i went to a sermon it made me livid... they called me a lamb to be protected by the Lord they're fools i am no lamb i am THE BEAST THAT EATS THEM and i see no Lord among you

    Tundra. There was a tundra in this land? Thoughts scanned memory for any hint of knowledge, but came back without success. Even at the peak of the mountain there had been no sighting of a... well, a white expanse was the entirety of this place right now. It was Winter. What counted as tundra could be almost anything within view. Still... it was most interesting that Ástríðr was born in the tundra. Either her family were inhabitants of such chilled climates, or she had been very unlucky.
    "I was born in the depths of winter." There was comraderie to be found. A shared life event. "Though my lineage did not come from those who live in the cold." Electric eyes raked over the female's pelt, admiring the length and density of it. How she so sorely missed her own. Whether it was folly... there was still lingering hope that her new form would adjust to the seasons here as it had in the before.
    The paw at her chest relaxed its grip on the imaginary gem. It slid forward to its original position, mirroring the other with pads turned inward. Gaze dropped from the unabashed admiration of Ástríðr's form, settling on the rock between her limbs. Ears turned back, brow furrowing. Memories began to float across the mind's eye. Faces of those she used to know. Glimpses and snippets of events and emotions. They spurred her into speaking, her voice a low rumble. "This new place... this will be a new beginning."
    Somehow, those words felt unsure.

256 words | @Ástríðr

Trade: Outlaw
learn something interesting about a pride or family
1/2 action posts

Then you have come to Amaryllis at the worst of times. We are in the middle of winter currently. She would explain. Though it was a matter of months now that the warmer seasons would be upon them. Ears twisting on top of her head as Ástríðr would look over towards @Devil May Cry and then to the entrance of the cave out of habit. However, when the words were spoken from the black and white lioness, Ástríðr would glance back over towards her. What do you plan to do with this new beginning? She was oh so curious. 'She thinks.'

Art by sally | Table code by Zodiac

i went to a sermon it made me livid... they called me a lamb to be protected by the Lord they're fools i am no lamb i am THE BEAST THAT EATS THEM and i see no Lord among you

    There was a blink. A lift of eyes. Winter. Gaze traveled to the now-raging blizzard that created an impenetrable white sheet across the cave-mouth. Gaze came back to the other, clear question in it. Though, perhaps, it was an intentional statement of fact. A soft exhalation saw the puzzlement disappear. It was not this one's forte nor duty to understand all social nuance. It would be a waste of energy to try.
    Speaking of energy... she was beginning to truly feel the effects of the cold, now. The tips of her ears were burning, her nose hurt to breathe through, and she was tired. So tired. Yet the chill air in the cave was still enough to keep her well awake. At least until the idleness cools the muscles. How sore the memory of a winter coat.
    The question garnered a thoughtful expression in the level gazing at the other. "That is hard to say." Optimism had long since fled her. There was only harsh reality. "The past has an overriding bearing on the future. Ill treatment sticks closer and longer than kind." No. That wasn't quite right. "Ill treatment by one is suspected by all. Kind treatment by one is expected by one." That felt right. If one male forces you to do things no one should ever have to do, all males are held with mistrust. Yet if just one stands in your defense, that one male is therefore trustworthy. How strange the mind can be.
    A shake of head was given, gaze dropping back to the paws. "I do not have plans." I am lost. An unspoken statement made clear in the sagging of shoulder, the blank of gaze, and the simple fact that, not but a handful of minutes prior, she had been standing on the peak of a mountain in dangerous weather.

307 words | @Ástríðr

Ástríðr waited patiently for the other to speak as the blizzard carried on outside of the caves entrance. Ears twisting as @Devil May Cry began to speak about ill treatment and other things that were confusing yet understanding towards the shield-maiden. She did not know what ill treatment was like from others and she never tried to deal it out herself but the thought was a constant nagging in the back of her mind as she carried on through life. But deep down, the shield-maiden thought there was a hidden meaning behind DMC's words that she would not try to think about at the moment. However, the last thing Ástríðr could help with. Perhaps I can give you some aide. A place to call home until you find your path if it is not beside mine. A teaser.


+20 Convince a lion not to join a pride 'She thinks.'

Art by sally | Table code by Zodiac

i went to a sermon it made me livid... they called me a lamb to be protected by the Lord they're fools i am no lamb i am THE BEAST THAT EATS THEM and i see no Lord among you

