Roan Hodari

i wanna taste love and pain wanna feel pride and shame

Fate would have it that the mauve lion was within earshot of @Gareth's cry to the heavens. While he did not know the man well at all, the Hodari at least knew of the man's connection to the Valour, and to Nymeria in particular. For such a cry to be heard, Roan could not stop himself from investigating. As he drew closer to the Grove the scent of the Brook grew stronger as it seemed to congregate along the edge of the forest. Why were the natives gathering outside of Vermeda like this, though? Before he could even spot them, the masked man's question was answered. The bitter scent of sickness entwined its way into his nostrils. It didn't come from any scent trail, though, as Roan grew closer to the den. No, it was stagnant, quarantined to just this one spot mostly, just as @Nymeria's scent was as well. This was not good.

Already, many were gathered, recognizing majority of them that surrounded their queen. Even if it had been years since Nymeria was last queen of Vermeda, Roan would always see her as that strong leader who did everything she could to protect her family against the newcomers to these lands. Even if they had a rocky start to their camaraderie, the Hodari and Valour family had become close in the end. Nymeria had even saved his father from severe infection. If only Roan knew how to return the favor. Surely, if there was any saving the queen, someone here would know what to do.

The mauve lion was quiet with his approach, feeling as if this was not something he should be a part of, but all the same wanting to show his support for the woman they all loved. The noble fought back tears at the sight of Gareth trying to support Nymeria's head, Talisa and Cassandra laying at her side, and Ygritte burying into her mother's fur. Death was inevitable, but certainly never easy. He feared the day his own father died, if the man was not already dead by now, but at least she was not alone in this departure. Even spirits came to her side as Roan recognized Valhalla, looking nearly as alive as the day Ismae took his life. It was a day the Hodari still felt responsible for, had he only taken care of Sangria sooner. And yet, today Amaryllis would lose another a life, a good life, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Roan came up alongside @Heloise, finding no words good enough to say at the moment. Should anyone even look his way, the masked man would offer a quiet nod, but otherwise he simply sat in silent support, a saddened expression of grief worn upon his face.

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The panicked call from @Talisa was all Morrigan needed to push herself down the mountainside to the east until she reached... not Vermeda? The Grove instead. The scents of several others were already lingering around Talisa's and her wife followed her trail, but none of them were enemies. The she too smelled the sickness and her heartbeat quickened at the same time that dread slowed her pawsteps. She didn't want to see. She didn't want to watch another friend die.

Claws slipped from their sheathes as Morrigan dragged herself forward through the entanglement of the grove until she had to lay her eyes upon @Nymeria, the usually stoic form of @Gareth crippled now as he tried to hold the Valour matriarch's head aloft. Experience and time rather than any true knowledge of the healing arts told Morrigan that his efforts were in vain. The dark thought of looking into her own future occurred to the Summit monarch as her own gaze slid to Talisa where she lay behind her sister.

No. She couldn't bear it. A silent, selfish prayer was sent to Maua to let the herself die first.

Morrigan hadn't even realized her paws had stopped and she had to force herself forward once more, dipping her head to @Roan as she would slip around him, glad to see him well. @Valkravn and @Heloise were here as well as the spectral figures of @Daario and @Valhalla. Most of the old guard, here to say goodbye to their oldest commander, whether it was a position she had wished for or not. The Greyflood would brush against @Cassandra and send a gentle chuff to @Ygritte as the younger pair began their grief.

She settled behind Talisa before finally speaking, "I will continue to protect them until I join you, my old friend... mein sister." Her voice broke on the words and her large, darkly crowned head bowed over the younger Valour sister's back as tears fell onto warm brown fur.

coding & image by flea

Arkyn isn't quite sure what brought him to the grove on this day. Maybe it was being unable to sit in one place for too long that drove him to wander, or maybe his spirit knew he needed to be within hearing distance when the distress calls rung out into the air like a sorrowful symphony. Whatever the case may have been, he did not waste much time investigating the noises and scents - because he knew them well. Colossal form would push through brush and thick undergrowth to get to the small gathering. At first, his eyes would glance over those that had gathered, wondering why they looked so sullen and distraught. It was as if his nostrils did not want to catch the whiff of @Nymeria nor the illness that plagued her like a thick cloak, instead her scent being muddled in with the rest of them. Slowly would Arkyn pad forward, staying silent and observing, looking at each face. He'd note @Morrigan, watching as she bowed her head over the Valour with tears falling down onto ragged coat. Eyes would flick and land upon the ethereal figure of his father, not as shocked or surprised as others might have been. The Viking had taken to visiting his father on the peaks from time to time, filling Valhalla in on what was going on in Amaryllis. Although it had been a while since he had last seen his father, Arkyn knew he didn't have to make a big deal of him being present here. And then a presence he could no longer deny - Nymeria. His heart lurched, stomach feeling as though it was going to drop through his belly and onto the ground. Slow paw step after slow paw step would he finally make it to where she were laying, taking in her fragile and rough form. He had never seen her like this, looking so small. Silence wrapped around him, the beast unable to find the right words to say. Muscles were tense and brows knitted together into a deep furrow, lips tugging into a thin and taut line. It would be in quick succession what happened next. Arkyn would find himself falling to his belly next to the lioness, the one that had reached out to him when he felt so alone. The one that, even though he hadn't seen her in many moons, still made him feel as though he had made someone proud. Body would begin to crawl toward her, underbelly brushing the ground beneath him. He didn't care if he pushed through others that had surrounded her, all Arkyn wanted was to be next to her, to allow his nose to press against her fur and to inhale her deeply. You can't go.

