time passed. the winter became unforgiving, and morwënna faced an option she had previously not considered: that, maybe, she should join a pride. not every group belonged to mayfair morwe, and not every group would feel the same, right?

she had noticed a sort of... meeting area. a wide sandbar that she had previously slunk through unnoticed, eager to scramble into the mountains and vanish. but this time she lingered. the sun was low, nighttime approaching, and morwënna had positioned herself standing near a large flat rock, accompanied by a spindly shrub, just in case she needed to bed down for the evening. she tipped her ears back, the graceful curve of her neck tilted downward as she considered her options - stay quiet, or announce herself. she hadn't hidden her tracks or scent by any means. would staying quiet a while attract the more meticulous of recruiters? she decided it was worth finding out.

Enter one Bruno, a fresh motive painted across his vision as he trotted across those golden hour sands. His expression was flattened into thoughtful apathy, his pace that of someone with a purpose. The kinked and curled Stärke-Rike twitched the salmon pink of his nose in search of anything of interest to him, purposefully passing over any scenes which appeared overly occupied. He was not in the business of clamoring over every pride in Amaryllis for a measly member – not since he had learned better.

His demeanor only livened when he found one such scent he searched for. The prince tilted his ears forward like radars, craning his neck slightly until he came to spot his target. Perfect. There lurked what smelled to be a rogue lioness, not overly young or otherwise. Bruno let out a casual chuff to announce his intentions as he attempted to near her, squinting slightly against the radiance of the setting sun. She seemed earthen – nothing remarkable, stature-wise – and overly spotted. Someone might say they looked alike. Bruno would call them wrong.

"Hello and welcome," he drawled, attempting to come to a stop a few yards away. "These are the recruiting grounds of Amaryllis. I've come to put Ecrosia Mire up as an option for your next home. Tell me about yourself," the boy commanded, his gaze watchful.

"I'm Bruno – Prince," he thought to add, a piece of bait set in the trap. "You do look lovely tonight," he added – another piece.

---

|| january y10 | two years | EM royalty | at maua's passage | @Morwënna ||

The stink of the Mire once more invaded her nose, and once more, she wrinkled it. Gross, dude. Léonie wondered who she’d have the displeasure of encountering today — a son of Alaric, she overheard him say as she located and neared the pair. The Miroslav imp eyeballed @Bruno ♔, her brow quirked as he complimented her. Ah, he was wooing her! It seemed the Prince was another Alaric in the making …

“Enemy or not, I suppose we can agree on that,” the dark lioness hummed, appearing suddenly in the dusk. Maybe Bruno really did find the rogue lovely, but Léonie did too. Her hazel eyes wandered away from the Mire lion to the spotted queen, those socked paws bringing her closer, yet not so near that she threatened to invade her personal bubble — or so she assumed. “You’re very easy on the eyes. Really dig the spots. Don’t believe I caught your name though … ?” she pried, smiling.

Her white tuft swaying lazily behind her, Léonie rolled her shoulders, making herself comfortable in spite of the cold weather. “Léonie Miroslav, Heiress of Andal Oasis,” she introduced herself. “If you want optionsss — plural — then I offer my home. The Oasis is pretty comfortable in winter. And dry.” Not at all wet and goopy like the swamp.

She noticed the shrub that the rogue carried. It was nothing she immediately recognized as beneficial, nor poisonous. Léonie had no idea why she even had it, but looked back up at the earthen feline and hummed, “We have some of the best beds too. Oryx pelts over ostrich feathers — it’s a struggle for me to even get up sometimes.” With night approaching, it seemed a good idea to mention how cozy the Oasis dens were. Totally tempting, yeah?

@Morwënna

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Alexander found it a little hard to believe that he was here to recruit for his own pride. It felt invigorating - empowering. He moved along the deep, innerworkings of the Hollows, slipping into a connection cave system within the Labyrinth. The caverns felt like another land completely. The halls inside were cool and comforting, to the touch the Earth was chilly, but the beast knew that past the surface there was warmth, an unconditional embrace of love. Of which he was eager to explore.

Of course, as he stepped out of Grimoire's and found himself near the Passage, the newly crowned King decides to take a chance and see what he could find for the day. Recruiting still felt so foreign, but it was a necessity. Nostrils flare, the scent of the Mire heavy on the air. Irritation immediately bubbled in his chest as blue eyes settle on the young male, a boy he recognized. He'd been one of the ones to fight against he and Anthonius to forcibly claim the blind woman. It seemed that @Léonie was there as well, a far more pleasant presence, to be sure.

