This was new to him. Living in a place that was covered in tunnels with openings that gave way to the sunlight - or moonlight - above his head. He was used to the sand in between his toes, instead he is feeling the hard stone beneath his paw pads. It was strange, different but it was a good thing for the male as he trudged through the Hollow's territory. Making his way through the territory so that he could become familiar with it. He wanted to know exactly what he was getting himself into by joining the Queen that he barely knew instead of going back home.

table by sylph | stock 2

the beauty of the hollows lies in its peace and quiet. but also the scattered amounts of dim lighting from the crystals and the occasional spotting of real obsidian stone wedged into the walls. ulla knows where each and every one of them are located - from the highest ceiling to the ground beneath her paws. three months in and the hollows is starting to smell like home. even a sharp smell of salt can be sensed if she angles her body right. that is perhaps from the ocean a few miles away, or it could be her imagination. however, ulla fancies herself as a woman with a collected head. madness is quite unbecoming for her. when it's nighttime, ulla slips out of her den for a quiet walk along the tunnels. as winter slowly ebbs in, so does her fur, where once it's just long now it's thicker. she seems bigger too, with leaner muscles and thicker calves. the tuft of her tail has a noticeable sheen to it underneath the sun's rays and her coat overall has grown healthier and softer. so unlike that of the old ulla in the lagoon. when a familiar scent draws near, the queen pauses and waits, patiently.

image © argent 2021

Gostir is unfamiliar with the terrain and takes his time feeling his way through the tunnels. Unaware that he has already been spotted through the sound of his footsteps and his growing scent. His whiskers twitching whenever he gets to close to one side of the tunnel wall than the other and his ears twisting as he listens for anything unfamiliar. Nostrils flaring and breathing in the scents until he finds a familiar one and follows it. Knowing who it is was out of the question as Gostir's yellow jewels gleamed with the low light as they found @Úlla and he would greet her with a rumbling chuff and a dip of his head. Someone can get lost if they aren't careful. It was rhetorical and just a bland statement

table by sylph | stock 2

ulla dips her head as a greeting to the young male. since coming here, gostir's presence has been nothing except like a specter. and the hollows queen expects nothing less when it comes to peace and quiet. all of her members have so far respected that and ulla hopes that they will continue doing so. they will always find their way back ulla informs him. but @Gostir isn't the first to mention that. plenty of other lions, even ulla herself, shared doubts about the navigation of the tunnels when they first arrived here. eventually, every path and hideaway makes sense the more ulla and her lions explored. still, one may be more inclined to feel like they are losing their way if they have no destination in mind. let me take you through some of our important locations ulla offers, wondering if the male has toured anything by himself yet.

image © argent 2021

So he wasn't the only one. A shrug came from his broad shoulders as @Úlla spoke of other's finding their way back and he was content with that, but it also made him wonder if others really did get lost in these tunnels. Though for now, he had been content with exploring on his own pace but at the offer he would nod and begin to follow his new leader in silence. How long have you been ruling the Hollow's? He would question. Not like it really mattered but he was in fact curious about it. So far Jewel had been the only lioness he knew to lead for a long time.

irish