Aside from the Obisidian Royalty at her side, it seemed to just be her and @Clove. A battle of who was "right" and who was "wrong" which was exactly the kind of thinking that she didn't care to be around. I am sorry about your grandmother. Truly. It was the first and only answer she could offer and entirely genuine because she wished that she could fix it but she couldn't. The past could not be fixed but the future could but she couldn't do it. Not alone, anyways.

Whoever it was that killed your grandmother, that wasn't me. Everyone keeps pointing fingers just because they hold a certain name. Whatever my family has done, it is not me. Just as whatever your family has done, it isn't you. We have the choice to change the system. But was this ridiculous child going to see that she was barking at the wrong lion? Analia had never in her life wanted to see anyone tortured, mauled or dead. My great aunt was murdered by a Rike but that doesn't mean that I seek revenge upon them. Not at all realizing in this moment that they were talking about Saga and Erna who had both died by each other's hands.

For a moment she feels her body electrified by the incoming presence of another and already the one singula r spoon she had on reserve was taking off into the horizon. Thankfully her senses were just as quick to note that it was @Thella ♔ of whom she had other briefly met to thank for allowing Moradin to come rescue her. While the silver-haired girl had moved between the yearlings, Ana took it upon herself to try and sit now. Desperate to soothe her body that couldn't keep putting up a fight.

The act of "explaining" however, she was happy to let one of the yearlings weigh in on because right now, she wasn't so sure she had anything good to add. From where she now sat all she knew was that she was being verbally attacked for something that she had had no control over both past and present and yet she had been the target of something else. @Zsófia stepped up to explain what she had witnessed but perhaps Clove could offer the insight needed into why she had felt the need to bring the same issue into a place that did not deserve the tension.

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Clove Stärke-Vandiir ...

A flash of silver warned of Thella's company too late, her small frame nearly dwarfed as she moved to stand before Clove's view of the alleged royal girl. For a moment, she felt safety – for a moment, she felt a life line thrown her way as she struggled to keep her head above rising water. But, then the little queen spoke her name in that same manner her father did – like the word itself was a scolded warning.

If she thought her position was a neutral one, Clove could already see how things were angled around there: with them on that side, and her standing decidedly, maddeningly alone. She struggled to swallow down the unintelligible shrieking threatening to sneak past her lips, a moment's breath all she had to ground herself as she felt all eyes on her. She only interjected once the younger girl told a less-than-accurate depiction of those moments prior.

"I asked if she was worth a war," Clove corrected through narrowed glare. "Things were fine here before they came." She glanced toward the shadowed hint of the Sigrún lady, seemingly crumpled against the hollow stone as she spoke her defense against the sins of those before them. Her ears roared with blood, a thousand rebuttals desperate to pry themselves free despite how she (forcibly) held her tongue.

"So you say, but you brought them." She held a paw to her battered shoulders, wounds only just sporting developed scabs in those days following the battle at the beach. "A Sigrún attacked me. Not five years ago – just days. Nothing was – I don't understand why everyone is so – " Clove seethed, striking that paw against a stone nearest her so it clattered off of the cavern walls. Some part of her already knew that it would not matter what she said. She could not face Thella's stare, nor that of the haughty princess snarling in the corner. Clove only gnashed her teeth as her mind reeled in search of some way to make Thella understand what had been done, and that she was not the monster they made her out to be merely for questioning why their world suddenly revolved around those zealots.

The threat of tears stinging the corners of her eyes marked time's up. Ultimately, it would not change anything to know why. She could feel her father's words in the back of her mind like hot breath on her neck, pursed lips finally parting to finish what had already started.

"I have to leave, Thella." Her tone was cold – resigned. It was not how Clove wanted this to end, but it had never mattered what Clove wanted, had it?

---

@Thella ♔ @Zsófia @Analía

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@Analía was quick to apologize for a crime she didn't commit and even quicker to denounce the senselessness of the long-standing feud. Thella cast a glance her way, gracious for the acknowledgement that the cycle of bloodshed needed to end.

