[OOC: Set directly after https://www.amaryllis-lions.com/thread-1...tpost.html]

She was slow as she escorted the young lioness into the rainforest, pausing just beyond the border to give @Andraesa a chance to get used to the view before she would cross over. "There are quite a few dens to pick from - you're welcome to any of them - if you'd rather have company, you can always ask @Etain if she wants another denmate."

Kireena wouldn't say no to another spending time within the den she shared with her daughter. Though she did want to extend the offer of a familial relationship with herself and Etain - she wanted to see how the girls would get along first.. and if their newest member of Firnen would even want such a thing.

Moving towards the cache, she poked her head in to check their stores, noting the need for another hunt eventually and then stepped aside, nodding her skull towards the open den. "Take your pick..." She chuffed - calling for Etain - hoping to also see the young female eat her own meal.

ART BY VASILIA, CODE BY LARS

It was so much. Andraesa's eyes are wide with excitement as she takes in the new scenery. Her paws hurt so bad and her head felt light but how the trees soared above her. This was her home now? It was so grand and gorgeous and bigger than anything she had ever seen!

Her eyes switch from canopy to carcass as @Kireena shifts through her wares and suddenly, the tummy rumbles are back. Her ears twitch briefly at the idea of a friend, presumably this @Etain, though the thought of companionship is quickly overidden by hunger. She hadn't eaten in so long... too long... it takes nary more than a second for the girl to swoop down on the nearest piece of meat. She scarfs it down without a second thought, her still-growing teeth tearing at flesh down to bone (and even then, her mother had told her once that bones had good stuff on the inside, too.)

When she looks up again, it is with innocent eyes and a messy maw. A shy smile crosses her features. "It's very good. Will I be hunting for my own food after this?" Though Kireena had explained to her the rules of this new place, the rules felt too new and foreign to be fully understood by a hungry cub. She knew, at least, that every lion was meant to pull their own weight and be an active, contributing member to the pride - no matter their station. She didn't know what her station was, but she wanted to prove as soon as possible that she was worthy of her new home.
"SPEECH"

code by scorpixia♡︎

@Andraesa wolfed the food down as Kireena expected and she settled to her haunches, letting her ears keep watch to the terrain surrounding them. "No... we work as a team. If someone calls a hunt - you can join up and often you'll be given a task that fits your skills. Sometimes it may be as simple as "be scary and chase it towards the bigger teeth" " Kireena smiled, lips twisting as she took the young girl in.

She was plucky - and it reminded the red giant of the children in the nomadic pride - herself included. Tough as nails and used to the hardships of life. It didn't mean they were weak or useless - just gave them a different set of skills. Just like Etain for example - she had a set of skills all specialized to herself - and Kireena was proud to watch her grow.

"Do you have anything you'd like to get better at?" If it was healing or fighting, Kireena could easily teach one or both - but she could also find a way to teach other things though she may not be as versed as some.

ART BY VASILIA, CODE BY LARS

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

Once again, her attention had been so focused on what she was doing that she didn't register the call at first. Truth be told, she'd been beyond the border, venturing into the jungle on her own. But once she realized her mother had been calling her, the large girl gathered up the items she'd laid out on a rock and placed them all in her pouch.

Large paws drummed heavily on the ground as she ran towards the call, bounding over fallen trees, weaving around trees. Sure, she was large and still growing, but she'd found something she was very good at, moving about the jungle lands as if she were doing parkour, pushing herself to go faster, take more risky leaps. It helped her practice speed and agility, which she knew was important in so many things. And eventually, she crossed back over the border to arrive in their territory. And moments later she was bursting through bushes near the cache, skidding to a halt in front of @Kireena.

"I'm here, I'm here..." she panted heavily, flopping down next to her mother to nudge her head against her shoulder. Floppy ears quivered as she looked from her mother towards @Andraesa, tilting her head. "She new?"

code by corvus

The assurance soothes her, enough to where she can take another bite without feeling guilty. Pictures of lionesses hunting together in a big, cohesive, joyous group dance in her head as @Kireena surveys her, and she can only shake her head a little to the red woman's question before another young lioness appears.

Andraesa nods to the girl as she settles herself and for a moment, the girl has to keep herself from staring at the floppy ears that the new girl sports. Interesting; she had never seen such a trait before. She swallows her mouthful quickly to respond to the quipped query: "I just traveled here from the outer lands. My name is Andraesa. Have you lived here your whole life?"