It was, however, a bit odd that both seemed to sway toward flattery for the girl. Alexander would not follow the same path, though he knew it was one that might garner him favor. Instead the beast focused on formality, warmth - the picture of stability and strength. Shoulders roll back slowly as he finally approaches. Head is head, the thick of his mane sweeping down in wide, arcing tresses that tie back into a braid.

Brows knit together, tail sweeping behind him slowly. "Good evening," He begins in a slow drawl. Alexander moves into a position to stand along side the trio, that way he could move to interfere with any untoward actions from @Bruno ♔ should he attempt them. "I am King Alexander of the Hollows, of which I have come to offer you solace within as well, should you seek it." He murmurs, blue eyes focusing now on @Morwënna intently, wanting to give her most of his attention - however, those ears of his were alert.

Alexander wouldn't repeat what they had already asked. Her name and who she was - all he could do now was listen and offer an answer to whatever questions she may have. He knew the Oasis was a fair option, so he would not dissuade the girl from choosing it. A dip of his head is offered to the Oasis Heiress in greeting - surely she recognized him? Though, they had not really spoken at length before.

Nero hadn't been anticipating a trip to the passageway, nor had he wanted to swallow his anxiety and approach when godking Adonis was standing there. His victory had certainly been well-earned, but like fuckin' hell he was going to waltz up and congratulate him. Nope. Being totally neutral was his best bet.

"Another option is Illyria Summit, a mountain to the north that provides all the shelter and security you could ask for. Our queen is undefeated in defending the pride." He supposed he could have given a number, but undefeated certainly had a more impressive ring to it. "I'm Nero, a gentry there. We'd welcome you." Without hitting on you, he wanted to add. Instead, he simply stood tall and pretended he didn't feel a million kinds of self conscious standing next to Alexander.

code by koi // art by flea // do not use without permission

well, wasn’t this a neat little gathering.

Louve sidled up to join them, her focus sweeping from the Mire prince to the Hollow King (lingering there for a second, her gaze unreadable) to the one from the Oasis and finally the summit.

And then it settles on the girl, the stranger, the one dangling like bait before the ravenous jaws of the recruiters. “Aren’t you ze populair one,” she muses with a grin, one she works to ensure is friendly and not overly wolfish.

“I assume z’ere ees more to you z’an your looks,” an assumption based on… well, a haunch really, “lovely as z’ey are.” No, Louve was not above flattery.

“I am Louve, of wolfbron bluffs. Z’ere ees plenty of room for growth, z’ere, eef z’at appeals to you…” Growth and opportunity with a nice side helping of stability.

morwënna had not even called. it seemed where one went, another followed - a beacon lit, perhaps familiar with eachothers competing scents.

her expression carefully guarded, she assessed the first to arrive - his curls softening the edges of sharp features, tell me about yourself, direct, pointed. a beat. you do look lovely tonight. interesting. the compelling cadence he spoke with. advertising. ears turned back, aqueous gaze flicking between his eyes, studious. "me?" lyrical, soft. what was there to say? she was here, was she not? "what about you, prince @Bruno ♔? and your... mire?"

another. enemy or not. wënna's pupils narrowed, taking in @Léonie's much more vibrant demeanour, considering the politics here. "morwënna," she breathed, on cue, easily prompted. pelts, ostrich feathers. léonie's bed. a flush threatened to paint her delicate features, and morwënna swallowed, eyes shifting between her apparent suitors.

were it not for the arrival of @Alexander ♔, she might have had an easier choice. she gave a soft huff, a curt exhale before casting her eyes carefully over him, chin tilted up in firm defiance at seeming in any way overshadowed, outnumbered though she was. there was a sense of unfamiliar warmth to him, and she considered for a moment, though he had not said much about his hollows-

when a pale creature appeared, seeming to shrink under the presence of alexander - morwënna caught it, and said nothing. it was interesting for gentry of the summit pride to defer to another place's king, was it not? he introduced himself as @Nero and she tucked the information away. a summit. gilded walls, gilded halls. she had almost forgotten that it was her own oresence that had gathered them, so intent on factoring the ways they interacted - or didn't - the way alexander placed himself alongside bruno, the way nero avoided alexander, standing taller and further away, the way léonie sidled alongside whoever in self assured playfulness.

there was a moment of quiet between them, it seemed. morwënna's tall ears swiveled forwards, mouth parting gently, when she noticed another approaching - @Louve ♔, a scarred chartreuse form, accent lilting, her angle similar to that of her first two visitors. morwënna sighed a soft half-laugh, unmoving. "it seems i have many options," she mused, glancing between them all. five of them. "tell me - where would i fit best?"

