Mercury showed a genuine delight to see him again, one which helped dispel some of Artorias' initial apprehension about seeing the male snuggled up to the alpha he knew nothing about. He introduced Wren as his alpha, and now his mate. Ah, there it was! "I'm glad to see you are well, Mercury," he replied with a kind smile, then settled back to let the other dire wolf meet his child. Zephyrus was certainly an unexpected star of the show. It kept Artorias cautious and on edge, ready to do as Azure did and leap into the fray to protect his son should anyone decide to test their luck against the giant bird. A nudge to his shoulder took his attention back to Sirius, and Artorias was surprised that the suddenly agitated Warlord was moving his group away, along with most of the Menagerie crowd, urging him to be safe and he'd see him back in the Armada. "I will, and you do the same," he said to his father-in-law, wondering where the sudden coldness had come from, but not prying in this public setting. Chimera chuckled and made a remark about him getting an earful about it from the Warlord. He'd ask Seer about it later in private.

As Zephyrus squished his larger form up against his side, Artorias sat tall and strong, allowing his son to put his weight on him for comfort. Bushy tail curled out to wrap around Zeph's tail feathers, a silent gesture to show that he was here and wouldn't let anything happen to his ward. He was very proud of how nobly his son was conducting himself, speaking politely to their friends around them, and offering his son all the comforts he needed while they watched the violence unfold. Zeph's question caused the Aegis' ears to prick up, then fold sadly back against his skull. Bright amber eyes dimmed a little as mournful memories of how he'd obtained his crown flashed in his mind's eye. "No, I didn't," he responded low under his breath, turning a rueful smile down to the young raptor. "I'll tell you about that some other time."

"Not like you don't fucking deserve it, Ignis Praetor." The voice just barely heard from where he was sitting made the Aegis' ear flick, and Art's head snapped in the direction of the sound. A woman was squaring off with the red-furred male Azure had mauled. Amber eyes went wide with understanding. So that was Ignis Praetor, the disgraced former alpha of Incendium! Now Artorias had a face to place with the name. Or, well, what was left of his face... Seemed the once-leader had fallen in with the pirates now. A flash of black and white, and then Venom was among their ranks. Artorias greeted his friend and peer with a respectful bow of his head. Azure tensely remained and explained the volatile situation to the inquisitive Sybil, and Sybil astutely questioned the pirates' motives for provoking the Armada. "Some wolves" Artorias began, leaning slightly towards the smaller snow-white wolf, "just want to watch the world burn. Sometimes the simplest motive is no motive." Artorias was glad Sybil had stayed behind. She was curious and cordial, everything a diplomat should be. He recalled his meeting with Sparrow following the raid against the Hallows, and how she had justified her raid as "fun". Sometimes the simplest motive was no motive.

A yearling at Chimera's side asked what was going on. He smelled of Fenmyre, and Artorias could only assume this was one of Chi's sons. "No, they are not common," he explained to the youth. "But they are very important." Kotori greeted him and he gave his brother-in-law a friendly smile and nod back, trying to not obviously stare at the severe wounds the young man had taken in his gambit for an alphaship. "Hello Kotori. You know you are always welcome to come visit. In fact, I'd really like to insist, to let my healers look at your wounds." The Armada healers had done a decent job patching him up after the fight, but Art wanted Syanna to look at Kotori. His resident cosmetic surgeon would be able to hopefully save most of Ko's looks, maybe give him some rugged charm after the fact.

