[EVENT] War Games (Closed)

[Mimsey]

[Yarp, the NPCs are fair game if its an open roll!]

Vlam and Elcca went down smoothly, and Hraga couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Vlam was not an easy opponent, and without the element of surprise he might have lost a few men trying to get the brute down. Elcca...he didn't know much of the rogue, but he did know she seemed to rub people the wrong way. He wasn't sure why, but he was glad she was out of the picture. They didn't need any surprises now that they were in enemy territory.

To her credit, Elcca quickly busied herself in a dramatic death sequence of her own after Kamala tackled her to the ground. A small crow landed on her shoulder with a sympathetic croon.

Hraga stepped over them, and shot an appreciative look in Kalama and Teketeza's direction. "Nicely done," he thrummed. "Alright, I think its best we secure this area and make a bottleneck. We don't want to get flanked ourselves if Azar has already found out that we're down here."

He jerked his head from side to side, indicating for a few lions to go check out some of the nearby rock crevasses. The black lion took a moment to gaze around the area, his squinting against the sun and drifting sand. He had a suspicion that there might be a few scouts still lingering.

So far though, they'd yet to lose a single person. While that pleased him immensely, he couldn't help but think Azar might have been up to something. "Stay alert."

Back down on the rock landing, an angry voice raised above the quiet chatter. "VLAM. HOW DID YOU DIE SO FAST?" Ea dramatized. "Get them off the field!"
 

[Mimsey]

Splitting the air with a vicious snarl, a wild-eyed lioness leaps up from her hiding spot while the lions investigate. It's Fia! She wastes no time before finding her closest target; throwing herself eagerly into the fray.


Rules:
- Only the first person to roll counts.
- Roll a random number, 1-3.

arrow If you match or beat this lion's roll, you win!
arrow If you fall underneath, you lose!

Feel free to godmode your victory/loss.
 

[wooga Paes]

It's a good thing he'd been careful, or else Sjari certainly would have been knocked off his feet by Fia! He only just managed to avoid her as she jumped out of her hiding spot, and for a split-second he might have panicked. Perhaps he was remembering the Nergui, Fia having a rather dark coat herself. Or, he'd just been startled.

Still, he fell into motion quickly enough after that. He managed to thwart Fia's attack with a bit of fancy footwork. Not exactly back to full health, he thought he'd best not try and rely on brute strength just yet. He found she wasn't exactly easy to put down, but Sjari did manage quickly enough. That done, he figured it was about time to start regrouping, and headed back towards the Hraga's main group.

"Downed one, back there. Fia." He reported, once close enough to Hraga that he wouldn't need to shout, or even speak too loudly. It's not like he wanted to brag! "Didn't see any of the others."  

[ShinosBee]

Saharan had not been pleased when she was made to leave her very important studies on the ancient paintings of the pride's history just to get some notice that sometime in the next few days she'd have to leave her work for even longer to practice fighting. Certainly it was an important thing to know, and she'd come to understand it as more than just a brutish fashion woven into the daily life of the pride since she'd joined, so many months ago. That still didn't mean she had to like it. After all, if the pride did come to blows with these Nergui, or any one else for that matter, what would make them think of putting her on the front lines? Probably she'd never see battle.

She'd sighed and dragged her paws, but eventually shown up for the practice. An order was an order, after all. Like it or not, she'd go along with it. And really, now that they were in the thick of things, it was...surprisingly enjoyable. Maybe she'd been spending too much time staring at rocks lately. She'd nearly squealed with delight as their opponents began cropping up, each going down just as quickly. She was no fighter, but those who were were always something like beautiful to watch. She hung near to the center of the troupe that had thwarted the pair of Azar's guards, never making a go for any of the opponents, but tensed to at least defend herself if necessary.









Saoiraed on the other paw was in his element. He'd sent Peri, his bird, flying ahead to spot any enemy movement. Until now she had not made a peep--either she'd flown a way there was no one, or she'd flown so far into enemy territory she hadn't come back yet. Still, there was no lack of excitement. His cape fluttered in the wind each time he lunged at an appearing opponent, but he never even had a chance. Everyone was on edge with excitement, and he'd yet to react fast enough to get to be the one pinning an opponent.

He grinned when Fia was taken down--Azar's forces were all seasoned fighters, but his team was moving through them like they were wisps of air! "Good job, Sjari," he whispered under his breath as the male who'd downed Fia passed. No one needed to be praised for just following orders and doing their best to win, but he'd always believed it helped. Soldiers with good morale would fight harder longer, he'd seen, and he was nothing if not good at keeping morale up. But he told himself the next opponent that was within reach would be his to try his claws against. He couldn't be all mouth after all.  

[Kimaria]

"N-no." Fia choked out, looking more than disgruntled as she found herself toppled to the sand. She had wanted to prove herself a true warrior! To vanquish her 'foes' and rise to legendary status. But now that dream was scattered and she growled, her tail thrashing, as she 'died'.

