Proving Grounds: Official Concept Sheet

MATING SEASON: PROVING GROUNDS

Proving Grounds is a new offshoot of my long-running Mating Season series starring the squirrels of Everbrook. Proving grounds is something of a mixture between the original Mating Season setup, a sanctioned, seasonal chase through the forest pitting males and females against each other in erotic competition, and the Harse and Nelli setup, a private competition in a modern, office setting between one buck and one doe. Proving Grounds aims to also set itself apart from both in various ways.

The star of Proving Grounds is Draysil, (Drays or Dray for short). Draysil is a middle-aged, grey-muzzle buck who runs the Everwood Lodge, a seasonally-open rustic resort which has helped fund the nearby village of Everbrook for over a century. Draysil is one of Everbrook's most renowned chaser in his youth, earning him nicknames such as the "Fact of Life" from his female opponents, in reference to the apparent inevitability of ending up in his grasp at some point in your life. (Draysil appeared in the first ever drawing for the modern version of Mating Season entitled Marphi's Valiant Effort and is also cited by Harse as a primary mentor). Draysil has long retired from sanctioned competition as it pertains to the mating season chases but, his ongoing prowess in the sport, coupled with his fame within the community, has made him a highly sought after teacher and trainer - particularly for the does. Draysil is frequently visited by Everbrook females looking to up their game against the best, or veteran runners hoping to give a new batch of rookies a crash course. He may also be challenged by the occasional, single doe, not looking for training, but simply looking to claim that she had bested the all time great in a one-on-one chase. Draysil himself has mellowed quite a bit as he's aged and initially rejected requests for him to engage in these informal chases, citing, among other things, the taboo of males and females engaging in such acts outside of the bounds of the officially sanctioned mating season chases while still actively living in Everbrook. However, the overwhelming regard for Draysil from the community, coupled with ever relaxing expectations and traditions within the community, has created a kind of informal exception for Draysil. Simply put - "if it's Dray, it's okay." This, combined with incessant nagging and insistence from a growing number of does from the community finally convinced Draysil to agree to these extracurricular chases, which take place on the grounds of Everwood Lodge, during its off-season.

WHAT IS EVERWOOD LODGE?

Everwood Lodge is a longstanding, rustic resort located on Lake Arelli. Previously a housing complex for Everbrook families over a century ago, it was converted into a lodging service as the incorporated territory of Everbrook began to shrink. Taking in visitors from all over, Everwood Lodge has helped financially support the Everbrook community for as long as it's stood. Known as a high competent handyman even in his youth, Draysil proved to be a natural fit to run the resort as he got older, using his skills to keep the resort maintained and in good working order. The resort is open for several months out of the year, then closes down for maintenance and to keep costs down during slower periods. The resort features many beautiful cabins, a beach with many lounge chairs and grills, a boating area, fishing, and more. As a chasing arena, Everwood lodge offers a variety of different settings, such as cabin interiors, woods, the lakeside, and maintenance buildings.

THE RULES

"The Sunrise Rule"
While the classic Mating Season chases involve female collecting enough spiceroots before they're allowed into their safehouses, the elusive plant does not grow in numbers conducive to those conditions on the resort grounds. Lacking any convenient substitute, Draysil's rule is simple: Arrive at midnight, survive until sunrise. This presents a very different strategical task for females, who are used to some hiding but mostly trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Draysil's rules offer the advantage that they aren't forced out of hiding to complete a task, such as collecting spiceroot, but also comes with a disadvantage that there's no way for them to end the chase early and claim victory, instead being forced to hide for hours from the buck who knows the grounds better than anybody. Upon sunrise, Draysil will loudly ring an old bell attached to the exterior of the main office. The Sunrise Rule the one rule present in all chases at Everwood Lodge.

"Single"
When challenged by a single doe, the win/loss requirements are fairly standard. If the doe gets mated, Draysil wins. If she survives the night, she wins. In most cases, Draysil does not win simply by achieving penetration, but must finish while inside of her, per the standard Mating Season Chase rules of Everbrook. As a result of this, the few females that can claim victory over Draysil can not necessarily claim that they've never been mated by him, only that they escaped before he could finish, particularly as Draysil is known for giving his captured opponents chances to escape (more on this below). Indeed, challenging Draysil is a near-guarantee that the old buck will be inside of you at some point in the near future, and the main question is if you can learn from that first mistake with enough energy left over to survive the rest of the night.

