Ember was always eager for an opportunity to get to participate in bigger events with the Hallows or with other packs, so when her father asked her to join him at the pack challenge, the Carpathian princess was all for it! She grabbed her sword swiftly and hurried downstairs to join her sire and any other Hallows wolves that wanted to watch the show. She’d never seen a proper pack challenge before! How exciting! But as enthusiastic as she was to go watch the fight, Em kept herself cool and composed, still wanting to put on a good showing for her family and her pack.

They arrived at the Boneyard mid-battle. Aww, they’d missed the start! With a bit of a pout, Ember started surveying the other wolves around. She didn’t recognize many of them, but one small group of observers had her father tense and on guard. Em followed his gaze when he instructed her to only observe and keep to themselves, eyeing the strangers curiously. The woman she recognized from her distinctive markings and all her lessons on the other packs of Ardent—Medusa—but the others she didn’t know. Putting them out of her mind, Ember focused her attention on the fighting, watching and analyzing the combatants’ moves and maneuvers and silently critiquing them in her mind.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

The tiny winged wolf had heard the call, but he hadn’t wanted to believe it. While he knew Bellatrix was ambitious, a small part of him had hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight to initiate a pack for her family. His stomach churned in knots as he fetched Beauregard from where the man had been resting. He knew that he would want to be there for Trixy as well. But nothing would have prepared him for what opponent he saw her fighting. When they arrived, it was the same woman that had won the right to a pack before Bellatrix before. His fur bristled, seeing the supporters of the other woman. She might have been defending their pack, but if any of them dared talk bad about Bellatrix, Gavroche wasn’t going to stand idly by and just let them talk down on her.

Even with anxiety flaring in his gut at the fight, Gavroche helped Beauregard settle before pacing the outskirts of the fight. His green eyes betrayed worry, but he knew that just because you were tiny didn’t mean you weren’t strong. Giving his all against Dusk, he had done alright against her, but she had managed to win out with experience in the end. The pixie stopped and straightened, calling out to his friend. “Come on Trixy, you got this! It’s not the size of the wolf in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the wolf!” He barked. Win or lose, he was going to be right there beside her.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

table coding by bunni ♥

Trixy’s call didn’t surprise him, although Beauregard had wished his daughter had taken a little more time before plunging into a challenge. With his leg still healing, Beauregard was slow to rise. Thankfully, young Gavroche arrived to lend a paw in getting him to the boneyard. With ears perked and blue gaze thoughtful, Beauregard wondered what opponent Bellatrix had decided to take on. The fight was into the thick of it when they arrived, and Beauregard’s stomach churned when he recognized the woman that Trixy had fought before. Why would she challenge her again? Was it stubbornness? A determination to win?

Beau’s ears flicked back against his skull and his tail flicked anxiously behind him. He could feel Gavroche tense as well, neither of them liking what they were seeing. Gav moved from his side, but it was clear to see the pixie was anxious, wanting to jump in to defend his friend but knowing better than to interfere with the challenge. Beauregard remained quiet, gaze focused on the fight. It felt like he scarcely dared to breathe. He just hoped that the wolves of the other pack wouldn’t hunt his daughter down for her attempts should she win.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

When Fairytale approached, Atreyu waited for her to settle in before leaning her weight slightly back against the young woman. To only Fairytale she said, "The smaller one is the kind one who gave me the quail. The larger wolf threw dirt in my eyes during a spar..." Her holographic gaze didn't leave the combatants until new wolves showed up. She only spared a glance at them, though, and returned her eyes back to the fight before her. For Fairytale's ears only she spoke softly, "Take note of our neighbors, Fairytale, we will need to know them in the future." Atreyu had her own opinions, but for now she watched and silently cheered on the smaller woman in the ring. A few times she had to hold herself back, her front paw moving forward of its own accord before she stopped herself. It wasn't her place to intervene here.

She didn't want to draw undue attention to herself just yet, nor did she want to cause any untimely drama, so she didn't yell out like some did. Instead, she carefully watched the two and tried not to jump in, wondering who would come out the victor. A few of the wolves in attendance seemed to enjoy the fight, watching with open glee on their faces. A couple she noticed came in a bit late, with a wolf she had only met once along with them. Atreyu remembered her as Ember, though she couldn't quite remember the surname. Perhaps after the dust had settled they could go over and speak with them, for now, she simply watched and held herself back from jumping into the fray when things got hairy. Fairytale would be the only one to truly notice the antsy way Atreyu sat, her muscles tensing every so often as she fought internally to remain seated.