image by lars, code by koi

Khal had hovered on the outskirts of the Grove for too long, limbs trembling at what he would find when he finally reached his kin. Slowly, slowly he would force himself forward until at last he could deny the scent of sickness no more. He'd heard of the illness before, it was part of their native lore. Maua taking the Valour before age could do it. Silver-streaked purple gaze was already shining as he joined his family and allies. He would seek to brush his muzzle against her nearly limb paw as he approached, "We'll make you proud, Aunt Nym. Just watch over us, okay?" the once shy, sweet-hearted boy shone through the veil of his tears as he would back away, taking up a position near his own parents near @Talisa and @Morrigan, as even @Arkyn joined them all in their goodbyes. Death was not the end, and surely would not be for @Nymeria. She would join @Valhalla and be even more vibrant as a Guardian. Still... the grief existed like a stone in his stomach. Selfishly, he did not want her to go. She had always been the deepest root left in their clan, and though @Cassandra carried her legacy well, there could never be another Nymeria Valour.

she may have been lost somewhere in the haze, her body tired and her energy waning -- but she was still there, present enough to know, to feel, to revel in the company that soon swelled at her side. "@Gareth," it was exhaled from between dry lips almost like a sweet sigh, hushed and wrapped tightly in the profoundness of her love for her husband. just as quickly as he arrived, the druid felt the strength of his body lifting her, pulling her close - and she did not fight it, weakened movements clinging to the arch of his neck and the plush of his fur, dotting light, airy kisses wherever it was that she could reach. nymeria knew that it was time, of course -- but she would not rob him of her affection, not now. not ever. "it will be okay," she reassured, even if she could not ever know for certain. but she would will it so. for him. for them. "i'll always be yours." that much was true, indefinitely so. he had been her love, her life, and her guiding star for all of these years. he had given her the world, and so much more. she was his, forever.

there were endless words upon her tongue, begging to be spoken - but her attention shifted with the arrival of two more familiar faces, the first’s rosy façade ushering forward a familiar bundle of herbs and the second offering sweet comforts just behind. "thank you," she murmured softly to @Valkravn as she began chewing the poppies, doing her best not to think too much about what exactly was to come. all that nymeria knew was that she wanted them -- her loved ones, her family, her confidants -- here during this time of wayward, broadening unknown. "@Heloise," she managed to say the name after another breath, her body attempting to shift to better look at the two women that had always stood valiantly alongside her -- but it pained her so, and she was forced to slump back into the bulk of her beau's figure, relying on him for strength, especially in moments such as this.

but it was the arrival of @Talisa, next, that almost made nymeria feel guilty - as silly as that was. but how could she not feel like a burden when her little sister was prospering, happy, and nymeria was going to be the one to tarnish all of that? "tali --" she caught herself stopping, however, as another cough racketed through her chest. she could not help but to wince, pained, albeit the fact that she did not let her eyes waver far from the brunette shape of her kin. "i'm sorry," please don't lose your light - watch out for them all. like @Cassandra, who slipped into the druid’s peripheral within the next breath. Her niece had risen to greatness so quickly, but the nymph knew that she would still need guidance to navigate whatever life threw at her next - guidance that the family would undoubtedly provide.

nymeria knew, as well, that she must look so weak to them, so frail — but inside she felt calm, and loved, and warm in their company. she hoped that they all knew, at least, that this was exactly where she wanted to be. especially as astonishment gripped her chest, as two, whimsical figures appeared before her - familiar all the same, despite years apart. "father? @Valhalla?" she said through tear-soaked eyes, a weak, though sad, smile finding its way to her lips as her eyes shifted between the viking and @Daario. "i‘ve missed you." but i'm scared. it was unspoken, but loomed poignantly in the depths of her gaze. death had rarely been something on her radar, before sickness had plagued her body. she was familiar with it all too well, but to now be standing at death's doorstep was a daunting feat all its own.