Then @Zsófia's voice broke through, adding context to what had unfolded. Her recount was sharp and defensive, a resolve to protect Analía. Something to be appreciated when it came to acceptance of their newest member. But Thella's attention shifted back to @Clove, her voice clipped with raw emotion as she recounted the events of the war at the Lagoon. The pain in her words was almost tangible. The wounds—physical and emotional—were still fresh, and Thella could understand why. Not every Sigrún felt the same as Analía. Not every one of them sought peace.

"Clove..." Her voice was much softer this time. "What happened at the beach wasn't right, and I won't pretend it was. But you can't hold her responsible for something she had no control over." Her gaze flicked back to Analía who had begun to settle back. "Neither of you asked for this, and I'd hope, despite the anger, you both want it to end." Please.

Clove's last words struck next and they felt like a tightening vice around Thella's heart. They settled into her chest with a heaviness she didn't—couldn't—acknowledge. But also couldn't ignore. "Leave?" It was barely more than a whisper, as if saying it louder would make it more real. "You have every right to be angry. Trust me, I know what it means to lose family, to have their lives stolen by the whims of another." She stepped forward, hoping to bridge the growing gap between them. There was no longer any accusation in her tone, just a plea for understanding. "I cannot stand idly by when I see this nor will I ever stand by and let any more harm come to you.."

She's truly grown to care for the girl. "Please, don't leave. I want you to stay. I want us to work through this."

art by moogle, code by lars

Clove Stärke-Vandiir ...

"Neither of you asked for this, and I'd hope, despite the anger, you both want it to end."

She thought back to the girl behind the waterfall. She thought back to their searching conversation, a couple of lost souls waiting out the rain together. Perhaps Clove would have agreed with Thella then. It had been before she turned her back on one Sigrún, only to have the very same trample her the second she next got the chance. Clove was many things, but she was determined not to be foolish enough to make the same mistake twice over.

"It's not my choice. It's not safe here anymore," she insisted, tone still a hollowed thing compared to moments prior. The command had been clear: to untangle herself from the knots that bound her to that side, no matter how gingerly they had been tied to begin with.

"Please, don't leave. I want you to stay. I want us to work through this."

She could only hang her head low, unable to look the queen in the eyes as she spoke sentiments no one ever had before. Clove moved one arm to hurriedly wipe away a lingering tear, throat tight and throbbing with grief stubbornly withheld. She could not forget the other two sets of eyes upon her, wholly unworthy of perceiving even a moment of her weakness.

"I'm – I'm asking," Clove croaked with more surety than she felt.

---

@Thella ♔ @Zsófia @Analía

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Don't, came her reply as swiftly as @Clove had asked for permission to leave because that was not what Analia wanted. She had not had a choice in where she was to go after getting rescued and while she appreciated both @Thella ♔ and @Alexander ♔'s kindness to let Moradin go for her, she did not wish to displace anyone. Do not leave this pride. Please. Analia inhaled deeply and exhaled much the same, her body desperately seeking to rest and be away from this. As soon as I get my sister, we will be gone. I have family elsewhere that can take us in. She did her words carefully, occasionally taking a moment to breathe in between but otherwise she was firm in her statement. Clove might have been an asshole but she had her reasons just as Analia would continue to argue that she was not the lions that Clove claimed she was. There was no winning so at the very least, Ana was prepared to relinquish what temporary safety she had here so that the dark lioness could be.

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Don't. The plea came from behind her, soft and unmistakable. She turned to @Analía, her voice weak and breathless, but with evident resolve. Thella felt a pang of relief—perhaps they could still work things out. But as Analía continued, that pang turned into a tightening of her chest with the realization of what she was saying. They wouldn't be here for much longer. So soon after her arrival, Analía—and by extension Moradin and the sister that had yet to arrive—was already preparing for their leave. No, you're not ready, she thought, concern gnawing at her. The woman was still healing, still gaining strength, and who knew how her sister was faring. Very likely in much worse shape.

I'm—I'm asking.

