He first saw the Hollow's opening from a distance. A less keen eye might have not been so interested. A cave like most any other surely lay below the maw, down the earth's throat into its belly where magma and stone churned forth beasts and breath of wind. Mugo however was drawn to the darkness, to the shadow like it was a siren. He approached the threshold, stone on either side and beginning to creep over his head to obscure the sky. He looked at the edges of this formation, this welcoming doorway, and found them slightly smooth. All the sharp points rounded off by wind and greater exposure to the rain. Inwards things there appearing to him more jagged, sharpened and chilly to the soul. They were not warm, they were not welcoming but drew Mugo in further to investigate. Merely being in shadows, surrounded by the painted walls and ceiling overhead, was a pleasure. Instead of eyes of open fields he felt swaddled. He felt at peace once his dark body was entirely cloaked in shadows.

He began to wander- flirting closer and closer to the Prideland's edges with each step of his big and heavy paws.

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With spring bringing so many showers to the lands, the mauve lion had been keeping indoors a little more often than usual. The winter had not bothered him with his plush coat built for the colder weather, but for all of that fluff to get drenched? Roan wasn't so fond of the feeling. Still, there were necessary times to leave the Hollow with a king's work never finished. Just as the Hodari was about to head out, though, he heard the heavy footsteps of someone nearby.

Roan was already heading in @Mugo's direction, but there was something unsettling about the sounds of footfall. It wasn't the sound of someone who knew where they were going, like someone who actually belonged here. Maybe someone from Ecrosia was visiting? He and Maia had said their members could visit the other's territory freely, after all. Once he found the shadow cloaked lion, though, there was no familiar scent about him. "Can I help you, sir?" Roan was not unfriendly, but there was a firmness to his voice. The rouge hadn't technically trespassed yet, but he was very close to the borders, after all.

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He did not recoil from Roan's approach. His tone was steady and serious, not outright welcoming but Mugo didn't didn't expect such fond and warm things to always be handed out on a silver platter. There was space in the world for the cold, for the serious and the neutral conversations. He was comfortable still in the other lion's presence, not entirely knowing yet just how close he had inadvertently come to stepping on Roan's home soil. So when he did respond it might not be the most comforting of things to hear from a stranger on your borders. No, I am fine. He said in a calm sorts of way, tipping his head too in greeting as he responded to Roan's question.

I didn't expect to find company in such a beautiful place. He said in a friendly way, turning his mismatched eyes to admire the shadows around them. The way they stretched into nothing. Some of the deepest shadows were like a void, you couldn't see the wall and the imagination could pretend it went on and on truly into nothing and comforting darkness.

No, I am fine. A brow rose subtly at the casual response. Maybe if his tone had been arrogant, Roan might have perceived the reply as a threat, but with the overall greeting, the king thought maybe @Mugo was just oblivious to being so close to the pride's border. Nothing about his posture felt intimidating, after all. He was almost friendly. Perhaps Roan was thinking too hard to the response.

Before the masked lion could dive too deep down the metaphorical rabbit-hole of assumptions, however, the stranger went on to compliment the caves. Mugo seemed to admire the tunnels ahead, and for good reason. Given his father's own complexion, Roan knew how much darker colored lions preferred the shade. It didn't take a genius to know that a dark coat meant soaking up more sunlight and thus feeling hotter than a typical colored lion. Even his dark mauve could sometimes grow too hot in the sun. Analytics aside, the Hodari still needed some sort of response that would let the stranger know of the pride that lied beneath the surface. "You would have likely found even more company had you gone inside," Roan started off casually. "You're actually kinda close to our pride borders. These tunnels are called Obsidian Hollow, and there is a pride of lions that live inside." The mauve lion figured he should just be straightforward about it. Maybe Mugo really didn't realize there was a pride nearby. It wasn't like he had done anything wrong so far, he was just close. As such, Roan remained friendly as he offered this tip to the stranger on his doorstep.

