The hot wind blew, rustling against golden fur. Each step was taken with careful calculation, orbs sweeping all around.
The viking warrior was fast approaching the outskirts of the Obsidian borders. Ifri had no idea who would be ruling the Hollows now, but she would keep her distance.
But a call did rise from her parted maw. A call for those who once sat beneath her father. If any still lingered. If any we're unwilling to rejoin the Hollow under a near rule. But really she called for her siblings. Her sisters and younger brothers. Even if they did not want to join her, Siofra and Pistis at the Lagoon, she still needed to see them. Make sure they were alright. That they were safe.

KNEEL TO THE CROWN       The colossus was angry. No, not just angry. Livid. The violence with which the clay-clad Casimir's blood boiled threatened to burst vessels. The vascular system was so pressed to keep pace with the rapid-fire beating of the heart that veins bulged beneath the skin. Blood rushed close to the surface in a desperate attempt to keep the core temperature in check, flushing red any flesh visible beneath the fur. And the wyrmling breathed fire as he answered his sister's call with his own ragged roar.       Zagan arrived at a swift and purposed trot, paws kicking dust from the dry ground behind him. Forward speed was not lessened until a moment before impact, head down and aiming to be pressed into the shoulder of Ifri. Yes, the touch would be harsh from his movement, but he didn't care. She could slap him and call him an idiot for all he cared. She was here, and that's what mattered. But there was an inhale, a whiff of scent that caught him off-guard and dismayed him in the same moment. He froze.       "You have sought refuge at the Lagoon? With..." He didn't know the Crazies' family name. Only truly knew one of their names at all. "With the ones who would attack me and our father for no rightful cause?" The Casimir leaned forward and sniffed again. His eyes widened first in shock, then narrowed in fury. "And Siofra? Pistis would choose this, too? Choose to put herself and the unborn cubs in such danger?" The voice was low, vibrating with the bass of absolute anger. He took two steps back. So he could look into Ifri's face, and because he wasn't positive he wouldn't lash out in his unbridled rage. 287 words | @Ifri STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king

A response was quick to answer and out of the red horizon burst the familiar face of her young brother. Ifri braced herself as she registered the angry radiating from him. Instinct told her to fight him and defend herself but also what reason would he have to attack her? Then again her family was the unpredictable sort. So she braced for whatever impact was sure to come.

His head slammed into her shoulder and the older sister fell back onto her haunches, rising up and wrapping her forelimbs around the young man. "Zagan." She breathed with an air of relief. If Gwyn had fallen into danger then this particular son of his was sure to follow suit. So to see him alive and well left Ifri with the hope that the same could be said about their father.

He pulled away and his words left her momentarily confused. Her paws returned to the dried out ground, mind reeling to piece together what he was implying. That large scale skirmish was the only time Ifri had come across "The Crazies". And she hadn't gotten close enough that day to get a good whiff of the ones @Zagan and Gwyn had been battling. Not to mention all the other Prides that had been there mingling their stink around. "It wasn't mine or Siofra's choice." Ifri replied slowly, now thinking back to how that King made her feel so on edge. Well it made sense now. "Siofra went looking for Pistis and I followed. I figured if our father was with anyone it would be her. We found her at the Lagoon. Without Gwyn.." Her jaw clenching once more. If this went on any longer she was sure to crack a tooth. "I hadn't encountered the Lagoon lions before and I have no idea who lives there. I only saw their King. Pisits introduced him as a close friend. And he told us that his home was a safe place for us to be. If it wasn't for the fact that he openly stated we could leave whenever we wished, I would have not left them there." Even if he had tried claiming them, Ifri would have tried gouging his eyes out first. "I don't wish to be there but your mother seemed convinced it was the safest place for her and our soon to be siblings. If they are who you say they are then I cannot just leave her there. And neither should you." Convincing Pistis to leave the Lagoon was risky. The cubs would need a stable pride to be born into and as it stood, Ifri did not know anyone else in this land. She was still a stranger here after all. They were truly damned if they did and damned if they didn't. "I have no choice but to stay there and protect her and our siblings." Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, she growled to herself.

KNEEL TO THE CROWN       Wasn't their choice? Of course it was their choice. Gwyn was gone. There was no one to lead them but themselves. Where they set their paws was now their own decision. The fur along his spine rose in time with his temper. Claws pushed out, slicing into the dry earth. He held himself in check as Ifri continued. This was his dear sister. He would not attack her. Whenever Gwyn returned--and Zagan had no reason to believe he wouldn't--he would certainly be taking chunks out of the bastard's hide. But not women. Not his sisters. And... the claws loosened, the flames dropping a few inches, as Ifri continued. In his haste to keep everyone safe, he hadn't taken the time to ensure that those he was trying to protect even knew of the danger. The fire in his chest and eyes dwindled.       Zagan took his steps back, moving to lay his forehad against Ifri's chest and press into her embrace. "It is not your fault." I'm sorry for being angry. You don't deserve it. "I was trying to fix things. I didn't tell anyone that the Lagoon was dangerous." A big shuddering breath left him, the fire collapsing to hot coals. Ifri was right, of course. Pistis and Siofra could not stay in the Lagoon. Not if the Crazies were residing there. Damn. All his plans, any leverage he might've had to talk for a truce and for peace... gone. Damn, damn, damn. Now the only answer was violence.       "I know a man who has a pride deep in the desert. It is as far away from the Lagoon as one can get." Did he trust Fionn enough to put the lives of his family in the man's paws? Perhaps not... but it was better than being without a pride, and a million times better than bedding with the enemy. "His name is Fionn. I hunted with him once, and was there when he claimed the Oasis. I do not know him very well but..." Zagan made a frustrated sound, closing his eyes against his sister's neck. "I can talk with him. See if he is willing to harbor us all." That was the best he could offer, and it was pitiful. He knew it. "If he is, then maybe we can talk to Pistis?" 385 words | @Ifri STAND IN THE SUN hail to the king