Once more, chaos erupted in the form of more brawls. The stranger arguing with Ignis tore up the red wolf's side, and little Levi blinded another Klein child. What the fuck was going on? Artorias watched while Azure scowled and set off to break up the children's fights. The Aegis did not envy his brother-in-law for the madness he was trying to rein in. Chimera nudged him and mentioned his ward. "Ah, you're right! Chi, this is my son, Zephyr. Zeph, this is Chimera Klein, leader of Fenmyre and our allied neighbor." Artorias returned to watching the conclusion of the fight, distracted only once more by a cheer from a familiar voice. Sparrow was here and on Recluse's side. That surprised the younger male—not because she'd shown up, but because they were supporting the same side. He would've never pegged a pirate for cheering on a member of the Ashen Empire. Perhaps he'd misjudged Sparrow. Artorias had come a long way from the headstrong youth he had been when they'd last met. Maybe there were things he could learn from them. Maybe he should have a chat with the Pirate King... Only time would tell.

ooc: Artorias will not be replying further until the fight is judged. If anyone wants to have side threads for conversations, hit me up!

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

She was late in arriving to the challenge, but when she did, she arrived mid-fight and spotted quite the number of wolves that had gathered to watch. It seemed there was at least one wolf from each pack that she knew of here, and some she didn't recognize at all. But challenges tended to draw others in, did they not? Every challenge she knew of had a large attendance, and this was no different. She recognized the smell of Habari mostly gathered on one side and assumed their leader was the one being challenged. Turning pale blue gaze to the fight itself, she couldn't say she recognized the challenger, and as her gaze drifted around to those in attendance, she spotted Pyralis. Her lip curled at the sight of the old Abraxas. Once someone she respected, that respect had diminished with time when the old Abraxas woman defected and went off to do her own thing. Leaving behind the family unit. Although many had done that, Pyralis had been a source of trouble a time or two on Aerie's borders, and of course, throughout the lands. She was certainly on Aerie's radar...or at the very least...on Ina's. She decided not to approach the woman, and instead, stood on neutral ground while her ex-aunt sat with someone she didn't recognize yet. There were a number of smaller fights happening here, too. Something else that really wasn't that unusual. Though she kept Pyralis in her peripheral, she made a note to inform Eligos when she returned to the Band.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Recluse? Jynn's eyes narrowed for a moment then widened as recognition hit her. "Hey, wasn't she at one of your party's?" She racked her brain trying to recall more details but they didn't arrive so she let the thought go. "Medusa is her name. We sparred some time back but I don't know much about her." Jynn thought the woman seemed a bit odd but hadn't really pegged her as the type that would go after a pack.

"Any favorites on who should win?"

"Recluse. I hate to see her lose her home." Jynn didn't know all that much about either competitor but what little she knew of Recluse hadn't given her any reason to wish for the woman to lose her home, especially when she had children to care for.

I'm Trying to Find A Signal Fire

Pyralis watched the fight on and off, occasionally scanning the crowds to get a feel for all who were present. Her eyes focused on Gossamer for a moment and she grinned. It was terribly tempting to confront the girl again but now that she'd fought her once at a challenge it was likely she was being watched and getting straight to her target would be more challenging. Pyralis slowly got to her feet, stretching as she moved toward the little clump of Empire wolves. She wanted to race in and scatter them like birds but a familiar scent caught her attention and her eyes fixed on Proserpina. Ahhh… one of her remaining family members. So they were still lingering despite giving up on holding a pack land.

She headed toward the pale woman with a smirk on her face. "I see our family still lingers on. Have you all finally dropped that 'descended from gods' dribble?"

Acacius was very late arriving to the circus show, but in his defense he had been very busy digging up graves to find more half-decomposed corpses to practice 'healing' techniques on. By the time he'd arrived the fight was near over, but still he made his way to Medusa's side of the spectators and planted himself there firmly to watch his friend win her pack. She'd let him pierce his nose, that in itself was call for loyalty and friendship forever, right? Plus, she was one of the few wolves wandering the world marked with a pattern resembling a skeleton like himself. Most of his time as a yearling had been spent pack-less, and Acacius desperately hoped for Medusa to win so he might find a place where he felt like he could belong - him, his imaginary friend, and all. Go Medusa!" He cheered, pumping his paw in excitement.

