Archon was only a little disappointed that it came to this. He was sure it would, and he was sure God was issuing a challenge for Archon to prove himself, so he would fight for the land and the shrine in which he felt closest to God.

He had told his bandmates and sent word for Malleus to be informed of the development between the Godly band and the mortal pack. He wasn't sure his brother would be thrilled with him, but he knew what God wanted him to do. He had to prove himself today. The large man wasn't nervous about his opponent, but he was worried about the evaluation of Malleus, his band, and God.

Despite that, he had to do it. He readied himself at the battlefield, Obi Mon Kinobi at his side, and called for the Erovrare alpha.

"Lets get this over with," he said. "The shrine will be mine."

---

Archon vs Tyranis for DOMINANCE (Regular dominance, for like proving he's not a coward)
Round: 0/?
Height: 45"
Build: Heavy

Edit overseen by tea

Circe was quick to abandon the project she was working on in favor of following her brother to the battlefield. She brought with her a makeshift bag full of dried herb packets, bandages and one very grumpy snake. Two of those things might benefit Archon should the mortal man managed to get a blow in. The snake...was just along for the ride. At the battlefield Circe circled around behind Archon and took up position on what looked like a good place for a sideline. She set her bag down but remained standing as a precaution. Fights between two wolves who'd managed to get their paws on some amount of power had a way of stirring up the rabble and she refused to be caught unaware. "Circe" "Gwydion"

She loyaly fallowed as they were gathered. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen but she was going to be there for support either way. She hadn’t been doing anything important anyway and she wouldn’t leave Archons call go unanswered. She fallowed in behind Circe, watching as she circled to go behind Archon. She fallowed figuring Circe knew what was going on better then she would. It seemed there would be a battle of sorts, but she didn’t know it was over the very shrine that the church was meant to be built, the place her and Archon had met.

Quietly she sat beside Circe looking down at her bundle of herbs. She would provide any assistance that would be needed, anything that was asked of her, but right now she awaited the arrival of who Archon was challenging. She couldn’t help but feel rather out of place in this territory. It reeked of stale blood and wasn’t a very attractive territory.

A foreign call fell upon mismatch ears and the beast went running. The summon was for Tyranis and the dominance in the tone was nearly sickening. As a rather high ranking Wolf within Erovrare he felt the need to investigate even if others did not. Would the High Lord respond to such a howl or would he swallow his pride and dismiss it fully? The drama tugged at Hannibal's form as he slithered his way towards the Battlefield. Even if his leader did not show, which was justifiable due to the new pups, Hannibal figured there would be plenty of entertainment. As the male entered the battlefield his pale gaze settled upon a small gathering of Wolves. Two were foreign to him but one was familiar. The larger of the three was an oddball he met in the beginning of winter that spoke of his God a whole lot. The defiant beast strolled in with his head held high and his tail slightly erect. With the absence of his pack mates and especially Tyranis he would have to hold the weight of Erovrare on dominant shoulders. He stopped his firm steps at about ten tail lengths away to maintain adequate distance between him and the opposing creatures. "What is the meaning of this?" A brow raised but his demeanor never faltered. Hopefully one or two more of his own pack would show soon. Maybe Carthage or Cloudburst who were both good fighters. Tyranis had spoken a bit about some holy roller fool spewing arrogance and filth from his mouth, so this must be him. But, what did the stranger want fromt he alpha if it wasn't the pack itself? action

Chaos pricked up his ears, catching the sound of a howl from the battlefield. Ooo was it a challenge? But no, disappointment a beat later when he realized that it didn't have quite that tone to it. It sounded like an invitation to an ass-whooping though, and Chaos grinned in anticipation and set out at a lope. With his pack so close to the battlefield - part of the reason he loved those lands so much - it didn't take long at all, and he slowed to a stop before he could barrel into the group of them like a bowling ball into pins. As much fun as that would be. Damn, he should have done that. But he didn't want to disrupt the drama that was obviously budding here, and if he could have popped popcorn and pulled out a beanbag chair to flop down and watch the soap opera unfold he would have.

