Lately, Roan felt like he was always on the move. With so much of these lands to explore, and no where yet to call home, the masked lion was always on the lookout for more information. He needed to know these lands and finally find somewhere for his family to settle into. As the fogs lifted further, the mauve lion wandered beyond the peaks of which he had already grown fond of and ended up within a lush forest. Though the foliage was a bit different than the jungle he had previously lived in, the coverage of trees was a nice bit of nostalgia for the Hodari. Meandering through the grove would eventually bring the mauve lion to the scent of a pride. A distinct shift in the scents of the land seemed to settle upon a treeline within the grove. Unlike any of the other prides he had investigate thus far, though, this one seemed stronger. Perhaps it was a longer established pride considering that the rogue hadn't heard of any recent claims in this area, but then again, he had missed a couple of the last pride claims. In any case, it was just another pride to learn about as Roan settled down at the edge of the territory before ushering a few polite chuffs in hopes of meeting the leaders of these lands.
@Nymeria
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
No fights in progress
w o o d s
thankfully, she makes quick work of her journey to the borders, her strides wide and even, as she allows a warm expression to toy at the edges of her visage. and ah, there he was, planted politely on the edges of the pride territory's, waiting for the druid's arrival with poise and, what seemed to be, experience. but despite his manners, he was still a stranger, and so the valour woman would stop a few feet beyond his figure, gaze flickering absently across @Roan's frame, before speaking. "well, hello -- how can i help you?" even chords would inquire, pausing before giving away too much information.
It wasn't long before someone arrived. With the strength of the scent line, Roan could only speculate how many lions might live here or who might rule it. Maybe they had more than one ruler, or maybe not. In any case, there was definitely a larger cloud of mystery surrounding this pride hidden within the forests, and the Hodari hoped that he'd be able to uncover a bit of information.
A woman approached with steady strides, colored in gentle shades of ash and wheat. There was something quite pleasing to the eye surrounding her neutral appearance when Roan had grown so used to such wildly marked lions over the years. He almost felt loudly marked in comparison to the stranger. Managing to catch her greeting after briefly inspecting her image, the Hodari would offer a polite nod in turn. "Hello, miss," channeling his inner Dero. Wouldn't his father have been so proud at all the interactions he had with prides lately? Only took the man's death to make his son finally step up and be useful. Anyway... "My name is Roan Hodari. I mean you no trouble. I was just exploring the nearby grove when I seemed to have caught scent of your pride, I think?" All obvious things, but necessary to explain how he ended up here, perhaps? "Is there a pride living here?" Even though there seemed to be scent markers in the area, Roan just wanted to be certain that there really was a pride living here before he would try to learn anything from the woman.
@Nymeria
w o o d s
"hodari?" nymeria asks suddenly at his introduction, allowing a small crack in her poised complexion to break through. she couldn't forget that name, after all -- not after that pleasant day spent beneath the breath of the sacred falls. "are you related to hanneth, by chance?" of course, she could have assumed as much on her own, but the druid would rather have the details of it all confirmed by @Roan himself.
however, polite as she was, the valour woman would not keep him waiting long for the answers to his other questions -- and, as expected, he was quick to wonder of their borders and of their origins, to which nymeria would proudly oblige. "yes, you've found your way to vermeda brook -- it has been a home for my kin for generations." humming tones explain finally, hoping that this was enough information to hint towards the unique nature of the brook. but surely, more queries would be coming soon.
WE'LL START AGAIN
∿ on the ocean ∿
Boy, was she glad she did. Them bright lilac eyes danced without hesitation to the mauve boy at their borders. There was just something about these strangers that were just captivating. She might've blushed as she stared from a distance, hoping that she was a little bit more concealed away from them but she doubted it. Talisa hadn't exactly planned to be staring at them and because of how out in the open she was, decided to make the approach towards them. Lingering near to her sister while giving the stranger a more welcoming smile than he might get from any other here. Hello, she gave quietly on the end-tail of Nymeria's explanation of her kin that lived within.
@Roan
So far, no introduction the masked lion had offered ever prompted a sense of recognition from strangers. Not yet anyway. Anyone who showed familiarity with the name, thus far, had been someone who likely traveled with the group of refugees. They knew of either Dero or Hanneth from the old lands, so when the stranger seemed acquainted with the surname already, Roan was surprised to say the least. The follow up question, though, should really come as no surprise. If only one leader would know of Hanneth already, it would surely be the one that seemed the most established. Perhaps the bronze woman was doing a bit of her own searching while Roan scouted the lands, and the stronger scent of this pride was enough to catch the former queen's attention. Whatever the encounter between this woman and his former queen, Roan could only hope it was a positive experience.
"Yes. Hanneth is my, um, stepmother." The Hodari faltered with his words if only because it was the first time he had ever called Hanneth such out loud. He figured it was the easiest way to label their relationship in the absence of both a pride and his father. It just sounded better than saying my father's widow while also refraining from diving into the lengthy turmoil that was the masked lion's life history. In any case, it was a simple answer that he hoped would be enough to satisfy the stranger. "And may I ask your name, miss?" It was only polite to return it, right? Roan couldn't blame the woman, however, if she was hesitant to give her identity to that of an outsider. With so many refugees flooding the lands and staking claims of their own, the Hodari would likely be very reserved with strangers if he was in @Nymeria's shoes.