"Speech"

All comfy as he took a sat, ears remained in sintony with his surroundings. Seeing how some pups and yearlings were snuck upon and maimed, he felt the need to watch his back, of course not showing fear on his eyes. Keeping his expression neutral. But he was ready to defend himself if something erupted. He fought a lion twice, in his still developing judgment, he saw that as an enough experience to feel he could actually do well against his own species. In fact he havent fought another wolf yet, and that put him in disadvantage. Perhaps later he could ask his father for guidance and perhaps some good training. For now he enjoyed the view, being a bit caught up in surprise as he let his father move him to the center of his forepaws. Taking the time to accommodate himself, aiming not to block Chi's view. All done he watched from there, feeling comfy on his sire's paws.

He nodded to the adult's responses to his initial question. Not wanting to interrupt them with any more inquires. Saving them for later.

""

code by

window blues

Proserpina She watched the fight unfold between the two challengers. Habari's alpha trying to protect the crooked crown on her head and the skeleton masked woman trying to rip it from her. But then a distraction in the form of the Abraxas defect came along..."I see our family still lingers on. Have you all finally dropped that 'descended from gods' dribble?" Ina's ears flattened, her gaze cold as she kept it on the fighters at hand. "I'm surprised to see someone hasn't killed you yet." She drawled. How the hell had Pyralis out of all of the Abraxas, manage to stay alive for so long? "Go crawl back into the hole you came from." Wasn't someone itching to rip her apart and bury her already? Or play ball with her head as she had done to countless coyotes? Honestly, some of her aunt's antics were a little disturbing and foolish. It left a bad taste in her mouth and tarnished their name. While the family wasn't as great as when they started, someday...they'd rise again. The Fallen God simply hadn't given them the sign to do so quite yet...they needed to purge those that had turned their back on him first and foremost. Perhaps Pyralis was the start.

I'm Trying to Find A Signal Fire

Pyralis smirked at her relatives response. Goodness, she couldn't even remember how they were all related any more. Was Proserpina a niece? A great niece? A cousin of some sort. The Abraxas has focused so strongly on breeding strong and able-bodied members and so little on maintaining and fostering family connections. She'd always felt they were more soldiers connected by blood than kin. Well… that wasn't fully true. Her thoughts flickered to her brother Amon. A wolf she could truly call her brother. But so many faces and names meant so little beyond a spoken connection of blood.

"Really? I thought my prowess as a warrior was clear." She laughed loudly. "Though to be honest I'm surprised as well. So many wolves in these lands seem to lack the balls to actually end their tormentors." She flicked her gaze to Gossamer and the Armada wolves before back to Proserpina. "As for crawling back into my lovely little den… why don't you make me? Prove to me someone in our family is still a force to be reckoned with."

"Pyralis. This is not the time or the place." Pyralis spared a bored glance at Alkali before the bird continued. "Have you forgotten your 'little project'? Its time to go."

Pyralis swore then shooting a scowling glance back toward Proser and the Armada she slinked off with Alkali leading the way.

-exit-

Ok, I know you were expecting Tea to judge this. However, she's super swamped til next year, and while the same is true of me I am also home sick... again... so I'm taking over judging this so we can get things moving along again.

If you are not a participant in this fight please do not DM me with questions about it. These are time consuming to judge and take a lot out of a person. Explaining decisions to 5+ people is even more so. If you simply must ask something please place it in the 'Fight Club' section on Discord.

