alaric watches as they come, amusement shining in the jade of his eyes. he had scarcely been in amaryllis a year and yet he had seen his fair share of challenges -- this land never seemed to rest -- and they were always an event. gnawing on the piece of bone he pauses only to run his tongue across his teeth, feeling for any lodged pieces of his last meal. they feel smooth and the bone between his paws becomes less a tool and more something to pass the time with. until she is there. he feigns disinterest, acts as if he does not care, does not notice. alaric pretends like there is no burn to his skin as she sits beside him, does not even look as he greets her in return -- "Aidoneus." he hates it. formal and stiff and so different from the time they were alone, the time they stole kisses amongst the cracked earth. he looks for her husband, expecting seneca to appear at any moment, and reminds himself that they are not in troy, here. abandoning the bone he sits back up, stealing a quick look at the striped queen beside him. if his breath catches there is nobody to hear it, except herself, and he grasps the mask before it can slip out of place. @Violarum briefly catches his attention and gives a name -- sahir -- and he notes the arrival of another interesting face. the woman he had met not so long ago, that had only recently come, drawn to the chaos like all the rest? "no," he confirmed as she spoke, steeling his voice and molding it in to something polite but distant. he hates it. as if she meant nothing he offers her no more information, instead a sly grin as she jested. friends, they were friends, and he could maintain some appearance of that at least. "in this land i'd be lost without it," he quipped, because if he had learned anything it was that there was value in wit and the tongue that spilled it. "though i'm sure you wouldn't mind the silence." another brief look and he wondered if she would pick out the second meaning in his words -- the wish that they were away from the noise and in their own bubble instead.

image by moogle, code by koi

Welcome to the playground, follow me.

OUTLAW EXP
+5 x2 Practice speed or strength
+5 x2 Leave a trail of confusing tracks
+5 x2 Learn something interesting about a pride or family

It was hard to miss the commotion coming from the cove, beginning with an issued challenge and then the gathering collection of strangers, all come to gawk at the combatants.

Discord had been resting at the time, having found a quiet patch of grass at the height of a slope that overlooked the cove. He had taken to living there at the time being, until such a time that he might serve a pride. Not wishing to leave an obvious trail back to his spot, he would make efforts to mask his scent and ensure he did not leave an obvious trail back to it. Not taking a direct path meant he would take a brief run, bringing him in a wide arch towards the group.

The male would settle comfortably among the others, his dark hues seemingly absorbing all the light around him, a dark void. Eyes would wander between those gathered, lingering on those that smelled of this very cove, gauging their reactions. They seemed angry, a tight-knit group that would oppose any challenger?

Stay for the night, I'll sell you a dream.

code by corvus

sahir moves at the moment, causing úlla's attack to hit his shoulder rather than the intended target of his chest. an annoyed growl slips out of her mouth, pale lips peeling back to show fangs. but she cannot allow her emotions to weaken her; the seasoned warrior she is knows that, after so many smaller battles fought and lost. the contact causes moderate bruising on her flesh, which úlla can wave away. her attempt at tripping him is unsuccessful, but at least her claws made some contact. she doesn't have the time to assess just how badly she hurt him, before she is hit by @Sahir's head whipping towards her. the action causes her to move on instinct, but not enough for sahir's claws to fully miss her chest. three five-inch long claw marks, moderate in severity, tears through her flesh. blood bubbles out and drips down the floor, dizzying her and causing the ringing in her head to pierce louder. the pitched sound is unnerving, but vellen's demands are a powerful tool to motivate her. úlla attempts to bite at sahir's cheek after turning her face towards him. meanwhile, she uses her paw to attempt to tear through sahir's lower right leg. úlla is conscious of keeping her chin tucked and ears pinned, planning then and there that he will not have the option to go for her neck.

