Endure

The young pale lion sniffed at the ground while walking, his nose brushing the dirt and twigs shifted aside from the movement of multiple bodies down a path. Something caught his attention, a scent that had recently been hanging around his father's home... Caligula? Scipio went poking around the inlands of the Brook, tracing along a scent trail left from his father's den outwards. He picked up his pace a bit from there once he thought he had the scent firm in his mind and a path outlined ahead of him. Truthfully he was not that skilled at tracking, and he certainly did not take the most direct path in search of the lion.

Caligula was up and about. He was concerned about the mist and so he found himself pacing towards the borders often. He wasn't a fight so he would do no good if there was a sneak attack. But he could help those whom had gotten lost and stumbled their way upon the Brook's borders.

But first he had to stop and do something he absolutely detested. Caligula made his way towards the brook that gave the pride its name. It was there he would be found staring at the water and trying to work up the courage to draw close to it in order to get a drink.

@Scipio

[Hey- Scipio called ahead to a brightly colored shape at the water's edge. His voice caught a little in his throat at first and he cleared it. Quickly the young pale son stepped forwards a few more gaits, leaping the last bit of distance and aiming to come up on Caligula's left side. Hey... Caligula right? He'd seen and smelt enough of the lion to be pretty certain this was the one he'd heard his father talk about. THe boy's fluffy face tilted to one side, watching the older lion with those pale ghostly eyes awaiting a response and confimation.

His dilemma was put on pause for the moment as Caligula turned towards the young male that appeared at his side. "Yes, Caligula." Confirmation was given as he took in the pale boy. "You must be Scipio." Mostly because the youth carried Aquila's scent more than him looking anything like the High Sovereign. Of course Caligula couldn't say much when hardly any of his own children shared his appearance.

"How are you?" He wanted to say more, to ask more, but he was uncertain of how much Aquila had divulged to his son and Caligula wasn't about to break the news if Aquila wasn't ready to do so.

@Scipio

Endure

Yeah, yeah Scipio. He said while nodding his head. My Dad has been telling me a bit about you. And well the boy had been gathering some bits and pieces on his own, you didn't miss the number of times Dad came homes smelling like someone else or the subtle ways that Aquila just seemed... happier. Those things unsaid had given Scipio more than his father had directly divulged. Scipio hadn't seen him this way before. Aquila was not always unhappy but sometimes Scipio swear he heard his father absently singing under his breath, face glowing with an unknown joy.

And this was the lion seemingly responsible for it?

The young male shrugged, a sort of teenage dismissive air about his movements. One where you were trying to use it to hide that you were really thinking deeply about something and wanted to seem indifferent. Ok I guess? The fog has been giving me the willies. Quite an easy thing to attribute his feelings to, convenient.

"Then I am afraid you are going to have to forget everything that he has told you. There is no way I can live up to anything he might have said." Not that Caligula could know exactly what had been said. Still if it was things like Aquila said to him then he knew he would be a disappointment. Caligula wasn't this great thing. No, he wasn't pessimistic, just a realist. He knew himself the best.

The bronze lion glanced about as if mentioning the mist might have it come rolling in at any moment. "Yeah, I'm not exactly fond of it myself. I don't like the feeling of intention that comes from it." At least that was what Caligula picked up on. It might not feel like that to everyone. But everyone did seem to agree that it was unsettling at least.

"You weren't thinking of leaving, were you? I know your Dad would be upset if anything were to happen to you." That was one thing he could state with a certainty. Aquila felt the same way about Scipio as Caligula did about his own children.

@Scipio

Scipio suddenly grinned and quietly laughed a little. He said you might say something like that. More accurately Aquila had expressed that Caligula "didn't see just how good of a guy he actually was". But... I do want to get know you myself. Not just go on what my dad says. Because I can tell he's crazy about you and honestly probably biased... It seemed more fair to Caligula anyways, he was a lion himself not just his dad's ... something.

I wasn't thinking about that don't worry. Not today anyways. And 'leaving' was a strong word for exploring beyond the borders of the pride. Scipio wasn't sure what it mattered since this mist entered the pridelands as freely as anywhere else. You weren't thinking about it right?

"Of course he did." Caligula laughed and shook his head. Of course he would be just that predictable that Aquila would have already warned Scipio about what he would say. But the boy wasn't taking any of it at face value. Caligula could appreciate that. He appreciated a sense of curiosity. "So, what is it that you want to know about me?" The bronze lion was an open book. He had no problem sharing things about himself.

Caligula gave the other a guilty grin when the question was reversed back onto him. "I had thought about heading out to the Passage." The Noble admitted. "Right now I was trying to figure out how to get a drink without actually having to get close to the water."

@Scipio

I want to know you'll treat my dad right. He thought immediately. His face unknowingly flickered with a little bit of a frown that screamed Aquila with the way the corners turned down and his eyes focused in. His fluffy pale face turned a little to the side, the flikering frown became a serious, but thoughtful, expression while he began to speak. Honestly? You make my dad happier, like stupid happy, than I've ever seen him before. I want to know how you do it. Unfortunately not likely something easy to be answered. Not as easy as Scipio wanted it to be.

Would a smaller stream help? Or like... a puddle sized something ? He near immediately offered up when Caligula said what he was doing. There was little judgement or question of why it was needed, why he wouldn't want to get close to the stream for water.

"Of course you would ask a question for which I don't have an answer. I honestly don't know. I couldn't begin to tell you what he sees in me. I'm nothing special. I'm barely anything at all. All I got are my stories and the truth. I can't fight. I won't fight. I'm terrified of water. I can barely hunt. Only thing I do well is run my mouth." The non-answer was given. That was more a question for Aquila. Caligula had no control over someone else's happiness. "I can tell you that I love him and have no intention of doing anything to hurt him." But it wasn't always about intentions, sometimes things happened beyond one's control.

Caligula chuckled at the options given. "I might be able to withstand a puddle. A very shallow puddle." One in which the water barely even touched his toes. "Someone once told me I should try to learn how to swim."

@Scipio