Desdemona had picked a leveled ground of dirt and rock on the side of the mountain. No vegetation, no trees, no growth. Only dust and non...concurrently rain and utter muck. The rain had turned the soon-to-be field of battle into nothing short of a murky swamp. Had Desdemona been a lesser creature, she would have grinned like a banshee. Oh, sometimes she delighted in mother nature. This terrain would be difficult to navigate and even harder still to balance upon. Each move would have to be carefully thought out, meticulously planned! It was brilliant! Beautiful! This would test far more than physical strength and she was overjoyed, although you would be hard pressed to see it upon her visage. Desdemona would careen her head back and let out a bellow of a call. A fierce cry to summon up her pack, it was loud and fierce, willing the notes to carry over the heady smash of the rain. Two toned oculars would gaze about the field of muck and grime and she would chuckle softly, the only sign of her joy before her mask sealed the emotions from her maw. Her wolves would come and they would come swift, The Queen had a tournament to judge. (((OOC: OK guys so I know some of you will want to compete in both the tournament and the games, so heres how its going to work. This thread is just for the tournament, its not mandatory you show up here unless you want to compete in the tournament. Towards the back end of the tournament Ill put up a thread for the games. If you dont show here. You HAVE to show up there. Your wolf MUST compete in one of the events or they will be demoted to a slave. The only exceptions to this rule are Loki and Luce due to pregnancies, and Secret and Ulrike since both have spoken to Desdemona. However, both are well aware that they will not receive high ranks if they don't compete in the games ;) Please let Nnoitra post first! Thanks guys!!! ))) Speech,

A call could be heard over the loud thundering of the rain as it pounded against the ground in in a never ending stream. It was time. The man heard and then followed to help Desdemona judge the beginning of the tournament. Either it or the games were required, and anyone who did not heed the call of one or the other would be severely punished. Tortuga would thrive unlike before. He would come to the place the white Queen had claimed as the place they would hold the tournament. This would surely be a test. The ground was slippery and slick, disgusting, and anything she had in mind was sure to test their ability to think. It was exhilarating. The King would bring himself to Desdemona's side and sat in silence, simply waiting for them to arrive. Two-toned blue hues kept watch. He didn't want to be disappointed. [ooc: Okay sorry for the delay guys. I've got a busy week. This is just something short to get this going.] Speech,

The call was heard. Jumping to her paws, the dame shot forward at an ease lope. It was the tournament to decide on the Betas. She knew she was far to young, barely a year, but she still wanted to watch. Perhaps she could speak with one of the Alphas? She wanted to start training for a rank. She dreamed of becoming a spy. It had enticed her to travel around gathering information on other packs. If she was going to start anywhere this Tournament and the games that followed would be her first step. Slowly, she arrived at the clearing where the two Alphas sat. The rain had turned it into a muddy swamp. Her paws sank into the stop ground with every step, it was a fight to stay up right. Instinctively her tail shot out, stance widenly to keep herself from slipping. She'd die of embarassment if that happened. She approached, dipping her head in greeting "Desdemona, Nnoitra." Their names rolled off her tongue with ease, gaze meeting each wolf. Moving off to the side out the way, she remained standing, waiting for the others to show up. Curiousity had brought her here. Who would be battling for the Beta rank? Perhaps Auntie Vi would come? Excitment bubbled up within her. The games would be held in just a few days. Would she be allowed to participate? The young dame was determined to make something of herself. OOC: just here to observe;) speech,

Long easy strides propelled the dame forward as she loped along a well-traveled path. Long black legs ate up the territory, dodging rocks and stumps with relative ease. Her ears were pricked forward, and her oddly colored eyes scanned the area before and around her. The forest was thick in this parts, before giving way to the sheer mountainside, and she ran just inside of it. A summoning call rang through the legs, and she slowed to a halt, her head tilting slightly to the left. The queen of Tortuga had summoned the pack, this would be interesting. She turned, loping easily towards the source of the sound, arriving quickly and the third to arrive to the clearing. Joining Desdemona was Nnoitra and another wolf that Juno hadn?t met yet. She slowed to a walk as she entered the clearing, and stopped close to the alpha pair. Inclining her head respectfully, she spoke a greeting. ?Desdemona, Nnoitra.? She greeted each alpha in turn before turning to look at the young wolf that arrived just before her, giving the girl a respectful nod she sat near the pair awaiting the arrival of the rest of the pack, and their instruction.