"Group"
When challenged by a group of does, usually no more than three, the rules may be amended to allow for a doe to be eliminated simply due to penetration. The rules may, alternatively, be amended to dictate that a female loses if she herself should happen to orgasm or otherwise be unable to put up a meaningful resistance any longer. The last remaining doe under this setup can be eliminated either due to the aforementioned conditions, or if Draysil himself finishes. In either case, the last remaining doe is likely going to get it with more enthusiasm than the others, if she is caught.

"Scrimmage"
In the event that Draysil's opponents are rookies sent by a veteran doe to 'smarten them up,' Draysil may not set specific win-loss conditions for a chase and instead engage in a kind of 'scrimmage' or free-chase. In these chases, Draysil pursues the females and, in all likelihood, catch one quite quickly. Rather than exhaust all of his energy into her however, she will be subjected to a brief, but intense, session of mating to serve as a suitable consequence for her runner's mistakes. She is, after all, there to learn. Once this is completed, Draysil will leave her to catch her breath and pursue the next doe, typically cycling through a group of three multiple times. The does' goals are focused more on limited the number of captures, rather than the far less likely event of avoiding Draysil altogether.



DRAYSIL

Draysil is a relaxed, aging buck, whose lifetime of physical labor and activity, particularly as the primary maintenance man of the resort, has left him in rather good shape. His imposing body may be somewhat belied by his mellow demeanor, but any doe who foolishly underestimates him for the latter will quickly find herself impacted by the former. At this point in his life, Draysil is uninterested in making any mad-dashes over long distances to catch his female opponents, and instead utilizes his knowledge of the grounds, along with his uncanny ability to anticipate his opponents' movements to surprise and ambush them, more often than running them down. He is also keenly aware of the best vantage points with which to scan over large swaths of the grounds. Many females opting to duck into a cabin for a while won't realize that they were being watched the entire time, until they hear the knob of the cabin door turning a few minutes later.

Due to his skill coupled with the all-night chase period, Draysil is known to give a doe the chance to escape just to keep things interesting, particularly if he would otherwise be closing it on a very early night. He may do this in a variety of ways, either by revealing his position before he's close enough to grab his opponent, lackadaisically changing positions after he's already caught them, or sometimes, by just plain stopping in the middle of sex to let them take another crack at it. If and when Draysil catches back up with them, and it becomes clear that they haven't learned much since the previous encounter, Draysil may opt to give them no more chances, and finish the job then and there.

Draysil is known for having remarkable sexual stamina and control over his desires. A night with him is a laborious affair and few does can complete the task with her faculties fully intact by the end. Due to this, Draysil is known to very casually switch around the position of a captured doe, just to keep things interesting for himself. Due to how lackadaisically he does this, this is often seen as an opportunity of escape for any doe who still has the wherewithal to do so. For the aforementioned reasons, Draysil won't exactly strain himself in chasing her down at this point and will instead calmly follow her with a methodical plan of how to recapture her later in the night. Females who do manage to escape during this time may find it much more difficult to remain out of his grasp, attempting to evade perhaps the best chaser ever with far less stamina than she had, previously. This creates a kind of natural 'life system' if you will, where a doe, in essence, has as many chances as she has energy to claim them, and by the second or third capture of the night, will likely find herself unable to mount a serious resistance against the old pro, going limp as he finishes her, unopposed.

Draysil's chasing clothing is normally pretty standard, if minimal. However, he does own more ornamental, ceremonial garb which he may wear on occasion, awarded to him for distinguishing himself as the best chaser of his day, particularly when challenged by an especially antagonistic doe or group of does. While quite competitive and provocative in his youth, Draysil's demeanor at this stage in his life is much more relaxed and casual. All the same, he's not afraid to break out the regal attire, and remind his headstrong opponents that they're taking on the king.

Whatever the rules or history between Draysil and his opponents, a doe who earns her way onto the business end of the old buck through her actions and choices will likely also find herself on the receiving end of a stern and thorough lecture on the mistakes which led her there, often while the defeated doe is still entangled with Draysil's seasoned but still highly capable body.



And that's Proving Grounds. Details will likely be added or tweaked as time goes on.