Leaving the territory simply wasn't an option anymore. There was nothing preventing him from slipping outside the borders, but what did he have out there? Nothing. He had nothing. Everything dear to him remained safely tucked away behind the lagoon borders, and so he did whatever he could in order to ensure they remained secure. The sands still stank of death and decomposition, but if that wasn't enough to frighten trespassers away, Nero assumed the reinforced scent markers certainly would. He prowled along the outskirts of the territory, pretending he didn't notice how close he was drawing to the scene of Sunniva's death. The blood still stained the ground and he gave a wide berth, arcing inward towards the territory instead of out.

He wondered if Asteria knew what Saga had endured, if she cared. Nero clenched his teeth as he swung his head out towards the mutual grounds, wondering where she had finally managed to settle. Somewhere with Hiccup, he guessed. Obsidian Hollows, maybe. It didn't matter, did it? Nero did his best to snuff out the curiosity, shaking his head as though he could physically displace the thoughts.

He just needed to focus on who he had left. Those were the lions he needed to care for, to protect.

Nero huffed as moved on, walking with purpose in his short stride.

@Soleil

code by koi // art by flea // do not use without permission

The young lioness was learning more about her new home. She had never lived near the ocean before. It was awe inspiring. She watched the tides as they drifted in and out through the day. Soleil did not like that she had not been given a choice in whether or not she wanted to stay here, but she found she enjoyed living here. The lions had been interesting. To be honest, some frightened her. But at the very least, she had a friend here. And that was more than she could say of anywhere else she knew of.

She was wading out in the crystalline waters surrounding the island, far enough out for the gentle waves to brush at her chest. They were filled with fish and the girl figured that it was a wonderful opportunity to practice her skills as a budding huntress. The sun child had not had much success yet, but it would come in time. Her mother always said that hunting took patience. And the girl knew she was still young. She stood as still as she could, watching the gleaming fish dance around her, just out of reach. She was so close to being able to snatch one.

Ear twitched behind her as it caught a familiar chuff. Cerulean gaze caught the pale form of her friend moving towards her. The girl smiled broadly and bounded toward the shore, the fish that had begun drawing close quickly darting away. Soleil stopped with the water swirling around her ankles, droplets falling off her golden pelt.

"Nero!" she exclaimed happily. "What brings you by?" Her den was further from his, which was in the center of the territory along with the other royals. Being a newcomer, Soleil had taken a den along the outskirts of the sites available.

code by shelby | art by irish

Dissociating was his favorite pastime. Often, Nero would find himself so curled in on himself that he didn't recall even getting up from his nap or stepping into the sunlight. By the time he realized what was happening, he was halfway across the territory. Today was one of those times. With the amount of absolutely crushing stress that he had endured, with the trauma he was reliving day in and day out.. well, he was a bit.. disoriented. Two or three times now he had woken in distress with evidence of another bout of convulsions, but it wasn't like he thought there was anything to do about it. What could a medic do in order to help him? Nothing. It was simply part of his life now, these stress-induced seizures.

Dissociation is what brought him to @Soleil's doorstep.

His eyes widened in surprise as her voice cut through the fog. Oh. When had he gotten here? Nero glanced around as though there would be a wizard that would pop out and explain what had happened.

Sadly, none did and he was left with a dumb, clueless expression on his face as his friend watched.

"Oh, uh, I.. just wandering, you know. Patrolling and stuff. Whatcha doing?"

code by koi // art by flea // do not use without permission

He seemed confused. As soon as he heard her voice, the adolescent male looked around him as if something had jumped up and bit him. When he finished, he looked at her with a clueless look. Soleil knew all too well what had happened. He had been distant ever since the death match. His eyes rarely seemed to be focused on much outside his own head. The girl only wished she could help more. Perhaps the best thing she could do today was help him take his mind off of things.

"That's good! Everyone seems to be reinforcing the borders recently. It should help to keep us safe." Soleil stepped out of the water and onto the sand. Bracing herself, she shook the water out of her fur, probably a bit too close to @Nero for him to not get some on him. Her broad, beaming smile was directed at him once again as soon as she was done.

