To say that the Princess of the Oasis was in an almighty sulk might be an understatement. Whilst Mummy had told them all that they had to be nice to their half brother and sister, there was no way on this sandy red earth that she was going to obey. It was a hard line to tread though - she had no intention of welcoming them into her home, her family because they didn't belong here. She also had no intention of trying to befriend them, because friends were not exactly something that came easy for her. Not that she particularly cared - Diantha had said once that Victoria was born made of spite and venom and that suited her just fine. She prowled now through the sands of Andal, her fur already prickled in annoyance. Perhaps it was that she had woken up on the wrong side of the den, but there was something especially grating on her. Hackles raised, she prowled towards an odd assortment of red rocks sticking out of the sand, one of the only landmarks around. Perhaps there was a way to rid herself of the blight of the Sigrun children on her life - perhaps there was something she could do about it rather than just hiss and spit. The glowering girl slipped beneath the shade of one of the rocks, pondering how she might be free of them.

table by koi

velkan sigrún

The red sands of the Oasis offered Velkan no comfort. They were not the same sands as his home in the Lagoon, and now he was farther from the sea than he would have liked. After losing Solvi he found himself more drawn than ever to the sea. He knew that he would die by it in six months, when his second drowning was to occur. There was no denying that Vellen had meant to take him on the first one, but something had gone wrong. Perhaps if he had died then Solvi would still be alive. It was too late, now, though, and he could only hope that by dying during his second drowning he might be able to better protect his sister from Vellen's wrath. He was loath to leave her alone in this world, but he knew it was the best.

With his future - or lack thereof - hanging over his head and the weight of his dead sister on his shoulders, Velkan was hardly good company. He was broody and depressed and had little to offer in the way of emotion. He'd taken to either wandering about the Oasis listlessly or settling down somewhere and not moving for hours unless forced. Today his paws dragged through the sands, leaving an odd trail in his wake. He was heading for one of the few landmarks in Oasis territory; a set of red rocks that stood up from the sand, offering shade below and a perch above. He chose the latter, leaping up onto the rocks with little grace, and then promptly collapsing in a miserable heap atop the one he landed on, head resting on his paws. His eyes stared wistfully at the horizon, wishing he could rush time by faster, reaching his first birthday sooner, while also entertaining the idea of convincing Hillevi to run away from here, back to the Lagoon where they belonged.

He didn't notice @Victoria in the shade of the rocks. His attention was limited to only his immediate actions and he remained unaware of what was going on around him most of the time. Hillevi was not here for him to look after, so his focus was lacking.

(c) Anyu

It was as if the thing that bothered her most had become manifest, the ghostly white boy standing out sorely against the red of the sandy earth around them. Dark grey eyes narrowed, a fiercesome scowl upon her face. She didn't want him here, didn't want his sister here and certainly didn't want him near her space right now. It seemed as though he hadn't seen her, or at least acknowledged her presence if he had spied her, which in her opinion was downright rude. A low, malevolent hiss-growl came from the shaded rock she lay under, gaze glowing with internal fury. "You." She hissed out, remaining where she was but making sure her voice carried far enough. "What are you still doing here?" She questioned, white tipped tail a flicker beat with irritation at @Velkan. He wasn't her brother, in spite of the father they shared. They were Sigrun beasts and Victoria held no love for any of them.

table by koi

velkan sigrún

The sounds of anger beneath him startled him, and he jumped a little before settling back down on his rock. Looking down into the shadows, he spotted a brown shape with white piebald markings. He hadn't seen anyone there and certainly hadn't realized it was one of his half-sisters. Velkan had yet to come to think of them as family, and doubted he ever would. Judging the scowl on her face and her less-than-friendly greeting, the feeling was somewhat mutual, if for different reasons.

So she hated him. He didn't know what for, and he honestly didn't care. She wasn't family anymore than Seneca was, despite the blood they shared. His family was at the Lagoon, where his mother was, not here in this reddish hell of a landscape with nothing resembling an ocean. He scowled down at @Victoria, though his gaze was far less fierce and angry than hers. He didn't want to be here, didn't she understand that? He hadn't been given a choice in the matter.

Tail twitching lightly, he settled in more, making himself more comfortable on the rock he perched on. "You think I want to be here?" he questioned her mildly, his voice even and calm. An idea had struck him. Perhaps it would go nowhere, but if he could get Hillevi on board, and perhaps this half-sister of his, maybe it would work. He'd wanted to leave this place from the moment they had arrived. Maybe escape was possible. But he couldn't leave without his sister.