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Ah-oh... Oh. There was near immediate regret over the large dark creature's face. It had not, nor likely ever would be, his intention to walk into someone's house uninvited. I'm sorry, I had no idea. And he'd been careless to not realize it sooner, to need it to be pointed out to him. He'd lost track of himself and his senses, enjoyment abound and loving the cloak of shadows caves promised and provided had muted common sense. He spoke seriously and somber, sincere but not throwing himself apologetically into a mess or escalating the issue further.

His mismatched eyes of flushed silver and bright pink settled on Roan's masked features and the illuminated verdant gaze within. Let me introduce myself at least- I am Mugo Hodari. Pleasure. He said with a tip of his head. And thanks for not giving me a harder time about this... He silently added to himself.

As the realization sunk in to the rogue's expression, Roan couldn't help but smirk to himself at the sight. This guy must truly have not realized he was so close to a pride, which really just begged the question of if the king's scent markers were actually strong enough. Maybe he should do more frequent patrols or something. Anyway, @Mugo hadn't trespassed yet, so there wasn't actually anything to be upset about. The moment it was made clear as to what the rogue was about to do, however, he seemed sincere in his lack of knowing. "No worries," the mauve lion offered lightly. "You would have figured it out eventually," Roan smirked in a bit of good humor. This could have gone much worse, that was for sure.

At the mention of an introduction, Roan was already preparing to do the same in return. That is, until he actually heard Mugo's name. Wait, did he just say Hodari? The masked king was actually a little lost for words as he took a harder look at the supposed kin. Could they really be related? The bloodline had come so far that there wasn't really a typical Hodari "look" anymore, so Roan knew he wasn't the easiest thing to assume as a Hodari. But Mugo? Now that the Obsidian lion took a second glance, the signs were obvious. Black fur, white mane. That's all it really took, back in the day, at least according to Ademt, that's what they used to look like. Could it have still passed on this long, though? And how exactly were they related, if they were related. Eventually, Roan finally realized that he'd been studying Mugo for a few moments now without saying anything in return. "Oh, uh, sorry... It's nice to meet you, Mugo. I'm Roan.... Roan Hodari." He'd let the name settle for a second, just curious as to what it might spark in the rogue. Roan had never heard of a 'Mugo' in their family, so Mugo probably didn't now of Roan either. But then how were they connected? Was he a descendant of Atrus? He kinda looked like how Ademt described his youngest son. Hmmmm.

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There seemed to be no hard feelings between them and Mugo took that as valuable. The mauve male, reddish like dusk's sky, jested with a light statement, a bit of a smirk over his face. Mugo muted a bit of a chuckle, large chest rumbling with the melodious deep sounds. I don't know, I have a great ability to lose myself. The thoughts would come, bit by bit what he saw and experienced began to grow in his mind and shape into new ideas. Overwhelming juice of creation. Besides I prefer to figure it out before I'm meeting someone's claws and their angry face. He took the humor in stride and joined in with a light bit of his own while marveling at his own luck that Roan had stopped him soon enough to prevent serious conflict. He preferred this.

Roan's long stare began to make Mugo feel intimidated, oppressive air suffocating him while time seemed to slow. He had no clue what had spurred the pride lion to this intense quiet state and nervously he looked left and right. He had just began to contemplate leaving when Roan introduced himself and things became much clearer. It was Mugo's turn to stand awkwardly around and just bore his eyes into Roan. There was no recollection for Mugo, nothing to affirm or deny Roan's name claim. I'm uh.... What did one say in this situation? ... I was told growing up there was probably more out there. We just didn't know where. Or who by this point. Generations had slipped by and contact faded.

Nothing spoke the need to be anything but friendly with this rogue thus far. @Mugo even seemed ready to play into the humor a bit with a chuckle of his own. Lost in thought? Sure, Roan could completely understand that, especially when in such a new place. At least, he was assuming as much about the rogue, having never seen him around in Amaryllis before. Then again, there were tons of other lions out there that the mauve lion had never met either, but whom had probably still spent a great deal of time in the lands. Whatever the case, the king was just happy to have not offended the rogue with his words thus far. "Yeah.... that's fair. Probably wouldn't have been a pretty sight if someone caught you inside. If not me, then easily one of the others." The masked man gave a light chuckle as he looked back fondly to the opening of Obsidian's caves. Not that everyone was a warrior within the pride, but Roan could definitely imagine a few of them meeting a trespasser with tooth and claw.

