“It’s more than just… that,” he answers to @Roarke, except he doesn’t think this is the best place to be discussing the lengthy strange history between the two prides — or how the Mire tangled themselves up in it, either. It’s a mess that Cupid has only brushed the surface of himself with confusing twists that lead to dead ends and he… just doesn’t get it. Roarke in the Rainforest avoided the conflicts thus far — though little did Cupid know the man had been an eye-witness to the brawl that ended with the green boy taking on two on his lonesome.

It is @Lexa that arrives next — to his free side which brings a strange feeling that bubbles in his chest. Pride of Firnen, maybe, for now he has Lexa and Roarke with him. It’s weird how he feels a bit invincible with them there. The urge to protect still weighs heavy on him, however, so while he might be at ease for now, he knows that this could change in the matter of a heart beat. All it took was the right excuse for someone to go in with claws.

“Wolfbron Bluffs was the first pride I joined here in Amaryllis. Arjana recruited my ward and I — and I made lasting… connections here. Zoticus has my support,” but he knows that the Rainforest residents have come from different walks of life than he. It is possible that they will disagree — granted… he can’t agree with Vermier as a leader anywhere. The thought leaves him on edge. His mistreatment of children and thoughts of Bait come to mind.

During his explanation, however, he feels the shift of muscle on his side. Suddenly where there was warmth there is now cold; Roarke has launched himself away from them. Cupid pinches his brow — following his path with stone eyes that are at first curious yet swiftly shift into confusion. He… should have explained about the Lagoon obviously. Because his Noble goes about claiming the starry lioness that seemed to be a leader among the Dieudonné crew… picking a fight with @Magnus of all people.

Fuck.

He is careful in guarding @Madelina with a tighter hold of his foreleg — if only to shelter the girl who is innocent in all of this. Though the newly crowned Lagoon monarch has been gracious to Wolfbron — and him, by extension — thus far, it does not mean that tension couldn’t erupt from this… display.

“Roarke,” it comes out with an unintended whine. He wants to trust that the giant knows what he is doing — this does not mean he isn’t nervous to have two supposed enemies of the great portion of Amaryllis suddenly underneath his rule. Just… maybe… maybe they could talk this out.

He feels torn to intervene with the thick tension — yet he stays where he is, rooted with the means to protect those at his side for now. Roarke can no doubt hold his own; he just isn’t certain he wishes to pick a bone with another leader so soon… not with the possibility of War on the horizon. A muffled sigh escapes him, gaze shifting briefly towards Lexa curious to see her reaction to the happening; not that he thinks she would disapprove per se.

Yet wherein Roarke had left, another appears at his side. The vacant spot claimed by an unknown calico lass and her cargo. Stone eyes glance between the two. @Miette queries about ‘cap’ and he can only assume it is the draconic giant she speaks of. “Uhm… long story, I guess? But we’re… allies, you could say. I helped him out a… few times.” Yeah.

living like a riot, setting off the sirens; fists are clenched, i'm fighting

table by sentinel / art

GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

Dinner served to jar his impression of crude reality with a flow of interminable bliss. Blood, muscle, gazelle tartare! Vermier growled, the tautness of his eyelids changing character from alert-defensive to doozy-gaze but still remaining narrowed. His ears also remained back, leaving only the rear face to be gorged by the lash of his enemy's fangs, cutting two swipes from the middle of the left ear to the tip. Gummy, sticky blood held the wound together for now; how long his ear would be notched would be determined by aftercare, if any. He might decide he liked the look of his scars, especially if they came to demarcate a kill. More blood! He tried to rip away at the grip his jaws had attained upon the male's left shoulder like one might try to carve stubborn meat from bone.

His left paw returned to earth and helped brace him against the larger male's shove. Sure, the other guy was larger. But Vermier was bolder, especially now that his opponent had failed to bleat at him. Advantages must be pressed, weakness must be exploited. All four paws ground into the Bluffs soil... his Bluffs soil... his chest ached, his muscles ached, bruising throughout his tendons and frame, but he held his footing while sinking evenly to a crouch. Soon. He was too tired to toy with the floral king for much longer.

Vermier vs @Zoticus
Wolfbron Bluffs
5/5

Hits:

Rolling 5d20: 9 + 12 + 20 + 6 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 5d20: 11 + 13 + 4 + 3 + 15

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 20 + 17 + 5 + 9

So much fun! So much anger, so much fun! It was more fun to be inside the anger but outside the fighting, like being safe within the eye of the storm and watching everyone else get whirled around. Angry voices had Walpurgis' greasy mane sticking out and her bowed legs terminated in curled claws beyond their onyx points. Nobody had come this time to tell her what to do so she kept her eyes on the singular fight. She wasn't sure who she was rooting for; she lacked someone to obey, in that regard. The larger male with more recent injuries, or the smaller who was short on weight but less bloody looking. They had both stopped shouting at each other, and this nearly threatened her interest but she learned this meant the fight would be over soon. And all the bleeding and growling would be done, and the talking would start, which meant boring and it would be her time to leave.

