The salt of the sea clings to the air, swirling with the scent of brine and magic. The obsidian sands are silent beneath her paws, dark as the fur of the witch she stalks. For weeks, she has watched, gathering evidence against the woman. Now, she is certain. She has found a witch, and for that, there is only one course of action.

Ragnhild follows without sound, her hunger gnawing at her insides. She craves the witch’s blood, craves the feel of her claws sinking into cursed flesh, but not yet. Not yet.

She is good.

Obedient.

The hunt has been long, but she does not tire. Her body hums with the energy of the chase, the beast inside her thrumming for release, for blood. But today, her prize is not for her. It is for the Pale One. Luther. The thought keeps her steady, keeps her claws from rending the witch’s flesh now. She will bring this witch back, drag her to Luther, show him her devotion. Then, and only then, will the witch’s life end.

Her eyes never leave the older, black-furred lioness ahead, slipping through the shadows, thinking herself safe. Foolish. The Witchslayer's lips curl into the ghost of a smile. The witch does not know how close she is to her end. Not yet.

The air is thick with salt and sorcery, the witch’s pungent Scilla scent strong as she closes the distance. She can taste the blood on her tongue already, feel the tension in her limbs as she prepares to strike. But she holds, waits, silent and still. She will not act until the time is right. She is more beast than woman, yes, but she has learned patience as the hunt demands.

The witch pauses. Too late.

The Huntress moves like a hulking shadow, swift and silent, her claws flashing in the dim light of the setting sun. The growl that rumbles from her throat is low, venomous, as she reveals herself, drawing dangerously near.

Sie kommen mit mir, Hexe You're coming with me, Witch.

Obedient.

Good.

@Heloise

code x art

She was too self-assured. Too certain in her security despite everything, perhaps because she had not seen what had happened at the war after she had left. Perhaps she simply never thought retribution would come to her from a place she had once called home.

The whispers of the spirits in her mind rose to a discordant warning shriek before hushing to soft whispers, giving her pause and causing her to start to turn just before the woman spoke. Heloise's ears flattened, eyes narrowing as she scrutinized the stranger. She was of the Mire, which already marked her as an enemy, but Heloise had also seen her at the war, fighting alongside another of her pride, the size difference hilarious if one was an outsider. But none of them had been outsiders that day.

I not be knowing what ye say, but I imagine my answer be no, she said. Though, she imagined she wasn't going to be given much choice in the matter.

@Ragnhild

Her body trembles with the need to finish this, to let the beast within her tear through flesh and bone. But she holds back.

She is good. Obedient.

The words of the woman, defiant, do nothing but fuel her bloodlust. There was nothing quite like prey that did not want to be felled.

And, oh, how glorious it will be.

The execution burns in her mind, the moment when her jaws will finally close around the witch's throat. It will be swift, brutal. She can already feel the blood, taste the satisfaction, feel the final exhale. But not yet. Not here. The Pale One must see the witch first. He must see her deep devotion, her loyalty, her restraint. The kill is coming, but she knows her place. She is patient.

Before that most pleasing moment, her quarry must be captured.

Crippled.

And so, Ragnhild lunges, her jaws parting as she aims for the witch’s neck, her weight intended to crash forward with the force of her attack.

Sie wollen sterben, she growls, low and menacing. You will die.

The promise is there, thick in the air between them. Her body aches with the struggle restraint, the need to end it all right here. But she does not forget herself. Luther will see the witch broken, brought to him before the final strike is made. Only then will her hunger be sated.

Ragnhild vs. @Heloise
For Major Maim (Limb Lameness)
Round I / IV
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 10 + 12 + 4 + 18 + 7 + 9 + 8 + 3

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 1 + 2 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 14 + 2 + 18 + 16 + 11

code x art

Yep, there it was. The woman came at her with seemingly lethal intent, her words once again not making any sense but Heloise was able to grasp a vague sense of understanding given the context. The scent of the Mire clung to the woman, and Heloise had a split second to acknowledge the irony before she had to focus entirely upon defending herself. She wasn't, typically speaking anyway, a fighter, but whenever she had found herself in a fight previously she typically found victory. Whether or not this would be the same she didn't know. It needed to be, for her sake.

Maua, please be watching over me, she thought as the woman slammed into her, driving her back in the sand as her jaws clamped around her neck. Heloise ducked her chin to protect her throat from being ripped out right then and there, though she noticed the woman didn't quite seem to be going for the kill. Perhaps just not yet.

Heloise reached up with her right front paw, attempting to get her claws into the woman's armpit, hoping to rend the tender flesh there. Her own jaws parted, seeking the woman's chest near her right shoulder in an attempt to get purchase with her teeth. The dead screamed in her ears all the while.

Heloise vs. @Ragnhild
for Major Maim
Round 1 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 12 + 3 + 18 + 19 + 4

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 17 + 1 + 16 + 3

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 10 + 18 + 3 + 5 + 16

Pain radiates from her shoulder, the sharp sting of claws raking her flesh, but she remains unshaken, her grip unyielding. She can taste the victory that awaits, that pulse of satisfaction when this witch finally breaks beneath her. It thrums within her—a quiet, steady hunger she will not yet indulge.

Her teeth tighten around the witch’s neck, a vise of control. With one fierce motion, she twists, muscles rippling as she attempts to haul the witch up just enough to slam her into the earth. The impact is her message, silent and absolute. She wants this witch to feel her own strength, to know that resistance is useless, that escape is not an option.

