Bingo appreciated Avi's friendliness, but Dusky stared at her with disbelief. She was shocked by the leopon's boldness in the presence of three lionesses who would defend their king - except for Vermeil, maybe, who was still cowering behind him.

Pallas wasn't able to get a word in before she returned to the meerkat. He sighed, shifting his weight from paw to paw. He wasn't sure whether to test his luck with the 'pon. He knew Dusky would back down, if she saw him flirt back, but he didn't want to intrude on Sab's pride.

As Sab offered to go, Pallas shot him a questioning look. Doesn't he want to keep her loyal? he thought. If he had a hybrid, he wouldn't let her out of his sight, especially near a rival dreamboat that she looked interested in.

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Avi was watching the group closely, her ears twitching back and forth with curiosity. She glanced at Sab, who stared back for a moment with a look of disgust.

"I know what you're doing," he growled at her as he passed her, and she nipped at his ear, making him flinch.

"What?" She asked, all big eyes and paws kneading the ground. The smilus huffed.

"Your mother was a cheater, and so are you."

The pon purred in amusement. "I can't help it if I'm desirable."

Lazily, Sab swatted at her. He grunted, his eyes narrowing. "Do what you want. Not like I can stop you. Whatever."
Usually he'd at least try, but Avi was too keyed-up at the thought of meeting a new king. Sab didn't really want to take on all three of his lionesses at once.
He snapped at her waving tail, earning him a cuff over the head.

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Pallas, Dusky, Bingo, and Vermeil all shared a look of uncomfortable surprise as the two conversed. Vermeil had crawled out from behind Pallas, and sat awkwardly beside Bingo - the two feruses looked lost on how this leopon and her king interacted. Dusky huffed, and rolled her eyes, as if saying typical. Pallas watched Sab go and decided he'd try to reject Avi the best he could.

"So," he said, after a moment of silence, "Leopon, huh? That's pretty neat. I bet you're quite the huntress." He tried to keep topics light.

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Sab's shoulders were drawn in as he followed the metallic scent of blood mingling with the smell of his lionesses. The roars continued, and he padded into the clearing to see Lita and Steele locked in a vicious embrace on the ground. The red lioness had her jaws clamped on Steele's hind leg, but when the two saw the king, they got reluctantly to their feet.

Lita growled.

"Here to lead those other lions right to us, are you?"

Shaking his head, the smilus tried to stand up straighter. "I'm taking you to them, actually. We may as well be on good terms with our neighbours, Lita. Killing them ain't gonna get us anything when times get tough. Remember the hyenas? Hunting space means nothing when there's nothing to hunt!"

//

Avi raised her head, kneading the ground even more at the praise until tufts of grass lay at her paws.

"I'm the best hunter in the pride," she purred, though behind the eagerness was a somehow calculating look. Her eyes flicked to the lionesses. "What about you, girls? If you're gonna share our territory, you've either gotta win your hunting rights, or prove yourself to us."

The females' expressions ranged from enraged to disgusted, but that made Avi look all the more smug.

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Pallas nodded as she spoke, glad to discuss something other than him. He was about to reply, but Dusky beat him to it.

"Bingo's never lost a kill!" she said, head-butting the ferus's shoulder affectionately. Bingo smiled, and said, "Oh, thank you! Yeah, I'm pretty good, but there's lionesses more skilled than me." One of the oldest in the pride, Apophis, boasted over 60 successful hunts - Pallas probably would've brought her if this was a real hunting mission.

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The two girls were still snapping at one another as they walked; sharp little bites delivered to a wayward ear or tail. Sab has long given up on telling them to stop, weariness evident in the heaviness of his tread. When he came back out from the trees to see the group, he looked harrowed.

"Lita, Steele," he said to the girls, "this is Pallas, Dusky, Bingo and Vermeil. They're from the neighbouring pride, and I'd like you to show some hospitality towards them, alright?"
He flashed his teeth at his lionesses. They growled between themselves, then extended the sentiment to the lions before them.

Up until now, Avi had looked bemused at the affection between the Wormwood lions. Her tail lowered into a relaxed position, her ears flicking. She didn't seem to know what to say about the humble words from Bingo, either. For a moment, she looked uncomfortable. Then, upon seeing her pridemates, she perked up and trotted over.

"Girls," she said, "be nice. They're willing to fight for it. They're following the rules, alright?"

And, to likely all of the lions' surprise, she gave her king a gentle nuzzle as she went to stand near the other two ladies. Her pridemates gave her suspicious glances, but she seemed as innocent as ever.

"Maybe we should have a little... friendly competition."

((I'm so sorry for my length hahaha))

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Fight for it? Alarm bells rang in Pallas's mind. He stepped forward, putting his three huntresses behind him. "What do you mean by friendly competition?" he rumbled, suspicion clear in his voice. He met Avi's eyes rather than Sab's - he respected the guy as king, sure, but she seemed to be in control here.

