asteria couldn't help but feel some kind of sorrow at the sight -- her beloved hunting grounds torn asunder by the ravages of nature. she had come with the intention of hunting, following the scent of a small herd that had traversed the fields. normally she could find them everywhere, now, in the peak of summer. as she kept her head low, following the trail, she felt an abrupt rumble. the ground beneath her paws lurched and she stumbled, plopping unceremoniously on to her rump. the cry of prey just over the nearby knoll set her heart racing, and without thinking she loped forward to duck just beneath the top of the hill. peering over it with wide eyes she watched a herd of antelope cluster together, circling, as the ground underneath still shook. before her eyes the earth separated, a crack forming right beneath the hooves of the herd. they scattered, fleeing the wrath of nature, but a few were slower than the rest. asteria's claws clutched at the ground as a couple of the herd slid back in to the crack in the ground with a flail of legs and a cry of fear, obvious even to her. when the dust settled the rest of the herd was gone, and the young lioness breathed slowly as she aimed to work up the courage to slip nearer. @Ophelia

ophelia had been deeply troubled by the changes in weather she had experienced over the last few months or so. something in her gut told the lioness that it was maua who was unhappy with the lions who roamed the land - their grief, turmoil and chaos seemed to upset the deity. ophelia moved cautiously, away from the brook and into the depths of the neutral territories that amaryllis had to offer. the ivory beau made her way to celosia fields, a place she often hunted or studied the herd that gathered here to feed. but what she found was quite distressing.

as she comes up over a knoll that were dotted throughout the fields, the commotion of a herd and the dust that seemed to linger in the air caught her attention. gentle brows furrow as she lowers her stomach close to the ground instinctively and stalks closer, only to see a herd of antelope dispersing from celosia in panic and distress. seafoam eyes scan frantically for anything unusual which had caused the herd to flee, and it was then that the brook lioness saw her, body small and clinging to the ground below.

it is evident to the older lioness that this girl was panicked, and ophelia could understand why. many-a-time had she been in a familiar situation to the black lioness where she had felt her eyes flash before her eyes, and so without even thinking the ivory lionesses paws were taking her down into the belly of celosia. hey! she calls out amidst the hooves and panicked sounds of the antelope. you, are you okay? she calls out, trying to get closer to the girl without getting herself killed.

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
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+2 - Diffuse someone else's panic or worry
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

table by ferus, art by ale-tie

Despite initial appearances it was not fear that stayed her, but shock. Asterias eyes widened as she peered over the hill, taking in the side below with something a kin to disbelief. Never before had the girl seen the earth split in such away, and yet there was only the slightest fluttering a fear as she imagined it splitting beneath her own paws. For a long moment she only stared, breathing in the dissipating scent of the herd. Dust had filled the air in a cloud but was also rapidly settling. It was only when @opelia interrupted her thoughts that she looked away, oddly relieved that she was not the only one there. “I’m okay! Did you see that? The earth swallowed them!” bright eyes flicked back towards the crack in the ground. From here it didn’t look large enough to have taken any of the herd. “at least I think it did. A couple young ones.” she brightened as she looked back at the other — “wanna go check?” Maybe it would be an easy meal.

ophelia has always had a stroke of luck, and this time seemed to be no different as she made her way successfully down in the belly of celosia. the herd had dispersed and it seemed as though no one had been injured in the panic of it all. but whether that was the case for the herd, the valour had yet to find out. for now her attention was solely on the dark figure of the younger lioness, whom she approached quite quickly.

there was a sense of relief when @Asteria confirmed that she was okay. whilst ophelia was a hunter and fine-tuned to the gods, she was not a medic and had not been equipped to deal with any potential injuries, so she was thankful to discover that this was not the case. her crown turned to the direction where the earth had seemingly split into two, and ophelia nodded at the girl's question. i did, yeah. i only really saw the dust and the commotion, though. she admitted, before attention turned back to the younger section of the herd. sure, nothing quite like an easy meal. i'm ophelia by the way - ophelia valour. what's your name? she asks, unsure if their paths had ever crossed before.

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Diffuse someone else's panic or worry
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

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some of her youthful exuberance returned as @Ophelia agreed, suddenly feeling very much like a cub on the cusp of an adventure. there was the niggling sense of concern as she remembered how quickly the earth had split, but she sought to erase it and replace it with only excitement. "it cracked right open," she offered some more detail to what had happened, "there was a rumble and a shake and then right under the herd -- crack!" asteria was oddly talkative, whether as a release of the adrenaline or a genuine thrill for adventure was undetermined. moving towards the split in the ground she took note of the name before returning the introduction. "asteria zero," with only the slightest pause before her last name, "it's nice to meet you." see... she could be friendly. her attention is quickly pulled back to the fields, though. "it looks like it's happened a lot," she noted as her gaze tracked more than a few splits in the ground, "i wonder if other prey have fallen in too." +1 - make a bwp-related post +2 - study one of the natural phenomena occurring +2 - analyze the changes being made to the land +5 - complete a bwp-related thread (with 10+ posts) +5 - complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

ophelia couldn't remember a time when she had experienced a good and pleasant conversation with a lioness that was younger than her. it was refreshing, she thinks, to meet someone who was just as enthused about the prey and their habits as she was. there is a gentle smile on her lips as @Asteria spoke about the way the earth just cracked right open, with no real rhyme or reason. i suspect it'll have something to do with the weather we've been having. maua must be furious with someone to allow all of this to happen, ophelia comments, conscious of the sorts of strange phenomena she had witnessed.

