GOD KILLS INDISCRIMINATELY AND SO SHALL WE

Pride meeting, next post on 7/25

The sun scoped down the mountains to the far west and shadows reached into the lagoon. The borders were still swathed in sun and rusted sand but within the tangle of ferns and palms the darkness gathered. Vermier watched as the sky turned pink and a dark, bruised red. The color of his problems and their solutions. He padded toward a shallow pool that seemed to glow brilliant blue as though it still held the clarity of the noon sky. He took a drink and then called for his pride. The wounds from his claim were healed, the wounds from the other claim were healing, and body and ego itched to be avenged. The shadows in the palms at world's end were not enough. They needed to expand.

Unlike some older males, Tobin was one of those who actually went to bed when the sun went down, instead of roaming around in the twilight hours. So, when the call rang out just as he was dozing off he was hard pressed to force himself to rise and answer it.

He did so slowly, hauling weary bones up from the ground and pausing momentarily to scratch the puzzle-like marking on his shoulder before heading out of his den and towards the king. He could barely see in the darkness these days, especially with his mostly blind eye, and so his progress was even slower than it otherwise might have been.

Finally, though, he came upon Vermier, and he fixed the sovereign in his gaze with his one good eye.

i lost myself into the night i clipped my wings and fell from flight

Beelzebub is in a world of hurt, and most certainly feeling quite bad for herself. She isn't sleeping when she hears @Vermier's call -- far from it, in fact. She has found sleep difficult the last few days, though she has kept to herself to avoid the undeniable questions about her injuries. Her broken right forepaw is tucked close to the girl's breast as she limps her way towards the summons of her king, her ears slicked back against her skull. She looks a rather pathetic sight as she skulks onto the scene, avoiding any sort of eye contact and having no desire to sit near strangers she doesn't know. She hunches down against the base of a tree, trying to somewhat hide her soreness and pathetic behavior from anyone else who arrives after her. Her brooding is the silent type, desiring no extra attention for her wounds; she just wishes for them to heal and to forget about them. She is lucky, she supposes, that she is little more than another face in the crowd in this pride; no one really knows her, so no one will bother to worry about her (except her sisters, of course). A soft huff escapes her jaws as she settles down, furtively glancing towards Vemier now and then, though she mostly averts her gaze and waits for whatever announcements he has for them.

table by sentinel / art

There was a spark of tension in the air. Genya didn't feel like it was going to be entirely good for her to be present but a call's a call. Bad or not, she still had some voice to be heard. And if @Vermier insisted on something stupid her voice will be the first thing he'd hear. When she arrived, there were two other lions, both whose name she didn't know and whose face she seen little of. Vermier had been claiming and inviting left and right, so these must've been new members. The noble decided to be a bit risky and situate herself at the front, near where Vermier was. This will make it easier for her to assess the situation and advise her king of what he should do and what he should stay away from.

The yearling populace had been steadily growing. The rest of the pride too but it was the influx of yearlings that Ole noticed the most, simply because they were of a similar age as him. He was curious as to what Vermier planned with them. Would they be siblings or just part of Scilla? Would they outstrip him in Vermier's eye? Possibly the females.

Ole had been in the midst of a pescatarian meal when the call rang out. The yearling grabbed his food and made his way to the meeting. He wasn't about to let the fish slip away after he had fought hard to get it. His drenched state was a testament that he had to dive into the water in order to secure the fish and drag out the large specimen. It wasn't massive by any means but was enough to constitute a meal for him.

Oleander sat at the back so that he could enjoy his catch while he waited for others to arrive.

I hate you. She still simmered from being dragged here, to be shackled to the will of a boy who spoke like the king who did this- the very king who called them all here. She felt out of place, sour, burning inside with hatred and malice. She had never felt like this, not even once in her life, where everything had always been it will get better and suffering is temporary. But this hell felt like forever.

