Lounging languorously on a sun-warmed rock at the heart of her territory, the Executioner stretched out, her regal head cradled upon her powerful paws. The gentle, rhythmic tap of her tail against the boulder echoed the calm confidence she exuded. As she allowed her eyelids to flutter shut, only her ears remained alert, gracefully swiveling to capture the symphony of sounds that swirled around her. She felt no fear, no unease; her awareness of her surroundings was a well-worn habit, a silent testament to her strength. With each deep breath, her lungs swelled and released, a soft dance of vitality that stirred her rib cage ever so slightly as she surrendered to the bliss of rest.

@Arcania ♔

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She'd been too busy to attend the challenge for the Cove that she knew had happened recently. In her defense, she was heavily pregnant, rapidly approaching the day when she would introduce new little X'uekai hellions into the world. So she was surprised when she saw @Miaran lounging on a rock within the Brook, instead of the presumably warm and sunny sands of her own pride. Arcania wasn't an idiot, however, and could guess what had happened. Interesting that she had chosen to return to the Brook instead of going to the Bluffs, Arcania thought, but she was more than welcome within their home.

Hmm... to leave her to her nap? Nah, that wasn't any fun.

So, who's on the shit list? she asked, plopping her hind end down before the rock to give her ankles just a little bit of a rest. Apparently carrying the extra weight of cubs was hard work on the body.

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The sound of footsteps drawing near sparked a fierce instinct within her, sending her torn ear swiveling toward the source of the noise. The scent that wafted to her told her all she needed to know—it was a friend, not a foe. With a deliberate motion, she slowly peeled open her solitary eyelid, revealing the depths of her soul within. The figure of a very pregnant @Arcania ♔ came into focus, and a spark of awareness flickered in her gaze.

With a raised eyebrow, Miaran shifted her stance, propping herself upright with a blend of defiance and grace. She crossed her front paws, a statement of her resolve, while her tail twitched in agitation, her lips forming a frown that barely concealed her inner turmoil. A very stupid boy. A Tollaire who had the audacity to wait until I was broken by the hardships of War to take the crown. With Avril and Khadija snatched away from me in the last brutal conflict, Caladan ceased to be my sanctuary long ago. I only took that cursed crown because Aphrodite is far too feeble to govern her own kingdom, she declared, her laughter laced with venom and rebellion.

I have my sights set on a different destiny, one shimmering just beyond the horizon, but patience courses through my veins like fire. I am deadly patient, and with every passing moment, my resolve only grows.

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Arcania chuckled low in her throat at the revelation that it was a man who had taken her throne from her. Ah, isn't it always the boys who think they can do things better? she asked. She didn't hate men, that was too strong of a word, but generally she wasn't fond of them, especially when they came after women who were strong in their own right. There were too many of those around for her liking. Then there were the ones who were just too stupid for their own good. Those she actually did hate.

How interesting that it was a Tollaire, though. She had recently learned of the resurgence of the family, and now it seemed they were not content to remain in the Oasis as the family usually did. Though, Drakon and Hecuba had always liked coastal prides, so she wasn't too surprised. There was likely a story here, though.

Sounds as though you're in need of a new kingdom to set your sights upon, she said. There were other places than the Cove. So many prides ripe for the taking. If you took the Summit or the Plains then we would all rule the northern portion of the lands between us. She was including the Bluffs in that "us", not particularly aware of the strained relations between them all.

@Miaran

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A pitiful whelp, still clinging to the shadows of childhood. He waits, biding his time to usurp me, seeking to claim what is rightfully mine, but only after I am left battered and broken by Death and War, her words drip with a venomous malice, each syllable laced with bitterness.

Miaran's tongue flicks against her lips as she shakes her head slowly, disdain swirling within her as she dismisses the notion of those selected pride. Brighid may have toppled a long-standing reign of the Witch, shattering her family into a thousand pieces, but me? I have no desire for those frosty vistas. The Plains? They can remain undisturbed for now, she declares, her voice hardening with resolve. No, my sights are set squarely on Alexander. That bâtard will know suffering unlike any he’s faced before. Mark my words, I will unleash a storm of retribution upon him, and the fury of the X'uekai, the Rike, and all our steadfast followers will sweep through the Savante like a tempest.

@Arcania ♔

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The younger they are, the bigger their ego is. Untested and untried, she commented. It was a given. The sheer audacity of youth, she thought. Thank goodness her own son hadn't gone through such a period. He knew full well his limits and limitations, and she was pleased with him for that though she continued to be annoyed at his abilities in some areas. He was doing well enough for himself, though, and had earned no complaints from anyone in either the Brook or the Bluffs, and so she said nothing further to him about it.

The Savante, eh? Arcania thought it interesting that they were expected to go against a rather large family within the lands, and she would admit that she had no desire to involve herself in such drama at that moment, with her cubs so soon to be born. She would leave that to Icefang to decide. They were still at war with the Lagoon, after all, and had to be wary of stretching themselves too thin. Though, if the Hollow lions were fighting alongside the Lagoon ones, then it wouldn't matter anyway.