MEDUSA vs RECLUSE for PACK CHALLENGE ROUND ONE RECLUSE: WRITING 10/10 for Power Play: None Seen 8/10 for Clarity: -1 Is she attacking head on or at an angle? Perfectly square? -1 What part of skull is she attacking with? forehead? very top? 2/10 for Attacks: +2 headbutt 5/5 for Defenses: all defenses valid 10/10 for Injuries: first round Status 10/12 for Experience: +4 Advanced Intellectual +6 Master Fighter 5/5 for Health: pack wolf RECLUSE’s round one total: 50/62 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— MEDUSA: WRITING 10/10 for Power Play: None Seen 7/10 for Clarity: -1 at what angle is she approaching Recluse? -1 how are her companions moving so that they can get into "prime position", what does that mean? how are they positioned? -1 more detail needs to be added in how her "sudden change in movement" caused Recluse's attack to fail. 5/10 for Attacks: +2 shoulder throw +1 paw stomp +2 bite 5/5 for Defenses: all defenses valid 10/10 for Injuries: first round Status 12/12 for Experience: +6 Master Fighter +6 Master Hunter 4/5 for Health: Loner MEDUSA’s round one total: 53/62 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— ROUND TWO RECLUSE: WRITING 9/10 for Power Play: -1 hunching would not make the space between shoulder and chest disappear. She would need to move in some way to displace the attack. 7/10 for Clarity: -1 where has Medusa's attack hit? You mention bone but more specifics are needed. -1 I don't follow how Medusa's upper fangs landed clear to Recluse's shoulder, that's a long stretch -1 stepping right would move her farther from Medusa rather than toward her throat. With moving farther out how does she aim her paw to strike toward toward Medusa? 3/10 for Attacks: +2 head slam +1 paw stomp 1/5 for Defenses: +1 head tuck 7/10 for Injuries: -1 moderate bruising -0 light scratch to inside of left foreleg -2 moderate punctures to neck Status 10/12 for Experience: +4 Advanced Intellectual +6 Master Fighter 5/5 for Health: pack wolf RECLUSE’s round two total: 42/62 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— MEDUSA: WRITING 8/10 for Power Play: -2 Recluse did not attempt a bite. 4/10 for Clarity: -1 you've lost me in how they're positioned. It seems she's facing Recluse's shoulder but when she lifts up she's wrapping around the neck with no additional movement? -1 where on the back of Recluse's neck is Medusa trying to place her right foreleg? -1 where is she seeking to land her paw so that the claws can connect? -2 what part of her body is Medusa shoving with? What part of Recluse is she shoving against and in what way? -1 how is Medusa positioning herself to go for the eyes when she's above Recluse and Recluse is head-butting? 5/10 for Attacks: +2 armwrap +2 bite +1 bite severity 5/5 for Defenses: defenses listed and valid 9/10 for Injuries: -1 moderate bruising to shoulder -0 light scratching to inside of elbow Status 12/12 for Experience: +6 Master Fighter +6 Master Hunter 4/5 for Health: Loner MEDUSA’s round two total: 47/62 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— ROUND THREE RECLUSE: WRITING 8/10 for Power Play: -1 the lick seems like its being added pre-headbutt when the headbutt is already occurring. Like it you're adding onto the previous post rather than just continuing the fight. -1 there's a lot of movement with Recluse's head. We have a lick, a head butt, and then a bite. 3/10 for Clarity: -1 Where was Recluse shoved? Is there any damage from Medusa's shove? -1 Where did Medusa's left leg end up? You mentioned a bruised chin and a miss but its vague where the arm rests. -1 I'm not sure how Recluse is moving to lick Medusa when her head is already going up in a headbutt. -1 Recluse's jaw positioning is a bit unclear. It sounds like she's aiming for the muzzle to clam Medusa's jaw shut but then we also have mention of her brow bones. -1 Medusa's cobra is coming up behind Medusa and yet is also angled in at a T. The movement is unclear. -1 Realism, a cobra's bite is unlikely to crush toes. -1 what damage did Medusa's bite do? 6/10 for Attacks: +0 licking +2 arm wrap +2 bite +2 cobra bite 5/5 for Defenses: defenses listed and valid 8/10 for Injuries: -0 light bruising to chin -2 moderate lacerations to top of head (judge assigned) Status 10/12 for Experience: +4 Advanced Intellectual +6 Master Fighter 5/5 for Health: pack wolf RECLUSE’s round three total: 45/62 ——————————————————————————————————————————————————— MEDUSA: WRITING 10/10 for Power Play: None Seen 6/10 for Clarity: -1 how does taking one step back dodge Recluse's paw? -1 the cobra is attacking from the side, how does stepping back put Medusa's paw in line with stepping on the cobra? -1 how is Medusa's head positioned for the ear? You mention the top fangs aiming to go over the ear, like over the top? over for behind? -1 where on the right side is the cougar aiming their claws, that's a wide area you need to be more specific 9/10 for Attacks: +1 claw attack +2 bite +1 bite severity +2 wolverine bite +1 bite severity +2 cougar claws 5/5 for Defenses: listed and valid 8/10 for Injuries: -2 moderate lacerations to left foreleg Status 12/12 for Experience: +6 Master Fighter +6 Master Hunter 4/5 for Health: Loner MEDUSA’s round three total: 54/62 Totals: RECLUSE: 142/186 (5 point pass applied) MEDUSA: 159/186 (5 point pass applied) And the winner is... MEDUSA! RECLUSE must give up by either submitting, fleeing, or passing out. Damage: Considering the timeline any damage would be healed by now. However, if you wish to play this challenge out as having happened this current fall let me know and I can distribute healing times. - By Lunarcat7