She leaned into his thick fur, burrowing her face into his shoulder the moment he arrived. She couldn't remember the last time she had smiled so much, tail threatening to break off at its base as it whipped back and forth violently. He was back... Alive and well though his expression was somber. She didn't care what had happened, didn't care if Kaios was alive or dead her brother was back, he was unharmed and life was good. She didn't speak, vocals tightening painfully in her throat as tears threatened to burn the backs of her eyes, instead she pranced around him as he stood, rubbing herself against him lovingly. Once they had been so close but now... "I missed you..." The words were almsot choked out as she finally came to rest before him, allowing herself to fold into his chest and hope that his massive neck would come down to fold over her shoulders like it had so many times before. Words couldn't begin to describe who good this day was. Every dark moment from the previous week seemed to melt away. The death of Kaien, the banishment of Morphine, the stripping of her rank. All these things that he didn't know. Was he still in this pack? They would have to speak with Desdemona, if he was banished she would leave with him, she couldn't be without him. It had taken the possibility of him dying to make her realize this.

She was about to begin telling him everything, filling him in on the on goings of Tortuga when the bitches voice rang true. Lips curled back in distaste, hackles lifting as sharp gaze snapped over her shoulder and towards the direction of the sound. "Lets go.." the words slipped from her tongue, dropping to the ground like stones as hackles smoothed and expression relaxed. She smiled softly at her brother before turning and drifting towards the call. The white bitch of Tortuga wasn't far, around the area where pack meetings were normally held so the travel from the boarder to her wasn't long at all. Nnoitra was there already, seated beside the queen and as always a deep bow would be given to him, though anyone other then herself would assume it was directed at the pair in general. Red lady would slide towards the group before pausing and motioning for her brother to join her. "My lady, may I present to you Kylar Sovari. My brother." She said, tone formal, polite and easy. Would they do this now? Or would he be allowed to compete in this tournament?


Speech!

He had come back without killing Kaios, he had made it as far as the wall and something had pulled him back. He wasn't ready... It had been too soon. So he had spent some time there, wandering it's length before finally turning back and sliding his way back home. He didn't know how much he had missed or how much had happened in his week gone. He had spoken to Kaien of his intent but the male had seemingly disappeared the day Kylar had decided to leave. So he had gone on his own and something about that had slowed his progress. He didn't know how to be a diplomat, he had wanted Kaien to speak to the queen slayer and then for Kylar to just go there to fight. So he had returned, deciding he should talk to Kaien or Morphine once more and bring them with him. He knew nothing of the change in crowns, the banishment of the white queen or the new leaders. He knew not of the pack meeting he had missed or the stripping of the ranks or the tournament that was being held. All he knew was that he needed a higher ranked wolf to speak too that wasn't his sister. And of course she was the one who greeted him at the boarder, rubbing up against him like a cat and pressing her shoulders into him like she once had when they were young. A soft smile flitted over his lips as she pushed herself into his chest and he curled his neck around her, tongue flicking over his shoulder to smooth the fur.

An unfamiliar howl broke through their soft silence and suddenly Vi's mood changed, hackles raising and head snapping around to snarl at the sound. "Vi..." It was a question, a statement and an answer. That howl held authority yet it belonged to neither Morhpine or Kaien. What could happen in a week? She said that they should go and he nodded briefly before following the red witch on her trek. There were a few wolves gathered, one of them being his daughter, and seated before a white woman he had never met before and Nnoitra. He gave Maia a stern look, he wanted her to stay seated where she was while he dealt with this. They could speak later. Vi introduced him briefly and Kylar dipped his head, attention refocusing back on the task at hand. "Greetings lady, Nnoitra... I'm at a bit of a loss... I left on a job for Kaien and returned for... Well... Maybe this would be better to speak of in private if you would allow it after all this?" His tone held a question, the massive male unsure if he would be welcomed under these new leaders. He cared not who led them as long as Kaios ended up dead... But it seemed something was going on here so speaking of it would have to wait until a later time. Whether Nnoitra would want to hear him out or this new ice queen he cared not.

