The orange faced lioness was so sore from her fight with Astrid and all the walking she had done over the last couple of months. The wounds on her body were still healing, but she had decided to go exploring anyways. She moved all day across the landscape of Amaryllis the northern lands where covered in snow and she had never seen snow before. So she had tip toed a tossed it at first before getting used to it. It honestly felt nice on her paws.

Come night though she realized she probably shouldn’t have wandered so far away from the Bluffs. It was cold and getting colder as the sun went down. Shivering she needed to find a place to settle in for the night. Therefore she started headed towards some cliffs hoping to find a cave. What she found was steamy water that was really warm. Looking through the steam she moved carefully around the pools until she decided to test the water. Dipping her toe in she than followed by the rest of her she purred happily closing her eyes and resting her head on the edge of the pool. “That feels nice.”

Art & Table by Autumn!

Amaryllis is expansive. That is Agamemnon's thought when he first wanders north throughout the lands. There would be much to consider: a place to call home, lions to call family. Women to bear children. To set up a new home, so far away from his own, it would take time. Patience, which is does not have. A paw for preparation, which he thinks he might have left behind. He knows very little about the land he's traveled to, but he is eager to learn. The more he knows, the better for him.

The ground up north turns chill. It burns his paws with how cold it is, and he grunts miserably as he keeps his trek. It's here he catches the scent-- a lion, a woman, perhaps. It's faint in the snow, but he follows it the best he can, maw to the ground, weaving.

The scent disappears when he finds a system of rocky pools of water. His eyes adjust as the dark descends around him. He finds the woman he's been tracking, cozying up in one of the pools water. He wonders if she can see him in the darkness. He understands why she's come here, then. The water is emitting heat, and steam, and Agamemnon groans a little as the warmth from just standing close to the pool thaws his bones. He chuffs softly, to alert the woman of his presence.

"A strange place," Agamemnon says quietly.

The warmth that comes from this place made her happy. Within the frozen north it is a hidden gem. Jewel of a place, one to be treasured. Yet the orange faced lioness wouldn’t wish to live here all the time. No she much preferred her home within the red plateau that is Wolfbron Bluffs. It had taken her a while to get used to the lands, but it was home. One she would fight and bleed for even if the one she fights doesn’t want it. Oh wait that already happened. She had already fought and won against the strange Viking woman of whom she didn’t understand. Arjana had been misguided and allowed that to cloud her judgement towards Astrid. A one sided grudge due to her own ignorance.

Not wishing to think about that the clay lady shifts. Pain washing over her sore muscles as she groaned softly. Readjusting her body she shifted so that her body stretched out in the warm pool of water. Grey eyes half closed she was starting to relax. Than there was a chuff and she blinked. Looking around slowly she scanned the darkness until a voice reached her. It was a male an unknown male.

“Amaryllis as many strange places indeed.” She purred softly showing no fear in her voice. In the face of an unknown stranger she wasn’t about to come off as a coward. “Yet a welcomed respite in the bitter cold.” Her words left her lips in a happy purr as she finally settled her gave on @Agamemnon. She couldn’t make out much of his body in the darkness but the red of his mane and his handsome eyes caught her attention.

Art & Table by Autumn!

Agamemnon's brows raise slightly, though he suspects he is too far in the dark for the woman to make out the intricacies of his expression. Perhaps this woman, familiar with Amaryllis as it seems, will be a good source of information. The male closes the distance between them, looking down curiously into the pool of water. He reaches down, swiping a paw into the rocky pool. It's warm, and when his paw returns to the rock beneath him, he can feel the winter chill settling back into his bones.

"Amaryllis," Agamemnon says quietly. He repeats the sound of the name in his mouth, letting it roll out slowly. He slowly lays himself out along the edge of the pool, close to where the woman is in the water, their faces close if he were to lower his head. He crosses his wrists, shaking out his mane, giving a relaxed sigh as he stretches one leg out behind him. "I've heard whispers of this land. It's why I came. Back when I heard the stories, though, it was vast and unclaimed. That doesn't seem to be the case now, hmm?"