He didn't recognize any of the wolves gathered, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a good show. One, the male that he assumed made the challenge, was accompanied by a monkey, and Chaos felt compelled to frown at the weird little handsy beast and shudder. Creepy fucking thing. An interested, narrow-eyed glance over the two females that had from the smell accompanied the monkey-male made him give a slow smile and wonder if he could steal away any of Monkey Boy's women while he was distracted. It was a tempting thought.

His nostrils twitched, then flared wide and his eyes and his grin too widened as he caught the scent off the patched albino male who strode up in a blustering show of attempted dominance. Oh, no this was just too good. Monkey Boy had been calling someone from Erovrare? And the scabby little albino was just as pompous as the would-be master of that pack was. Glee made his striped tail wave behind him as he watched with avid interest.

The promise of a fight drew Valkyrie in like a moth to flame. How could she resist? From the sound of it a leader of some sort was challenging another leader to a fight and really, was there a better way to learn about your potential adversaries than to see them in action? She was very nearly giddy over the prospect of watching two alphas duke it out; how much could she gain from this without ever having to lift a paw herself? It was just too good to pass up.

 

The raider glided onto the scene and stopped on the fringe to look over those who had already arrived. Very quickly she zeroed in on two that might be potential fighters. One she was quite certain was; the massive, mottle-marked male with the primate companion looked expectant and it seemed safe to assume that he was the challenger. The other...

She eyed Chaos speculatively. He stank of a high rank but his glee and unfocused attention made her think he wasn't the challengee. If he were she would have thought he would be more focused on the other fighter. So who then? Not the little albino fellow. For all his posturing he just wasn't quite...right, although if Valkyrie were being honest she couldn't put a paw on why.

It seemed she was early. That was her guess, anyway. That was all well and good. Gave her time to pick a good seat and settle in before the challengee arrived and the fight got underway.

""

dark mists are cloaking what the eyes can see

Éldi wolfed down the lemming in a few crunching bites. It hadn't been that long since he'd eaten but once he saw the little creatures he decided that after all the traveling he'd done so far he really deserved a snack. Besides with winter being rough so far this year he was not about to miss an opportunity to fill his stomach. He finished his tour along the wall and started to head south when he heard a challenge ring out. He was to far away to determine what sort of challenge it was but curiosity got the better of him and he started to head toward the Battlefield.

Askr flew down to glide along, nearly level with his head. "What's this all about?"

Éldi shrugged as he picked up the pace. "Who knows. Some sort of challenge. Might be worth investigating." He enjoyed watching fights as much as participating in them. He could pick up tips and tricks and also see scenarios play out right in front of his eyes.

It wasn't hard to find the location from which the call had been made. A cluster of wolves caught his attention as did the familiar form of Valkyrie. He approached and called out gently to her. "We going to get a show?" Aksr perched between his shoulder blades.

With a speed that belied his years Valentine made short work of the distance between Legion and the battlefield. He was still a little beat up from his standoff with the coyotes, but the aches and pains meant nothing to him. No, he'd ignore them all to ensure he reached the battlefield in time for the fight. He didn't care who was participating or what they wanted. No, he just wanted to watch a knock-down-drag-out fight.

Oh hoho! Well, looky there. He knew one of the fighters. Well, "knew" anyway. He'd met that big guy once before. What was his name? The guy who'd been farted out of some god's ass...Archon! The once owner of Abaven. Oh, this was just too good, too good indeed! The promise of a fight had been interesting enough, but now that he knew the identity of the challenger? Even better.

Valentine sidled up to Chaos and roughly bumped into his shoulder. "See that one there?" he asked not so quietly as he gestured at Archon. "Crazy bastard thinks he's a god or something. This should be good, eh?"

