Roan Hodari

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The moment the fogs lifted and revealed a portion of the lands that lay before them, Roan found himself a purpose to cling to in order to keep his mind from actually analyzing his feelings. He didn't need to waste time mourning the loss of his father while he still had a family that needed him. At least, the Hodari would hope that they needed him, and so the masked lion set himself a task to venture these lands and report back to the group with whatever he had found. He didn't want the cubs wandering too far on their own without knowing if these lands were dangerous. Even if the ethereal voice that rang in their ears seemed warm and welcoming, Roan was not naive enough to believe just anything.

Cautiously skeptical, the Hodari wandered into the lands slowly. His senses were acute to every sound and smell he encountered. Holding a little PTSD from the invasion, the rogue didn't wish to be ambushed any which way he traveled. This hypersensitivity, however, was relaxed a bit at the sight of mountains. His one true home would forever be atop a mountain as he heart yearned to investigate the peaks that seemed to lead up and into the fog. No, even he knew better than to try and climb foreign slopes in such horrendous visibility, but at least it was nice to know that these lands held a few higher altitudes. This left the lion sitting at the base of the mountains, wholeheartedly wanting to climb, but then he noticed the opening that the path seemed to lead to. That was quite an opposite trade off to go from the skies to the underground.... Then again, he did feel the need to know these lands better.

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Line art by Adoptadpoles | Image and table code by Amanda

The young woman was hunting a mountain goat, not necessarily because she was hungry, but because she enjoyed the challenge. She zipped through Maua’s celestial mist with the ease of someone familiar with the topography and darted across the mountainside with light and practiced steps, the wily beast always managing to be just out of her range. It didn’t matter necessarily; her blood sang with the sheer pleasure of her exercise and she delighted in the competence her athletic figure allowed her. Tua probably wouldn’t catch the goat, but oh well.

A scent teased her on the mountain air as she bounded after her prey – first it was barely anything, but as she descended, it grew strong enough to distract from her efforts. Her steps slowed minutely, but it was enough to allow the goat to increase the distance between them, until he was far enough ahead that Tua relieved him of the pressures of her pursuit as she stopped altogether. The young lioness lifted her head, tilting her chin in the direction of the stranger’s scent, her chest heaving from her exercise. There was a moment of indecision, but she turned and followed the stranger’s scent trail at a lazy jog, her muted eyes searching for its source until the larger lion came into view just ahead on the path.

Cautious but curious, Tuathla leapt onto a boulder strewn several paces off the labyrinth entrance, off to the side of the trail and stranger. Ideally the few feet of height that gave her would permit a natural defense should he prove aggressive, although currently he seemed interested in the mouth of the cave system. The lioness crouched onto her belly, her ears pricking forward as her indigo eyes darted between the stranger and the caves. “It’s easy to get lost in there,” She warned without preamble, her eyes finally landing back onto the stranger. The young woman said nothing more, silenced by indecision; so many strangers had come to her island, and without knowing what their intentions were, she couldn’t know where the natives stood with them.

ooc | sorry for the novel!

Roan Hodari

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In the end, the rogue decided it was foolish to climb. To know and explore the caverns could prove just as useful as knowing the peaks above. At least a cave system did offer shelter from any sort of unfortunate weather, and when his family was so vulnerable without a pride anymore, the underground could offer a sufficient temporary home. In any case, Roan did enough internal debating to warrant an exploratory mission before a voice was heard overhead. Mint gaze craned upwards, finding a dark figure perched contentedly atop the rocky terrain he so wished to climb himself. A bemused warning on her lips that he knew all too well was true. He could end up lost in these foreign tunnels. Was it worth the risk?

After a moment of looking back towards the opening of the caves, Roan returned his attention back to the stranger. "You warn as if you know," the mauve lion returned casually, bating the woman into telling him more about the caves before needing to outright ask it of her. Had she ever gotten lost in them before? Did she know the caves? The lioness didn't look familiar enough to know if she had come with the influx of refugee lions or not. Perhaps the stranger had a better grasp of these lands than the foreigners.

