Farrow's travels never ceased. He had crossed mountains the day before, and their toll was evident in his faltering gait, large paws pressing deeply into the earth and leaving pronounced tracks in his wake. The seasoned onyx of his legs were steeped with dried, crackling mud; the roguish curve of his jaw tense, despise the relatively eased expression in his gaze. The narrow land bridge that lead into this land had once been a mystery to Farrow; he had passed this place a few times over the years, but the heavy fog had prevented his passage. Now, even as age willed him to take more frequent breaks in his adventures, he was determined to see this place before he had to settle.

Clearly, he was not the only one.

There were dozens of scents that crossed his path, world-weary travelers and recruiters hoping to sweep them up crisscrossing their tales; some rogues parted alone, others followed groups, distinct with the smells of prides and smaller bands. Farrow enjoyed the quiet solitude of the ancient, wind-blown forest as much as he would enjoy the company of another, thus he made little effort to hide his intruding presence, content to enjoy the walk into Amaryllis and take in all the sights he'd longed to see.

“”

Seemed like just yesterday that he had been the one wandering through the Passage and wondering where in the hell he'd wound up. This place was something different, he'd never deny that, but there was still a lot of mystery that he had yet to truly divulge here. Maua for instance, was still a mystery to him but he was excited to learn more as time went on. Gareth was no cleric but if he were to believe in something, it would be her. Especially since he had seen her in person.

The travel to the passage was one that was relatively easy given how close it was to the Cove. It made these trips a hell of a lot easier on him while providing a short walk for whoever it was he could reel in. Vaguely hoping that it might be the lion he was slowly approaching that might be a decent fit for the Cove. Definitely not Gareth just hoping for more balls in the pride, totally not. Welcome to Amaryllis, stranger. He greeted as his pace slowed until it halted several feet from the dark feathered company, my name is Gareth Taur, from Caladan Cove just a short distance to your east. Now he could be that person for Jewel who seemed like she needed an extra set of paws elsewhere so that she could stick to the pride and handle business.

everybody knows my name now

but somethin' 'bout it still feels strange. like lookin' in a mirror, tryna steady yourself and seein' somebody else and everything is not the same now

code by corvus

@Farrow

The joys of expedition escaped him; fleeting and fickle, love of it would nary stick to the heart nor soul. A means, a means to be entertained. He languished beneath the banality, the monotony of flittering from once to the next, unsatiated hummingbird. Busy. Nimble. Here to there, back and forth—that was the inanity he intended to escape.

There came a flood of musk and fragrance, wildflowers and cool mountainous air, earthy undertones and sandy shores. The remnants of their many steps led him across the land bridge, their eagerness and anxieties, their bravado and adrenaline. It lined the pathway. Their aromas lay brick by brick, to show the leviathan the way to go. Roused further by the maturation of musk, something held recently and truly. His pace lurched forward; his steps more deliberate than they’d been moments prior. The lilt of a kinder voice pervaded the stillness of the passage and announced to Mordiern the way he ought to go and where he should stop. The silver ghosts that hung in his face, like fading lanterns devoured by frost, were directed to the one who spoke. Veins of colour, cloud-like vapours, filled the peripherals, and a subtle turn revealed more.

Two.

@Farrow and @Gareth.

Mordiern, he announced, gesturing with his chin to himself; his voice fell a roughened brogue, encased in desert rasps and a hedon’s breath. Silk, and smoke; honey, and fine whiskey. How large is this… Amaryllis? His inquisition came punctuated with a brow-lift across an emotionless frown.

It would not be long before the Bearslayer was joined by another. His lumbering form approached, not too much younger and of similar size to Farrow himself, but far better taken care of. Clearly, this man were part of a pride; Farrow had never considered joining one before, but he could not help but feel the idea might be worth it now. Had he not come on this island with every intention of staying? How better to spend the last of his years devoted to some King or Queen, hunting and feeding and getting fat surrounded by the pleasant company of others. Welcome to Amaryllis, stranger, the brute said upon his approach, and Farrow's red-orange gaze turned in his direction, my name is Gareth Taur, from Caladan Cove just a short distance to your east.

