It was the middle of the day, and the sun was sitting easterly in the sky. It had been shrouded with clouds, so that the rays of warmth the sun offered had been anguished before they even hit the atmosphere. The sound of the waves were gentle against the Cay's shore, the lapping of the water kissing the sand as though it were nothing more than a new-born babe.

Crabs and other sea-life scattered itself across the rockpools that were in the distance, someway from the tree that sat in the centre of the beach. Admittedly, it was a strange place for a tree, but why not? Life was one's own, no?

Asura quietly moved through the beaches that the Cay offered, blissfully ignorant of her family and of her surroundings. She was simply focused on how she could get her own back on Viné, and how she could prove herself. At four months old, that was all that mattered right now. She had no siblings to play with, no similar-aged 'friends' to grow with, so she just had to do it on her own. And to be honest, the small heathen was fine with that. Why look out for others when you can look out for yourself?

Padding through the sand at a leisurely pace, the Casimir daughter allowed her thoughts to roam freely.

code to kay + image by irish

Nobody should be alone! Not when there were friends to be had! And when you were young enough to be scooped up by a passing bird of prey.
Between the various places around the coast, Amra felt like half her time was spent ensuring small children didn't fall prey to large, mean individuals who might wish them harm. It might make life interesting for them, but it might also traumatise them beyond repair, and that was something Amra never wanted of anyone. Knowing that Xerxes was still so messed up had Amra's heart sad. There was nothing she could do for him. So she wasn't going to let anyone else think they were unloved! Ever! Even if she had to scoop them all to her breast herself!
The day was grey and dreary. Rain threatened off in the distance over the ocean, but the sky above the land was simply a depressing shade of grey, leeching all colour from the surrounding scenery and making everything appear flat.
Pawsteps across the stones were muted as she walked, finding sand occasionally that she stepped in. The water sucked at the sand, but the tide was in the middle of transition. It had no need to roar forward, nor to rush outward. It was simply hanging out, minding its own business, being polite to the atmosphere of the day.
It was with surprise, then, that Amra found signs of another life, a small child's life. Ears perked forward, surprised to see such a small child in an area like this. And seemingly alone, to boot. Amra angled her path to intercept the small child's, not wishing the girl to feel so alone and only hoping that she didn't scream and run away in terror at the ever grinning, growing lioness. "Hiya," Amra spoke gently, her trademark grin spread across her muzzle. "What doing?" Out here all alone.

Asura continued to walk at a leisurely pace across the beach, allowing her toes to flex against the sand that was littered beneath her feet. She had never experienced the feeling of sand between her toes before now, but she was certain that it was a leisurely feeling none the less. The sand ground against the particles of each other, tiny noises being created as her toes brushed against one another.

Asura’s mind continued to wander until her path along the beach was intercepted by another. Dual-toned eyes snap away from the ground beneath her to the figure of the lioness that had joined her. “Exploring,” The girl remarks, looking to Amra briefly before back to the sand, her growing half-mane wafting in the wind.

“Who are you?” Asura asks absentmindedly, eyes continuing to focus on her pale pink paws before turning her attention back to the other lioness. Maybe she shouldn’t be so rude. But the Casimir didn’t know much different.

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The girl didn't immediately run away yelling stranger danger, which Amra felt was a good sign. The youngsters eyes snapped to Amra's own, claiming she was exploring, before being sent back to her own paws. Head tilted in curiosity, waiting an awkward moment to see if anything followed.
The girl paused but a moment before looking back up to Amra and wanting to know who she was. A good sign! Amra grinned easily, standing straight and announcing "my name is Amra! What's yours?" Genuine, as if Amra was even able to be anything but, curiosity shone through her features as she looked down and the young babe. She waited an appropriate moment for the girl to either give her name, or not. Regardless of the outcome, Amra pressed on. "Do you wana walk together?" Head tilted as she half turned, expressing that they could continue walking in the cubs direction should she choose to.
Amra had to learn to be patient. There would surely be plenty of time to pepper the girl with questions rather than straight off the bat 'why are you out here alone', gotta warm up to it first.

The lioness introduced herself as Amra, and Asura made sure to log that name in the depths of her brain in case she needed it later. “Asura,” Returns the black lioness, looking to the other. She kept her surname hidden for now — not everyone needed to know which family she belonged to. And why would they? The Casimir had practically abandoned the child since the disappearance of her father and siblings.

Amra offered to walk together, and the girl obliged. Whilst she wasn’t normally one to do as she was told, perhaps she’d find a friend in this lioness. But if she wasn’t chaotic, then there was a chance that Asura would get bored.

“Where are you from?” She asks, trying to keep the topic away from her.

code to kay + image by irish

Asura. Amra nodded with a grin at the introduction, finding no issue with the fact that neither of them had introduced themselves with heir last names. Amra, back when she had been younger, had been proud to introduce herself with her last name, but as she grew older, she realised several things. One, that your name didn’t matter if you were just making friends, because to make friends, you didn’t need a last name, just a fun time. And two, that introducing yourself with your full name was too formal and stuffy a way to make friends, so it was better just to keep it simple with first name only. ”Nice to meet you,” she piped up before her offer of a walk.
To the young girl’s pleasure, the cub took her up on her offer and began to mosey, Amra keeping pace neatly beside her, large paws crushing several shells as she walked and leaving prints. Before she could begin peppering the girl with questions, Asura prompted one of her own. A laugh escaped Amra, amused that she’d been beaten to the punch. ”Far, far away. My family and I all wandered here when bad lions attacked us all and make us all leave,” she explained, sad that she’d had to leave but happy all the same that she’d found a new place to call home, scattered as all her family was. ”What about you?” Tit for tat, after all. Head turned and tilted to look down at the dark girl walking placidly beside her. Bit young to be out and about by herself, surely. Amra hadn’t struck out on her own until she’d been a year old, anything younger than that felt far too young to the girl approaching womanhood.