úlla vs sahir
for caladan cove
move 2 of 5
Hits:

Rolling 8d20: 17 + 7 + 13 + 16 + 9 + 15 + 11 + 2

Dodges:

Rolling 4d20: 7 + 11 + 14 + 19

Luck:

Rolling 5d20: 10 + 9 + 14 + 11 + 20

table by ferus

+5 Observe a challenge and learn the results (x2)
+5 Observe a fight (x2)

There might be better – less risky and volatile – ways of getting acquainted with a country and its residents, but the war-woman was willing to chance this gamble, for the reward of information might prove invaluable for someone as ignorant of the country and its people as she. The lioness may have even obtained this information from a seat on the borders, which, albeit would have left her far from the battle but also have allowed her to be completely innocent from the crime of trespassing. Naturally the woman decided against the conservative option, and instead ventured across the borders with a neutral but wary edge to her posture; pointed ears swung forward, multi-faceted hues glinting with awareness as they moved over the spectators and the pair of dueling cats they surrounded.

Wary steps brought the warrioress around the edges of the crowd, remaining cautious and unpresuming, but intentional and deliberate in her presence. There were a pair of lionesses that she ended up by, @Evangeline and @Kismet, the latter of whom seemed to be continuing or perhaps instigating a conversation. Tanaz’s gaze flicked over the pair of them for a moment, assessing their reaction to her presence nearby to see if either objected, before her focus returned again to the brawl underway. The umber-haired woman was not particularly interested in eavesdropping – that is to say, unless something interesting or worthwhile was spoken – what she was really invested in was the battle for the crown and the faces of those who had showed up to observe.

code by dee, art by spu

SLEUTH EXP
+10 x2 Remain undetected in a large thread (5+ characters)
+10 x2 Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught
+10 x2 Learn something about pride/group/family relations

There seemed no end to the frequent challenges for prides, though he supposed it was to be expected. Many had the same ambitions as the small plum male, ambitions for a crown and for the power such brought with it. Eventually, it would be Recluse making such a summons, but he would bide his time, build his strength and determine what his best target might be.

Not wishing to draw attention to himself, Recluse would make great efforts to hide himself, a task made a little easier by his small size. Smelling of grasses and faint floral tones, he might melt easily into the grasses in which he presently hid himself. Attention was affixed to those of the pride, all come to show their support to the pride leader. If this lion managed to take the pride out from under them, it seemed likely their struggles will have only begun. He would have to make a mental note not to try for this pride in the future if this current challenger failed. He didn't like the hassle these loyal members would surely give him.

-Recluse is attempting to hide-

image by moogle/code by saph

+20 Explore a territory and find something useful in it +20 Find a notable landmark in a territory +10 Observe a fight the call for the cove does not interest him, not really. instead, it is the cove itself that he is interested in. the sigruns had lost their home in the lagoon but for some reason, ulla remained sovereign just a stone’s throw away. strange, truly, how the mist had flooded the lagoon but left the cove in tact. call him biased, but he much rather would’ve seen the cove fall than the lagoon. and, ah, it just might. by the time he slips through the borders ( already smelling of sand and salt ), the fight has already begun. wary steps slow, keeping an eye on the horizon and the cove lions — knowing just how temperamental the sigruns could be about their patches of land. he stays low and to the shadows, seafoam eyes more interested in the landscape they’ve settled than the pride itself. trickles of freshwater cut through the land before dumping into the ocean, and even from here he can scent the sitting meat kept safe in the caves used as caches. such information would be useful if he ever cared to use it. finally he settles down at the crux of a strangely shaped palm-tree ( a good identifying mark if he ever wanted to find this particular patch of beach again ), still attempting to stay hidden, as he watches ulla fight for this coast. hákon is attempting to stay hidden

code by irish & art by tanzani

Sahir grunted as he felt his head whack into hers, and while his mane gave him some sort of barrier from the blow, it was not enough to prevent the throbbing of his skull on impact. His satisfaction at feeling his claws land their mark was short-lived as his right cheek was bitten down upon, causing deep puncture wounds to smear more scarlet-red across his gloomy pelt where his head had already been aching. She forced a thundering snarl from the prophet by slicing his right leg once more with her own claws, adding another set of moderate lacerations to show in strokes of vibrant red like some twisted form of calligraphy.

Sahir lunged his head forward, attempting to take advantage of her own lunged bite by trying to snap his jaws around the base of her scruff toward where it met her right shoulder blade. With his claws extended deep into the sands of the shore for traction, he lifted his left paw to try and slice it down the muscled area of her right shoulder while jutting his own right shoulder forward, attempting to knock it into the laceration wounds he had previously made on her chest.

