AW made ugly by another’s demand

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

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She remembered those last moments in fleeting reveries. Pain radiated everywhere, but she felt keenly aware of each and every wound; the bite marks that lined her ears, neck, shoulders, and the distinct throbbing of torn ligaments and a broken bone—somewhere near her wrist, for each time she tried to wiggle her toes, she cried out in pain. A weight settled on her hinds, rendering them numb but not entirely without feeling. Her tail thumped against the dusty earth, distressed, and through the repetitive thump, thump as it thrashed wildly, the still silence in the stale air was accompanied by her soft whimpers. Rubble and debris covered the backside of her flank and along her hind legs, while her front legs were sprawled out, one particularly mangled compared to the other. Her cheek pressed against the bitterly cold stone floor of the catacombs, disheveled and dusty and half-alive. Eventually, Arsynia began to stir, and the soft sunlight that streamed from the remnants of the crack that had opened from beneath her seemed unreachable, impossible now.

Arsynia could barely recall those moments leading up. The fight had been grueling, and she had not done her best, and had allowed a woman nearly twice her size to run through her so angrily and thoroughly. Her claws unsheathed almost instinctively, but the flexing of her toes in her broken right leg caused her to cry out in pain. What would they think of her now, succumb and sent to the bowels of the earth? Was it not destiny's will to see a crown atop her head, or had her ambitions far overreached? Did Smaug not take and take and take and take as he saw fit? As Arsynia's thoughts drew from her distant dreams, and she began to wake, a harrowing disappointment began to settle in her chest where once there'd been untempered pride. She lifted her head, but as she stared outward she saw nothing but a ceaseless blackness. With resignation, she lowered her muzzle onto the ground again, and let her eyes flutter shut.

Art by kite

Minerva,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by Ivy

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She should have been happy, should have been celebrating her great victory in claiming the mountains as her own. After all this would be a fresh start for her after her Barnabas had disappeared without a word but .. she did not feel happy. No Minerva was plagued by the loss of her opponent. Though she hadn't known the woman, hell she didn't even know her name, the mahogany lioness plagued her every waking thought. She had nightmares from the entire incident. The ground had opened up and swallowed her whole. It had ripped her from her claws so savagely that Minerva could hardly even believe what she had seen right before her very eyes. And though the mountain was hers she was still plagued by this mystery woman. She knew that she needed to find her. She could not just let her disappear beneath the earth. It was her duty, her job to assure that her opponent was not dead. Because if she was Minerva wouldn't be able to live with herself.

She had searched the catacombs for what felt like years and had come up empty handed every time. This day seemed to be no different until the smell of blood reached her nose. Minerva was plowing through the rocks and mud, creating her own path when she came across the scent. It wasn't perfectly fresh but it wasn't a stagnant scent either. Immediately she hastened her pace, long limbs pushing and pulling as she maneuvered further into the tunnel, and there up ahead she saw something, no .. someone! A deep chuff reverberated from her, announcing her presence as it bounced off the walls around her. She tossed her mane out of her eyes despite the immediate pain from the gaping wound along her jawline. And finally the distance was closed and, oh gods it was HER! Minerva pushed herself forward, moving to get to the woman's side. With a huff she pressed her muzzle down in front of her muzzle, she was still breathing! "I've found you! You are alive.. stay with me please. Oh gods I'm so sorry for what I've done to you." She practically cried before her plum gaze moved to assess her injuries. She was pinned beneath a relatively large boulder, but that thing had to come off of her and Minerva would use every ounce of strength she had to make sure she freed her.

@Arsynia

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