Damnation, they were stuck among the bitterly long grasses of the plains, inundated with happiness, treated not especially mean. Rumors whispered of their father's absence, tossing them to rot in the plains under the lions here. Some of his siblings made friends, some pouted in corners, and he supposed he was one to pout.

Small, cherubic peach frame sprawled under the sun, one of the first warm days since they'd been jailed. Warmth spread from his darker dorsal throughout his darkened limbs, causing his chocolate eyes to close. Youthful tendencies lay toward poetically soft exchanges, though he was bitter, angry about his current status, yearning for his princeling crown once more.

Possibilities lazy floated across his daydreams, whispering give this a chance; after all, the grasses weren't so bad, and the lions seemed friendly. There were other cubs here, he knew; he'd seen them!

_{BG — ART — CODE}

Oztrios

out in the jungle, i'm ready for war, out on my own i'm a terrible thing

He wasn't happy they were here. Oztrios enjoyed the arid land and the dried sand. This place felt foreign and weird. But it was also a place his father spoke fondly about, a pride that he had once ruled and was his favorite one. So, by proxy, the cub was trying to make the Plains his most favorite pride, too. He'd taken to exploring the outer edges, padding along the borders to see just how big the territory was. It was massive, Oztrios feeling as though he had been walking for hours upon hours.

Two toned eyes flickered here and there, taking in all of the scenery Lorien had to offer. The long, rolling grasses gave some cover if he wanted to try to stalk, much more coverage than what the Oasis had. Tail swished high in the air as he continued on, this time rerouting himself so that he was now walking deeper into pride territory. It wouldn't take him long to come across one of his many siblings, finding them sprawled out on the ground. With a mischievous grin does Oztrios lower himself into a stalking position, beginning to slowly creep up behind his brother. Inch by inch he would get closer, and once he were withing pouncing distance his hind end would begin to rock back and forth. He'd wait a couple more seconds before pushing off and leaping into the air, hoping to land right on top of @Paerios.

code by cala & art by karasu

No matter how much is father might have spoke fondly of Lorien Plains, it wasn't home. Not when they'd been spilled upon the sands, gifted to their parents under golden crowns. Since their father's loss they'd been cast aside, made to live among these tall grasses, discarded as after thoughts. Mixed feelings waltzed about, nothing wholly solidified under childish misunderstanding.

Whilst he pondered upon much older topics than his young mind should muster, he was distracted entirely from the sound of his brother brushing between golden plumes. A solid body landed atop his own, roly poly, so that he cried out foolishly, trying to grapple his brother's shoulders and roll them over. Arrrr! His battle cry rattled from his tongue, two-toned brown eyes glaring up at the deep purple face. Let the wrestling commence!

@Oztrios

_{BG — ART — CODE}

She was wandering through the tall grasses, as they swayed around her in a slight breeze- when she heard the battle cry. It sounded as if it came from someone young, and that piqued her interest, driving her to move through the grass in the direction of the sound. Maeve hadn't really interacted much with the other younger cubs here, and hadn't really met many if any that were her age. The dissapointment she feels as she peers at the cubs from within the grasses almost makes her turn away- they weren't as old as she was... but this did look kind of fun. Maeve pushed out of the grass with a playful wiggle of her hips, and a friendly wave of her tail.

The other cubs were wrestling, but that didn't dissuade her from wanting to get involved. "Can I play?" She asks happily, as she approached the younger cubs- all ready to be gentler with them, but just wanting to connect with someone... anyone, really.

@Oztrios @Paerios

ART BY KIM, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

Oztrios

out in the jungle, i'm ready for war, out on my own i'm a terrible thing

A cry of his own is given in satisfaction as he lands on top of his brother. They twist and roll, Oztrios on top for the time being. Two toned eyes were wide with life as he stared down at @Paerios, his tail lashing behind him. He feels his sibling's paws grab at his shoulders and he rocks to the side, falling over so that he were no longer on top. The boy was about to leap to his feet and thrust himself back at his brother when another's voice cuts through, causing for the Saxe spawn to whip around to stare at who it was. Eyes narrow upon the yearling as he stood there in momentary silence. She didn't seem like a threat, and she had pretty markings.