---

+20 - Use a creative move in battle (headbutt, double exp event)
Sahir Najma vs. @Úlla
for Caladan Cove
Round 2 / 5
Hits:

Rolling 7d20: 10 + 7 + 2 + 18 + 12 + 16 + 13

Dodges:

Rolling 3d20: 8 + 17 + 20

Luck:

Rolling 6d20: 16 + 1 + 7 + 12 + 11 + 5

ART BY MAX, CODE BY LARS

The call means little to her. This land and its residents are still new to her, the state of their politics unfamiliar, and thus the potential change in power over the Cove is ultimately meaningless in her eyes. But Myra could recognize that this was an opportunity to learn. She had set out from the Mire today with a plan to observe this land’s prey, but it would not hurt if she chose to observe its lions instead.

Guessing that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to keep a low profile when hanging around another pride’s territory, she employed once again the trick she had tried out recently. The huntress brushed her golden fur against the foliage, rubbing against grass and mulch until she no longer smelled quite like herself, by her own measure. The mess it made of her pelt concerned her not at all.

She cautiously made her way towards the commotion, slinking her way alongside @Sláine and @Kinki, appreciative of their relative silence in comparison to some of the others gathered here. (Kinki’s artistic endeavors received a curious side-eye, but Myra did not linger on it for long.)

Focusing her attention upon the action, she found that she recognized one of the combatants – Úlla – from her first day at the passage. A reminder that this patch of sand and ocean could easily have been her abode right now, had she chosen differently. Sharp blue eyes watched the violence unfold with renewed interest, as she was now genuinely curious to see if the gray lioness would be successful or not in fending off the challenger. What did her strength look like, truly?

+10 Observe a fight (Doubled)
+10 Practice concealing your scent (Doubled)

Someday, they'll tell my story

It's like I have this tunnel vision, never stops. It's rising, inside me. I'm crawling over daggers till I reach the top. Chasing the lightning Ooh, I know we want the same thing. Ooh, you're gonna have to face me. It's like I have this tunnel vision, never stops. It never stops. Powerful. Know it when you taste it. Nobody can take i.

code by corvus

Violarum Frei

Turns out being loud and knowledgeable made ladies start grovelling at your toes. Violarum was looking around rather expectantly at the crowd after his declaration, and it was not long after that @Dagmar approached. She was womanly in build, though any curves he might have liked to eyeball were covered by dense fluff.

Another. This one sleek and red and polite and interested. Expression, relentlessly boyish, seemed to dart between them “ @Úlla.” He surrendered, so casual, though his breast puffed and burly shoulders flexed mindlessly - a dance that had become like clockwork. “Kind of bossy, but she’s alright,” she’d yelled at him once, but otherwise she seemed fine.

He was pretty sure she was a Sigrun, but perhaps he didn’t care enough to know it for sure, or offer it as speculation. “I’m Violarum,” single, ready to mingle.

@Basira

_{table by yumpy}

Haven't I given enough?
Always the fool with the slowest heart

A pit settled in Hrefna's stomach at the sound of the call. She had been nearing Maua's Passage when she heard it, a cloak of shadow serving to disguise her black and swollen figure as she moved. Hrefna wasted no time in altering her course, making quick work of approaching Caladan despite how her fuller figure made her movements awkward and strained. Perhaps, if she had taken the time to think about it, she would realize that a pride challenge was the last place she should be as a pregnant lioness – that this was the last place Lysander would wish her to be. But, when had that ever been her concern?

There was already a sizeable crowd chattering by the time she neared, though Hrefna opted to take a back way rather than scale the sandy shores themselves. She settled amongst the rocks on the outskirts of the scene, attempting to use the night to her advantage and remain utterly hidden as she watched the spectacle unfold. Vellen smite him, she prayed.

---

|| october y7 | two years | OH gentry | at caladan cove | HIDDEN | pregnant ||
+20 - Remain undetected in a large thread (double exp event)
+20 - Spy on another pride or family’s event (double exp event)
+20 - Sneak into a pride or group without getting caught (double exp event)