This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [infanticide, cannibalism, violence]

A tiny part of Icefang felt perplexed by the demand of Renozuri. She knew @Miaran had a strong character, but she had not expected for the lioness to earn her way out of the family so quickly. While the queen overlooked a lot of serious matters, the discussion of harming the future generation unsettled her. It would be she who determined if the cubs were unfit to raise, not Miaran. She knew the lioness was due to give birth soon and while she had considered ripping the cubs out of her womb herself, she wondered if there might be an easier way to go about this. At the very least she planned to confront the soon to be mother and collect her thoughts on the litter that she would bring into the brook. Tracking her scent, Icefang issues a few chuffs calling for Miaran’s attention.

SPEECH

Destroying everything seems like the best option

code by corvus / art by NAKI

The days crept closer, heavy with anticipation and dread, as the moment of her litter's arrival loomed on the horizon. She found herself drifting away from everything familiar, even her beloved husband, sinking into a chasm of solitude that echoed with uncertainty. Shadows moved at the edges of her thoughts as she eluded the confines of her new family, yearning for the warmth of a true home—a belonging that felt as elusive as a whisper on the wind. With each step she took towards Vermeda, but it was abruptly stifled when the haunting call from @Icefang ♔ reached her ears. A surge of hesitation washed over her heart; it was a bittersweet lullaby drawing her back to a tangled web of relationships.

With a deep breath that rumbled in her chest, she crossed the invisible line of borders, her spirit both heavy and light as she approached the X'uekai Matriarch. She halted a few paces from the older white lioness, a mix of respect and uncertainty swirling within her. Oui? You called for moi, la belle-mère? The words slipped from her lips, tinged with a blend of defiance and attention.

The Executioner’s brow lifted, her singular, piercing gaze locking onto her as if searching for hidden truths beneath the surface. As her tail flicked slowly behind her, her stomach had swelled, betraying the life within her, though she had worked tirelessly to maintain an image of strength and grace. Yet here she stood, in a moment suspended between hope and fear, desperately seeking her place in a world that felt both like a cage and a sanctuary.

table code by daanyen

She isn't waiting long until @Miaran finds her, Icefang's blue eye roaming over the lioness and settling on the bulge of her swelling stomach with a heavy silence. Already she had thrown up the cold stone walls around her heart. Miaran was a killer and former queen who had ruled with a viciousness that the X'uekai matriarch admired. She had operated on her own goals, allying with the Mire despite the Bluffs' protest to further her own agenda. She was everything that Icefang wanted in this family. It was a true shame that the executioner had mingled with her consort. Even in death, Renozuri still held influence over Icefang as she now contemplated how to initiate his next decree. Despite her personal feelings on the matter.

"You are due soon," she rumbles, an obvious fact as she recalls that this is not the woman's first litter. It might of been some time since she had conceived, but she was not naïve to her body's changes. "Has Velasco been treating you well?" Her tone is motherly, feigning concern as she furrows her brow. It did not matter if her son was being respectful for Miaran's fate was predetermined. Once the children were expelled from her womb, she would be losing the X'uekai title and run out of the brook or killed before the cubs could imprint on their biological mother. To let her leave with her life was a mercy that Icefang preferred to grant, but only if it proved to be the easier route. "How are you feeling about this litter?" She had been told the story of her past and the implications it had brought to Miaran's shriveling relationship with her previous mate, Aphrodite, and while Icefang had been accepting of the executioner's history, she wanted to continue the false perception that everything was going to be alright.

SPEECH

Destroying everything seems like the best option

code by corvus / art by NAKI

The weight of despair that the Executioner had felt time and time again in these unforgiving lands was met with disdain for many souls. Deep down, she understood the bitter truth: no one would ever truly embrace her heart, save for Khadija. The lioness who had become more than just a sister; she was a luminous beacon of friendship and unwavering trust in an otherwise shadowy existence. Khadija alone held the secret of Miaran’s deepest sorrows—why her first litter had perished and why her former husband’s life had been snuffed out. Adeline had stood witness, casting a cold stone of judgement, her callous decree intertwining Miaran's fate with the harsh hand of Mob Law. Louve had yet to earn her stripes; her respect for @Icefang ♔ was but a whisper, a mere flicker of acknowledgment that halted just shy of reverence. For now, Icefang remained the Matriarch—until that may change.

