It was hard not to miss home sometimes, even though it was a place she knew she could never return. It was fortunate for her that this new island she lived upon had a desert area, too. And here, she wandered through its dusty hills and sandy dunes when she felt the pull of home tugging on her heart.

She had a pride and a place within that pride, and that gave her a sense of belonging, but as things tend to go, Alizabeth fell as King and it was reclaimed by lions she knew nothing about. And while that shouldn't have made her shy away from trying to rejoin, she just didn't have the motivation to try that again. She wandered to a new corner of the island - one much warmer. She hadn't known it had a pride within it, but when she caught the scent of its borders on the wind, she couldn't help but gravitate towards it.

Stopping a respectful distance from the scent line, she chuffed into the territory, seeking perhaps the one who claimed this pride as their own, seeking perhaps a knowledgeable lion or lioness that could tell her more about this place.

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He could get used to being popular. The call brought him away from the central water source, and he'd arrive with the same sort of unhurried pace with which he answered all border summons. This was his home (for as long as it suited him), he would not be rushed to the edges.

The sight that met him was a pale, pinkish, woman he couldn't recall ever meeting before. Which made the whole situation a bit more interesting. Had she specifically sought out the oasis? Did she know someone within? Was this a visit for curiosity's sake and nothing more? He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

Ryker paused at the edge of his border, regarding the stranger with a casually curious gaze, "Yeah?" She'd called, he'd answered, now why was she here?

@Shiva

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

She was soon answered - at least by the physical appearance of an interestingly colored black and white lion. He lazily walked towards her, and this gave her time to collect his scent - to which she matched with that of the border scent. He must've been the High Sovereign.

"Hello, I'm Shiva Anatu. I was hoping someone could tell me a bit about this pride," she began, looking along its borders as she spoke. There wasn't much around the perimeter - just rolling sand dunes and the bones of unfortunate creatures ill-equipped for the hot-and-cold of the desert biome. "I grew up in a place like this, and I feel drawn to this pride, but I don't know anything about this one."

Had she joined this pride, perhaps Tiamat would follow in her footsteps?

@Ryker

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The name was filed away alongside the face as she spoke, though his expression didn't shift. "Ryker Dantanian, resident High Sovereign," if she hadn't figured that out already based on the very thorough border markings, "probably your best bet for info." His lips twitched into a slight smirk at that.

Shifting to sit, he hummed softly in thought, "Well. It's an oasis in the desert, obviously. If you grew up in a similar place, I don't need to explain the challenges that come with that." Right? She did remember what living in the desert was like, right? Burning days and frigid nights? Scarce water. Scarce food. "Andal itself is a place for the strong; we value strength and ability and reward ambition and effort." His little smirk turned a shade amused, "We might be the only pride right now that'll let a member challenge for any rank, including leadership, without question." Random lions could come around and challenge him for his place, so why should he exclude his fellow leaders? Besides, he had little interest in a Sovereign or Heir that couldn't defend their title against ambitious upstarts.

@Shiva

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

Other albino lions might've felt uncomfortable under the sun's radiating sting, but to Shiva, it gave her nostalgic feelings. She was silent as the High Sovereign, Ryker, spoke, drinking in all the information he had to offer. She understood well what living in a desert biome brought - hardships, yes, but also security, solitude... Not many others could brave the heat for long periods of time and not many others liked living in a place with scarce food and water.

If Shiva had been being honest with herself, she had been spoiled by the abundance the island of Amaryllis had to offer. And it wasn't like she wanted the downgrade, but she was ready for some new change. "My pride growing up didn't even have such an oasis, which I'm sure, for you, is pretty convenient," she spoke, nodding towards the greenery in the distance. "The adults in my clan had to walk miles each day to a river to gather water for the rest of us." But she wasn't trying to make the lion feel bad for her; only show him that the desert struggle was something she was raised with and it would be no new struggle to her now.

Shiva tilted her head in interest when Ryker openly said that he allowed his leadership title to be openly challenged for. "That is an interesting opportunity that I didn't expect coming from you, the leader of this pride, so readily." It opened up opportunities for sure, but Shiva didn't want this male to see her as a threat. Perhaps, in time, she'd vy for his crown, but for now, she was just looking for somewhere to belong for a while.

"I'm not eager to steal your crown just yet, Ryker, however, I do like the sound of this place. It's been a long time since I could feel the sun's warmth on my skin... in the winter." She cracked a smirk at him. Surely, he had to know how fortunate he was to still feel that no matter what season it was. Granted, she knew the night time would get devestatingly cold, and if she were to decide to stay here, she'd have to set up her den with haste. "I'm a seasoned warrior and I'm good at hunting. I also dabble with poisons as a bit of a hobby. I don't like to sit idle, so I'll likely be challenging for a rank within your pride as soon as I am settled." That was what she'd offer him, though he was free to ask other questions.

