he exhales slowly, flipping his gently blowing mane from his eyes, and lets his gaze linger on the massive gateway before him. his lips part and he rolls his tongue out in a massive yawn - this is the first sign of life he's stumbled upon in days. it was hard, he reflects, being out in the wild, alone, when you're a social creature. he hadn't slept well. dorian spends a moment to run his tongue along his shoulder and the parts of his back that he could reach before easing past the massive rock entryway, nose flaring at the assault of scents that reach him. it's a jumbled, maddening mess of smells that he doesn't bother to try to decipher; it's clear enough that this is the main entrance to this land. he's made it somewhere and it's far enough away from home that he can't possibly run into someone he knows, someone who knew anders and would ask question.

a blessing, he supposes, even as the thought of being so far from everything he knows and everything the two of them shared tightens a fist around his heart.

swallowing past the lump of emotion in his throat, the young man hitches himself into an easy trot, hurrying past the entrance and into maua's passage, proper.

Coming to the passage the orange faced lady had a newfound mission to help Wolfbron grow. To help it heal. To help herself heal from the abandonment she felt from the one she loved just leaving. Part of her hoped that she crossed his path at the passage oh and if she did ever cross paths with him again there would be hell to pay. Probably not just from her either. Just thinking about it made her heartache and at the same time filled her with rage. It was a confusing feeling one she tried her best to push aside. She did her best to shove it over with the sadness, sorrow and shame she felt. Hiding behind a soft friendly mask of polite flirtatious courage as she entered the pass and spotted a young lion.

“Hello sir! Welcome to Amaryllis. My aren’t you a handsome one?” she greeted adding in a playful question as she moved into view. “I am Arjana, Gentry of Wolfbron Bluffs.” She adds formally as she moved to walk at his pace near his side. Her tail flickering behind her as she gives a grin.

@Dorian

Art & Table by Autumn!

a voice calls out, startling the youth. his weariness is making him careless, it seems - but a distant voice in the back of his head can't help but wonder if it's on purpose. if he's not, distantly, seeking some kind of retribution by death at the paw of a stranger. fate could not be that kind, not with what he's done. blinking, dumbfounded, he flips his ragged mane from his gaze and regards arjana with uncertainty. she's bright; voice light and words airy in a cheerfully flippant manner. it makes the skin around his eyes tighten, even as he tries on a smile. it feels awkward, forced, and carries the shadow of sadness. abruptly, he drops it, clearing his throat and stumbling over quiet "hello," deciding to ignore her comment about being handsome. how strange a greeting to a stranger. how bold.

he's never been like that.

she eases forward to match his pace and dorian slows from a trot to an easy walk. he inches a little further from her, putting enough space between them that it was just this side of being too much for casual conversation. he doesn't mean to insult her, even as he worries he might - there's just mistrust in his eyes, uncertainty in his slowing steps. "ah, i'm dorian." he finally says, letting his gaze drop and swallows thickly. his gaze skitters to her and back to the horizon. "what's.... a wolfbrun bluff?"

@Arjana

Hmmm perhaps she had been too forward calling him handsome, but she had merely been honest. Even so it was a bit too soon for her to start flirting with strangers again. Maybe a playful tease now and again but after the heartache she was going through she doubted she would find a husband in time for spring. Not that her bet means anything now that the one she had made it with was gone. Missing or dead she simply didn’t know. If he had simply abandoned her she wouldn’t, couldn’t blame him. She couldn’t hate him for it. Not like she hated herself. None of that mattered at the moment though as she heard the lion speak his name and ask his question. “Pleasure @Dorian. Wolfbron Bluffs is my home. A pride to the north of here. You see within Amaryllis there are eight prides. The one I am in we are a pride of strength and survival. Survivors with our own stories that have came together to for safety and strength under our King Zoticus.” She spoke with pride hiding the shame in herself that she felt behind a proud and courageous voice with a polite and caring smile.