Oui, I am, she declared, her voice a lifeless husk devoid of warmth. The revelation that Velasco’s lineage was marred by the taint of a blind male, a former Patriarch, darkened her spirit and poisoned her anticipation for the forthcoming litter. To be blind was to embody weakness, and in her unforgiving world, there was no room for such frailty.

When faced with questions, silence enveloped them like a heavy fog, clinging to their beings until Miaran finally shattered it with words that dripped with a chilling clarity. Velasco has embraced my penchant for violence. Aphrodite never could. He is far more fitting as a mate than both Aphrodite and Claude. But even as she spoke, her disdain for Renozuri, a man she saw as broken and feeble, churned like a tempest within her. Whatever power he had once possessed now meant nothing to her; he would always be a weak, blind man in her eyes. Cassius, too, she held no fear of him in her heart—she had faced countless adversities, and she was not one to tremble before either of them.

Miaran stood on the precipice of cruelty, her own history steeped in bloodshed and loss. She had ripped families apart and seized the eye of the Witch former Queen after Rainer's failure, taken the life of the now Undead Reti, outmaneuvering Death time and again since her youth. She was unruly as the tempestuous sea, merciless as a blizzard, an unstoppable force like a raging hurricane. She bore the mark of danger, and the specter of Death itself held no dominion over her heart.

When questioned about the impending litter, Miaran flicked her torn ear in defiance, her body a statue of stubborn resolve. The silence thickened like fog, her solitary eye locked on Icefang’s, her tongue brushing against her lips as anticipation crackled in the air. Finally, she pierced the stillness, Do you understand my traditions? Do you comprehend what is demanded of every cub upon their first breath? What must be fought for, earned at a cost, lest we face our demise by the time we reach a mere year? Her tone was chillingly devoid of feeling, a frosty mask hiding the tempest of thoughts swirling within her—a heart iced over, barricaded against the vulnerability that had no place in her world.

table code by daanyen

There is confirmation in @Miaran's words though there is no warmth or excited in her tone nor her eyes. Icefang does not miss this minuscule detail, but she keeps the note to herself as she has often seen the female expressing herself in this manner. Velasco has embraced my penchant for violence. Aphrodite never could. He is far more fitting as a mate than both Aphrodite and Claude. She dips her skull slightly, eyeing her with approval as she shifts her body to sit, attempting to cloak the silence with an air of comfort inviting her ally to continue their pleasant conversation. "I am glad you find him satisfactory. It is hard to find suitable men nowadays." She comments dryly, flicking an ear forward.

Do you understand my traditions? Do you comprehend what is demanded of every cub upon their first breath? What must be fought for, earned at a cost, lest we face our demise by the time we reach a mere year? A soft brow raises, contemplating the questions she is faced with. "I am not daft. While we don't have a slew of traditions for the X'uekai, I have lived amongst families that do. We uphold strength and cast out the weak. I respect your traditions and do my best to understand your need to follow them." She rolls her shoulders back in a lax attitude, one snowy white fur lifting to her lips as she begins to groom her forelimb.

SPEECH

Destroying everything seems like the best option

code by corvus / art by NAKI

TRIGGER WARNING!
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [extreme violence , cannibalism , violent deaths , mention of an egregious act toward a cub , Cult/religious rituals/events that have acts that could be triggering , . ]


The Executioner watches the older white lioness with a careful intensity, her remarkable ability to detach from things so swiftly was what earned her the title she bears. This emotional detachment protects her from straying from her unyielding list of duties as an Executioner.

When @Icefang ♔ sat down, Miaran remained standing, her focus shifting as she clawed at the rough bark of a tree trunk. There was a heavy pause in her movements, as she listened to Icefang’s words sink in before turning to face the other lioness with her singular, piercing eye. Non, I do not think you truly understand. At just one year old, we are pitted against our own siblings in a brutal fight to the death. The weaker one in the pair will perish and be consumed. If no other siblings are left to contest in the litter, or if the numbers are odd, they are forced to battle against another cub of similar age from a different litter. When we emerge victorious, we are granted a title, a solemn role to uphold until our own demise.