there was a blur, however, somewhere amongst the underbrush that snagged the woman’s drooping focus. she thought for a second that it may have been @Aquila — but it was just a fleeting rush of clay, and the woman could not know for certain. she did not even know how she would have begun to express her regrets and, above all else, her appreciation for her cousin; but maybe that could he saved for another time, if she were to be so lucky. he had done what she could not; he filled in the gaps of her flaws and took the heavy weight of the mantle when she had been unable to keep going. he had saved them, and her, more times than nymeria could count — no matter what, she would find her way to him again, she knew that much.

thankfully, her attention was drawn away again by the arrival of her daughter — sweet, sweet @Ygritte — sadness weighing down her brows as she craned her maw in the babe’s direction. she knew what it was like to lose a parent this way, and it pained her so that she was succumbing ygritte to similar turmoil. life was funny that way though, wasn’t it? Cruel, and funny, and sad. "i'm not leaving, not forever. "if maua wills it so, i'll see you all again. it will be different, but i will always find my way back to you -- to all of you." she assured quietly to her daughter, and to the rest of the group too. she knew the powers of their deity well — proof of their potency was standing before them now, in the shape of the valour patriarch and the brynmawr —, and despite her times of wavering faith and uncertainty, nymeria hoped, still, that she would be welcomed amongst the afterlife with open arms.

@Roan was present as well, and nymeria felt the weight of their histories barring down upon her heart as she registered his face amongst the crowd. even though distance had grown between them, she remembered their first months and years all too well, and the friendship that had been born from difficult times and bloody conflict. the valour would try and find his gaze within the sea of other faces, if only for a moment — because he needed to know that she saw him, not only for the good man that the hodari was, but for everything that he had done for his family and for the valours.

and yet despite everyone that was there, nymeria found herself constantly searching for another, a million thoughts still racing across her mind, even as her body grew more tired, and her eyes got heavier, and her breathing got more ragged. one of them was @Morrigan, the sight of the warrior providing a sense of calm to nymeria as her words ushered out across awaiting, eager ears. "i know you will. i'll be waiting for you -- but please don't come too soon. it's not your time yet." she instructed quietly in return, stubbornly maybe, even though she knew that morrigan was nothing if not a protector. she always had been as such, and nymeria had no doubt that the greyflood queen would stick true to her word, in this life and the next.

and then there was @Arkyn. oh, arkyn. she reached for him instinctuvely, using gareth’s body as a crutch as she sought to press her nose against whatever part of his face that she could reach. she was not his mother, not by blood, but nymeria had always seen him as one of her own, regardless of the unconventional way that they had fallen into each other’s lives. he had been through too much for someone so young - he deserved it all, and it pained her to know that she could not stay with him longer than fate had allowed. "don’t forget about me," she said quietly to the younger brynmawr, don’t forgot that you are loved, "and don’t lose sight of the man you’re supposed to be." she could not help but glance towards valhalla then, too, chest constricting, before she heard another familiar voice amongst the sullen air of the grove.

"i’m already so, so proud @Khal." she replied to her nephew gently, moonlit eyes creasing as she hoped to reassure him that there was nothing more she could ever ask of her family. they were honest, and true, and kind — and they stood up for what mattered, even when the odds were stacked against them. nymeria had always been proud to call herself a valour, but it was this group of lions that had given a new sense of meaning to the namesake and all of the love that she held for it.

but nymeria was so, so tired now, and she felt the weight of the world dragging her down towards the embrace of the earth. her body ached and her bones creaked, and it was only then that she would recline back fully into gareth’s arms. What else could she say, to any of them? Her eyes glistened as she looked across their faces, eyelids drooping as she felt the edges of her gaze start to darken. "never forget where we've all come from." because their stories were deep and woven tightly in these lands and in the history of amaryllis. because above all else they were family, blood or not. because they had seen the trials and tribulations of life and they had endured them, together. she could only hope, and pray, that they never took one another for granted, and that they fervently remembered how important it was to love and nurture the bonds that they all shared. "i -- i will see you soon." a final rasp, a solemn promise, before the woman's lids began to flutter and she felt her chest tighten. instinctively, she tucked herself closer into gareth's again, clinging tightly to the last threads of warmth, until her chest rattled in a final, resounding exhale of air, and nymeria valour stirred no more.

exit via death

^{TABLE MANIP BY MONO, CODING BY DUSK}

Roan Hodari

i wanna taste love and pain wanna feel pride and shame

He easily went unnoticed for the most part, which was perfectly fine with the Hodari. He was the outsider, after all. Not Valour, not Vermeda, nor tied in by blood or marriage like so many others here, but still he felt he owed his respects to @Nymeria and her family. Despite their turbulent beginnings, the Hodari would not have had the same life in Amaryllis if not for the woman they all gathered around.

