she's put it off day in and day out, but there's no more waiting permitted. her front leg feels almost back to normal, the break small and clean; it's the hind leg that still concerns her. it concerns others, too. she sees it in the way her children stare, the caution in calypso and voluspa's eyes as they look at her, in @Hákon's measured stare. she grits her jaw and tries to ignore it, ignore the panic that's clawing inside her chest that she may never walk again without help. the limp will be inevitable, she knows, but will she be able to protect them? to stand at the helm that magnus gave her, in the shadow as the jarl's second? frustrated, she beckons hakon to help her carefully hobble from her den to a span of beach just to the east of it. the summer has dawned clear and peaceful and the noon sun is warm around her shoulders as she settles as comfortably as she can beneath its rays. a sigh escapes her and without any further delay, she beckons the pride together. it's, finally, time to discuss things.

@Alizabeth @Ragna @Nero @Hillevi @Velkan @Magnus @Zulema @Vitala @Voluspa @Svana @Eir @Sjórbjörn @Shiva @Tiamat @Cassandra @Soleil @Nadia ( the younger cubs are not required to come but can if you'd like! )

Alizabeth was the first to arrive. The beckon wasn't ignored and she knew better than to lollygag around once a summons had been made. Perhaps it was a long time instinct within her, instilled in her at a young age. Valentine had been a good lion, but a strict one. Vibrant eyes cast along the beach side that Saga had chosen to make her meeting place. Not bad, not bad. Arriving quietly, her head was dipped to the High Sovereign before bravely assuming a position near her - giving Hákon room, but still making her place known without a word. The ivory woman had no intentions of being an absent leader. No, she was here to stay.

A fraction of her being hated that she had to be the one to deliver such dark news to her High Sovereign. As well as to Magnus and her dearest sister. None of them deserved any of what might come and she feared for the worst. Feeling somewhere in the pit of her stomach that regardless of her warning, it might not be enough but perhaps @Saga could instill some sense of urgency to her kin and pride. If anything, Zulema just needed to know that @Vitala would heed the warning and not tempt the danger. Even though she had been in Amaryllis for quite some time, the carmine Noble was not quite so ready to separate any time soon. No time was ever enough.

The woman eased her way in, tension in her shoulders and her face as she settled down. Feeling anxious, concerned and overall uncertain as to what the near future would bring them. Hoping that her warning would be enough to save the only lions, aside from Vitala, that she'd ever given a shit about.

The nearly grown girl had been relaxing in the den she now shared with Kvi, her head resting on her paws as she felt herself dozing off. A yawn escaped her as she felt the warmth of summer with the nice ocean breeze blowing over her. It was nice, and she could almost fall asleep sitting here like this. Her sleep had been less plagued by nightmares lately, but they still happened. It wasn't enough to completely sleep deprive her like when she'd first come to the Lagoon, but still disturbed her sleep. An ear flicked lazily, and she had almost drifted off to sleep when Saga's summons rang through the air. A soft sigh escaped Cassandra as she pushed herself to her paws and started to make her way towards the source of the High Sovereign's call. She was quite curious as to what the pride was being summoned for.

Sand crunched beneath her paws as she approached. Some of those gathered were unfamiliar, but her eyes spotted that woman who had almost started a brawl at the death match with her brutish bodyguards standing up there next to Saga. Dark ears pushed back as Cassandra gave the pale woman a ruthless glare. How dare she even think she could sit up there next to Saga like that. The audacity to think she'd ever be an equal to the Sigrun... She didn't trust that woman in the slightest, and now she had to deal with her parading around like she owned the place. Her only interaction with the white lioness thus far was not exactly the best one, and she had made a bad impression with the young Valour in the short meeting they had had at the death match. Moving her attention back to Saga, her gaze softened as she approached. ""Good to see you're healing well. You've shown the true power of a Sigrun."" Cassandra said, giving the chimera a soft smile and an incline of her head. No word was given to the unfamiliar white lioness though, and a cold glare would be given to her once more before she moved to sit off to the side. Kvi should be here soon, and hopefully he'd join her over here.

text. "speech."

Art & Table code by Zodiac

Ragna arrived with her usual resting bitch face, one she really didn't change anytime, she didn't have reasons to do so. Ears up, lips sealed in a straight line revealing nothing, posture relaxed and without tension. She eyed the other attendants in silence, checking but not lingering on them too much. @Cassandra's words didby got unnoticed by the royal, she liked it but she wouldn't comment on it right here, maybe later but things were to be done first.