"That all rests upon if you'll have me, of course..." Shiva flicked her tail and let her red eyes rest upon @Ryker , wondering what he'd have to say to it all.

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She had a bit of an advantage on him, as far as desert life. He was still getting used to it, still far more accustomed to the stone of the bluffs or the open plains and forests of his homelands. But at least that meant he didn't have to worry about finding her dead from dehydration or exhaustion or something stupid.

He laughed, though, when she commented on his challenge policy. "Mine? Well, no High Sovereign is immune to challenge, so why should my Sovereign or Heir enjoy that kind of safety? If they aren't strong enough to defend their title, they aren't strong enough to defend the pride." Simple as that, really. "I expect someone to come after me eventually - every pride is challenged eventually - but if it's an Oasis member, I'll kill 'em." It came with a grin, but he was deadly serious. Betrayal from inside? That was a death sentence. He'd already proven how tenacious he could be, so even if one of his own did successfully usurp him, they'd have a target on their head until one of them was dead.

He'd half expected Seneca to come for him the moment he was healed enough, but the man seemed to have disappeared from Amaryllis entirely and now he wasn't sure where the inevitable attack would come from.

Ryker shifted, glancing back into the territory as she spoke about the inherent warmth of the desert, "Yeah, it's great 'till you're freezing your balls off at night." Frigid was putting it lightly. Thankfully, he'd found a decent enough den and was slowly lining it with comfortable things like pelts. It was a learning curve, but he was adapting to being mostly active around dawn and dusk if he intended to spend the day within the oasis. "Anyway," he'd turn his attention back to her with a light shrug, "you're welcome to join. Might be nice to have someone around who can chat about poisons," he smirked lightly. They shared a couple hobbies, it seemed. Fighting and poisoning. He actually didn't know if anyone else within the group so far also shared that interest.

@Shiva

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

"Oh, I misunderstood you," she laughed. Well, good. He had one safeguard in place. She might've thought him insane if he were so willing to leave his kingship in the hands of the public - to do as they wished with it. "Good," she chirped in response to his comment about killing an Oasis member if they ever came for his title. She didn't want him to think she was joining only to plot for his demise later.

Shiva offered him a smirk for his comment about freezing his balls off. That was unfortunate for those that had balls, but she didn't have to worry so much about that. Once she was permitted into the pridelands, she'd pick a den and go right to prepping it, ensuring that it gave her warmth during the night. "Absolutely," she spoke, nodding her head twice. She'd love to discuss poisons with someone who knew a bit more about them. She had never come across another lion with the knowledge; it'd certainly be a treat.

"Would it be out of the question to give me a small tour of the place?" she asked, stepping over the scent line of the border at his welcoming. Her tail flicked rhythmically with curiosity.

@Ryker

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Most only got to see the fighter, the blunt instrument (with strategic pointy bits) thrown at an enemy as many times as it took to knock them down. But there was a much more calculating side to him that delighted in stealth and cunning and the creative use of certain plants. A little poison in the right place could give a lion ample time to create a credible alibi, after all. And some of them had the most interesting symptoms - twitching and gasping and faces contorted in pain. Quite nice to occasionally have the time to really watch without having to focus on keeping yourself alive.

His little smirk increased, turning vaguely pleased when she agreed. "The dunes and the badlands have some interesting ones." That was just local. She probably knew there was a wide variety across the land.

With a nod for her to follow, he'd turn to move into the territory, "Yeah, c'mon, I'll show you the important spots." Den areas and food caches and stuff like that.

-exit to get her sorted?-

@Shiva

I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

Fighting my way through the sins of the street I'm feeling psycho, psycho Where did my mind go? Biting my tongue and I'm loading my gun Back to the wind, better run, better run I'm feeling crazy, crazy Go 'head and make me It's the life that I can't escape, can't walk away There's blood in the ocean And I'm losing focus I'm a friend of the devil I'm a dangerous rebel

code by corvus

Out of all the poisonous plants Shiva had snooped so far, she knew the desert held the most interesting and the most deadly. She didn't know why, but the desert seemed to be one of those places intent on killing anyone who wandered into its midst. That, or everything that grew there had to survive the harsh climate somehow... but she didn't see the benefit of the plants being poisonous to survive against the sun... "We'll have to replenish the pride stocks together one day soon." She'd like to pick his brain and find out just how much he knew.

With his invitation, Shiva nodded and wordlessly followed @Ryker into the territory. She knew she'd have to get working to secure herself a warm den for the evening, but she had a few hours until then. /exit

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