It was only a matter of time. The flood waters had finally receded, and the landscape had grown habitable once more. Giovanni had also noticed that the native creatures of the Mire’s biome had resumed their routines and there were now plenty of dry grasses and solid earth to find purchase, even for a creature as large as he. However just as the vagabond had grown comfortable with his haunt’s adjustments, a challenge had been issued for its borders, and the beast was forced to confront the reality of his nomadic status once more. It would not be without curiosity, however, and he would pace to where the crowd had gathered; trusting his muddled, earthen hues to keep him blended with the swamps backdrop as he silently and unobtrusively observed those who fought for a crown. There remained quite a distance between him and the others, but they were easy enough to see from his vantage point, and he would wait with waning patience to see to emerged victorious.

Giovanni is hiding.

_{ART — CODE}

Well they were a fiery bunch, weren't they? Never in her life had Calypso been subjected to so many glares, but it doesn't seem to ruffle her fur all too much. In fact she is all the more amused by it, though she hides her simper when @Hillevi targets her with an exaggerated neutral face. "Not'ing at all, lass."

She wouldn't dare be amused now.

@Minna is his - now that was interesting. Of course there hadn't been much room for talking in their last meeting, but she wondered if this was a new development all the same. Clearly they would need another visit, soon, and she cannot help the thrill that courses through her at the notion. The spitfire child is seemingly engaged with @Eydís, and Calypso finds her attention too split to give them much notice.

The arrival of @Calhoun sends that thrill in to a tizzy. How... awkward. Nonetheless her gaze slides to the captain and she flashes him a quick grin -- "never a dull moment here, aye?" before her attention returned to the palomino male and his... charges.

He directs her focus to Saga, and of course she can see the resemblance. The vicious woman is a force to be reckoned with, surely, and Calypso wondered if her skills might be needed in the wake of this... challenge. Where there was violence there was blood, and she would be ready should her talents be required.

"I'm here to help if she needs."

Art by Rabbit | Table code by Zodiac

The mean one is my responsibility.
It echoes, replaying again and again through her mind, and the babe flinches as if @Hákon has shot her, looking up at him with eyes gone full of rage - the only cover she has for the wound he's just inflicted on her tiny heart. Du borde ha lämnat mig bakom. You should have left me behind. It's said softly, with little emotion or inflection despite the anger burning in her eyes, but it's very clear she doesn't mean he should've left her in the Lagoon.

For an instant, the raw pain in her shows itself in her eyes and her face, but then the rage returns and she turns away from him, refusing to pay him any further attention. He didn't want her? He didn't love her? She was just his obligation? Fine. She wouldn't need him forever, after all; eventually, she would be free of his cruel words and his harsh paws. Eventually, she would be able to live on her own, and she wouldn't be a burden to him anymore.

For now, though, she's going to do all she can to drive him as mad as she feels - retaliation for his dismissal. Retaliation for all these cuts he delivers her, big and small, as if he has no care or realization for the way that words can make someone bleed just as surely as claws. Of course, she's not thinking quite that clearly about any of it; she just wants to get back at him for hurting her feelings, any way she can. That, and she truly has no clue how to process her feelings other than lashing out.

Feeling suddenly crowded by all the people nearby, she stands up, wanting to leave - to escape, especially as @Hillevi cuddles up to Hákon with little repercussion offered. Aiming to stalk away from the group, she does her best to go sit by herself, not wanting to deal with any of them anymore and feeling more than a little alone. I hate them all, she thinks, but there's more pain than anger in her little heart - more loneliness than true desire to leave.

Nobody ever wants to cuddle with broken glass.

+5 Practice covering your tracks
+5 Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught

She was surprised to see her mother challenging for a pride, having such high rank of noble. If it was to her, she would stay and help Magnus, but she was no one to judge her mother. She knew better than speaking about what his mother should do or not do. But in her though it felt weird to see her mother wanting to leave them, to stay away from her. She wasnt in the mood to speak nor be found, so she would make her best to hide, to stay hidden between heavy vegetation, covering her tracks to avoid being found, she didnt want to talk to no one nor have shit with other right now.

Ragna is hiding

Code by Cloudy

He pays little attention to the spitting cubs, despite the one that snaps at Calypso. He has bigger threats to consider, and the snarling pups are of no concern to Calhoun Galloway. And where perhaps his crewmate feels an awkwardness with his arrival, he is stoic and unwavering -- a blank slate. His gaze slides idly towards @Calypso, a minute simper touching the corners of his lips. "Aidh," he agrees; whilst she only knows pieces and snippets of his language, this one is a word she is doubtless familiar with. And of course, she is offering aid to one of the combatants when it ends, and Calhoun's gaze shifts wordlessly to her swollen leg, well aware of its origin and the fact that she herself is still healing. His eyes return momentarily to her face, glinting with an instinct to protect, to keep her away from any potential fray. As soon as the look appears, it is gone, and his focus slips back towards the fighters who have drawn them all here. He will not prevent Calypso from doing what she does best, but he will absolutely be here to drag her the fuck back home when she inevitably overdoes it.

