For all of this country's beauty, there was something daunting betwixt the endless span of desert and mountain and seas of belly-tickling grasses; Avaneira had just left the frightful battlefield of the Pit when she stumbled across its gnarled and blighted cemetery. The indistinct remains of those less fortunate scattered about her paws, ancient bones crackling underneath her paws and those not quite so old holding steadfast against her light weight, jagged and broken edges catching on the rims of her pads, cutting her, and leaving a small trail of blood in her wake. Avaneira endured nonetheless, traversing through this graveyard as the swell of storms in the far distant plunged the meadow into a deep, sweltering humidity. Thunder bellowed above-head, following the distinct crackling of lightning as it strewn itself across the sky, like veins of silvery light.

She came to rest eventually against one of the few hallowed trees, its ancient trunk creaking under the bracing of her shoulder against its enfeebled wood. Her search for nothing continued ceaselessly, unencumbered by a loss of hope from finding nothing because she had nothing to find; the bones of her sister may very well lay among all these others, and the wound left in her heart by her absence long scarred over, yet still so achingly raw and absolute. Avaneira sighed, willing the tears from the corners of her eyes as they soon joined the rain, just as the sky began to swell and spillover and trickle down her cheeks.

Holy he found his own personal heaven! Bones of all kinds of creatures were here and he could not hide his excitement at the idea of them! Standing on a large rock as the storm started to billow around him, he felt it shift his mane around and he was closing his eyes enjoying the humidity. He could feel his body crackling with excitement, the thunder he gave a few echoes of chuffs trying imitate its roars. He would never evenc ome close! But then a crack of lightning made his eyes open, he hestiated he wanted to challenge the weather. And he ahd a good mind to until it cracked a little too close for comfort. Annie would kill him again if he died here.

Moving to seek shelter by a hallowed tree unaware someone was already there, so when he entered starting to get soaking wet his mane clinging to his skin. Tail twitching he was grumbling in discomfort when suddenly he saw someone there and he stopped short. ”oh hey sorry!” he said suddenly shifting on his feet uncomfortably, ”Is it ok if I join?” he asked not wanting to make her uncomfortable.



"Speech"

She saw him, smelled him; his lumbering form did little to hide his approach, and the heaviness of the rain was not quite ruinous enough to disguise his masculine, lionish scent. Avaneira watched from her bracing against the tree as he continued to linger near, as if seeking shelter; and though its stripped branches were thick and gnarled, they were not quite as dry as the thick canopies of live forests perhaps mere miles from where they stand. Avaneira wondered if she blended against its bitter ancient bark so well that he wouldn't notice her, but just as the thought crossed her mind, he came to a stop. Oh hey sorry! he bellowed, uncomfortable and genuine, is it ok if I join? While Avaneira had braced herself outside of the gnarled tree, there was plenty of space around her; the notion almost amused her, however - what would he do if she had said no?

“So long as you keep your distance,” she warned, but not unkindly. It was the nature of lions to take and take and take. Even the softest of them had some kind of innate, animalistic desire; Avaneira, as a rogue woman, had known all her life not to trust anyone, for even the kindest of them softened her heart, but she would let them in no closer. “Though I doubt this will be an adequate shelter for long.”

Oh? Dravite would nod his head moving to keep distance but try to get his butt out of the rain, shaking his head causing his mane to shake out the rain a bit. ”I'll stay right here” he reassured her with a soft smile, he understood why she was cautious even though he held no rank. But Dravite wasn't that brute, maybe if he didn't have Gemma or Annie it could have been different. ”... why?” he asked concerned looking at where they were, ”... as long as lightning doesn't hurt us I guess?” he shrugged his shoulders.



"Speech"

@Avaneira

I'll stay right here, he responded, and it eased Avaneira slightly. The fur frayed along the fringes of her neck settled comfortably, and she was able to ease back onto her haunches, swatting away a few times at the trickles of water that curved down the sides of her cheek. ... Why? he asked, and the question seemed to catch Avaneira off guard, As long as lightning doesn't hurt us I guess? Her brows furrowed, before she glanced skyward once more; certainly, the lightning was dangerous and mighty, but it was the least of a cat's worry when the skies were so dark and deep and pregnant with rain. The bare-limbed tree was itself enough to spell a disaster should they not find something larger. “Branches alone do little to hold back the rain,” she responded, half-confused yet half-humorous, the fringe of a smile curling on her lips, yet not quite pronounced enough to see it, “this half-dead tree is not like the thick canopy of a forest. We will be soaked to the skin should the rain get heavier.”

And as if viciously on cue, the swell of the squall began to increase, and though the rain remained light, a wind carried it more sideways, and thrust it right toward her face where she could barely blink away the droplets. A soft, surprised noise exhaled through her lips, before it fell into an exasperation.

@Dravite

Dravite made sure to not linger his eyes too long upon her frame she was a delicate unique thing, but he had Annie... didn't he? She was kind of sticking to herself these days, and she never did say those three words. So why not keep the doors and options open? Letting his head look away he was pretending to be distracted by the lightning which almost smoked him. ”well.. we could find somewhere better? I can be a nice shield!” he laughed softly speaking a little louder as the squall rose up and he grunted in annoyance. Moving quickly to block the rain from her view but made sure there was a few feet away between them, trying to extend his neck as long as he could go so he could shade her from the rain. ”C'mon let's find somewhere better ok? Don't want to become lightning bait” he said with a little reassuring grin on his lips, no harsh intentions and no forceful flirting. This wasn't the time for either. He just hoped she didn't get mad at him offering to be an umbrella, it wasn't because he was a dude just because he was taller.



"Speech"

@Avaneira