    Home. The word was an unfathomable ache in the chest. A pain that was mind-numbing in its strength. Ever since escaping the Bastard and his flock of Sheep, there had been no home. No place to rest and feel safe. Only temporary bolt-holes and castles built upon pillars of salt and sand. When a home had finally been attempted... it had crashed down just as fast; No one wanted to bother with the Beast. No one believed it could be anything other than a monster, a creature, a thing of violence and dull wit. Even Theodosia... had not seen it as having any value. So it had been decided that no pack--pride, now--would ever hold worth in this one's eyes. Not after Bastard. Not after her own failure.
    "Home would be good." The low rumble of her voice was amplified by the smooth walls of the cave. The snow outside kept the noise within, and she did not have to speak loud to have impact. "I do not see home in a pride. I see home in others." Yes, that was it. Home was not a place, it was a state of being. A comraderie and companionship. It was the bond between individuals. And suddenly she craved the physically affectionate ways of Aderchop. How he gave of himself without hesitation and without mind. If she needed touch, which she always did, he was there to give it. Eyes flashed up to the female, studying her intently. Would she allow the bedraggled creature touch? Unlikely, given how short their knowledge of each other was. Yet this one did not much seem to care for hesitation or second-guessing.
    Feathered paws shift, placing limbs beneath the bulk. A deep breath was taken as energy was gathered. Then she stood, unwavering and yet still exhausted, clear. Steps were taken toward Ástríðr, measured, calm, and confident. If the woman did not move away, she would lower her head as she approached and aim to press her forehead against Ástríðr's cheek. It would be okay if she caught claws or teeth for her actions. She would take them without protest for the chance to have physical contact with someone else after so long. Even if the mere hint of touch brought water to her eyes with how it made her frostbitten nose scream in agony.
    "A path. A path to someplace unknown." It was a question in the form of a statement. Where will we go?

410 words | @Ástríðr

You are not alone in that state of mind. She would confess. Ástríðr had never felt like a pride could be called her home. She had lived in the tundra. Known nothing but the tundra and even though she had occasionally gone to Vermeda to see Nymeria and now Aquila - as well as during the challenge - Ástríðr still didn't call it a home. That was the Valour's home and in her eyes, that was where they belonged. I am creating a band within the tundra. One for other's who don't wish to be apart of a pride but would like to still have a place to call home are welcomed. Like a family. Something she was strive for from the very beginning.

@Devil May Cry 'She thinks.'

Art by sally | Table code by Zodiac

i went to a sermon it made me livid... they called me a lamb to be protected by the Lord they're fools i am no lamb i am THE BEAST THAT EATS THEM and i see no Lord among you

    No claws or teeth were shown or thrown to prevent the touch. No growl was audible and no glare was flashed. Relief spread, warm and soothing, as skin contacted skin. The sensation was at once foreign and familiar. It harkened back to the beginning of memory, when life was the feeling of wriggling bodies on either side and the heat of the mother's body enveloping. For this one, it was a necessity for sanity. Also was it addicting. Relations built with touch, for the battle-worn creature of alabaster and obsidian, were swift and real and lasting. Let there be touch, reciprocate, and there would be... more.
    She did not stop after the touch of forehead to Ástríðr's cheek. Paws kept moving, swinging the bulk around so that their bodies were parallel. Forelimb lifted and draped over the shoulders of the exotic lioness. Then body was lowered, remaining legs tucking beneath, tail curling under as well. Skull was pressed into the neck of the woman, a deep breath taken of scent and causing of relaxation. So the beast found solace in being pressed against this Ástríðr.
    "Family." There is a note of strain and heartache in that word. Family had been a construct of one evil Bastard's ideals. It had never been set right for her. Never been shown that it can be other. Yet she was so desperate to know that it could be more. That it could be right. That she was worth it. "Family... The tundra is family." There was a hint of puzzlement, betraying the statement as a question. "Those who live on the tundra must come together to survive." That had to be it, right? Survival, and nothing more?
    Or was that the teachings of Bastard still showing their hold on her life?

297 words | @Ástríðr

She had - in truth - ignored the touch even though every part of her body and mind was telling her to move. Ástríðr knew that some used the touch for comfort. And there wasn't much of a place to go right now with the blizzard nearly at full swing. However, Ástríðr's body tensed slightly when @Devil May Cry practically laid on top of her form. Claws dug into the rocky ground but she didn't budge, the warmth from the other's body was enough to keep her from really moving away. Even though she had all of this fur, Ástríðr could still get cold.

Ears twisted as the word family escaped the other's lips with a strain. Sea foam jewels glanced over her should to the other before nodding. The tundra can be a place for a family to grow. I have friends who I consider family now, they have joined my home and reside within the caverns with me. She would explain. You are free to join and become apart of our family. The more the merrier really. 'She thinks.'

Art by sally | Table code by Zodiac

i went to a sermon it made me livid... they called me a lamb to be protected by the Lord they're fools i am no lamb i am THE BEAST THAT EATS THEM and i see no Lord among you

    The tension was noted, but ignored in favor of the comfort that was being reaped. Selfish, yes, though not without reason. Not without need. Until the other would say or do to object, this one would stay where it was. The warmth and closeness brought to the fore the utter exhaustion from the prior event. The cold had taken its toll and the will to resist was waning fast.
    "I do not know family." A soft admission of her troubled past. Then there was a closing of electric eyes, a deep breath in and out, and she was asleep. The blizzard would pass, in time, and whether Ástríðr was there when she woke did not matter--she knew where to seek her out, now.

exit via sleep

123 words | @Ástríðr

Her body was tense still and yet @Devil May Cry never moved and Ástríðr found herself rather stuck. Ears twitching on top of her head as she listened to the other speak about not knowing family and she was slightly confused but before she could ask any kind of question, the female had fallen asleep. A grumble formed as Ástríðr would wait a little bit before she would wiggle her way out of being pinned to the ground by another. The blizzard began to ease up and so she was going to take the chance and head home. If she was going to cuddle with anyone it was going to be Pandora.

exit! 'She thinks.'

Art by sally | Table code by Zodiac