If You Think You're A Hero

Odium watched from the back, but it did not omit him from the intrigue and interest of others who began arriving. @Poltergeist was the first to speak up, walking alongside him before quietly questioning his intent. The demon glared at the man, lips peeling back in a grimacing snarl. "My reasons are my own..." He spat, pinning his ears back against his skull.

He was uninterested in any further conflict with the colorful, curly-maned rat turd. Turning away and sheathing his fangs Odium would continue watching as more arrived. His sister @Opium came onto the scene, and as he looked upon her he saw anxiety and worry etched upon her face. There was no empathy for him, no smile no nod... no acknowledgement from his sister at all. It pained him but he merely looked away.

The new patriarch spoke directly to Poltergeist, warning him to hold his tongue. What a beautiful display of humiliation. Odium hummed his approval, bringing a paw up to groom. "Your brother is a coward... and your daddy knows you all too well." He said casually and just as quietly. A smug grin now plastered on his maw.

As Discord continued to speak, Odium surprisingly stayed quiet. He was here not to fray the family ties... He had different motives - though he found himself nodding in agreement as the Patriarch mentioned 'I can only blame myself for leaving the responsibility to my sons -"

@Archaic came forth and sat beside him, causing Odium's fur to bristle along his spine. A glare from the side of his eye was the only response to the other male's bold act, daring to call him 'brother'. Another growl hummed from his chest as he turned ever-so-slightly to regard the man and refute his claim... yet, then an invitation for a child to join them was made. The growl stuck in his throat as his eyes fell upon the child @Viper. Along with Archaic's introduction, it was clear that Opium had produced children for these monstrosities!

Had she lost her mind?!

He intended to turn his dark gaze to Discord with a proud indifference... but his hungry, almost deadly-intense glare would not leave the young child who had been instructed to sit among them. It was then he heard Archaic seem to - in some way - attempt to include HIM as he spoke of 'family' while sitting beside Odium - almost as if he were doing so in solidarity.

Was he making a statement?

Odium was lost in thought, silent and now failing to introduce himself. They would need to talk in private. He needed to know exactly what Archaic was trying to say.

Then DIE Like One

code by corvus

Poltergeist, as self-absorbed as he is, doesn't really notice who else trickled in as he stationed himself next to the man who made himself the outcast during the last 'family meeting'. Truthfully, he was ready and waiting to see if Odium would dare have the outburst he did the last time, or would he play it cool this time? Sit quiet and pretend to behave?

Old Man @Discord was quick to shut him down, no matter how quiet Poltergeist thought he was being. Poltergeist rolled his eyes and sighed loudly, "I see you haven't learned to mind yours either..." he murmured, sure that his father heard that, too, if he was listening in as hard as he was before. Poltergeist hung his head slightly, curving his neck to glare at @Odium, and by extension @Archaic , too. His pink and blue curls fell forward, hanging like a beautiful curtain over his forelegs.

A Lion Doesn't Concern Himself With The Opinions Of Sheep

Viper was relatively oblivious to the tension between the adults around her. Her focus is entirely on @Discord who, when she yelled at him, was polite enough to respond with a name, even if he grinned at her in the process. Despite the mischievousness behind the grin, Viper seemed relatively unaffected. She also seemed to not care too much about what the patriarch of their family had to say.

Before she could respond to the man who was supposedly her grandfather, her own father interrupted and asked her to come and sit with him and her uncle @Odium, whom @Archaic came to sit beside. She glanced at the stranger who was apparently her uncle. He was giving her a strange look that she didn't like at all.

"Why would I want to sit with him?" she asks, venom dripping from her voice. "He's looking at me funny."

---

Quick post with Viper to get her in before I forget xD

BG

There was tension already and their so-called grandfather hadn't even begun to get to the good parts of his announcement yet. She was seated by her mother, but she shot her sister a glare. @Viper was not being quiet at all, and to Fury, she was being pretty rude as well.

Lifting herself from her seat, she stalked over towards uncle @Odium and her father. "Lower your voice and stop being mean!" she rasped to her sister, flicking her mane out of her face while looking over her shoulder for @Wraith . Had she dallied behind them? She looked up at @Odium with an apologetic smile, but otherwise said nothing to him. She looked over to her mother and sat down slightly behind Viper and Odium.

She sighed. She hadn't been listening to @Discord either, but being as young as she was, she doubted much of the announcement pertained to her anyway. She was just concerned with not allowing her sister to embarrass them further.

BG

It would seem that this meeting would not go without a bit of their family drama to spice it up. As the others began to file in, Ruin took note of those in attendance. Faces of her kin that she had not seen since before her return. She was glad to know they still existed- even with the complications that have come from such a thing. Their kind was a mess, after all.

The brothers bickered back and forth even as Discord tried to chide them for their antics. The cubs that had arrived had melted the heart of the Black woman, even if their mouths were filled with filth. She had been void of her own litters thus far. An ache was left in her chest as she tore her gaze from them to look back to Discord. I'm within the Rainforest. And she liked it there.

