ooc: Set directly after this thread.

The gargantuan feline moved with heavy, quick steps up the steep hill, his claws gripping tightly the rocky, slippery ground beneath. He was in no rush to get anywhere, but it was his anger that forced him to exert some sort of energy before he burst into flames. His chest heaved as he took quick breaths, the warmth spreading across his whole body and fueling him to move even faster, stretching his limbs more and feeling the burn across every inch of his skin.

By the time he got to the top of the Lookout, he was out of breath. Still, his recent endurance training had made this climb easier and now he was better off than he would've been two months ago. His iron-clad gaze looks out into the distance, his breath coming out in clumps of clouds, the cold air nipping lightly at his nose. The view of the snow-covered valley was stunning from up here, but it didn't help clear away his fury. He used his large paw to kick some rocks and watch them fly down, secretly hoping it would hit someone on the head. It was difficult for him to hate anyone, but right now... hate was all he could feel.

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Aquila wondered as he walked the peaks if Valhalla might be around or if the sight of his deceased brother in arms was a fluke. It had really happened... hadn't it? He had convinced himself may it had not been, or just some temporary thing that Maua had now cruelly undone. But he didn't have much time to lose himself in thoughts, on his own walk up he'd focused on his steps and not falling off the sides of the narrower paths. He'd reached the top and just began to lose himself into the thin air and cold when...

tic tic thump

The sound of falling rocks caught his attention. The sounds were sharp and caused an instinctual worry to form in his gut. Falling here meant death. A rock slide meant death... Aquila's train of thought ceased entirely and his raised bronze crown looked around quickly. Left, right, then upwards at last. Bhaskar? Aquila rumbled softly before quickly setting off onto the last stretch of path to head up towards the young lion.

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His paw ached lightly from the collision, but it didn't stop him to hit another rock and make it fly down. He panted heavily, looking for another target to hit but before he could find one, a voice calls out behind him. He whirls around like a fiery storm, burning gaze searching for the face of the approaching lion. What?! He faces @Aquila, his lips peeled in a threatening snarl and his face twisted in an ugly grimace. There was a sudden pause as he began to realize who was standing before him.

In that short moment, his heaved breathing was the only thing that filled the silence, the snowflakes twirling down in a beautiful sad dance before they perish into his peach fur and crimson mane. Aquila, His breath dissolved in another cloud, but his anger does not. He considers his next words, though. Everything he wanted to do right now was yell at the older man, to send him away... but something stops him. Instead, he turns around without anything to say and kicks another rock into the open air with the same fierceness that he did the previous ones.

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Heh. Inwardly Aquila held back a chuckle of recognition. He was by no means put off by @Bhaskar's immediate and quick, biting, reaction. Aquila had plenty of those himself- he swore he could feel the pause that followed as real as any of his own emotions or thoughts. Aquila let it pass, let it settled, before deciding to wade into the situation further. His impression of the young lion so far had been good, that if something was under his skin or on his mind that there was good reason for it to be there.

A few snowflakes landed across Aquila's brow and muzzle, existing for a second longer before his body heat melted them into his bronze fur. A chill managed to find its way below his pelt and to his skin as he shuffled in closer. Bhaskar, you okay? He asked with concern.

The rock flew down, disappearing the thick snows that blanketed the valley. Just a drop in the bucket, with no real impact. How eerily similar to him, he thought. A common stray, the bitch had called him. What made them so special? That they had a title and pissed all over a place? He growled, @Aquila's inquiry sparking a reaction. I'm fine, just dandy. He spoke sharply, then shifted to turn towards the bronze man. He reeked of a pride. Which one was it? There were so many that Bhaskar couldn't even count them. I'm just fuckin' sick and tired of being insulted and distrusted for not being part of your stupid prides. Because Aquila was a native and Bhaskar inadvertently saw him as one of them. It fuelled his anger even more. It's not the fucking first time I go save their asses and they pay me back with petty insults. But no more. Doing good wasn't worth it, it only got him into more trouble.

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He didn't want to be lumped into it all. A little bit of hair on his nape pitched upwards while fuzzy anger filled him in. He wanted to snap that it hadn't always been like this. That before Bhaskar had even a mane to call his own "pride" was such a loose concept to him and his family. It wasn't the same... But it didn't seem the time to argue semantics with @Bhaskar.

His face was a little darkened, a frown of warning over his features. Who you are and the choices you make matter more to me than if you bow to someone who pissed on a tree to call it theirs. His sentiments towards the other prides were not much kinder than his company's were. They were calmer than a year or so ago surely, as much from exhaustion as seeing the few that were worthwhile. He had allies and could lament the loss of what Amaryllis used to be at the same time. When the whole of the world was for all and there was no boundaries to be defined by. Lions like Bhaskar, should good be their intention, could do just that no different than Aquila or Nymeria. Of course he'd just as soon drive a stranger off his borders to protect his family as she had... Driven Bhaskar off if he had been a stranger, if they had not met when they had and if the young lion hadn't worked his way into Aquila's circle of trust when he was most vulnerable... Something's happened.

The colossal lion was so caught up in his own emotions, that it mattered little to him if @Aquila's feelings got hurt in the process. Not only that but his disability to read others was as always preventing him from noticing the frown plastered across the bronze man's forehead.

