Manes had, without a shadow of a doubt, been rather absent from Amaryllis. He didn't connect with the land like he did with the Ridge, and the absence away from Ambrosine had also been noted. They had grown distant, and he wondered where she was and what exactly she was doing. They had children together, and Manes knew not where they were. The thought of their dead bodies lying open to scavenge by hyenas and vultures made him sick to the stomach. He had to find them.

Manes decided that now - in the bitter months of winter - was the time to come back and find his family. They needed to be united, and he needed to face the truth of his absence. The first place Manes would try, to find anything or anyone who had information on any whereabouts of his wife, or his children. Maroon limbs moved to the Oasis, and stopped respectfully at the borders. Manes was all too familiar with the politics surrounding borders, so the man simply stopped and took a seat. Jaws parted momentarily as he inhaled, but recognized nothing other than sand and sea. Calling out to the leader of the pride, Manes waited for someone to arrive to his call.

 

Iofiel wasn't at a level to be able to accept the visitor to the Oasis. Normally this would have kept him away from the borders but he recognized the voice that rang out. Something in his gut twisted and before he could stop himself the pale male made his way towards the call. Perhaps there was a little jaunt to his gait that wasn't normally there. And his head was certainly lifted and crimson eyes scanned the sands.

Then there he was. Why seeing his former king surprised him he couldn't say. It was his voice that had drawn him after all. Still, actually seeing him just sitting there had given him pause. Gaze quickly roamed over the clay figure, seeking out injury with which he might assist. But then it occurred to him that it was highly unlikely that the other had even come looking for him. It wasn't as if he had seen Manes to tell him where he had taken up residence.

The large lion likely looked a fool just standing in the open sands and staring. Iofiel finally forced himself to close the rest of the distance as it was too late to turn back now and there was no place to hide anyways. "You look well." Or at least without any displaced limbs.

@Manes

Manes sat patiently and waited for the High Sovereign to arrive. But he wasn’t expecting the familiar figure of @Iofiel to appear before him. Blue eyes fall on his frame and widen with shock — only to be stopped when he realised what his reaction was. Manes rose to his feet without prompt, and he nodded to the male. “I am. Are you? You look well.” He states, standing still and waiting to be invited over the border. It seemed unlikely (but not impossible) for Iofiel to hold a crown. “Are you King here?” Manes asks, twisting forward his ears momentarily and flicking his tail in hope. A quiet rumble stirred in his stomach, and he felt a little excitable. It was good to see a familiar face.

 

Of course Manes wasn't there to see him. Why should he be surprised by that? It would be a lie to say it wasn't a bit of a let down though. But as he had told Jewel so long ago within the Passage that there had been none looking for him and this here proved it. He had just been another lion, same as he had been all of his life.

"I am..." There was a bit of a pause as the pale male sought out the best word to use in this situation. "...surviving." It was the best he could come up with. It was familiar terrain in that he had been brought up in the desert so he knew how to make it. But it wasn't home. Granted he no longer knew what home felt like any longer. It was a place that he knew how to exist in.

Gaze cast to the ground as he gave a shake of his head when Sovereignship was asked about. "I am nothing. Same as I have always been, same as I ever will be." In all his years of life he had never managed to climb the ranks. He had always been a fade into the background sort. "The High Sovereign is named Ashelia." And with that Iofiel proceeded to let out a call to the leader in inform her of a visitor. It was the loudest Iofiel's voice ever grew.

@Manes @Ashelia

it's not often that someone beats her to the punch.

her family, despite their lofty ambitions, often neglect this side of their responsibility. yet here @Iofiel stands, attending to the stranger at their door. not a stranger to him, of course, but if there'd been any passing familiarity between ashelia and her former king, it is gone now — lost to the sands of time that separated the old valley and this new island. instead she announces herself with a quiet chuff as she approaches the pair, coming to stand alongside the siamese-marked healer. she murmurs his name softly in greeting, shooting him a mild smile before settling in and looking towards the stranger. ears tip forward, questioning, as she studies @Manes for a brief moment before inclining her head. a small gesture of welcome, of acknowledgement. is there someone we can do for you, sir? she asks, head tilting slightly. some came for answers she could not give, others still came for a place to rest their head. weary travelers and wayward sons, alike. idly she wondered which one he would be — but surely she will know soon enough.