Curiosity was what brought Jupiter to the battlefield. Or nosiness, rather, as he was itching to fill up on Boreas gossip and that was what was truly motivating him. He liked a good fight and well, a fight between leaders was just too good to pass up. No doubt tongues would be wagging after today, but that was to be expected when leaders clashed. How they behaved, how they fought, if they made fools of themselves...these things would be spread far and wide and Jupiter wanted to have a first hand story. His attention zeroed in on his relatives but Jupiter decided against standing with them. Nah, he fully intended to roam the crowd and enjoy the show from whichever angle was the best in the moment. "Jupiter"   "Amadeus" ”You”

As soon as the call rang out, Ash- with Rhys at his side- was there. Well not literally but it was pretty instantaneous in his own mind. Of course, when he arrived, he found that many others had already arrived including his brother and father. Ashmedai didn't hesitate to saddle up next to his family. Ah, yes, this was exactly like old times. Too bad they wouldn't be the ones doing the ass whooping today.

There was, however, the familiar scent of that one dude who used to oversee Abaven or some shit. Now that was interesting. And he was calling for tha alpha of.... OH that was Tyranis, that one kid who screwed and impregnated his also kid girlfriend then abandoned his pack. Wow that was a trip. Ashmedai had to wonder if he was still as hilariously messed up as he was then. Was that something you grew out of? Ashmedai never really did.

Either way, Ash popped in just in time to hear his father's remark. Ash snickered, "I liked uhh Pyralis, but this guy seems like a piece of work. I just wonder if Tyranis is any better... think he'll show?"

He stepped into the area. This place more barren than the last, scents here were just as good as his memories though. Valor and victory. Bloodshed and murder. Such were the ways of this Klein. The call was bringing in scavengers. He was merely there following a scent like a distant memory to him. An interesting thing to have ones blood coming to view something he had nothing to do with, or so thought the titan.

He entered from behind his brother. His head held down, stalking like a panther. His brothers lyrics had been caught and he stifled the chuckle. Was his brother going daft? Others were heard but ignored as the phantom menace sidled up to Hannibal's side silently as a felid might. "That my dear brother is a challenge for some reason or another. But the real question is why do you stink like a mere pack wolf? Have you given up the title of Klein king or merely biding your time until you take whatever sods kingdom you have infiltrated?" his eyes were cold like the ice they were colored after. He wasnt going to take part in being some sod's work horse. He was a Klein and by right if he took it from hannibal their king. He cared not for these other wolves. His eyes did travel to the one another said believed himself to be God. A lunatic foaming at the mouth for a fight for nothing it seemed. He set no defenses. He had no reason to. None other than hannibal would likely dare challenge the titanic beast. Though both knew his sadistic behavior in battle.

A lazy stroll on a nice day - that is, until a song of a challenger arose nearby, originating in the battlegrounds. Her curiosity piqued, she started to gently lope towards the source of that call. It wasn't quite a pack challenge, but it was a demand, and for an alpha of a nearby pack: but what for, if not to take the pack? Why else call for the alpha of a pack in the battlegrounds? The note in the call was odd, and she couldn't quite figure out what it meant. Her determination was only doubled when she caught scent of not only her father, but also her grandfather heading for it as well. She stifled amusement as she picked up the pace: apparently it ran in the family line for them to be nosy bastards. Not that she minded, of course, and besides - it was at the battlefield! But hell, if it'd been inside another pack's land, the three of them would likely have waltzed right in with absolutely no hesitation.

Surprising to see, however, was just how many wolves there were. "Guess everyone is a nosy bastard today," Lyra murmured in amusement, eyes sparkling as she easily located the bunch of extremely tall figures. Her dad, her grandpa, and... she squinted. Who was that? Standing with her father and grandfather all cozy? Hmph. Well, clearly someone they don't mind, so she'd likely find out who it was quite shortly. She approached her father from the other side, with Valentine and the spotted guy on the other side, and bumped her father's shoulder affectionately as she eyed the other wolves.