Vermeil's eyes rounded with worry and she crept behind Bingo, crouching low to the grass. Bingo shielded the other ferus but kept her gaze trained on the newly-arrived lionesses. She could see their muscles under their pelts - these were strong, capable huntresses, and they knew the land. Dusky was less interested in sizing up their opponents. Instead, she stood kneading the ground with her claws, eager to hear what Avi would propose; she was always prepared for a hunt or fight to prove herself.

(tbh its nice to have longer posts! almost like a book haha, all the characters get a chance to interact. excited to see what avi has in mind 👀)

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Steele was the first to react. The grey lioness crouched into a pouncing pose, a low rumble in her throat. Her tail lashed behind her, claws ripping into the dirt. When she moved to leap, though, Sab strode over to stand in front of her. She didnt attack; just sat up and hissed.

"We could fight," Avi said, her voice not as smug as before. The affection between the Wormwood pride had clearly bemused her; uncertainly played across her expression. "But- we could also hunt. A fight would be easy, we need a test of skill."

Sab looked relieved, though he was staying quiet - unwilling to butt into hunting business, but maybe also unwilling to challenge his girls.

"A hunting contest?" Lita snorted derisvely. "Avi. Really?"

The pon just raised her tail, challenging. "Yeah. What of it?" She looked over at Pallas's lionesses. "Ladies? Or would you rather fight for it, since the men can't seem to?"

((Aa I'm glad! I've missed it so much so I'm getting a little carried away haha, feel free to influence and suggest stuff, I'm pretty open to anything! Also, is this October in-rp? Or another event month maybe?))

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("since the men cant seem to" LMAOOO. i think we could follow the game events, so its october-almost-november. that way we could maybe tie in the shamans later?)

Pallas and his huntresses looked to be relieved that it wouldn't be a fighting competition. Bingo stepped forward to address the leopon. She squared her shoulders and held her head high, showing off her muscles. Glancing back, Dusky and Vermeil nudged her on, so she began speaking.

"We accept a hunting contest." The ferus queen met Avi's gaze. "But we need rules that everybody follows. You know this territory, so I say we go somewhere else, somewhere neither of our prides hold claim to. And no interference from the kings or with each other's group - only cubs need to cheat." An uncharacteristic edge was in her voice, and she had a determined grin on her face. She was confident she could win against these lionesses, with their feuds and infighting.

Pallas nodded as Bingo spoke. He trusted her to make good decisions, and despite the ruthlessness in Sab's ladies, he doubted they would play dirty in a contest they proposed. This could be a good way for the lionesses to learn some respect for those outside of their respective prides.

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((Ahaha I'm glad that struck a chord! Yeah that sounds good!! Not too familiar with Nov event so I'll look it up.. also gonna be breeding avi soon hopefully so might try bring that into play if it is like really soon))

Avi had to raise her chin to look up at the ferus queen, but she met her gaze unwaveringly.
"Excuse me? You're setting the rules?" The indignance was back in her voice. "You may be a queen, but you aren't one of ours. We agree to your terms, but if we see an advantage, we'll take it. We'd expect you to do the same."

At this, Sab shot her a warning look. "No dirty tactics."

"Not dirty," Lita chipped in. "Just... opportunistic, on both sides. A claws out sort of competition."
There was a vicious gleam in her eyes that Steele also matched. In fact, the grey lioness had said nothing yet, but the look of hatred in her eyes said it all.

Avi nodded slowly. "The parameters..." she looked over at Lita. "The most meat? The largest carcass?"

Lita eyed the lionesses carefully, seeming thoughtful. "What are our lovely intruders most comfortable with? We can do the opposite."
It was hard to tell if she was serious.

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(im not either tbh, itll be fun to see what they got. and good luck, i hope you get pon babies!!)

Bingo just huffed in Avi's face. "I'm just being fair. Lions who can't play fair in their own competition aren't worth competing against." She bared her fangs, unwilling to change her mind. Pallas shot her a warning look and looked like he was about to intervene. Before he could, Dusky leapt forward, glaring down Lita across the clearing.

"Claws out, hm?" she said, digging her own claws into the soil as emphasis. "An advantage is an advantage. It's only fair," she flashed an annoyed look at Bingo, "For us both to try to win. Anything's game if it ain't sabotaging the other team."

Bingo rolled her eyes at the primal, but ignored her jab. She instead turned to Lita to reply, "If you're so bugged about rules, why don't you set the winning parameters?"