"Dead!" She exclaimed, setting her head firmly against the sand in the beginnings of a sulking fit. For a few moments, Fia seemed stubborn in her intent to just lay there and wallow in her premature death. And then, after a long moment, she seemed to decide lying around like that didn't look very good. So instead she decided to move onto 'plan b': get attention.

"Medic! Medic!! I'm dying here!!!"  

[Thalion]

At long last, something he could participate in whole-heartily. Game as it were, it was a challenge, a test of strength and cunning. The situation at the border was frustrating to say the very least. Filthy mudpelts sharing the border with their pride? They should have driven them off. Firekin didn't share, they took, and what they took they kept. An alliance with such creatures crawled under his skin and festered in his gut. Coupled with his recent loss at the border, to a female of all things, Ali was in desperate need of an outlet. He'd sparred against Khurshid and his brothers until he dropped but it wasn't enough. No one watched his spars, no one appreciated the prowess of skills during playfights.

This, at least, could be appreciated.

He loped into the designated game zone, his tail snapping back and forth as a conflict broke out to his right. He was late to the game but what ground he'd lost he was eager to make up.

((Ali you grumpy b*****d XD))  

[Annchen]

Xatu had a great view over the battlefield and he enjoyed the show so far. The attacking team were successful so far, but the defending team seemed to have set up their defenses with care, and if the attackers started getting cocky they could easily start losing fighters soon.

He turned his head to the flailing "dead" lioness, realising that the exercise was meant to train the healers of the pride too. Interesting. Very interesting. And everyone seemed to take their roles seriously. Looked like fun, actually. With an evil cackle he started to swoop down in wide circles, adding a bit of drama to the show. He landed on a nearby rock and eyed the downed lioness with a hunger that was probably faked.

"You dead yet," he cawed and turned his head from side to side to see her better.

2  

[Mimsey]

Ea was still busying herself removing Vlam and Elcca off the field when her sister started her own overdramatic fits. The sound of the young doctor's groan practically rolled off the rocks. "Another casualty?!" she said. What was going on with team two! "They are aware the goal of this game was to win, right?"

But her agitation didn't last long. It rarely did in her sister's case- particularly when it had been weeks since she'd last seen Fia show much emotion outside of pure rage. She wasn't about to let that sour.

"Oh dear, another fallen monster!" Ea sighed as she moved towards Fia, fawning over her with a singsong voice. She put her paw on her twin's head, and shook it from side to side as if she were looking imaginary wounds over. "How terrible! We'll have to amputate. Vlam, help me drag her out to the experiment pit!"

Vlam didn't move. He was very good at pretending to be dead. Or pretending to be asleep.

Ea sighed. "VLAM YOU AREN'T ACTUALLY DEAD."

"Hey, I need medical attention too!" Elcca whined, twitching her body around as she died from imaginary wounds.

"I don't even know who you are."

But by the time she turned from Elcca, it was too late. The buzzards had already gotten her!  

[Thalion]

The game was, in all honesty, a great idea. It kept the warriors fresh and it allowed them to burn off all the extra energy and tension that hat built up over the last few weeks. Zheva found it entertaining, even to watch. Young and old sought to out-wit one another, met with velveted paws, and sparred out individual conflicts. Even as a bystander it was exciting.

A call for medic alerted her and with a sigh the pale lioness lifted herself from the sands and loped to her side. Another lioness was already fussing over her but she needed an excuse to get moving.

"Let's get her to the sidelines." She offered gently, barely containing a small smirk. "We'll see to that amputation over there. They do tend to get messy."  

[Kimaria]

Rage had certainly dominated a good part of Fia’s life in the recent days, though with instruction from one or two teachers she had started making progress with her fighting abilities. Unfortunately she continued to make the same mistakes, her impatience often ending her up in difficult circumstances (such as today). Perhaps after this shamed attempt she might start paying attention to criticism of her abilities.
 
Under her sister’s scrutiny, Fia’s tail still beat an annoyed rhythm upon the sand, her eyes flicking sideways to catch sight of the vulture wheeling high above her. “Amputation.” She muttered. “Where are your assistants, Ea?”
 
And then the vulture was speaking and she craned her head to look at him. What a brave creature he was to ask a Firekin if she was dead! “Do I look dead to you?!” She snapped. “No. No I do not!” She indicated Vlam with a tilt of her head. “I think he is, though, and he’s got a lot more meat on his bones!”
 
She raised her voice: “Are you listening Vlam?!!”  

[DragonsRage24]

Mwako'Damu watched Fia intently, to see what would happen as Ryujin leaned into Naar. Fia, dead? Mwako'Damu resisted spatting and chuckling at the comment. Fia had a fire in her like no other, this he knew.

"Do not be afraid," Ryujin spoke to Naar, hoping it would ease the tension in her spirit, "this is to prepare. Nothing you do today can be wrong, it is for learning to become better and stronger."

Badieh bided her time for now.  

