it had not been long since they had stood against those whom had wished to overthrow him, but the mire had grown exponentially. his own cubs were old enough to be straying from the den, and there were new faces at each challenge and gathering they had had.

a new sovereign, too, and he supposed that he should make @ronin well known.

the first meeting had been rushed, the impending challenge weighing heavily on his mind, and now that they had settled and healed he had more to say. and so the king moved to the midst of the swamp, to the one clearing that was raised and seemed to stay consistently dry. it was the same place they had gathered to train, and it was the same place he had last called them to. it was a large enough space for the entirety of the pride to gather.

here he stopped and stood at the edge of the clearing, calling for his pride to join him and curious to see who would make the effort.


(in the interest of keeping this moving i will plan to post again by the end of next week at the latest!)

where innocence burns in flames

i'm frozen to the bones

image by yumpy, code by corvus

Ilarion had not strayed far from the Mire today, which was just as well considering the fact that the King required his presence. Not just him, in fact; the entire pride. Had something happened since their last gathering? It would reassure him just a little to know that there were a few faces, now, that he would recognize as those of pridemates. Better than being stuck in a sea of strangers, he supposed. His approach was swift, and would bring him to stand on the outskirts of the clearing. There was @Alaric, and... it looked as if he was the first. With a slight clearing of the throat Ilarion would move closer, offering a dip of the head in greeting to the monarch. "King Alaric." The Rurik would sidestep, moving to sit close enough to the man to be within earshot but giving enough berth for @Kazimir to join his side.

ART BY RABBIT, CODE BY DEE

When she heard the call, that was no doubt a summons, she rose from where she'd been resting. She shook herself, flinging some leaf debris from her fur, from where she'd lain and had been resting, before moving quickly in the direction of the sound. Ghyslaine was unsure what to expect, but she didn't wish to be the last to arrive.

Ironically, it would seem that she was the second to arrive. Her eyes landed on a male, presumably the summoner, and she wondered who he was. Another male was with him, and so she decided she should introduce herself to them both. She offered a polite nod, and spoke, "I'm Ghyslaine." She simply said her name, unsure if they wished to get into the 'how she arrived here' discussion- and she wasn't sure if Violarum had informed others about her arrival.

words

_{— art by yumpy}

gonna have you trembling.

When I get to where I'm going,

Sláine had not been far, merely lingering in her den and pondering her Great Matter. The summons from her cheiftain provided a welcome escape from her thoughts and of course, the lioness would slip out from her earthern home to attend on her King.
The clanswoman swayed leisurely into the clearing, taking her time to smile at her comrades @Ilarion ♔ and @Ghyslaine before finally taking a seat in the center of the raised ground, her sapphire gaze lifting up to greet @Alaric with a faint, knowing smile.
He had brought her here such a short time ago, but it felt much longer than that and his promises for excitement and opportunity had all been fulfilled. For this, Alaric had most certainly earned the warrior woman's loyalty and respect.

code by corvus / image by kim

kazimir

after missing out on the last super fun meeting, he wasn't about to miss this one. so when alaric summons the pride forward, he is -- if not eager, then certainly prompt. heavy footfalls track through the mire, sniffing out the chosen grounds -- tracking dirt as he goes. this meeting was, so far, much quieter than the last ( a shame, he thinks, but at least he's here ), with only a few lions already here. well met, he says to the lioness as she offers her name, @Ghyslaine dappled with sunlight -- she is a sore thumb against the muck of the mire, and the smile he flashes her is nothing short of charming. meant to be, at least. alas such charisma is certainly dimmed, a little, as he settles in roughly at @Ilarion ♔'s side -- bumping a strong shoulder into his companion's. there you are, he murmurs, low and easy. together they are a united front -- intent, curious.

He is not used to such a demanding call. The vibrations of it spooked the grasshopper that Bruno had been trailing after, sending it hopping away with a 'click' for each jump it made. The boy sniffed with frustration as he went toddling after the green insect, only the occasional flash of movement in his peripherals hinting at where it had gotten off to. It was only after he had leaped forward with all of his might, crashing through a small wall of foliage, that he realized it was a gathering of lions he was intruding upon–or, was the prince invited?

"Oops," he almost apologized as he straightened up with wide eyes staring around at all of them. There was Father at the front, but Mother was nowhere to be seen and he did not recognize any of the other faceless figures surrounding him. Bruno darted off in an instant to try and weave his way around Alaric's forepaws in a show of submissive affection so that he might spare him from the potentially-dangerous adults.

---

|| september y7 | one month | EM royalty | at ecrosia mire | @Alaric ||

image by moogle/code by saph

Asylum had absently considered not coming to this meeting in which she was summoned. It was unlikely that the king would even be aware of her, or that the large splotched-faced male that claimed her would be bothered to follow through on the threat he had made against her. She was curious how @Ronin was fairing after their encounter, having never followed up on things since their first interaction with the small warthog.

