Predawn light crept quietly across the horizon like a pale, soft-footed cat. The sea itself was caught up in the stillness of the moment, as if holding its breath until the day broke. Pale, dual-colored eyes reflected the faint golden light of approaching day, two bright pinpricks piercing the heavy shadow that still lay over the passage. The rogue's coat was dark enough that she seemed a part of the lingering night, a living shadow.

Yet even she was swallowed by the deep darkness that pooled between the towering rocky pillars to either side of the valley's entrance. With the horizon cut off from her view, the light reflected in her eyes winked out; tiny flames abruptly pinched off at the source. It was there that the lioness paused, neck stretched upwards, and head tilted back so that her eyes could take in the rocky façades that towered to either side. It was unlike any landmark she'd seen before, at once powerful and imposing. Her toes flexed into the sand beneath her paws. She still wasn't accustomed to that sensation - both gritty and soft, a feeling that sent tiny shivers up her legs and down her spine.

The harsh cry of a gull broke the stranger's reverie. Her breath exhaled in a gentle huff, whiskers quivering in the breeze that sighed between the rocks. Her weight shifted and her journey resumed with quiet, gentle steps, as if she hardly dared to disturb the earth she walked upon. The predawn light grew brighter, heralding the sun that would soon rise. The valley seemed to open up before her, though she knew she could only see a small part of it. And all around her the sounds of the ocean and the life it bore.

It was an unfamiliar landscape she'd found, and she was alone. But her senses told her that wouldn't be the case for long.

code by corvus

Paws carried the Brook Queen to the passage in her usual trek. She had left the Brook earlier today in an attempt to try to make it back home afterwards before it got too late in the day. The pale light of dawn made everything out a lovely shade at the moment, and she was enjoying the quiet of the dawn. With the weather changing to finally become more pleasant and life beginning to settle back down, Cassandra was glad to finally have a few moments to breathe around all the chaos that had occurred lately.

With her children now a year old, she figured she might as well start trying to see if any of the four wished to take up the mantle of Heir of the Brook. She didn't know if sny of them would want for it, but they could be offered the position nonetheless. As she traveled through the sands of the Passage, her mind was in thought as she passed familiar landmarks. An unfamiliar scent knocked her from her thoughts, and duotoned purple gaze spotted a gray figure up ahead.

A soft chuff left the dark brown queen to announce her presence as she picked up a trot to close the distance between herself and the other lioness. "Greeetings stranger, and welcome to Amaryllis. My name is Cassandra Valour-Greyflood, and I rule a pride within these lands called Vermeda Brook. Is there anything I could assist you with today?" She said, keeping a polite distance between herself snd @Vanadís to not overwhelm the other and not intrude on her space.

actions. "speech." thoughts.

Art by Amphispiza | Table code by Zodiac

How many times had her father walked this way? Heading out until he found someone who needed help, no telling how far sometimes, and then shepherding them here to a new home. Back and forth. Maybe sometimes he didn't have to go much further than this stretch of land, but Naz remembered him being gone for long times on other trips. This was the more foreign part of her new found position- finding those in need or those who wanted a safe home. They'd gotten lucky with the friends and family they had already in Aniadar but it seemed like it was just that... luck. The right place, the right time.

Today a pair of lions caught their attention. One was familiar, the other less so and seemed to smell like a traveler on her way in. Naz casually approached them and after giving @Cassandra a slight nod of recognition they looked to the other young lion. I'm Nazonal, you ok? The toothy lion looked to @Vanadís with a tilt of her head and their face curious.

Her solitude was soon broken. Though her senses warned her of the other's approach, Vanadís found she still wasn't prepared. This was all new to her; she'd spent her entire life in the same pride, with a concrete sense of her own purpose in life. All of that had changed - suddenly, and violently, as things did. Logically she'd known that she would encounter strangers and would have to find a way to rediscover her purpose with them.

Expectation was not enough to prepare her.

The lioness that approached was unlike any that Vanadís had encountered before. Blue and taupe eyes were drawn to the stark contrast of the markings upon the lioness's chest, and the thick tufts of fur on her legs. Dual-colored eyes quickly returned to the stranger's face. Vanadís mentally chastised herself for her distraction; it wouldn't do to make this lioness - who was clearly of important stature - uncomfortable.

The words uttered by the lioness - Cassandra - took the wind out of Vanadís.

'...Is there anything I could assist you with today?'

It was like the entire world had turned violently upside down, as if the ground had reared up to crash into the sky and throw it down. It was such a simple question, one that Vanadís had asked thousands of times. It had never been directed at her - that was not its purpose. It felt wrong. Distorted. Her mind blanked and she found herself frozen, unable to utter a reply for what reply could she possibly give? How could she answer in a way that would be of service?