As the queen answered the rogue's questions, two more lioness arrived at her side in due time. One a gentle chocolate who offered a greeting. "Hello," Roan would return in kind to @Talisa before noting the second arrival. A yearling girl, donned in dark socks with a mask to match. There was something weirdly familiar about her, but yet the Hodari knew he had never met her before. The masked lion couldn't help but feel that maybe @Tyne had a similar feeling given how her gaze seemed not to leave him. "Hello," he offered with a polite dip of his head to the yearling before returning his attention back to the presumed eldest of the three. "Vermeda Brook," the rogue would repeat to himself. At the notion that this place had been home to generations of lions, though, sent a sour feeling into the pit of the Hodari's gut. They were natives, like that girl he met in the tunnels. But this was a pride of natives. He could only guess their opinions of the numerous lions who had infiltrated their island. "Ah, so this must be the native pride I've heard about then. It is nice to meet you all." Maybe he sounded a little awkward in his words, but frankly, Roan didn't know what to say to the pride that had been living here before they all migrated. "I, um.... I hope the recent influx of lions hasn't been too, uh, troublesome for you all.... We're... We're not all like that, if you've had trouble." It wouldn't have felt right to come straight out and ask about her pride without first gauging how the natives felt about the new rogues. After meeting Tuathla in the caves, Roan had always intended to search for the native pride, but the fogs had only let him get so far at first.
w o o d s
rather than getting caught up in that, however, nymeria remains focused on @Roan's words, watching him with a curious glint to her moonstone gaze as he spills forth a series of information and quick quips. he affirms her suspicious on his surname, prompting the nymph to nod absently and fortify the connection within her head, finding reassurance in the fact that she had not just embarrassed herself by making assumptions. "i'm glad to see you're doing well, hanneth mentioned that your family arrived with some injuries." the queen would offer, her tones dropping to a warm soprano, hoping that she was not overstepping her boundaries by inquiring on their health. it could very well be a sensitive topic, but it is not long until there is an abrupt flutter of her lashes, lips parting as she realized that she had failed to provide her own introductions to the man. "oh! how impolite of me -- nymeria valour, high sovereign of vermeda." oops.
nymeria is more prepared for his final string of sentences, however, her ears swiveling atop her crown to catch the words of remorse and hesitance that now loomed in the air between them. "some have been better than others, but we are managing." she explains smoothly and without falter, not intending to allow her scrutiny to get the better of her. besides, to spill their worries and insecurities would only put a crack in the pride's strengthened armour, which was something that nymeria certainly did not intend on doing. the druid notes, however, that roan's words echoed what hanneth had said during their own meeting -- and it prompts a follow-up question that tumbles instinctively from between the woman's lips. "what makes you different from them, if you don't mind me asking?" she hummed with a flicker of her brow, curious to see what his response to such a question would be.
WE'LL START AGAIN
∿ on the ocean ∿
With some unfortunate timing, she didn't get a chance to catch the mauve male's name but she was sure Sister Nymeria would share with her if she asked. It wasn't worth interrupting their interesting conversation to grab for it. To that breath she was excited to hear what the male had to say about what made him different. So far Talisa had only met the kindest individuals and hadn't seen the dastardly or evil creatures but she believed her sisters when they spoke of such aggression being held within their domain.
@Tyne
The two other lionesses didn't say anything further towards the mauve lion, which made him just a little more nervous in the presence of the Brook leader. Especially if Nymeria knew Hanneth already, Roan didn't want to sully the pride's impression of the Hodari family. At the mention of his step-mother, though, the masked lion nodded lightly. "Thank you. We're doing alright, for the most part," he offered almost casually, not wanting to dawdle on the subject much. For even with his own injuries healed by now, it didn't make up for all those they left behind. Roan didn't want to dive into that subject just yet when he was really just hear to learn about the pride, not share his losses.
The masked lion couldn't help, but grin a bit when the queen seemed to realize she had never introduced herself yet. "Well a pleasure it is to officially meet you, then, Miss Nymeria." Roan would offer another dip of his head with learning the woman's name. He nearly expected that the others might follow suit and offer their own, but wouldn't press for it when they did not partake. It was not necessary for them to divulge their names if they were not comfortable with the stranger yet.
It was to be expected that not all the refugees had been playing nice since arriving in these new lands. With all the foreigners claiming lands left and right, Roan could only imagine the impression the Vermada lions already had of the influx of rogues. What did they think of the other rulers? The mauve lion was not, however, expecting for @Nymeria to ask what made him different from the not-so-friendly new arrivals. Uh, well.... "Well, um... I don't know." Not a good answer, bro. "I mean, I'd like to think we're good lions. Like we're not gonna double cross you or anything. We just don't want trouble." The Hodari obviously wasn't prepared for this question, so he took a second to gather his thoughts and composure. "What I mean is, we want to do things right. Like as soon as the fogs started to lift, lions were staking claims on these lands already, without really knowing who might have already been living here. I can't guarantee that my family won't ever seek to have a pride of their own again, but we'd want to do it the right way.... if there is a right way. I want to know these lands before trying to do anything major." Did that make sense? It barely made sense in his own mind, but it was the best Roan could come up with. He just wanted a safe place for his family to live. And maybe once they got better acquainted with the lands, they could seek a pride of their own again, but it would take time.