If the roles were reversed, Roan would have to admit that he wouldn't know what to say to the shared surname either. Did he question it? Claim that it was a coincidence and that they may not even be related? If anything his ancestors had told him was true, the Hodari family tree was extremely vast, far reaching. By now, it was a completely valid thought to expect dozens of new Hodaris out there somewhere that no one would even know how they were related. The generations had passed, and only so much history could be passed along. "Yeah," the masked lion finally nodded with an awkward shrug. "We're probably spread out all over and don't even know it." The king was almost sheepish as he thought about the expanse. "My family, alone, has moved a few times. Been split up." A bittersweet feeling slipped into the pit of the king's stomach. On one side, he was happy to have found more family, however distant they might be related, but it was also a sore reminder of all the family he had known and had now lost. Family members that Mugo would never know.

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Mine has had a similar fate. Was it some greater plan? That despite the distance did their blood illicit and bring about lonesomeness? The Hodari cloth had an ability to fray unlike others it seemed. And come back together in bright unfound ways... hopefully... there was nothing Mugo had seen yet to bring him to fully trust Roan or know for sure this coincidental turn of events was for his best interest. I've heard it said that home isn't where you are living but who you are living with. I wonder what that means for the likes of us who don't have either consistently? His own immediate family had always been small, and with no certain guarantee they'd be sticking around. His branch of the Hodari tree was not without its own rotten fruit born upon it or damage inflicted. Mugo however seemed not to carry the weight across his shoulders that his statement brought with it. The thought pondered out the sky in a light, contemplative hum and the dark lion was quick to shrug his shoulders and be done with the otherwise depressive thought.

Is you family here? He meant mostly in the immediate pride lands with borders whom he flirted with. But supposed nearby could work as well. The large obsidian pelted male was innately curious and drawn further into the idea of having more blood relations around here. As too was he drawn into the web fate seemed to have spun just for the two of them that their meeting should seem to happen just by chance.

Mine has had a similar fate. The same curious thoughts wandered through Roan's mind, forever battling with the chance that the Hodari family could truly be cursed to suffer. If it had befallen @Mugo without ever knowing this particular branch of the family tree, then perhaps the curse was valid upon the bloodline itself and not strictly on Roan's immediate family. What had their ancestors done so long ago to warrant this turmoil for the generations to come?

If living through disaster had taught the mauve lion anything, though, it was to believe the exact words that escaped his distant relative's mouth. Home was what one made of it no matter where they lived. It was what Roan had been holding onto a lot lately, to simply be happy with living among what family was left. To know where his family still lived within these lands and try to move on from the losses. "I firmly believe that," the masked man nodded wholeheartedly. "Sure, we've moved several times. Sometimes just from one pride to another, but other times we've left our entire homeland behind. Somehow, though, what has been left of us has always managed to find a feeling of home again, so long as we remain together." The Peaks, the Jungle, the Mire, and now the Hollow. So many prides his family had managed to turn into a home for whatever amount of time was afforded them before something came along to change the course of their lives once more. Hopefully the Hollow would find its longevity as the latest Hodari stronghold.

Then came the real question, that of what family did live here other than just Roan. "Yes, some of them, anyway," the mauve lion was more than happy to confirm the residency of his family within Obsidian. "My wife, sister, step-mother, niece, and nephew all live here with me. I also have an aunt and uncle who live in another pride with their children." The latter sentence was added more offhandedly as Roan had yet to see his family in the Brook since taking over Obsidian. Even if they didn't know each other in the slightest, the sovereign would risk trusting the assumed relative with at least the relations he held throughout Amaryllis. No names were given just yet, but perhaps it could offer some form of reassurance that there were other Hodaris out there.

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