be who you were created
to be and you will
set the world on fire

The second round will be posted on Saturday 22nd October, or once everyone has posted. Whichever comes first!

A map of the pride territory for reference <3

Since becoming High Sovereign and settling into the pride, Maia had seen a steady influx of members. They were almost at twenty strong, which seemed to be more than what she had originally when she and Jafar had been the Sovereigns of the Mire. That was legacy, now, though, and she wanted nothing more than to look to the future and what that might have in store.

Rising from her mid-afternoon slumber, Maia stretched out her limbs and let out a yawn before shaking off the dirt from her coat. Chuffing for @Jafar to follow, Maia made her way through the territory and settled upon the thick trunk and roots of the large tree that loomed over the meeting area.

Here, Maia called out for her pride members to join her, both old and new. It was time for them to meet each other, and get acquainted with their new pride mates.

code © dusk // art © bawfle (dA)

Linn had been casually adjusting her herb stores and decor. The season was changing and that meant the plants did too. The rainforest would hold onto much of its foliage with the humidity keeping them warmer than some other territories. The meeting summons was curious and so Linn wasn't going to keep anyone waiting. A brief herb bundle was created in case anyone needed any tending or something to keep up their strength if necessary. She carried it delicately in her jaws on her way to the meeting area. It would seem she was the first to arrive, so she found a spot to sit with her bundle at her paws and a friendly Hi @Maia offered in the Sovereign's direction.

ART BY MOG - CODE BY LARS

After his family had come knocking at the border to the rainforest, looking for him, Valdi had found that he rather liked @Maia. So when he heard her call for a meeting - he was close enough that he could hear it well enough - he was quick to head over to the center of the territory where they all gathered for such events.

He was the second lion to arrive, following shortly after a dark-colored lioness. He approached her, having not met the woman before and immediately curious. The yearling had never suffered from any sort of stranger danger even when he was a small cub. "Hi I'm Valdi!" he said loudly, approaching @Linnæa, completely unaware that they were actually related, if distantly. He also took a moment to turn his head to Maia and flash her a smile, before turning back to his new, potentially unwilling, companion.

Vio had said he needed to meet more lions. This was the perfect place to start.

ART COPYRIGHT IRISH

i've got to make this life make sense

the tangy floral scent of herbs wreathed around her in her den, mixing with the dusty particles that swirled through the air. the large tree she had picked for herself was capable of housing one other lion along with her, and the adjacent bush, she had been clearing and creating two nests within it, just in case someone was ill enough to warrant needing to stay close to her. she had also been working on a garden, using sticks to press into the ground to create a sort of barrier between her herbs and forest- in short, ansella had been working hard, though she knew it was likely for naught. how long would they be here, anyway? regardless- it would be well set up for the next healer who wanted to take over the area.

when the call echoed through the rainforest, she paused in her movements, before shuffling the herbs aside and heading towards the sound. ansella would carefully pick her way through the forest, until she drew near, peering through the undergrowth to see @Maia, and two others that she did not recognize. a lioness, and a yearling. no one of the family yet then. with a soft sigh, ansella would emerge from the brush, with a polite smile to maia, and a soft spoken greeting. "hello."

ansella belmont

code by corvus

Strange things had been happening lately. Voices and visions, and it was interesting to catch a glimpse into what he assumed was the world of the prophets. Was this how they received their visions? He'd always assumed it required a particular connection to the gods - such that he was supposedly barred from, for the crime of taking one of their names as his own. But they'd all been made very aware of their eventual place in the underworld simply for being given over to the Sideris clan.

Oh well.

Voices and mist hardly seemed dangerous compared to the very real perils of a mortal life anyway.

Lazily, he'd rise and leave his garden behind a moment or so after the call reached him. So he wouldn't be the first to arrive, but would settle among the rest, a comfortable distance between himself and the others. There, he would fold himself into a comfortable loaf and wait to see what all this was about, bright attentive gaze on the leader herself.

