KNEEL TO THE CROWN       Useless, Zagan was not. Not too long ago he had endeavored on a hunt with a pink giant named Fionn. And he had learned. Though much of his knowledge of life came from his father, there were things that Gwyn did not focus so heavily upon. So when Fionn had showed him how to use the snow and mud to mask his scent, and instructed to scare the prey into an ambush, Zagan had listened far more intently than he had appeared to. Now, he had a mind to bring his newfound information to benefit the pride. But first, he needed to asses a few things.       The twisting tunnels of the Hollow were familiar by now. He strode easily through the curves, following the scent of dead meat. There was a cache that the pride kept in a lower chamber--naturally cooled by the depth below the surface--and he intended to check it. The stores would tell him what kind of hunt this would be: for fun or for serious gathering.       Rounding a curve to a hall that sloped down, Zagan paused. There was a crack in the ceiling here, allowing a pale beam of moonlight through into the caverns. As a result to being open to the air, dust and dirt had settled on the floor. He crouched down, keeping his breaths short and small to avoid disturbing the fine layer of sediment. Prints of various size of lion were clear, if one cared to look. They went both ways, overlapped, scuffed each other. Though he looked, he could not find any evidence of drag marks of fresh prey being taken to storage.       Pale gaze turned up toward the ceiling, peering through the crack. The moon itself was not visible, as thin wisps of cloud floated across the starry sky. If he were to hunt outside the Labyrinth, prey would be hindered with their poor night vision. Lions, on the other paw, had excellent night vision. Within the Labyrinth, however, common prey had developed better other senses. The moonlight might help the lions see in the pitch black of the caverns, but they would need to be absolutely silent.       With an exhalation, Zagan got back to his paws. He scuffed at the sediment, coating a forepaw in it, and rubbed it into the crook of his front legs. A beginning step to concealing his scent for the impending hunt; Obscuring the scent glands so that his musk would not be so potent. There would be more to do, but he needed to know how the stores looked, whether this hunt would be more serious, and what arena he would be competing in. Until then... The clay colossus strode down the slope toward the lower tunnels. 455 words | @Obsidian Hollow Trade: Ranger check pride food storage 1/4 action posts study the weather and how it will affect hunting 1/4 action posts study and track footprints 1/4 action posts practice concealing your scent 1/4 action posts STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king

She had only just arrived to her new home but over time Lilith was becoming more familiar with her surroundings. At times the dark caverns could be a bit overwhelming but repetitively exploring was helping her remember just where things were at the end of the day. Lilith didn't like to depend upon her twin Euryale (even if she was the more outgoing of the two) and so she had begun to investigate for herself. Still there was the matter at hand that she hadn't necessarily had a good meal since she had come here. The grumbling of her stomach was enough to encourage her to investigate the food cache for herself. She had only visited it once prior so she knew where to find it later on and at this moment when she planned to visit it was mainly to see how much food was left.

Lilith was wrapped up in her own plans in her mind when she nearly collided with her younger brother Zagan. She hadn't even noticed him, let alone smelled his scent in the caverns around her! A slight gasp of air was exhaled before she backed up, giving him space. Her dual-toned gaze took in his appearance, noticing that he was covering himself. "Why Hello brother.. I didn't expect to see you down here. What are you doing?" She asked curiously then with a nonchalant flick of her tail, waiting for an explanation from him.


@Zagan

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KNEEL TO THE CROWN       As he walked, his pace casual and relaxed, Zagan let his right side rub against the wall of the tunnel. Doing so induced an exchange of particles, and thus of scent. The musk that clung naturally to his pelt was imparted on the stone, and the damp must from the cave was rubbed back onto his fur. A simple way to help further cover the smell of him against prey--if you smelled like the environment, it was difficult to know you weren't. Tail flicked with a sharp snap against the wall as he went, a sort of rhythm in time with his step.       The crack in the ceiling now behind him, the available light in the descending tube lessened. Pupils expanded, greedily taking in every last reflection and refraction. As a feline, his eyes were adapted over generations for accuracy in low-light conditions. Were he to hunt within the Labyrinth, he would have an advantage over many prey species. Without the moonlight to brighten their way, many stupid creatures would be nearly blind down here. And if they were above ground, the clouds obscuring the lunar rays would produce a similar effect. It was nice to be built to kill.       Pausing for a moment, Zagan crouched to get a closer look at the floor. It sloped down into the abyss, and as a result, the dust from the top had created a layer that stretched the entire length. The further down he went, though, the more moisture accumulated naturally. The more moisture, the more impressionable the dust and the more clear the prints within it. Still, there were no drag marks. In either direction. Perhaps the larder was empty?       He'd no sooner rose to his paws to continue than the form of his elder sister loomed in the darkness. The male grinned, strolling over to her. It seemed he'd surprised her, though he'd not been intending to. But he didn't take a step back like she did. Instead, he moved forward into her, dropping his head for an affectionate bump on her cheek. "I didn't expect to see you, either, but I am glad of it." The females among his siblings had a special place in his heart, and he was protective of them.       Pale gaze glanced her over, assessing her health. He was satisfied that she was fine. "I was heading down to check the food stores. Were we running low, I was intending to call the pride for a hunt." A bit of childish excitement entered his voice as he continued. "I hunted with a big male named Fionn recently. He taught me how to scare prey into an ambush." He seemed rather proud of himself, tail swinging behind him. Then he caught the boyish glee he was exuding and cleared his throat. "Well... when was the last you have eaten a full meal?" 476 words | @Lilith Trade: Ranger check pride food storage 2/4 action posts study the weather and how it will affect hunting 2/4 action posts study and track footprints 2/4 action posts practice concealing your scent 2/4 action posts discuss hunting needs with another 1/4 action posts STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king

She was genuinely surprised to see her brother but altogether it was a happy experience. She was still catching up with her siblings, having arrived a bit late with Euryale and Balrog, so she was pleased to finally be catching up with Zagan. "From what I've seen our food cache is running a bit low." She informed him, ears flicking as she listened to his question. "Well I haven't really had a good meal in a long while, we were more focused on travelling here then really eating. How about you?" She asked him curiously then, wondering just how much time he had had on his hands here waiting for the rest of them to arrive. "I'm sure we will be able to find something, especially you with your scent concealed. It will help us out greatly in a hunt." She encouraged with a smile then.


@Zagan

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