The bronze lion lay stretched out outside his disheveled and poorly cared for den, his head upright and his paws grasping something. A bone crunched between Aquila's sturdy jaws. His teeth crackled the discolored and stained bone, long free of all flesh, and it did splinter against the pressure from his closing maw. The sound was sharp and sudden. And then it faded. The forest around him was quiet save for the sound of his own breathing in the background. Heavy and hot breathing, each one felt like a pierce or twist of something sharp in his gut. So far as his silver eyes could see he and his prize were alone, his world was quiet. And there was a discontent in his face as he looked out into the trees and to the land once so familiar like it was alien, like it was new and he was seeing it for the first time.

Ygritte could feel herself coming of age and knew that things were going to be changing. However, she didn't know what to expect especially since she couldn't see anything. With each day though Ygritte was becoming more familiar with her surroundings. Being able to hear and smell all of the scents that surrounded her. Being able to tell the difference between each lion though there were some she hadn't fully met and one of those lions had caught her attention. Being apart of the Brook for almost a year, Ygritte wanted to know everyone in her home so she would make her way in the direction that @Aquila was in, clicking her tongue and teeth so that they echoed and she could find her way around. Soon she got close, the scent becoming stronger and she would pause. Hello? She could hear something but wasn't sure what it was exactly.

Canopus, Rigil Kentaurus, Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Rigel...

AND FINALLY THERE IS SIRIUS

Young voices were becoming a tried and true part of the Brooks again. They had growing children abound and youthful @Ygritte's inquisitive tone drew Aquila's attention. His head turned, momentarily abandoning thought and the reaches of his mind he was lost within to align his skull in the direction of the merle young woman's voice. "Hello." He rumbled back a greeting to Nymeria's adopted daughter, his heart aching under his chest and trembling like a little hummingbird trapped in his large fighter's frame. He should talk to her, he should apologize for not being there to help her fight whatever had stumbled on her that day... one of the smallest members of his family and he'd failed them. There was a lot of weight he was carrying these days, Ygritte's attack not the least amongst them.

art by aurora, code by bluey

A voice returned her hello and Ygritte's ears pushed forwards. It was male but it was family. His scent was of the Brook and slowly, Ygritte moved closer towards his scent and sound. It was one that she didn't know. One she was unfamiliar with aside from the Brook being on his pelt so her nose twitched at the new smell. Who are you? Ygritte honestly should know his name but didn't. Since her attack, her scar covered legs nearly healed completely, Ygritte had been sticking closer and closer to the familiar terrain of her home not wanting to take the chance of that sand man finding her again. @Aquila

Canopus, Rigil Kentaurus, Arcturus, Vega, Capella, Rigel...

AND FINALLY THERE IS SIRIUS

He watched @Ygritte attentively as she moved closer towards him. "It's Aquila." His head lowered down to his paws, keeping a relaxed posture and still air to his voice. "The grumpy one of the pride." Unfortunately if there was ever a way to connect the sightless girl to who he was that was probably the best identifier there could be. He'd, regretably, never interacted directly with Nymeria's daughter. Any encounters would have been secondary, at a meeting or gathering. One where likely he'd been his surly self.

art by aurora, code by bluey

@Aquila. Ygritte couldn't really remember if she had ever met him personally but now she had and that was all that mattered to her in this moment. It also meant that he was friendly. A good thing. A small smile formed on her features as she would follow the scent closer to the beast as he spoke. Ears swiveling on top of her head. You don't sound grumpy. She would observe. He really didn't and perhaps that was a good thing? Ygritte still had trust issues and rarely left the Brook these days. The sand man was always at the back of her mind.

And weirdly she was right. He realized he really didn't feel that churning sickness in his belly that usually was his fire. Well, I guess right now I'm not. So hey, he had that going for him right now. He was sad, lonely, but not grumpy. For better or worse. He tried though to keep too much of his own problems out of the weight of his voice. Aquila kept it light for @Ygritte, reclining into a comfortable and relaxed position he let his legs kick out behind him, stretching them with a soft grunt. How are you?

Why would you be grumpy? She was curious as she continued to move closer and when she felt that she was close enough for not only her own comfortable self but for his respectfully, Ygritte would plop down on the ground near him. Ears twisting as her foggy eyes staring blankly in any direction now that she was solely listening and not trying to find him by scent. I'm still scared.. Would that ever go away? Would she ever get her confidence back to go outside of the safety of the Brook borders? Ygritte was unsure these days. @Aquila

Oh... that question hit him hard. Why wasn't too hard of a question to answer but how to tell her? He hated these new strangers? Was it right or wrong to sugar coat things for children anyways? He made a little rumbling sound and shifted his eyes down to his paws. She couldn't see him and it was still hard to look @Ygritte in the face while talking. Because things have changed. It was simple, it was true. It would do to answer her. I'm grumpy because I'm worried these changes aren't good. And because of them you can't wander these lands without fear like I did as a child. His heart ached. I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you Ygritte.

Change. It was scary. She knew better than anyone that change could be scary. Slowly, Ygritte move shuffle closer to the brute she barely knew and settle next to him as his baritone vocals echoed in her ear drums. It is scary when things change.. But.. Sometimes.. Change can be good. Depending on who was the one doing the change and so far that had been all the strangers doing it. However, Ygritte was not expecting @Aquila to apologize for what had happened to her and it caused her features to shuffle slightly and ears twist backwards on her head. Its..it's okay.. She didn't know it was going to happen.