A mirage of shifting spots moved across the sands just as dawn made its pale, swelling entrance over the peninsula. Lorant flitted from one bit of greenery to the next, clinging to any semblance of cover amid such vastness, his predatory heart thrumming all the while. One might miss what a risk the tree-cat knew it to be for how his tail curled and bounced – how his crimson gaze glistened with the unknown over the horizon. He had learned long ago that confident appearances went much further than a strong arm or even sharp teeth.

Suddenly, the leopard stopped. He stood atop a small dune of sand, his tail flicking behind him all the while. Look lost, he instructed himself, but look useful. It was the perfect trap for their kind; let them think they are studying you while you have much to gain from them.

---

|| march y12 | nine years | lone creature | at maua's passage | OPEN ||

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Luther's wandering of the passage was rare these days - his lackeys did most of his work for him if there was any. Surprisingly there weren't many rogues arriving, which made recruiting quite bothersome. The shifting sands and sparse vegetation offer little in the way of concealment, so he was more prone to attacks from his countless enemies. However, the Ecrosian monarch moved with the same swaggering grace, as if inviting such an onslaught without much care.

In the distance, a feline shape catches Luther's attention, its silhouette blending seamlessly with the sandy landscape. Intrigued, Luther quickens his pace, his curiosity piqued by the sight of another predator traversing the barren expanse. As he draws closer, however, Luther's brow furrows in confusion, his keen eyes discerning the distinctive markings of a leopard.

A moment of hesitation grips Luther. He was no fan of inviting those who were not of his species to dine with him and share a roof with him. Yet even as doubt gnaws at the edges of his resolve, Luther is a calculating man. He begins to see the potential benefits of forging such an alliance, of welcoming the nimble man under his banner. He was a predator much like Luther, albeit smaller. However, the spotted creature could offer many skills that Luther lacked. That much the Mire King could admit.

And so Luther approached @Lorant with languid stride and a shit-eating grin. "I admit I thought you a lion from afar," That's a compliment, of course. Who wouldn't want to be the bigger, stronger predator? "My name is Luther Rike, High Sovereign of Ecrosia Mire. What brings you to this..." Shithole. "Wonderful basin of greenery?" He grinned wider.

He heard him even before he saw that ivory-clad beast glowing in the light of dawn. Lorant flicked one ear at the shifting grit of distant sands, anticipation swelling up in his chest at the impending interception. There stood a cat of over twice Lorant's stature, his eyes a cold green and his pelt rather less sunny than was typical for the pride-folk. He stretched the corners of his mouth to prop up a grin to match that which greeted him.

"I admit I thought you a lion from afar."

His breath whistled through his teeth as he gave some semblance of a laugh. Their kind always had been rather amusing, with their showy hair and hero complexes.

"My name is Luther Rike, High Sovereign of Ecrosia Mire. What brings you to this... wonderful basin of greenery?"

"A very important lion?" Lorant inferred, arching his spine with intrigue. Ruby sights wandered over the stranger with curiosity despite the nagging insistence in the back of his mind that he keep his distance from him. Even if he could not point out a "high sovereign" if it bit him, the leopard would be lying if he claimed not to have imagined such power before. "I am nobody - Luca the Leopard," he introduced with a dramatic, sweeping bow.

"I seen many lands. This one ees... wonderful to you?" Lorant probed with a question of his own, gaze alight and alluring. He supposed, glancing at their surroundings, that a cat so accustomed to sprawling dunes might appreciate what little greenery they got. How quaint.