She doubted she would leave it by choice.

_CODE

He had chosen not to approach the gathering immediately, more interested in observing from afar, getting an idea of who sat where within the ranks. It was a difficult challenge for him mind you, for every fur on his spine would raise at the mere sight of Odium. How might their father deal with this reject among them? Perhaps he would punish him in the way Recluse had failed to?

Eventually, he would approach, wordless with a face as cool and stoic as stone despite the contempt he felt for Odium. The feeling of betrayal of his own brother, opting to sit in his company after everything that had happened was hidden behind his mask too.

A nod would be offered to @Poltergeist along with their father, @Discord. He would then turn his attention to Ruin, who he had learned the return of at the passage, where a representative from her pride had come to offer an invitation. He hoped she had not blindly lost her way, lost her sense of pride in being a blessed host. If she had not, it only seemed natural he offer his company and promise of comradery. "Welcome back to Amaryllis @Ruin. I was informed of your taking up residence in Firnen while in the passage." He commented quietly, not wishing to be heard by anyone else but herself.

Wraith was a little late, but she knew that she couldn’t miss this. She quickly ran after her sisters and would take a seat beside her father. She remained quiet though, and instead, she would look at all the other older lions in awe. She was a little oblivious to all the tension, or… Maybe quite a bit oblivious.

So, this was her family? They all looked different but also similar, she could tell some had her venomous bite and others didn’t. She couldn’t help but knead the ground and stick close to her father. He spoke to the man named Discord, telling him how they resided in the Summit. Some of the other lions smelled of different prides and she was left wondering why.

Why were they all scattered? Wouldn’t it be better if they were all a big happy family? She didn’t say it out loud though.

BG

None of their answers were hardly what he expected, and it was clear the boys hadn't matured much in his absence. There was still the familiar bickering that caused his pointed ears to lace backward out of mere annoyance, a roll of his eye as they chided one another. So this is what they'd become? This is what they would be when left to their own devices. He mulled over the bits and pieces of information he had received from each before his lilac gaze was roaming across each. "I'd say I'm surprised but really I'm not. I had hoped the bickering would end between you all but obviously that hasn't changed in my absence. @Ruin, you've stated you enjoy the rainforest? Perhaps I shall seek my refuge there." He says absentmindedly, though what would come across his mind next was possibly one of the more important topics.

"With those mouths I'd be an idiot not to assume you all haven't accumulated enemies in your time here. Who do I need to jot down on my radar then?" He would ask next, his piercing stare unwavering as he waited. This meeting might seem tedious to them all but it was vital that he had an idea of what he was walking into before he began to engage with the prides at large. Of course, there was the matter of dealing with his sons after everything was said and done, though for now he remained stoic, patient. "I've got all day." He said sternly, making it quite clear that none of them would be leaving until they got to the bottom of things.

ART BY IRISH, CODE BY DEE

If You Think You're A Hero

Odium was finally snapped out of his hungry glare as the Patriarch finally spoke once again. He spoke of how he had somehow expected the family to be a tragic failure. He spoke of simply living among the lions of this land instead of any insidious plans to take or kill... no questions of who they should turn their sights to, who to maim - kill - STEAL. This family was nothing like he remembered in his cubhood.

Perhaps @Discord himself had become the epitome of his little family's tragic failure.

Odium stood boldly as the man asked who his newest enemies were, walking through the crowd toward the man as though declaring himself the answer to his query.

"Does it really matter?" He questioned venomously as a bitter chuckle left his throat. "At this rate, every lion and lioness sitting here today will be as harmless as mice by year's end. Surely they have been as quiet." Not one notable thing, not that he had heard of. Not by the paw of Family Black.

"The children are being raised in stable prides with stable ideals... the males bicker to the point of shredding their brotherly tethers completely..." Odium gestured to @Archaic to make his point. "And the women - simply defeated." He chose not to steal a glance at his sister.

"My hatred for this family has been festering in me for years... I dreamt of the day I would render you all husks of your former selves -" He smiled gleefully, toothy and wide. "I hadn't needed to raise a paw." Odium could sever his ties with the name here and now, and they would do nothing.

There was nothing left to hate.

Then DIE Like One

code by corvus

At this point, Vain was trying not to drool on himself as he dozed from boredom. Nothing that was being said would directly impact him... so he could care even less. There was no point for him to be here, except to claim the family name and get in on the recent family drama he hadn't bothered to be present for.

He half-heard the bickering between them all... Odium, @Archaic clearly taking sides, @Poltergeist being - well... himself. @Ruin spoke, offering the Rainforest as a viable choice in which to dwell. Vain reflected on the spot as well. Perhaps it was time to find something he could affiliate with? It would certainly take the monotony out of the drab day-in and day-out of pure survival.

Suddenly he was awoken with Odium deciding to take a stand... again. Wonderful... what would it be this time? Though, he was slightly curious how all this would play out this time around. Perhaps he could stay awake a little longer.

image by moogle/code by saph