The first she would see was @Alaric, whose scent was familiar given how it mingled with the scent of a few other lions along the pride borders. She would assume he was the king, given how he was facing herself with all eyes facing him. She did not find him of particular interest, but however mundane he might appear, he might prove to be an intelligent beast. She would have to make a point of studying him closely before she came back with a verdict.

She would note a few gathered, including two females of which she spared only a passing glance. She was not exactly here to make friends, nor did she have much interest in females more specifically. As for the two other males, @Kazimir and @Ilarion ♔, they would give her pause. She had never seen lions quite as big as these two, who given their colors might possibly be siblings. She would have to study them too to determine temperments and perhaps glimpse their mannerisms towards females. She did not doubt her abilities to defend herself from lions much bigger than herself, but it was always beneficial to know what she was dealing with in advance. It might be strange to assume your pridemates were out to hurt you, but she came from such prides in the past. Being a coveted host of your family's gift of venom in your fangs was not all it was cracked up to be.

After her brief pause to stare at the two males, though she tried not to do so for too long, she would settle comfortably off by herself, ears rotated backward to listen for anyone else approaching from behind. Silver gaze would note @Bruno ♔, but like the lionesses before him, she only glanced at him before turning her attention elsewhere. She didn't care for cubs, usually only annoyed by their company. She herself was still a child in some aspects, but she eagerly awaited her second birthday, only a week or so away. She was ready to put her abysmal life as a child behind her and see if life as an adult might be an improvement.

image by moogle/code by saph

Some time had passed since she had spoken with Alaric last, time in which to complete the tasks she set herself on his behalf and perhaps start on some new projects. What she did accomplish was less than she would have liked, but maintaining her coat of white and pastel was proving quite the challenge in this swamp they all called home.

On the plus side, she did not have to spend the better part of her afternoons scavenging for a meager meal of weathered meat and vegetation. A bit of fresh meat from the pride's cache, though never so much that she felt completely full, had allowed her to gain some weight, slightly rounding out her features to make her appear even softer than before. She was still a bit underweight, but she dare not take more when she lacked the ability to replace the food that was taken.

She would arrive at the meeting, eyes briefly seeking out @Alaric when not instead studying the path in front of her. Her conversation with him some days ago was still in her thoughts. It had left her mentally and emotionally drained to think about such things for long periods of time. She did her best to push it into some dark corner of her mind where she might only occasionally think on it, half hoping he would simply lose interest in her soon and she could go back to a more simple and predictable life as a humble servant to the pride.

Patchouli would sit down off to one side and at the back of the gathering, head bowed and eyes fixated on the ground. Being around this many lions made her nervous, her quiet entrance and minimal movement was done to draw as little attention to her as possible. Unless they turned around they might not even know she was there._{BG — ART — CODE}

A new day, a new meeting to enjoy. After expending a good time practicing stalking and other hunter skills she rested under a tree. Eyes finding joy in tye butterflies and other bugs that flew around. Those were pretty and she wondered if being small would be a problem to them, did they care? As she was growing up each day, she began to be more conscious of her size, of how big other lions appeared beside her. She felt helpless sometimes. Like if she could end up hurt easily. But she did her best not to think on that, helped by her wandering mind and will to learn. And there a call from their king rushed through the trees. Quick on her paws the girl rushed to find a few already there. @Alaric of course, @Slaine . Someone she had seen before but names weren't on her knowledge. She also saw other lions, many females and giantic males. All unknown but she gave them a soft smile. Before going to sit down by Slaine. Like the last time.

ART By Moogle CODE BY Cloudy

As always, Violarum is no rush to oblige - and rather, he walks purposefully slow. Pausing here and there to ogle at a particularly muddy patch of earth, as if contemplating avoiding it’s squelchy stink, only to plough straight through it. Sometimes his attention was even grabbed by an interesting, twirly tree. In reality, he just didn’t want to look too eager.

Thankfully, there is already a small group by the time he arrives, and he seeks to wander into the masses with his usual lazy, toe-dragging stroll. His underside sprayed with mud, and his mane particularly twiggy. He sought to butt his head against @Patchouli ’s tiny shoulder on his way past, a rough hello, before seeking a seat near @Ghyslaine.

“I brought Ghyslaine,” he gestures to the wheat woman, or at least he sought to wave a paw at her, instead it might thud rather clumsily against her side if she doesn’t move soon enough. Sure to leave a muddy smear. Props for that plz. Where was Ambrose? He had to claim the bubbly teenager too. Turns out he was great at being a Pride Lion. _{— code}