A heavy silence envelops the air, allowing Icefang to grasp the cruel reality of Mob traditions, which were mercilessly violent and allowed no room for imperfection. No place for a weak individual in the next generation. If one cannot survive as a yearling, they are deemed unworthy of life. I am called Executioner for a reason, Icefang. Reti is not the first life claimed by the swing of my axe, and he surely will not be the last. My sister serves as my Judge. For every group of sisters, there exists a Judge, a Juror or Jury if multiple match, and an Executioner. All males, if they possess the strength to survive their sanctioned Death match, are Deputies. Husbands from outside families will earn that title if they win a maim against their accepted wife. But it is the Judgment passed that holds the Axe and the Bonds. If males fixate solely on reproduction, it is the females who wield the true power of violence. Renozuri insulted me profoundly by requesting only male offspring, as if I could dictate what my body creates or how many. As if any female I produce would be frail. If the male line is strong enough, then the females born should be valued as equally strong as the males. Or do you believe Arcania is weaker than Velasco simply for being female?

Another pause hangs in the air as she shifts to face Icefang directly, her frown deepening. A dead man holds no power, no matter how grand their thoughts may be. They may whisper in the ears of the living, but, as you witnessed during the War, they bear no influence over me. I will heed to no dead or undead man. Her tone is resolute, making it abundantly clear that even Reti and Renozuri belongs to that list. However, her memories of Cassius poor impression when they officially met after she had seen him lose to Isla for the Lagoon would leave a sour taste in Miaran’s mind. In her heart, she considers both the former and current Patriarchs of the X'uekai utterly inadequate. The former, blind and dead, raises doubts in her: if Cassius held the title of Patriarch, was he truly strong? Was he truly deserving?

The grim traditions of the Mob regarding the Matriarch call for Death to be determined by two formidable females in each family. The traditions of the Mob, which Renozuri so carelessly insulted, were birthed from violence, ingrained from the moment one could comprehend, leading to a relentless confrontation with Death by the tender age of one. The lionesses forming the Elders were the Matriarchs of each family. It was Estelle, one of Miaran’s older sisters, a Juror, who now held the revered seat of their family’s Matriarch placement after Miaran had slain their own mother. Miaran’s aversion to the spotlight and the labyrinthine politics of their world had never been her preferred path. She would always be the villain.

table code by daanyen

While she sits attempting to invite a calming atmosphere to the tense conversation, Icefang observes @Miaran quietly as she ignores the offer and begins to mar her claws into a nearby tree.

Non, I do not think you truly understand. At just one year old, we are pitted against our own siblings in a brutal fight to the death. The weaker one in the pair will perish and be consumed. If no other siblings are left to contest in the litter, or if the numbers are odd, they are forced to battle against another cub of similar age from a different litter. When we emerge victorious, we are granted a title, a solemn role to uphold until our own demise.

While the Mob's traditions were brutal to a degree, that did not mean that X'uekai members weren't exposed to a harsh life. "The strong survives," she echoes casually once again holding her gaze, unbothered.

I am called Executioner for a reason, Icefang. Reti is not the first life claimed by the swing of my axe, and he surely will not be the last. My sister serves as my Judge. For every group of sisters, there exists a Judge, a Juror or Jury if multiple match, and an Executioner. All males, if they possess the strength to survive their sanctioned Death match, are Deputies. Husbands from outside families will earn that title if they win a maim against their accepted wife. But it is the Judgment passed that holds the Axe and the Bonds. If males fixate solely on reproduction, it is the females who wield the true power of violence. Renozuri insulted me profoundly by requesting only male offspring, as if I could dictate what my body creates or how many. As if any female I produce would be frail. If the male line is strong enough, then the females born should be valued as equally strong as the males. Or do you believe Arcania is weaker than Velasco simply for being female?

Icefang rolls the words over her in head having heard them before. Judge, Juror, deputy...blah blah. What keeps her blue eye from glazing over with boredom at the implied notion that she cannot comprehend the violence of these traditions in her frail seniority is the sudden shift to Renozuri. While under normal circumstances she would not speak ill of her former husband, Icefang was more concerned with ensuring that her claws would be able to keep the children growing inside Miaran. She remains silent as the executioner continues her spiel, a brow raising at the fact that she is accused of sharing the ideals of the X'uekai.

A dead man holds no power, no matter how grand their thoughts may be. They may whisper in the ears of the living, but, as you witnessed during the War, they bear no influence over me. I will heed to no dead or undead man.