Ichor was pretty sure some of his siblings weren't quite as smart as they played at and when Ghoul pushed back on his comment he rolled his eyes. "Can't get revenge if she catches us." It was in a light, teasing tone but he meant it. Ichor would not take it laying down if his mother lost but he also had no intention of letting Medusa get her way. He would not let himself be caught. Ichor felt he was proven right when the other fights started breaking out, Ghoul going right for a boy Ichor recognized... Hadn't they fought at an empire tournament? That seemed like a... Questionable choice. Surely picking fights with their allies was a great way to get themselves in trouble.

He watched as more wolves poured in, it seemed the former slave honestly had very little support but two skull-faced yearlings seemed to back her up. Family? It seemed unlikely to him that any family would have let the woman waste in squalor. One (Havoc) seemed to giggle to himself as he looked over at them and Ichor couldn't help but feel like maybe Mac and Ghoul deserved that but he flashed the boy a wink, sticking his tongue out. He wasn't really all that bothered by what was unfolding, Mac's leg even felt, to an extent, like he'd earned it. Though maybe it was only fair that Ghoul had actually started things.

Though of course things did go wrong. He felt it as he watched and notice his mother wobbling on her paws, she was bleeding heavily and he swallowed a yelp as he watched her topple, falling unconscious. It was over. Ichor rose to his paws with a lot of control, he glanced at his siblings. He had no intention of waiting to find out what plans Medusa had for them, he felt bad about what he was going to say, especially when you consider that Mac's leg was pretty dang broken. But he looked at them and in a very calm voice said: "I still suggest we get the fuck out of here, meet up in a few days' time and do some scheming. But in the meantime, I suggest not getting caught." He didn't wait for anyone to agree, he didn't even see his mother starting to come too, having only passed out for a moment or two. He was off, hoping he was making the right choice in suggesting they scatter.

-Exit Ichor at a sprint-


"Ichor Klein"

Art by yo-stta

Az caught the tail end of the match as he was entertaining Recluses' children's attempt at diplomacy, his head jutting to peer around the yearling in alarm as the Habari alpha fell. Great. His ally had fallen and ten minutes prior he had broken the limb of her insufferable son, who would now be captive within the pack and beneath Medusa's rule. While her other children had the opportunities to fight for their freedoms, Azure had taken that option away from Macabre entirely. Without four functioning limbs the boy was bound for slavery, and Az knew he had no choice but to at least attempt to step in on behalf of his ally and right his wrong.

Pushing through the crowd he made his way toward the new alpha, bypassing pleasantries or congratulations entirely and only gesturing toward his head to the maimed boy. "That one I'm taking with me." He told her. She had just come off a difficult fight of her own, and so Az gave her the opportunity to make the decision to let Mac leave without a fight... though Az was prepared to put tooth and claw to his demand if she required it of him.