There was such finality to the statement. I'm asking to leave. I'm asking for you to let me go. It was crushing. Thella turned back toward @Clove, feeling utterly hopeless to pull back the decision that was already made in the yearling's mind. In their short time, she had truly grown to care for the girl, wanting nothing more than to see her thrive within their walls. Not to watch her walk away from them, forever.

"Then you're free to leave," she relented, doing nothing to hide her own tears as they soaked into her cheeks. "But, please," she added almost desperately, "will you tell me where you're going?"

I need to know where to find you. And she would. If she didn't feel safe here, Thella would make damn sure she did wherever she ended up. Their connection wouldn't be severed by leaving the pride. The Obsidian name might no longer belong to her, but Thella's care for all her pridemates, past or present, extended far beyond the reaches of titles or allegiances.

@Zsófia

art by moogle, code by lars

Clove Stärke-Vandiir ...

She gritted her teeth to keep from snarling as the Sigrún woman dared command her in this. All Clove's life was spent taking orders, bowing her head, turning her cheek – but to be commanded by one of them? She would rather die. She willed her burning ears to cool and her clenched jaws to lax. If she could, she would take herself right out of that hollow cave by will alone, gliding with the constant companion of dissociation to some simple place.

"No, I'm glad to know what company they keep," she muttered lowly, gaze purposefully averted from the clouded sky of Thella's – as if it was a greater mercy to know her allegiance had been a mistake from the beginning. Maybe she would stop crying. Maybe she would strike Clove herself. It was simpler that way, yet Clove knew she would not. She hesitated then, her freedom dangling before her with tantalizing proximity, the only condition to reveal her plans aloud. She could feel her throat tightening greedily around the truth: a powerful weapon wielded only as long as she clutched it close.

She stood to shaky paws, attempting to shove past any who dared stand in her way as she stormed toward the exit with determination. Then, she paused.

"My vater wants us with him in the jungle," Clove admitted hollowly, unable to bring herself to look over her shoulder. She did not want to see the space she had left – could not stand to witness bewilderment or judgment or any other thing upon their faces. A moment later, she was gone.

---

-exit- @Zsófia @Analía @Thella ♔
(sorry just trying to get out of a bunch of limbo)

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If Analia had known that her words had sounded more like a command, then she would have immediately attempted to set things right. It had been more like her trying to plead with @Clove that she should stay and these lions had not meant to upset her. Though, it seemed pretty clear that the girl was set on making her own personal enemies instead of seeking to fix what their ancestors begun. There was no hope and truly, she was starting to feel the anger inside of her bubble. Anger that was certainly taking a lot more strength out of her that the worry she had had only moments ago.

I'm sorry, she murmured quietly to both the ladies and finished by looking to @Thella ♔ who mostly certainly did not deserve to be in the middle of this. Analia had only just gotten rescued into a pride that she hadn't chosen to be rescued into and within a day there was someone already at her throat metaphorically ready to rip her to threads. All she wanted to do was melt into the den with Moradin and escape, and to let tears flow where they may and find her strength so that they could leave. Already this place felt tainted and dark, a prison away from prison and that was not what it had been meant to feel like and yet here she was.

So Analia attempted to back up to leave, intent on disappearing and letting their conversation go where it may but she was done. If she stayed a moment longer then she would do something she would regret. She would break or she would snap and neither was appropriate. attempted exit of analia

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My vater wants us with him in the jungle. There was that moniker again. The one that called her too outspoken. She felt shrunken at the thought that he was who the young woman was turning to; that things were so bad here, and she felt so unwanted, that the one that cared more about her marriage prospects was where she felt more safe. There was no doubt in her mind she'd be paying the jungle a visit then.

As Clove disappeared, Thella leaned down to quickly rub her nose free of the wetness from her tears, only to look up and see that @Analía, too, was retreating from the cache. She tried to convey any sense of apology she could over what had transpired, though she wasn't sure the woman caught it. A weight draped heavily across her shoulders, she whispered a quiet goodbye to the young princess before heading back to patrol.

@Zsófia

-exit-

art by moogle, code by lars