The fact that he hadn’t attacked her yet eased her nerves. Perhaps this encounter shall be a calm one. That was something she prayed for, for she was far to sore to get into another fight. Judging by the size of the male as he came closer she doubted she’d stand a chance against him anyways. Listening to him maul over the name of the land in which they both find themselves within she smiled. With him having come closer and relaxing so near to her she could get a better look. Oh my what a handsome fellow. He wasn’t as sexy as Oberon, but @Agamemnon had his own good looks in his own manly ways.

“It is a land of many landscapes. Many areas are wild, but the land is shared by eight prides. I have only lived here since the end of summer and have yet to explore all of it though.” She explained as she took a deep inhale of his scent. Breathing it in to store it to memory. “I myself make my home in a red plateau tucked in the mountains behind the badlands next to the desert.” She started to explain where her pride lived giving an example of just how big the lands were. “I have explored much of the badlands, but none of the desert. The name of the pride I come from is called Wolfbron Bluffs and I am Arjana.” Finishing her little teaching session she decided to be polite and give her name in hopes that he would offer the same kindness.

Art & Table by Autumn!

Just has he had hoped, the woman offers up the name of her pride, and it's location. He commits it to memory with a cool, relaxed smile, tilting his head as he looks down at Arjana. Wolfron Bluffs, on the red bluffs of the badlands. He would not forget it. He needed to find a place for his new home, and so he would know to avoid that territory. Agamemnon was not interested in following the law of some other king.

"Arjana," he says warmly. "A beautiful name. I am Agamemnon of Mycenae. A land far to the south of here, though. No worry of yours." He stretches one paw out lazily, letting it dip into the water. He considers how much more he could get Arjana to spill about her pride-- the names of it's leaders, it's supposed strengths? Agamemnon could tell much about a pride from what is carefully avoided in being said.

"Tell me more," he urges in a low rumble. "I'm curious. I've been traveling without a home for some time. I feel it must be time for me to settle." The lie is not quite a lie, but smooth enough that he does not suspect it to go noticed.

Oh now he was a smooth one, but Arjana wasn’t born yesterday. Nor did she go around giving out all of the pride secrets. Everything that left her lips about the Bluffs was common knowledge within the land. She was protective of her home even if she was just a low ranking lioness within its ranks.

Taking in his name she smiled as he complimented her own. “@Agamemnonell now isn’t that quiet the mouthful. Still a handsome name for a strong handsome lion.” She cooed as she gave him a wink and a smile. She took in that he came from a land to the south and let out a bit of a chuckle. “Most of us outsiders do tend to come from south of the pass it seems.” Her words were smooth as she nodded her head musing about it.

“Outsiders being those like you and I who went born here. The natives do watch yourself around them a very judge-y sort they are.” She warned, but she doubted a big guy like him would have little problem with the natives. As long as he didn’t go out of his way to piss them off. Steering the chitchat back to the bluffs she smiled thinking about it. “The bluffs are not for the weak. We work hard and there are no free rides. Anyone too weak to be useful is exiled so if you are interested in possibly finding a home there do make sure you are ready to work. Our King Zoticus is a fair lion, but not to be trifled with.” As she finished her words she looked at him. Her grey gaze looking right into his red one as she tried to get a read on him.

Art & Table by Autumn!

Arjana is chatty, just the way Agamemnon needs her to be. In the darkness, it is hard to read her face, but he imagines he can find a trace of bemusement as he avoids giving away too much. Just enough, though. He does not expect her to spill her home's secrets, but he has found himself quite good at reading between the lines. He chuckles softly as she warns him of the native lions. "Strangers have come a conquered their lands," he says mildly. "Animosity is not hard to brew under the right circumstance." He chuckles, tilting his head.