Azure vs Medusa for Freedom Challenge (Macabre)
Round 0/?
Age: over 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Bracers with knife
Defensive Battle Accessory: Condor body armor
Companion 1: Large flying fox, Male - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Clouded leopard, Female - Battle
*Companion 3: Fisher, Male - Battle
Mutation 1: Saber fangs - Offensive
Mutation 2: Bear paws - Offensive
Mutation 3: Bone spurs - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter

"Speech"

Success! The fight came to a close at last with Recluse falling away unconscious and Medusa the victor. The moment she felt her opponent slipping to the ground, Medusa broke away and shook out her ruffled fur, blood splattering from her wounds onto the ground. She expected to have gotten more torn up considering that's what she had been trying to do to Recluse, but she had gotten away with minor wounds while Recluse had suffered more damage. To her, it wasn't surprising. After all, she had never once seen Recluse in a fight. She cackled with delight after she caught her breath. She had won! She got her revenge on the now former Habari alpha and she had ripped the crown away from her. She licked her lips with glee as she sighed with contentment. Well, now that was over. She was satisfied. And now she could go on her merry way. Glancing around, she finally noticed how big a crowd had gathered and she had no fucking clue who any of them were (other than a handful of them). She chalked them up to either being nosy or on Habari's side, whatever the case, their little do-nothing friend had lost. She waited a few moments to catch her breath and observe what had happened while she was fighting, and noticed cow-kid on the ground with his leg at a weird angle, fresh cuts over his eye. Ghoul seemed to have something going on, and tension was high among them but she didn't care one way or another if it was because of her fight or someone else's. She hadn't expected so many to show up anyway but hey, whether they knew her or not she didn't give a flying fuck. She had won, and now she had to decide what to do. Glancing from one Habari member to another, she knew they weren't going to make things easy. Did she care? Nope. They could try to run and hide all they wanted, but in the end..."Medusa won. Habari is dead." She stated matter-of-factly. "Medusa doesn't care what Recluse says or does, she did nothing but breed like a rabbit anyway." That made her giggle again. Looking around, she was happy to see her skele-friends, earning a brief wag of her tail. "Medusa will be keeping Habari members for a little while. But not as slaves. She has other plans. Fun plans." Recluse thought she had been showing Medusa mercy? HA! She must've not known what mercy was. Maybe she'd show the former Habari members mercy. Maybe she wouldn't. It depended on them at this point. If they wanted to run, sure. She'd play their little game of hide and seek, but that route certainly wouldn't end well for them, oh no. Where they had failed to keep her under their metaphorical thumbs while she had been enslaved by them, she wouldn't make the same mistake. Nope. Not even close. But hey, if they wanted to make things harder for themselves, by all means, game on. After all, it seemed that was the plan when she spotted one of them running off. Player number one! She thought with glee. "Packs can be mad at Medusa for this, but Medusa has her reasons. She does not care if you choose to believe the liar." She said aloud. If they wanted to know why she did this, she'd tell them the truth. But she didn't expect them to care for the truth and instead choose to live with Recluse's wool pulled over their eyes so they could try to save face or whatever the saying was. "Anyone who wants to join Medusa can follow." As she was about to go, Azure stepped up towards her. No "hey how are you! Congrats on winning!" Or anything! How rude! She raised a brow at him, as he stated he was taking someone with him. "Nice to see you again too, thank you for the piercing!" She replied half-sarcastically. She had beaten him once, then he had beaten her right after. Still, they were pretty much evenly scored. "Why." She was curious. Was he really trying to get her to give up one of her prizes for winning? Rude! "Speak"

Though her strange way of speaking (and the phantom smell that forced its way to the forefront of his memory when he looked at her) spiked an instance annoyance in the new Warlord, Azure did his best to push those feelings down for at least the moment. Medusa was a capable fighter in her own right, having beaten him once and beaten Recluse now on this battlefield. Making this happen without a fight was the best possible result for him, for his pack, and probably for the remnants of Habari as well.

