Alva had left Toblerone to nap, trusting the cub to sleep and stay where she was told. Toble was a good girl after all, she’d do as she was told. Alva didn’t doubt that. The labyrinth was sort of close to where she lived with Thana and while she doubted her sister was here, it didn’t stop the pregnant lioness from letting out a call just in case.

After this, Alva doubted she’d stop again on her way to the lagoon. For she was tired from the walking and didn’t like the thought of giving birth somewhere where she wouldn’t have bear. Plus, he has his weird religious thing of drowning cubs didn’t he? And Alva refuses to do it herself.

Never give up

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

code by corvus

Her sister's call brought her running.

Okay, maybe she had been occasionally prowling around near the hollow, just in case. But there was nothing wrong with that, she needed to make sure her sister was safe, even if she wasn't willing to enter the caverns herself.

The thought of going into a dark cavern made her stomach turn and her head pound. Setting foot on the cold (freezing) stone made her breath quicken and her muscles tense. She'd spent far too much of her life locked away behind stone walls- she'd been made to do far too many things hidden away like this.

But she wouldn't ignore @Alva. She just ignored the racing of her heart and the ice in her gut instead.

And the ice in her gut curled into her veins when she noticed the heaviness in Alva's belly.

"Are you safe?"

Our flag is tattered, Our bones are shattered

it doesn't matter, cause we're moving forward

code by corvus

“Quite!” Alva purred at the sight of her Sister. She ran up to Thana as quickly as she could, rubbing her head against her sisters maned neck. It had been too long in her opinion since she’d seen her. “The hollows fell. Rouge attack. Stupid lions challenged for it after the high sovereign was injured.” She explained quickly nodding to her injured leg, the bite wound still new. “But don’t worry, I’m going to take it back soon. The crown will soon be back in the sigruns possession and its crown promised to my future heir. I will fight and reclaim it as many times as I must.”

She paused. Looking at her sister. “Until then I head to the lagoon to look for bear and the others. They could be injured.”

Never give up

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

code by corvus

Rogue attack. How many times had others thought that what their family had done was a rogue attack? The words unsettled her. Arachnae had also mentioned a rogue attack that had taken her homeland. "Sounds about right," she mumbled, unsurprised. "Did everyone make it out safely?"

Her insistence on fighting for the pride over and over again worried Thana a bit. Why the hollows? Why did she want to stay down in dark, gloomy caves? It made no sense.

"Why not just stay in the lagoon and work your way up the ranks? That belongs to the same family, right? Wouldn't that be easier?"

@Alva

Our flag is tattered, Our bones are shattered

it doesn't matter, cause we're moving forward

code by corvus

“I honestly don’t know. I know that my ward did, for I brought her with me after I found her after the incident. But Toblerone is the only one I have seen so far.” Alva said, rather seriously. The thought of what could have happened to her family scared her to her bones. She hated the very idea.

“I don’t care about it being easier, sister. The hollows was my home. I liked it there. It is somewhere so gloomy looking that dad would never even think of looking for me there. That makes it perfect.” She paused, smiling shyly. “It will be your nieces and nephews birthright Thana, to live there. I want- I want to ensure their crowns if that makes sense. They won’t want for nothing and neither will I. I feel happy there! I know my cubs will as well.” She said, with a look of ‘Hey! Surprise!’ written all across her face.

Let all hell break loose.

Never give up

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

code by corvus

Thana tried to follow along with all the things Alva was saying, she really did. But she had no idea what a ward was, and things only devolved from there. Nieces, nephews, cubs, birthright, crowns, none of it made sense. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

@Alva was pregnant. She'd known when she first saw her, of course. She wouldn't miss something like that. But she'd hoped it wasn't true.

But Alva seemed happy about it, so she assumed that pregnancy wasn't as dangerous here.

"Does Bear know?" It was all she could think to say.

It was all so sudden. But then, so was her engagement.

Our flag is tattered, Our bones are shattered

it doesn't matter, cause we're moving forward

code by corvus

“I was going to tell him, before the attack. I just wanted to wait a while. Just in case something went wrong. Low and behold the wrong thing went wrong, but that’s besides the point. He’ll know when I get to the hollows. That’s why it’s important I get there. His mother on the other paw, she knows. That was definitely not a fun thing.” Alva said, her face deadpan, but she was soon grinning again.

“It’s a good thing Thana. Joyful. I’m going to give my cubs everything that we were denied. Mostly a mother.” She said softly, she then looked deep into her sisters eyes. “They won’t have to fight each other and I will sucure a decent life for them.”

Never give up

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

code by corvus

So she hadn't told her mate yet. But his mother knew? So she hadn't told him? This was all incredibly confusing.

Cubs weren't a good thing back home. But then again, mates and mothers didn't exist. She had no clue what normal life was like, she'd spent her life locked in a cave.

Alva assured her it was a good thing, but there was still a gnawing feeling in her gut and a lump in her throat. Alva tried to make eye contact and Thana held it just off, not quite looking her in the eye. "I wish you the best of luck," she offered, unsure of what else to say.

Our flag is tattered, Our bones are shattered

it doesn't matter, cause we're moving forward

code by corvus

“Thank you very much.” Alva purred with a grin. “What have you been up to sister? Made any new lady friends?” Alva suggested with a raised brow, her grin going from ear to ear like a Cheshire Cat. “Or have you been keeping to yourself?”

The question was one of curiosity, and interest. She wanted to know about how Thana had been doing, some what to escape from her own life dramas and to find out as much as she could about the moments she missed.

She smirked at her sister, licking her cheek. I guess distance causes fondness in a way. She missed her sister a lot lot more than she had thought.

Never give up

The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love.

code by corvus

Lady friends. So Alva knew that she wasn't interested in men. Not that it was hard to figure out.

"I've mostly been keeping to myself. Everywhere is covered in snow, it's so strange. I stick out like an albino in the jungle."

It unsettled her, not being able to hide in the stuff. Even at night, the moon reflected off the snow and lit everything up. In the daytime, it hurt her eyes. She really wasn't a fan.

At least it was cold, though. She preferred the cold to the heat, and she liked they way it made her coat even thicker and shaggier.

Our flag is tattered, Our bones are shattered

it doesn't matter, cause we're moving forward

code by corvus