Agamemnon feigns polite interest as Arjana speaks of the bluffs, though he is careful to take each word into consideration. He commits the name of the bluff king to memory, as well. Zoticus. A noble, proud name, Agamemnon thinks. "He rules as a King must rule," Agamemnon says, nodding, hoping to butter Arjana up with praise for the lion she chooses to pledge her allegiance to. "I have left behind a fine rank to explore the world around me," he assures her, which is not quite a lie either. Omittance is not untruthful. "I do not fear hard work."

After a moment, he juts his chin into the general direction of where they had both come. "And of the other lands?" He questions. "What do you know of the other kings?"

Resting her voice the orange faced lady inhales deeply before letting out a sigh. She was doing a lot of chatting, but it seemed a bit one sided. She had sent out a playful quip about his name being strong and handsome to see if he would play her little flirting game but appeared to not even register it. Oh well can’t win them all. “True, though I can’t relate. My birth pride was horrible. My father a cruel tyrant who banned anyone from leaving the land for any reason. There was hardly any food and even less water. Most of the pride starved and any one who dared of leaving to find food or even dreamt of leaving to find a better life as an adult was deemed disloyal and put to death. My brother, his own heir was murdered by him at only a few months old for even thinking about moving the pride to better lands one day when he was King. My father was truly paranoid and mad. Two traits I am happy to say I haven’t found within any of the Kings and Queens within Amaryllis.” Her words were bitter and angry as she spoke of her birth pride, of her father, but sad and soft as she spoke of her brother. She didn’t bother to tell him how the pride was disbanded by a random lion he gave the pride too on his death bed. After all that detail didn’t matter as clearly she had somehow gotten away from his grasp.

Eyes closed for a moment as she took in another big breath. This one was to calm herself. Her anger had started to boil at the memories of her father and his madman ways. After a few minutes and listening to @Agamemnon she opened her eyes slowly. “I do not know the names of all the prides nor their leaders. I know of Obsidian Hollows. They sit within the caves in the mountains near the passage that all must travel to get into Amaryllis. This leader is a lion named Magnus. Than there is the Ecrosia Mire. Their king was recently defeated by one known as Kiton. The Mire sits in the eastern area and isn’t that pleasant. It is a swamp. I also know of The Cove which isn’t the full name but I don’t know much about it other than that.” She explained what she knew about things deciding not to be completely honest about the Cove. She knew that the cove leader had been attacked and was hurt, but this strange lion didn’t need to know about that. She also decided not to give information about the Lagoon due to not feeling like it.

Art & Table by Autumn!

Agamemnon listened, rapt, as the woman talks of the pride she escaped. It makes him angry to think of a man so unfit to rule, who would allow his women and children to suffer. It was unsightly of any male to allow women to suffer, and his claws extend, scratching a the rock beneath him with a little huff of displeasure. "You are lucky to be free of him with your life," Agamemnon acknowledges, his lips turned down at the corners, his brows knotted together over the red of his eyes. And oh, does Arjana talk. He makes a not to demand closed lips from the lions that he will gather for his new home. Though it is a trait that he admires dearly in this young woman now. "It is good to know that no such madness exists here. Should I hear of it, it would become my duty to dispatch it. I could not abide by the slow torture of women and children." And this is the easy truth. Agamemnon was strict, but he was not a needlessly cruel man.

When Arjana tells him of the other prides that she knows of, he nods slowly, genuinely finding himself thankful. He would do with this information what needed to be done. "Four prides that you've named, and you're to tell me there's more?" He exhales a low sound of curiosity. He's impressed that so many lions have lived here in relative peace. Amaryllis is large, certainly-- half a day of travel just to get here --but Agamemnon thinks it must be in their nature to want to grow their own homes, to sow their seeds as far and wide as possible. "Thank you, Arjana. Truly. You've opened my eyes to these lands." He chuckles, giving a lazy stretch, letting his muscles relax. "And such lovely company, too."

Ah, well. No shame in a little flirting kindness.