Stepping into the cool shadows of the cave brought some much needed relief for Silas; though summer was long past, the heat of the afternoon sun seemed to be exacerbated by the lack of wind today in the bottom of the canyon and his mostly dark-furred pelt and mane seemed to just suck all those rays in like a thirsty donkey.

He looked around briefly at the others that were either already in the cave or still filing in before finding himself a nice flat spot and splaying his limbs wide on the refreshing touch of the crimson floor.

"Ahhh... this is nice, y'all. I could just stay here all day."

code by scorpixia♡︎

Well, he couldn't say he enjoyed the vast expanse of desert before them. Or the way the sun was relentless, even in summer. What kind of prey would even be out here for him to track? A huff, he rises from his spot and meanders towards the sound of @Silas. The younger lion has sprawled himself out, lazily relaxed.

"The hell er ya doing" he yawned, brushing off some of the dust from his pelt and half formed mane. "We have work to do compadre" he playfully bats at Silas's face, wanting to gather the attention of the younger one quickly.

code by corvus

they aren't the only ones enjoying the quiet of the day.

neither of them were being terribly loud but there's no missing that tone. work? doe drawls with a huff, eyes narrowing behind the thick curtain of mussed bangs. why do we always gotta do work? he huffs, sounding unimpressed-- even as a whine ekes into his words. his muzzle shifts, lips pursing in a pout in @Santiago's direction.

@Silas has the right of it-- it might be verging on autumn here, but the desert was no slouch. the sun didn't have anything to hide behind and he could feel it even here in the shade. as if to prove his point he plops his haunches down on the red rock, clearly wanting a ( brief ) respite before heading back out into the sands to do... well, whatever santi had on his mind.

Exploring the tunnels that lead to the hideaway Abel had been busy. He had been exploring a good chunk of the landscape but he found himself drawn back towards the tunnels. Even if he disliked the heat of the desert outside of them. Something about this red walls drew him to them. Maybe it was the scents of @Silas, @Santiago and @Shenandoah? Possibly. Walking though the tunnel that lead towards them he followed their scents and the sound of their voices.

"Ye know ye can be hear' a ways back. These here tunnels echo partners." He said as he got closer letting his voice echo towards them before he could even see the three felines.

OUTLAW;
+5 Scout a neutral territory - 1/2

ART BY MOOGLE, CODE BY LARS, MODIFIED BY GUNNER

One eye opened just enough to peer at @Santiago. "Yeah, Santi, I'm with Doe on this one. Let's just take a lick to relaaax. Y'know ya want to." They'd been on their paws all morning; what could it hurt to rest? Work could come later... maybe.

He rolled over to his back with a sigh as a voice came from deeper in. An upside down @Abel had just rounded the corner and was striding towards them. Maybe he could talk some sense into Santi. "Heya, Abel! Look, you gotta tell Santi to get the stick from out his behind! There ain't no need for work yet!"


@Shenandoah

code by scorpixia♡︎

Grateful for cool shade on the furred expanse of his shoulders, Jeb ignored the sweat that dampened the skin between his toes, along his hindquarters. He sucked in the cooler air like a drownin' man, mouth slightly ajar. Sounds of laughter and ribald drawls bounced off the tunnels, making distance hard to make out. One thing was certain enough, though- not a godamn lick of business was bein' tended to.

Jeb emerged from the deeper crags, chuffing dust out of his nose and peering with his lopsided gaze out from under his forelock, weighed-in with dirt and hard travel. His voice was its usual rough drawl, like he had just taken a stiff drink and his throat was still raw with it.

"Well, would you look at this." He muttered ironically, his lips turning up at the corners as he shook half the cave from his mane, "I leave you lazy, sad sacks for two minutes to get a good measure of things, and we all decide to leave ol' Jeb workin' hard while we sit around diddlin' eachother and layin' about like a godamn bunch of lizards."

Collapsing next to @Shenandoah with a roll of his eyes towards his brother, @Santiago, he bends to chew at a broken claw, speaking around it.

"All these cracks in the ceilin', I bet there's a good little pool hereabouts where the rain comes in. But I wouldn't expect y'all to be usin' what's between your ears- if you got 'em at all. Best not to start now; probably only hurt yourselves."

Despite his words, there was no real venom in his tone, only a puckish gleam in his eyes that he fought down.


@Silas @Abel_{BG — ART — CODE}

Despite the heat, the desert was always interesting. It put his skills and endurance to the test, and really was lovely in the right light. But shade and rest always called to him, and the scent trail of companions was hard to resist. Sid moved at a rolling stroll, the energy-conserving pace of a man who had nowhere to be but a long way to go.

As he reached the others, his idle humming (something suspiciously close to been through the desert on a horse with no name in tune) broke into a light laugh, "If I'd known I was missin' a group-diddlin' session, I'd'a got here sooner" His walk didn't so much as halt, as shift smoothly into a casual flop led by a shoulder, until he pressed his side into the cooler stone floor and stretched his limbs.

"We've just been through a damn desert, Jeb, I'm thinkin' we earned a break." Let 'em catch their breath a minute, let the sweat dry, let the heat find it's way out of manes and darker fur. Not all of them were pleasantly pale.

@Silas @Santiago @Shenandoah @Abel @Jebediah

code by corvus

REMEMBER THE DESERT GARDEN
MOONLIGHT ON THE SAND

At the sound of the commotion, Colt couldn't help himself but to smirk. "Now, what seems to be the fuss here?" He walked with a slow stride, as if he had all the time in the world to spare. The hot sand burned his paws as he strutted, yet if he felt any pain his face did not betray him; instead, he bore a stone cold expression. Straight-faced and solid.

The cowboy yawned, and rolled his eyes playfully. "Looks like you're outnumbered, aye @Santiago?" Colt chuckled softly, for there was no reason to feel tense over such a small disagreement. He presumed that his fellow lions felt the same, as the air was not hostile in any manner. These mundane moments were important to Colt; he enjoyed the time spent with his crew.

"Why don't we rest for a bit? I think @Sidney's got a point, y'know; we have been travelling all day. It ain't like the sun's gonna go anywhere." He paused for a moment, and then frowned. "Err...Wait. Maybe that wasn't the best sayin' to use..." He darted his eyes away before shrugging: "Well. Y'all get my point anyways, so it don't matter."

@Abel @Jebediah @Silas @Shenandoah

WE LISTEN WITH OPEN EYES
TO THE VOICE OF EL SHADDAI

code by scorpixia ♡︎