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((I just took a look and oooh it is cool tbf, I'm doing some more research into the ancestors thing bc obviously if the spirits are being communicated with that might open the door for pride drama haha! Also, thank you! If I get any more pons - like, enough to ensure that I can breed a few at once - how would you feel about a free breeding or summat? ^^))

Looking impressed at the ferus's boldness, Avi tilted her head to the side. She stalked towards Bingo, coming nose-to-nose with her, small chest puffed out and fur on end. "You have a lot of big talk for a newcomer, but let's see if you can match it. We aren't cheaters," - at that, Sab gave an audible huff - "but we do know how to spot an opening. Besides, this is a test of wits, not just skill."

Lita, meanwhile, met Dusky's gaze, her tail raising in a sharp motion. Steele padded over to stand beside the red lioness, the two wearing matching, unkind grins.

"I like your style," Lita said to Dusky. "Maybe you'd be better fitting in with us, little lady. All three of you have promise, at least... Farrah would have liked you, I think." In her words, there was a new and genuine hint of- what? Respect? Or something more sinister? She turned her attention to Bingo, tail lashing slowly.
"Fine. There's a bull crocodile that lives downriver of here - he's too big to go after, but the females that live across the rest of the river, they're fair game. Or maybe you'd like to go after something else - an elephant calf, maybe, or a water buffalo."

Steele purred beside her, though it sounded more like a growl.
"Or a hippo," she said, with a feral eagerness in her voice. It was rough, almost like a hiss. "The biggest carcass wins."

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(pride drama sounds great! and THATD BE SO SWEET OF YOU!!! absolutely dont feel pressured to, but if you want to thatd be amazing!!!)

Bingo sneered at Avi. She usually wasn't so boldly harsh, but these lionesses' cruel nature was inspiring her to prove them wrong - besides, it felt good to let out some of her pent-up frustration.

Dusky narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth at Lita, obviously suspicious of the huntress. She wasn't sure who Farrah was, but if the whole pride was like these three, she wanted nothing to do with them. She looked forward to winning this contest and rubbing it in their faces.

Concern flooded Bingo's bloodstream as they mentioned the crocodile, but she hid it well, the only giveaway that her stump tail began to twitch restlessly. She was relieved when Steele changed the goal. Hippos could be just as dangerous, sure, but at least they didn't have so many teeth. "Hippo it is, then. Biggest carcass wins." She parroted the huntress with a stern voice.

(wanna follow the lionesses or the kings?)

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((Also just got rabies related ideas possibly but we will see ahaha, also absolutely!! If Avi pops any pons then you can have the first heat free of charge! I'm trying to resist the temptation to spend some of my paycheck on GB and buy another pon heat lmao))

The pon seemed pleased that she'd managed to rile up the Wormwood ladies, clearly more at ease with aggression than their blatant affection. She trotted back over to her partners in crime, nudging Lita in the side.

"Where do we hunt, then, Lit?"

The red lioness lowered her ears in thought. She turned over her shoulder, scenting the air. "There's another pride not far from here - their king is old, and weak. We could use their territory; it isn't like they could stop us, now, is it? Besides, I'm sure your king could protect you ladies, if you're scared."

Surprisingly, it was Sab that chipped in now. "If you think I'm gonna agree to looking after you three while you go after other lions--"

Steele roared to cut him off, her eyes narrowed to slits with offense. "We didn't mean you. We don't need you."
The way she said it sounded like she was talking to a naughty cub, full of contempt. Then, she turned back to the Wormwood lionesses. "And what about losing conditions?"

((Aa I don't really mind, feel like the ladies will have more action but the guys can come along if they want haha))

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(aw man ty so much!!!! thats so nice of you :DD and we can throw in rabies too, idc)

Bingo and Vermeil looked wary to hunt on another pride's land, but Dusky seemed eager for the thrill of it. They leapt back in shock when Steele lashed out at Sab - even Dusky flinched away, surprised. She knew these lionesses were aggressive towards their king, that much was obvious, but she hadn't expected them to be so blatant about it.

Pallas took a step forward, saying, "We should look for uninhabited land, not intrude on another pride-" To his surprise, Bingo moved in front of him, cutting him off. She muttered, "Pallas, I respect you, but we should play by their rules. We'll leave if anything goes wrong, I promise." There was no room in her voice for debate. Pallas and Bingo had a brief stare-down, but finally Pallas sighed and stood down, gesturing for her to continue. If there was any real danger, he'd come in to defend them.

"Losing?" Bingo caught the end of Steele's sentence. "Well, I suppose the loser is the worse hunting party. Maybe... the loser has to spend two days in the winner's pride, learning from their huntresses, so they don't lose again." She was so confident in her abilities that she didn't pause to consider what two days in Sab's pride would mean, in the case she lost. Instead, she figured they'd be the losers, and could have some sense knocked into them by Pallas and the elder lionesses.

(could always do both? pallas & sab could go to make sure nobody gets hurt on the other prides land?)

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