With everything going on, Ana felt more desperate than ever to try and help where she could. But the only thing that was barring her from helping Vermeda Brook, the pride itself, was tracking down her father. Immediately grabbing @Eisa and not bothering to think that she was too busy for this, so that they could go searching together. He can't have gotten far. She murmurs quietly, searching south while others searched in their other neighboring territories. It's not like him to leave for very long... you don't think he...? The question loomed at the tip of her tongue, hoping that he hadn't taken it upon himself to go see Aeistrios himself in the Plains. He wouldn't dare... something had to have happened and maybe those lions had something to do with it but for now, she just knew they needed to find him.

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}

The shifting in Vermeda's ranks, made her uneasy. First her mother had been injured, and now their dad? She didn't like this, and worried- was Maua or Vellen punishing them for something? Were they punishing her? For her parents to be indisposed on the brink of war? What cruel fate was that? When @Analía had sought her out to move south with the search- she had readily agreed, following her sister down into the fields with a sense of worry and dread. "He has to be okay." She said soothingly, trying to be optimistic. " He wouldn't go after Aeistrios alone, that would be foolish and Dad's no fool." Yet, he wasn't there- he wasn't home and Eisa didn't like it. She hadn't seen him recently, and she worried for him, worried for their injured mom. "We'll find him." She said, assuring herself mostly of the fact.

code by corvus

Both sisters readily assuring each other but truly, they were out to soothe themselves mostly. Trying desperately to cling to some false hope that their family stayed together because that was what they had always done. For two years, Analia and her family had lived in Vermeda without worry. At least, up until the last few months but even then she had held onto the comfort that everyone was still together.

Nose led her every which way possible, trying her best to figure out what direction they could go or where he even would have gone if it was of his own decisions. Do you think he went to the Coast? she asks, her body halting for a second as she turned her head to face @Eisa, to talk to Vellen? Or to try and see Him? Did it work like that? Could one plummet into the ocean again, risking death twice over, just to see Him? Surely not... their father was a very smart man and wouldn't do something like that to them when they needed him most. And if he didn't make it, there would be little ways to get the information back to them if he did find answers.

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}

Whatever would come, as long as she had her family near... Eisa could and would face it with a brave expression. Walking through the fields with Analía, she knew they'd eventually find Myrkvi- that everything would be okay- because they had each other.

At @Analía 's question about whether or not their dad went to seek out Vellen, she tilted her head and considered that, silently enough. "Maybe." She huffed softly. "You don't think you have to drown to talk to him any time you wish, do you?" She asked. Surely, after their first drowning, it would be enough for the god to know who they were and deem them worthy of speaking to him? But what if you did have to repeatedly drown... what if their father had been swept out to sea?

code by corvus

Every part of her wanted to climb to the highest place in Amaryllis and scream. To show the whole world that she was tired of feeling the way she had felt. How every tiny little thing that could happen, only continued to get worse and worse and eventually she wasn't going to have any comfort to hold onto. She knew she had @Eisa who was experiencing the same fears (or, she assumed all of them) but her sister was a lot better at hiding that fear than she was.

I was just thinking the same thing.. it would appear that both of them were scared of the same scenario. That Vellen could only be talked to while being pummeled by vicious waves, risking death just to even try and get answers. Dad is smart.. he wouldn't do that. He wouldn't risk death and leaving his family behind even if it solved everything. There was just no guarantees and that was why she felt possible that he wouldn't do that.

Turning her head and stopping her movement, she directed her body a bit more south as she followed a scent. One that she was unfamiliar with and another that she swore was her fathers. This way she murmured maybe? The one that was unfamiliar could or could not have been following with their father but given that both scents went in the same direction, it was hard to know for sure. The scent did not belong to any pride that she knew of, could likely be a rogue but those scents were often so abstract and she would have no way to track them down if they were still moving.

Stopping at a nearby bush, it looked to be a basil plant. It's leaves were mostly entirely green and relatively medium in size, but this plant was aged. It seemed larger than the rest that it gathered around but that wasn't what had drawn her attention. This plant had blood on it, dried on its leaves and baked by the sun on the ground. I.. don't know whose this is but this was the way I think Dad went. Ana was going to find him and continued to try and keep her hopes up that she was headed in the right direction.