Art & Table by Autumn!

she explains easily, falling into a more comfortable social pattern and easing the flirtatious mannerisms away. he appreciates it and smiles wanly. "eight!" he parrots, eyes widening and jaw slackening. that was so many! he could not imagine so many prides living in such close quarters. "amaryllis must be.... massive." he whispers, eyes sliding over to search the horizon as if he could see it all from here. he can't fathom it, the freedom unfurling before him. dorian never expected to make it away from his home without being hunted down; killed.

and now the future holds endless, untold possibilities.

his fur bristles along his spine at the discomfort of such unknown. he may be an adult, but barely so; he feels more like a child than ever, right now.

he turns his pale gaze back to arjana and shakes himself off, mane flopping back over his right eye as it oft does. she explains her pride and it's obvious she's fond of it - and the king. it's good to see someone who feels such loyalty; he was the same, once upon a time. he tries not to dwell on how very apt her description of surviving and survivors is. it sounds very much like home and that is enough to put him on edge. "so do you often hang out at the borders?" he questions lightly, peering over his shoulder in a paranoid manner, before easing into a slightly quicker pace, eager to get deeper into this massive land.

with his horrible sense of smell, he can tell the borders are often visited, but he couldn't make out the separate scents of the prides if his life depended on it. while he can guess at her purpose here, he's going to make her say it out loud. he wants to play ignorant as long as he can.

@Arjana

The fact that so many prides made there home here had often made her wonder herself how the land holds them all but even that was a passing thought. With how many fights over crowns that she has witnessed in her almost half a year here it was clear to her that there was a balance to it all. Some have had long standing rulers, some she hadn’t even visited ever. Hell she hadn’t ever seen nor spoken to an Oasis lion. Well none that she could really remember anyways and they where the closest pride to Wolfbron. The prides went as close as say the cove and the lagoon but still.

“Indeed eight. Amaryllis is a very large land I have lived here almost two full seasons and haven’t explored it all. There are deserts, mountains, forests, vast fields, watering holes, cold snow covered lands, jungles, swamp land, a river and of course beaches.” She explained almost out of breath at the end. No she had for sure not seen all of the landscapes of the place she lived within.

Chuckling softly at his next question she looked around and was a bit surprised she was the only one there. “This is Maua’s Passage and it is normally filled with lions and lionesses coming from the prides to give newcomers such as yourself speeches on why you should join their pride. It is basically Amaryllis’s recruiting grounds.” Her words were kind and polite spoken in a none mocking tone as they walked.

@Dorian

Art & Table by Autumn!

he's still awed by the size of his new land. arjana seems totally at home and he smiles fondly at her. "impressive," he says lightly, tail curling and uncurling in excitement at the idea of exploring it. "perhaps we can explore some together," he offers brightly, ears perking. he's a social creature, as all lions, and he hates to think of being in such a massive land... alone. perhaps he could make new friends here, without the looming disaster of what had happened hanging over his head and souring the hearts of any who looked his way.

he lets loose a faint laugh. "oh," dorian swipes his tongue across his mouth. "well, now i get it." he ponders the idea - joining a pride. it feels... strange, and while a part of him longs to, he wonders at the territories she's explained and what else lay out there. maybe he needed time to discover himself and who he was going to be, in amaryllis. he supposes he has the opportunity to change everything. while he's already passed on the idea of changing his name, he supposes his surname is still open; while he had originally taken anders', at his bidding ( that they were brothers, always!, to dorian's chagrin ), he decides firmly that he'll take his mother's name, now.

a blackwood.

this, at least, feels right.

he clears his throat lightly and lays his ears back, sliding a glance in arjana's direction. "would it be terribly rude of me to decline any presumed invitation, miss arjana?" he tests, a sheepish expression on his face. "i don't think i'm... quite ready."

@Arjana

“It is indeed and I’d love exploring it with you. I can often be found out and about hosting hunts. One can tell a lot about another by how they hunt. Who is willing to follow others and use team work, or those who lead, to those who think they know it all and try to take over someone else’s hunt.” She explained getting a little carried away about what the different ways others can interact while hunting mean to the point that it was clear she was a very dedicated hunter. “Than you got the assholes who demand others hunt for them don’t lift a paw helping and even make it harder than try to run off with all the food. For the love of everything Dorian please don’t be one of those assholes.” She warned giving him a raised brow before shaking her head with a laugh.

