It was stupid, but nobody had ever said he was smart. Colsun didn't really have a plan of attack or anything, he just knew his paws had carried him towards the mire (that dark, shadowy place he had never been allowed to go) and he hadn't done a single thing to stop them. The colossal yearling was frustrated and crabby and lonely, but he didn't really have anywhere to go to soothe those feelings. He supposed he could have gone to the mountains to join his father's band, but he didn't want to live up there. It was cold and boring. He didn't know if he was trying to join Ecrosia or what, just that.. he was kinda there now and peering in over the borders curiously.

there's a darkness and it follows me

I'm never gonna let you in

code by corvus

Got lost, did you? The low voice drips down from somewhere up above @Colsun's head, where a lithe shadow lies draped over a sturdy branch of one of the trees overlooking the border. The Prince has taken a liking to lurking in the treetops on the occasions that he patrols the border. It offers him a good vantage point for one thing, allowing him to peek over the thorn bush barrier without anyone on the other side being any the wiser towards his presence. Also made it easy to drop down on any prey animals that might've wandered into his view of the verdant landscape.

Today, however, his view is disrupted by the rather familiar shape of a certain black, pointy-eared oaf. Hubert blinks down at the brute slowly, as he tilts his chin down to make sure he's seeing this right, a single eyebrow arched high upon his forehead.

Had he truly dared to come here by himself? How...unexpected.

ART + CODE By Dee

Colsun, with absolutely nothing to hide and nothing to do, didn't see the big issue about gallivanting straight to enemy territory. It wasn't like any of the lions there would know who he was unless he introduced himself, and unless he did that unintentionally.. well, he wasn't terribly concerned. Surely they wouldn't just maul someone for being curious, right? It seemed unlikely and Colsun was a gambling man apparently.

The voice from above caught his attention. Colsun's eyes drifted lazily upwards, seeking the owner for a few fleeting moments before they landed on @Hubert. A grin broke out across his muzzle. "Hey! Oh, no, I didn't get lost, I.." he fumbled for a moment, "came here to see you." Yeah. Yeah, that would work for now.

there's a darkness and it follows me

I'm never gonna let you in

code by corvus

Might a too-curious stranger end up mauled simply for lingering too close to the swamp? Well, Hubert supposed that depended on who caught them. Perhaps it's a fortunate coincidence, that the colossal yearling had stumbled first upon the only royal who knew of him and his, supposedly, bright and sunny lack of secrets?

Or maybe not. The Prince could still descend upon the beast at the drop of a whisker. And yet, for now...he doesn't.

An amused smirk crosses his lips when the other yearling searches him out, though his arched brow doesn't fall. Not lost, he says? Hubert fails to see why he would have wandered away from the beach in this direction otherwise.

The eyebrow raises impossibly higher when the reasoning comes, the movement accompanied by a surprised blink. To see me? He repeats, skeptically, green eyes narrowing slightly from his perch. Doubtful, and yet the words seem to twist something odd in his gut. Probably because of his outrage at @Colsun's audacity, he's sure. (Why would it be anything else?) Whatever did I do to deserve such an honor? There may have been a bit of sarcasm in his voice there. Or a lot.

Was this about that boy had Luther had maimed a while back, perchance? Hubert's had thought that situation had already been resolved.

ART + CODE By Dee

Colsun wasn't entirely sure what he expected @Hubert to do, honestly. Jump down and excitedly throw a lei around his shoulders, whisk him into the comfort of Ecrosia and give him a tour? He understood well enough that the boy didn't like him too much (as was made clear by the amount of sarcasm and insults), but Colsun tried not to mind too much. Maybe he simply missed his brothers and sister or something? Maybe he was just desperate for some sort of social interaction? Either way, Colsun had been hoping for just.. something nice for a change. He felt downright ridiculous for having hoped, though. Clearly Hubert still didn't want anything to do with him even after he'd done his best to be polite and not hold his parentage against him.

"You haven't earned the honor at all," Colsun replied with a soft sigh. "But here I am." Ready and willing to take any abuse the smaller lion had to throw at him for absolutely no good reason. Maybe he was just into that sort of thing.

there's a darkness and it follows me

I'm never gonna let you in

code by corvus

When it stands to offer no clear benefit to him, Hubert and 'nice' aren't often on the best of terms. There are those who could attest to the fact that the Prince could certainly be less nice, however. Wasn't @Colsun ever so lucky? The boy continues to stare down from his perch, doing his best to mask his intently searching gaze beneath a layer of indifference.

He scoffs at the other's answer with a displeased curl of his lip, ears sweeping back into the earthen-tipped strands of his mane. But here you are. He repeats with all the personality of an icy lake, his eyes narrowing to green slits. This is getting neither of them anywhere fast, it seems. He sweeps his gaze over the landscape over the brute's head one last time, before shifting from his languid perch with a long sigh.

He rather doubts Colsun has the capability to plot out any sort of elaborate ambush, anyway.

He drops down lightly onto the mulch before the other yearling, promptly drawing himself up to his full height...oh right. Somehow, the other seemed just that much bigger in the daylight. How irritating. Hubert clears his throat through the dryness said irritation had afflicted him with, paws carrying him to circle haughtily around the monochromatic beast.

What am I meant to do with you then? He muses aloud, tilting his skull to the side. Don't tell me you were hoping to be able to prance right over our borders. Now that is an honor that will have to be earned. Sometimes. Mostly just because Hubert had decided so right in this instant.

