When she crossed the passage, the new land's air hit her in the face with a strong breeze, ruffling the small hairs of her short fur. Shiva saw this as the land's greeting, and murmured, "Hello to you, too..." She continued for a while before stopping, just by the shore, for a break. The crashing waves below the cliff were comforting and put her at ease, even though the anxiety of being in new lands upset her stomach.

Shiva couldn't really relax. Despite laying down looking out to the blue waters and black sands of the Stygian Shore (though she was unaware of its name), she kept looking over her shoulder every few minutes, feeling the anticipation of someone coming. The wind that blew off of the coast drowned out most of her senses. It swept scents away from her and muffled her hearing so that she wouldn't be able to pick up the soft footsteps of another unless they were blaringly close. She was on edge for this reason, but forced herself to relax here until her paws stopped aching and she could continue on to find Tiamat.

---

hope this is alright! Feel free to mention Tia startles her in your post xD // dated for 2/02 (for my post archive)

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

She'd left Amaryllis for a short time, after trying to get a foothold here for a few months and failing. Something was missing in her time here, and she didn't know what it was until she had run into her sister's scent in the passage. Family was what was missing. Being away from the clan had hurt, making her feel isolated and alone. The scent of her sister - even if they hadn't been nearly as close as she had been with her brothers - gave her hope that she wasn't as completely alone as she thought.

She followed it to the shoreline, where she had first found herself when she had come here. She'd always felt tied to the sea somehow, so she'd been drawn here from the start. She was named for a sea goddess and dragon, after all, so it made sense that she felt so familiar with the ocean.

She followed the shoreline to the cliffs, her paws carrying her along as she followed the scent of her sister, getting stronger as time wore on. Then she saw her; the white and light pink form of her sister, so different from herself. They had never been close, but they were still family, regardless, and Tia wanted to be near family again. She wasn't sure why @Shiva had left the clan, but it hardly mattered now.

Between the crashing waves and the driving wind, any noise she made was either swept away or drowned out. Her scent was being swept away, too, so she doubted that her sister knew she was there. She waited until she was close, only a tail-length or two away, before she called out to the pale lioness. "Hello sister." She was sure Shiva would be surprised by the sudden presence, the elements keeping the signs of approach hidden from her.

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

Between the waves, the wind, and the distant roaring of the ocean, a sudden voice boomed out against it all, and Shiva damn near jumped out of her skin - and up off the ground, too. When she had landed on her feet again, she turned finding a familiar face, processing the words that she heard before she was nearly terrified out of her skin.

The two lionesses had never been that close, but there was a sudden warm feeling that washed over Shiva seeing her sister's face. It was foreign; she wasn't used to feeling this way, but she couldn't deny that it felt nice.

"Tiamat?" she asked in disbelief, even though she had already come to the notion that her sister was indeed here. A smile slid onto her features, and her shoulders relaxed from the tense position they had been in. "Where have you been all this time?"

---

@Tiamat sorry, totally forgot to tag you last time xD

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

Tiamat tried to school her features to hid her amusement at her sister's reaction, but the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly and there was something in her bi-colored blue and teal eyes that sparkled a little. She wasn't laughing at her sister, but more amused that she was able to catch her off guard a little.

Mother had always given Tia more attention, and she wondered if that had driven a wedge in between herself and Shiva. If only she could explain to Tia that it wasn't all that great, having the attention of their mother. There wasn't nearly as much love their as there should have been. But that was gone now, and perhaps they could continue as equals. Tia would very much like to have her sister by her side in this new land.

Tia stepped forward as he sister calmed and bumped her head against the pale lioness' shoulder in affection. "Shiva," she purred. "It's good to see you." And she meant that. Her words sounded nothing but genuine, with a hint of longing for the family she had lost. Being on her own had been hard - possible harder than she realized up until this point, where the warm feeling of having family was washing over her again.

Tia gave a shrug of her shoulders as she stepped away. "Here and there. Mostly here," she said, implying the land of Amaryllis. "After they banished me I ended up stumbling here. There's...many lions. Many prides."

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

With all the thoughts running through Shiva's mind, she didn't catch the faint twitch of her sister's lips or notice the sparkle in her eyes was from her laughing at the fact that she'd scared Shiva half out of her hide. Sure, she had her reservations about her sister, but for now, she really was happy to see a friendly and familiar face.

Shiva wasn't expecting it when Tiamat stepped forward and bumped her head against her shoulder. Shiva's tail twitched ever so slightly, and the lioness really wasn't one for hugs, but she lowered her head and rubbed her cheek on her sister's head in reciprocation. "Same. I... didn't expect to see you here."

"After they banished me..."

A wry smile formed on Shiva's lips as she remembered poisoning @Tiamat 's stupid ex-mate after she was chased from their family clan. "By the time I'd left, Kingu was skinny and looked like hell. I didn't kill him, but I did poison him..." She left before he started getting better, and she couldn't say whether he ever did bounce back from that. She did poison him within a foot of his life. A few more weeks, and he would've been a skeleton with skin on it and probably no more.

Another lioness might've felt terrible for their actions, but Shiva felt proud, especially of her control - both of the situation and her control of the dosages she snuck into his meat and food. She hadn't killed him, but she got him real close.

"Prides... New family?" she questioned. Her eyes scanning Tiamat's features for a sign that she was thinking the same that Shiva's was thinking. If they joined a pride, could they potentially find a new... extended type of family? Oh how Shiva craved the feeling of inclusiveness...