(c) Anyu

It wasn't that Victoria was particularly angry with the boy - he hadn't done anything other than exist. It was the fact that they were asked to share their home with siblings whom her father had not claimed as his - they were Sigrun. And also the fact that Victoria didn't like anyone and wasn't afraid to tell them about it. @Velkan returned his glare, though not with the same intensity and the girl allowed her tail to twitch in slow warning as his words hit her. "Nobody is stopping you from leaving." She pointed out with a glance in the direction of the borders. "You could take that sister of yours and walk out, nobody would care." She stated coolly now, wondering if it would even be possible. It wasn't as though there were sentries along the border, blocking the way in or out.

table by koi

velkan sigrún

Velkan snorted in disbelief. The idea that no one would care was ridiculous, since her father had promised his mother that he and his sister would be safe here. The idea that they could just walk out wasn't unbelievable, since there weren't guards along every inch - or even any - of the border, but eventually someone would notice them missing and Seneca would come looking for them. No, Hillevi and Velkan wouldn't be able to get away for long.

"Your father would come find us," he answered @Victoria gruffly, after turning the idea over in his head a few times. He'd love nothing more than to walk out of this place with Hillevi and go home, or even just somewhere else. There was no family or love for them here. But they would be stopped; if not immediately, then eventually. "He promised to protect us or whatever."

He turned his gaze out to the horizon, considering. Was there a way to get them out of there, without Seneca coming or sending someone after them?

(c) Anyu

@Velkan's snort of disbelief made the wrinkle of displeasure on her nose deepen just slightly - if he was laughing at her, she would make sure he regretted it. But after several long moments where the white male seemed to consider, think about the idea, he came up with his trump card. So he had thought about it - leaving the Oasis. And it was clearly something that was on the cards, because he did not declare that he wanted to stay, just that her father would be the obstacle. Interesting. Victoria did not interrupt as he spoke again, telling her that Seneca had promised to protect them. "Oh yeah, because your sister got herself killed - right?" She commented snidely, as if she'd forgotten this piece of information. Of course, Hillevi had never mentioned to Victoria exactly how Solvi had died, but perhaps the boy would. "How did she manage it, again?" She asked, her tone curious but no less nasty.

table by koi

velkan sigrún

Velkan decided in the following moments that he did not like @Victoria. Not even a little.

He'd been aloof from his biological father and his half-sisters because he didn't want to form new connections before he died on his first birthday, during his second drowning. It would be better for himself and those around him if no one was attached to him when the time came for him to leave. He was coming to realize, in the case of Victoria and her sisters, that aloofness wasn't required. They were spoiled brats. He was at no risk of becoming close to them.

It was a shame they didn't realize how lucky they were.

Her comments about Solvi caused his blood orange eyes to turn cold and hard. He turned his gaze to her, his face a mask of cold fury. Anger he didn't know he could feel boiled beneath his skin, and he wanted nothing more than to dig his claws into her flesh and scar her pretty little pelt - putting the princess in her place.

Instead, he gave her the reply she wanted, his voice as cold as the look in his eyes. "She was murdered."

(c) Anyu

Victoria was, unfortunately for all those who encountered her, perfectly happy to stomp on feelings to get what she wanted - information and leverage for the most part. She could see the fire burning in those dark orange eyes (that clearly had come from the father they shared) and she did not flinch from it, did not even really care that she had upset the boy. She didn't want him here, she didn't care if she hurt his feelings. Dark ears lifted and a brow arched as @Velkan dropped his bombshell - there seemed some considerable intent behind the word murder. "Who would want to murder a cub?" She spat back, scorn in her tone as she considered the circumstances. She knew nothing of the Sigrún or Rike and the conflict they had brought to Amaryllis, but to her mind it seemed far fetched that a child would be intentionally murdered. Perhaps Velkan was just trying to paint his sister in a less stupid light - she'd got her self killed and that was that.

table by koi

velkan sigrún

Her scornful words pushed him even farther away. Velkan retreated back into the stoic exterior that he had been adopting more and more as of late. He didn't know it, but he was using it as a shield, trying to protect himself from the world. He'd had to grow up a lot faster than most cubs his age, including @Victoria, and he wasn't going to keep feeding her information. Especially if she was just going to stomp on it in return.

Maybe if he had been older, or healthier, he would have attacked her, starting a fight. But Velkan tended to be more passive. His lung capacity had not allowed for much playing or sparing when he was younger, and that would continue to be the case as time went on. Fighting was not something he could go out of his way to engage in. So, though his anger boiled, he did not leap from his perch to his sister, as Hillevi no doubt would have done. Instead, he gave her one hateful look of disdain before pushing himself to his paws.

"You think the world is all rainbows and sunshine?" he asked her, just as much scorn in his voice. "What a spoiled, sheltered little brat." His voice was even, despite the scorn, and the words weren't spat out in anger. He said it more like it was a fact than an insult. And then he turned away from her, walking a few feet away to another rock, where he promptly settled down with his back to her, ignoring her completely.

(c) Anyu