There's something in the plumes of lingering smoke and mist that the Frei feels drawn to; although he could not rightly say what exactly it was as large alabaster paws carried him among the ashen remains of what he once suspected was a vast and flourishing part of the jungle. Was it bountiful once? Did the surrounding trees and rocks and babbling brooks envy this mighty stretch of land now scorched to such remains in disarray? It's blackened earth now however was covered in something else; without a strong canopy to protect it, snow littered freely over the charred and broken trees and logs left behind. The cold might have bothered him more if his fur was less shaggy, less thick as it was now. White flakes donning along his iron coat, tendrils of his black mane almost peering grey at a distance. Someone is going to mistake you for a lost old man... Leviticus would've laughed at that, hell he'd probably have begun acting the part; the very idea causing a pang of longing for the behemoth's twin churning in his stomach. As it was; he wasn't exactly lost... he just didn't know where he was - an important detail Prometheus was willing to argue if pointed out. He doesn't realize he's been trailing along in the snow for hours, his mind is elsewhere while the beasts body begin to reject this absurd trek into nowhere land. He's forced to pause mid stride and stretch, the ache of his brawn muscles nagging him to look for some shelter. As if there's any to be had here....

There is so much she has yet to explore. The world is far larger than she has ever anticipated it could be and now her taste for wanderlust cannot be satisfied. She doesn't stay in one place for long before fluttering to the next, admiring the snowy mountains as much as the burning wastelands of home. Ah, well.. her homeland, rather. Septima isn't entirely sure she considers the Oasis to be her home one way or the other, because who calls somewhere home when they live in a constant state of anxiety? There is so much more joy to be found in the freedom of being alone, never having to answer to anyone or being forced to share space with those who do not like her. Out here, she is her truest self: happy. The smile carved across her silvery muzzle may as well be carved from stone as often as it settles on her lips. Perhaps the smoldering, haunted forest isn't the most picturesque of places, but she adores it. She breathes in the scent of charred wood as though she has never breathed before, and her paws shift through the snow effortlessly. It's one of the first times she's ever seen snow, to be quite honest, and Septima cannot help but giggle softly as she wades through it. The Miroslav is oblivious to the man nearby until it is almost too late and she finds herself nearly colliding with his rump, much to her absolute horror. "Oh, I- I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Septima grins sheepishly and sidesteps around him, folded ears wilting against her head as though she expects some sort of retaliation. "I'm sorry again!"

@Prometheus

there was snow, these soft white things that give in with every step. if she had been a child, she would've looked up towards the sky and tried to taste the flakes that fell down. diantha wouldn't consider such an act but...she was curious. still, there was only so much of the chill she could handle, before her body started trembling. her pace quickened and soon, she naturally found herself somewhere warmer. the snow wasn't as thick here, but it was still enough for her trek to be an arduous one. she had followed her own mind, going here and there, until she stumbled upon a peculiar sight. oh? one thin eyebrow arched up at her sister @Septima and an unnamed male she sidestepped. if it isn't my sister and— her voice drifted off as she gazed at the older lion. you are? @Prometheus

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The 'witch' knows not this place, but knows it holds great power. Smoldering ruin among the deathly grip of winter is enough to bring her in, draw her close like a moth to flame within a dark room. Indeed, it was the first time the lioness had ever truly encountered the phenomena that others called winter. Snow was foreign to her, just as the lands of Amaryllis. She was still adjusting to the climate shift, though Ash observed that snow to her felt like frozen sand. Frozen sand mixed with ice, it clung and shifted and could be just as deadly in different ways. Though, if the lioness had been able to pick, she would have preferred the endless red dunes of her home.

When not dwelling in her new abode among the caverns of the cove, Ashtoret found herself being drawn into exploration. There was so much here that she had yet to see, so many directions she felt the Will pull her it was nearly overwhelming. Intoxicating as the adrenaline was, the snowfall of winter had dampened her mood. It made the journey more difficult, and so Ash found she grew increasingly more irritable despite stopping for a momentary respite in these haunted ruins of what was once a forest.