"Fishing," she answers, eyes turning back to the water. "I haven't quite gotten the hang of it yet, but I'm sure it will come in time." The girl turns her attention back to him and nods towards the water. "Would you like to give it a try? I could probably use the help and it never hurts to try and learn a new skill. That is, if you haven't tried fishing before." Soleil honestly didn't know if Nero had gone fishing before, but she assumed he hadn't. Few lions did with regularity. "Plus the water feels wonderful!"

code by shelby | art by irish

There was something hauntingly familiar about Soleil. She was so bubbly and vibrant and he feared associating with him would only dull her shine; after all, Asteria had been full of life when they'd met. Then Nero had tarnished her sparkle and now they were.. whatever they were. Amicable? He didn't know. He couldn't help but fear for Soleil, too, and wondered if everything was transpiring because of Vellen. His disbelief. If anything happened to her, there was no way he would ever forgive himself.

So he just.. wouldn't let anything happen to her, then.

"Yeah, I know how to fish. Actually," he said, turning sideways to show off his haunch. A ring of dagger-like teeth marks permanently embedded into his skin, the only remaining scar from his shark attack. "I got this while fishing in the ocean. Apparently there's these things called sharks that are fish but have giant teeth.." And she could see the result.

"But I can help you learn, if you want? I had a good teacher. I'll introduce you to him one day." Gawain would like her, of that he was sure. Nero slipped into the water next to her. "He said most of it is patience, but that eventually they'll get curious enough to come up and investigate you." He glanced left to right, hoping to spot a shadow beneath the surface. Don't make him look dumb, fishies, please.

code by koi // art by flea // do not use without permission

Oh good, he knew how to fish! Hopefully he would be able to show her a thing or two. @Nero shows her the scar on his hip, telling her it was from something called a shark. From the size of the bite mark, it must have been a huge fish. Soleil enters the water again, a little more cautious this time. The idea of a giant monster coming up out of the deep to take a hunk out of her flesh unsettled her.

"You don't think any are here today, do you?" It was a little unsettling to think about, but she wanted to learn. And fish would be an easy enough prey to come across in this territory and easy enough for her to catch on her own. Becoming an expert fisher would help her make her place as a contributing member of the pride.

"I'd like you too. I'd like to meet him," the girl said in reply to his mention of his teacher. "But I'm sure you'll do a great job at teaching me how." Patience. Soleil knew that much. While she had never had the opportunity to see her mother fish, the older lioness had explained the process to her eager cub. Soleil knew she needed to stand still and wait for a fish to swim close enough for her to snatch out of the water. So far, though, none had dared get close enough to her.

Azure eyes were trained on the water as she stood as still as she could next to Nero, watching the flashes of silver and shadowy shapes dance a little ways from them in the crystalline water. Hopefully, it wouldn't be long before one got curious and came closer, but Soleil would wait and watch Nero. She wanted to see how he went about the attack in order to attempt to replicate it herself.

code by shelby | art by irish

Although logic would suggest otherwise, Nero couldn't help but wonder if there were any sharks around in that moment. He certainly didn't know much about them but could only assume they were as intelligent as lions, and with that thought, pictured a shark with a personal vendetta. Would it come back to finish what it had started? Nero fretted briefly, lost in his imagination, before shaking his head and bringing himself back to the present. "Nah, I don't think so. We're good." Because even if Nero wasn't sure, he wanted @Soleil to feel safe. He wanted to keep her safe, not that he'd stand much of a chance against another shark.

"Okay, so," he began, clearing his throat as he moved into the water. "First thing you gotta do is find a school of fish, right? Then just gently ease into the water a few feet away and stand super still. This is the boring part because it requires a lot of patience, but it's the way I was taught," he said with a shrug. "The fish eventually grow curious and come over to investigate. Gawain said they'll nibble your toes trying to figure out what you are, but it doesn't hurt. Tickles, though. Anyway, so when the fish come over, there's two ways to go about getting them. One, you can try to strike with your teeth which takes REALLY good timing, or two," he said, quickly twisting his ankle and ripping upwards with extended claws to spear the targeted fish. "You can do that. I've found the best way is to kind of hit them towards the shore until they end up on dry land." The fish flopped back into the water with a splash. "You've just gotta do it while they're stunned from the first smack." He repeated the swatting with his fish, eventually batting it onto shore. "Ta-daaaa!"

code by koi // art by flea // do not use without permission