kiton hodari.

Once Kiton had the idea for an elaborate birthday party for their eldest cubs, there was little that could be done to get the idea out of his head. He busied himself in the Ecrosia territory by gathering a slew of delicious treats--guessing what may be the children's favorites--and setting them up by a small stream in their mire territory. He had scattered all manner of fragrant herbs (catnip, khat, and even some ambiguous mushrooms) around the small clearing with feathers and flowers placed in careful piles. It was the most a lion could do to decorate a swamp home in a way that might be pleasing to the swarms of guests he hoped would arrive.
When he was satisfied with his work, Kiton let out a call for his family to gather. He had not told the young royals of his plans, though perhaps he had not been the best about hiding his cheeriness, either. He was practically vibrating with anticipation as he sat and waited for all of his efforts to pay off famously.

OOC: happy birthday to our eldest royals! This pride event is a birthday party for @Lysander, @Aphelion, and @Delphine. Allied prides and families are welcome to attend!

With all of the emotional turmoil going on in her life, this was a happy chance to get out of Vermeda and have a chance to mingle. All of it felt drastically strange to not have Morrigan at her side for this but perhaps @Farrow would come along. It would be a good chance for him to see the potential that their own litter had for the future. Be good to show him off, too. Talisa approached with whoever chose to follow (@Cassandra, @Khal and/or @Ori) as well as any of Nymeria's children and hoped that this would be a good outing. Her own children were growing too quickly and while she had been warned how fast they grew up, she had still been surprised and felt like she had acquired whiplash from how old they had gotten.

Once she had arrived, Talisa was pleasantly surprised by the amount of effort that had been put into decorating the area. It was hard to discern if this had been put up as a decoration for them or for his children but Talisa was happy to make that it was for his eldest. The one's that @Kiton had mentioned at their first gathering and one of which she hoped that a Valour-Hodari union could come to.

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faevyre.Faevyre is always a social butterfly, and so when a call rings out for allies to gather for what seems to be a party, she recalls that the Hollows is one of the Mire's allies, and prowls toward the sound. She'd been in jungle gathering herbs and fruits when the call had rang out, so she brings them with her, deciding they'd perhaps make a decent gift.

The Mire is muddy, and a bit irritating to move through, but she picks her way carefully across it, undeterred. It's her first time here, so when the figure of the male that had made the call comes into view in the clearing up ahead, she pauses casually behind one of the trees to give her fur a quick cleanse, swiping away some of the mud to make herself look a bit more presentable. It's been a long time since she's been considered... royalty, but she hasn't forgotten her manners, and how to attend a gathering looking decent.

The mauve lioness approaches in tandem with the brown stranger. She perks her ears forward and wears a soft and friendly smile as she seeks to move toward her, picking up the Vermedan scent upon the wind.

She seeks to settle a bit near to the pale-streaked woman, not wanting to encroach upon the lovely decorations scattered about. Her head lowers the akuamma onto the dry ground. Her nose twitches as she smells the fragrances mixing in the clearing. "Hey," she greets to both @Talisa and @Kiton. "Nice decorating." The words are calm but still chipper, and sincere. She's not sure if he's the King or just someone else in the pride celebrating, but she tries to be polite nonetheless.

Faevyre nudges the bundle of fruits and herbs toward the Mire stranger with her nose with a sheepish smile. "These are for your pride." A pause. "I'm Faevyre, been in the Hollows for a little bit. Hope you don't mind me showing up... and, ah, if you need any help with the festivities, let me know." It's the most she can offer, being a stranger, but she figures she's got to get out there somehow.

Kallan had certainly picked up on her father's mood in recent days, and it sent enough excitement surging through the young girl that she did not know if her tiny body could possibly contain it. She had been using her outdoor voice and playing rough games and trying to wrestle with her brothers, but none of it seemed to scratch the mental itch she had inside. This caused her to practically launch herself toward the direction of her father's call when it came, sprinting and scrambling through the mire to get there just in time to witness two lionesses having already arrived.
"Hello," she greeted instinctively, a wide smile enveloping her entire expression with utter joy. Each of them seemed so friendly and beautiful, and something about the brown woman even seemed familiar. Kallan might have guessed that she had seen her in a dream before. "Is it my birthday, Dad? Oh, are we having a party? Is this my party?" The questions spilled out rapidly as she began to bounce, coming up and attempting to wind herself affectionately around the limbs of all three of the adults gathered.

@Kiton @Talisa @Faevyre

The growing behemoth let out a large yawn from the sunning stone he'd been napping on, unnaturally long fangs glinting in the sun as they poked down from his lips. He'd been only semi-aware that his birthday was coming up, but he older and larger he grew, the less he felt inclined to laziness. He still remembered the thrill of watching @Kiton fight for their home and it was something he aspired to do. Now that he was a yearling it was probably high time he kicked things into gear.

This was what Lysander had been expecting when he heard his father's call, but it was strange that he would call for allies merely to discuss his future... Ruby red eyes widened as he stepped into the clearing, realizing what was actually happening. He had to be quick to stifle the sudden rise of emotion he felt in his chest and throat. Effort had obviously been expended here and Lys still couldn't believe just how much his parents truly did care for him and his siblings.

