+5 Observe and study a new scent (1/2)

The sun had been shining that morning when Hiccup had struck out, but by the time he had found Asteria to do a little exploring together, the sky had turned dark and ominous. It had made the boy want to turn around and run for the safety of the Hollow, where he and Asteria could hide from the storm and chase lizards. Unfortunately, a heavy downpour started before the pair could get very far, forcing them into the coverage of a nearby swamp. It certainly may not have been Hiccup’s first choice of hiding places, but the thick canopy sheltered them from the heavy downpour, with only the flashes of lightning breaking through to briefly brighten the path.

Huffing, the boy paused in their wandering to give his paw a quick shake. Mud had caked itself onto his toes, and he quite disliked the feel of it. “I wonder where we are?” he wondered aloud, breaking the silence between them. The hiss of the rain and the rumble of thunder gave the swamp a spooky feel, which made him want to speak up, to give himself a distraction from the unease that hung in the air.

Something else was in the air too — the old scent of lion. It certainly smelled like a pride territory, but it seemed abandoned … The markers were faded, and there were no tracks in the mud. “You think somebody used to live here?” he asked his dark friend as he shook mud from his other paws.

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No matter how things might have changed she would always be an explorer at heart, and getting out with her best friend would never stop being her favourite thing to do. @Hiccup had stood by her though thick and thin and Asteria was not the type to forget such things, so when he had invited her to practice some hunting skills she had jumped at the opportunity.

Mother Nature had other plans.

The mud didn’t bother her, nor did the creepy atmosphere of the swamp. Growing as she was she fancied herself a brave adventurer and offered Hiccup the odd light touch of reassurance. Asteria would protect him! When he wondered about their location, though, she merely shrugged

“It sure smells like it,” the scent of many lions hung in the air, but faintly, and she wondered what had happened to leave this place so abandoned. Thunder crashed overhead and her ears pressed briefly against her skull as she glanced briefly at the sky. “I think the storm is getting worse..”

A sudden thought occurred to her - “do you think they left because it wasn’t safe?” maybe the ominous rumbling of the sky meant something more…

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Knowing that Hodari had once lived in this Mire gave Kito more reason to stick around it now. Maybe someone would return and she could find more answers as to why her soul had been brought to these lands. Surely there must be some sort of connection between herself and the one called Kiton Hodari. The maned woman found it too much of a coincidence to share such a similar name. It must be one of her own who gave the male that name. Until she could find out more, however, Kito remained ever present within this last known Hodari residence, a silence guardian to the abandoned Mire.

When the sounds of small voices caught her attention, however, the mirage set a different task for herself. Always a mother, Kito knew the dangers of unaccompanied youth. Not that she could do much to help them should trouble arise, she could still check up on whatever had brought children to these deserted parts of the world. Her azure gaze would land upon a pair of cubs, both rather striking in their appearances. Though the red one seemed to sport a white mane, that was the only thing that Kito could claim the possibility of being 'Hodari.' Not enough to get her hopes up. The other, a youthful child coated in black, like her father and her youngest son, but the lavender gaze and the stripes? Where would that have come from? Still, the Hodari woman didn't know how long it had been since she died, so who knows what a normal Hodari looked like anymore. Knowing she wouldn't get any answers just by looking at them, however, the ashen woman finally stepped forward into better view, or at least the best view one could get of something they could see through. "Hello there, children. Be not afraid," she offered gently in warm tones, quick to let them know that she meant no harm. "Are you two lost?" It was an instinct to ask such a thing, not that she could direct them in a better location should they answer 'yes' though.

@Asteria @Hiccup

Table by Shan

 

+5 Observe and study a new scent (2/2)

How silly they must’ve looked — Hiccup, the bigger of the pair, wearing an expression of unease and fussing over his muddy paws while his smaller friend Asteria seemed perfectly content, only somewhat fazed by the thunder that roared overhead (something that made him cower a little beside her). She was very brave in Hiccup’s eyes, and he was relieved that she was with him. Her comment on the storm had him looking skyward and nodding quietly in agreement.

