Perhaps she would have understood someday if she had only been given a reason. A young lioness had moved hurriedly past the entrance to this land, not a single word exchanged with another soul – only a task to be accomplished. Perhaps, if she had whispered her reality to the mewling cub, the words might have meant something to her someday. She might have felt empathy for a lioness too young and frightened to bear the burden of a child. She might have, at least, known that it was not her fault she was left in the sands that day.

Over the course of the day that followed the tragic scene, Libra had only managed to drag her toddling form to the blonde sands of the cay. Exhausted, hungry, she curled up under the heat of the midday sun without an ounce of energy left for crying or moving. Her fate would depend on the instincts of those more capable than she.

---

|| november y7 | two months | rogue cub | at amani cay |
OPEN but no OH pls i've got 4 ok ||

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Calhoun rarely leaves the island. He is loathe to set foot outside the sands and risk the disappearance of Calypso again — or any of his crew, for that matter. He prowls the outer edge of the Cay, his paws leaving damp impressions in the sand before the ocean waves roll over his path and obscure it. Up ahead of him, he spots what he had assumed to be a rock from the distance, but the closer he gets, the more evident it becomes that it is a living creature — a child. Calhoun frowns, quickening his stride towards the slumped cub, his brows furrowing. His shadow casts across the girl, and his gaze scans the shoreline, the waves, for signs of life — for suggestions that she is not alone. "What are ye doin all the way out here, little lass?" he muses, his muzzling tipping down towards her with a somewhat perplexed look spanning across his grizzle features. @Libra

image by aminirus, code by koi

He really had to hand it to Calhoun, the man had picked a perfect spot for the crew to set up base. Pretty, and with no hidden paths the island it was easy to keep up watch for raiders or whatever this new land harbored. Edward had spent half his time exploring the area, and half his time being generally lazy and resting from a journey that had taken far longer than it should have (but was it really his fault if a pretty face distracted him every few miles or so?).

Today was an exploring day, the man following the beach and enjoying the views as they came. One, however, was quite familiar. He'd know that scaled backside at any distance - seemed the Captain was out exploring or patrolling or...was that a lump of sand he was talking to?

No...as Edward came closer the brown shape resolved itself into a little cub, and the dark man perked up in curiosity, trotting to come up alongside Cal, "'Nother one o'yours, Cap'n?" Not really any resemblance, but the crew had never shied away from taking in strays. He was a living example of that. "Or a wee bit o' flotsam washed up?" She was very tiny, very young; his attention shifted, much like the elder male's, to seek any signs of other life or any clues to the cub's origin.

@Calhoun @Libra

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"What are ye doin' all the way out here, little lass?" Only when she heard the sudden words could she muster the energy to blink her venom-green eyes open, a wide and sideways stare latching upon his dark figure. He looked like a shadow or a monster, and yet his voice almost felt warm. Dazed and fading from consciousness, such a tone was not familiar to Libra.

"My mom," she murmured, perhaps without even enough power behind the words for them to be audible. Her heart thrummed in her chest with an overwhelming speed, some mix of fear and weakness preventing her from so much as moving to lift up her head in case it could trigger her demise. Another then, only furthering her panic. "'Nother one o'yours, Cap'n?" Though, the way he addressed the other lion directly rather than her fueled her hopes that she could lie still enough to create a cloak of invisibility around herself.

