He woke from his slumber, dazed and agitated, squinting up at the dying light of evening and stretching out slowly in the little makeshift den he'd found for himself the night before. His night had been filled by images from the past - things he didn't much like to dwell on - and, inwardly seething, he hauled himself out from the comfort of the chamber and into the crisp, late afternoon air. Fuck. It felt like he'd been asleep for years, not hours. Nearby, the waters edge tempted him, and after a moment or two of consideration he would advance upon the bank. Within seconds, he was submerged only fully, with only the tops of his shoulders and head above the surface. Almost immediately he felt better; as if the depths were a comfort blanket.

( Unsure if thread to be set before or after Magnus claimed OH but just wana mention Amra is SC if set after OH claim, just hasn't exited thread yet~ )

More and more the girl was venturing out and about. Not that she hadn't had a wandering soul previously, but there was still so much to see. Every day it seemed the fog receded more and more, and while she had been to the Falls before, having taken her animal parts and attempted to speak with the dead, she had not taken any time to explore the area. Today that is what she intended to do.
The roaring of the falls nearby drowned out most other sounds and so Amra was vigilant in her vision, ensuring that she kept her head on a swivel, noting the area and what was around.
Sleek golden body crept around trees, under ferns, through bushes, enjoying the feeling of the lush greenery upon her pelt. She eventually drew near to the water again, having spent most of the afternoon exploring, to see a submerged lioness? standing up to their neck in the water, almost entirely underwater. Amra halted within the cover of a tree, unsure if she would be intruding if she approached. And so, to be polite, she let out a chuff, hoping that it would carry over any nearby sounds, to the other individual, to alert them to her presence for them to decide whether or not she was permitted to draw closer. It was only polite, after all.

@Magnus

The chuff of greeting would snap Magnus from his thoughts quickly enough, and with a swift turn of the head he would look over his shoulder in the direction of @Amra. Did she not know better than to sneak up on others? In her defence, however, she was lingering well back. Showing caution where caution was necessary. Sensible. Yes? He moved, then, back up out of the depths and onto the bank, hauling himself from the water with dark and muscular limbs. A quiet grunt was prompted from the exertion, before dropping on his haunches into the dry grass below. You do not have to hover like that - I won't do you any harm. Brute he may be, but he was not the sort to attack unprovoked - especially one so harmless looking.

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

Amra had not meant to startle the individual, who she eventually figured out to be a maneless male. She hadn’t thought that lingering beneath a tree counted as skulking, but the male easily enough answered her and removed himself from the water, hauling himself onto the grass and allowing his rump to thump against the earth. After which he granted her permission to draw closer, promising to do her no harm. And Amra, being the innocent, never so far been hurt or misled in any way, took his word as such and easily approached, her trademark grin creasing her features.
She circled around the liquid, allowing her head to turn to cast her gaze over the ripples in the water, how crystal clear it was but oh so cold looking. When she was within comfortable speaking distance, allowing for the rumble of the waterfalls, she halted and seated herself too. ”Hi,” she figured she would start with, turning back to him with an open face. ”I didn’t mean to interrupt, but you can’t go many places without stumbling across anyone,” she spoke, tilting her head and rolling her shoulders forward slightly as a gesture of apology for intruding on his seemingly alone time.
Small talk was not one of Amra’s strong points, but at the very least she fell silent for a beat, to give him a chance to respond before blithering blithely on.

@Magnus

She was easily trusting; that much was clear in the way she approached so readily, only needing to be prompted the once. It was lucky, really, that he was not as sinister as he might've seemed - to some - at first glance. Clearly not everyone judged by appearance. He does not have much time or energy to entertain small talk for long, but the girl is doing no harm and so he will stick around for now. After all, there didn't seem to be anything better to do. The scent of pride on her pelt is an incentive in itself to stay and 'be sociable'.

Be sociable - tsh.

You've caused no offense to me, so I wouldn't worry. You'd only need to worry if you had. Lowering his damp body into a sphinx-like position - knowing full well that, of the two, he had the upper hand so therefore little need to keep himself rigid - he would regard @Amra with his semi-blind stare. You aren't wrong. The island was crawling with lions, to the point where he was surprised that he hadn't run into trouble yet. Such a thought could be seen as tempting fate, but.... Well, at least it would make things a little more interesting.