"Sure," Oztrios responds with a slight nod before glancing over at Paerios. "We could play tag!" Having more than just one other to play was would make the game more fun, and he lifts a paw in the air and pokes it at his brother's side all the while saying "Tag, you're it!" And with that the boy takes off, kicking up some dust and grass as he whizzes past the girl and away from Paerios.

@Maeve

code by cala & art by karasu

Focused against Oztrios, he sought to keep the advantage by keeping his brother beneath him. Two different toned brown eyes held a sort of glee conquering his brother, tussling with another cub confined to the golden grasses of the plains, though they'd been born to the sands. Their wrestling is interrupted by an older girl, one who struck him as quite different, very pretty in her own right.

Dark paws scrambled from his brother, seeking to circle around the older girl, wondering upon the other cub's interest in them. Between them, @Oztrios is immediate to accept the older youth's company, bringing a fit of gloom across the deep navy mask upon his peach features. "Tag, you're it!" A sudden jab to his side causes hairs along his spine to raise, shooting a quick glare towards his brother as the darker plum form zooms away.

At first, his legs churn to eat space between he and the darker boy, before he pauses mid-stride, turning in a messy arc to round upon @Maeve. Quick strides turn into a sprint, last minute launching himself forward with outstretched forearms towards the older girl. Tag!, shouting as he leaped, he was unsure if he'd made it close enough to even touch the girl, but he shouted anyway, in case he was able to make his mark just before skidding across the dirt.

_{BG — ART — CODE}

Though she was older, Maeve felt a jolt of happiness that the cubs would let her play with them- a sense of belonging to something more, as the game of tag is suggested. When the first cub tags the other- she darts off in a slow, steady trot- trying to keep it fair to their smaller bodies. Whiskers twitch in amusement as she watches their littler legs churn and grab at the earth. So she did her best to alter her pace to keep it fair, easy but also somewhat challenging for them.

So when that cub @Paerios tags her- she lets out a soft huff of laughter. She lets them get away from her a bit, before she sets off after the first. She bounds and hops after them, a trill of happy laughter leaving her and when she thinks she's near enough to @Oztrios, she flashes out a gentle paw to bap his side if she can- before she'd veer off and try to get out of reach. This was great fun! It was a game she remembered quite well from when her siblings were younger- and they'd been in the gardens. Except here, she could dip into tall grasses and nearly hide!

ART BY KIM, CODE BY DEE, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

Oztrios

out in the jungle, i'm ready for war, out on my own i'm a terrible thing

Oztrios stays on the move. Whether he was making large circles or zigzagging back and forth, he made sure that he did not stop. He hears @Paerios yell out tag, telling the boy that the yearling was now it. He looks over his shoulder to see how much distance he has, but in the process one of his paws doesn't lift off the ground all the way. It causes for it to skid and for Oztrios to stumble a step or two, but it was enough for @Maeve to catch up to him.

He feels the paw touch his side, causing for him to let out a breath and give a little laugh. Steering himself to his right does the boy begin to zone in on his brother, running as fast as he could toward him and - hopefully - tapping a paw at his shoulder if he got close enough. He knew sooner than later this game would get boring with only three playing, but for now he was having a fun time.

code by cala & art by karasu

Their youthful stub legs carry them as quickly as possible, circling each other like small sharks chasing after fish. Glee fills his dark masked face, enjoying @Maeve's sudden company.

Dual-toned earthen eyes narrow as sooty socked legs pumped hard, working to carry him away from @Oztrios, who'd just been tagged. Neck craned to view behind him, the effort causing him to slow just as his brother came rushing up. As he became "it" once more there formed a quest, one to tackle Maeve betwixt tall gilded grasses. Limbs arced, his gaze searching for the silvery girl. Just a glint of silver flesh twinkled between the grasses, directing him towards what he hoped was Maeve.

Distance closed between him and the silver glint, rear legs sprung him forth, soaring a short distance through the air, fore-legs outstretched with the hopes of landing atop the girl's back for another tussle. "Gotcha!"

_{BG — ART — CODE}