it is nice to meet you too, asteria. is that the hollows i smell on you? i can't say i've ever been. there is curiosity in her tone - what was it like to live underground? ophelia had never had the chance to experience or explore such a territory, but perhaps one day she would. for now, though, their attention remained on the prey. let's go and have a look, ophelia comments, rising to her paws and dipping down further into the fields.

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+1 - Make a BWP-related post
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+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

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Asteria was, for all intents and purposes, a hermit. It was perhaps understandable considering all that the young lioness had been through, but a growing part of her knew that it was not healthy. It was not good to tuck away in the stone tunnels of her home, avoiding contact with the rest of the world. This was a step in the right direction, even if she visibly flinched at the mention of Maua. Calder had spoke of Maua, too, but the mere mention of any higher power had Asteria feeling uneasy. Rather than giving a proper answer to @Ophelia she merely nods and hums in apparent agreement, acting as if she was focused on the placement of her paws and thus responding only after she was asked a question. “Roan is a good king,” she offered, “and the Hollows are safe. But I do love the forests…” If it were not for Hiccup she would never have chosen to live underground. Picking her way down the hill (avoiding small cracks that decorated the hillside) she approached the larger split with some apprehension. How deep would it be? Would the two antelope be dead from the fall, or simply trapped? All of these questions swarmed her thoughts as they slipped closer to the opening in the earth, keeping the black wave of panic away out of sheer will. After all, asteria was brave and fearless, a born protector, right? +1 - make a bwp-related post +2 - study one of the natural phenomena occurring +2 - analyze the changes being made to the land +5 - complete a bwp-related thread (with 10+ posts) +5 - complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

As the pair approached the cracks in the earth beneath their paws, Ophelia took a breath. She was a little nervous to see what - or where - the cracks would lead, and if there was some molten monster awaiting their presence at the end. But the voice of @Asteria brings her away from those thoughts, and she smiles at the dark lioness. I've heard good things about Roan, but I have never met him. I did witness his defence of his crown, though, and he is certainly a fighter. Ophelia comments with a smile toward her. You'd be welcome to come and visit Vermeda any time, just call out for me. I spent a lot of my time there. It's not the forest, but it is something. Ophelia offers, sensing that the other girl was a little lonely.

Attention turned back to the cracks and as they approached, Ophelia slowed her pace right down to a halt. One crack, which seemed to be in the centre of the fields, was much larger than any of the others she had seen. Seafoam eyes peer down, and she initially sees nothing but darkness, until the subtle shadow of something catches her attention. What is that? She asks, pointing to it with her paw.

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+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

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@Ophelia mentions vermeda and mentally Asteria cursed herself for not recognizing the scent sooner. “my friend Calder lives there,” she offered, wondering if the pair knew eachother. Admittedly she was not the best with names, and piecing together connections was more Hiccup’s forte than her own. As they approached and peered down in to the split in the earth she felt herself tense, half expecting a body to lurch from the shadowy depths. Ophelia points and her gaze follows, slowly piecing together the shapeless lump in the belly of the opening. “a body, I think,” she mumbled as she strained to make out any movement. Leaning forward a piece of the edge crumbled beneath her paw, sending her skittering backwards as the dirt and stone tumbled down. This stirred life in to the trapped animal, who struggled vainly for purchase on the steep slopes of the crack that had consumed it. “still alive,” she noted, feeling a pang of something for the beast. A slow death was not something she’d wish on anybody. “do you think we can get down there?”

The mention of Calder catches Ophelia's attention. He's related to me, nephew, I think. She comments, wondering just how close he and @Asteria were. Perhaps they could spend more time together, and invite friends and family along for it.

Ophelia watched the shadow in the crack that twisted and turned, as though it were struggling. The black lioness comments that it might a body, and one that is still alive. Could they get down there? I'm not sure, but we could try. Maybe it's one of the smaller antelope's from earlier. She comments, trying to learn over a little further to see a bit better. The loose scree from the edge crumbled beneath Asteria's paw, and Ophelia watches as she skitters back away from the edge. Hey - it's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. Ophelia remarks softly, before turning her attention back to the animal. Perhaps we could get something for it to hold onto? She queries, looking to Asteria for any other (or better) ideas.

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Diffuse someone else's panic or worry
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before

table by ferus, art by ale-tie