He walked past Vermeda's borders and into the deep parts of the grove. Into the land woven with mystery and old times. Leaves of green were beginning to turn their autumn hues. In the canopy above Aquila spied patches of yellow and reds beginning. A few of the times had their entire leaf color shifted into warm rich colors already. He walked with a calm pace, familiar with the ground below him. His silver eyes were fixated upwards into the overhead.

Slowly Aquila's pace stopped, one of his forepaws coming to rest on a log and half his body hoisted upwards onto it. Face into the sky, into the air. "Hey-" He mumbled softly into the air, quiet. "-Hey Maua... you there?"

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She let Ava know where she was going so no one would worry but Hanneth felt that she needed to see the Natives. To check in with them but also to know what happened on their side of things the last time the mist was around. The concerned bronze lioness made her way across the lands until familiar ground was once again below her paws. She had managed to get her without the mist taking her and it seemed that she was going to make it to the brook but a familiar lion caught her eye. She moved toward him and her ears flicked as she heard him call for Maua. Hanneth had been wondering where the deity was in all of this. She didn't know that much about Maua but this all seemed odd. Aquila. She called toward him. Does Maua normally answer away from the Grotto? She wasn't aware of that as she came near him, hoping that she was intruding to much on his time.

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Someone asked him a question. A voice, familiar but distant. Someone he knew. His vision turned away from the sky and the Brooks lion aligned his vision to the bronze woman. He felt a gut punch of upset seeing Hanneth, quick to recollect how Caligula had assumed she'd wanted to leave without saying good bye. Defensive boyfriend mode engaged, a swirl of that emotion wove up into his nerves and came across his face for a moment. But it was naught but a slight frown, a downward twist of his silver eyes that made him look momentarily grumpy... par for the course. "They can yes." He said with certainty. "But usually?" He shrugged. "That doesn't mean much anymore." Usually or infrequent. Tradition or new fashion. Maua's modus operandi had been turned upside down two years over and nothing was the same.

"How is the Hollow? Roan?" Aquila asked, cresting over the log he half stood upon to come and stand normally on the ground before Hanneth.

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Hanneth didn't notice the scowl as she looked around at the mist that was lingering around them. She looked back as he spoke and took in the information about Maua. Hanneth had only seen them in the Grotto but learning that they could travel outside of there was interesting to her. It also seemed that things had been changing the connection that may have once been there was no longer open to things that they might have been once before. She took the weight of that and let it sit within her as she tries to understand what was happening. Has the mist acted like this before? She nodded toward the mist. Taking lions? Hanneth could only guess that it was happening to them as well, if not, that would be interesting to learn for sure. She looked toward him again, The hollows has had a number of members taken, including my grandson Jai. Hanneth's voice was soft as she spoke of those missing, she wish there was more that could be done. How are things in the Brook? Are Furia and the cubs well? Has Caligula managed his fear of the water living here? And how is Nym? She hadn't seen her friend in some time but hoped that the mist hadn't taken those she cared about.

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"No." Aquila said with confidence. Never in his life time was it quite like this and this seemed the sort of thing stories would be told about if his family ancestors had experienced this. "It's acted as shield, it's never done this." Aquila frowned, looking towards the horizon of the grove where beyond his sight life continued, where patches and herds of this misty veil was wreaking its havoc.

"I..." He felt sympathetic. He felt like he wanted to assure her that even though there was no sign of Jai that he was fine. "He'll be found." He reassured with a little somber frown on his bronze face. "Everyone is... okay. Worried about those missing. The kids are almost a year old though." He said, a little brighter. "He's managed with it yes."

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**Well I suck, sorry this took so long**

Hanneth was surprised that the mist would change how it acted for whatever reason. She really didn't understand the reason behind the mist taking lions. It didn't make any sense to her. She shook her head slowly, so much had changed in these lands since they had arrived. Had Hanneth known that leading them all here would have caused all of this, she would have gone anywhere else.

@Aquila's words about Jai did little to comfort her soul but she knew that he was doing the best that he could. The best any of them could. Her ears flicked as he mentions that the cubs were nearly a year. Had it really been that long? A pang of guilt hit her that she hadn't been part of their lives. Hopefully she would be able to find a way to change that soon. She noted the change in his voice as he spoke of @Caligula, interesting. Glad he is adjusting well. She looked Aquila over for a moment. How are you dealing with everything? The male had been through a lot, many struggles, and she knew that leadership was a weight all on its own.

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"Compared to recently I'm okay." He felt more secure, despite the mist. For better or worse sometimes that helplessness the mist brought about was a relief, a weight from his shoulders where he succumbed to the feeling of not being able to do anything. It was sorrowful, there was grief and worry, but what could be do differently?

But his answer begged a second part, compared to it all? Well Aquila was still working through that. Time was ticking away, they slowly walked closer and closer to a time where this was all they'd know and their childhoods here would be memories. They had children who would never know different. "Does Amaryllis feel like home to you?" To her family? Was there worth in his own sufferings?

@Hanneth

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