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Line art by Adoptadpoles | Image and table code by Amanda

The mauve lion turned his masked face to reveal striking mint eyes, pinning her where she crouched, and Tuathla was torn between wondering if she had made a mistake and a natural interest in this stranger and what he represented for her island continent home. There was a thoughtfulness about him that she gleaned when he did not immediately respond; he seemed to consider her warning and returned his gaze to his original interest, leaving Tua to study his profile for clues, apprehension and curiosity warring unpleasantly in her belly. His silence lasted only a few moments, but she did not know quite what to make of his assumption. “Well, yes,” She responded simply, the faint note of surprise in her young soprano accompanied by a slight tilt of her head. The Donnelly had expected that all of these newcomers to know each other, and therefore be able to tell the difference between themselves and the natives, but perhaps that wasn’t the case.

The lioness scooted forward so that her flaxen ankles draped over the side of the boulder as she peered at him. “And you do not because you’re part of this… invasion of newcomers.” The severity of her choice of words was offset by the interest that brimmed in her voice and expressed across her freckled face. This wave of fresh blood both fascinated and disturbed her; if only she knew what their intentions were, aside from laying claim to every other available space, that is. Her attention flitted back to the cave for a moment, before returning and she tilted her chin. “Would you like a tour?” She offered the mauve stranger after a moment of thought. Tua could never claim she was abundantly cautious.

Roan Hodari

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Though the stranger's answer was concise, it was unsatisfactory as well. A simply yes did not tell him much about the young woman's connection to the lands, be it either foreign or knowledgeable, but Roan was not yet perturbed to abandon his interest. Given a few more moments and the rogue seemed to grow a bit more comfortable upon her perch, a bit more curious as well, as her ankles draped over the sides of the rocks. There was something oddly familiar about the socked appearance, but the feeling was fleeting, linked to a memory long ago locked away. Instead, Roan persisted the silence just long enough for the stranger to go on.

Part of this... invasion she said, the word choice not lost on the Hodari. It hit a sensitive spot in Roan's chest. They really were invaders. Already claiming up lands in the name of new prides, claiming the need for "homes" and "safety," but, in the end, did it really make them any different from the same invaders they had all just fled from? The notion was visible upon the mauve man as his posture slackened, minty gaze falling from the woman's perch. Invaders. It was the last thing he wished to be. "Some of us don't mean to be," Roan murmured, more to himself than to the stranger. Refugees was the more appropriate moniker. The spirits had led them here, after all. Who were they but loyal servants following the only words of salvation offered to them? Thus, it came as a complete shock that the woman would then offer Roan a tour of the caves after having just called him an invader. His gaze shot right back to the stranger, ears perked forward in surprise. "Really?" Should he even trust her after that comment, or was the fallen prince just over-analyzing the word choice?

@Tuathla

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Line art by Adoptadpoles | Image and table code by Amanda

The masked countenance of the mauve lion slackened a bit after Tua’s pointed choice of words, but his quiet response fueled her already brimming curiosity. The possibility that this lion might have answers to her concerns seemed very likely, and so when he expressed his surprise at her audacious and not-well-thought-out tour guide invitation, she offered him a toothy smile. “Sure, why not?” She replied brightly as she gathered herself onto all fours and leapt from the boulder onto the earth before him. It was only then that she noted the several inches of height he held over her, and a twinge of caution tempered her vibrant spirit and her grin wavered slightly.

Swallowing with unease, she resumed her expression of amiability and then nodded to the mouth of the cave. “This way,” She instructed unnecessarily, a flutter of nerves twisting her belly as she paced forward, mindful of his presence and the distance between them. Tua had to remind herself that she had the advantage of knowing the territory; she could easily slip away into one of the many narrow hallways or crevices this maze offered should he prove to be aggressive. He wouldn’t have that knowledge… yet. Speaking of which, “So, why did you all come here then?” She questioned, glancing at him sidelong as she would venture into the mouth of the cave.

@Roan

Roan Hodari

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It's what he was good at, overthinking things. His surprise at the offer of a tour only seemed to further confuse the woman. "I... I just wouldn't expect someone such as yourself wanting to give a tour to an invader," he admitted while watching the stranger climb down from her perch. Now that Tua was in full view, Roan found himself staring for a moment, continuing to find something familiar feeling about her appearance, yet he couldn't place it. It was a faded feeling, maybe something from his childhood. How could anything from his childhood link to these new lands and a new face? Shaking the thought from his mind, the Hodari brought his focus back to the tour as the stranger set off into the tunnels with instructions to follow.