Outwardly, Vanadís remained relaxed. Peaceful. It was conditioning. Her expression and body language were meant to inspire trust and comfort. Safety. She was here for Cassandra.

Before the moments could stretch into awkwardness there was a stirring of movement as another lioness approached. The moment of distraction was enough for Vanadís to recover her mental composure. Here was another stranger unlike any she'd met before. She was accustomed to the dark and muted grays of her familial pride. While both strangers before her were dark, they held striking features that were exotic to the rogue's unaccustomed eyes.

'I'm Nazonal, you ok?'

Another simple question that was distorted by Vanadís's conditioning. Again the world tilted on its axis, but she could not allow her distress to become apparent. A quiet breath was drawn in through her nose. She focused on the feel of the sand beneath her paws, and the salt-breeze upon her face. Her ears shifted as she let the sounds of nearby waves and the cries of gulls wash over her. It was a brief moment - milliseconds, really - but it was enough to ground her.

"I am grateful for your concern and assure you that I have everything I need." A reassuring tilt of the lips followed, eyes shifting from one lioness to the next. Genuine gratitude lifted her tone and brightened her gaze. Her confusion was safely tucked away in the back of her mind. Scent told her these lionesses were not related. That complicated things, but she would do her best to overcome without causing offense or discomfort.

"I am Vanadís, and I am so very pleased to be of service to you both." She dipped her head graciously, eyes lowering in a gesture of deepest respect. Her voice was both soft and melodic, trained to set others at ease. "I offer my Skills of Healing and Guidance to wherever they are needed most." The emphasis of certain words suggested that they were more than just words. They were purpose.

code by corvus

She would notice the stranger's seeming surprise at her appearance, not realizing the markings that made her who she was would be so startling to someone. Her chest markings were unique and showed her parentage, as were the drips on her nose. A dark ear flicked as she heard pawsteps approaching herself and the newcomer to these lands. Ah, someone she recognized. She was not expecting to see @Nazonal here at the passage. "Nazonal - good to see you again. Everything going well for you and your friend Adrien?" Cassandra asked, recalling the other lioness that had been with Nazonal when they had visited her borders.

The attention would turn back to the stranger at paw, now with a name to put to a face. @Vanadís was her name, and the way she spoke of being here to be of service to herself and Nazonal threw the Brook Queen for a loop. She'd not come across a lioness who felt it was her duty to serve another before... it wasn't how she was raised at all. Nor how her husband had been raised. But if she felt like she needed a place to serve... the Brook always welcomed a new set of paws to help out. "The Brook has a few healers with whom to swap knowledge and learn skills from. We are one of the longest standing prides within the lands, ruled by my family for generations now. We always welcome an extra set of paws to help with healing or looking after the youngsters of the pride." Cassandra said, launching into a short spiel about the Brook.

A glance would be given to Nazonal, curious as to what the other had to say about the situation, and why they were here. Last she knew they weren't part of a pride or anything. Something new politically to tuck away in her knowledge now perhaps?

actions. "speech." thoughts.

Art by Amphispiza | Table code by Zodiac

The vultures have gathered to peck upon a poor soul! Apollinaire smiled an amused smile at the inner monologue of his rotting mind, while his slender devoured the distance between himself and the flock. There was no pecking order here, and oh he enjoyed this little game very much. If he was to take the role of a vulture himself, he would be the best vulture among them - he will caw and screech the loudest, flap his wings in a magnificent display. A vulture who imagines himself a colorful peacock.

"Bonjour, mes belles dames," Hello, my beautiful ladies, He dips his long-haired head in a deep bow. Among the three gathered women, @Cassandra was the only one he was familiar with. The Vermedan false Queen, he'd deemed her. They were all false Queens and Kings to him - save for those that bore Dieudonne blood. There was a promise in his striking red gaze, a promise of violence that he was ready to deliver again. The day of the war was blurry. He'd lost an ear but gained so much more entertainment.

His focus lies on the rogue who calls herself @Vanadís. He waits for her and Cassandra to finish speaking. He immediately thought himself advantageous in this case, although he knew little of the stranger with the underbite - @Nazonal. Her scent was odd and new, and he was unsure what pride she represented. Had another new land opened up? "My name is Noble Apollinaire Dieudonné. A pleasure. I hail from Wolfbron Bluffs - we are led by zhe longest standing ruler - High Sovereign Amara Dieudonné." He put emphasis on the longest standing ruler, in a clear attempt to up the Brook woman. "We would appreciate a skilled healer, for we are in great need of one." He molded his words to fit better what would please Vanadís - she'd shown that she sought to serve those that were in need and he shall play that card to his advantage.

