She waited until nightfall, her plan was simple enough, but with four small cubs, it would be a bit more difficult, not that she minded, it wasn't that far off either way, so she would tell her children to stay close to her, her face softening at their little sleepy faces but night time was more forgiving than trying to travel the scorching sands in the day time.

She would walk slowly beside them, watching them teeter and toddle about, her eyes warm and caring, she would make things different this time, these children would not have to fear their mother coming home or not, she would do her best to make sure they never saw her dragging herself home, maimed, bleeding.

When one would get tired, she would pick them up in her jaws and carry them until another would whimper and whine, then she would switch cubs, doing this until they made it to the opening of the Hollows, the Savante scent strong at the borders. She would lay her cub down at her feet and make sure each cub was politely sat at her feet, a gentle kiss placed upon each forehead before she would call out for someone from her family.

@Alexander ♔ @Uriah @Altaira

❅

Last she recalls, it is her turn to be carried.

Instead, when Mother plops another of her littermates right beside her and she does not feel the familiar scrunch of gentle teeth into her scruff, a soft noise of protest marks her only complaint. The walk had been pleasant, temperate, but exhausting. The journey from distant and far-flung lands felt infinitesimal to one so small and fragile, and what had been no more than a day's worth of travel felt like a thousand years.

Finally, finally they are home.

But Aira has other things on her mind.

Despite her girlish pout, her eyes wander curiously about their surroundings. The opening of a massive cavern looms behind them, like a mouth set to devour. From inside, she can hear an echo of pawsteps and hushed voices growing louder and closer. Kitten fur stands to attention, needle-point claws unsheathing and prickling into the stony earth. Even a gentle, promising kiss does not dissuade Aira from her near-feral countenance.

Why here? she begins with a hoarse drawl, but she is far too tired to feel angry. It's cold, and dark, and there's—

Step, step, step.

Echo, echo, echo.

There—there's something in there—!

Suddenly, she is wide and wild-eyed, fluffed to twice her size and peering from between Mother's front legs.

---

@Levana @Alexander ♔

The last being he'd expected to see on his doorstep was @Levana. The girl had been a wayward soul for a long time now, but Alexander had never condemned her for it after amends had been made. A lot of his family was on the wind now, especially those around his own age. It saddened him, but ultimately it was apart of life. One day soon he, too, would be retiring and wandering - as most Savante do when they're tired of settling in one place.

As he arrives, he notices the young cub and blinks - it looked...familiar. "Levana, I am happy to see you. What brings you to the Hollows?" He rumbles, settling to sit just a few feet away from her and the girl. It seemed the little one was a bit spooked, but he offers her a smile, "It is actually quite warm inside, when you go deeper. And there are parts of the caves that open up to light - there is even a pretty garden atop the mountain." Alexander muses warmly, attempting to offer the girl some reassurance.

Levana is busy counting all four children, making sure her son's are not trying to box each other, though she thinks they're too tired for that, the journey had been quite a long one for each child, though she'd tried to make it easier with carrying them for a time, then switching. She is settling back on her haunches when Altaira begins her questions, a pout evident in her voice and on her sweet face.

Levanas eyes soften and she is about to explain when the girl puffs up and darts between her legs, a humorous smile finds her lips as she watches, but her attention is taken from her daughter to her uncle as he appears.

"Uncle," She smiles, emerald gaze meeting his, "I was thinking about coming home, if there's room for us." She looks to the puffball between her legs, "It's alright, @Altaira," She bends her neck to gently nuzzle her daughter before sitting back up, "This is my uncle, Alexander." Even though she'd found some parts of this litter easier with only herself raising them, she'd felt bad for them never having met other lions, except for their elder brother.

@Altaira @Alexander ♔ @Ryland @Uriah

❅

The man that emerges from the shadows could very well be something conjured from her nightmares. For a girl who has only ever known one adult—the comforting, motherly presence of Levana—a lion his size and stature is most frightening. But her fear only lasts a moment, for when he finally emerges from the shadowy swath of the Hollow and steps into the pale light, he wears the visage of a doting father who, too, has had one or two children afraid of the dark. Aira's fur soon smooths down, though she remains fettered between her mother's legs, as if she may very well take flight if she were to leave them.

Few words resonate with her quite like warmth, light, and gardens.

I would— she looks down, fussing nervously with her paws, I would like to play in the garden.

And by play, she means studying the bugs, watching the plants, mapping the stars. A perfectly lonely affair. But Aira never seems to mind.

Her eyes flit between Mother and the stranger as they speak, but when the conversation shifts to one of making this place home, Aira cannot help but feel the hesitance that all young cubs feel when it comes to change. Sure, this place has warmth and light among other things—but she has never known anything but the hollowed ribcages of elephants and the splinter of bones crunching underfoot. Even the haunting, foggy haze of the Boneyard has become something of a companion.

But to leave there and come here?

She'd have to see if the garden was worth it.

Can I go now, Mama? To see the garden?

---

@Levana @Alexander ♔