Hiccup’s attention was brought back to their environment when Asteria suggested that it might be the reason for the pride’s disappearance. “Maybe,” he commented, nodding as he breathed in the scent. It was definitely a lion smell, but nothing he had ever encountered before — nothing he recognized, like the Hollow. Or even the Brook or the Rainforest. It was something new, and Hiccup wondered who had ruled the pride — and how. Had the pride remained, would they have been welcomed in and sheltered, or driven away? Maybe even attacked?

He was wondering if the place was haunted when a ghost appeared on their path, making Hiccup swing his head around to look. And as soon as his eyes found the spirit, they widened while his brain wrestled with the vision. “Assss- tt- teria— ” he hiccuped, ears rolling back on his striped head, body lowering into a cower. He wanted to ask if she saw the ghost too but the only thing he could manage were quick hiccups and shallow, frightened breaths as he stared, too scared to even run. Frozen in place, Hiccup tried to make himself look small, trivial. Nothing a ghost would ever be interested in!

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I was definitely wet here, and with the storm looming overhead she wondered if it had simply become too unpleasant to stay. It was odd, though, that the place was seemingly abandoned and very briefly she wondered if they were not supposed to be here.

That thought was quick to be pushed away, as she leaned lightly against her friend, more to give him strength than to take any. There was a natural need to protect rising in the young lioness, likely born from the fact that she had not been able to protect Nero. It was not a situation she wished to repeat any time soon.

Before she could say much more to @Hiccup they were interrupted, and the black child did a definite double take. Hiccup nearly dissolved beside her but she was not afraid, and not only because the ghost assured her that she had no reason to be. No, Asteria was merely curious.

"Hey, did you know you're see through?" That was rather interesting, wasn't it, and she looked to Hiccup to see if he thought the same. Of course he didn't, and she giggled at the sight of him. "It's okay Hiccup. Look, she's not gonna hurt us!" I mean she had said don't be afraid... so that wasn't a stretch was it?

Asteria looked back at the see-through lady. "I'm Asteria and this is my friend Hiccup. We were jus' exploring."

@Kito

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Oh dear. She appeared to give the boy quite a fright, which was actually quite comical while she watched the smaller girl behave more bravely. Ah, but gender stereotypes were a thing of the past, yes? At least one of them wasn't afraid. @Asteria was ever observant to notice that Kito was not an ordinary lioness, being only partially visible as a ghost. A chuckle played lightly across her chords. "Why, yes. So I've been told," the silver woman entertained with a coy grin. She was beginning to like this little girl already.

The Hodari would allow her haunches to settle onto the wet terrain, silently thankful that she could not actually feel the muck beneath her. "She's right, dear." Kito tried her best to reassure @Hiccup that his friend was correct. She would do nothing to harm the children, not that she could even if she wanted to. Before too long, though, the charcoal child was introducing the pair. "Pleasure to meet you, Asteria. Hiccup." The maned woman would dip her head to each in turn with a motherly smile ever present upon her scarred face. "My name is Kito. I'm afraid your exploring my be a little difficult at the moment. It appears a flood has run through the lands here, knocking over many a tree in the process. Please be careful, little ones." Even in her brief time in these lands, the ashen lioness had already scoured the Mire greatly since arriving. Though she had nothing to compare it to for what the swamp might have looked like before the flood, it certainly was in no pristine shape at the moment. Perhaps she could accompany the cubs, however. Be the 'look' before they 'leap', so to speak.

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The mud that he disliked the feel of was squished into his chest and belly when he cowered beside Asteria, its coolness and slimy texture overlooked in his rising panic. He wanted to disappear beneath it, to hide from the spooky gaze of the spirit that haunted the swamp. They’d obviously found the cause of the pride’s disappearance: the ghost! She must’ve scared them away!

She may have spoken gently but Hiccup was nonetheless terrified. Asteria, of course, was fearless in the face of danger — something that made Hiccup feel guilty, even cowardly. He should’ve been protecting her. He was bigger, so he was supposed to be brave! All he could do though was hiccup.