---

@Calhoun @Edward

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His good ear swivels towards the approaching sound of @Edward's footfalls, earning a sidelong glance from the captain, who shakes his head in denial. "No, I ain't seen this one before," he says, his gaze drifting back down towards the bundled up form of @Libra by his paws. There's no sign of life around other than the girl, and though the particular circumstance may be different, there's a likeness in this lost child and how the crew had come to find Edward. They have a habit of taking in strays, though the outcome these days is a far cry more pleasant than things had been when Ed had been a wee lad himself. Calhoun had made certain of that — that such suffering would never befall his crew at the hands of their captain again. The girl mutters something against the sand, but Calhoun can't make it out; she seems worryingly exhausted, and though he hopes it can be chalked up to the heat and a long journey — wherever she's from — he is concerned enough that his first thought is to track down a medic. He dares not bother Calypso, not now, but they are lucky enough to have another capable healer now, and if he recalls correctly, @Francesca mentioned being good with cubs as well. Seems like the woman for the job, really. "Well now lass, I dunno who ye belong teh, but we'll getchya fixed up," he states, uncertain if the cub can even hear or comprehend any of what he's saying. If she can, then he hopes his demeanor is a balm — surprisingly gentle, considering his grizzled exterior and rough voice. "M'name's Cal, and that there's Ed," he continues, "an' we're goin' teh take ye to see our friend Franny. She'll make sure yer right as rain, aye?" He isn't really expecting an answer, but he doesn't want to grab the cub only to have her kicking and screaming in his grasp — which she well might do anyway, but no one can say he didn't try. With any luck, she's too small and tired for the fight, and Calhoun attempts to pluck her up from the sand by her scruff, as a parent does their child.

image by aminirus, code by koi

A hum to show he heard came when Cal answered, his gaze still roaming the nearby landscape in search of any clue that could point them toward an answer. No tracks, no scent...how long had she been out here all alone, then? The girl murmured something and brought Ed's attention back to her; probably either orphaned or fully abandoned. Probably not a situation all that different from what his own had been, going by what he'd been told as a little cub himself.

Well, luck was on her side, wasn't it? The Crew had no problem taking in strays and raising them up to be capable individuals - whether they chose to stay or not.

A friendly grin was offered when the captain introduced him, "Hey li'l one, y're safe as can be now." Now, though, came the question of her health, and making sure the little thing didn't die of hunger or exposure or disease or whatever else while in their care. "Seems she's washed up, or been left. No tracks or scent left t'follow," maybe once she was rested they'd get a little more of her story out of her, but it didn't really matter in the grand scheme where she'd come from or why. If Cal wanted to take her in, that's what would happen, simple as that.

@Libra @Calhoun

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As much as she wished it, the lions did not go away. They continued chattering, their accents hard for the babe to understand as she tried to make out the words. She had hardly been able to understand a word the last time she saw her mother, and her communication skills had not been developed much further than that. Finally, she felt teeth clasp around the fleshy handle of her scruff, and instinct demanded that the girl go entirely limp. Wherever they took her, it would be up to them and fate as the girl drifted out of the measly consciousness she had maintained.

---

-exit-
@Calhoun @Edward

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Whether or not young @Libra truly understands what's going on is irrelevant, though Calhoun isn't making any effort to frighten her. He wants to see her safe, and if nothing else, he is grateful that instinct allows her to settle into his grasp without complaint. Maybe she has a parent out there looking for her, but she would hardly be the first washed up cub the crew has taken in — @Edward is proof of that. With the babe firmly within his jaws, Calhoun turns to head deeper into the underbrush of the Cove, deciding first to head towards Francesca's den in the hopes that the medic is in. He'd prefer the peace of mind knowing that the cub is okay. Exeunt Calhoun

image by aminirus, code by koi

Poor thing was exhausted, that was obvious enough, but she was safe now whether she knew it or not. It had been many a year since cubs had faced danger from the crew itself. Age had made the edges of those memories fuzzy, but life had improved drastically under Cal's leadership.

She was lucky, being found by the crew rather than some pride lion (or a rogue with ill-intent), should she choose to stay once old enough, she'd gotten herself a family of sorts that were far less likely to scatter and abandon her. He'd seen it several times over the years, prides dissolving and never quite regrouping. The crew had fought tooth and claw to come back together.

Ed would follow at Cal's side, wanting to see the girl safe and hear, for himself, she was healthy (or what needed done if not).

-exit-

@Calhoun @Libra

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