Narsil could not keep her and her son fed properly by herself, not with how big he had grown. When he was small it was easy to feed him, but now he ate more than she did. Tail tip flicked while she walked through the passage, the rising dawn at her back reflecting down on her merle coat highlighting her darker features. Amber eyes burned to match the intensity of the rising sun behind her, she strode with a purpose. she needed a home, and she needed one yesterday. Chuffing she called for those who needed members to come forward and put forth their best pitch to lure her back home.

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The lad was no longer a tiny ebony cub following his mother's tail tuft. Now he strode a yard behind her, watching her back like she did his. This time he was big enough to take mostly anything on that dared to try something foolish. Livyatan had a very stoic, emotionless expression worn most of the time on his face. Though his dual amber-yellow eyes reflected a hint of tiredness too, why did she need to do this so bloody early?

A groan left his lungs while she stopped and paced, oh good they would take a break. Why were they out here? They had da-- ... ahem Rameses now, what did they need a pride for? But he didn't question his mother's judgement. Instead he lay down nearby her with a huff, then let out low deep chuffs of his own to assist in her calling. Though a teenager he was bulky and he looked the right age for proper molding.

this world is dying in our arms

they needed to re-build. or, rather, build stronger. while alaric was proud (and appreciative) of the pride he had he knew there was always room for more. they were thriving, and the enemies in the world were many. the female alone with the young male was enough to pique his interest. the male was old enough to hardly need his mother any longer, and young enough to be shaped in the direction that he pointed. alaric was a selfish beast, but he approached with a charming smile, masking the darker thoughts with ease. "welcome," he offered, as he stopped just before them, focusing on the female primarily. "my name is alaric starke, high sovereign of ecrosia mire." it felt bulky to say all at once, but he soldiered on. "is it a new home you seek?" @Narsil @Livyatan.

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she wasn't the first to be there for the rogue lioness and older cub flanking her. but the man that came before her wasn't unfamiliar either. so although elke maintained a certain distance apart from @Alaric, she chose to acknowledge him still by a firm nod of her head.

it had been an easy early morning, with the sun steadily rising over the horizon. when the light broke onto land, so too did elke's duties. she rose and drifted through the neutral lands until she was back once more in the passage. this time, however, she was resolute about bringing someone back with her. hello, i am elke of firnen rainforest she said, lowering onto her haunches. we are a small pride with plenty of food and space to share. so if you like, you can come with me. she looked from one pair of eyes to the other, just to see if their expressions will reveal their thoughts. @Narsil @Livyatan

"i inhale great draughts of space," ♞


Still here I carry my old delicious burdens, I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go, I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them, I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.

There was still a slight limp in his left hip from his healing leg, and Corinthian did not know when it would be back to normal. A few months had passed since the war in Ecrosia, and while he could walk without the splint, it still pained him from time to time. Even so, the world went spinning onward on his axis with or without him, and there was work to be done. The cove gentry was grateful that the walk to the passage wasn’t terribly long, and as he approached he noted the first hint of a newcomer by the way lions were flocking like flies to a hog’s arse. Corinthian was a fly now, too, it would seem. So he buzzed forth, a few new scars to adorn his veritable collection, and the first place his good eye went was to @Alaric. He had seen the man take the mire, defend his crown, and allied with him in the war that erupted in his kingdom. He doubted the mire king was aware that the white lion before him had helped defend his home. "Alaric Starke, is it my lord?" He asked, his voice gruff as he came to a halt with enough space between him and the others that he felt comfortable taking the weight off his hind leg. "I am Corinthian Lesath, Gentry of Caladan. Charmed to finally meet you." After bleeding all over your swamp. He quirked a brow at the king, but gave a firm nod and then turned his attention to reason they were all there. He wagered it was a mother and son, or perhaps siblings. The woman was athletic and well-muscled, his eye briefly drawn to her with magnetic focus. She was doubtless a warrior that could help him defend the cove. "Caladan is in a cove, not far from here. You are welcome to leave with me as well and I will see to it that both of you are fed and rested. Then you can talk with my king about sating other desires for rank and purpose." He wondered if Ishhara or Basira would approve of his gentility, he had been practicing it.