+5 - Observe and study a new scent
+5 - Study the flora of a neutral territory

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}

Anxiety of their missing father churned in her belly, keeping her awake at night as her stomach was in absolute knots. Yet, her duties kept her busy- and going out to search with her sister? Well, that was a much needed distraction from the over-whelming feelings of uselessness she felt. It was doing something.

Drowning just to speak to Vellen, truly made little sense. Surely, after your drowning- you were proven worthy and he'd speak to you as needed- right? She hummed in agreement to @Analía 's words, as she spoke and replied. "Yeah. He's way to smart for that. And I don't guess it makes sense."

Eisa moved to study the bush, her nose nosing the dried blood- and inhaling. It did smell like their dad- and she raised her head to study Ana with a frown. "You don't think the plains pride took him, do you?" She breathed softly, well aware with their location they were entirely too close to said pride. "Aeistrios declared war.... would he kidnap our members to start it?" She felt a shiver of worry run through her. "We should follow this." She breathed- they had to know.

code by corvus

Her carmine painted sister said everything that she was thinking. Their brains working overtime to try and sell the idea that the Plains would have stooped so low as take their father. The two recognized the man as evil, but surely he wouldn't... and Myrkvi wouldn't have been so easily caught. Not unless he was outnumbered or was threatened with something that he couldn't let happen. With a hard swallow she shook her head ... surely they wouldn't. Not their father because he was too strong and he would fight them off or he would have called for help unless no one was around to hear it.

With a quick closing of her eyes and a deep inhale through her nose, exhale through her mouth she tried to refocus herself. Desiring to release all of the pent up frustrations that she was having, the fear that had a death grip on her lungs and heart, so that she could better focus. We should follow but... I think we should make a wide distance. @Eisa would know what kind of wide distance they were going to be keeping. They truly were far too close to the Plains for her liking and if they couldn't find the scent on the other side of the Plains, then they would know what happened.

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}

The more she thought about it, kidnapping their father was likely a foolish way to start a war. Did Aeistrios even know that Myrkvi was their father? She did not know that detail, and it really didn't make much sense. As Ana questioned that, she shrugged. "Aeistrios doesn't seem the type to really think things out. I mean why would he ever have challenged for the Brook otherwise?" She murmured, glancing around them, her fur prickling uneasily along her spine. "I just... I don't think anyone's just that cruel." She said, still trying to find a bright spot in the male. Perhaps he was just daft.

She nods at @Analía , agreeing that they should keep a distance. "Hopefully, Dad's scent doesn't lead us any closer." She breathed out. "If it does... I guess we go back to tell Mom. I know she's injured and Uncle Aquila's leading but... I think she'd want to know." She mused aloud. "It's... weird with our parents... not in charge." She breathed out, with a smile that was small and tiny. Not that she felt strange to work with Uncle Aquila, but it was just different.

code by corvus

The more the two of them sniffed his scent and followed the trail, the more worried the young girl became. @Eisa at her side was likely the only thing keeping her sanity together, let it be it was held together with sticks and glue and love but sometimes love was a strong adhesive. Maybe he just really wanted power... and didn't like that Mom beat him. Not that she knew any extra details like if anything had been said afterwards but Ana knew pretty well that women in power were often frowned upon. Not that she saw it that way but she also saw that it made one look like an easy target. Mother always proved them wrong but they never saw it, especially not Aeistrios.

We've lived most of our lives with Mom leading, she'd only been Heiress when they had been born but from what Ana knew personally she had always been a Sovereign or High Sovereign. She's still a Queen, at least to us. Their whole family was royal and mighty and there was no rank that could tell her otherwise. Let's round the Plains rather wide and if we can't find anything a bit beyond we'll return home. She didn't want to be out too late, especially not around this area and the last thing she wanted to do was worry anyone else that someone in the family had disappeared.

+10 - discuss pride relations with another character

^{ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY CALA}

Eisa doesn't get it, but when her sister speaks, she must admit the wisdom to her words. The... it made sense, she supposed. "Why us, to begin with. There are ten other prides." She muttered, but she did not expect Ana to have the answer. It had been rotten luck that Aeistrios had chosen their home. "He's a bastard." She added.

"Yeah." She agreed. Cassandra had ruled their entire lives. Aeistrios just didn't apparently realize what he was up against. "Yeah, you're right." She agreed.

"Lets keep it a wide circle." She nods, and joins her sister to meander around the plains, giving it a very wide birth as they did so. Maybe they'd find a trace of their dad... maybe.

-exit via exploring-

ART BY YUMPY, CODE BY LARS