The boy’s wide, silver gaze wandered away from the ghost as Asteria spoke. He looked to her when she tried reassuring him and swallowed, throat parched and tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. The spirit spoke again, reaffirming what his inky friend had said, making him want to crawl behind her to hide. Coward! Asteria introduced them to the spooky lioness, and in return she said it was nice to meet them. Hiccup didn’t answer — he was too busy hiccuping — but swallowed again and slowly pushed himself onto trembling paws, mud plastered to his belly. He supposed if Asteria trusted her … then he could try to do likewise …

Their ghostly guide — who introduced herself as Kito — explained that a flood had washed through the swamp, making Hiccup blink, his fear finally breaking. Well, a little. “Ff- flood?” he hiccuped, thinking aloud. “Is that— hic!— ww- why the pride left?” In his opinion, a ghost in your home was the perfect reason to abandon it, but it did seem really muddy, so that was probably what actually happened.

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Asteria was thrilled to see @Hiccup get back up. She stuck close to his side and made sure he knew she was there - just in case he got scared again. The black Zero did not think anything of the fact that she was protecting him - for Asteria it was as natural as breathing. It didn’t occur to her that it might bother her friend.

@Kito went on to explain that the mire had been flooded, snd Hiccup was quick to put together the pieces. Surely that’s why the pride was gone! It also explained why the scents were dulled - the water and muck no doubt smothered them.

“Is everybody okay?” Inquisitive as ever she hoped that the spectre would have some more information for her. “what’s this place called anyway?” Fuchsia eyes did their best to focus on the see-through lioness while she made sure to keep her side pressed close to her friend.

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Kito gave a somewhat sad smile towards the poor boy who could not control his hiccups. He was aptly named, it would seem. A part of the woman was curious if that truly was the name he was given at birth or if the condition had turned into a nickname of sorts. In any regard, at least @Hiccup seemed to slowly be coming around to her. Thankfully, @Asteria's presence appeared to help coax the larger boy along.

Soon enough, he was brave enough to finally speak to the ghost, which only warmed the smile upon the scarred woman's face. "Yes, I believe so, sweetie. I think it must have been too dangerous to stay," Kito explained gently. Perhaps that also meant it was still too dangerous to return at this point. The arrival of ghosts likely didn't help much either, not that the Hodari woman was causing much mischief.

With the inky child's inquiry, however, the warmth from Kito's face faded. Her ears wilted as she searched for an answer. She didn't know the lions who lived here before the flood came, but at least now she had learned that they might have been her own family, so, of course, she hoped that every single one of them was alive and well. She hoped they were only displaced for the time being. "I... I don't know, honestly. I only arrived after the flood, so I don't really know who lived here to begin with." As for the name, at least she knew that now thanks to the Valour woman. "I've been told it is called Ecrosia Mire." Finally, Kito felt at least a little helpful despite her extreme lack of knowledge about these lands.

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Hiccup was, understandably, somewhat apprehensive over Kito. He’d never met a phantom before, so he was a little unsettled by the encounter. However, he was slowly coming around, encouraged by his friend and the courage she displayed.

The ghostly lioness confirmed his suspicion that the flood had forced the pride from their swamp, which was saddening. It must’ve been horrible to have their home washed away like that … For a moment, he worried about his own home — what if something happened to the Hollow? Where would they go if disaster struck the territory? No. No … He tried not to think about that. Hiccup didn’t want to worry about the what if’s. He wanted to stay positive!

Asteria questioned Kito next and while she did so, Hiccup lifted his paw to try and scrape the mud from his chest. Unfortunately, he only succeeded in rubbing it deeper into his fur, which had him frowning. The name Kito provided them — Ecrosia Mire — made him look up again, his ears swerving forward. He wondered if Úlla would want to know. Maybe she already knew. She was the Sovereign, so she’d probably already found out.

Another question scampered through Hiccup’s mind, one that had him cocking his head, trying to decide how to word it. “I thought ghosts— hic!— were supposed to know— hic!— everything?” he asked Kito, more innocently confused than afraid now. Kito said someone had told her the swamp was called Ecrosia Mire, but he always believed ghosts were spooky and all knowing. They were invisible and always spying, right?

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