A third lion came to call and Nazonal watched the unfamiliar recruiter with interest. His melodic french words oddly familiar, drawing to Naz's mind Adrien... but at the same time different. Because this wasn't her friend. They wished for a moment the wise noblewoman was here. What would Adrien say? How would she approach this meeting? With a smart bit of knowledge, Adrien was smart and would use that.... Naz's brown brows creased with thought for just a second and then lips parted. Tyrants rule for a long time, that does not make their homes good ones. They suggested to both @Cassandra and @Apollinaire with a glance to each and a raised brow. Dare to deny? Not to imply either pride held a tyrannical attitude, but to get in her thoughts. Longest meant security maybe, but at what cost? She knew of her homeland, far away in distance and time now, and the lions there had been around a long time from what she knew. And they wouldn't suggest anyone go live there. In the end what ruler or family stood a chance when the gods struck down their will? Obsidian fell and left many homeless, no lion stood a chance against that.

The brown lion shrugged and looked back to @Vanadís with a growing Cheshire grin on her goblin face. A healer eh? If you're ever looking for herbs, you should come out to the jungle where me and my friends have a home set up. Not a pride or anything, just a group of us trying to make sure we've all got a safe home and that anyone who comes through needing it can have a place too. Secondstone. Vanadís sounds sure of herself, didn't seem outright like anyone in desperate need of a home or help. Anyone would be a welcome addition in Nazonal's mind but why fret and try to coax her in? If she'd be happy somewhere else then so be it, and if that place fell or if she was in need at least she'd know Nazonal.

The two lionesses knew each other and seemed to be on amiable terms. Vanadís found herself relaxing in their presence. It was a strange situation in which she found herself, but she could be at ease.

The Vermeda Queen spoke to offer Vanadís a place in her home. The concept of swapping skills was foreign to her. Did Vermeda's healers not learn from their dams and granddams? Each passing moment seemed to challenge a different part of the rogue's reality. She was beginning to understand that her world had been very, very small.

Heavy pawsteps heralded the appearance of another stranger; this a dark beast with a striking mane. The strawberry-red beneath his chin might have been mistaken for blood if not for the absence of that coppery scent. Sharp, sanguine eyes appeared to behold the world as if it were made for him. Or perhaps that was Vanadís projecting her own experience of noble-blooded males. This was a creature who brought familiarity. Not for the way he looked, but for the manner of his existence. Her mind attributed him to the Noble caste even before he spoke to confirm it.

Had the lion simply walked up to them and then turned and walked away again, Vanadís would have followed. Her place was at the heels of those superior to her in birth and blood. It wasn't something she begrudged. She did not feel oppressed (did not know that was even an option). It simply was.

Perplexingly, the Noble seemed to be awaiting an answer from Vanadís as if asking what she preferred. Vanadís had no sense of politics, so the subtler undertones of the conversation escaped her. Nazonal's comment about tyrants was puzzling, but it wasn't Vanadís' place to question. The concept of a pride that was not a pride was puzzling, too. Now that the Noble was present, however, the Healer's confusion was smothered by her instinct to serve. She couldn't imagine that he was genuinely offering her a choice. Some Nobles were more accommodating than others.

"My Ladies," Vanadís dipped her muzzle to each lioness in turn. Vanadís found their demeanors and words confusing, but they clearly outranked her. She would be nothing but gracious. "I thank you both for your concern and your offers of shelter." There was an echo of the genuine gratitude she'd displayed before. It was still a wonder that these high-ranking creatures would show her, a humble creature of the Serving caste, such generosity. "My Lord." A lowering of the head and gaze, blue-and-taupe eyes on his paws - for she would follow where he led. "I am at your Service."

code by corvus

The one - @Nazonal they'd called themselves - spoke a surprisingly sharp retortion that seemed to be aimed at Apollinaire. No, no. Not at him but at his Dieudonne Queen. Oh? His mild surprise was marked by a leonine quirk of one brow, his eyes showing none of the deadly desires that lay beneath. He feels his pulse quicken, but his smile only broadened. What do we have here? Another dog that sought to nip at Dieudonne heels?

The temptation to rip into the brown lioness is intoxicating, it seeps into his mind like poison and overtakes his focus, conversation fluttering before unseeing eyes that laid calmly across Nazonal's face. Only his heartbeat drummed loudly in his ears, among it was the soft chant of something.

"I am at your Service."

-- Until @Vanadís' voice pulls him back to the present moment, the claws & fangs of his mind retracting to froth at the mouth in the dark corners of his mind. The medic had made her pick - the finest choice indeed - and he nods warmly towards this new Wolfbron member. "Bienvenue - welcome," he greets Vanadís, a sly glance sent to the other two women as he turns to lead the way. "Bonne chance zho you zhwo." then he addresses Nazonal of Secondstone as she'd named it. "Zhe jungle is a zhreacherous place, Nazonal of Secondstone. I hope you and your... entourage zhake care." He will not forget.

exit w/ Vanadís