code by javs | art by irish

The call was, for the most part, unwarranted and unwanted. Mithros immediately launching into defense as the fur on his shoulders seemed to stand up and his tail lashed in frustration. He wasn't a child anymore and his parents just couldn't let him have any semblance of independence from them. With frustration, he stumbled out of his tiny and dirty little den he'd carved for himself and wandered close. Keeping his distance and attempting to keep himself hidden, watchful as he turned his eyes for the first time in a long time upon his father. Their appearances near close enough that it would be increasingly obvious to anyone that knew either of them that they were related. Angry about that situation alone, he began to plot his leave. hidden, for now

_{© LARS}

 

If Manes had known that @Iofiel was living in the Oasis then he would have been here sooner, admittedly. But alas, hindsight is a wonderful thing and Manes was not capable of having that before events had happened. Iofiel confirmed that he was surviving, which warranted a smile from the former monarch and a dip of his head.

A frown littered the man's face. "Iofiel - you are not nothing, and you never will be nothing." Manes remarks in a firm and caring tone, a little annoyed that the man thought that of himself. Before he could say anything else, @Ashelia graced the duo with her presence.

Azure eyes turn to look at the High Sovereign, and for a moment he wonders if he recognised her. Had they been in a pride together once? He acknowledged her greeting and dipped his head in return. "There is - I'm on the hunt for my family. Do you house Ambrodine, Cassine, Hazarin or Mithros Dieudonné?" He asks, unaware that @Mithros was hiding in the shadows.

Manes declared him to not be nothing but Iofiel did not have time to make a retort before the High Soverign was on the scene. But of course Iofiel was nothing, just another number to add to the populace, same as he always had been. There was nothing special about him. But now was not the time to go into that spiel. Instead there was something else he must do.

"I apologize. I know I am not meant to be here. I had moved without thinking at the sound of a familiar voice. I beg your pardon and will not do so again." Iofiel was quick to apologize as Ashelia made herself known. He hadn't the rank to be here and knew it. He really should have thought before reacting. Usually he did. He didn't know what he had been hoping for.

But of course Manes had come for his family. He had been told Ambrosine had been in the Lagoon but that had been some time ago. He had also seen Cassine and Hazarin in the desert previously. But again that had been a bit ago and he had no idea where the children had gone from there. Mithros he hadn't seen around at all. Besides, it wasn't him that had been asked in the first place.

@Manes @Ashelia @Mithros

ears twist forward, curiously intent, at @Iofiel's answer, the way he withdraws with curt apologies. you have done nothing wrong, iofiel. on the contrary, she was pleased with this — more than that, she was grateful. thank you for greeting our guest. perhaps they would need to have a chat after manes left, hmm? her tail swishes at her ankles intently, before looking back to @Manes as the older man speaks.

her ears tip forward, head leaning to the side. most of the names that manes speaks are unknown, unfamiliar — but the ones she recognizes, she truly recognizes. ambrosine, of course, was her queen in the last valley — the woman had ruled the ridge, and more importantly, given her a new lease on life when she'd stumbled into [redacted] lost and alone. though ashelia hadn't seen the woman since, her name still remains familiar.

and as for the other one...

ashelia cannot know that @Mithros lurks and looms just out of sight, hidden away in the shadows. yet still she does not feel keen to give away this secret — especially considering the boy's appearance when he'd first joined, the way he was unfamiliar with pride life. ashelia regards manes, not quite seeing the resemblance between the two — and not wanting to risk her members on the off-chance. i have met ambrosine before, yes, she murmurs, considering — all but tapping her chin as she speaks. but i have not seen her in quite some time. are you her friend? she asks, keenly aware that manes had not given his name.

code by javs | art by irish

The yearling could feel his jaw clenching tightly as he tried to suffer through their words. The look on his father's face as he twisted in thought and asked his questions. His very name spilling from @Manes' tongue and forcing his whole body to go rigid, as though he was seeing venom come out of his mouth. Apparently he was looking for every single one of them - mother and his two siblings - which led him to believe that they didn't come find him, either. Certainly made his desire to be on his own a little less selfish and greedy since it wasn't just him.

Even so, his gaze practically burned a hole into @Ashelia's head as he wished he could telepathically tell her not to utter a word. There was a reason that he didn't share himself with the world and lions around him and this was exactly that reason. He had kept himself alive for so long and he was determined to do so without anyone, unless absolutely necessary. Mithros could not be so sure if she was omitting knowing him out of kindness or if she was touching on the subject of his mother first. Though, clearly, she seemed to know Ambrosine, too. Well, fuck. He had seemingly wandered into a den of familiarity without even realizing it. hidden, for now

_{© LARS}

@Iofiel