AW where fear didn’t exist

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

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The mountains had always comforted her; the air was thin, and as autumn encroached upon the wispy cliffsides, Arsynia's warm breath escape in small billows of condensation. Arsynia prowled among the rocks, soft dustings of snow nestling between the thick wolfish fur of her legs, lightning the deep onyx into a sort of off-white. Her mountainside promenade was lonesome, but such was the nature of a woman subjected to her strange solitude, content to lose herself in the titillations of songbirds and the brusque whipping of winds around her. Eventually, she came to pause near a cliffside, watching as the steep pathway fell before her, a forest of sky-reaching trees carving a path hundreds of feet below her like a sea of green, the winds awashing over its canopy like the ceaseless tide clawing away at the shore.

Her paws fell from underneath her, a more-slender-than-usual belly pressing into the ground, shuddering slightly at the bitter chill. Eventually, however, warmth began to settle, and even the wind had grown to become an old friend as it howled so despondently in her ears. The sun had long begun to fall behind the cusp of the sierra, illuminating the mountains in a fading orange light, promising and even colder night to come. But here, even in the bitter cold and harrowing winds, Arsynia could see all of Aesseldar sprawled out before her.

Art by soar

Barnabas,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Vortex

---

Night would soon come and he was stuck out here, trying to climb this fucking mountain, so he could get a better look at the land below. His giant size was making this much harder than it should be. A rumble vibrated through his chest as he moved slow and careful, so he wouldn't fall to his death this early on in his adventures in Aesseldar. Tail flicked slightly and ears were cupped forward as if they would help his balance and push him up, After long hours of agony and climbing his large form came on the small hill that was bathed in the setting sun's light and it was taken by someone else already. Brows furrowed as irritation struck and the goliath groaned and rumbled behind the lioness. Shoulders rolled and he let out his voice. "You're ruining my view." He said abruptly and rudely. He didn't care if she was pretty or not, she was in the way of him seeing everything below. He could just push her off the cliff and get it done with, but he wasn't in the mood for that. He was too fucking tired from this climbing all the way to the top.. And for what.. To find someone else already eyeing what was his. Or what would be his. His plans for power had been developing after a few days in this place. He had to settle and make something out of this place. Be a king and rule sounded so good that he couldn't deny himself. A king would have to know his land, so that's what he did. He explored. And a king needed subjects. If he went around pushing everyone off a cliff, who would he be king to?

The second thought as to why he shouldn't push her off, caused him to lower his haunches and grunt rudely as he tried to look around from the position he was at.

""

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

Arysnia had not been in these lands long, but neither was she coy enough to not believe the draws of this flourishing place would not belong to others that had come long before her. It was not in the Wolf's interest to claim and conquer—yet. The word hung in the back of her throat, a bolus of fire burning everything in its wake, desperate to spill forth. It was quelled only when his scent carried upon the wind, the bristling gusts lurching about in every direction, eventually lending his scent to her, and hers to him; she did not flee, only remained right where she was, content to let her gaze linger upon the fire-tinged treetops that lingered so far below her.

You're ruining my view, he bellowed, and Arsynia's ears swiveled back. For a moment she lingered in the silence, accompanied by nothing but the howl of the wind and the steady rise and fall of his chest with every breath she was able to catch whenever the autumnal herald paused in its onslaught. The promise of a threat lingered in his tone, and Arsynia briefly wondered if she'd be in for a fight, but not long after did he settle onto his haunches, as if resolved to glaring at her from afar. “Perhaps,” she finally drawled, the alto of her voice surprisingly young, “but right now, it is mine.” Despite her retort, there was little threat in her tone; Arsynia was not looking for a fight as much as Barnabas wasn't, but even her pride could not be wounded to forge the words of a more timid creature.

Eventually, as the sky began to descend into a purplish darkness, Arsynia rose to her paws. Her tail whisked out behind her, long tendrils brushing across he dusty rock underneath. “Thank you for sharing,” she began as she moved away, but there was little sincerity in her tone. Arsynia was not unpolite, but she was anything but thankful. It was the nature of man to take and take and take, after all—and Arsynia was a woman bent on taking too.

And she'd start by claiming the way the sunset glared a blistering gold upon the treetops of the forest below.

@Barnabas

Art by soar

Barnabas,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Vortex

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Perhaps, but right now it's mine.

She did have a point. And he didn't bother to respond. The view from here was enough to keep him settled and he exhaled softly. Maybe Wokabi would like this part of the land, huh? He shook his head and lowered himself down, belly colliding with the texture of the rock. The rest was needed. Soon her body rose and her "thank you for sharing" was met with a smirk. He pushed himself up to his feet and spoke. "No need to leave. I've had a hard climb here so I was angry at the world. Like usual." He confessed and shook his head. Maybe company wasn't so bad. Since he had come to this land he had met others and it was good to not be alone.

Though he would also take a few steps forward and make room for her to leave if she so desired. He would move forward a little more and seat himself down so he would be able to look at the disappearing sun over the horizon. A bunch of stars were beginning to show and twinkle in the purplish sky. That caused his head to rise and take a look at them. A pretty good view.

""

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

His temper seemed to ease as time passed; perhaps the beauty of this place soothed him as much as it did her. Arsynia was certain the dusty scrublands she'd been born into would have incited something more violent, for it was always in the nature of lions to rush on their instinct, to feed their base desires. There was something calming about the windsweep down the mountainside, and the valley that sprawled outward before them until it met the sea. Even here, she could see the darkening horizon meet the ocean, and watch as the sun fell from behind, leaving its illuminating night and plunging the coast into an empty darkness.

No need to leave. I've had a hard climb here so I was angry at the world. Like usual, he said as she turned to leave, and Arsynia Tollaire paused momentarily. It as not in her nature to entertain the paltry thoughts of lions she'd met in passing, but the loneliness of Aesseldar perhaps compelled her to stay—or was it something else? She settled down a few paces from the edge of the cliff, studying each unique and off-white feature of him as the darkness settled and her eyes adjusted: the tuft of his tail, the gregariousness of his stature, the darkness around his eyes she could not quite yet tell were darker fur of tiredness. “Untempered ire is unbecoming of a man your size and stature,” she said bluntly, and though her words were much like a mother chiding her child, the tone in her voice was steeled and even, “what did the world do to anger you?”

@Barnabas

Art by soar