"I've broken him." He commented, unable to keep the faint touch of amusement from his tone. "I had my reasons, too." There was the question of the best way to garnish empathy from the weird wolf and Azure did pause a moment to consider, but in the end Medusa was and had always been a wildcard. He settled with the truth, and prepared himself to back up his claim with tooth and claw should the freed slave not find it suitable. "One's punishment should always fit the crime." Az began. "That one has lost to my pack not just his mobility but an eye as well, he does not deserve to recover from those wounds in a strange land in a strange pack and beneath the alpha who just took from him his home. He needs stability now, and perhaps while in my care once made whole again, he can begin to pay off the debt he owes to my family for the trouble he's caused here today."

"Speech"

Medusa won! Acacius wasted no time in bounding up from his seat (ignoring the other gathered wolves entirely) and over to his new friend, striped tail wagging hard. Medusa had said that anyone who wanted to follow Medusa could follow Medusa, and Acacius sure intended to do exactly that.

He was too slow however and already another was in his new alpha's face. Acacius' muzzle wrinkled in annoyance. "Can you hurry up already? I want to congratulate my friend." The yearling insisted, blind to the tension and not even beginning to consider the fact that he might be putting his nose where it doesn't belong. "Medusa!" He shouted past the titan. "I want to come, don't leave without me, 'kay?!"

"Speech"

The fight came to a close and Aryn's blood pressure spiked with each new splatter of blood that tore from her alpha and master. In the end when Recluse did fall, the Valentine woman couldn't decide how to feel about it. Loyalty to her pack and to her son (who's existance unwillingly bound her to Recluse's forever) brought the first waves of anger but behind it, an odd sort of relief. Medusa had said they would not be slaves but.. well, from what Aryn knew of the stinky girl with whom she'd lived, 'fun plans' did not sound promising either. As she began to think of what their new alpha might have in store for them, Aryn's fear began to grow past both the relief and the fury.

No sooner did the terror grip her did Aryn begin to stand, her limbs shaking slightly. While Medusa was preoccupied now was the time to run - but not away, like Ichor seemed to be suggesting. No, she still had Veigar to worry about, and she promised she would never run away from him again. Turning on her heels the woman fled, back south east and toward the volcano that had been their pack lands. To find Veigar, explain what had happened, and with her son begin to consider their next movements... quickly!

-exit Aryn-

The battle was bloody and violent, and neither side held any punches. It was a grim spectacle to be sure, far more mean-spirited and vindictive than the challenge for Abaven had been. When the dust had settled and the fighting come to a close, Recluse had been bested and Medusa stood as the champion. Artorias frowned, disappointed by the results. Though he did not know Recluse well, she was family to Venom and an extension of the Ashen Empire he and the Hallows were close to. To see any family lose their home was a shame. Now he just hoped that the Habari wolves would be able to heal and move on in the aftermath of this carnage.

Artorias watched while a couple of the Klein yearlings fled from the battlefield at a sprint, no doubt to collect their belongings and get the hell out of Dodge before things got ugly. But what came as the most shocking turn of events was when Medusa declared that she would be laying claim to all of Habari's members, including Recluse's family. Artorias leered at the skeletal woman in shock, dismayed by her bold display of profound wickedness. Was it not enough that she had beaten a mother bloody, taken her pack and stolen a home from a family? Apparently not, as Medusa did not appear to be satisfied by her victory. It was one thing to challenge for a pack, as this was the order of things, but to capture a family and children as well? That crossed a line. Artorias watched in stunned silence while Azure made his way forward to challenge Medusa for one of the Klein children—the one he had crippled. It was a rare display of mercy that the Aegis approved of, and made him turn a favorable gaze to his brother-in-law.