One was clearly the challenger. As large as her own family, with a stance that was... surprisingly familiar to her; the easy confidence and challenging gaze was one that reminded her of her father quite well. But the other... she frowned. Who was the challenged? She hadn't met Tyranis, only heard vague things about him, but surely it wasn't the white-rat thing with scabs all over his back. It didn't even seem to be a challenge. Quizzically, she glanced at her father. "That scabby thing is Tyranis? He looks like he'd struggle to catch even a rabbit, let alone be able to fight that guy." The words weren't even remotely quiet, but said in a normal tone of voice, without a care for who overheard. Perhaps that was mildly unfair, but truthfully... Lyra didn't much care.

Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought that her stupid overly long walk home would have been a good thing, and yet, here she was, just so happening to be in the area when a familiar voice called out from the battlefield. She couldn't decide what to think of that call. In the end, after some debate, she'd ended up wandering towards it. The possibility of seeing Archon get beat up was just impossible to ignore. She had no idea what he had his panties in a bunch about but she hoped he'd made a poor choice of opponent so she could have someone worth rooting for in attendance.

As she arrived and seated herself in the thick of the crown, Cael eyed the Abraxas man for a moment and then began searching for whoever the opponent was supposed to be. Had they not arrived yet? Damn. She looked far more interested in the crowd and missing opponent that Archon, barely bothering to glance at him as her gaze roved the area. She noticed that Ash guy nearby and vague, fuzzy memories began to surface in response. Ugh. Scooting closer to him, since she didn't really know anybody here, Cael murmured none too quietly, "So is someone worth watching going to show up, or if this gonna be a match between two losers?" There was a slight possibility that she was like two hundred percent mad at Archon still. There were plenty more cutting comments on the tip of her tongue but she decided to save them for a moment. Maybe if she jeered and booed enough during the fight she could make Archon lose. That would be funny.

Kanja wore an exasperated scowl as she followed Ashmedai to the battlefield. For him she was making a show of being thoroughly annoyed with his excitement, but secretly she too was itching to watch two leaders tangle. This sort of thing was right up her alley. She loved a good mocking and in a pissing contest there usually happened to be at least one fool worth laughing at. Oh my, it seemed the battlefield was filled with all sorts of mockable critters. Kanja almost - almost - accidentally dropped her sullen facade because damn, her day had just improved considerably. Kanja causally slithered up to Ashmedai and side-eyed the wolves he was talking to, but made no comment. After a beat her hungry gaze slid over to the challenger. She eyed him for a beat before turning her attention to the gathering crowd impatiently. Unable to pick out the challengee she was left assuming that he was either late or a midget lost in the crowd.

The current influx of wolves was unexpected and it pleased Archon to no end. Yes, yes, let everyone here see the glory of God today! Obi tugged at his side and Archon send him an uncharacteristically smug look. There were both familiar and unfamiliar faces in the crowd and Archon tried to commit all of them to memory. Perhaps challenges like this were indeed the way to show off God's power and prowess.

He only hoped Circe could help recruit in the meantime.

However, Archon was here because the overzealous alpha refused to see any sort of compromise and then left him at the border without a proper discussion. That was an insult to their very sentence. It reeked of weak leadership and fear. Archon intended to correct that. He intended to find any way to break the alpha's will.

And, as God would have it, such an opportunity presented itself. The white male he had spoken to at the tree of birds appeared. His scent was unmistakably from the same pack as that one alpha. He came right up and questioned the meaning of Archon's call. With a quick glance in his companion's direction, Obi dismissed himself to Circe's side. He was quite fond of the trickster healer and sat beside her comfortably.

"Well," Archon began, turning himself to face Hannibal . "I tried to negotiate with your alpha, but he was unreasonable. He didn't see the value in my words and didn't offer me the chance to make any sort of proposition or offer."

Archon aimed to distance himself from Hannibal, an idea churning in his mind. Maybe the alpha wasn't willing to listen when Archon came to the pack empty handed, but...

"I came here to show him his mistake, but perhaps I can do better."

Archon worked on readying his defenses, preparing for the reaction to what he was about to say next.

"Perhaps your alpha would be willing to negotiate if only I had the right... leverage."

