Sahir sat and observed, one lion reigning supreme over the other in the battle for this land while the fight for death crescendoed and then seemed to fade in intensity. He knit his brows together, trying to piece together what might have led up to this situation. There was a fierce surge of chatter amongst the crowd, though they spoke in tongues he could not understand and did not announce their allegiance clearly. Craning his neck, he began searching behind him for the familiar presence of any of his wives. If they were in the midst, he wanted to ensure their safety, especially in preparation for the aftermath when a loser was declared.

---

+10 - Observe a fight (for OH)
+10 - Exercise to gain strength
+10 - Observe a fight (Saga/Eul)

_{BG — ART — CODE}

	+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results - Alaric vs Roan (2/2)
	+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results - Saga vs Eulalia (1/2)
	+10 Observe and study a new scent (2/2)

Hiccup whirled his head around on his neck, his white forelock flipping away from his darting eyes from the force. Worried, the yearling searched the crowd for his companions, who he believed would soon show, to support him as they had in the past. But knowing they would arrive to find their mother engaged in fatal combat made his chest muscles clench down on his thudding heart, leaving him breathless with fright …

The boy’s fears come true when he suddenly sees her stumble in— @Asteria. Already deeply concerned, his distress grew heavier and heavier as he realized how poor her condition was — but why? For a second, dread filled him with the question in his mind: had the Rike found her again? A gasp tore from his throat while he jumped to his paws to rush over.

“Asteria— !” he wheezed as he came to her. Hiccup saw her intent and quickly slipped to his haunches to free his forelimbs. They opened for her, letting her crash into him before quickly closing around her. One paw held her by the shoulder while the other touched the back of her head, stroking down the length of her neck. “Asty … ”

Squeezing his eyes shut, Hiccup pinched out his worried tears. When they blinked open again, his gaze briefly found Roan. There was only a small, fleeting glimmer of relief in seeing his king rise victorious over the challenger. He was happy, but his concern for Asteria was far more pressing on his young heart.

But knowing Roan had successfully defended his title, that meant that the Hollow was still his home — and he had somewhere he could take Asteria, to hide her away from the chaos that surrounded them. “We can— hic!— go to my den,” he murmured, still clutching her against his chest, to shelter her from the sight of Saga and to comfort her, to try and soothe her. Hiccup wasn’t sure if she would want to go, but the offer was there. And even if she chose to stay, he would continue to hold and shield her as best he could.

Too focused on Asteria in that moment, he was oblivious to Nero’s arrival, let alone his equally dire condition …

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

Wakefulness does not come so easily to Kismet today. Ordinarily it does, but when the dreams come, they take her, pulling her down into an unreachable darkness. She dreams of a pale woman, wasting in the desert -- but when she tries to get close enough, the image vanishes. It repeats itself throughout the night with her never getting closer to an answer, and when Kismet awakens at last, she is alone.

A soft frown purses her lips and she shakes the dream away, knowing that finding Sahir is more prudent. His trail is easy enough to follow, and the commotion rings in her ears as she draws closer to the mountains. The scene that she stumbles into is a violent and bloody one, and she takes pause for a moment, enraptured by the lions locked in a violent fight who seem to have everyone's attention. She's never seen anything quite like it, and it sends a shiver rippling down the girl's spine.

Remembering herself, she tears her gaze away long enough to find @Sahir in the crowd and scurries to his side before anyone else can think to intercept her. She is, for once, silent in her approach, and nestles herself wordlessly up against his chest, her haunches falling from beneath her and her gaze once again riveted by the morbid display. Her heart thrums rapidly in her breast, no doubt detectable by Sahir, but if it's out of fear or fascination is unclear. Maybe a bit of both.

_{BG — ART — CODE}

(2/2)+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results (alaric vs. roan) (double exp from calypso)
(1/2)+10 Observe a challenge and learn the results (saga vs. eulalia) (double exp from calypso)


He would be glued to Roan and his opponent, seeming to hold his breath while he awaited to see who would win this today. His attention would only flicker when the form of @Morrigan caught his attention from the corner of his eyes, skull turning just enough to give her an acknowledging nod of his head in return. The lion would stay tense and alert, and it was like as if it were on queue that another fight would erupt, this one seeming to be more brutal.

Keir would go back and forth between the two fights, it taking a moment before he realized who the woman was that was fighting. He remembered meeting her when Nero had gotten severely injured at the shore, him mentioning that she was one of his mothers. This would cause for the Heir's ears to twist backward, pinning into his mane briefly, only to flick back to alert whenever he heard a woman shout out for help. His gaze would move in haste, trying to see who it was that had called out, only to see not only Nero's other mother but also Nero himself, on the ground and convulsing.

Without much thought would Keir lunge forward toward the pair, not caring if he bumped into anyone to get to them. "What happened?" He would say in a rushed tone as he lowered his body a little in front of the yearling. "@Nero, hey! Snap out of it!" He was in no sense a medic nor knew what to do in this type of thing, so all he could think of was to try to place his paws under the boy's head and wait to see if anyone with more knowledge than the two of them came to their aide. From where he were located he couldn't see who had won the Hollows, but by the lack of an uproar or chaos he could only assume that Roan was keeping his crown today.