Once she is granted her chance to speak, the queen responds in a level headed tone. "You claim the dead holds no power, but Renozuri's remarks offended you. He is dead as we all know. A ghost with zero control, only a meaningless buzzing in our ears." It killed her on the inside to speak of him this way, but she was determined to keep control of her own emotions. Every action she partook in was for the good of the X'uekai or at least Icefang had convinced herself that was the case when confronted about her actions. "Have I expressed any concern regarding the genders of your litter? All I have worried about is your comfort inside the Brook and if you’re satisfied with your mate. I have zero desire to smother your freedom, traditions, or beliefs despite your marriage to my son that makes you part of my family. Velasco sees you as a worthy counterpart and he has proved himself when it came to following your traditions, or am I wrong?" Her tongue flicks over her bottom lip in thought. "I am shocked you would think I view Arcania as weaker because she is female. If I believed that, then why is Arcania my sovereign instead of Velasco? If I believed Renozuri’s mindless chatter, then why is it me, a female, leading the Brook and X’uekai?"

Miaran had claimed a lot of things to Icefang, but it was these assumptions towards her that make zero sense. “The children will prove themselves, regardless if they are male or female, or whatever a ghost says about them. And if they don’t? They will perish as per your laws.” The queen reverts back to silence, allowing her words to now sink into Miaran’s ears.

SPEECH

Destroying everything seems like the best option

code by corvus / art by NAKI

TRIGGER WARNING!
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [events that have acts that could be triggering , egregious act toward a cub, deaths , violent thoughts ]


Miaran keenly observed every nuance, every flicker of emotion, every delicate inflection in Icefang’s voice; these were skills she had honed over a lifetime. A suffocating silence enveloped them, heavy and tense, as if the very air around them were filled with unspoken words. At last, she shattered the stillness, her voice cutting through the weight with a fierce intensity. As I have made clear to Reti, I will bow before no one—neither the living nor the undead, and certainly not the dead. Velasco has earned a thread of my respect by honoring some of my traditions, she paused, a deep breath punctuating her determination, but Renozuri took offense at my casual words. He dared to insult the very traditions and laws I hold sacred, laws I will defend even beyond the realm of Le Milieu. Will the X'uekai choose to uphold the path of female leadership, or will we regress, as Velasco once spoke of? Will Cassius steer this family back to the chains of patriarchy after your time, after Arcania’s time?

Her inquiry hung in the air, sincere yet spoken in an even tone, betraying the depths of her curiosity. However, there was an unyielding spirit within her; the Executioner would never be shaped or subdued by anyone, not even by the Matriarch of her new family. While she bore respect for Icefang, it could never quite reach the reverence she felt for Louve. Should anything sever their ties—just as Aphrodite had fled from Miaran in fear, or Reti had dared to challenge her to death—the Executioner would become the hunter, adding to the relentless pursuit. Her patience was a venomous weapon, more lethal than any she wielded.

Even with a target on her back, she would rise and fight. She would dismantle all who stood in her way. Or die trying. The Executioner had been unchained from the grasp of Le Milieu, free to carve out her own narrative, to draft her own list of those who would meet her reckoning. These unborn children had never been part of any grand design.

Throughout this tumult, she remained in silence, allowing it to thicken around them until she chose to sit, the painstaking rituals of maintaining her strength contrasting sharply with the life burgeoning within her. I have scented my Judge. I shall obey the edicts of Le Milieu, not of the X'uekai, she spoke softly, her words wrapped in cryptic layers, an invitation for Icefang to probe further. Miaran would not bring new life within the borders; the storm she was destined to unleash her birth would drape everything in its wake.

A carefully chosen birthing den lay prepared, stocked with all she would need; this was the sacred way of Le Milieu. The strongest cub would be returned to Vermeda for judgment by the Matriarch in a secondary den, distanced from her husband. She felt the stirring lives within her, those hints suggesting more than just two, and she knew they would be safe with Khadija—or fate willing, with her Judge, Adeline. Until then, she would keep the location of her birthing secret, fiercely protective and ready to kill for her cubs, even though her maternal instincts might not be all-consuming. The love she could provide would manifest in the only way she knew—unyielding and fierce.