He'd return the nod to @Morrigan as she made her way around him, watching as the Summit sovereign took a spot next to the ragged woman. Still more arrive to flock to Nymeria's side, two younger lions at that. He hated the thought of ever leaving his own children at such a young age, cursing the very thought as it passed through his mind, but none could stop Mother Nature. The Valour woman had made her mark on the world quite fervently. On her family, friends, and Amaryllis as a whole. It would not be anytime soon that Nymeria Valour was ever forgotten.

As she made her way around the group, bidding her final words and farewells to the ones that mattered, Roan did his best to simply be a fly on the wall. Thus far, his presence had not been unwelcome, but he would readily leave if requested to do so. It was only when the fallen queen's gaze caught his own that the Hodari felt this wave of emotion. Locking his minty eyes with that of Nyermia's brought a lump to his throat, a final realization that this was it for her. That they were all losing her. Tears began to threaten his sight as the mauve lion's jaw tightened. A firm nod was offered to the woman while their sights were still upon one another. A silent thank you for everything she had given him and his family, for the alliances and friendships. And then their gaze was broken as she went on to the next face. That was all he needed though, that silent farewell.

Roan stayed until her final breath. Somewhere along the line, he had closed his eyes, simply listening to her words and slowing breaths, knowing any moment now could be the last. When that final lungful of air was expelled with no rhythmic inhale to follow, the Hodari's gaze tightened further, fighting off the tears that continued to threaten him. Maybe it truly was the weight of Nymeria's death that harbored him, or maybe it was the fact that he actually got to say goodbye this time. So many were simply ripped away without a moment's notice. His mother, dead before he could even know her. His brother, gone with the tides. And countless others that he didn't even know if they still walked this earth. Now was the time, though, to give the family their privacy, so that they might grieve however was necessary. Roan looked to no one in particular before simply giving a little nod of his head and slipping out as quietly as he had arrived. Goodbye, my friend, the masked lion found himself saying before finding a quiet place in Amaryllis to do his own grieving.

exit Roan

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Nothing could have ever prepared her for a moment like this. In her young heart, she and @Nymeria were still young children playing in the landscape of the Brook. Chasing each other from tree to tree and across the shallow parts of the water; they were bound to each other from the moment that she was old enough to make memories. Nymeria was the only sibling that she had left in Amaryllis .. and that was enough to really mark the beginning of those dark tears.

Wrecking her entire body as it began to shiver and shake as her sister attempted talking and was only burdened by coughing and the weakness that came with. Every cough put more and more strain on her already diminished body. No, she began to cry as she simply let her own body begin to shake and become racked with nothing less than fear, sorrow and grief as her lower lip trembled and her head moved to lay over her sister's neck. You're my best friend... always my best friend. Even with Morrigan standing near, she knew that her wife would understand that over everything in her entire life Nymeria had been the one constant in her life that had always seen her.

With her sister's body no longer holding breath, Talisa laid there for as long as she could until eventually someone urged her to get up so that they could properly bury her. This time, however, Talisa herself was far too weak and too emotional to dig -- despite trying but she wasn't doing a whole lot -- until eventually she just sat there and stared at the ground. Feeling empty and weightless, as though there wasn't anything left now that one of the most important pieces of her life were gone. fading/exit talisa

^{ART BY CUSH, CODE BY CALA}

Despite the years that he had spent living in the Grotto, time had never seemed so finite. All those moments that he had spent hoping to see his family, he never thought it would have gone like this. Never had he thought that he would have to witness any of his family members die. With Valhalla coming upon his side and greeting his eldest daughter he felt the cold and bitter sting of tears that were so translucent and disappeared before they could even hit the ground. Even his tears were ghosts.

There was too much pain here as he stood, waiting patiently for the last breath to take. For a moment for their family and friends to gather. Eyeing each one of those here and seeing their pain and their anguish, but also seeing the love that went further than bone-deep in their eyes as they knew what was happening.

Sadness creeping into his soul as he wished to know each and every one of them but knowing that it wasn't that time. We've got you. Came his warm vibrato as she expressed in no words that she was scared. There was no doubt in his mind that her transition would be ease and in that ease, she would find no fear and no pain. She would be free of the wreckage that her body had found.

With more showing, he took a moment to let anyone who wanted close to be there without having to pass through him. Reveling in his sadness and truly experiencing something other than his own loneliness for once. Being able to be a part of something like this, even if it was sad, made him remember what it was like to live.

"never forget where we've all come from."
Daario hears her voice and feels its delicacy, and knows that she would always have the strength to pull through. That his whole family held strength in them because they were Valours. They persevered through everything and they would find a way forward. It wouldn't be easy and mistakes would be made, but they would learn from them.

When her final words were said and her breathing slowed even further until it beat no more, Daario swept forward and began to fade in the event of taking his eldest daughter and presenting her to the afterlife. exit daario

table by sentinel / lion + brook