They had found a child that didn't belong to any of them in the mist, and Tobin had sworn to ask the other prides if they were missing any. The first stop on his list was the closest pride, the Oasis. He remembered that Hiccup had mentioned he would go with him on these treks, and so he called out to man before he left, as well as to anyone else who wanted to go with him.

At least the walk wasn't terribly far, and he was able to reach the border of the Oasis in a timely manner. He'd wait for anyone coming with him to be caught up and ready before he called out to the members of the pride, taking a seat a polite distance from the border once that was accomplished.

She spotted the approach, of course she'd had. With Tron's arrival back on their sands, her vigilance had only grown. Negating duties beyond defending their borders, she'd grown fixated on prowling their lengths. Though they still cried mist, mist, mist, her mind furrowed deep on worries of what lingered behind the veil. The beasts that left their mark on that poor child's flesh became ingrained in her mind, and worries of their missing brood was steeled to the forefront. Hours of sleep waned, and she had grown too familiar with every bend of the Oasis' borders. And finding him there, her approach came immediate. A fervent brand of concern lit her expression, a firm scowl of suspicion traced @Tobin. Her heart climbed to her throat, leaving only room enough for a single word, Yes?

He bowed his head respectfully to the woman as she approached, not knowing if she was someone of importance in the pride or not but going to presume she was so as not to cause any unintended offense.

"Greetings, I am Tobin Kramer, lead advisor of Obsidian Hollow. We have been investigating the mist and during our excursions we discovered a rather young cub. I wanted to check the prides of the land to see if any were missing a child," he explained. Though he wasn't going to immediately distrust another pride, particularly a neighboring one and one they hadn't had any issues with, he also wasn't going to hand over the boy to the first person that said they knew him either. Especially not with him being so young.

@Aidoneus

a rather young cub.

Thank you—I’m Aidoneus, Sovereign here.

There was a pinch in her throat--a tightening that could not be fought off. She could scarcely keep the dread from her face as she took another step nearer. Her heart panged, deep and violent. Could it be? Hope tangled with the skepticism, but the young mother needed to know.

Yes—yes, we are. A million questions driven by subdued panic traveled behind her eyes, and she struggled to find order. They were all important to ask, all needed to be given. But what order?

Is—is she named Léonie? Can she speak? Can is she alive? Or—or, Diantha?

The cub had to be breathing, right? Or else why would @Tobin come? Aidoneus struggled to contain herself, and her lips fumbled against the train of unasked questions begging to come out.

Is… are they striped? Like me?

a rather young cub.

It had to them.

It simply had to be one of them.

The woman immediately rattled off names, and Tobin winced internally. It would seem the boy they had found wasn't the only one the mist had stolen. "No, I'm sorry. We found a boy so young he can't even give us his name," Tobin explained. "I'm sorry you've lost two of your own, and to get your hopes up. Our sovereigns are missing their child as well, so I can at understand how distressing that is." He too had known the loss of a child, though not nearly in the same way.

He wouldn't have imagined this mist would have stolen so many children, and yet evidently there were at least four that had gone missing. "I had hoped he was from one of the nearby prides, since we found him in the labyrinth, but perhaps he is from further away," he mused. "We know too little about this mist."

@Aidoneus

A boy… the heart plummeted, sinking further into the well.


though she felt hope diminish, she still clung to fiercely to it. grasping, reaching. Focusing on the emissary, she gave a nod of understanding. I haven’t heard news of any one missing a son, but if I do… They'll know where to send them.

hearing of his sovereign's loss was a stern reminder if wasn't just andal suffering this strange happenings. Our girl—she had slipped away, before our very eyes. Her mouth softened, frowning still. Here one moment, and then… gone. shaking her head, she continued. One of my son’s said the mist ate her. I thought it was just children’s fancy.

The mist ate her. So firm, so decisive. It was horrifying, and something spun from children's ill nightmares.

But, he'd had a mission at hand.

Thank you, @Tobin. there came a reassuring smile, no ill will to be had. the disappointment palpable, but he'd had much to do. I shouldn’t keep you any longer, I hope you find his family.

He nodded at her trailed off sentence, understanding the meaning behind it. "I will keep an ear out for your Leonie and Diantha as well," he promised. More names to add to the list of the lost. It was a list that grew with alarming rapidity.

"We too have seen lions disappear before us. It is concerning to say the least. Especially when the mist also tends to intrude upon our pridelands," he commented. He didn't know if it was just them or if it did the same here, but he was willing to bet the mist had an equal disregard of the Oasis' borders.

"As do I. I will ask if they have seen your children as well, unless you would prefer I not," he offered, knowing that some wouldn't want to have someone else asking about their little ones. He would respect it, if so.

@Aidoneus