He didn’t seem like one of those sorts, but one really never knows. Listening to him asking if it would be rude to say. O thanks to joining she gave a smile. “Of course not. Though you are lucky. Lions such as yourself have a choice. You can come and go as you please. Join a pride and leave it if you don’t find it a good fit. Lionesses well in Amaryllis we are offered the same choices but are at risk of being claimed and have to ask to leave a pride. But as for you declining? No not rude at all.” She explained. She was disappointed he wouldn’t be returning to the Bluffs with her but she understood he was a young male eager to see this new unknown world.

@Dorian

Art & Table by Autumn!

she's a huntress, then! his smile fades at the edges, but he does his best to still look pleased. he's a poor hunter; his lack of sense of smell makes it all but impossible to track. he could surely chase or kill, if you point him in the direction, and he hopes that he could at least help in that regard. his smile turns rueful, hanging on one side of his mouth. "ah, yes - there's plenty who think their way is the only." dorian agrees, lifting his face up to the sun and basking in the pallid warmth it offers. his eyes close, briefly, and he remembers anders struggling to let go and allow someone else the lead in, well, anything. it's why the two of them balanced one another out so very well. sighing wistfully, he drops his head and forces himself out of his memories. hanging on the way every little thing reminds him of his soul-brother would do little to help him succeed in the here and now.

besides, there's no going back, no turning back time. anders is well and truly gone, and he needs to swallow that bitter, bitter pill once and for all.

her warning catches him by surprise and forcefully tugs his attention back to her as he swings his head over, mouth open in a little o of surprise. her quirked brow coaxes a genuine laugh from him and he smiles broadly. "i'll do my best not to be an asshole." he promises, lifting a paw and saluting her sternly.

she's teaching him plenty about amaryllis, and the next words wrinkle his nose in distaste, whiskers twisting back. "truly?" his lips purse and he shakes his head sadly. "how very unpleasant." his home wasn't the best place, given what happened, but there was certainly the freedom of choice. every living creature has sentience, and no one had the right to deny them that. he lifts his gaze to peer thoughtfully at her, head canted to one side. "i wouldn't let that happen." dorian murmurs thoughtfully, wondering if perhaps he should join this pride. or perhaps there's another out there who needs help more than the bluffs. "i do hope your king zoticus allows you and your lioness friends the choice..." he grumbles, ears laying flat to his skull. he's no skilled fighter - he's always been a medic. but the idea that anyone could let that happen is abhorrent.

perhaps here in amaryllis, he'll let that protective streak of his blossom, find a way to hone his fighting skills, and do what he can to help.

a purpose would help keep his paws and mind busy, at least.

@Arjana

Not everyone that can or can’t smell is a bad hunter. Hunting alone probably, but with others there was other jobs they could take. A strong lion like him would be great to have around for being down larger prey or blocking it from escaping. Honestly she wasn’t assuming he was some lazy ass lion. She was just partly teasing him with her warning but his reaction was rather adorable. Letting out a laugh she nodded her head and gave a warm and honest smile. “Good. I won’t need to kick your butt than.” Giving him a wink for good measure. Though she was sporting some wounds still so the good nature of the tease could possibly get lost in her appearance.

Not dwelling on the past about how she got her wounds the orange faced Gentry just nodded her head at his question about if she was being truthful or joking about the lioness thing. A more serious look taking over the teasing one from before. “It can be. You have some who do it to protect the lioness or cubs, and some who do it because they believe they are above females.” Saying that last part she had an annoyed look on her face as a soft hiss was let out. “Turrek.” She whispered in a soft hiss under her breath. It was quiet but just loud enough that @Dorian might have been able to pick it up.

“Zoticus is a fair King. He leads us in away to keep us safe. I trust him he is a good lion.” She replied. “Perhaps I could convince you to return to the Bluffs with me and meet him? Meet the pride and if you find it simply isn’t for you than you can leave? It is winter but spring is on the horizon. Which means less food now but soon the herds would be returning.” Trying her best she gave him another pitch on why he should join the Bluffs and if anything he could be politely decline again.

Art & Table by Autumn!