once upon a younger year

when all our shadows disappeared

---

Colsun could only glance at the man over his shoulder, brow furrowing at the surprised look on @Hubert’s face. Had he said something weird? He replayed the words in his head and didn’t find anything surprise worthy about them, so he chalked it up to a misunderstanding. “Huh? I said I’ll fight if you want to fight, as in I’ll fight you. I don’t want to fight you, but I will if that’s what you really want.” He shrugged his shoulders and returned to watch the fight, only half paying attention as he kept an ear trained towards Hubert.

“No, I don’t miss being a prince.” Why would he? He’d been so young at the time, it wasn’t like he’d gone around and been diplomatic or done anything worthwhile with the title. “Why would I want to have to deal with this shit?” he said, flicking a massive paw towards the chaos. “A challenger just shows up and potentially takes your home. Why? Because they just want it. You lose everything. Why would I want to deal with that just for a piece of land to shit on?” Colsun didn’t understand it, but he knew his mom was pretty hellbent on taking Scilla back at some point. He wouldn’t reject the title of prince, he just wouldn’t be enthralled about it. All good things eventually came to an end.

When all was said and done, Hubert took his leave and Colsun pushed himself off the ground to follow his family. exit

---

code by scorpixia♡︎ | art by kim

The prince grunted at the lioness' drawling acceptance, not eager to linger on her for longer than needed once he had checked the box of delegating cub-sitting. Bruno shifted his attention easily to the scene before them. He studied what he could glean from the fight for the lagoon itself, his mind reeling with interest at getting to witness Tiamat earn the place in an actual display of strength. While it could be argued her opponent was not much of a threat at all, her demise was still the best outcome of this for the Stärke. They would not lose an ally that day.

He sucked idly at his teeth as he watched, interested to note that it seemed Ecrosia would hardly be pulled into the war at all. It was almost a let-down. Bruno arched a brow when he witnessed another mire lion take down the striped lioness who dared speak against his father, a glimmer of amusement shining in the clover of his gaze at the swift correction – and Alaric need not even bloody his own claws over the matter!

Finally, he lifted himself up from the sands and turned to survey the scene for any stragglers. A small, purplish cub would get a slight swat of his paw to beckon her forth with the others as they made their pilgrimage home from a hard day's work of watching other lions get beat up.

---

-exit-

The babe peered around with wide-eyed wonder, though nothing quite managed to grasp the fullness of her interest. There was the warning look of the Ecrosian adults lost on one with no sense of such danger yet, and the squealing of one she had yet to understand was a sister. Knowing such likely would not have improved her opinion of the girl in that moment.

Flaring her nostrils at the spectacle of those brewing brawls, a figure loomed at her side with strange words.

"Έχεις κληρονομήσει την αφοβία της μητέρας σου, βλέπω"

She swiveled her ears forward. She tilted her head to locate the source, trailing her gaze upward until it met the lavender gaze of an adult lion. All of it was familiar – his scent, his countenance, that language – though it greeted her as if through a haze. She ought to recognize him. She ought to understand what he said. A youthful memory and lack of a mother's presence prevented such.

"μητέρα," mother, was all she could echo.

"Stay close, hmm? There are rarely friends to be found in places like these."

"Not friends?" Hekate repeated, quiet as she mulled over the idea. Though she could not bring herself to voice it, she wondered if he was supposed to be a friend. Still, she could not linger on it long, as the Ecrosian forces began to gather themselves for the pilgrimage home. Fixing him with another long stare, the cub finally turned to leave toddling through the sands. It was all so much to consider for one brain so newly formed.

---

-exit- @Cerberus

Caillen Armour-Svend

As usual tensions between her beloved parents and those around them weren't the bets ones, and seeing them like this pained her deeply. From seeing both in such a kind and united front to now being unable to even see themselves made the young lioness feel like all the good memories were all that remained from the once happy family. She sighs and her smile is erased from such events. Slowly she sat down looking away from them. But still with the disposition to watch the fight. "I hope Tiamat can keep her home, I hate seeing other get their homes taken away from them." She said, speaking at Alaric, her father, her mother, the Lagoon lioness and Nepthys. But soon, Tiamat was able to defeat the challenger. And between that, she saw how more of the fights came to an end, leaving bloodied lions on both sides. Seeing so much chaos and bloodshed made her gut twist. She was starting to rethink her own values and alignments. And perhaps wishes for her life. She didn't want to be near chaotic prides again...a young lioness was even killed(or so she thought). Cubs watching their mother get beaten and more. She knew at this point that she was done here. Slowly she stands up, watching her mother and old king leave. She nods and follows her father out of the Lagoon. exit

+5 Attend a challenge
+5 Socialize with 2 other characters in a thread (Alaric, Slaine and Ronin)

code by corvus

The child looks back up at him with wide eyes both wondrous and inscrutable, and he meets her gaze intently with his own. There is not much in the way of recognition within those spruce irises, but the hound can forgive his niece for that. She is young, and it's been a while since Cerberus had last paid a visit to the Mire's depths. When Aidoneus's scent had faded from Ecrosia and Amaryllis yet again, the hound had made the effort to seek her out. But when his paws had settled upon the sands of the Passage...he'd realized that his heart had grown too attached to this isle to leave it behind, even then.

μητέρα.

He blinks slowly, his expression unchanging though @Hekate's soft echo twists something behind his ribs, emotions not quite sad and not quite angry. Resigned, perhaps. He simply hums and lightly touches a paw to his own chest, taking the moment to teach. "Θείος." Maybe she will come to hold memories of, in time.

Yet for now, his attention is captured wholly by the battle that soon comes to a brutal and grisly end. Bile rises up his throat when Leonie sags to the sand, the true colors of the beast above her shining clear through the cruel glee upon his features. "No." He confirms in answer to Hekate's query, his voice icy as it hisses through his clenched teeth. "There are only those who revel in bloodshed." Judgmental is the narrow-eyed look he pins upon the girl's father, a hint of fang gleaming when his lips curled at @Alaric's retreating back. Was the King truly so willing to let Aidoneus's own blood suffer at the paws of his own dogs.

How disappointing.

It rankles him more now, to see Hekate toddle after the wheat man and his company so easily, but for now, the hound will allow her the benefit of safety in numbers. Cerberus instead turns his paws to follow the lions of Andal from a distance, desperate to capture some hint of Leonie's condition. Surely, her life had not truly been cut short in that instant, while he had sat at the sidelongs.

The beast that'd done this to her had best hope she'd survived. Otherwise, the price upon his head would grow to be far more than he could pay.

/exit Cerberus

+5 Observe a fight (Markus vs Leonie)
+5 Learn information about a potential threat (Markus)

ART BY SCARF, CODE BY LARS