---

@Luther ♔
+5 - Tell a lie without getting caught
+5 - Learn a character’s full name and rank
+5 - Study the landscape of an area

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She trailed the sands of the passage, her expression searching before she noted @Luther ♔ and @Lorant. The pale form of the lion dwarfed that of the Leopard before she held a few paces away from the Mire king. "and I'm Kireena - from a band within the jungle.." Lips twisted as she tilted her skull towards Luther - a neighbor of sorts.. before she turned her gaze towards 'luca'. "This is... amaryllis.. it's well enough - depending on where you choose to settle." She perhaps misunderstood the creatures question - and the banter in which Luther was speaking. Still, the red giant waited - curious. Had she been a leopard she might have chosen the jungles regardless simply for camouflage. But - she suppoesd she WAS biased considering she had first lived within the desert.. then to the rainforests of Firnen before finding a small rainforest like home of her own..

code by koi, manip by tabs, images from unsplash

Arcania X'uekai

count my cards, watch them fall
I like the way they all scream

Wait... she knew that scent. It tickled something in the back of her mind, something that didn't fully materialize until she could see the male in question as she approached the little gathering that was forming. You were in the trade competition, she said as she approached, as a verbal reminder for herself and a signal to him and the others that she knew him from somewhere. How interesting to see him again. He'd intrigued her, back then. She saw no reason why he wouldn't continue to do so.

We didn't have time to introduce ourselves then. Arcania X'uekai, of Vermeda Brook. She saw no point in attempting to expound on how delightful the lands were. He already knew that for himself since he'd already been here. She also saw no point in advertising exactly which competition she'd met him at, though it would be outing herself as well as him. Best to allow others to keep their secrets.

code by scorpixia♡︎

He turned his attention seamlessly toward the next of their kind to approach, this one unnaturally large and even more ruddy than Lorant himself. The feline remained rooted upon his sandy perch as she introduced herself as Kireena from a band in the jungle. His smile only grew with recognition.

"Now that ees wonderful," he consented with another swish of his tail. Stereotypes be damned, the spotted cat did not think he would ever leave the canopies if he was not forced to wander to feed himself.

"You were in the trade competition."

Lorant's blood quickened as he regarded the last to join their party. He could not help feeling like a kid with their hand in the cookie jar as recognition washed over him, those red and white features standing out as something he had seen before, even if he could not place details about the lioness. Perhaps they had romped together. Perhaps he had not remembered their next scheduled meeting.

"We didn't have time to introduce ourselves then. Arcania X'uekai, of Vermeda Brook."

His stomach flipped over with relief. His smile hardly faltered as she revealed the brevity of their meeting, a mischievous squint crinkling under his eyes.

"I win the next one, I swear," Lorant insisted. He glanced over to the horizon and, noting a lack of silhouettes over the rocky expanse of the passage, turned briefly to the sovereign, Luther. His mind itched to know just how powerful the other representatives were, though the feline suspected such a question might fragile leonine egos.

"You all want me?" He checked with a twitch of his ear and a thoughtful gleam in his eye.

---

@Kireena @Arcania ♔
+5 - Tell a lie without getting caught
+5 - Learn a character’s full name and rank
+5 - Study the landscape of an area

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hail to the king
kneel to the crown

royal flames will carve a path to chaos
bringing daylight to the night
let the water flow with shades of red
arrows black out the light

Gauthier knew that scent, that likeness, that voice. A taunt from treetops, the insistence that he was too big to climb the crackling limbs to snag a well-endeavored meal. Now Lorant waited for him on a platter of dune sand, distracted by the company of lions – whether they found him as savory a bite or amusing a plaything or nothing. He’d readied himself well behind, hunkering in the marram and bayberry, coiling back in the anticipation to pounce and claim the prize that had evaded him many times before.

As it turned out, by the rollings of the conversation he overheard, they had seen him as a valuable addition to their ranks instead. Of this a curious ear swiveled forth, his skull tilted slightly as he surveyed the channel of their interactions. Kireena as one recruiter, and an Arcania as another, though the name did not strike him as familiar. The fact that they all esteemed him worthy of a place regularly deemed for lionkind struck him as odd, but should it have?

He had allowed an elephant into Firnen for the sheer growth of his strength and the profit of the prey he lured with the illusion of comfort – why not value the morsel for his speed, a skill he had already shown? And in the off chance that he failed in some way, just like proposed to the meaty titan housed under their green banner, perhaps he will have his answer at last of what that spotty meal tasted like.