+5 Observe a fight

The call of a challenge was enough to draw Rasmus from the Hollows to make his way towards the bluffs. It was the first time the yearling had really drifted out of his home and the young prince was enthralled as he moved across the cliffs. Immediately the deep bellow of his father's voice was picked up the closer he got and naturally his pace quickened. If anything was certain it was that the Sigrun stuck together. Admittedly it was a jumbled mess with the amount of individuals present, most of which weren't familiar to him save for @Magnus, @Saga, and @Faevyre. Easily Rasmus moves through the crowd but instead of joining his father he moves to take a seat a few paces back but from where he sat he was able to see everything. Of course he would be ready to jump in and aide should anything grow ugly but for the time being he was keen on just observing. After all, Rasmus was smart enough not to face his father's wrath.

---

+5 - Observe a fight
+5 - Explore the borders of a pride
+10 - Find a notable landmark in a territory

table by ferus

The anger simmered uncomfortably beneath flayed pelt. The apology from @Arjana would be heeded with a simple blink and a nod - he had not the words to give her any sort of verbal response, but that should surely be enough to let the Bluffs woman know that he accepted it. He had no qualms with Wolfbron, and did not particularly care to start now. @Cupid, too, would offer a nod and silent appreciation for his actions. In his younger days Magnus was often the instigator, but at this point in his life - in his current situation, both politically and physically - he had no desire to fuel the fire further. The Lagoon was his responsibility now, and he would not have its reputation ruined by unruly whelps. The Rainforest King would earn himself the same response that the clay-pelted Gentry had. Attention only stayed with that section of the audience for a moment, though; he was loathe to take his attention away from Amara and the yearlings for any longer than necessary.

@Faevyre's movements would be tracked with keen, mismatched gaze, brow furrowing as she moved to shield them. So she, too, thought him a monster? No surprise there. While he had no knowledge of how exactly the mauve healer was connected to the Bezra children, it was blatant that there was a strong bond; she had run to Beelzebub's side once before, and here she was doing it again. Magnus' newfound understanding of protective urges for newfound offspring, and Faevyre's affiliation with the Hollows, would be all that would protect the mauve woman from the titan's hot-running temper. She would simply receive a low grunt, lip curling as he spoke. "How tiresome it must be, to feel responsible for so many." Magnus had his own obligations, but his children knew better. Perhaps the situation would change when his second and third litter arrived. He would be in the same boat as Narcissa then, would he not? More or less.

@Roarke's voice echoed ahead, bringing Magnus' attention up and across to where the slate-pelted Noble stood on his podium. Expression remained passive; unimpressed. The beast was large, and in far better physical condition than Magnus, but he was no Sigrún. Foolish, too, to not only bring himself under the scrutiny of the Jarl but also bring the rest of his pride into it. "How I address the lions that wear my banner are none of your concern, stranger," the titan responded, tone gravelled and sneer growing. "But I was speaking to them," he gestured to the Scilla group, "not her," he tilted his head in Amara's direction, pausing as @Kieran approached and sidled up alongside the obsidian-pelted lioness, proclaiming them a 'package deal'. How interesting. He studied the piebald brute for only a moment before shifting his attention back to the red-maned beast. Mismatched gaze flitted over the freckled features of the Galloway, unwavering. He would not be intimidated, not even in his wounded state. "I have no issue with making an enemy of you, but," narrowed gaze moved to Cupid, studying him briefly - his reaction certainly implied that he did not want this heat, and so his lip curled in vague amusement, "there is fair chance your leader might." So watch yourself. Nostrils flared. "I would tread carefully, and keep out of my business."

It was his turn to smile, then; glistening and macabre, all enamel and anticipation. Well?

I meant to reply earlier but failed to do so and this was what I had wanted to happen so I "finagled" the situation a little so that Cupid's pull on her still happened :P I can change if need be! XD

Hello, she purrs quietly beneath the brush of @Cupid's chest as he relinquishes his paw's original position so that she might nestle within his warmth a little easier. Finding comfort in his presence even if he wasn't around anymore. Maddie didn't quite understand that he was "gone" now and in another place, let alone another pride. She just knew that she missed him and he was good.