Farrow opened his mouth to speak, but another voice broke the silence first. Mordiern, it said, and Farrow's attention was drawn away from Gareth toward another approaching, lumbering form. This one, unlike the Caladonian, smelled just as roguish as he. How large is this… Amaryllis? An interesting question indeed, and one that Farrow hoped would be answered with endless. There were yet mountains he'd have to climb, oceans yet to reach. “I am Farrow,” he finally offered, the slightest of smiles breaching his dark lips, “I am also a man tempted by both pride life and adventure.” In fact, the tiptoe between both ideals seemed impossible to weigh evenly, and Farrow was unsure he could sate both his appetites.

@Gareth @Mordiern

While he may not have painted as pretty a picture as getting fat surrounded by the pleasant company of others, he could attest to that being part of the reason he had come here. A beast wanting nothing more than to branch away from that of his extra unpleasant father and a somewhat less unpleasant older brother. At least here, he was on an almost equal footing with everyone and those that judged him, weren't family. While he had pretended to believe that he might be here on a solo mission, he was quickly accompanied by other figure. An ashy brown fellow with silvered eyes that didn't immediately say he was blind so it was a fact that Gareth unintentionally missed. By Farrow's immediate response and introduction, Gareth felt akin to his plans if only for the sake of being in Amaryllis for adventure. The thought of something new just beyond his reach yet he was always grasping for more here. It just might take quite a few years to see it all. Amaryllis is fairly large. I have yet to see it all but what I have seen, is always worth a second trip. Was that a good enough explanation for the ashy man's taste? There are five other prides aside from Caladan. Gareth might have launched into an explanation of all of them if he could have but the knowledge he held was still somewhat limited. Best he could offer, if asked, was the names of each leader and how to get to them. If adventure is what you seek, Amaryllis could certainly be what you seek. For this he fell silent, open to any questions the two of them might have in regards to what was beyond the Passage. Absently looking from one male to the next, hopeful that he could at least bring one home.

table by cush

@Mordiern @Farrow

It was not like him to interrupt a social gathering. And yet here he was, newly crowned King circling the passages like a vulture. It went against his nature to actively seek out others - his hermit tendencies were ones that were easy, comfortable, to fall back on - but he knew it was essential to the growth of the Hollow. He would not become a salesman overnight. Nor would he want to, for that matter, despite all the pros that would come with it. But if he wanted to make a proper go of being a pride leader he would need followers, and they did not always come straight to your doorstep. As the trio came into view, Magnus would chuff a greeting, slowing to a halt several feet away. He would catch the tail end of what @Gareth was saying, the scent that he shared with Jewel would be more than enough to confirm things in his mind; a Caladan representative. The other two, however, smelt like rogues. Just as he himself had, days prior. Funny, really, how the tide can turn so quickly. And I rule one of those prides. Maneless male would shift his head, so that he might take in the forms of both @Mordiern and @Farrow with his functional eye. Magnus Sigrún, of Obsidian Hollow. Do you look for homes or simply information?

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus

A familiar comfort, echoing the sentiments entertained by Farrow. Imparting a common prospect. Pride-life, adventures. Banality. Simplicity. A reality shadowed by the harrowing affronts of previous chapters. This seemed so peaceful, and the company with him were unguarded. How did he thrive in a crowd? Poorly? Would he flounder? The instinct to falter lifted, rose; a polished stone that outwardly betrayed no beauty yet grew heavier with time. He cared little, though there was a recognizable electricity that built beneath his scarred flesh. What more could their turns of phrase mean? What salacious act spurned every offer, every elected gift of information. He drew them in carefully, using the vague figures before him, with scent and sound differentiating each. Voice, inflection; the sound of a breath, or the shift of weight. Even the subtle change in posture created the subtlest ripple divined by heightened hearing. The heaving sigh of a breeze blessed him with more, more. Damned his failing eyes. Fatigue collected in his brain, and such lingering offers like that from Magnus carried more and more titillation. Why, glib. A pause, as he turned his face towards @Magnus first. A home? Be drew in an inhale, turning his face away from the other beasts as though to take in the shifting of a breeze. Tell me about these homes. did they hold chains?