@Lorant - or Luca, as he claimed - could prove useful for his speed and agility, or in the least his ability to fit into unassuming places.

Gauthier relinquished his bunching stance with a sigh, slipping past the dune mound with a wily eye kept to the jungle cat. "I do," he said, but his response is too toothy – too greedy – too hungry that its charm may be entangled in the devilry. It is an expression that does not glean the altruistic favors the cat’s previous audience share, but the looming temptation of a snack that Lorant should know all too well from their meetings.

"You are fast, an agile climber, and a cunning thing," oh how the compliments do sound like scorn when teethed with appetite, but imperceivable to others, just as much honesty as an exasperation swallowed beneath three gulps of humility. "I could use you in the Firnen Rainforest."

@Kireena, @Arcania ♔

Art © Ryuu

Arcania X'uekai

count my cards, watch them fall
I like the way they all scream

Arcania chuckled, dipping her head in a nod of acknowledgement. I'm sure you will, she demurred. If there ever was another one. She kind of hoped there was, actually. It had been quite interesting.

She was intrigued by the man who showed his face next, proclaiming himself to be of the Rainforest. He was obviously battle scarred, and quite assured of himself. Were it another situation, she would have liked to take the time to speak with him. But there were other things at stake here than her interest.

Yes, you seem quite popular, she agreed. All the prides come here to gather rogues under their banner.

She considered what sort of offer she could make to the man, what might be enticing. She wasn't particularly good at this sort of thing. Small wonder Icefang was the one to typically bring others in. We could use more with your... talents at the Brook. They would be welcome there, she commented, referring again to the competition where she'd met him.

code by scorpixia♡︎

"I do."

Lorant bristled. That tongue, rough and barbed, was just the stuff of leopardish nightmares. He remained a picture of calm curiosity as he turned to cast his scarlet gaze upon the beast that awaited him despite the crawling sensation up his spine, flashing a sheepish smile as he regarded that hungry stare in its fullness.

Faszom, he swore internally.

"You?" The spotted cat checked, flicking his tail as his mind rushed to keep up with the Gauthier-shaped turn of events. Unease fondled his innards and Lorant glanced then to the ruddy lioness once more, as if seeking to read her response to the lion's lavish praise, be it genuine or (likely) otherwise.

"We could use more with your... talents at the Brook. They would be welcome there," Arcania offered.

Yes, Lorant might have pled. Take me there – far from here, from him!

His heart fluttered at the mental challenge that was those few moments. Vermeda was the safe bet, surely. The mild friendliness of that sovereign did not scream I'm hungry so nearly as much as the man. Oh, but one of the oldest pieces of wisdom the tree cat lived by was to refrain from shitting where he ate, so to speak – and he did have every intention of ensuring he saw Arcania again under different circumstances. Swallowing what built up in his throat, Lorant straightened up with his announcement.

"I must go weeth my old friend," he sighed with feigned disappointment, shooting an apologetic glance Arcania's way before tip-toeing carefully toward Gauthier while remaining decisively out of arm's reach. "Leopard, rainforest... stereotypes, I know," Lorant huffed in jest. With one last wink shot the lady's way, he turned to shuffle after his new crown.

---

-exit- @Gauthier @Arcania ♔ @Kireena @Luther ♔

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Arcania X'uekai

count my cards, watch them fall
I like the way they all scream

Ah, what a pity. She'd been so delighted by the notion of not only bringing someone into the pride, but also one she actually knew. Alas, couldn't win them all it seemed. Ah yes, of course, she replied with mild amusement at his excuse. So be it, then. She would simply have to try her luck elsewhere. At least she had gotten the valuable information that the leopard was still around. That was something. And she was very curious how truthful that friend comment was, given his emphasis of it. All very intriguing, to say the least. It gave her something to think about as she headed off along the sands to see if anyone else was lingering in the passage. At least the Rainforest male couldn't charm another out from under her nose for a little while that day.

-exit arcania-

code by scorpixia♡︎