Miaran understood that she would not raise her own cubs if her Judge was found. It was a Judge who raised the litters. The days pressed on towards her birthing, anxiety gnawing at her heart as she hoped beyond hope that Avril could be found after her theft in the War. Unbeknownst to her, Adeline was shadowing the Executioner—her Judge had discovered Miaran long before, during the last great War. Adeline had cast the judgment on Miaran’s previous litter, commanding their cruel end. Miaran was not devoid of heart; she harbored her own kind of sorrow for the lives she had been compelled to extinguish. Yet, she felt no remorse for the death of Claude, nor for that of his consort and their tainted children; their legacy was stained, corrupt beyond redemption by illness that would have killed the cubs naturally before a year, not worthy of the future.

table code by daanyen

Her push back regarding Renozuri and the accusation that she upholds the traditional X'uekai beliefs are mostly ignored, overlooked as @Miaran throws a potential prophecy. "Not even I can tell the future, Miaran. As I am sure you could not of predicted the events that led to you living here - under my rule." There was always a chance for the family to revert back to their normal ways. Icefang had been an exception, ruling by her iron fist and aggression. It was up to her successors on what happened to their family after she was gone. All she could do was teach and attempt to instill her values. She could not predict the course of their lives, much in the way Miaran could not predict that the future generations would uphold Mob laws. All it took was one rebel and open minds for it to crumble apart.

A brow raises when the comment about her judge is made. This does not please her, but she retains a neutral facade. "What would those be?" She questions, curious on what tradition she planned to follow now.

SPEECH

Destroying everything seems like the best option

code by corvus / art by NAKI

TRIGGER WARNING!
This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of [events that have acts that could be triggering , egregious act toward a cub, deaths , violence ]


Doubts of marrying into the X'uekai gnawed at her mind, yet she resolutely buried them in the depths of her soul, refusing to let them surface in this moment. Her gaze remained fixed upon the X'uekai Matriarch, scrutinizing every nuance, every flicker in her eyes. She would not be cowed; her spirit soared fiercely with the knowledge that she could sever ties with her kin if a man dared to impose his will upon her. Even Velasco, her husband, possessed no dominion over her. She would tear him asunder if he tried to chain her.

When asked about the traditions she was bound to uphold, Miaran let her tail curl protectively around her hindquarters, her tongue gliding over her lips as she spoke with a haunting tranquility. Le Milieu demands that all births occur in the presence of a Judge—ideally, our Family Judge. Mine is my sister, though another of my blood walks these lands, my niece Avril, a Judge stolen away during the War. It is decreed that our births unfold away from our homes—eyes must be present, but only those of our Judges. Their judgment alone holds the knowledge necessary to discern if a cub is… healthy and fit to thrive. Should a cub bear fatal defects at birth, the decree is clear: they are to be extinguished. It is an unyielding truth. If any flaws are detected before the cub reaches a moon in age, they face Judgment. To defy that Judgment invites ruin, calling down death upon both the parent and the offspring.

The heart of Le Milieu beat with a pulse of community, not just family—a vibrant tapestry woven from dozens of families, nearly hundreds of souls. For centuries, this was their truth, a way of life that birthed understanding over conflict, unity over strife. Power did not lie within a single family in Le Milieu; authority resided in the collective wisdom of the Matriarchal Counsel, where the highest-ranking Judges presided. Some families shared their strength, resulting in one Elder to guide multiple clans. Here, “Elder” was not a title conferred by age, as in the case of @Icefang ♔, but was bestowed upon any eldest female within the family deemed worthy, even those as young as five years. In Miaran's family, it was Estelle, her eldest sister, who was their Matriarch.

If the litter faces Judgement, the strongest seeming cub is brought back to be evaluated by the Matriarch. This pivotal moment determines if they will be embraced into the fold before the others are revealed. Should the Matriarch shun the cub, the remainder of the litter is marked and cast out from our land, destined to be raised among the Outcasts. These are the ones who have endured, yet must now prove their worth on their own.

Her voice shifted slightly as she continued, Claude met his end for siring two litters born into this world flawed beyond hope—one with me and one with his illicit lover. Both were deemed failures and had to perished, sealing away his bloodline with his own death. Adultery is a sin within our laws. That pouffiasse (whore) faced the wrath of the Matriarchal Order's Judgment; I swung that axe without mercy. Our lives are weighed and measured from the moment we take our first breath. I did not slay my children without cause; they would have known only suffering beyond a moon’s passing. We eradicate the weak out of compassion. We purge feeble lines out of necessity.

Hope flickered within her, a prayer that the X’uekai bloodline was unbreakable. Absolute blindness, while a flaw, did not warrant death; if they were resilient, if they were deserving, they could learn the art of healing. Trained to uplift the community, yet free of titles, they could survive—under conditions, under circumstances, and with the Court’s blessing.

table code by daanyen