"Talk." || Think || 'Hear.'

code by bird, art by alo

The albino woman sat there, watching everything unfold before her eyes, she stayed quiet as the two combatants finished. Fairytale listened to Atreyu speak out, a smile offered to the smaller woman, and then eyes flash towards the woman of darkness. A slight snarl was offered, hackles rose. The other she seen as a threat now due to Atreyus tones. Shaking her cranium and centering herself once more. She couldn't intervene or draw unwanted attention to herself. No, however time would come. But she had a nasty taste within her mouth.

"That's a cheap move for anyone to pull on another. I do not care if it's a spar or not." The blood boiled within Fairytale who was almost always gentle and tender. A caregiver in a sense, someone that would go to the ends of the earth to protect her loved ones. But still it did not faze her from offering nods to others that came up to the battle.

Taking note to Bellatrix's stances a friendly smile was offered to the other woman before turning back to Atreyu. "I helped her trap some pygmy pigs, she taught me how to make traps, I want to master that when I can. And help with food also for the band."

Placing her cranium against Atreyus shoulder to try and help the tension that also boiled within the woman.

"Speech"

CODE BY SIN

It was no secret that the demigod would follow his queen and betrothed everywhere she went. As her body guard it was expected of him. He'd remained in the shadows long enough to see the pint sized warrior take on the massive alpha she was challenging, long enough to see more and more gather. His quills were standing as his hackles were raised to the tension in the air. He could remain no longer in the background.

He moved forth, taking a silent seat next to Atreyu as she spoke of the two combatants to their newest band member, Fairytale. The smaller was to blame for many things then, the pigs he heard about and the quail Atreyu was treating like pets. An ear cocked to the two females. Nothing need be said about the tiny femme from him then. The admission of the larger woman's actions in a spar had him chuckle. Dirty tactics but as a war veteran the man was aware of the need for such things. Fairytale's words causing a snort of indignation the teens neither had seen war then. "War calls for many things, and I recommend applying those tactics should you ever find yourself in those situations. Dirty as it may of been, it gave her the edge on the fight did it not?" Eyes cast to the two briefly before he settled himself beside Atreyu, keeping himself between her and the form of the male who resembled the demon king. Suspicious eyes then thrown to him and hackles rising.

There was something about that male that reminded him of the man and his demon spawn. He would be more lax if the scent of the man hadn't reached his nostrils. The man smelled of some closeness to the two. Azriel had tangoed with the demon king personally and he would not allow a family member of the Demon king near his betrothed and her followers. Just because Fairytale had not made herself an acquaintance to the man did not mean she was not afforded the protection of the bodyguard. She had become a follower of Atreyu and with Oath's actions towards the tiny thing, she was afforded every ounce of his protection he could give just as the rest of Judila was.

"Atreyu" || "Azriel"

code by bird, art by asena

Although The Syndicate’s Effendi Dhaka lingered in a neighboring territory, he was still late to the pack challenge that rang out in The Boneyard. It was coincidental- a summons for an audience occurring as he tracked Nilas scent down south, out of his own, morbid curiosity. She really fled to The Hallows, it seemed. And of course, Rhazien was never the type to miss an influential event- one that could manipulate the very world they lived in. He decided to attend the challenge, to gather information and report it back to the Sultan. That was his purpose, after all.

With his serval companions at his side, Rhazien arrives as the battle climaxes. And he has a moment of Deja Vu. He’s seen this pair battle before, over the same dispute. Would the outcome be any different this time?

A large group had congregated to witness the battle, including the alphas of other packs. Medusa, Artorias, and the former Norad king. Rhazien blends seamlessly in the crowd, keeping to himself for now. There was no point in drawing attention to himself just yet.

"Speech"

Reaper watched a new people gathered around. Wolves he had never seen before. Smells of packs he had never met before. He watched them all with a cautious gaze, his eyes searching for Mae. His seagreen eyes spotted her and he noticably perked up. As Mae approached, he kept his stripped tail from wagging too much. When she laid her head on his paws, he bent down to her ears. "I'm glad you came." He whispered sweetly, feeling the lick on his inner neck and then the nip. He gently napped at one of her ears back and placed a soft kiss on the top of her forehead. He watched his Queen battle on against the small, pink, challenger with no words to be said. He simply stared and watched, a knot forming in his gut. If his Queen lost, he would loose his home again. If she won, it would be secured. He could tell others of the pack were less neutral. Some were even seething with rage, and Reaper could not fault them for this. Their home was being threatened. He didn't see the wrong in their anger.