Sie werden knien, she growls, her words rough and venomous. You will kneel.

Her claws dig deep into the sand, grounding her, unyielding as she braces for any strike the witch might attempt in desperation. Her blood sings with purpose, each tremor of pain only sharpening her focus. She is not here to kill.

Not yet.

The only mercy this witch will know.

Ragnhild vs. @Heloise
For Major Maim (Limb Lameness)
Round II / IV
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 11 + 14 + 16 + 7 + 10 + 17 + 13 + 19

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 13 + 2 + 16

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 3 + 20 + 16 + 12

code x art

It was rare that she ran into another who was larger than her. She didn't have any practice in fighting against a larger lion, though it could be argued that she didn't have much practice in fighting at all. She did it only when she had to, and previously only in the defense of her pride mates. And then now, of course, perhaps in the defense of her very life. The woman didn't seem intent upon killing her, but Heloise had no doubt in her mind that if she fell here and was taken back to the Mire, she would not leave alive.

The woman lifted her, the flesh of her scruff tearing from the strain of trying to support her weight, and Heloise dropped her paw as she was slammed back down, her front legs bending in a desperate attempt to keep herself upright and absorb some of the shock of impact. It still radiated through her joints, eliciting a sharp pain, especially in her wrists. But she simply had to ignore it for the time being.

She lowered her head slightly, just enough to give her more room to whip it up a beat later, attempting to slam her head into the woman's throat or the underside of her jaw, whatever the crown of her skull struck first. Perhaps she could get her to let go. If she was shoved into the sand beneath the woman, she might well suffocate.

Heloise vs. @Ragnhild
for Major Maim
Round 2 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 8 + 17 + 14 + 18 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 16 + 13 + 12 + 11 + 18

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 10 + 13 + 1 + 7 + 20 + 9

The impact rattles her, pain sparking through her jaw as the witch breaks free. Her grip slips, her teeth snapping on empty air as she’s forced to fall back, recalibrating. She tastes her own blood, feels the throb of it in her jaw, but it only heightens her fury, feeding the fire in her veins. She does not relent.

She cannot.

Without hesitation, she shifts, a growl low in her throat as she surges forward again, her body coiled and steady. The beast within screams for control and demands obedience, and she does not refuse it. She swings her weight to the side, shoulder aimed to slam into the witch’s ribs, a brutal, calculated blow meant to force her to the ground where she would be easier to subdue.

Ragnhild vs. @Heloise
For Major Maim (Limb Lameness)
Round III / IV
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 18 + 16 + 13 + 4 + 10 + 9 + 19 + 1

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 12 + 3 + 15

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 19 + 11 + 14 + 3

code x art

She had a moment of satisfaction when she heard the woman's jaw snap shut, but it was short-lived as retribution was swift. Her breath rushed out of her at the impact to her side, a soft pop audible perhaps only to herself, or perhaps not audible at all and only felt. But still it had happened and pain reverberated through her. One of her ribs had surely cracked or given way, as now it hurt to suck the air back into her lungs. Worse still, she was driven sideways, stumbling, and though she was able to swing her hips around to keep the woman in front of her she was now crouched low to the ground in a position where she couldn't do much. Still she attempted to wrap her jaws around one of the woman's front wrists, determined to not give up.

Heloise vs. @Ragnhild
for Major Maim
Round 3 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 1 + 15 + 14 + 20 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 7 + 17 + 10 + 20 + 13

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 18 + 14 + 5 + 16 + 10 + 8

Pain sears through her wrist as the witch’s jaws clamp down, but Ragnhild does not falter. Her body trembles, a surge of agony shooting up her leg, yet she holds steady, bracing herself against the pull. She knows the ache, knows the burn, but her focus is singular, honed like a blade.

The witch will be felled, no matter the damage she must take.

With a fierce twist of her body, she rips her paw free, ignoring the sting of torn flesh as her claws dig into the earth beneath her. Her breath is heavy, strained, yet she doesn’t hesitate. Her good forepaw slams down, claws aimed at the witch’s shoulder, pressing down with the weight of her full strength.

She wants her pinned, wants her still, wants her broken.

Ragnhild vs. @Heloise
For Major Maim (Limb Lameness)
Round IV / IV
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 8 + 11 + 18 + 9 + 20 + 2 + 4 + 10

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 20 + 17 + 14

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 2 + 4 + 15 + 18 + 9

code x art

She had her! Aaaand then she didn't. The potential for freedom felt like it was ripped out of her jaws. Which it kind of was actually.

She didn't want to bend, but she had no choice, driven down by the other woman's weight and the way she had her pinned. There was nothing she could do about it other than to make sure she went down on her stomach and not her side, which would have placed her in quite the precarious position. Not that she wasn't already in one.

Her shoulder burned along with her side, every breath an agony as her strained breathing worsened whatever was going on there. She had to push through the pain, because to surrender wasn't in her. Her teeth flashed as she attempted to get her jaws around the woman's other ankle, the one pressing down on her shoulder, desperately wanting relief from the incessant pressure.

Heloise vs. @Ragnhild
for Major Maim
Round 4 / 4
Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 19 + 10 + 15 + 9 + 20

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 4 + 15 + 13 + 6 + 2

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 19 + 13 + 10 + 17 + 1 + 16