@Alizabeth

image & table by gunner

The woman is late. She had been conscious about leaving her newborns for too long when the call for Obsidian erupted throughout the peninsula. Panic set in within her chest: it continued to build until she felt as though her stomach was going to implode. With ears pinned against her crown, the Sovereign slipped out of the den and began to make her way to her cousins home.

A thousand and one thoughts erupted through her mind along the way. Was Roan alright? What had he done to deserve this? She was angry with the challenger, whoever that may be. Her aimless thoughts caused her to slow, and so it took her longer than she’d originally anticipated to reach the underground pride. She thought nothing of crossing the border, and made her way to the chaos that seemed to reek underneath.

When she arrived though, Roan was not fighting. He was close to @Morrigan and a few others — had he won? She assumed so, considering that he was still here and had not fled. The ashen woman pauses for a moment and takes in the crowd, looking for anyone she recognised. Eventually her fiery eyes fall on the battered form of @Alaric, and it doesn’t take a genius to piece together what had happened. A low rumble forms in her chest at the thought of the brute taking away her cousins pride, and an anger forms.

The Queen is quick to be distracted by the battle that is taking place in front of the crowd. She knows neither of these lions, but briefly recongises the lioness. It was a vicious battle, and one that she was anxious to discover the result. Walking over to @Roan, she looks at him with a frown. Are you alright? Maia enquires initially, before looking over to the two fighting lions. What is going on? What are they fighting for? She asks, concern scattered across her sooty features.

+10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks
+10 Follow a character without getting caught (Hiccup)
+10 Observe a fight

He continued to observe the fight between the chimera Sigrun and the strange man. Their moves were starting to get sloppy, considering the brutality of their attacks and the length of the battle. The stern-looking man clenched his jaws. The male was especially exhausted, the outcome of this fight soon to be determined. Bhas had seen enough death during his lifetime, and so his eyes fluttered away. They landed on the wheat-pelted man losing his battle against the Hodari King. Interesting. So some of them can protect their own?

There was so much happening. The lions continued to flock like bees to honey. The hidden giant sought after Hiccup's familiar shape, noting with displeasure the presence of Asteria. There was this pang of pity in his heart, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. There was a surprise, too, because Hiccup was comforting the small yearling. The fact that the two were friends never occurred to him. It was noisy, too noisy for the man who enjoyed his solitude so much. Therefore, he made the decision that he'd seen enough. It was time to leave the fools to their bloodsports. Turning, he secretly slinked away. He was completely cautious with where he stepped and decided to use the foliage surrounding the rocks to cover up any footprints and then replace them with ones leading in different directions. That will do.

exit_{BG — ART — CODE}

she moved in an almost leisurely fashion in pursuit of @Beelzebub and @Ursula, her gait wide and her eyes sharp as she joined the hoard of fiery and zealous observers. the ways of politics had longed bored her, but cassine knew that the hollows had once been a stronghold for the sigrun family, and so she could not help but to have her interest peaked, hungry for the knowledge that she hoped her little pitstop might provide.

but it was the sight of saga and eulalia that garnered the parisian’s immediate attention, the fight for the throne having already subsided and replaced by further battle. the slightest curl of her lip would show across the breadth of her complexion, pulling closer in an attempt to linger close to beelzebub's open flank, head craned to better watch over the sea of bodies. She said nothing, for now, focused solely on the demand for death and the viciousness with which the two so willingly engaged it. it stirred something within her, something dark and brooding, but today, cassine would only play the part of bystander; quaint, unassuming, and quiet.

it would be a shame, however, if the rike was to die now — she had rather liked him, after all. but, by the way in which blood spilled across the floor of the caverns, it was evident that retribution, one way or another, would soon find itself at the throat of the other. and so she waited on waited breath for such a moment to become clear.

SAGA VS. EULALIA FOR DEATH
— RESULTS —

Saga Hits: 3 + 4 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 1 luck = 21
Saga Dodges: 4 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 21

Eulalia Hits: 5 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 6 + 3 = 31
Eulalia Dodges: 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 0 = 8

Saga Successful Hits: 13
Eulalia Successful Hits: 10

SAGA HAS WON THE CHALLENGE FOR DEATH!

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, unless you are posting to another fight.

---

WOUNDED ROLL

performed on discord by @Squid

Eulalia is automatically WOUNDED for losing!

Saga Wounded Roll: 1d5 = 1

Saga is NOT WOUNDED!

ooc. powerplay permitted by munk!