I'm impressed you could bring the Rike to heel, she commented instead, speaking sincerely, knowing the whispers of that family, the things said at battles for prides that had been passed on to her by Temero in her absence. The Rike were not a family who took orders from a woman, she knew.

@Miaran

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The Executioner let out an almost imperceptible scowl, shaking her head slowly, her disdain palpable. The boy will soon learn that in the depths of my true strength—unfettered by the shackles of death and war—he will feel the full force of my wrath upon his very flesh. He’s merely tasted the smallest morsel of my capabilities so far. Let him cling to his crown for now, but know this: the day will come when another rises to hang him where he truly belongs—in the gallows!

The Savante had aligned themself alongside the Witches of Morrigan and Hero, the Undead Reti, and the weakened Lagoon. They were not just adversaries of Vermeda; they were foes to Ecrosia itself. Alexander, perched upon his lofty throne, needed to be brought down. He had suffered defeat for the sake of his own niece's theft—such irony! Milano had displayed cowardice, failing to seize his own liberation, while Miaran remained unaware that Milano had intentionally let Alexander imprison the former Caladan Lead Hunter.

To her, Alexander was nothing more than a fragile shell, and anyone with true courage would rise to prove just how feeble he truly was. She would take her time, to sharpen her claws and tighten her hold. Miaran felt no concern over victories or defeats in her brutal escapades; she had been forged in the fires of combat and taught to wreak destruction wherever she went. Each day was a gift, a chance to embrace the chaos of bloodshed and agony. Each scar etched into her skin was a badge of honor, every drop of blood that spilled from her wounds a testament to her ferocity, and every strike she landed on her opponents a celebration of her unyielding spirit.

When @Arcania ♔ spoke of reigning in the Rike, Miaran’s lips curled into a sinister smile. He may under appreciate the strength of women, but let it be known, the women have him firmly in their grasp, oui? He has tasted my devastation, felt the agony I can inflict. Morrigan's eye was snatched by my very own claws in the war sparked by Cassius, and Reti paid the ultimate price of Death in the conflict Luther ignited. Many may label me insane, but at least I possess the bravery to unleash my true power. Crown or no crown atop her head, she had triumphed in more battles than she had lost within this brutal land. Most of her defeats were mere stumbles, a result of her reckless dive into the next battle right after exiting another. If that boy had dared to confront Miaran as a real warrior and challenged her when she wasn’t still reeling from the wounds of war only weeks past, he would have seen his head severed from his shoulders and displayed as a grim trophy of her prowess.

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It was convenient that the boy had chosen to attack when Miaran was already weakened and wounded from the war. It was entirely possible the battle would have gone another way had she not been. One couldn't know for sure, of course. At the end of the day, it didn't really matter. Things had gone how they had gone. I'm sure someone will. Prides don't tend to stay in one's paws for long in these lands, she commented. With a few exceptions, of course. Very few. Like, she could name them off with one paw few.

She remained impassive as Miaran spoke of her battles in the war, privately thinking that bravery and insanity could and often were two sides of the same coin. Let her be proud of her insanity, though, Arcania thought. It wasn't as though they were entirely sane in the Brook either.

Yes, at least you're willing to stand up for your beliefs, she agreed. There were many who weren't. @Miaran was very much a practice what you preach sort, and she could respect that.

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Miaran may have been labeled as insane, branded as crazy, dismissed as unstable, but in truth, that very madness was what made her so perilously captivating. It was the haunting shadow of her upbringing, the life she fought through each day, that forged her into a tempest of danger. She lived unshackled by the fear of Death; in fact, the touch of pain and the embrace of agony were not just familiar to her—they were an invitation she welcomed with open arms.

The sands of Caladan would slip away from that boy’s grasp; he was merely a fleeting moment in her sweeping narrative of vengeance. With no crown resting upon her brow, she moved like a phantom in the night, cunningly gathering her strength while meticulously planning for the storm that loomed on the horizon. A War was indeed brewing, but in her heart burned an unfaltering patience—a deadly patience that could consume anyone who stood in her way.

This place is a mere whisper of comfort compared to the dark depths of my home. I am a hunter, the Executioner. From the moment I drew my first breath and took my first life at just a year old, I was forged for this destiny. It is the only truth I have ever known, she declared, her voice unwavering, each word a declaration of her relentless resolve.

@Arcania ♔

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A title well earned by the sound of it, she said, as Miaran mentioned taking her first life at a year. She wasn't the only one to have a family that required such a thing, Arcania suspected, but most never spoke of it. It was a secret tradition, a hunt for either animal or... well, obviously. Though the X'uekai did not have such rites, the name wasn't given to everyone, she knew. Her brother would never have earned it, despite being male. He'd been entirely too sickly, and had he lived she was sure he wouldn't have made a good example of their name. Though perhaps with Renozuri and Icefang's teachings he could have made somewhat of an attempt at it. But that was never to be.

Why choose between being feared or being respected when one can be both, she mused with a smirk. That was the goal, the desire. To be the boogeyman that was feared throughout the land. There was an inherent danger to it, one that @Miaran had clearly found, but it was so satisfying as well.

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