Its then that her nose picks up a scent, no two, and the tracks in the snow confirm it. She is curious, perhaps to a fault, and thus it guides her to seek out the source. They appeared far younger than she, but no less capable. Her ears catch the tail end of a conversation as she quietly trails behind, electing to maneuver to the left of the trio and respectively still keep her distance. Ash feels like she dances with the shadows, allowing herself to give a cold, devious stare. "How quaint" she begins "A rendezvous in the wilds." Ash inclines her head and raises a brow "You should be careful here, children. You never know what lurks in the shadows."

code by corvus II Art by Drifty

Tag:@Prometheus @Septima @Diantha

The brute had grown accustom over time to the cold, it was a sight better when your fur was so in excess that summer boiled you alive of course. But still, the frigid and smoldering air had numbed a part of his senses - at least that's what he believed when a girl nearly walked right into him. A tingling sensation crept down his spine as instincts of being approached from behind set alarm bells off; an eon of bred wariness for predators hunting prey passed on from father to son, mother to daughter and it made tufts of his heavy iron hued fur bristle. Every sinewy muscles tensing while as Rome poised to whip around with a heavy mitt towards the air - "Oh, I- I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Thankfully his paw didn't get far, as soon as the young girls voice reached his ears it returned to the ground; although his body had jerked in a half-circle to face @Septima. the silver and glossy hued female. "Scheiße, Mädchen!" Prometheus groaned in relief; embarrassing or not, she had startled him - no point in denying it. A short thick chuckle rolled with a sigh from his inky lips before his blue eyes dart around through the snow; no wonder he hadn't seen her. Even if she had approached from behind, the scenery rather... suited her. But then his bright blue eyes take note of her stance and Rome gives a shake of his growing black mane. "Ach Dame, you know if you wanted to play a game you could have just asked." The young man announces with a shrug of his shoulders, giving an almost wolfish grin in hopes to diffuse the tension from the mistake. "oh?" Another unfamiliar voice chimes in and Prometheus can't help but think of Leviticus again; the woman are flocking brother, he would've said surely. this is either paradise or the beginning of a horror story. Damn he missed that fool... With a tilt of his head his cerulean gaze sifts away from the girl towards it's source. The woman was slightly bigger than her counterpart but there was no mistaking the familiarity among them; even as @Diantha confirmed his first thoughts, he's already drinking in the small details of her hide. Tracing the visible stripes and then turning to look back and forth between the two. "you are?" "Intrigued, Mädchen." Rome smirks. Of course that wasn't what she was asking, but he didn't see why he need answer right away. Unless he was mistaken and the cold really had affected his nose; had he inadvertently trespassed? It seemed highly unlikely given the state of the land itself. Although the trio does not remain a trio for long..... @Ashtoret calls out and Prometheus is beginning to feel a sense of deja'vu claw at the back of his mind. There's something in the shadow dancers tone that elicits curiosity. "What careful need is there when you are here gnädige Frau?" He drawls quite calmly, though there is a rumble in his chest that would suggest a suppressed laugh; one could just as easily mistake it for a beckoning growl. Who's to say? Though perhaps it would invite her nearer for a better look.

Septima remains frozen to the ground as @Prometheus whirls on her. She isn't afraid to battle (not anymore), but it isn't arrogance that anchors her paws to the earth. No, it is mere shock that she has been so clumsy to wander up on a stranger's ass. It isn't exactly a small ass, either, so she feels doubly ridiculous for having let her childishness get the best of her. There is a release of tension when he falls back into good humor, and Septima flashes a sheepish grin in quite gratitude. "Don't you know the best games are played when you're least expecting it?" Septima says with a soft laugh, shaking her head. "I am terribly sorry for startling you, I've never seen snow before today and.. well, I seem to have been a bit distracted." The Miroslav hopes it's enough to explain and possibly even engage the man in conversation. As far as lions outside of her family, Septima knows approximately.. zero. The mere thought of speaking to someone unknown fills her with excitement.

And then she is filled with dread instead.

Septima deflates noticeably at the sound of @Diantha. It only made sense that her sister would come along and ruin things, but at least it wasn't Victoria. The silvery yearling wants nothing more than to toss her sister back from whence she came and beg the gods to simply let her have a few days of peace before submerging herself back into hell. She says nothing, only looks to Prometheus briefly before turning to @Ashtoret slinks in with her cryptic, foreboding message. Septima furrows her brow, staring the woman down with a look that screams unimpressed. Again she remains silent, willing Diantha to act normally for a change.

a brief chuckle slips out of diantha's mouth. not just at seeing @Septima's deflated look when she arrived, but at the male's voice and looks. she's smitten, diantha realizes, but there's not much to show for it when there are two other females in his presence. all of a sudden, diantha hates the other two congregants. i see that you haven't been claimed as my sister's toy, yet she says, passing a lingering glance to septima for emphasis. but you must be an interesting man to have caught her eyes. or my own. still, ever the loving sibling, diantha cannot poke fun of septima. they are at the age where emotions are bubbling outside of the ones they already have. diantha is well aware of her own, including her needs and wants. she's not adverse to the pulling sensation of the opposite gender and the competition that she may have to endure from everyone else. @Ashtoret @Prometheus

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