ART + CODE By Dee

Colsun knew, somewhere deep down, that it had been a mistake to come look for him. It wasn't in the Rike's nature to care for anyone but himself, was it? Colsun should have felt ashamed of himself for being so desperate for some kind of camaraderie. He didn't know where else to go, though. Colsun didn't know where his mother was, where his brothers were, and only vaguely knew where Alabaster might be.. and frankly, he was too lazy to go that far in an attempt for socialization. He'd been hoping to magically stumble across someone he knew, but his paws had ended up carrying him straight into the jaws of.. whatever the hell @Hubert was to him. A low-key bully, maybe? Something not entirely pleasant, but not cruel enough to drive him away. He missed Anya.

"I don't care about where you live. I was just hoping that maybe you'd want to hang out. But.. I mean, it's fine if you don't. I can go." Colsun flicked his pointed ears against his head with a sigh, not even attempting to disguise the sadness that he had welling inside. Poor Colsun, so terribly alone (due to his own poor life choices) and trying to strike up a friendship with the most unlikely of victims. He shuffled his paws with uncertainty, watching as the lion circled him.

there's a darkness and it follows me

I'm never gonna let you in

code by corvus

It seemed they were destined to exist on opposite sides of a unique spectrum. One set adrift on a terribly lonesome path, and another pressed in upon by what some might label to be too much family - and yet, does being just one of so many frictious royals make a life amongst the Starke's any less lonely? Hubert would say that it does not matter. He needs no one else to accomplish his lofty goals, and he shall prove as much to all who may doubt him.

Though perhaps it is nice sometimes, to think of his peach-toned sister silently cheering him on from the shadows. It was nice too, to contemplate how much Faizah had truly seemed to think of him before Hubert had lost track of her. But he stubbornly shoves those intrusive thoughts into the corner of his mind where he deems they belong.

Just as he would like to do with this apparent revelation that @Colsun had specifically sought him out to...hang out? Sadly, it's a harder thing to ignore when the brute is standing right in front of him, practically drooping where he stands into a sad puddle of monochromatic fur, his voice magically turning into the well of sorrows. Were those puppy eyes? Oh, don't tell him that the larger boy was going to burst into tears. It was terribly awkward enough when a girl did it.

I didn't say you could go yet. He snips, because of course he does, pivoting to face Colsun head on with a sharp lash of his tail. ...Hang out where? The question drips slowly from his tongue, skeptical still. Begrudging, perhaps, but...also not an outright refusal, for whatever that was worth.

ART + CODE By Dee

Colsun isn't sure what he expected to find at the mire except for the disdain of its members. That's exactly what he receives, too, so he's surprised to find that he's disappointed. With the bar already on the ground, how is it possible to fall even lower? Colsun is ready to give up when the other yearling points out that he hasn't been dismissed, and there's a flicker of curiosity in his gaze as he turns to peer back at the smaller lion. Hang out where? "Doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be here, we can go hang out in the jungle. You can apparently climb trees, maybe you could teach me?" Colsun doesn't understand the amount of talent it takes to do so, nor how awful it would be to try and lug his massive form up into the canopy. Doesn't really matter. He just wants an excuse to spend time with someone and @Hubert just so happens to be available, it seems. "C'mon. Maybe you'll have fun for once in your life." The lion poked his tongue out between his teeth teasingly. "Unless you're allergic to smiling and laughing." Which, given their previous interactions, could very well be the case.

there's a darkness and it follows me

I'm never gonna let you in

code by corvus

Perish the thought that the lions of the Mire might ever be regarded as 'predictable.' The Prince shall keep @Colsun on his toes for another day, it seems., if only to drive in the point that the larger brute could not simply come and go from this place as he pleased. Not without falling prey to Hubert's sphere of influence, at least. Besides, deigning to linger in the other's presence at his request offers him a perfectly fine excuse to examine the Valentine further.

For reconnaissance purposes, of course. Not because he liked Colsun's company or anything. Why, such an idea would simply be...absurd. Completely and utterly ridiculous. Unfathomable.

...Wasn't it?

There were plenty of logical explanations as to why he'd been so eager to keep the beast from leaving, he's sure. Reasonings that could magic away the way his stomach had swooped and pinprick within his chest. Hubert might not be able to think of any explanations right at this moment, but he's sure they exist. But would he even like any of them?

Ah, but fortunately he has a tried and true method to deal with the complicated intricacies of his own mind - sweep it all under the rug and carry on. What could possibly go wrong with that? Colsun suggests they 'hang out' in the jungle, and Hubert's eyes flick instinctively towards the verdant foliage, a snicker escaping him when the colossal boy suggests that he teach him the art of tree-climbing. I would certainly like to see you try. It's not a lie - he's certain it would be absolutely hilarious to see the massive beast attempt to cling to the poor, creaking branches. Sure - I could teach you, if you're brave enough.

Oh, it trult might be fun indeed, though the ebony boy scoffs at the other's teasing, nose tilting upwards. Believe it or not, I have had fun before, actually. Just ask Ottie. And I have a perfectly handsome smile, thank you very much. His lips curve up in demonstration, though the lines of his regal mask are more visible this time, the lines of his expression a little too forced to be believable. Ah, well, it shouldn't matter if Colsun isn't charmed by it.

So why does he hope that he will be, anyway?

Come on, then. He declares forcefully with a slightly awkward cough, brushing past the other's thick coat as he strode past him towards the neighboring jungle. I know just the tree for you to practice on. If you can keep up with me, that is. Decisions have been made.

/exit Hubert w/ Colsun?

ART + CODE By Dee