be acknowledged ICly until either both challengers have responded or 3 days have gone by — whichever comes first. Any posts breaking this rule will be removed.

Do you prefer your majesty or just Thella?

Are you the queen?

Thella turned, eyes landing on a small, maroon-pelted figure lingering nearby. A warm chuckle escaped her as she took in the sight. "Come here, dear. Come watch with us." She beckoned to @Onyx before responding to @Kayla, her tone light but sincere, "Just Thella, if you don't mind." Then, with a gentle smile, she turned her attention back to the cub. "And what's your name? Who are your parents?" Her ears twitched in curiosity as she wondered if this was another of Alexander's.

Her ear then swiveled to listen as @Juliette spoke, her interest piqued by what she was sharing. She didn't know much of her background, so it was nice to hear a little more about her. When it came time for Thella's to answer, she responded simply, "I am not either, nor am I a member of any families here. It's just me," she smiled. There was no sadness, just quiet acceptance. "Though I do consider many of the Savante family friends. Here's one of them now, actually." She nodded toward @Zsófia as the lioness entered the cavern and came to join them.

By the minute, more and more members filed in and Thella couldn't help but feel a quiet content. Tt had been some time since so many gathered together outside of their usual hunts, and she was pleased to see it. I'll need to speak with Alex, she thought as she observed the faces around her. There's been an influx of new arrivals and they need to be informed about the troubles in the Mire.

"They're quite evenly matched. It could be close until the end" she remarked, answering the lilac girl, and waving to another of her sisters, @Clara. As @Storm entered, Thella addressed her and the others, repeating for their benefit, "Commander of our fighting ranks." An important position, especially with increasing tensions. They needed as many strong fighters and leaders in their ranks as they could get.

art by moogle, code by lars