He had no desire to linger in the passage as he moved into the lands. He had been here before, for a small amount of time before leaving to find out who he was. He returned now that his mate had been killed, his young following along. He would need to find another to help care for them and to make sure that his line didn't end here. He looked toward @Lamia for a moment as the scent of the sea pulled at him. He had been born among the waves and had always seemed to find it, wherever he went. His mate, Lamia's mother, had shared his love for the salty waves until the end. Skie came to stand along the borders and called for the leaders of the sea side pride. He could make out two scents, a female and male. He could only hope that the lioness was a co-leader. He had seen pride run by lionesses and it had never ended very well for the pride. Males were meant for the leading of a pride. He wasn't as strict as his family line once demanded but there were some things that he just wouldn't be able to shake from his core. Let us see who rules here. His gruff voice fills the space between them as he carefully looks over the bits of the cove that he is able to see.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Bunny.

There came strangers on the edges of her home. And with an eye, and mind, now turned and toned to the future of Caladan Pyrrha became more interested in who walked up to her mother's doorsteps and what they sought from the Cove. She had seen some come to challenge, she had seen new pride members arrive. But all passively so. All as an observer- the delicate rarely seen or admired fixture in the back of it all. It would not be forever that she could afford to be so unobtrusive and shadowed as she had grown up. There would be time and place to act but when those moments arrived Pyrrha couldn't afford to be unknown entirely any longer.

Time for practice was nearing the end and so came the piece of Pyrrha to play the game.

Hello. The strawberry royal greeted as she arrived upon the pair that has wandered to their threshold. Her pale gaze flittered between the two indiscriminately, behind the vision her brain churned and began to work. I am Pyrrha of the royal family here. Can I be of assistance?

code by me

Lamia

Lamia as an obedient daughter, was not too far from the watchful eyes of her father, the one family she had left. Her eyes evaluated the place as they approached the borders of what seemed to be a coastal pride. She was born by the sea, so this place might be suitable for both of them. She would go wherever he went, and as long as it wasnt going to bring misfortune to her or her family, she would comply with any plans her sister had in mind.

Quietly, she came to a stop by her father's side, staying quiet. She preferred to let her father do all the talking and limit herself to being passive unless she was required to do anything else. She looked at the girl who came to greet them. A princess? How convenient.

She wondered if she would be the typical spoiled girl or if she was better than that. Yet she kept her judgment to herself by keeping a calm expression and staying close to her dad.

@Skie @Pyrrha

code by cala & art by line art by Machati

Post 3/5 for Zabrina on Absence

---

She had been beginning to gather up some herbs to investigate them when she heard a call ring out through the land, calling for Kvare and Sunder at the borders. Stashing the herbs she had begun to gather, Zabrina started to head in the direction. Sure, the call might've been for the pride's rulers. But better to have a show of force at their borders in case of any trouble. And she was even more inclined to heed the call once she spotted @Pyrrha headed in the direction of the borders. Letting out her own summons for @Kvare and @Sunder, Zabrina would continue to move after the young princess - just to be safe.

Coming up behind the strawberry royal, Zabrina attempted to make herself look imposing. "You stand on the borders of Caladan Cove. Our Queen and King will be along shortly." She said as she moved to stand at the Princess's shoulder. She would not allow anything to happen to the young girl, and would prefer to let the young girl take the lead right now and learn best how to handle a situation like this. She would just be there to be a protector of the young princess. She would attempt to flick her tail against Pyrrha's flank to let her know she was there to support her until the ruling pair got to them.

@Lamia @Skie
"She starred in one of the ones that became nothing."

artwork • coding

t

hey’ll last until you’re seared to ashes / whatever persists or turns to pain between us / they will still be there

---

Some members had begun to slip through his fingers, while others remained steadfast, unrelenting. Caladan had grown in abundance under Sunder's rein, and it continued to flourish now once more under their united rule. But while the Cove bolstered their numbers and reinforced their borders, the rest of Amaryllis had been rent asunder. Prides that had heldfast for years now tore apart at the seams, and longstanding alliances had their foundations rocked in the aftermath. Kvare had every reason to find more allies in such turmoiling times, and had found himself considering venturing out in search of answers.

Perhaps it were a gift from the Gods that it were a Casimir who stumbled upon his borders.

He was beaten by both his daughter and his Gentry. Pleased expression slipped from between @Pyrrha and @Zabrina, before settling between the two lionesses. His fiery gaze then cast toward the two newcomers; a man swath in cerulean complexion, and his passive companion. And yet, he remains silent, content enough to see how the man would answer the princess' question. He need not repeat what his daughter already asked simply to hear his own voice. Kvare was ever an unfair father, but never would he be an unfair King.