@Narsil @Elke

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Narsil did not ignore her sons presence, she was glad he was following her instructions. She would not have him wander too far from her side yet, he needed better training and socialization. She almost felt guilty for ridding him of his chance at siblings. Live and learn she supposed. A male approached and she turned her head slowly to observe him. Strong, scarred, big… typical. Another appeared, this time a lioness a softer touch to the male beside her. Both friendly enough, but she seemed more polite in her offer. Amber eyes narrowed a bit at her studying her carefully, no judgement passed yet. A limping figure approached, it was slight but enough to catch her notice. Weakness. The dragoness tail coiled around her and the tip flicked back and forth, she could feel Livyatan tense slightly behind her. ”Narsil Tollaire, and this is my son Livyatan. He needs instruction in the ways of fighting, a teacher that knows their way around a battlefield,” she began in a slow quiet tone, eyes glancing between the three. ”I am sorry my dear but a rainforest does not pique my interest at this time,” she said focusing on @Elke . Dismissing her from having to be apart of the conversation when Narsil had already decided. ”I want your stances on war, who are you bickering with and why, I will not throw my lot in with a pride at war for selfish petty reasons.” she explained her voice a little firmer now as she glanced between the two men waiting expectantly. A smile curled at her lips very briefly hearing her son ask his own question.

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@Alaric @Corinthian

It didn’t take long for someone to respond, and the first was a male. Instinctively Livyatan rose to his feet in a half stance, half sitting and standing. His amber-orange eyes locked on the male staring a hole right through him. Despite his lack of fighting experience it was clear his innate need to protect his mother was a little too fine tuned. Another appeared and he felt his fur bristle a bit, a lioness but could still be a threat. But what made a shiver run down his spine was the energy shift he felt behind his mother. Her attention was hyper focused on someone else.

Looking past her he could see the limping male heading their way, he took him in hungrily. Weakness, but not prey. Not yet. Mother spoke, and he listened carefully. Then when she paused, he chipped in, his voice deeper now and yet hollow of much emotion. ”What happened to your eye?” he asked @Corinthian , his eyes burning with a curiosity that was intense as the rising sun above their heads.


”talk”

Alizabeth was late to the party, or was she the party? All up to those present, she supposed. The small lioness approached with a grin, not even batting an eye at the form of @Alaric or @Corinthian. @Elke, however, received a wink and a smile before her attention shifted to the lioness, @Narsil and her son, @Livyatan.

Tongue slid across her lips, moistening them as the harsh winds of winter had dried them out on her way over. Already did she miss the warmth of her lagoon. "King Alizabeth, pleased as fuckin' zebra to meet ya." The lioness muses invitingly, settling to sit a few feet away, giving them both a wide berth. An ear perks at the woman's question, glancing to Alaric with the most shit-eating grin. Hadn't they all just been apart of a more or less petty war?

One didn't believe in the others God. Both killed cubs ( not that she knew that ), but had she known it would've been incredibly goddamn ironic. Nobody was the good guy, really. Despite her pleased expression, there is a moment she focuses on the white Cove lion. A glint in her eyes flashes, that gaze locking onto him like a hawk. In a split second it switches, however, and she's back to grinning. "I can teach yer son all he needs to know, if he's receptive. I don't fuckin' play nice during training, though, so keep that in mind.

Currently I ain't at war, anymore. I don't plan on fightin' for no petty bullshit again. I'm too goddamn old." She had no intentions of furthering the current feud going on between the Rike and the Sigrun. Could the same be said for Alaric? Who knew. Alizabeth wasn't necessarily here to convince the lioness to go with her. Either she wanted to or not, she wasn't going to ask.

The option was there. She wanted the members to join her because of what they could become apart of, because they could become stronger - not for what they could get from her. What they would get was a tough ass family.