She sat down with eyes fixated on her mother, but also on the new sovereign a surprise among their family, but she earned it like any of them would try, and thus she didn't have any issue with that. And like that she waited for her mom to speak. And whatever she will, she was ready to listen to.

code by corvus

She walked right after Ragna, feeling safer to walk by an older lion, even more family. This was her very own home but the resent events made her doubtful even towards her own lands, someone was stolen under their very own noses and killed later on. If that could occur even here, why would it happen again? Cautious was on her growing up mind a good thing even if it could get too far to adopt as ones way of life. But how would she know there was good when all shed been to was bad? She took a flop of a sit there close to @Zulema and facing her aunt. Eyeing the rest who she didn't know at all, at least not by name nor a close up interaction.

Art by Shaz - Code by Shaz

Eir approached. The goliath woman was quite, unwilling to intrude much into other's space she took a seat near Saga but well off to the left flank. A bubble to herself, much like she'd lived the last few months. Existing in body, eating, cleaning, but with a wandering spirit and missing emotions. Not feeling them was simpler, and so Eir the machine existed. And that meant when her family beckoned she responded dutifully. Staying around this one prideland for so long, having a place to rest and grow, was a treat and while it enabled Eir to function on bare minimum thoughts and feelings it seemed to have allowed her family to thrive in other ways... and in other ways (she thought as she looked at Saga's worst leg) not so much.

it was true that, eventually, a pride meeting would need to be called -- and so voluspa was hardly surprised when @Saga's voice lifted across the air, beckoning their people together beneath the banner of the lagoon. of course, she knew that the high sovereign was still recovering -- how could she forget, when the vision of her injuries were burned mercilessly into her mind? --, but if saga was anything, she was strong, and would not let such physical limitation stop her for longer than necessary.

slow, even steps moved voluspa towards the meeting spot, tail flickering idly behind her frame as she gave a quick nod to those already in attendance. she could not, however, shake the feeling of uncertainty that flashed across her chest at the sight of the ivory woman at the sigrun's side (@Alizabeth), gaze hovering on her for a few moments longer than the rest. the yearling could only assume that she had missed something along the way, but could still remember the woman's curt words towards her brother, which had been thrown around during the thralls of the death match.

assuming that all would be explained soon, voluspa would opt to shake the feeling from her shoulders as she opted to seat herself nearest to to her younger sister, @Zahra, before settling amongst the sands and waiting for whatever it was that her aunt wished to discuss.

vitala

She had wondered when it would be time for another pride meeting. And following the news from her sister it was expected that this would be the next step. Vitala wasn't in any sort of rush, her steps cool and collected. Merely ambling across the sands to reach the lions that had already gathered before her arrival. Without a word she brushed up against @Zulema and placed herself to settle at her side.

A passing glance grazed over the group of faces she had come to recognize from living here so long by now, but never truly knew any of them when she came to think of it. So far the alabaster lioness at Saga's side was the only one that she was unfamiliar with; seemingly new but held herself with a purpose. Vitala was pretty picky about the circle she kept around herself and hardly had the wherewithal to make it a point to form new relationships lately.

When she was finished idly looking around her gaze fixed on Saga as they awaited the news that was to come. Did the others know already? Had they seen it? She had to admit the curiosity was practically deafening. But she knew better than to go against the red woman's word, especially one taken so seriously. Vitala could only hope that the pride would remain safe if this were to be a dangerous and unknown entity.

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

The pride was still very much full of unfamiliar faces for Tiamat, though she was certain that many of them were related to Magnus and his family. The high sovereign, Saga, certainly was, she remembered from their conversation upon joining the pride, and she could see that others were related as well, simply by the color of their pelts and their looks. She felt like an outsider still, and wondered if @Shiva was feeling the same. Where was her sister right now?

By the time she arrived at the meeting there were many others already there. Not too sure what to expect, being newly accepted into the pride, Tiamat settled near the edge of the group, looking expectantly at @Saga, who was a little worse for wear. Tia understood that they had entered the pride during a tumultuous time. There had been some fighting, and Saga had been badly wounded. But she was alive, and now it seemed it was time for the pride to come together and discuss things. What things, Tia could not guess, but she was here to listen and do what was needed of her.

this life is mine to live

table (c) anyu