Orei stood so close to the water that the ebb and flow lapped gently at his paws as it came ashore. If only it could wash away all his troubles as easily as it's back and forth motion. Oh how he longed to be like the sand, washing away all traces and leaving it new and untouched. Slowly does he drag a paw through the sand, letting the coolness of it slide between his toes. Watching as the tide comes in to wash away his mark.

The water reminded him of the Brook, the sand of the Oasis. His two homes in Amaryllis clashing in one place. But the tidepools were much less subdued, less inhabitable compared to the two pride lands. It was as close as he would get to feeling like he was home. He had vowed never to return to the two pride lands. They held too many memories he couldn't let go of, and he wasn't naive enough to believe in notions of a right to either pride due to his ancestry.

That was all he would allow himself to sulk, the day was new, the memories that haunted him in the distant past. He would no longer be controlled by them, every step he took was to spite the bitter memory he held of Amaryllis. Moving further into the water, he relishes in the relief in brings. Tipping his head up towards the sky, dual toned eyes closing momentarily. He let the sun warm his face, soon it would be too cold to even bask in the sun. He wanted to enjoy these last few days of Autumn before Winter swept in to take all the warmth with it.

"Speech."

@Genesis

OREI SAXE

code by corvus

So...this was it. There was an air of finality to Genesis' stride as she strolled just out of the ocean's reach, the cool sand both bringing relief to her traveled paws and grounding her as it seeped between her toes. It was hard enough to believe her mother had lived a whole life here before she ever knew her, but now she was expected to do the same alongside her sister and brothers--a tall order she had not the slightest clue how to fill.

Her siblings would flourish, no doubt, being as mighty and quick-witted as they were. Genesis, however, was not nearly as gifted--at least, not as far as she knew herself to be. If anything, the girl felt like more of a liability to the rest of them, so whatever it was that their mother hoped for her to achieve remained a mystery. This excited her almost as much as it did frighten her. Would she only ever know life as it was within her family's shadow, or was she destined for something more? The possibilities seemed as endless as the sea before her.

At some point, her doe-eyed gaze was drawn away from it by the sight of a figure up ahead. Its silhouette was unmistakably leonine but lacked many of her littermates' distinct features. Under most other circumstances, Genesis might have hesitated to approach, but a new sense of purpose (combined with the knowledge that her brother could not have been far behind her) propelled her forward until she was well within range of the stranger's attention.

He was a complete foil to her, boasting a powerful figure wrapped in vibrant hues and bold eyes that seemed full of visions seen and stories to tell. A little thing like her should have envied someone like him, but all Genesis felt was awe. As she was normally surrounded by various iterations of black and white, the sight of him was, admittedly...a breath of fresh air. Yet, somehow, he looked like he felt suffocated.

"Pardon me, sir." Soft, demure, as if she was addressing someone far more than a few moons her elder. "Does something trouble you?" Far be it her place to ask such probing questions, but the girl only wished to offer to him the same listening ear she would have wanted someone else to provide to her. @Orei

code by scorpixia♡︎

A shiver ran down his spine, the cold seeping into his bones. Telling him he had been standing in the water for too long. In a way the pain was comforting. It made him feel alive, something his mother could no longer say. Refusing to let it overtake is thoughts, Orei turns to step out of the shallow water. But he stops before making it to the shore. Dual toned gaze sweeping over towards her, immediately noticing her striking blue eyes against a snow-white pelt. Her voice just barely registers, he can't help but feel nervous, trying to gauge any sign that she might know who he was or who his family was. Her tone implied that she did, Orei finally allowed himself to relax.

"Sir?" Orei said with a warm chuckle, "You calling me old?" He jests before removing himself completely from the water. Cold feet forgotten as he moves towards her, dark form a stark contrast from her own. He takes a moment to think about how he might answer her, she was young still though clearly not much younger than he was. There was no point in pushing his troubles off onto a stranger, even if by some luck she would understand what he was going through. "Ghosts from the past, memories of a happier time." Saying it out loud felt like a lie. Had he truly been happy back then? Or had he imagined how nice his life had been when he had been royalty. Before he lost his mother and his father. His life now was certainly happier, but the memories haunted him. With time he hoped to come to terms with it.

"Speech."

@Genesis

OREI SAXE

code by corvus

The stranger did not necessarily give off hostile vibes, but that did not negate the possibility that he might lash out if unexpectedly jarred from his brooding state. Genesis had a knack for ending up on the receiving end of that sort of encounter, and she was prepared to act accordingly if she found herself there once again...even if that just meant taking advantage of his position in the water as an opportunity for a head start in the opposite direction. However, @Orei's response swiftly reassured her that there would be no need. In fact, he surprised her in another way.

He froze, almost like cornered prey, and at first she did not know how to proceed. How could she? Genesis had never elicited fear in another, let alone in a man who easily dwarfed her several times over. Perhaps it was in his best interest that her siblings were not at her side, lest they both be mocked for this unexpected role reversal. Her own uncertainty kept her planted where she stood while he studied her, her gaze pleading to his as if to say, "It's okay." When he finally deflated, she let out a silent breath of relief that had been building in her chest.

Likewise, his words coaxed a bashful smile onto her face. Normally, in the face of a towering figure questioning her choices, she might have worried she had misstepped, but his lightheartedness was apparent enough that she felt permitted the same luxury. She brushed off some of her own stiffness with a chuckle. "My mistake," she conceded. "It's a force of habit. You...present yourself like one who commands respect." Maybe it was because he was tall, or pretty, or reminiscent of her own noble siblings and mother. Regardless, she tended to see most in this light.

He blamed his initial melancholy on looming ghosts and old memories. Funny, since those had both been compelling reasons for her mother to send her brood into Amaryllis. He seemed like he wished to escape them, while she had been instructed to face hers head-on. Genesis looked briefly out at the water then back at him. "Perhaps you might find some happiness in the here and now? Even if it's just in a nice view." She clung to the present most of the time for this exact reason. There was something to be appreciated in a moment's peace and quiet. "I'm Genesis Farron. Is there something else you'd rather be called...if not old?" A brightening of her smile as she hoped to lighten his mood.

code by scorpixia♡︎