The shift in the weather had driven him from his home. Many a time had he contemplated finding a pride, laying low while mother nature took its chaotic course. The tornado that had torn asunder this place left destruction in its wake, trees snapped and the ground ripped up, causing a scar in the earth like a long, angry clawmark. His nose crinkled. The wind was still blustering, the sky a dark gray, shielding the sun and stunting the growth of spring flowers. He leaned down, closely observing now the upturned dirt, the bugs and grubs that crawled about its loose dirt, the debris of leaves and sticks that littered in the aftermath.

A heavy sigh exhaled from his lips. It was dangerous now more than ever to live a rogue. Soon the time would come that he would need to find the other Rike, to find his jarl, and to see what lay in store for them when these storms would come to pass. In this moment, however, all he could do was watch, and wait with bated breath.

@Ophelia

Art by Kite, table by cala

The recent change in weather meant that Ophelia had not taken the time to consider the impact it would have on local prey and their migration habits. The ivory lioness slipped away from the safety of Vermeda and wandered to a biome she knew was rich with prey: Celosia Fields. But when she got there, the woman was surprised to find it barren, the only life present that of a silver male in the distance. She ignores him for now, noting his presence but nothing more - for now, she had a task at hand.

Her ivory paws take her further into Celosia, where the grass had fallen into cracks and pieces of land collapsed into itself. The earthquakes had shattered the once even land, scaring away the common herds of prey that often kept Amaryllis lions bountiful. With a flick of her ear, she sighs, unsure of what to do with herself. That's when, out of the corner of her eye, she spots something rather unusual. Turning her crown, Ophelia's eyes fall on the goat prints that seemed to be clustered at the corner of Celosia Fields. The cluster of hooves seemed to be scattered in all directions, which was interesting because it suggested to the ivory lioness that the goat had been in some sort of distress. There was a rumble in the background, and Ophelia wondered if it were the earthquakes that had been causing the distress. The Vermedian lioness followed the tracks, heading down toward @András.


Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Assess the impacts of the weather on herds and prey
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)

Exp
+5 - BWP related thread
+5 Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+5 Study and track footprints
+5 Follow the scent of prey

code / artwork / background

The land did not cease, nature rending asunder all that lay about them; the sky was plunged in a deep half-gray, the sun swallowed by the rumbling stormclouds. In the far-off distance there was a growing rumble, a twist and shake in the ground a precursor to the quakes that shook the forests and tore down the mountains that shadowed the fields. András lifted his head, his lips pursing thoughtfully as he regarded all that happened around him. Stampedes of animals rushed through the aftermath, their wild caterwauling and thunderous hoofbeats barely heard above the cacophony of thunder. But betwixt all this chaos was she, a bright light against the backdrop of bleak and gray, kissed with pink across her cheeks and ears.

András stood to attention, turning to meet @Ophelia head-on as she encroached upon him. “Hardly a suitable day for a woman of your stature.” Well-bred, royalty, perhaps? She seemed not a waif, her daintiness instead beholding some form of confidence, one gifted only to those women most in touch, most beloved. She reminded him of the very same woman who had defended herself against that vile man so long ago. At the time, András had supported his ascension to power because his family had. Whatever had become of Viridian and Nymeria after that day had been lost to him.

Art by Kite, table by cala

Ophelia hadn't given the form of @András a second thought as she made her way down into the stomach of Celosia. The goat tracks were scattered, with no real direction or clear path that they might have taken. The scent from the prey animal was turning stale, suggesting to the ivory lioness that these tracks had been here for a few hours at least, if not longer. It is the large and distinguishable cracks in the ground that draw her attention next, and with no fear, the girl walks over to one of them that had goat prints either side. Taking her paw, she runs it along the crack and studies the rough edges that it seemed to house, and how the ground had been forced open by something much stronger than she. Whatever this thing was - whatever Maua had in store - it was certainly bigger than she.

It was the voice of András that pulled Ophelia's attention away from the cracks in the ground. The ivory lioness rose back to her feet and turned to look at the man. He was awfully handsome, with his chiselled features and harsh eyes. There was something captivating about him, and she finds herself staring. Catching the frog in her throat, she frowns at him a little. I think you'll find I can hold myself perfectly fine on any day, thank you very much. She comments with a flick of her tail, watching him with a slight feeling of unease.

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Assess the impacts of the weather on herds and prey
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)

Exp
+5 - BWP related thread (2/2)
+5 Study the weather and how it will affect hunting (2/2)
+5 Study and track footprints (2/2)
+5 Follow the scent of prey (2/2)

code / artwork / background

She stares—and András notices. His lips curve into a clever grin, eyes regarding her with quiet wonder. Her fascination betrays her words, and he feigned hurt, his brows knitting. Despite her elegance she is uneasy, and András cannot tell if it is because of him, or because of the destruction that lay all about them. “I don't doubt your strength,” he comments, correcting himself; he did indeed did not doubt that @Ophelia was meant for these lands. She'd promenaded as if she'd walked the same paths a thousand times, but she was a bright light amidst the darkness, something soft and sweet and unbelonging of the way nature tore this place asunder.