With that, Archon readied himself, his eyes searching Hannibal's. Maybe this endeavor could still be profitable.

---

Archon vs Hannibal for FORCE CLAIM
Round: 0/?
Height: 45"
Build: Heavy

The call hadn't gone unnoticed, and although Ares didn't know what the fuck it was for, the moment he saw his family go towards the battlefield he refused to stay behind. Whatever the call was for he wanted to be there to check it out. He had never witnessed a real fight before so this would be his first and boy would he be pretty pissed if they started without him! He followed after his family's trail, noting that his sister, father, and grandfather had all headed that way. Putting on more speed he arrived quicker than he anticipated, eyes growing wide at the number of wolves gathered around. While yes he was in his father's pack, he was pretty sure that the numbers here rivaled if not surpassed Legion's. Not only that, but it seemed there was a mix of wolves here from all over. He flashed a grin as he sauntered over to where his family sat, an excited and mischevious glint in his eye along with a helicopter tail as he stood next to his sister. Like her, he noticed someone else with his family, eyes narrowing with slight suspicion as he wondered who the hell it was.

His attention didn't stay fixed on that long, however, before the challenger began to speak. So apparently this challenge seemed to be about this dude not getting what he wanted, so now he had to prove he had bigger balls or something? He snorted. He was pretty sure his dad and his grandpa had the biggest ones around, no contest. "Hey, think we'll get a chance to get in on the fun?" He asked his sister, but he didn't care to keep his voice down. His heart pounded with excitement as his gaze moved from the challenger and his would-be opponent to the others gathered. Well, there seemed to be quite a few good looking faces around. Not counting the scabby dude of course.

Deep into that darkness peering,
long I stood there, wondering, fearing...

Around the autumn babe, wolves swarmed, both those she had never seen before and familiar faces. Of course she heard the call and she responded, once again, to her curiosities however this time the tonality disgusted her. Nervousness and curiosity coated the air like bittersweet candy, and in her own chest nerves beat yet she would be damned if her facial expression betrayed her this day. She was cold as ice. Stoic and calculating in her behaviour. Today of all days they had to appear united and calm. Brilliance and dominance radiated from the cinnamon babe as she graced the earth with a swing of her curvaceous hips. A sensual tago, just like she always did. Not only was the half albino male, the father of her litter, preparing to fight for himself, he was being challenged to fight for the sake of their Kingdom. Where was the High Lord? Tyrannis would not be participating? Cetainly the King elected would not stay on the sidelines and watch the Taskmaster duke it out when the call was directed at himself.

The honor of Erövrare fell on Hannibal shoulders, newly elected to the position of Taskmaster. It was the perfect opportunity to prove what he was made of. Not to their leader, since he was not even here, and maybe he even fully trusted Hannibal abilities, but to all the other packs and their rulers that seemed to be present. He had no choice in the matter, really. Not by the way the man spoke to him or glanced at him. To not participate would bring shame, and to lose would be an even worse fate. Hannibal had to be the victor if things came to the worst case scenario.

A voice on the wind whispered as the visage appeared, a man with similar pigmentation as Hannibal, half albino, and the babe could not help not to notice the similarities of the two and more importantly the scent. Another Klein she concluded. Vittorio was to be her opponent.With a shake of her head she searched for an answer. The white-and-black furred male caught her gaze and the mile-long limbs carried her towards the two of them; remaining aware of her surroundings. Something inside her stirred, she paid little attention to the others, gathering around them like hyenas awaiting entertainment however she could not help not to notice some familiar face that appeared to bask in the amusament.

html by castlegraphics; art by sevil-s

She had been out hunting again and today she was fairly pleased with herself. She had been able to catch a plump groundhog that had tried to come out and see if there was anything to eat. Most of them were hibernating, but this big old bugger must have woke up early. He was a tricky catch, but she had managed to finally get him after sustaining some minor wounds from it. She had heard the howl calling for her brother at the battlefield and curioslusly she picked up her prize and headed that way. When she arrived she immediately grew uncomfortable, seeing all the wolves who were here to watch. Her eyes looked to where they were staring to see not Ty, but the pale man named Hannibal.

