Potential XP (doubled):
outlaw
+10 Leave a trail of confusing tracks
+20 Cause trouble between prides or families
+10 Tell a lie without being caught

---

Chaos was on the beach a few days ago - the many, many pawprints of the dozens of lions that sat at the Lagoon and watched the fight go down were still there for the most part. Only the parts of the beach that were eventually washed over by high tide were clean and clear of tracks... until Caelum walked through.

He wasn't particularly concerned with Walpurgis and her merry band of warrior ladies. His eyes were set on a new prize today. Caelum was feeling rather mischievous, so he headed towards Caladan Cove to stir some feelings.

The black lion looked down, noticing his heavy pawsteps were leaving clear tracks from where he came... and he sought to fix that. Veering off to the left, he made several unnecessary loopty-loops before continuing on his path. Every now and then, he'd disrupt his step pattern and do something similar - to switch things up a bit.

When he was close enough to the Cove's borders that he was confident someone would eventually approach him, he settled down in the sand and pretended to be enjoying the breeze that came off the shore and the beauty of the beach.

ART

+20 Discuss the features of a territory with someone
+20 Find a notable landmark in a territory
+10 Help someone find something they lost?
+10 Cover your tracks?

She was patrolling.

Not very well, of course -- certainly someone else would've been better equipped. But she's done this before with Revna and Elias both, and the urge to be as useful as her spouses rises keenly. She'd go hunting later, but for now, Eira wanted to make sure the pride's borders were in tip-top shape! Light paws carry her easily, tracking and traipsing where Ulla's scent is strongest. It curves around the island bordered by the sea, and she rubs lilac fur along the base of a few palm trees as she passes. These are her favorite, she thinks -- a trio of palm trees that got their wires crossed somewhere along the way and started growing entwined. It is sweet, she thinks, turning from them with a smile.

And of course, catching sight of @Caelum when she does.

She does not mark his presence as troubling though, simply mistakening him for a fellow pride member she's just never met before. Here everything smells of salt and brine to her, so not even his scent ( or the mess of tracks leading to him ) gives her pause. A low chuff of greeting rumbles out of her chest, almost delicate compared to the way her paws shuffle across the sands -- clearly still getting used to the squishy terrain. She beelines for him, wanting to join him in his contemplation of the beautiful day, and seeks to sit next to him with a bright smile. It's beautiful, isn't it? She murmurs, whiskers twitching.

beneath the milky twilight

table by sentinel / art

Soon after, he was joined by a pretty lioness who seemed none the wiser to him not belonging there. Caelum turned his head towards her a fraction as she sat beside him, and regarded her features silently. @Dhaveira was a pretty thing, but he smelled other lions on her. Plus, he wasn't in the mood to stir up trouble by trying to claim this female today. He'd simply enjoy her company.

"Yes, you're lucky to have such a view at your disposal," Caelum hummed, flicking his partially white tail. The waves crashed far from them on the shore, but the waters were blue against the clear sky, and all he wanted to do was jump in there and swim with the dolphins. Caelum turned to the Caladan female again; this time making the effort to look up at her face. "I heard a rumor that you might be interested in."

ART

her smile does not fade, not even a single flicker -- her joy is clear and easily written across delicate features, looking to her companion with almost a wistful delight. she lets out a small purr at his words, brightening and answering them with a quick nod. oh, yes, we are! she says, including him in this -- because of course the view belongs to him, too! the day was peaceful and it meant the sea, too, was calm. the blue waves were alluring, easily beckoning the lions forward. combined with the sky of a matching blue shade and the golden sands?

the cove was nothing short of a paradise.

@Caelum turns to her then and eira perks up, ears ticking forward almost instantly -- leaning towards him, as if on instinct. and at his words? oh! mismatched eyes widen, a look of sheer nosiness passing over her features before she gives a quick tilt of her head. oh? really?! she says, voice lilting -- clearly very interested. and what might that be? hook, line, and sinker -- she hangs on his next words, clearly curious.

beneath the milky twilight

table by sentinel / art

none is so entitled to the fruits of her labor as the rogue that trespassed. ulla left her patrol for barely a second before coming back to the smell of her lioness and that of another. she is quick on her paws, before coming across @Dhaveira and @Caelum - the latter of whom she glares at as a nonverbal warning. you ought to know what'll happen once you cross my border she says, before throwing a glance at dhaveira. i will give you one chance to leave unscathed. despite wanting to attack him as vellen wills her to, ulla doesn't want to risk whatever will happen afterwards. she's growing fond of becoming cautious, though the taste for blood lies just on the tip of her tongue still.

table by ferus

Caelum was confused by her including him in everything he had said about the beach, but he didn't question it. Perhaps she was younger than she looked, or just really naive. She would have been a good candidate to steal away from here and bring back to his own, just to have her and keep her.