He observes the goat prints scattered all about them, trampling over the evidence of other herds long fled to safer lands. “Seems they left in a hurry,” he observes now, trying to find any reason to get her to stay, so that he may enjoy her company for longer. Truth be, András didn't care where they'd gone. What happened in these lands meant very little to a man who'd had another country he could fall back to if this place was destroyed. He wondered if it was a far more dire situation for his pale companion, however. He wondered what would happen to her if this land was lost to the blight.

Art by Kite, table by cala

The feeling of unease is quick to melt into nothing more than her own feeling of vulnerability, which seemed to be hidden in her subconscious. That's good. I can hold my own. She reiterates, just to make sure that @András really does understand that she is both strong and independent.

Her eyes linger a little while longer before turning back to the goat tracks. She nods at his comment, moving to study them a little closer with one of her paws. It certainly seems like it, Ophelia comments, rubbing the loose dirt through her paws. I suspect the cracks and gaps in the dirt have something to do with it. Why else would they leave in a hurry, with no obvious direction as to where they went? It didn't quite make sense, not really.

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Assess the impacts of the weather on herds and prey
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)

Exp
+5 - BWP related thread
+5 Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+5 Study and track footprints
+5 Follow the scent of prey

code / artwork / background

He succeeded at easing her, something András was often not quite the most proficient at. But he relented regardless, enjoying the ease with which she appeared around him now, and enjoying every soft and delicate curve of her. It was far easier to enjoy a woman who wanted to be there, who seemed enthused with all she was saying and doing, even if András himself wasn't particularly caring of the topic. Rather, he might like to test her strength, to see truly just how independent @Ophelia could truly be.

Such dark thoughts could be mulled over later, however, perhaps when the world were not so awry.

“Earthquakes?” he suggested at her comments. He could think of nothing else that would create such deviations in the lands, wrenching it apart as if it were teeth rending flesh. While she looks around, his eyes never leave her, far more intent on watching her as she observes and leaving the rest of their surroundings to the blur of the background. He can see the stretch of fissures all around her, a land once peaceful ripped and torn all apart.

Art by Kite, table by cala

Ophelia did not know the darker intentions that the silver male had in store for her: but if she did, would she have lingered that little longer? Would she have stayed in his company, so relaxed, as she was now? Ophelia would never know, as she was completely oblivious to his thoughts.

The man mentions earthquakes, and Ophelia's eyes turn away from the cracks and back onto his figure. Perhaps. She answers to him, before rising back to her paws and looking behind @András. What brings you to the fields, anyway? You don't seem much of a hunter. She remarks with a subtle frown, turning the conversation away from her and back onto him. All the while, the woman kept her eyes on the distance, observing a quiet rumble of dust being kicked up from something heading their way.


Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Assess the impacts of the weather on herds and prey
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)

Exp
+5 - BWP related thread
+5 Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+5 Study and track footprints
+5 Follow the scent of prey

code / artwork / background

He wasn't much of a hunter? If András were a slightly less serious man, he might have scoffed at her remark, offended that he did not appear strong and sturdy enough to tear down such beasts. But even he knew that was perhaps not what she'd meant; he were more a warrior, whose opponents were far larger and far stronger than mere prey. “A sword,” he responded, his smirk betraying the feigned hurt he felt at her remark. “I take down the enemies of anyone willing pay me enough.” And that so happened to be the Rike, who'd earned his undying devotion. The prize he'd been given was one of the most precious of them all.

But he was interrupted by her gaze, following it to see the rise of dust in the far-off distance. András squinted his gaze in an attempt to see what was going on; was it another earthquake, was it the lost goats who'd been stampeding through the territory in search of safety, only to create more chaos? András, ever-observant, kept @Ophelia in the corner of his gaze to see what she would do first. Was it time to run, now?

Art by Kite, table by cala

Ophelia was initially confused by the remark that @András had made. A sword? She echoes, not understanding fully what he meant until he explained it further. The pits of her stomach turned at the thought, and the woman wondered what sort of lions neighboured her pride if he were so easily paid to 'take down' enemies of another. Could they not do it themselves? Does that make you a danger to everyone you meet? She asks, suddenly quite concerned for her own welfare and safety. The woman had so many questions to ask the grey male, but her time was cut short by the rising dust in the distance, combined with the increasing sound of hooves.

Ophelia turns back and sees the dust cloud increase. Her ears are quick to pin back to her crown, and she lowers herself down to the ground before turning to the other male. We need to get out of here. She remarks quite quickly and with a firm tone, not taking no for an answer. Without even waiting, Ophelia slips into the foliage and away from the stomach of the fields when a herd of antelope swamps the hunting grounds. Whether András had managed to get out safely, though, was yet to be seen.

EXIT

Tickets
+1 - Make a BWP-related post
+2 - Study one of the natural phenomena occurring
+2 - Assess the impacts of the weather on herds and prey
+2 - Analyze the changes being made to the land
+5 - Complete a thread with a character you've never threaded with before
+5 - Complete a BWP-related thread (with 10+ posts)

Exp
+5 - BWP related thread
+5 Study the weather and how it will affect hunting
+5 Study and track footprints
+5 Follow the scent of prey

code / artwork / background