this world is dying in our arms

well wasn't this a merry fucking party. @Elke joins the group, earning a quick glance from the wheat king. he had seen her more than a few times at the passage, and he was reminded (again) of his own need to visit the rainforest. it would be beneficial to at least see if talitha remembered him, and if they would be on friendly terms. @Corinthian, then, and he has a bit more to say. enough to earn a longer look from the beast, and he gives a small nod. "it is a pleasure, corinthian." another time, perhaps, they could have a longer chat -- being allies it would be good to be more acquainted -- but for now his attention returns to the newcomers. "narsil," he began, when she was finished outlining her desires and dismissing the rainforest representative, "i am certain i could be of assistance. i have not lost a fight in quite some time, now, and just recently defending my crown." he wasn't going to list all of his achievements, but the man knew his way around a fight. @Alizabeth burst on to the scene in true fashion, and alaric barely holds in the urge to roll his eyes. mouthy woman that she was, and calling herself a king? in his mind it was nothing more than a grab for attention. "How long do you have?" he volleyed back at @Narsil, knowing damn well he could ruffle some feathers with what he had to say next. "i stand against a family in amaryllis that takes to drowning their cubs in the name of a god -- they're not exactly my friends." a quirk of his lips accompanied the words, trusting she would pick up on the meaning in the statement. "there is at least one pride that stands with them that came to steal my members when i was fighting for my home," a curl of his lip indicated just what he thought of that level of cowardice..

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"i inhale great draughts of space," ♞


Still here I carry my old delicious burdens, I carry them, men and women, I carry them with me wherever I go, I swear it is impossible for me to get rid of them, I am fill’d with them, and I will fill them in return.

(Permission from @Elke to jump a bit)

The lioness introduces herself, drawing a quirk of Corinthian’s brow at her name. At first he thought to perhaps mention that the cove was home to a Tollaire in Ishhara, but he thought better of it for a few reasons. For one, Ishhara had shown no interest in establishing a connection with her bloodline in Amaryllis. For another, there was no telling whether the presence of family in Caladan would be perceived as a perk by @Narsil. She could see it decidedly as an omen. No need to ruin his chances of bringing home a warm body by something as petty as a last name.

Speaking of petty… @Alizabeth unfurled herself into their little gathering, cracking open her new title as ”King” with teeth showing in the smug embrace of a smirk on her maw. Blue-eye tracking her approach as she made herself at home, Corinthian’s ravaged face was inscrutable. As Caladan’s new neighbor, he wished he could say she was at least pretty, but...he would be a hypocrite if he only sarcastically said that about his scarred self but then turned around and called someone with as many scars, including missing toes, easy on the eyes. No, Alizabeth was decidedly uneasy on the eyes, especially his.

That didn’t mean she wasn’t attractive, though. There are different ways one pulls someone else into their orbit. When she gave him hawk-eyes- confirming his suspicion that she would remember him for snapping that kid’s leg in the war and her promise to bring him something nice as revenge- he decided he would try to enjoy their budding acquaintance rather than let it irritate him. They were going to be neighbors after all. He subtly glanced at her wounds from the fight for her crown, trying to get a measure of when she’d be fit to fight again, before landing his good eye on @Livyatan. "It’s not proper to talk about it in public. Just take my advice, always know who you’re talking to." He answered, winking his blinded eye at the teen for effect. Basira would likely frown at him if he told a kid in front of his mom how he slept with someone’s wife and after the ensuing brawl got his freshly mangled eye infected by river bacteria. It had taken some time to fully cloud over with gunk.

Corinthian thought of his bad eye as a reminder that life always gives its just deserts one way or another, and to take his with dignity. He hadn’t always followed his own advice, though.

He couldn’t help but wonder why Narsil couldn’t teach the boy to fight herself. Maybe he was a bad student or she just desired a more institutional training like what Corinthian had endured. He wondered which of the monarchs offering to teach the boy had been trained in such a manner. Alaric went on to describe some missing details in Corinthian’s narrative of the war in that the Sigrun apparently...drowned...cubs? That would need further clarification, and he logged it for later. He waited for the royals to finish their answers, then threw out his own in a characteristic grim drawl, shifting his tone from pleasantries to talking shop. "I’m a soldier, I do my job. Caladan is allied with him-" He cocked his head briskly to @Alaric, "-and defending one’s allies from attack, and those who seek to destroy is never petty." It was the honorable thing to do but also the smart thing. Keep your friends standing, and you’ll have more friends when the time came you needed them.

His blue eye glinted to indicate a brief glance toward Alizabeth. He had no idea why she had been at the battle, but he knew she had not been on their side. "If I could do it, fight with honor, return home and wash my paws of it – then I would. But soldiers don’t have the luxury of kings." He looked at Narsil, but he spoke to Alizabeth, even if only she among the group might understand his deeper meaning. Soldiers always pay the price of what their king’s buy in blood.

"I’ll teach your son how to survive that." Just as I have, somehow.

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