Sleep had been miniscule, the sand stuck to her ruby fur, giving her more stars than she had before, but these made her angry. They itched, and burned her skin. The air always smelled of fish and salt, and it made her constantly feeling like throwing up. Food was something she wasn't sure whether she could even enjoy, anymore. So when the boy came, carrying a fish, she couldn't even look at him. So she stared at her paws instead, in silence.

From across the glowing pool, those lilac eyes watch @Vermier. All day she had found peace beside the water, basking in the sun that has now receded as night consumed the realm, a trench in the sand where her growing body had tossed and turned for maximum comfort. At first she believes her solitude might prevail, for she had no intention of seeking his attention, sure he has better things to do than linger in silence with the likes of her. But he remains there, after an obvious vocalization. Would she be privy to a meeting that none should see? Not that she'd gain much information, considering her deficit.

Alas, it becomes apparent quite quickly that the call had been for more than one, as first their scents and then the sway of their shadows and then the lions themselves creep into the space she'd once called her own. It's @Beelzebub, of course, that draws the majority (if not the entirety) of Ursula's attention. Pulling herself to her paws, her own wounds sealed closed with a crust of sand but pulling tight as her skin shifted nonetheless, the spotted girl approaches her sister slowly. She knows that Bee tends to be a bit of a recluse, especially in times of duress, and so Urs keeps her eyes down as she gets close, assuring her sister that she'd not be the one to question if there wasn't an outright offer of answers.

They were family, yes, but that did not mean that Urs automatically deserved an explanation, however much she'd like it. Still, she is selfish in seeking to bump her dark forehead into her sibling's side, wanting to comfort them both if only for a brief moment, before the spotted yearling settles onto her belly with hind limbs outstretched, back leaning to seek but not demanding touch from Bee, chin resting on her outstretched forepaws with eyes on the crowd.

code by corvus

really sad phone post bc dusk has to work :(

He had not gathered a true census of the pride until now. He was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of lions Vermier had amassed in his time as king; even moreso curious to see how many were of their same shared blood. But such was not a time for questions, and like a silent shadow does he lumber into the meeting, crawling along its fringes until he eventually settles among the far-flung back corner of the group. There is something in the air—tense and palpable. Kieran rebels in such an uncertain feeling, watching each keen and curious face until, eventually, his eyes fall upon the sovereign as he waits for him to speak.

table by ferus, art by dusk

Groups. Why did there always to have to such a gathering of groups? The star touched lioness lingered back as others seemed to move in. A number were missing still and Amara let out a call for @Cassine, @Rose, @Maude, @Nonoyo, @Hazarin, @Andromache to come and join them before she walked into the meeting space. She spotted @Kieran and moved toward him. She walked behind him and then up next to him, lingering just long enough for him to notice her before she flicked her tail across his side and walked to be closer to Vermier. She stood looking at those gathered, one of the yearlings (@Beelzebub) was hurt and her gaze hardened over the wounds before sweeping to one who seemed pissed as hell to be here (@Cressida). She kept her hard gaze on the yearling who seemed to have been touched by the stars as well. Would she cause issues here? This should be short and simple and Amara hoped that would be what would happen so she could get out of this crowd faster.

Table by Ice. Graphic by Lars.

Since her challenge Maude had taken a lot of time to herself to patch her own self up to the best of her abilities. Strength was always with her but over the last several years it had paid off to know what plants she could put to her wounds and what wouldn't help. She was no medic, of course, but she could manage enough to not be useless since she couldn't rely on others all the time to do her a solid. Being a rogue for that long had forced her to learn her own tricks to staying alive.
When the call came to gather, Maude lifted herself from a small resting period and travelled towards her High Sovereign. Stopping once she was close enough to see every lion gathered, lingering eyes on each individual as though mentally testing them before taking a seat. Her eyes were trained solely to Vermier, as everyone aside from Amara were a stranger to her.

table by sentinel / lion + beach