Today was The Day! It was the first day that the ground didn't make an unpleasant squelching sound when she walked. She needed to make her grand challenge outside in the day light so everyone could see her. It was unacceptable for her reign to begin while covered in mud, though blood would be fine. Toblerone had approximately 0 fighting experience, but that just meant she didn't have any bad habits. She knew she was naturally gifted on the inside, and obviously large on the outside, so whatever mistakes she might make she knew she would win in the end. The only question was which other lionesses might throw a hissy fit about how 'oh you're still too young' and 'what have you ever done for the pride'? She could hear it already. Bleeding hearted jealousy.

She grinned and dug her claws into the soil. Underneath a top layer of false dryness it was still damp, and it yielded like flesh under skin. She didn't really want to hurt anyone, she didn't think, so hopefully other jealous lionesses would just keep to bitter words. But she yowled out in challenge for a fight. The one that she was owed. Roan had only said she was a little young, right?

-- toblerone is "challenging" for sovereign

Oh, @Toblerone. What was he going to do about this child? The moment he heard her "challenge," the mauve lion heaved an exasperated sigh. Head shook lightly to himself before the Hodari made his way out of the tunnels. Minty gaze landed on the pink yearling, relieved that nothing had transpired yet. No one else had arrived, thankfully. Maybe Roan could quell whatever this was before anything else transpired. "I still stand by what I said at the meeting," the masked man called as he grew nearer to Toblerone. "Occupied ranks are not to be challenged for." The king wore an unamused expression as he stopped just a few feet opposite the yearling. To her defense, maybe she didn't know that Faelyn had been promoted. It wasn't like they had made a big to-do about it, but word surely should have gotten around by now, right? In the back of his mind, though, the mauve male doubted it would have made any difference. He knew his words wouldn't put an easy end to the "challenge." The Hodari fully expected some sort of rebuttal or explanation or complaint one way or another. And so he simply sat opposite of Toble, waiting and prepared to hear whatever sort of remarks would come his way.

Table & Image by Amanda | Background | Lineart

She hoped some crying little lady would come fight her. Come fling some weak words, maybe a few claws. And then... Toblerone would just Roll Her Over. Like a Fucking Truck. The pink yearling perceived her great height but not her relative lack of bulk. In her mind's eye she was more muscular than @Roan, because of course she was bigger than him, right? HAH. Maybe that guy himself would feel threatened by her meteoric rise. Her tail flicked with pleasure, and she grinned as she spotted the usurper himself arriving. He looked quite put upon. Did he not think the Mayfly would seize whatever passed before her eye?

At his first words, she leered proudly, straightening her shoulders. She remembered what he had said. That she wasn't old enough then. But now she was and, honorable coot that he seemed to be, he seemed resigned to keeping to those words. But there were other words that she had dismissed at the time, and she frowned as he returned them. OK. Yeah. She remembered something like that. But it wasn't fair. "That's not fair," she kept the whine from her voice, though it certainly motivated her. A flash, a blaze in her yellow eyes, very pissed at being denied what she had been entitled to. Her words, however, were an accusation, bold and throaty. Words were always to be twisted. "I only couldn't challenge because I was too young, right? And you put someone else there in my place? I never had the chance to take it before it was... occupied... by someone who never fought for it?" Yeah, who was this Queen anyway? She hadn't heard anyone call to challenge. If Mommy had been queen then Toblerone would have known, and there was nobody else who deserved the throne more than her except maaaybe her mother.

The uh, “challenge” drew Hiccup from the shadowy tunnels, as it had the Sovereign. He peeled away from the darkness of the Hollow and into the sunshine, where @Tolberone could be heard complaining to @Roan about how she’d never had the chance to challenge for a leader role, as she’d been too young. Now she thought she was old enough, but Hiccup wasn’t so sure about that.

Hiccup, hoping to provide @Roan with some backup, made his way over and nodded at the Sovereign before turning his focus to the rather … ambitious lioness. “I think you might need to do some more growing,” the yearling said, his smile apologetic. “A bunch of the leaders are older lions, so they’re probably not going to take us yearlings seriously. They’ll just think we’re still kids. But when we’re adults? And especially if you help out the pride and show them you REALLY know your stuff? No one’s going to question whether or not you’re ready!”

He knew he risked stoking the fire rather than extinguishing it, but he hoped Toblerone would listen to some reasoning. They were simply too young to be leaders. “What kind of a queen would you want to be?” the boy inquired. Maybe if he knew how she wanted to rule her uh, future pride, he could suggest some responsibilities that she could take on, to help build her status. If only he could take some of that drive and energy and direct it elsewhere …

	+10 Diffuse a tense situation with reason (1/2)
	+5 Listen to someone vent their problems (1/2)
	+5 Give someone advice (1/2)

coded by flea | artwork by ale-tie

Do what now? Faelyn lifted her head in confusion from where she had been scrutinizing her herb stash, hearing someone call for her rank. That voice didn't sound very old... oh, was it the young one from the meeting? She couldn't say that she was surprised, but she wouldn't have thought the call would go out so soon after her promotion. Truth be told, she would have thought it would be coming from the girl's mother. She wasn't sure she was willing to fight over it regardless of who called for it. That wasn't her thing and she had no practice in it.

Luckily, when she drew near the meeting place she heard other voices and was able to see Roan and Hiccup speaking to the young woman. She stayed well in the background, not hiding per se but not making her presence obvious either as she watched to see how this would turn out.

Roan listened carefully as @Toblerone pleaded her case. He struggled to keep himself from sighing visibly at the whole ordeal. Thankfully, @Hiccup showed up soon after with a bit of advice to offer. Yes, maybe that's what the Hodari needed. A young lion's opinion and perspective might make things easier for Toble to understand. "You were too young then, and you are still too young now. As Hiccup has said, there is still a lot of growing a yearling needs to do before they are ready to be a leader. Even if it is allowed by the lands to challenge for a rank now, a yearling queen will not do much good for Obsidian," Roan added to the Gentry's words while trying to keep his tone calm and even. "Should something happen to me, I want my queen able to keep things going. I'm sorry, Toblerone, but at your age, you would not be well equipped to lead Obsidian on your own."

His minty gaze flicked over towards @Faelyn's arrival. He was happy to have arrived before her, not knowing if she would have decided to defend her title or not if he wasn't around to stop the matter. Looking back to the yearling girl, though, even Roan was curious to hear her answer to Hiccup's question. If Toble ever became a queen, what sort of leader would she be?

Table & Image by Amanda | Background | Lineart