After dismissing himself from his group of friends, Artorias turned a stern gaze to Zephyrus. "Come, we're leaving." There was no room for discussion in his tone. This gathering had turned grim and he only sensed further hostility to come. He looked over to Venom and Sirius, curious to know their responses to this outcome, as he doubted either would let this go without some sort of consequence for a deliberate attack on the Empire. Medusa made a big show of calling out to them all, claiming she had reasons and trying to make herself appear to be the righteous one in all this. Artorias sneered at the disgusting display of self-righteousness she showed. Capturing the family of your opponent went beyond righteousness, and it wouldn't have surprised him if it was the inciting action that led to war.

"To Recluse and her family, if you are in need of shelter or aid, you are welcomed in the Hallows," he announced above the clamor in the wake of the battle. Pointed fire-toned eyes moved to Medusa. "All who support Medusa, are not." Medusa would have no shortage of enemies with the decisions she'd made here today. This was the first hard line the Hallows had ever drawn against a pack, but the overt aggression shown here today proved to the Aegis that Medusa and whatever she created would forever be incapable of redemption or fostering peace. They would be considered threats from what he had seen here today. With all he had to say said, Artorias began to usher Zephyrus away, bound for home. There was nothing more to do here.

- exit Artorias -

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

"I've broken him." were the words that came from Azure. Medusa looked past him to the bonehead on the ground, noting the angle his leg was at as well as the bleeding on his face. What the hell had Mac gone and done while she was busy dancing around with his mom? "I had my reasons, too." She returned her gaze to the slightly larger alpha. She didn't care to size him up, she had done that the first time around and she wasn't afraid of him (wasn't afraid of anyone to be honest. Fear? What was that anyway!?). If they got in another scuffle, she'd either of them could come out the winner just like last time. "One's punishment should always fit the crime."

To that, Medusa nodded. "Medusa agrees!" But when Azure continued, Medusa remained silent as the cogs in her mind processed each and every word. "That one has lost to my pack not just his mobility but an eye as well, he does not deserve to recover from those wounds in a strange land in a strange pack and beneath the alpha who just took from him his home. He needs stability now, and perhaps while in my care once made whole again, he can begin to pay off the debt he owes to my family for the trouble he's caused here today." Without skipping a beat, she added "And his family took away two years of Medusa's life. Tried to break her in every way possible, and Recluse did not ever give Medusa the chance despite Medusa's efforts. She grew on her own, without the help of family." She glanced at Mac again, "Or love. Or pity."

She returned her gaze to Azure again, raising her head as she took on a more serious tone for once. "He3 and his family have to pay for the crimes and suffering they caused. Why does he deserve to recover in a pack with the wolves that just took his eye and broke his leg? He is younger than us. And you being older, decided to cause him further harm. Medusa would've stopped at one or the other, but now he is worse off because of your pack. She stated matter of factly. Mac hadn't really done her any wrong. She neither liked him nor hated him. She didn't know enough about him nor had enough conversation to know if he was likable or not, but she didn't have anything against him. It was very possible that there was the potential of being friends. Or...at least in the past, she didn't know about now. But who knew? "Medusa does not believe he should be around your pack. Habari failed, yes. But that was because Recluse was incapable and very, very bad at her job. She failed him, too." She briefly nodded toward the boy on the ground.

"He comes with Medusa. For his protection and safety. Where your pack cannot hurt him more. And Medusa knows how to help with injuries like that. He will not be a slave. None of them will be. Medusa can feel the judgment from where she stands, but it does not affect her. If you want to fight, then we fight. But Medusa beat you once already, just like you did when you pierced her ear. Does Armada alpha want to risk it in front of everyone? Besides, Medusa is claiming lands not far from here. A short journey is in his best interest before he loses more blood and he dies because of you and your pack." And if he did choose to fight, then there was no telling if she'd just keep causing them trouble until the cows came home.







"Speech!"

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