[Meepfur]

Nisitayeshaua found herself disappointed that they had reunited with the group so soon, but more disappointed that she hadn't had a chance to 'kill' anything yet. Every time she saw anything, it seemed someone else had seen it a split second before. This, the heat, and her poor raw pawpads were beginning to make her a little bit grumpy. Scanning over the gathered group, she gave her aunt only a passing nod, and snorted at the antics of the 'dead' and the medics.

Now where was the rest of the other team? She damn sure hoped there were more of them than this.

"You missed all the excitement," Hewa informed her in a low voice, tail lashing. Now that her niece was back, so was her faint annoyance. "Maybe you shouldn't've split off after all."

"At least I didn't have to listen to you," Nisi muttered.

Niwasha'Hewa blinked, surprise coming over her features. Had she really just...had she really just said that? For a moment, she looked ready to finally smack Nisi, but ultimately she only laughed. "So you do have a backbone in there somewhere. Good."  

[wooga Paes]

Even Sjari found it possible to be amused by what went on after he took down Fia, and the edge of his lips quirked up in a slight smirk. Spirits were high here, and he found he was even enjoying himself.

Saoiraed's words were unnecessary and unexpected, but appreciated nonetheless. He offered the bright red male an appreciative nod before moving along. He hadn't realized Badieh was here in the crowd, and wondered how he could possibly have missed her. Finding it wouldn't be right for him to go without acknowledging her, he moved over.

Like they'd agreed, he moved past her, and briefly let his tail lock with hers before turning and coming up at her side. Just like they had agreed, even if it might not be needed now. "Hey." Sjari greeted.

Hah! They were doing well! Kalama grinned as she listened to Elcca's whining, and briefly looked over for a glance at the twitching, too. "Team two really needs to up their game." She purred to herself, moving along among the lions to retake a position at the front. She hardly wanted to be left behind, should another attacker appear!  

[Mimsey]

Hraga tossed a lopsided grin in the direction of the antics behind them. It might not have been to decorum, but there was something to be said for pride bonding. Ultimately, they would not be fighting a war against their brothers. Not this time. There wouldn't be time for laughing and joking when that happened.

It looked like they had the area secured for the moment, but with the medics making so much noise it wasn't likely they had gone unnoticed. It would be better to put some ground between them and the 'clean-up' so to speak. "Well, if that hasn't gotten their attention I don't know what will," he thrummed. "We'd better clear out. I think the three group approach is working well enough, but this ridge will have some narrow areas in it. We need to be on alert for an ambush."

He twisted around, tossing out a few directions. "Some of you, hold this position. The rest, lets push on and see if we can find out where they're holed up. I don't think they'll be relying on guerrilla fighting for much longer." He did a quick mental count, trying to remember how many forces Azar had at his disposable. It was half the pride of course, but it was important to remember who was on 'his' side, and therefore eliminated.

One person who was not eliminated was his good friend Tarsa. Hraga crinkled his nose. Tarsa was a clever lion, far smarter than he was...and he wasn't afraid to admit that. He wasn't sure if Azar trusted Tarsa much, but they were related. He wouldn't go down quietly, or let himself be ambushed.

"Be ready. They won't give up ground easily. Their attacks should start getting a lot more organized."

-----

Ea sighed, patting the 'dead' body of her sister. "I don't know Fia. You can't stop the vultures once they come. I'd better try to save the ones I still can." She made a mock teary face, before following Zheva over to Elcca. With a twist of her paw, she hooked the female's rather gaudy scarf around her face like a muzzle, and started to drag her off to the side.

The seeress made a muffled complaint, but it was drowned out by the scarf in her mouth.  

[Talencia]

That had gone smoothly at least. She hadn't leapt up on the rock to tackle either 'enemy' because so many others had surged forward. She merely turned aside and kept moving forward, keeping low and out away from the rest of them. Her eyes continued to scan for someone to leap out. There was a vulture in the sky briefly, which amused her for some reason. Not a lot amused her these days, but the idea that their war game was realistic enough to attract carrion-eaters definitely struck her as mildly funny.

Deciding to take it further seriously, she began to slink closer to the ground. She moved from rock formation to dry brush, trying to stay to the shadows. She avoided as many twigs and loose rocks as possible, though the dry brush was difficult to stay close to without making some sort of rustley noise. Still, she did her best, flicking her eyes towards her fellow flankers every so once in a while. They were still within sight, but she wasn't recognizing them as much anymore. She realized belatedly that this could get tricky if she wasn't super careful. She didn't know anyone yet, and though the 'enemy' was supposed to be marked, when all one could see was a hip here, a flash of a muzzle there, it would be difficult to tell who was friend or foe.

It was then that it hit her just how serious a situation she had gotten herself into. If they were thrown into a real battle, this wouldn't be a nagging concern, it would be a real danger. She needed to begin to get to know her new pridemates, even if it was only enough to recognize them on sight. It helped that everyone were shades of white, black, and red, but still. She truly needed to be more involved. She didn't have to be a social butterfly to do that. She just had to be here, doing her job, participating in everything possible, and getting to know names and pelts.