Her brows furrowed with confusion as to why he was here instead of Ty, the call had been for him. She noticed the brown women that Hannibal favored and also a pale male that looked similar to Hannibal. She moved in, staying away from her two pack mates and the strange man and finding a spot to see. She was curious to see what was going on and why Ty didn’t show. She didn’t pay attention to the others around her, tried not to at least. Staring at Hannibal and the other larger man while she placed her kill in front of her.

Aerndis shifted the deer leg in her jaws as she trotted toward the battlefield. Rudolph flew above her, helping direct her toward the gathering. She was late but it couldn't be helped. When she'd noticed several Legion members heading for the battlefield as well as members of her family she at first felt she should stay. It wouldn't do to empty Legion and leave the pack lands vulnerable. But then she saw that Valdís was going to stay and look after things and well… she didn't want to miss out!

There was a huge gathering for the fight. Either it was a big challenge or the wolves in the area were simply bored with the winter and needing some entertainment. She guessed it was the later. Spying her grandfather and brother she swiftly moved to sit with their group, dropping the deer leg. "I brought a snack," she chirped. Aerndis gazed about the group, eyes locking onto a pair of brightly colored wolves with pelts like the night sky. She didn't know their names but the telltale mark of the Imperialis was noticeable beneath their eyes. Maybe star wolves weren't so odd for the family after all. Content and excited she settled down for the match.

Every so often Pyralis was graced with a certain kind of luck that dressed itself up like fate making it impossible for her to ignore. She'd been finishing up a tour of the north and had started heading south over the wall when she heard a call off in the distance. It came from the direction of the battlefield. At first she couldn't place it but the more she mulled over the call she was certain it was from Archon, one of her many nephews. Well, now, what was he up to? Pyralis moved swiftly but easily, as if she were merely on a morning run to take in the fresh air. Alkali flew above her. "What is this about, Pyralis?" She shrugged. "No idea, but only one way to find out." Pyralis hadn't kept up well with family matters. Her own tendency to wander for weeks, even months on end, plus the disastrous flood had her out of step. She had heard about the abandonment of Abaven and knew that her nephew was now leading a band with another of his siblings, Circe. From what she'd heard it seemed he'd gotten quite fanatical but rumors grew like fires. She couldn't say how much truth there was to it. Pyralis only knew that her own feelings on their religion and 'godhood' was best kept to herself. Her beliefs, like her temper, shifted rapidly and moved in and out like the tide. Some days she'd swear she was the goddess of the  tides, the heaving breath of the earth, godess of the wild and all that was uncertain and chaotic. Other days she'd swear her father and his father before him and so on were a bunch of crazy, deluded old men. That the success of the Abraxas was built entirely on their own backs through skill and hard work, not some divine cheat code. The gathering was impossible to miss, it was quite large and for a moment she wondered if this was some sort of pack challenge. Was Archon going to give pack life another go after his previous failure? Or was this something else? She couldn't be sure, having arrived so late. All she knew was she'd enjoy watching it play out, for better or worse. He called this challenge and she had no intention of intervening. He was grown and fully capable of handling himself and making decisions. Of course, if this affair turned into an all out battle orgy it would downright stupid not to expect her to join in. Either way, she'd have a nice report to pass on to Malleus. Pyralis started to head toward where Circe was sitting when she spied two familiar faces and a grin split across her face. Well, well, Kanja and Ashemdai. Of all the wolves outside her family that pair was particularly enjoyable to hang out with. Mortals or not. Of course she still considered Ash to be a descendent of one of the other gods that fell with the Fallen god. Kanja was just a bad ass worthy of the respect of man and god alike. "Well, well, two of my favorite wolves in one place, a battle brewing and a nephew to spy on. I must've been an extra good girl this winter." "Talk" "Alkali" Think