@Asura

OOC: I am sooooo sorry for the wait on this. Muse for Asu has not been high ;;

Asura listened to what @Amra had to say about her family — she found it moderately interesting that the girl had also had to flee from the homeland that they appeared to share in common. Asura trotted mercifully along the sand, her tiny prints leaving a trail in her wake. "I don't remember much from those lions," She scoffed after a moment. It was true: Viné had ushered her away before she could say 'boo', and both her parents had the audacity to go missing. As far as she was concerned, the Casimir had no family now. She needed to reunite with them.

"I just know that they killed my parents." Asura comments — almost brazenly — as she slows down to a halt to inspect a nearby pile of large seashells. Interesting, if you were a boring cub. The girl took pleasure in lifting her right paw and knocking the pile down, watching the shells flying through the air and eventually shattering when they hit the ground again. "Not that they were 'parents' anyway." The girl scoffed, clearly bitter at her lack of influence from those older than her.

code to kay + image by irish

( You’re all good! I can only get on properly three days of the week anyway hahaha )

The girl, @Asura, seemed to confirm that their pair of them came from the same place. She didn’t remember much, but then neither did Amra. She hadn’t seen any of them, had not been attacked by anyone. She simply knew that one day everything was a bit up in the air, the Plateau had been ransacked and there were stragglers on her doorstep, then the next day they were all running for their lives and leaving the Valley behind. Head shook slightly as if to disperse the memory, finding no joy in reliving it.
Head tilted at the shock admission from the girl, who claimed to have had her parents murdered by them. Ears twisted back, expression sorrowful. ”I’m sorry to hear that,” Amra spoke, halting as the girl did to watch as she took a swing at a pile of shells, sending them scattering and shattering against rocks and one another. ‘Not that they were ‘parents’ anyway.’ Clearly Asura had some pent up frustration at being left for dead by parents who had been murdered. Seemed like Amra just attracted the broken and upset cubs.
She did not move to go closer to the girl, figuring that she would reject any attempt at comfort anyway, given the mood she was in. ”Do you have any other family that made it here?” She asked instead, lowering her haunches to the earth to make herself comfortable while the girl broken things in frustration.

Asura kicks the shells that had been piled up before her and watched with internal content and they flew across the sand. Some of them shattered as they hit the ground, while others simply fell to the sand without a single crack. @Amra apologised and the girl shrugged. "Don't know why ya' apologisin'," Asura remarks bluntly after a moment, turning her dual-toned eyes away from the shattering of the shells to the girl. "Wasn't you're fault." She says with a shrug.

It was true: it wasn't Amra's fault that the rogues had attacked and desolated everything she knew as familiar. It wasn't her fault that her parents were dumb enough to get themselves killed. That was their own fault, and Asura was thankful to be alive. Even if it was quite dull at times.

Amra moved to sit down and Asura watched her, before answering her question. "I came here with Viné Casimir, and he tried to sell me off to someone called... Wyne? Gin? Gw-ine? I can't remember his name but he was a Casimir too. Neither of them wanted me, so I left and here I am. I eat, sleep and live on my own. I mainly scavenge food from carcasses and small rats or rabbits I find. I haven't heard or seen my 'family' for quite a while." The girl explains as she bats around a lone conch shell she had found beneath her pink feet. Sometimes she wondered where her family was, and if they were out looking for her. But Asura couldn't cling onto that idea - she needed to be big, and strong, and adult. Crying over spilt milk wasn't going to do that. Eventually, the black pelted child too took a seat across from Amra. The sun was pleasant as it shone on her back.

code to kay + image by irish

( Playing thread as if Amra still in OH, since it was started a wee while ago haha )

Amra could only shrug when Asura dismissed her apology. Didn't matter that it hadn't been Amra's fault, she still felt bad about the girl's situation. She supposed it was what you called empathy. Or maybe just sympathy? Regardless, Amra tilted her head in sorrow. Asura tried to play it off cool, acting big and tough like she didn't need anyone, but Amra was sure that despite it all, deep down, she hurt. As evident by the way she kicked at the pile of shells. Would someone who was okay have done that?
Amra seated herself, to be more comfortable after she asked if she had any more family. And, so her surprise, was answered. Interest laced her features as she listened to the girl's story, explaining that she'd come here with a Casimir of all families, and that he tried to pass her off to wine? Light squint as she tried to puzzle the name. Casimir, and Wine, or Gin. Click. Gwyn. Eyes widened again, feeling like it shouldn't have been that hard for her to do basic maths. But she remained silent as Asura continued to speak, saying that she lived on her own, survived on her own, and hadn't seemed to need her family at all for some time. Amra, who was all about family, could hardly comprehend it. Head tilted then, offering up a small scrap of knowledge the girl may or may not choose to accept. "I lived in Obsidian Hollow, Gwyn rules it, he's the one your Viné wanted to pawn you off to," she explained, carefully keeping her opinions on the king to herself. Ruled over women and claimed all unatached females for himself, indeed.

@Asura