image by driftyworks, code by koi

she's late but she's here. it has been a while since a pride challenge happened that úlla has forgotten the last fight she was at. this time, however, she's looking at @Saga against a male who seems familiar, but who úlla doesn't know the name of. their match has been something bloody, something vellen will surely commend. and yet, vellen only looks at one and not the other. there are no crowds to linger among and no lions to mingle with. úlla chooses to sit at the nearest spot she can find that's still empty and waits for the winner to assume the throne.

table by ferus

It is by virtue of guess work and a trail of fresh scents that Caelia finds herself arriving at the scene of the unfolding powerplay later than is fashionable perhaps, but in time to witness the actual outcome of a territorial scuffle.

Upon approach she takes note of the fact there is no established fresh scent borders marking a territory out, additionally a few fallen trees and piles of foliage and random somesuch piled here and there suggest that perhaps some natural disaster - a storm or flood - had recently plowed through the area.

Perhaps then this is not a call to defend but rather a contest to see who would rule a 'fresh' area so to speak. Very metaphorically 'fresh' as it was of course swamp land, and by far not the most ... scenic ... territory Caelia had set eyes upon.

Settling in quietly amidst but not too close to any of the other attendees the rich terracotta and ochre earth hued female relaxed in to witness the results.

With no reason to do so beyond casual curiosity and the inherent value such information would provide she felt no particular favor for one contestant over the other.

code by corvus

This was interesting. Amara couldn't pass up heading to this challenge. She arrived and took a look around. She knew a few faces but also knew that this wasn't a crowd that she would be overly welcome. She spotted @Roan and slipped up near him on his free side. She glanced over at a slightly familiar female before she looked to the fight to watch what was happening. Saga was fighting another slightly familiar male but she didn't know his name. They seemed to be not holding back and Amara couldn't help but wonder what had caused Saga to break away from Magnus. How tight was that family if Ulla attacked while they had a pride and now Saga was trying to take another pride, or was he trying to take over the island with his family. That thought caused her to feel uncomfortable and her tail twitched. Her voice was gentle as she spoke to Roan, not wanting to draw attention to them. I wasn't aware that you weren't here any longer. I am sorry for that. How is your father? Her mind was on the war that happened. She had tried to step in to spare Dero from an attack but failed. She had left the forest before things had ended to help take the dead male back to his home. She wasn't aware of anything that happened after she left.

irish

there's the familiar wash of familial scent as @Voluspa sweeps forward to place the small girl between her paws. stay she commands and solvi's face pinches as she tips her head back to frown up at the melanistic girl. segir hver she grumbles, sniffing and sulking as she obediently remains where she is. she's tired, after all, after waddling all this way. and besides, she doesn't want to stumble into the midst of her mom and that other thing's fight. voluspa offers her an answer, thankfully, and the young sigrun is satiated: fighting to the pride. she wrinkles up her face, wiggling her toes in the muck thoughtfully. she wasn't sure how she felt about living here, instead of home, but it sounded like an adventure!

just as she's about to pepper the yearling with a thousand questions, hakon sweeps onto the scene with her sibling and another unknown cub. she peers across the space at the massive maneless male and her pleased-as-punch sister. soliv blows a raspberry at @Hillevi, then, gleefully shouting across to her: ég kom hingað fyrst! only because, of course, she hadn't listened to their mother's warning: not to leave without an escort. if she was trying really hard the little piebald could say she was escorted. by her own mother, of course ( not that saga would be likely to accept that as an excuse ).

_{ART — CODE}

+5 Explore a new territory and find something useful the call comes from the mire, of all places. he's been here before, but only to witness challenge after challenge. he can remember at least two of them here, one ending when a lion broke his leg in the muck. it seems a dark, dreary place -- even his jungle had sunlight peeking through the branches and the ground was more dirt than mud. here, the greenery even seems quieted but he isn't here to judge the landscape. instead, he's here -- as always -- to watch. for once, he recognizes one of the combatants as saga, one of the many sigrun. was she not happy in the lagoon with magnus? or did she simply want more? it was hard to say, as he did not know her, but he certainly wouldn't blame her for not wanting to live under the obsidian-pelted man's thumb. as he makes his way through the small crowd, elijah cannot help but notice the ground -- noting that there were pre-made paths cut into the mud. others must have used them before to better traverse the mire; it would be useful to know if he ever came back here. hmmm. gaze sweeps across the crowd, spotting @Úlla sitting by herself. with a small noise of greeting he seeks to sit by her side. if she does not shoo him away, he'd settle there, ears tipping forward with a small smile. hello, Úlla -- i hope you've been well. she looked to be in better health ( and more in-one-piece ) than he'd seen her last, so that certainly bode well.

code by irish