@Farrow

Amaryllis is fairly large. I have yet to see it all but what I have seen, is always worth a second trip, the pride lion stated, and Farrow's eagerness began to emerge behind the evenness of his gaze. There are five other prides aside from Caladan, the lion continued, and Farrow's suspicions were further confirmed: a large and expansive territory certainly meant prides abundant. And though Farrow could appreciate a pick between different places and lions to choose as his company, he cared less for what sort of character guided each pride and more for how they'd feel having a half-aloof traveler among their ranks. Farrow did make for a good sword and shield when it counted, however. If adventure is what you seek, Amaryllis could certainly be what you seek.

He was about to speak, but the encroaching scent of another man soon stumbled upon them. And I rule one of those prides, came his voice, before Farrow's gaze flitted over toward the dark and lumbering figure approach their free side. Unlike the lions who surrounded him, the scarred and melanistic man bore no mane; yet his presence was undeniable and resolute, and Farrow had come across such novel creatures before in his travels, and new better than to underestimate them. The small bits of joyfulness that seeped through his stoic demeanor slipped away, returning to an even and focused facade once more. Magnus Sigrún, of Obsidian Hollow. Do you look for homes or simply information?

Why, came the even tenor of the blind man beside them, a home? Tell me about these homes. Farrow's gaze returned between the two pride lions, remarking the difference in their appearances and the ways they carried themselves. “A home would be ideal,” he reiterated, a heavier seriousness in his words, “what have you both to offer, and what do you want in return?” Farrow had spent his life dealing in transactions, give-and-take was all he'd ever known.

@Gareth @Mordiern @Magnus

Gareth took to the new company's arrival in great stride as he listened to the name of where he came from. Another leader? Hm, Gareth bowed his head like a nod as his way of saying hello before his attention was stolen by the two rogues that were now given not one choice but two choices, and two folks to give answers. Both gave very expectant questions to which the striped male did not flinch upon. They were good questions and he was prepared to answer them to the best of his abilities. Caladan Cove is led by Jewel Khulani. She has instructed that there is to be no force claiming unless in dire circumstance. The claimed are free to leave if they then wish. A pause to allow them any questions should they arise. Visitors are fine, so long as they remain amiable and can then be invited in. Trespassing is prohibited, they will be detained when caught. Ranks are challengeable and encouraged upon. That was most of the one's that would immediately need to be addressed and the rest could be hashed out if they actually chose the Cove. That left with Farrow's question as to what Gareth (or, rather, Jewel) wanted in return for giving them a home. Or was it what the pride would offer him should he choose the Cove? Ultimately that depends on if you're doing us the favor of joining or we're doing you a favor by sheltering you, he grins as the question was entirely subjective but he appreciated it nonetheless. All we can ask of you is that you pull your weight, continue to benefit yourself through means of a trade or two that you're interested in pursuing. While he wouldn't outright say it, he was hoping than one or both might be more inclined to defend and protect the Cove. Or at the very least simply was more engaged in fighting.

table by cush

@Mordiern @Farrow @Magnus

Talk of an abode seemed to interest both of them to some extent. Magnus would tilt his head to regard @Mordiern first, as he was the first to speak, and would then shift to listen to @Farrow. The Caladan male would speak first; as the Hollows were allied with the Cove, Magnus felt more inclined that he would've done with a normal stranger to give him ample time to say his piece. Once the palomino Noble fell silent, the maneless titan would offer both rogues his own explanation. Obsidian Hollow is a newly formed pride. Our home is carved out in the mountain range, to the Northwest of this passage. I have plenty of room, but only for those who are prepared to work. Almost all ranks are free to be challenged for, so if you feel ambitious there is plenty of opportunity. Obsidian may not be to everyone's tastes, but - perhaps - it would suit one of them. Or perhaps even both. I do not ask for much. Respect and loyalty, mainly. Visitors are permitted with my say-so, but if you choose to stay long-term and use my resources I expect for you to work with the rest of the pride to replace what you have used. Courtesy for my allies, such as Jewel and Caladan Cove, would also be expected of you. At this, he would shift his attention to @Gareth momentarily, wondering idly if the Noble had known before this point that the Hollows were allied with them. It mattered little either way - especially in this particular scenario, where no toes had been trodden on. Attention moved back to the other men swiftly as he waited for a response.

the finest fury is the most controlled

code by corvus