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

To trust was not a fault for the girl. To trust simply meant that she had not yet been betrayed, which showed that she was still an innocent, unravaged by the harsh realities of the world.
For the most part, at least.
Amra seated herself and the male followed suit, lowering himself in a sphinx position. Out of the corner of her eye she finally studied him. Black fur, maneless, seemed to be blind in one eye and scarred. He must have seen battle, but he wasn’t so scary looking given that he had allowed her to come over to talk.
She grinned once more at his acceptance of her apology for disturbing him, having not caused him offence. Head tilted as he agreed that the island was full of individuals, that you couldn’t go anywhere alone. A soft inhale, gentle, had Amra attempting to scent where he lived, but as he’d just gotten out of the water, there wasn’t much left on him to discern.
”Do you have a pride?” She asked, seemingly out of the blue. Head turned to look at him, endless curiosity in her gaze with no ulterior motive behind it. With so many prides across the island, to be a rogue these days seemed to be rare. Much like in her previous home, almost everyone you can across was allied with some pride or another. ”I live in the Lagoon, it’s gorgeous there,” she burbled. Maybe she could bring home a stray if he didn’t have a pride. Wouldn’t Diuris be amused.

@Magnus

She was a bright little thing, all smiles and pleasantries. It was not quite what Magnus was used to, but he would not begrudge her for it. Upon talk of a pride he shook his head. No. It was not a particularly extensive answer, but there was not much else to say on the matter. He was not interested in any recruitment attempts. She confirmed her own living situation around the same time that the scent drifted to him on the breeze; Scilla Lagoon. Ah. I've heard that it's beautiful, yes. A brow arched, seeing ample opportunity to get more information out of the chatty girl. Is it a large pride? He wondered just how forthcoming @Amra would be. Just how much she knew. She could be a newer member, after all.

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

Interest was increased when the male admitted No to living in a pride. But continue to burble she did, telling him that the Lagoon was a gorgeous place, to which he agreed. Grin spread across her features. "The sea is beautiful and blue, the greenery is so lush and, well, green. The sand is warm, the birds make a wonderful background song," she spoke, remembering all the things about the pride and why it was the best place to live. Head tilted when the male asked if it was large and she thought a moment. "I dont think it's terribly large, but it's got a few in it," she spoke, unable to give him a good estimate due to the fact she was new there and hadn't had the chance to meet many there. "You should come visit some time," she offered, lifting a paw to motion at him. "Diuris is really nice, I'm sure he wouldn't mind you coming to visit as my guest," she explained, her tilted. She was ever so friendly, having found no reason to mistrust anyone. Long may it continue. "Oh!" she exclaimed as an afterthought. He'd need a name if he were to come knockling. "My name is Amra, what's yours?"

@Magnus

And just like that, she sang like a bird. @Amra clearly welcomed the opportunity to paint her home in a pleasant light. The spin she put on it made it sound like an idyllic haven, but Magnus knew better than to take it as such. While it was vibrant and warm and lush, he also imagined it was exposed and sandy. Still, everywhere had its downfalls. He ought not be so pessimistic. I think I've met Diuris once before, the titan offered with a shrug, casting his mind back to the meeting in the meadow with the golden-pelted King. He did strike him as the sort to have a lax border policy, but he would say nothing of the sort to his follower. Big golden man, very cheerful? Smiley, animated, whatever you wanted to call it. Odd in his mind, but charming to most no doubt. I am Magnus Sigrún. Well met, Amra, he would nod, dipping his head in the direction of the warm-pelted girl. He would say nothing on whether or not he would take up the striped girl's invitation, but it was stored to the back of his mind for future reference in case he needed to name-drop. You like him then, I presume? Your King Diuris? The way she spoke implied as much. He'd met some women that resented the men that lorded over them, but the lioness before him seemed rather content with her current lot in life.

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

The fact that the dark man before her had met Diuris before didn't surprise the girl one bit. After all, she ahd met him outside of the broders in a cave filled with bats once, long ago. He had been lovely to her then, ensuring she was safe and got out of the cave safely, with a little bit of exploring along the way. It had been a fun encounter, and when she'd watched him fight her cousin for the crown, and won, she was more than happy to join the pride alongside the rest of her family, downtrodden as they had been with so many mishaps in their lives.
She nodded in confirmation when the male, Magnus he later introduced, described Diuris. "That's the one," she confirmed vocally after a beat, not pausing to consider that there were likely quite a few golden, cheerful men on the island. But no matter. Grin was given when he introduced himself, storing his name away. Magnus. Not a bad name, it rolled off the tongue nicely. "Nice to meet you," she burbled easily in reply, dipping her head as custom when meeting someone.
'You like him then?' Amra nodded at his question. "He's really kind, and he doesn't treat you like a subject like some other kings I know," she spoke, casting her mind back to Gwyn and wishing she'd never had to be stuck there for a time. "He was actually my friend before I joined his pride, he wasn't a king when I met him," she explained, utterly no filter from her brain to her mouth for why the man might be asking questions. No more thought was given to the easy interrogation beyond Amra considering he might be thinking of it as somewhere to live. "If you're looking for somewhere to live, it's definitely the place to be," she added, offering a wink with her usual large grin before a laugh followed it. She wouldn't pressure the man, more insinuate but in a joking manner.

@Magnus