Dutifully, Roan followed close behind, though allowed for enough space that he hoped the stranger would feel comfortable in the lead. There was nothing aggressive about his posture, not a sign of distress upon his face. The masked rogue was merely grateful for the assistance and curious to these lands. Minty eyes scanned the walls of the caverns as they ventured forward, adjusting to the dimming light in the process before the stranger posed a question. "We were forced.... Well, forced from our lands. Spirits guided the survivors to these lands." The survivors.... His own poor word choice this time. It wouldn't even cross his mind if this stranger even believed in spirits, having always had them as a part of his life and history. Did they have the same things here in the new lands?

@Tuathla

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Line art by Adoptadpoles | Image and table code by Amanda

Although his words made sense and appealed to the sliver of caution that her father somehow managed to teach her, Tua only shrugged at the mauve lion’s reply. To her, the idiom ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’ seemed to apply remarkably well in this situation, although as the moments passed, she found herself considering the stranger less an enemy and more as a fascinating interloper. However, she did not offer the mauve lion an insight into her thoughts and instead continued the tour with her nerves and excitement making knots in her belly.

It helped that he respected the established distance between them, and Tuathla turned her gaze fully to him as he answered her earlier inquiry. It was not a particularly heartwarming story, and the lingering smile that she had worn faded into the thoughtful expression that now dominated her freckled façade. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” She replied, torn between feeling genuinely sorry for the lion and also immensely relieved that it had been Maua to have led them here. She had been worried that the fog had been a defensive maneuver against the interlopers, but instead it seemed… well… she still wasn’t sure. “Maua takes good care of us here, although I’m really not sure what they mean by this fog.” She said vaguely, reiterating her thoughts to the lion, as she turned her indigo eyes back to the path and nodded to one of the many tunnels that branched off of the main one. “Pick a tunnel, any tunnel!” Her smile returned, bright and impish as she turned towards the lion, her anxiety fading now that she knew the Deity of these lands had summoned the newcomers.

@Roan

Roan Hodari

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It was the first sympathy he had been afforded by a stranger, but Roan supposed it wouldn't be the last whenever the reason for their travels was explained. "Thanks," was all he could say, if there was really anything right to say to the offer of sympathy. Luckily, Tuathla didn't pick much at his situation, which Roan appreciated. Instead, they just kept moving on down the tunnels.

While he hadn't even thought about if the stranger would have stopped to question belief in the spirits, the masked lion also never expected her to so casually lay a name on this omnipotent figure. "Maua?" While the name of the lands had seemed to simply come to Hanneth when they all first arrived, Roan couldn't remember if he had heard a name for the actual spirit that had seemed to be speaking to each as they crossed the passage. Was that the spirit's name? Like they had Sky before? Hm, this would be interesting news to bring back to the family. Now the Hodari was wondering if there might be a particular pillar of spiritual concentration like the tree from home. Could his grandparents have followed them like they did once before, or was that too much to hope for after all this time? Before the question could form on his lips, though, Roan was confronted with a choice of his own to make. Pick a tunnel? "Uh, the left one." Being caught off guard by the young girl's proposition, the mauve lion didn't spend much time on the choice.

@Tuathla

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Line art by Adoptadpoles | Image and table code by Amanda

“Yes, Maua, the deity of this continent. They were the one who guided you here, I’m assuming.” Tuathla explained as she tilted her head to consider him, her softened gaze contemplative. Shouldn’t he know who Maua was? Or had the lion simply been left to believe that vague spirits had ushered a whole mess of lions from one end of the world to this? Perhaps it had been a joint effort: the spirits of his former homeland teaming up with this deity in order to secure a safer place for the refugees. She could see how names and introductions could have been lost in translation in that case. Regardless, it was all speculation, and the yearling did not linger overlong on it; the lion had chosen a tunnel! With a decisive nod and a brief flicker of a grin, the lioness led the way into its depths, her movements slow and deliberate as the light faded and it took her eyes a few moments to adjust. Her pace was chosen so the lion could also find his way easily, given that the maze was unknown to him so far. “My parents came from another land too,” She admitted after a moment, her tail curling at her ankles thoughtfully as her focus drifted from the familiar stone to the foreigner she toted around. Perhaps that might also help explain her proclivity to aid the newcomer; she was only one generation removed from being just like him and the rest of them. “Lived in a cave like this one, a cavern.” A bright smile punctuated her words, but there was an echo of nostalgia in her voice- she missed her parents and didn’t quite care for the orphan life. @Roan