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

Tia purred as her sister returned the affection. She hadn't really expected it, but it was just so nice to see a member of the family again. She'd been lonely, without the closeness of the clan like she was used to. Not knowing anyone and being in a strange land was difficult for someone who had been a part of something so big once upon a time.

Her knee-jerk reaction to Shiva's admission was worry. The part of her that remembered the good times wanted Kingu to be okay. She had loved him after all. But it only took a moment for a rumble to sound from her chest as she chased those feelings away. He'd betrayed her, gone along with Siduri's foolish clan to force Tia to make a poor decision - and it had worked. He deserved worse than what Shiva had done for what he had helped to put her through.

"A fitting fate for someone who helped ruin my life," she growled darkly, fury in her eyes. The fury helped chase away any thoughts of what she once had with the male - the family they might have raised together. It wasn't enough to chase away the self-loathing that festered in her mind. Because even though Siduri had tried to get the death match to happen, Tia had still stolen away the lives of her unborn cubs. That would haunt her for a long time to come.

Tia met Shiva's searching gaze, the same thoughts having crossed her mind before, though she had been lost in her own pain and anger on her first visit here and hadn't thought much of the prides, other than being aware that they existed. "Perhaps..." she said thoughtfully, her gaze turning to the horizon across the sea. "If we can find the right one, then yes. We need family."

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

Had Shiva been there when Tiamat was challenged, or when any of that bullshit went down, she would've fought for her sister, even if just for the chance to kill another lion without the consequences of being a psycho that liked it. However, it would've put her in the same fate as @Tiamat . Though, she probably wouldn't have cared to leave the clan. She had planned to for a long time, knowing that she couldn't just poison those who had wronged her and hope to slide under the radar forever.

"Indeed," Shiva answered with a dangerous look in her eye. Had she not thought his death would have upset her sister, Shiva would've gladly over-medicated his meat to make his liver fail and his body die. It was hard to tell after the whole thing went down, initially. Even with the rage in Tiamat's eyes, Shiva could still tell she loved him... and to kill a lion that her sister loved, it could've been the end of their relationship... forever.

"What do you know about the prides here?" Shiva asked, turning her thoughts away from the delicious ideas of watching others suffer and die. A pride that wasn't too good or too bad would fit them, she thought. One that didn't have morals so far up their asses that the sun never shone on them; or similarly, one that had so few morals that they always had to watch their backs. Granted, Shiva probably would fit in there, but she rathered the idea of a family she could trust over one she couldn't.

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

@Shiva was not like the rest of the siblings - certainly not like the sweet little Elil or fierce, sometimes mocking Ishkur - and Tia had come to admire that over their lives. Shiva was smart, even if a little cruel towards others, but she was a loyal sister who stood up for her, even if in less conventional ways. The poisoning of Kingu was proof of that. But Tia found little fault in it, as long as Shiva was going after those who deserved such punishments.

She didn't question why Shiva had left and followed her here. She had her reasons. Tia didn't need to know the details beyond what she had already shared.

"I know little," she said reluctantly, frustrated that her earlier time here had led to little in the way of information, or even meeting other lions more closely than from a distance. "What I do know is that members of the prides like to hang out in the passage that leads here, and recruit new members from the new arrivals." She'd skirted around them herself, avoiding the pride recruiters for the time being and slinking off to the shoreline to mourn on her first visit. She hadn't been fit for looking to the future then.

"We could go there, see who we find. See what there is on offer."

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu

Shiva was quiet when her sister spoke, out of respect and value of her words. @Tiamat had been here longer than Shiva, even if just a little longer. Shiva was pensive when her sister mentioned the passage. She had to dodge recruiters on her way to the shoreline, so she definitely knew about it. But where would they go? Who would recruit them?

”That seems reasonable,” Shiva replied, getting up from the loose dirt of the cliffs over the shoreline to follow her sister into the passage. She’d much rather rest her head on friendly lands than unfriendly ones. Shiva needed her beauty sleep to stay this perfect and beautiful. Perhaps she’d catch the attention of a male in their new pride… perhaps. Shiva had standards that most lions didn’t, so she wasn’t about to just let any male claim her…

Shiva stood aside to let her sister pass, and when she did, she'd follow her to the passage where they'd be one paw into their new lives, hopefully...

---

Shiva exit // super sorry its so short! You can go ahead and start our next thread in the passage if you wanna get some posts up for Tia <3

i won't fade away, be forgotten or just cast away

Tia herself had avoided pride recruiters and other strays when she had made her way through the passage, slipping through without meeting anyone on her way. Her first time here she had been mourning still, her heart broken for the wrong that she had done and the love that she had lost. Now she had hardened herself some, so that was of no concern. Her wounds had healed and scarred over. The second time she had been through she had been looking for the sister she now stood with, and had no need of pride recruiters.

Now, though, it was time for them to find a place to stay and establish themselves. She wasn't sure what kind of prides were here in this land. She only knew that they were there, and that the passage was were some went to find new members. They would see what the lions here had to offer, and choose where they would come to lay their heads at night based on what was presented to them. They'd need a good fit, if they wanted to stay for any length of time.

As Shiva stood Tia turned to lead them both back towards the passage, her tail flicking with something akin to excitement. It was finally time to move on and start life anew. She relished the thought of moving on from all that had happened to her.

exit//

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu