It was under the early light of dawn that Sahir called out for the select members of his pride, a smug curl of his lips creasing at his muzzle. He wriggled slightly to adjust his positioning in the fine sands of his cove, seated next to a zebra fat enough to feed them all and a generous pile of dried mushrooms. Anticipation bubbled like something brewing up from within, his tail winding to tuck neatly around his thighs as he sat. Stars could still be made out faintly against the pale purple sky as daylight threatened to break, inevitably heating their shores past optimum comfort.

Flicking an ear with impatience, Sahir waited for them to gather and inquire of his plans.

---

|| december y7 | four years | CC high sovereign | at caladan cove | PRIDE PARTY | prior to birth and war ||

coded by flea + background credit

Basira had been restless of late; her motherhood was imminent, and she sought to throw herself into her work and keep busy in order to take her mind off of the daunting responsibility. While the maroon Queen never liked to shy away from a challenge, this litter would be her biggest achievement to date; it had to go well. They had to survive. She had to bear a son. So the call from @Sahir was less of an inconvenience and more of a welcome distraction. “Husband,” the wraith rumbled as she drew to a halt before the grey-pelted High Sovereign. “What is this finery in aid of?” How intriguing.

ART BY MAX, CODE BY LARS

He flicked an ear in the direction of someone approaching, that dark red pelt instantly giving away Basira's identity. He wore a smug expression with his lips pressed in a line and his eyes narrowed as he watched her, delighting in the mere sight of her taking in the scene he had prepared.

"إنها حفلة لنا " It is a party for us, Sahir announced eagerly. He schemed of more words to follow, though he deemed it better to wait for more to gather before he laid out all of his plans. He gestured devilishly at the mushrooms at his paws, sure that she would recognize them and their effect.

---

@Basira

coded by flea + background credit

She had been traveling a lot as of late. Not trying to escape the ruling on Sahir for from what she had seen he wasn’t a bad king. In her travels the shadow lady had seen far worse. So their honestly was a chance she would renew her contract with him if this path stayed the same. The Sigrun’s she did miss the little prince, but the lot of them? Not really. Large settlements of family tended to get complicated. In any case as she returned from one of her outings she came back with a goat in her jaws. Having came across it by chance near the borders she had stashed the herbs she had gathered along the beach under a pile of rocks out of the reach of high tide and taken down the wandering lone beast. Why it had been alone she cared not.

It was all a happy coincidence that she heard @Sahir calling for the pride. Following his voice she made her way forward where she found him and @Basira. ’Ah good someone who could use the food more.’ She thought as she place the goat down before the red queen. Stepping back she nodded to them both. “Greetings how are you both fairing tonight?” She asked calmly as she stood there more stoic than anything.

image by moogle/code by saph

songs for dead planets
The true mind can weather all the lies and illusions without being lost. The true heart can touch the poison of hatred without being harmed. Since beginning less time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light.

The moon seemed to spill its bounty of light over the coastline and Corinthian could feel it in his blood; that silvery smooth drink of night air that feels analogous to peace. Then the dawn burst open like citrus.

There was a certain relaxation in his features as he approached them.

For so long, Corinthian had felt like he was endlessly running from something trying to convict or kill him, or to something that was never in reach. Now his insides breathed a collective sigh of relief at the chance to merely stand still. To let something hold his body. The sea, the stars, the warm faces around him. He felt them all within him. I inhale great droughts of space. The east and the west are mine. The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine. I am larger, better than I thought, I did not know I held so much goodness.

When he met @Ishhara, he began to feel the warmth of a hearth. Now he could sit in front of it, bask in its light, watch the flames dance with an inward peace knowing that not only did he have a home again but also a purpose, a role to fill, gravity to hold his mass in place. An anchor to orient his ragged ship. The scarred man, the soldier, the merc – he didn’t look it, but he held sleeping galaxies in those bones. Though he approached them with a lopsided grin and took an unassuming seat where he could keep @Sahir in the full scope of his good eye. Corinthian sprawled onto his side in pantherine comfort, propped on his elbow where he lifted a paw to rest his chin. Though a dutiful soldier, Corinthian had never taken himself too seriously.

Smiling jovially at the king and his wife, @Basira, the healer, and all the others who were numbering the cove; Corinthian knew they would probably never know what they meant to him and was content only that he could be in their orbit.

It kept him from his worst fear: drifting through the void to parts unknown.

code by corvus

Oh what was this? A call to gather? The golden woman would make her way across the cove, sand shifting beneath her dainty paws as she moved though not before kissing each of her lovely little plants goodbye, tucking them in to rest and grow until she returns. The tingle on her lips was a familiar one, harmless thankfully. Now if she had actually taken a nibble of her plants, now those effects would be much worse. But just because they were lethal didn't mean they couldn't know love. She loved her plants and treated them like her children, and truthfully she was thankful for the boulders @Corinthian had provided in order to protect them. Or well, protect the cubs and other individuals in the pride.

She moved with ease, a little hum rumbling in her throat until she arrived. A warm smile was sent in the direction of the others before she would move to take a seat a few strides from the scarred gentry, lowering her frame to the ground and pulling her paws up underneath her to be tucked comfortably. She watched and waited, quietly. She had yet to meet @Nebula or @Sahir but she was sure that would be rectified with whatever this meeting was. Soon enough they would all be good acquaintances, she was certain.

_{BG — CODE}

“Greetings how are you both fairing tonight?” Sahir peered over to see Nebula arriving with a freshly caught goat, earning a beaming smile from the king in a rare show of approval. It was hard not to delight in free food.

"Good," he answered with a subtle nod of his head. They did not have much time for additional pleasantries before a couple more came, with Corinthian sprawling out on his side and gazing around at the little crowd. "Glad you can make it," Sahir said, the glint in his gaze adding an edge of teasing to the sentiment. The final to arrive was unfamiliar to Sahir, though the idea of this was more pleasing than anything. It meant the pride was taking on a life of its own – a life outside of only Sahir's efforts.

"Welcome, I am Sahir al-Najma," he introduced, and while the introduction was only necessary for this newcomer, he began projecting his voice slightly to address the group. "No stress today. This is party because it is my birthday and Queen Basira's," he explained, sweeping out a paw to gesture to his redheaded wife. He allowed a beat of silence for effect before continuing with the real news. "And, she is pregnant with our first royalty," Sahir revealed with a grin.

He allowed his gaze to settle on Basira's, beaming with pride and wondering if she would feel the same in front of their ensemble.

"Please – eat, and if you be brave, try this treat." Sahir gestured once more to the pile of dried fungi at his paws. "It will make your mind fly to celebrate," he hinted ominously as he bent down and began chewing on a mushroom of his own, the bitter umami filling his mouth in an instant.

---

@Basira @Nebula @Corinthian @Tanya

coded by flea + background credit