Though, unexpectedly.. her gaze sets to a voice near to her and the mauve youngster turns her head to the voice and her eyes look as though they had never known sleep. Her body floating as she gazed upon @Lexa, the words swept out of her ears as she stared. Madelina had no words for this moment but this lioness was an angel. A lioness that had swiftly taken Madelina's heart and wrapped it in a tight blanket. Hi, she coos as she relinquishes her place at cupid's breast to move towards the Goddess that had found her. Bright eyes wandering over the glorious sunny facade of the woman and hoping that this moment would never end. I am Maddie. Please -- who are you?

Before she had a chance to really get very far, a leg extends out towards her and reels her back in. To which Madelina is swept backwards without much fuss at all, sliding against the dirt and into the bosom of Cupid once more. Hey! she giggles, jokingly reaching out towards Lexa as though she were escaping when really she was absolutely fine with being brought closer to the male once more. Not at all understanding of the situation but she would yield for now.

table by ferus, art by munk

A couple more Caladan dwellers approached, and while @Reyna was an unfamiliar face the affiliation was clear as the marker on her pelt. So, for the sake of being courteous and well-mannered - two things that Petra knew she would have to fine-tune as a woman of her rank - she would dip her head to the albino, offering a half smile. Ultimately, though, there would not be much talk within this group. As the battle raged on, her attention drifted away from the violence and across the audience.

It settled on the familiar features of @Pollux.

Ah.

With a quiet exhale she would rise to her paws, offering a nod of farewell to the Cove members nearby - should any of them look her way - before making her way towards the merle-pelted brute. Wondering idly if he would remember her, she would chuff a casual greeting before settling down a few feet from his spot. "Who are you rooting for?" She inquired, offering a sidelong glance at him before settling back to watch what appeared to be the final throes of the battle. Juicy.

irish

Sorry, it was a weird post ~~ lol

The intense and fiery stare that he attempts to give @Úna is only met with uncertainty as he then sees something move out of the corner of his eye. @Echo looking back at him and intending to beckon him to sit on her free side instead of Una's. A small lift of his head as he brought it up, confusion set on his face as though wondering why she wanted to take him from this position to one nearest her. Mithros stands up, ignoring his confusion, as he walks past Una and continues again to make eye contact with her before her sets his sights to the one who beckoned. Sitting beside Echo and nodding his head once.

_{© LARS}

Parvati's opinions on faith remained ill thought out and profoundly negative. Their forehead creased just a tad and they huffed. "Many other things to think about. Waste of time thinking about what doesn't exist." The fighting and arguments were very distressing and Parvati slanted their ears to their skull as more information poured in and more confusing words were tossed. They could not distinguish metaphor from bluff. This male had stolen children? Stealing was wrong. Why had Parvati not heard before now? Were they being deliberately left out of the loop... or did nobody but Jewel care? Parvati tried to think about what pride was closest to the Bluffs. They didn't know much. It was a good distance from the Cove. Maybe the cub stealers would steal other cubs and leave the Cove alone... or maybe they were still the closest? Or maybe it wasn't a matter of proximity and this male had stolen from the Cove for a particular reason? Difficult to determine... unpredictable... stealing was irrational, therefore unpredictable.

Ears flicked and they shifted nervously as the one adult left them to tend to Hecuba. OK yeah. Pregnant and nursing lionesses were more important. But Parvati felt suddenly alone and exposed in the midst of so many; so many others had allegiances, and they had none. Parvati sunk to a crouch, a shriveled loaf. They were too thin to loaf in a convincingly breadlike fashion.

@Vermier vs @Zoticus FOR Wolfbron Bluffs
— RESULTS —

Vermier Hits: 3+3+2+4+2+1(luck) = 15
Vermier Dodges: 2+1+4+4+3 = 14

Zoticus Hits: 6+6+5+4+4 = 25
Zoticus Dodges: 0+2+2+0+0 = 4

Vermier Successful Hits: 11
Zoticus Successful Hits: 11

---

TIE-BREAKER

performed on discord by @Ice ★

Vermier Hits: 3
Vermier Dodges: 3

Zoticus Hits: 4
Zoticus Dodges: 1

Vermier Successful Hits: 2
Zoticus Successful Hits: 1

Vermier HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR Wolfbron Bluffs!

Please allow the challengers to respond to the fight results first. As per the site rules, if 3 days go by without a post from the challenger(s), they can be skipped. Whichever comes first! Any posts made before this will be removed.

---

WOUNDED ROLL

performed on discord by @Ice ★

Zoticus is automatically WOUNDED for losing!

Vermier Wounded Roll: 3

Vermier is WOUNDED!

Profiles will be adjusted to reflect the wounded rolls, which, if received, reduce the character’s hits and dodges by -1 for an standardized amount of time. Any wounded rolls received from this fight are considered healed as of [OCT 15], and are logged in the wounded log. Once healed, post in Trade & Dice Updates to have your dice returned to normal.