A lot would be spoken by the young girl, asking him a series of questions in almost rapid succession. He could feel his mid reeling a bit at this, trying to figure out where he should start: go in order or flip flop around from question to question as the answers came to him. "Amaryllis has been a bit... different the past almost two years. They allowed those that were not native to call this place home, and some of those thought it meant they could take land that wasn't theirs without really understanding why it was a big thing to us." A brief pause as Valhalla allowed himself to get settled in, lowering his rump to the ground so that he were now sitting in front of @Cassandra. "Sangria was one that rubbed both Aquila and I the wrong way. The way she went around, acting as though she knew what was best for the lands within Amaryllis... It was something we both didn't care for. I didn't know his intentions until it was too late." Maybe if the two of them had spoken before Aquila had romped past the Rainforest's borders then things may have been different, but there was no use dwelling on the past and the what if's anymore.

The next question to be answered would be that of how Talisa had brought him back to the earthly world even though he wasn't all here. "Your mother has a very close relationship with Maua. Always has, from what I can remember. I think she's the only one who has seen Maua more than a pawful of times." Valhalla did respect how the Valour lioness always kept her faith up despite all that had happened . A deep breath would be taken before he tackled the next question, one that seemed to be the most difficult to pluck words for. "Well, no, we weren't mates." 'And now I'll never know if you would have been mine.' "But I am a close friend to the Valour so I could be an uncle, sure." Tail would thump softly behind him and his lips would curl into a warm smile, wondering how the girl would take all of this information.



from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

DEE / NOVI

Her questions to the Guardian would seem to render him speechless for a moment. She didn't realize exactly how overwhelming her curiosity could be at times, and hadn't meant to overwhelm if - even though she didn't know she'd done it. He would start to explain about the situation, stating that Amaryllis had been different in the past two years. @Valhalla would explain that those who were not native born to the land try to take land that wasn't theirs to take. It made Cassandra think for a moment, wondering if he thought her Mummy was a bad lion as well. ""Do you think all non-native lions are bad...?"" The fluffy girl asked cautiously as the pink-hued lion would sit down on the ground in front of her. He couldn't think non-natives were bad... Aunt Ava was a non-native, and the two must've been close before he died. Valhalla couldn't think they were bad if he felt that way, right? The pink Guardian would continue to talk about one of these non-natives, named Sangria. Apparently she'd rubbed both her uncle and the lion in front of her the wrong way, and that her uncle hadn't told anyone what his plans were until they happened. ""Oh..."" Cassandra said, an ear pushing back as she spoke.

The conversation would steer back to her mother Talisa, and how she has always had a close relationship with Maua. ""Wow.. I wonder what its like to get to see Maua. You're only the second non-living lion I've seen. My brother Khal and I met our grandfather here in the Grotto as well a few months back."" Cassandra would add, more excitement in her voice as she'd speak about getting to have met two spirits now. ""If you're that close with Aunt Ava and my family... would you be okay with me calling you Uncle Valhalla...?"" Cassandra asked, her voice suddenly shy as she spoke. Maybe on one of her trips to the Cove to visit Mummy and Aunt Ava, she could let them know about how she got to meet Valhalla and learn how her mama had brought him back from the dead.

actions. "speech." thoughts.

Art by Amphispiza | Table code by Zodiac

Her question caused for his ears to pin back slightly, his brows furrowing. He would sit in silence for a moment, allowing for his mind to work through the response he were going to give the young child. "Not all non-natives are bad, @Cassandra," Valhalla would begin, his tone of steeled. "There are many that I had met that were nothing like Sangria. Your mother, for one. And your aunt Avaneira. They both are willing to learn new things and never thought for a second that Amaryllis was theirs for the reaping." He wanted to make it clear to the young girl that not all non-native lions were bad, but they also all weren't good, either. Some had their own hidden agendas that many would never know about until it were too late.

The girl's transition from serious to much lighter topics was a bit of a relief for the Guardian, not wanting to make their first encounter solemn as it had been. "It's a blessing to see Maua, and I'm sure you will see them at least once in your lifetime." Valhalla had only seen Maua less than a pawful of times, one of those being when his spirit was brought back. It was truly an experience, one he wasn't really sure he would be able to ever put into the right words. Cassandra's question about if she were allowed to call him her uncle would cause for his facial expression to soften, yellow eyes watching her as a warm smile curled his lips. "Of course you can, Cassandra. Family of the Valour are also my family. Blood doesn't always have to be involved when you pick those you wish to call your kin." His mind would wander to Aquila, wondering how his brother in arms were doing now...



from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow

DEE / NOVI