"Speech." He followed diligently at first keeping distance between them as they travelled from the red rock place but as time went on he slowly grew more comfortable with @Morrigan. Bit by bit he would wander closer to the lioness, doing his best to keep pace with her as they travelled. He’d expected she took him somewhere warm- but they continued the trek north and the further they went the colder it got.

Finally Azanty would stop. Huffing to the woman to get her attention as he shivered. “Cold.” He would state, perhaps bluntly and disrespectfully to those that did not understand the boy. Eyes would narrow with distrust as he glared up at the woman. It was colder here than it had be at the red rocks. “Pirtirys” ‘Liar’, thick accent would spill forth, tone accusing- even if she did not understand his words he hoped she understood the meaning. It occurred to the boy that he was now in a much more vulnerable position, but he was too cold and far too tired to care. He knew he had no choice but to follow and hope they were almost to ‘Home’. If not, he’d followed this woman to his death.



—please allow time for Morrigan to reply—

code by corvus

She hadn't been certain he'd understood what had been a warning in the passage, but judging by how surly he was by the time they actually reached the Summit, Morrigan could guess that he wasn't thrilled with the views. She been relieved to gain some semblance of trust on the way, but with a huff it seemed to be broken and when the Greyflood monarch turned to him she saw the accusation in his face and tone more than understood the words.

"Cold but safe," she insisted, "Strong." She gestured to the stony walls rising up around them as they had nearly crossed to the central, more sheltered part of the territory. "You must trust me," she pleaded, holding out an ivory paw to the boy, "Just a little further." Trying to at least make it clear that he was not trapped here any more than cold or weakness would leave him, Morrigan continued toward the den area, checking if he followed but not forcing him.

While some lions may have preferred to sleep in the open beneath the sun and moon as was their right as apex predators, the climate of the summit made this impractical. As she came to one of the first of the dens dug against a rock outcropping and down into the warm earth, it was already lined with pine needles and furs, ready for someone who needed a warm place to sleep, even if only for the night. "Home," she would repeat again, knowing her own sleeping space was nearby but very likely overrun with children still.

Would @Azanty stay? Or was the prospect of a permanently chilly life too much... If it was she would simply have to introduce him to the Brook. Or perhaps the Rainforest? A shame, but she had promised herself she'd take care of him, regardless of what that looked like.

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"Speech." There was that word again. ‘Safe’. His brow would furrow in confusion, what could be so safe here- where he could easily freeze to death. She had to be tricking him. Another word would be thrown at him. ‘Strong’ “Strrrong?” His ‘r’ would roll, making the word almost seem poetic in his thick accent as he looked to the stone peaks that rose around them. He didn’t fully grasp what she meant, did she speak of the rock or was she saying her home was tough? He would shake his head slightly, hopefully showing he didn’t understand.

Her tone would shift as she spoke, more pleading than before, more urgent. Her extended paw would have him grasping at what she tried to get him to understand. He should trust her. He would sigh, the sound broken by the shivers that rolled over his body. Reluctantly he would nod, following her deeper into the summit.

By the time they came to a series of dens, his toes were numb and he was beginning to stumble a bit from the cold. ‘Home’. The boy would look up, gaze focusing on the pine needles and furs that he could just see within the mouth of a den. Azanty would look from the den to @Morrigan for only a moment before deciding to go in. Despite his lack of trust- he was cold and even he knew when he didn’t have a choice. Slipping into the den he would move into the very back where the furs thickened and he would plop down in a tight ball, shivering. Bright green eyes would look to the mouth of the den, wondering if Morrigan would join him or go to her own Home. “Kirimvose..” he’d murmur softly between chattering teeth, ‘thank you’. Though he knew she didn’t understand.

code by corvus

He didn't turn and run back down the treacherous path at least, but she still felt like something of his trust had been broken when he'd reached her homeland and found only more snow. He trusted in the warmth in front of his own eyes at least and curled quickly into the pelts, soon to be made warm by his own body heat. He grumbled something she could only guess at before she surveyed the boy once more, then would turn away. She wished to tell him she would be right back, but how much would he even understand and how much would it just serve to frustrate?

Instead she just made it a quick trip to her own den to tell her wife of their new arrival as well as to the food cache to find the freshest kill. Pulling a leg from the pile, Morrigan rushed back through to the snow to the den he was in before she would drop the food near him. Then, slowly so not to frighten, Morrigan would lay her own farm as a warm barrier against any of the cold wind that might have made it in. She was careful to lay just up against the edge of his bed of pelts, offering her own body warmth but not wishing to force it. @Azanty

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"Speech."

The chill in his bones was quick to subside as he curled into the pelts. The boy would sigh with relief, though he still kept an eye on the lioness, until she turned away. Suddenly the boy would regard her with wide eyes, she was leaving him? He would jump to his paws as she moved through the den sites, though he didn’t dare go back into that frigid air, he simple tried to follow her with his bright green eyes as she disappeared into another den. His head would fall slightly, ears falling back as he turned to go back to the pelts.

The boy would settle back into them, curling himself into a tighter ball, eyes on the den entrance. Tears would water his eyes as the loneliness settled in, but, to his surprise, he would not be left alone. The dark form of Morrigan would appear again, causing him to blink and raise his head, nostrils flaring to bring in the scent of meat even as he saw it in her jaws. Tongue would roll over his lips, hungry. She’d drop the food near him, but despite his hunger, he waited til she slowly lay down at the edge of the pelts before he would get up and go over to the leg, plopping down so that he could eat and lay down.

As he dug into the leg, he would fleetingly glance to the lioness, making sure she was still there, but she never left, she merely blocked what little wind found its way into the den with her own frame. Between bites he would speak, “Why…safe…Azanty?” He would ask, curious why she would save him. What was in it for her?

@Morrigan

code by corvus

Whether it was hunger or the first signs of a budding trust between them, Morrigan could not be certain, but either way the boy moved in closer to eat his fill and the Greyflood monarch watched silently as his shivering subsided. She tucked her own thick-furred paws more neatly against shaggy coat and waited until he spoke again.

The language barrier was difficult, but perhaps Morrigan could find someone to help fill the gaps eventually. For now all that mattered was his safety. His question proved... difficult to answer even if there was no limitation on her vocabulary. "I protect those who cannot protect themselves. It is just... what I do." To balance out the bad, she added silently, knowing if @Azanty stayed with her he would see that much for himself, whether he understood her now or not.

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Speech

The woman would tuck her paws into her fur, the moment was caught, his muscles tensing as slitted pupils watched warily- even as he continued chewing and tearing at the leg she had brought him. The youth would quickly relax, reminding himself that she was safe. He was safe. Perhaps for the first time- ever- he didn’t have to worry about being injured or thrown out.

When she spoke, he would listen, brow furrowing at her words. He didn’t fully understand, but he understood enough of the ‘its just what I do’. Azanty would regard her, despite her scarred appearance, he would decide that she was nice. Slowly he would nod, as if he fully understood. “You…stay…here?”He asked, looking from her to the half eaten leg and then to his red paws. Hoping she would not leave him alone in the furred den. Mostly because he didn’t want to have to venture out when he woke up to find her again.


@Morrigan

ART BY Ink, CODE BY DEE