The massive yearling was happy to see the small shape of @Kallan nearby though and used her as a distraction from immediately putting the attention on himself, "It's always your party, Princess," he told his baby sister, playfully batting a large golden paw at her brown tail tip. His eyes show his true emotions as he looks into his father's pink eyes, "Thank you," he calls out a little louder as he waits for his usual partners to arrive, too. He flashed a smiled to @Faevyre and @Talisa as well.

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Juliette is quiet and tentative as she strolls towards the familiar Mire alongside her aunt. Feeling a heavy thought over her head as she travels rather slowly, not entirely sure what this was all meant to be but the area does not disappoint this time. @Kiton has put a lot of detail into what she came to and her eyes are large, taking in everything that she sees. From the flowers and feathers, to the great smells that overwhelmed her -- she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Of course that was until others began to arrive. Her first instinct was to get a little closer to her Aunt but instead she stood her ground and watched.

One very bubbly child -- she remembered this one!

@Kallan! she cried, remembering her and ultimately saying her name without realizing that she had done it out loud until it was too late. Then another showed but this one was twice as large as her mauve acquaintance and earned a rather awed look. She didn't know this one's name and so fell into a somber silence -- he didn't look much like Kallan or Kiton but she knew better than to say those kinds of things without thinking.

rhaella, alongside @Juliette, had quickly hopped on the opportunity to accompany their aunt back into the familiar folds of the mire. their last visit had been so much fun, after all, so how could she possibly say no to another chance to see and mingle with her new friends? and so, clumsy steps propelled the babe forwards, following tightly in her sister's shadow until they arrived upon the scene of the party, which, simply put, was magical. there was so much to take in and to see, and there was an electric buzz to the air that made the princess' heart nearly begin to soar.

as juliette petered off in kallan's direction, rhaella found her eyes wandering around the growing group, unable to suppress the excitement that was brewing in her chest -- but suddenly, there was someone who garnered the child's attention. and without even thinking, she would look to saunter in their direction. coming up from behind @Talisa, the valour would flash @Kiton a pleasant smile and nod of her head, before clearing her throat and tilting her maw up towards @Faevyre. "excuse me," she quipped softly, feeling suddenly a bit sheepish, for she did not want to necessarily interrupt the adult conversation that they might have been having. and yet, she felt as though if she did not say what she was thinking, that she might just burst apart at the seams. and so, pausing for a brief breath of courage, she finally allowed that wide smile to consume her features once more, before admitting: "you are really, really pretty!"

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delphine had been keeping to herself as of late, preferring to remain in the shadows and quietly dot upon the mire's newest children in her free-time. but today? today, she knew that festivities were in order, and that she needed to be present in order to express how endlessly grateful she was for @Kiton's acceptance of not only her, but @Lysander and @Aphelion as well. they owed the hodari's their lives, after all, and the yearling knew that she would do anything for them. they were her family, not by blood, but by choice, and she valued it all the same.

sliding up smoothly beside her brother, delphine flashed her younger sister a wide and warm smile, finding that her proclamations about the party were equally as cute as they were endearing. and so, reaching outwards, delphine would pluck one of the feathers that their father had laid out from the earth, before pulling back and looking to tuck it behind one of @Kallan's ears. it was beautiful and blue, just like those pale, pastel eyes of her's -- and the hodari wanted to make sure that the younger babe still felt special, no matter what the occasion was. otherwise, delphine was more than happy to just wait and see what would unfold for them throughout today's events.

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Despite how he stuck out like a sore thumb, Jafar kept to the outskirts of the event. More or less he was there to make sure that things ran smoothly and that he didn't have to intervene and move in to protect a child. Not that he cared, obviously, for he really was just itching for a reason to brawl though he highly doubted that he would find that sort of satisfaction here. Ecrosia was quiet and while that did have its advantages, it wasn't something that he considered to be a permanent solution. If anything, he was still biding his time -- hoping that either his family would return or that he would find the perfect time to take over his own pride. Whichever came first, he supposed.

Let me swallow the sun

ride until my time is done

To say he was stunned was a poor statement. Aphelion stood at the edge of the clearing, having stumbled upon it thanks to his father's call, and the youth stared. For the first time he was wordless, normally the chattiest of chatty, and his eyes glistened. Ugh for the love of gods, he scorned himself, willing the dewiness to evaporate. Who made you so emotional?

"Father," Aphelion chuffed, walking slowly towards @Kiton, gazing around with bewilderment. "I-" he sniffed, clearing his throat brusquely and drawing himself up straighter. The boy wore his emotions on his sleeve, and he couldn't really help it. "Thank you." He whispered, gazing up at Kiton. He caught sight of his siblings, and sought to meet their gaze, with a look of Can you believe this? in his eyes.

He spotted the gentry, @Jafar, and in an effort to maintain his composure bounded up to him. The noble was absolutely enormous, much larger than Aphelion would likely ever be, and sported a bobbed tail that the boy liked very much. "Hi," he chirped. "I don't think we've officially met...or talked," he admitted with a big, boyish grin. "I'm Aphelion."

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