She cannot imagine that such a quirky looking lioness could be spawned anywhere else.... could she get floppy ears if she stayed here too?

@Etain
"SPEECH"

code by scorpixia♡︎

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

Tilting her head a little, the pale bronze girl looked at @Andraesa, tail flicking beside her. "I'm Etain." At first there was only the short introduction, but the question gave her pause.

Floppy ears laced back and for just a moment hackles rose in a faint growl. Not a sign of outright hostility, but more upset. She immediately rose from her spot again, pacing, tail lashing behind her. "No," she eventually responded, though she didn't look at the younger girl. Instead she flopped her butt down next to @Kireena again but with her back turned, facing away to hide the tears threatening to fall. "Was all alone for a long time before Mama found me. Now home is wherever she goes."

code by corvus

Kireena nodded towards @Etain when she came, smiling at how quickly the girl was getting around Firnen now. She was making progress in leaps and bounds (Literally) and the woman was proud. When her daughter introduced herself to @Andraesa and the pair started to talk about their homes before. The druid watched as Etain turned and flopped, knowing well enough that the younger female had an incredebly hard life.

"Many who live in Amaryllis came from beyond the lands. But there are some that have lived here their whole lives. I was a nomad before I came here - before I found Etain.." The red woman shifted just enough so she could press her hip against the pale lioness's side to offer comfort without bringing obvious attention to her upset.

"I'll make you the same promise I made to Etain... if someone tries to hurt you - including that bitch from the passage.. call me if I'm not there. And if I am there? they'll find out exactly how sharp my fangs can be..." She would gladly step in and defend where she could.. and had no qualms about tearing the flesh from someone in the process.

Except..perhaps if it was a kid. She really disliked adults truly harming children. Was one of the things she wasn't going to be able to condone herself.

ART BY VASILIA, CODE BY LARS

"Will a lot of lions try to hurt me here?" The girl queries back to @Kireena . She had caught a glimpse of scar tissue before @Etain had turned away from her, pink flesh raised against golden fur. She wonders vaguely if that is par for the course on this island of dark-furred lions with darker eyes and trees that touch the sky.

Etain stays turned away from her, her face and funky ears hidden from view. Shame creeps up Andraesa's chest, hot and uncomfortable in the face of another's distress.
She offers a little rumble from her chest in response to the other girl's small discomforted sound, her ears laying back in a display of unseen submission.

"I... I didn't mean to be rude. You and your mama look like you're doing really good now, yeah?" The fancy intonations and the proper manners are dropped in her own embarrassment, her true timbre slipping through in genuine apology. It wasn't every day that Andraesa made friends and so it wasn't every day that she fumbled those interactions either. The resulting feeling made her feel very small in its wake.
"SPEECH"

code by scorpixia♡︎

The pines, they often whisper

They whisper what no tongue can tell

Large paws kneaded the ground beneath them. It had been a while now since she'd arrived in these lands, had been a while since she found her home. But she'd come so far. Had a home now, was safe. And still, those memories loomed over her like a dark cloud, resurfacing whenever she needed it the least. Though she never saw it herself, she was so very painfully aware of the scars she bore. Many that looked old and stretched, like they'd been inflicted on a much smaller form. Some not so old but now healed. Scars that told a story. A story full of pain. But there was much those scars didn't tell. Things only she could speak of, when she was ready.

The large girl leaned into @Kireena when she felt the comforting touch, a low rumble escaping her. But she didn't turn back just yet. "They're not too bad here. Don't hurt us." Shifting ever so slightly she just turned her head enough to show the scarred side of her face to @Andraesa. It looked...strange. Three marks that looked older, stretched, yet part of them seemed more recent, at least within the last few months, and not quite following the same scratch pattern as the older portions. "There's nice lions here, like mama, but really really bad ones too. But that's life....no sunshine and rainbows."

code by corvus

Kireena let her gaze linger on @Andraesa's form as she ate, a rumbling sound of comfort for @Etain as the other spoke of rougher times. "Some are like the woman of the passage, and others will offer kind words and soft promises but only seek to lure you into a place of weakness." The red woman chuckled in amusement.

"Time can change the creatures that live here in Amaryllis. While those that live within Firnen don't intend to harm us - it doesn't mean that we are entirely safe. But, I will do my best to ensure that you girls are protected - until such a time as you can protect yourselves.. And even then.. I wouldn't leave you on your own."

ART BY VASILIA, CODE BY LARS