To say she was frustrated would have been a gross understatement, but righteous fury seemed a bit overly dramatic. How she wished she could simply rain fire and ash down on everyone who did her wrong, cast curses on those who broke her heart -- wouldn't it have been just? Wouldn't it have been proper for them to suffer as they had made her suffer, to watch as their worlds collapsed as Aarani had watched hers time after time? But that wasn't who she was. Aarani was light in a world of dark, and even though shadows were currently cast over her glow, still she shone. The woman had no option but to keep her head up and move forward, raise her children with all the love and attention they deserved. If she had to do that in a place full of rocks and dust, so be it; at the end of the day, she only wanted her cubs to grow up in safety. She wanted so dearly to take them home to the oasis or even the lagoon, but.. Well, those were just reminders of better days gone by. @Zoticus

zoticus

Wolfbron had grown a good amount recently, even more so with the addition of Vine's family. Although, Zoticus could say he was a bit... confused on the relationships with Aarani, Dior, Vine and all the cubs. It wasn't much of his business, but it did make him curious.

However, his goal for today was to seek @Aarani out, and to see how she was doing. Zoticus had some concerns, hearing the way she talked about being held captive- and how Vine took it personally - made him worried. Had Vine really done that to her, and if so, did Aarani feel... safe here in Wolfbron? It was a tricky situation, but if the mother felt Vine was a threat to her, her cubs, or any others of his pride... it would have to be dealt with.

And soon.

Catching her scent, Zoticus neared calmly, his wounds a sight for sore eyes, but he managed through the pain. "Mind if I join you?" He spoke out when he spotted her, not wanting to intrude, but also wanting to get to know her better. She was apart of his pride, and that meant Zoticus cared enough to try and bond with the woman regardless of what happened at the borders.

@Aarani

code by corvus

Of all the faces she didn't want to see, @Zoticus was actually pretty far down on the list -- so much so that she actually felt a flicker of hope at the sound of his voice. Guilt weighed heavily on her shoulders for how she had acted, but a woman with such a broken heart was.. unpredictable. The more it broke, the more she became someone unrecognizable and the more she built herself a wall. Aarani knew she would eventually need to see the king and speak with him to smooth things out, but spirits, it was difficult to find a shred of motivation nowadays. The woman tilted her head towards the man as he approached. "Of course, I've been hoping we could speak." Rani certainly didn't want to and would rather have walked through a thornbush than confront her emotions, but he was there now. May as well take advantage of it.

zoticus

He watched as Aarani took notice of him, and his ears were attentive to the words she spoke out in reply. He nodded, limbs carefully moving him around to her front, before he lowered to his haunches and settled down before her.

He figured he should let her speak first- at least before he jumped into asking about Vine and if she thought him a threat or not. Or, if what she spoke at the borders had really been about him. He wanted everyone in Wolfbron to feel safe, and if there was something keeping her from feeling that or her cubs, then it was an issue to be handled. "What's been on your mind?" He spoke, gifting her the honor of speaking first, and Zoticus held his own questions at bay for now, though he was certain they'd be asked soon enough.

@Aarani

code by corvus

Aarani wished he had simply come to lecture her, because what he did instead was much worse for the heartbroken woman. She studied him as he slipped before her and settled down, chewed on the inside of her cheek as she weighed the options of a reply. If he genuinely wanted to know, Aarani was an open book. If it was simply a way to get beneath her skin, to understand a bit more how she worked, well.. she was an open book for that too. "Everything," the medic said with a soft laugh. "This past year has been.. quite exhausting physically and mentally." Rani shook her head sadly, letting her minty gaze drop to her paws. "I was separated from my husband Gabriel and wife Dìor while pregnant, wandered here alone. I gave birth to my first litter, two of which are now missing. Some time later I found myself running Andal Oasis with a wonderful man who disappeared without a word months later, then thought it might be possible to try again with a man named Oberon. Arjana was with him too, I'm sure you know. And now he's gone as well and it's.. been quite a mess." Conveniently leaving out the part about Viné, of course, because that was the most impactful out of all of them. "And now we're here." The exhaustion was heavy on her features as she turned back to him, forcing a tired smile.

zoticus

"Everything," while @Aarani said it with a soft laugh, he knew the pain behind the word. Zoticus had felt it once before too- hell, with all the situations popping up he could say he felt it again, just in a different manner. Lifting his ears, he grew attentive to her, showing he was listening. Showing he cared to listen.

He didn't understand what type of love affairs Aarani had going on. There was a husband named Gabriel, her wife Dior, and somehow in the mix she had been with an Oasis leader. "Fionn? He was ruler to the Oasis once- I knew him some." He chimed in as the name was familiar, before listening to the rest of it. Ah, so she was the other mate to Oberon. The one Arjana had told him about. Brows furrowed slightly with a sigh exhaling from his lips. "We would of crossed paths sooner, then, had Oberon not of vanished- Wolfbron was set to have an alliance with Scilla." He spoke, remembering how things were aligning up for it, and then, how swiftly it all crumbled.

"And now we're here." "Here... Aarani, I have to ask you something." It was obvious Zoticus was trying to pick and chose his words carefully. "You spoke of Vine having knocked you unconscious, how he dragged you back to his territory and kept you there..." The thought was a disturbing one, to say the least. "I only ever knew Vine from an allied stand point, and even then it was minimal. He's spent his time here recovering, but even then, not much is known of him." He wasn't sure if he was getting to his question well enough. He didn't want to overstep and call her mate a tyrant- but, from how it sounded, he didn't seem like such a good guy after all.

"I guess what i'm trying to ask is this. Are you and your cubs safe with Vine around? Are the other lionesses of my pride at risk with his presence?" His voice went serious and his gaze showed he wasn't joking around. If Vine was a threat, he needed to leave. Sooner rather than later. Obviously Zoticus would protect Aarani, her cubs, and his other members with every fiber of his being- but he didn't want any of them to even be put at risk. He wasn't going to make the same mistake as he had with Korrin.

@Aarani

code by corvus

It didn't surprise her to hear that @Zoticus had known Fionn. "He was a kind man. I miss him dearly but cannot help but feel I let him down by being unable to hold the Oasis together in his absence. I have never been one to seek power over others, but he asked for my assistance as his sovereign and I could not refuse. I hope he is well wherever he is." On the surface she did, at least. Somewhere deep down, she wished he was dead -- but not for any malicious reasons. It would simply be easier on her heart to know he had not willingly abandoned herself and Sweet Pea, the cubs. Hearing Oberon's name was.. conflicting. "He was a good man. Is? I don't know." Again, assuming he was dead just made things.. easier. And then the conversation shifted to Vine. Ugh. Her ears wilted into her mane as she listened, lips pressed into a pensive line as she tried to.. she didn't know, figure out what the hell to say in order to put out the flames. "He is no danger to anyone," she spoke truthfully, her pale green eyes showing nothing but honesty behind them. "Vine is.. I spoke to him out of anger because my heart was hurting. We had long since moved past what had happened and I was foolish for bringing it up again. I came here willingly with our children because I trust him. I should have kept our personal live personal, but spirits, I'm so exhausted from moving from pride to pride with these cubs." She lifted a paw to her head, rubbing the temple gently. "My daughter Ira has never known stability in her life. We've bounced from pride to pride to pride and we're all so, so tired." Aarani was so, so tired. "But no, he is no threat to anyone here. He respects you and that is hard to come by from him. I am sorry for how I acted and the things I said, it was.. spirits, embarrassing."