This content might touch on topics that are sensitive or triggering for some readers. Trigger Warning for mentions of gore and violence

shadows fall over my heart //

they tumble, twisting and lashing out with a vehemence unmatched by so many of the battlefields of amaryllis. she lands the entirety of her focus on his left wrist and she hopes it is crippled; though she hopes, strongly, that he won't be alive to suffer regardless. his roar shakes the earth beneath her and he slams into her with the brunt of his weight. it catches the sigrun second off guard and her breath explodes from her lungs with a hiss as she slams to the ground. she's blinking wildly, her good eye pressed to the ground and eyeless right side pointed up at the opponent. get up! vellen screeches in her mind. a warning, a demand, an acknowledgement that he is not done with her. she summons the reserves of her strength and twists under his weight, fighting his claws where they slash across her shoulder, so that she can kick up with her haunches and score her own wounds along his chest. when it makes him hesitate, throws him off course, she's surging upwards, swinging her forepaws so that her unsheathed claws can tear through his remaining eye with a satisfying pop.

that is all she needs for him to rear back and for her to lunge up, up, jaws open and remaining eye narrowed into a mere slit. she digs through the mane, working her fangs through the snarls of hair, to grab his throat. and she feels his life thrumming against her tongue, sweet satisfaction coursing through her. 'for aki and fannar and solvi and asteria and and and-' she thinks, inhaling a deep breath before ripping back and down with all of her strength, stepping away as she does so.

it tears the skin and veins away with a wet sound that makes the hair stand up along her spine. it's what she's been after, but the knowledge that she has caused the end of a life that is not a prey item is still a heavy thing to shoulder.

even for the rats of amaryllis.

she staggers away, giving the beast room to thrash and fall; to pump the rest of his blood out onto the stone outside the hollows. let him flood the caves with his lifesource - she'll not save the fucker. and should anyone step up to do it? her eye lifts, lips wrenched back in a bloody, ragged snarl. a very clear threat. her gaze seek @Calypso where she's seated, @Hákon at her side, and flares her nostrils to breathe around the bounty of violence in her jaws. she knows the healer is often moved to help in these situations, but she's not above lashing out at her.... acquaintance. her ally? even if she is dear to hákon. she is owed this debt, this prize.

she spits the meat she holds out, tongue flicking and lips wrenched back in distaste. saga doesn't want his spoiled blood in her mouth.

exhausted, battered and bloody and bruised, she hesitates to eye the rest of the group, then turns a distant glare to the ( unknown to her ) jarl of her enemies. she wishes, deeply, that it were erna lying there. or sunniva. if she'd known they were in the shadows she might have tried to hunt them up and kill them where they stand, too.

without waiting, she staggers forward a step and abruptly stops. her face tightens, and she takes a moment to focus on the fading adrenaline, holding fast to the way it strengthens her resolve. she ignores the shaking in her limbs, the way her heart beats unevenly ( she could have left her children here; alone. broken. ) and that's when she notices him: @Nero, standing with @Alizabeth and @Keir. she hesitates only a moment before rushing to his side, jaws tight against the pain.

ignoring the gathered friends of the boy, she aims to push gently through them, dilated eye focused on his face. "drengur minn, komdu aftur til mín." ( my boy, come back to me. ) she whispers, moving to press her muzzle to his shoulder and letting the familiar scent of him soothe her own anxieties. she swallows thickly, breath wheezing slightly, and slings her head high, trying to swallow her panic. "medic!" she practically snarls, ears laying back to her skull.

table by ferus & lineart by eerien00dle

+10 Practice covering your tracks
+20 Spy on another pride or family’s event
+10 Practice hiding your scent

The bear-like Rike continued to keep a watchful eye upon the scene, observing as the two battles unfolded and more rats flooded from all directions. She kept an eye on her surroundings, with Uzma beside her, prepared should they be discovered by anyone to launch into a battle. It would be a mistake to charge down now, but it won't be her fault if someone attacked them, will it?

And then Alaric fell to the red-haired King. She felt a deep rumble escape her throat, her scowl only deepening and her jaws clenching tighter. No. This was not what we planned.

And then the defeated Starke slinked by the side of some pink wench. Erna felt her blood boil. She was seeing red and was having a difficult time restraining herself from jumping down there and sinking her claws in the other woman's flesh. Predatory gaze trailed to their Jarl locked in his battle. There was nothing they could do now but wait and watch. The outcome must be good - Eulalia had strength, he had to come out alive.

But he didn't.

Saga tore into his throat, leaving the powerful man in a puddle of blood. Defeated. Dead. Erna blinked, unbelieving her eyes. The Jarl, the man who possessed strength big enough to lead them was now dead. Or perhaps he was never strong enough. Perhaps he was not fit to lead - or live. This was the end of his chapter, but theirs had just begun. Rike die constantly and others take their place. The Sigrun will be toppled sooner or later and she will certainly do her best to ensure their fall was as painful as possible.

Now, Odhgrimm will take the mantle and Erna could only hope that her half-sibling will not hold Eulalia's death against her. After all, she had no part in it. She was only a spectator. Yes! It was the dead lion's fault for being careless. Odhgrimm cannot blame her. No. Not at all, right?

Her heart thumped against her chest in anxiety and adrenaline. They had to leave now, she knew this. There was no other way about it. The brown lioness started to slink away. She made sure to cover up her tracks, using leaves and debris alike. The dust of the rocky floor helps too. She smeared it with a single paw, all the while listening for any approach.

When she was far away from any possible prying eyes, the thick-furred cat dropped down to rub her body on the grass, successfully maintaining her neutral scent. They won't leave any traces of their presence - aside from Eulalia's warm lifeless body.

exit