As he was just about to spill the rumor to this pretty lilac lioness, a voice booms from behind them. A lioness, she looks and smells important, and Caelum rises to face her. "Which is why I have not crossed them," he answers simply. Did she think he was dense? He knew it'd be a death sentence to think he could simply just cross into a wide-open territory like the cove and go unfound.

"As I was just about to tell your subordinate here," he said, looking down at her and aiming to caress her shoulder with the white hairs of his tail. "I have an interesting rumor that you might want to hear. It pertains to Scilla's new leader and your beautiful cove." He didn't plan to waste any time doing what he had come here to do. He'd simply stir the pot, and go. He hadn't come here with the intention to get into a scrap with the Cove's leader.

---

@Dhaveira @Úlla

ART

her attention lingers on @Caelum as his mouth opens, but before he gets the chance to say much of anything, @Úlla's booming voice crackles from behind them. ears twitch as eira turns to better face the sovereign, a little furrow appearing between her brows. she knows the sovereign to be a prickly woman ( one who does not ever seem to notice her ), but the vile she addresses caelum with is certainly unnecessary. eira is quick to come to his defense, her mouth opening with a quip on her tongue, but he beats her to it. only when he speaks does she realize that, oh, maybe he isn’t a cove member —? her displeasure flickers as her brain recalibrates, blinking slightly. well. that could’ve been bad, right? still, no one has to know about her mistake — and so she stays quiet about that. but when caelum continues, she looks back to him, brows raising. curious still. that is very kind of you! she quips happily, before she offers him a small smile with an encouraging nod. as if trying to soothe away any awkwardness that might’ve come on the heel’s of ulla’s blatant misjudgement the situation.

beneath the milky twilight

table by sentinel / art

Between the Sovereign female booming at him to leave and her mistaken subordinate, Caelum grew tired of the situation at hand. Was no one going to let him speak his piece? He was just here to stir the pot and leave, that was all. That was all he wanted. He did not wish to trespass or attack anyone today. He simply wanted to spit his news, cause a stir, and leave.

He turned to speak to the Lilac lioness @Dhaveira since she seemed to still be reciprocative to him, despite the sovereign's presence. "A birdy told me that Walpurgis has set her sights on your little cove. She plans to take these lands next and combine the two prides into one big, warrior clan." It might've not been such a lie had the lioness not been so dense. Had she any real ambition and backing, she might've actually been able to do it.

"I'd prepare my defenses now, if I were both of you," Caelum warned, looking between the two lionesses with feigned worry in his cold eyes.

---

OOC: continuing this because I still want my XP xD I nudged Fiore a few times, but I guess she might not be interested in throw @Úlla back into this; if it's alright with you, I'd love to go a few more rounds between Eira and Caelum <3

ART

ooc: no worries at all, i’m totally happy to get you your exp! >:)

despite her initial aggression, it seems that the sovereign did not have much to say, after all. eira looks at the sigrun woman with a puzzled expression, before giving a small shake of her head and looking back to their guest. if ulla wasn’t going to listen to him and heed his words, then she certainly was! ears pitch forward as @Caelum turns to her, but his words are… certainly unexpected.

what? she says, a little gasp pulling from her chest. she did not know who this walpurgis was, but the context clues were important. she was apparently a pride leader — and a close one, at that! her pretty features screw up, little flickers of fear peeking through the confusion. why would she do that? she asks, almost as a knee-jerk reaction.

but then, she knows that sometimes there are no real reasons why.

it takes her a moment or two or five, but soon her face hardens ( as best it can, at least ), and she does her very best impression of revna as she asks: how do you know this? did she tell you?

beneath the milky twilight

table by sentinel / art

Caelum nodded to @Dhaveira with feined seriousness. This was almost too easy. He made a mental note to try and find this female later, to see what else he could get away with by using her. She was fun if not for her naivety, then because she was so easily lied to.

"Why do ambitious lions do anything?" he responded, referring to himself mostly... but she didn't have to know any of that. Simply, if Scilla Lagoon's leader was competent enough, she might've been able to conquer and combine the prides to make a large, formidable one... but much to his amusement, this female did not know that.

Caelum began moving away from the lionesses, taking a few steps towards the direction of sturdier land. He had spilled his chaos, and he'd leave these ladies to deal with his claims. "She told someone else of her plans, and that lioness told me." Icy eyes slid from the partially-white lioness to the grayer one standing by the borders. His work here was done.

"Consider yourselves warned, ladies. I'd like to see the prides stay as they are, but not everyone sees it that way. I would prepare in advance if I were you..." And with that, he flicked his tail and began padding away, off of the beach.

---

Exit Caelum // ty bunny <3

ART