The other's words seemingly take out a big chunk of the raging fire inside his mind, but not enough to calm him down completely. He purposefully avoided eye contact and stared into the distance. You think so. It seems to me you're the only sensible lion in this land. The snow piled up over the valley, covering large boulders and tiny grasses alike in ivory velvet. It began to clump up over Bhaskar's mane too, drowning out the crimson hues. I saved this girl, Asteria, after she threw herself in the ocean. Threw herself in there, willingly, Aquila! Baritone voice boomed, still confused and angered by the onyx adolescent's actions. I dragged her out, almost died on the way. She seemed out of her mind, yelling that I shouldn't have saved her. Dragged the brat back to the Lagoon, some royal woman with a stick up her arse insulted me and threatened me. Couldn't even find Saga Sigrun to ask why the fuck her child is throwing herself towards certain death. To get some sort of explanation why, when she had once told him he is incapable of looking after children, her newest daughter was jumping to her death.

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The notion he was sensible in any way brought a light, disbelieving, laugh to his lips. A single soft chuckle came out with a shake 'no' of his head. It was likely nothing to do with Aquila being a sensible sort, but quite different in upbringing, in his expectations of the world and how others should act. Where Bhaskar's world seemed to be divided into pride and rogue Aquila's was just divided into who was here before and who had come here since. He hated the way things had changed, how he was being forced to look through different lenses merely to stand a chance to survive with his family.

He was patient, still while he listened to Bhaskar's summary. He looked at odds, alarmed, when the young lion made mention of someone throwing themselves into the ocean of their own will. The Sigrun. I've met a few of the family. He began, looking outwards at the expansive landscape beyond the drop. Kicked a stone of his own down the side of the rocks, watched it slip down out of sight. His experiences with Vellen's lions were a lot by proxy, a little by his own conflicting and strange experiences. In particular where one had challenged Valhalla for some children, and every little time he'd doubted their allegiances to the Valour over to lions like Zoticus. Always there when things were getting choppy but not quite tilting their hands one way or the other to give Aquila warm feelings about a future with them. I'm not sure why one of them would try to drown herself though. Or why they felt more threatened than thankful you brought her home. Aquila said with a disapproving tone. He couldn't say for certain he wouldn't have acted in a similar way to this woman who greeted Bhaskar on the Lagoon's borders, if circumstances were different. But he was supposed to be the anomaly, where he was defensive and guarded the rest of the Valour were warm and welcoming. Lions who would not shy from showing their appreciation for one of their own brought home. Thank you for saving her Bhaskar.

It came to him as no surprise that @Aquila was familiar with the Sigrun. After all, they seemed like one of, if not the, biggest houses of the Amaryllis valley. It probably only made their egos grow bigger and bigger and he vaguely wondered when their time will come. Every powerful house or individual had their time in the limelight, especially here, from what Bhas had seen. Prides changed hands quickly. The peach paladin watched as the bronze man kicked a stone that flew down into the bottom of the Lookout. Are they all stuck up? There's something strange about them. His eyes narrowed in, a frown pulling his brows down. The brat was fine before she went with them. Fuckers probably brainwashed her, or something. She kept screaming about this Vellen guy. Not that he cared. Asteria chose that path, Bhaskar was far from going to try and do something about it. In fact, he wished he had never met her, never welcomed her in the gang's fold.

That way he wouldn't have to deal with all of this. "I'm not sure why one of them would try to drown herself though. Or why they felt more threatened than thankful you brought her home." Hell if I know! He growled, the rage continuing to burn inside his soul. One thing's for sure, though, I'm not doing that ever again. If anyone wants to put their head under the water - be my guest! I couldn't care less. He huffed, still avoiding Aquila's gaze. No more mister nice guy! "Thank you for saving her Bhaskar." You're not the one who should be thanking me, nor do I want anyone else's gratefulness. They can shove it up their asses. He only wanted normal treatment, but guess that's out of the question too. At least now he knows and will be prepared. The snowflakes melted on his hot skin. I know you're part of a pride. You reek of it, anyways. I'm not saying you're all bad, but I've had my fair share of hypocritical assholes in power. I'm sick of them. His temper had calmed down a bit and he was suddenly feeling shitty about ranting to the older man.

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I don't know any of them well enough to say if they are or aren't. They're close with my family, not me personally. He shrugged, wishing he could assure @Bhaskar otherwise. Even affirming that it was true they all had sticks up their asses seemed better than nothing. They're fierce when they need to be, and I know of more than a few alliances they've made. They're active. Powerful. But unfortunately nothing that would lead to evidence of what had happened to this girl Asteria that Bhaskar had spoken of, had seen change under Sigrun influence. Before going with them is she someone that would have fit in with that? If not, well could enough of that drive someone to jump from the cliff into the sea? Not living up to what you thought that you should?

He shook his head a little, felt his heart ache a bit as Bhaskar's good will and good intentions seemed to be chucked aside and down into the valley beyond them. As easy as the rocks. No... Whether or not you take my thanks doesn't make me any less thankful. The world had so few lions trying to do good anymore. He wished he could encourage Bhaskar to do more, to stave off the hurt. But Aquila was reminded of how old Bhaskar seemed despite his youth. He'd noticed it when they conferred last and he could see it here again. I didn't grow up in a pride, at least not like ones these lions run. He had an air of daydream to his voice. We built ourselves into a pride when it became necessary to do so to survive, when we saw lions starting to come and piece off land for themselves. And they've been nothing but trouble since. I'm sick of them. He spoke softly, giving Bhaskar some bit of permission to lump Aquila into whatever group he desired. It wasn't going to change the old lion's mission any, wasn't going to drive him to move away from his family for this young whelp's opinion.

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