Since she had first arrived in the rainforest, Tien had lurked in the less-populated areas. The lioness had been carefully building her stores, creating a den for herself, ensuring that she was set up to expand her healing skills. She had met one or two members of the pride, though she did not quite remember them.

The call of Maia, the only member of the rainforest she truly remembered, woke her from a well-deserved nap after a morning of foraging. Tien rose, stretched, and trotted towards the sound of the call. The tree that the High Sovereign stood beneath loomed a bit grander than all the others in the rainforest.

Tien found a place within the small gathering of lions, attempting to stifle a yawn as she sat among them. The lioness peered around at the unfamiliar faces, keeping mostly to herself.

The small spend a lot of time on his own, there wasnt any trace left from his mother or brother. What had happened to them? Were they upset? Got lost? His young mind couldnt come up with any answers nor a way to understand. But he did his best to keep himself busy, either been via playing with bugs or napping more than he should..but what else could an orphan do? In a place with nearly no known lions?

When he heard the call, he rushed with his small legs, arriving just in time. Taking a lonely spot, watching the others from afar but close to hear still. He didnt spot his family within the crowd...that send staving pain on his chest. But well, what could he do?

BG — ART — CODE

And follow he did. Slowly but his posture fitting of nothing less than his position in the pride and within his family. @Thrain had seemingly had enough training to last a lifetime and Jafar couldn't blame him. At least he had seen how much time and effort went into it. Shame that he couldn't progress any further than he had at this time but it was good practice should he ever take up the helm.

By the time that he arrived and took his seat by @Maia, quite a few lions showed up swiftly. Lions he knew and lions he didn't but he gave them a friendly nod either way to acknowledge their presence here and give gratitude for following his wife's leadership. Jafar often times was here for strength and support, leaving a lot of socializing to his grey queen. His strength as of late had been waning and his interests he could count on one paw but he was alive and present. That was better than most, he thought.

The call came in the afternoon, one that he supposed was to beckon members of the Queen's territory to her own. Kovirah had been busy with herbs, plants, meshing them down into something useful n case their properties were ever needed. A sigh escaped him as he stood, softly padding along the floor of the forest to hopefully locate the pride themselves. This was, a first for him. He had served, yes. but the masters of his house were far more demanding than a simple chuff. A whip, a claw in the hop or mouth. Starvation and worse of all, isolation. Even the thought turned Kovirah's mood sour--how the dark had creeped and crawled like spiders. It was enough to break most, but as his master had predicted, he had a strong constitution. It was hard to break one made of stone.

When at last he had found the others, it appeared he had been one of the few to arrive late. In their mix was a sea of young faces, and others both new and not. Blue eyes glanced to @Maia and gave the grey queen a slight nod. But the lion himself remained distant, a few paces from the main group under the shade of a few sparse trees that were their own short distance from the meeting place. He had never been one to really enjoy social interaction, but for now he would sit and wait for the meeting to begin in earnest. He noted, though, how few there seemed to be and wondered how one could be royalty with so few a command. Perhaps this was what the speech would be about? He supposed recruitment would be difficult in a world as primitive and old as this.

Regardless, he was here and for the time being content to listen to the words of the lioness who had been so gracious enough to give him a home


.

we are nothing but weapons

and weapons don't weep

code by corvus

The abdominal sides and haunches of the lykoi shimmered with agouti fur. The maw was clean, and teeth pale, but these fangs had feasted on much fresh carrion and these muscles slacked like jellied tendons, unworked. There is uncertainty in the half unhinge of the jaw but the bearded skull is heft as the small lion circled the outer ring of the gathering. Nostrils flare, but to a slight wrinkle of the brow. Reaching one end of the clearing, the thin limbs switch back. With purpose, and faster. They settle and sprawl on a spot that had been passed over before. Until the leader should speak, the attention of those deep eyes drank from each stranger.