"Me? What about you, Prince Bruno? And your... mire?"

"We are the strongest pride in the land," he boasted easily, pulling the hint of a smile at his lips. What was it that lionesses wanted, anyway, if not strength and dominion?

“Enemy or not, I suppose we can agree on that,” another voiced of her beauty.

Bruno snorted as the first intruder flocked to them with a hum, her ashy, striped coat tickling at his recent memory. Ah, this was the lioness that had been bludgeoned for speaking ill against his father in Scilla, he recalled. He lifted a brow with amusement glittering in his gaze, taunts unspoken in present company. Did he really have to, when she would know how badly she had been beaten? "Léonie Miroslav, Heiress of Andal Oasis,” was her introduction, so conveniently presented for Bruno to tuck away. "Morwënna"'s came just as easily.

While it had been the rogue's solitude to attract the mire prince, such privacy would not last. Others lined up swiftly with their own spiels and Bruno retreated somewhat into himself, merely taking the role of the observer while he could. He watched the next one with guarded interest: a giant, berry-hued lion he recognized from their large brawl at this very passage, now claiming to own the hollows for himself. His chest tightened with hot displeasure to hear the traitor had found power for himself – Alexander, he remembered the name being hissed. The prince would take special interest to hoard any information he could glean on the large beast.

Others gathered, Nero the Gentry of Illyria, a small and pale lion. A greenish lioness approached and led off with a thickly-accented greeting as if hissed around a mouthful of chestnuts. She, too, opted for flattery, just as the other lioness had – an odd choice, he thought. She introduced herself as "Louve, of Wolfbron Bluffs," and Bruno quelled whatever it was stirring in his stomach. Of all the lions gathered there, he took note that she was the only one obligated to fight with him rather than against.

"It seems I have many options. Tell me - where would I fit best?"

He could have cackled. He could have chided her. We know nothing about you, woman, he might have said. Still, his heart thrummed eagerly with the knowledge that she was likely easy to manipulate.

"I feel lucky to have been born in Ecrosia," Bruno admitted falsely, giving a slight nod as if to convey truth. "It is a strong, stable pride. You would not have to worry about being left without a home again," he bartered. "It has remained free of the natural disasters that can plague this land, and it is tucked safely within the dense forests. You would have plenty of resources to learn whatever it is you'd like." The prince allowed his gaze to rest upon the ocean blue of her own as he spoke, twitching his bobbed tail slightly as he waited for what webs the others would spin.

---

@Morwënna @Léonie @Alexander ♔ @Nero @Louve ♔

Léonie and Alaric Jr. were soon joined by the familiar @Alexander ♔. @Nero found then as well, and she briefly wondered what he’d done with the beans she’d spilled during the Lagoon challenge, if anything. A final recruiter, @Louve ♔, appeared too, adding more and more competition. Damn.

@Morwënna, as she introduced herself, asked them where she would fit in among them, and Bruno was quick to deliver a well-versed spiel. Léonie could’ve yawned — not because it’d been a boring one. She simply enjoyed annoying the Mire lions. However, without knowing Morwënna and how she would respond to her pettiness the Heiress decided it was better to behave — for now.

“I was born in the Oasis as a princess, so I’m biased, I’ll admit it— but there are few prides that can rival us in natural beauty. Most lions see sand and little else, but the desert is rich with life. There’s plenty of prey in the dunes, so that we never go hungry, and we have potent herbs that our healers use to treat the sick and wounded,” she remarked, smiling. “But like I said, most lions don’t see much from the outside.” Léonie could show her the wonders of the desert, if she was interested …

Pausing, so that the rogue could process the scene she’d painted, the Heiress then hummed, “What are you looking for, Morwënna? I think if we knew what your desires were, we could better assist you in your search.”

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"@Morwënna," she repeats, the name changed ever so slightly by her accent. it is said in a way that is almost musing, a way that went hand in hand with the look that she gave the stranger. a contemplative look.

"without knowing anything about you z'at is 'ard to say. what ees eet z'at you want? what are your skills? what do you hold in high regard?" of course there was a place for almost any in the bluffs, but louve was... curious.

"ma mere is z'e longest standing ruler 'ere, you will 'ave security at z'e bluffs. not to mention we value women more z'an most." her lips curled in a grin, though she did not look to any of the others rulers gathered there. her focused stayed entirely on the newcomer, intrigued by how easily she navigated such a significant crowd. there was no shyness nor fear, which made the dieudonne matriarch all the more keen to bring her home.