Speech!

Eyes blinked open slowly, audits twitching at the howl that had woken her. The Queen had wasted no time in calling the wolves together to earn their ranks. Rising to her paws, she stretched her tight muscles, a yawn splitting her jaws. Shaking out her pelt, she began to move towards the call. As she got closer, it became apparent that others had already arrived. A few familiar scents lingered in the air. But one in particular caught her attention. Paws stopped at the edge of the clearing. Rain had turned it into nothing more than a mud hole. The tournament would be interesting, much would have to be put into each move. Ignoring the mud that lapped at her feet, sapphires shot straight towards the dark brute that stood beside his fiery sister. He was back. Eyes narrowed, ears laying flat against her skull briefly. He had never answered her call before he took off, and now he just showed up. Pushing forward, the ebony dame greeted the Alpha's with a silent dip of her skull before turning to sit beside her daughter. What was she doing here anyways? Undoubtedly she was curious to see what would unfold. Her daughter had always been a nosy one. Fixing her attention of the event, she patiently waited for the rest of the pack to show and for the tournament to start. "Talk here."

Since his talk with Desdemona Ulrike was confident in how she is going to lead the pack. His chat with her was not only to voice what he needed to, but he was also observing her. Seeing how she copes with decisions that will effect others, and possibly how they view here. Ulrike knew that it was important to have those who rank lower than you like you. In this world if you are not liked by most members of the pack, well, you end up like Kaien. His large frame sat upon his den, as the swivel of his ears picked up a call from their Queen. So it was time for the tournament to gain your rank, Ulrike let out a yawn and stood up. His tail swayed gently as he emerged from his den and begun to walk to where the call came from. As he came closer to the meeting place the weather begun to change. The rain pored down upon his pelt, and the terrain was quite impressive to host a tournament like this. The land was void of trees, plants, only rocks and mud. Ulrike walked across the land, evenly spreading his weight between his four paws. This way he would not sink in to the mud and slip upon the wet rocks that beckoned for misfortune. His eyes soon came upon some members of the pack that have already showed up. All hoping that they can gain a high rank with in the pack. Maia, juno, Viridiana, her brother Kylar, and Secret, were one of the first to show up. Ulrike knew that everyone had fire in their hearts, irking for a good rank. His eyes soon landed upon Desdemona, and Nnoitra.They sat there patiently waiting for the appearance of their members. Ulrike walked across this land with ease, he did sink in to the mud just a bit, but that was to be expected due to his large frame. He soon came amongst the group, he gave Desdemona, and Nnoitra a respectful bow and took a seat next to Seceret. Ulrike knew that he will be awarded a great rank, and he will do all he can to gain it. Speech,

The skies begun to grow dark and grey, the storm clouds seemed full of rain and irking to let it all out. Tikaani looked around the area and with her ears pinned to her head she herd a call. This call was for the tournament, and Tikaani knew participating in it would give the Alpha's a better idea of what they can do even before the games. Tikaani thought about it for a few seconds before she made up her mind. She would participate in this and that was a done deal. She started to walk to the location of the call. As she came closer to where the call came from, the land scape changed drastically. It was swamped in mud and slippery rocks. No vegetation at all in this area non at all. As she came closer she saw many others already there. They were all older than her, and Tikaani did not know what to do. She decided that she would just continue on walking, as she came closer to the group, she saw Nnoitra, and Desdemona. She did not speak much just walked to her spot to sit down and wait for the tournament to start. Tikaani was ready to show what she has. She wanted to make something of her self. Speech,