---

@Skie @Lamia

Art by TomoTheBear, table by cala

Ordinarily Sunder would have been on top of greeting a stranger at her borders, let alone two strangers, but not on this day. Her steps wobbled as she moved across the beach, clearly inebriated from her experimentation with medicinal herbs and concoctions. She'd been working on developing a wine and had indulged a little too much but hell, it was five o'clock somewhere, right? She'd lathered herself in lavender and chamomile, being sure to try and hide the alluring scent of her ripe mango remedy she'd made up. Her lips still tingled and her body was flooded with warmth, images of @Imogen flickering through her mind as she would finally fling herself onto the ground beneath one of the sparse palm trees. Her ears splayed out to the side as a serene smile drifted across her face. She laid on her back, staring up at the sky as the voices drifted towards her. She'd listen but she made no efforts to move, for now she just wanted to lay blissfully and relax. The others could handle it, that she was certain.

*Sunder is attempting to hide she's drunk and lazy ignore her


sleuth exp
+5 - Infiltrate a group thread without getting caught
+5 - Practice covering your scent
+10 - Remain undetected in a large thread

art to eightysix + code to pine

@Lamia was there with him, silent but there. She looked more like her mother than she did him but anyone who looked close enough would be able to see the Casmir mark that touched her. His sea-colored gaze looked at @Pyrrha that arrived. It was interesting that someone so young would be allowed to stand across from strangers. It would be easy enough to jump across and dig his teeth into her neck. The young girl gave very little information but thankfully, the adult that lumbered up next gave him the name of the pride. This new lioness was stunning with her two different sides and the looping of her pelt. Skie looked her over openly for a moment before a male arrives and says nothing. The king? He looked at the male and there was something that flickered in the depth of him but he brushed it away as the silence moved through the small gathering. He looked back to the yearling, the only one to ask a question. I am Skie Casimir. This is my daughter Lamia. He nodded toward the golden girl next to him. We have comes to learn about the pride and those who lead it. He flicked his gaze to the male for a moment to see if he would stir or not. We wish to live along the ocean. It seemed that here or the other pride lands just beyond this one would be the main places that he would be looking. He didn't care for any of the other prides and if there was some reason that neither of these ocean pride leaders would work out for him, he would have to just take the leader's place. He would rather spend his time building his family back up without the worry of leading others but he would do what was needed to enjoy life.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Bunny.

She has to pick her words carefully. Her heart wants to interject and declare immediately that @Sunder, her mother, rules here. But @Kvare is near and very much a presence in the moment where as the Queen was seemingly not yet arrived. Pyrrha knows her mother is the most recent reason they are all standing here secure in their dynasty. And her heart burns white hot to even consider saying otherwise. But there is a reason for everything, reason to all they do even if it seems odds. Kvare is King. She gestures a strawberry muzzle to the lion who has come to join the welcoming committee. And my mother Queen. Their reign tested, and defended, multiple times over. She explains in calm manner and matter of fact.

She's immediately concerned by @Skie's sole declared reason for coming here. To live by the ocean. An all too easy task for Caladan to fulfill but that did not mean her home would be suitable for them, nor they for it. There is an expectation anyone who lives here will earn their keep. No one is coddled or spoon fed anything. She has to bite the inside of her cheek. Except maybe sons...

code by me

Lamia

Until now, she had been quiet, waiting for her father to do the talking. He was smarter in these situations. Something she was on the way of learning from him. "Pleased to meet you, I am Lamia Casimir." She said it with a moderated voice level.

"We will pull our weight." She said this, wanting to make it clear that none of them were lazy or useless lions. Herself wasn't here just for the view; she was smart enough to not come and be seen as unworthy. And she was taught to always work for her things and not let others do them for her.

She took note of those around, checking for anything odd or raising red flags. But there was nothing she could determine this soon. But she trusted her father's judgement. He was the wisest lion she knew, so they should be fine, right?

@Skie @Kvare @Pyrrha @Zabrina

code by cala & art by line art by Machati

She would remain quiet as @Kvare arrived on the scene, flicking an ear simply as the lions at the border spoke of wanting to learn who ruled this land and what it was like. As it was not her place to speak, she would allow @Pyrrha to speak on the matter if Kvare would allow her to as well. Everything the young girl said was true - the reign of Sunder and Kvare had been tried and tested multiple times in the recent past. By the same lion, in fact.

She didn't miss the way @Skie's gaze paused on her as he opened looked her over. Her lip lifted slightly, as if telling him 'try me'. She wasn't not one who enjoyed being parading around or ogled over like she was simply an object. Her attention would flicker back to Kvare and Pyrrha to see what more the pair had to say about the pride.

@Lamia
"She starred in one of the ones that became nothing."

artwork • coding