She had done a bit more to prepare for the tournament, why she didn't really know. Esperance had been raised in a pack where everyone fought for their place, even young cubs. The losers were banished and stripped of their family name. The earthen hued wolf had been successful in beating out all but her twin brother when she was younger. Now she was out on her own and she was relishing the chance to prove herself. One might think that her desire to prove herself would be to impress her new rulers but that was not the case. Esperance was just as happy to leave Tortuga as she was to live there. Her reasons for wanting to spar in the tournament were purely personal. She needed to be the best.
So Esperance walked through the mud that covered what was to be the battlegrounds. Being a on the smaller side Esperance was not as heavy as other wolves, yet she still found that she sunk into the wet earth. This should be fun she thought as she drew to a halt before the leaders, nodding to them both before going to stand off to their left, body alert and ready for the battles to begin.

Let the games begin. Desdemona had spoken with the ivory knight, filling him in on her thoughts about hosting the tournament alongside Nnoitra in order to reestablish the pack. Part of him was disappointed that he would have to start all over again, like if he were rejoining the pack, but his woman was queen now and what she said was law. So if she wanted to host a tournament in order to hand out ranks, then he would be right there, ready to battle whoever he had to in order to secure a fitting rank for himself. It would be nice of she could hold some kind of favor towards him, since he was after all her mate, but he didn't expect any. She had to demonstrate to Tortuga that she was a just leader and that not even her beloved had a preference over anyone else. A little thing like playing favorites could chip away at her power and at this point that was unacceptable. And so just like she had said, on the day of the tournament he wasn't surprised to hear her beautiful voice calling out to the Tortguan wolves once again, summoning them for the tournament. Demonio wasted no time, making haste from their den to the barren site his queen had chosen to be the site of the tournament. There were already other packmates present, none of which he recognized but that he was sure he would alteast know of by the end of this. Powerful limbs propelled the large ivory brute through the crowd, easily maneuvering through the masses to make his way towards his woman. He paused before the elder brute, a bow of the head being presented. Sir Nnoitra. He rumbled, acknowledging his presence before he took the last few steps to Desdemona. A gentle nudge was presented to her nape, a subtle gesture to show that despite her being now the queen, she belonged to him and no one else. He turned to face the rest of the pack, standing nearly at her side, dual hued gems flickering over the growing wolves, awaiting for the start of the tournament. This was sure to be interesting. Talk like this,

Desdemona reclined to her haunches, watching as the masses strolled to meet her. Several came to observe, that meant the games, beginning in a few short days would be packed with her wolves...excellent. They thought the games would be far more simple, they would be wrong, Desdemona intended to test far more than their ability to simply hunt. No they would not win a position simply because they could bring down a deer. Viridiana would be the first to speak, introducing her brother. He had the nerve to avoid her pack meeting and instantly her gaze turned harsh, she would relax, however as he gave his reasoning's, crown dipping in acceptance. "We will discuss whatever mission you had set out to accomplish after the tournament." Her lyrics would fall blunt and to the point. She watched the rest arrive many speaking nothing or very little, this was fine with her, Desdemona had no preferences. Her mate would arrive last and she would allow her head to dip in greeting as he approached her, the soft nuzzle was returned, just the barest hint of affection as he perched close to her. She would wait a decent amount of time for the ranks to present themselves and when they had, Desdemona would rise to stand, mud sliding from her limbs as the rain continued to pelt the earth. "Welcome, I am looking for a great deal more than just a test of skill and strength. Just because you win a match does not mean you win the title. Honor, respect, dignity... I have no need for a second that is unpredictable and wild... remember this when you display your skills. The first matches will be as follows, Juno versus Tikaani , Viridiana versus Esperance, and Demonio versus Kylar. Good luck." Her lyrics would fall swift and to the point awaiting the matches to begin. (((OOC: So since not everyone was clear if they wanted to participate in the tournament itself, I assumed these six were, if I let out your wolf just shoot me a PM and I'll throw them in! You all get to decide terms and conditions, obviously no maiming or killing and you all get to decide on rounds, although I would prefer at least four. Shrap and I will be judging them away from the judging rubric because we're not looking for just fighting skills ;) Make separate threads for the fights so this thread doesn't become a clusterfuck xD))) Speech,