AW One small step

Pluto,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Taboo

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The moon would be rising soon.

Pluto stood in the shadow of a rocky outcropping, his firelight gaze squinting to check the sun's journey. It would be falling below the horizon in another hour, more or less. Then they could continue their journey, traveling by night into these new lands.

The Stellultima male had woken early, roused by the sound of a hare scrabbling over loose stones nearby. It wasn't his shift to half-sleep, so he had taken it upon himself to scout ahead.

Admittedly, he'd gone a bit further than intended, but the knowledge of what lay in wait wouldn't be a detriment. Even if so far it seemed to be more of the same stone, lichen and mountain goat shit that he'd been seeing since they started up these weathered cliffs. A path was building itself in his brain, revealing more twists and turns that could be taken on the way down to make the journey less of a chore.

Wind picked up, plucking at Pluto's mane with invisible claws and tossed dark strands across his face to tickle his whiskers. The dusky furred lion furrowed his brow in annoyance before shaking the hairs from his vision.

Soon, these mountains would be behind him and the real mission could begin.

Anatole,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Werge

---

Chase the Morning

Yeild for Nothing

Sleep wasn't something that came easy to Anatole. Not now when there was so much excitement and wonder ahead of them. Colorful lands splayed around them the likes of which he'd never encountered before. They were here for a purpose, yes, strictly business- however. The sky of dawn couldn't help but invent possibilities in his head. What opportunities they may come across in these new lands? To gain power, and to stupefy. Perhaps even spread their blood.

Clearly, his mind was awake and buzzing, so he'd simply give up sleep altogether and search for the one twin who had scouted ahead. It didn't take him very long to spot his blue cousin out against the dusk-painted sky.

He let out a soft chuff, coming to join his kin in overlooking the land, the cold mountain wind jostling his pointed ears.

"Whatcha thinking?"

Background | Table by Werge

Pluto,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Taboo

---

Pluto smelled his kin before the warmer hued lion found him, only turning to face Anatole when the other addressed him.

"That we had better not fail," He replied almost tonelessly, taking in the way his cousin's eyes seemed to be shimmering with the strange little thoughts that he often dared dream. Pluto could only hope that he kept the mission in mind, it was their clan's name and their own honor on the line.

Failure was not and had never been an option.

"There is a wide scree of loose stones that way," Pluto nodded his head to one side, towards the most obvious route down. Aside from a layer of pebbles and rocks it showed the path ahead more clearly, sloping down the mountain at an angle. "Unless we would like some broken bones, we should take the left path. It will take longer but would better allow for safe passage."

The star flecked assassin rolled his head lazily, letting a lackadaisical grin pull at his lips as life bled into his voice, lending it a slight jester's sneer.

"But what do I know? I'm just saying Annie, that'd be a shit way to go."

Anatole,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Werge

---

Chase the Morning

Yeild for Nothing

"Well of course. No shit." He rolled his eyes incredulously. He saw not many options for them to fail, even with a little spice in the mix. Nonetheless, he followed his kin's vision over the scree. A small frown formed.

No he definitely didn't want broken bones. He didn't love the feeling of carrying a limp, and he'd definitely had the feeling before. He'd go whatever way Pluto saw fit as his logic seemed sound enough, and he was confident his agility could get himself over more difficult passages regardless.

A brow cocked at the next statement though, lips twitching at that annoying nickname. Sharp white teeth glinted in the falling sunlight in a smirk. "Tch. Quit calling me that. Anyways, I trust your judgment. Should we shove off as soon at night falls?"

Background | Table by Werge

Nykhia,

Lioness of Junior Member

Played by vae

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"You'd have more than broken bones to worry about if you fell," came a seemingly disembodied voice which ricocheted off stone to stone. Nat wouldn't call herself a busybody, but she did listen. How could she not? Here she was, gathering herbs and pondering over poultices, and wasn't it just her look that two strangers decided to have a talk on the overhang just above her. She arched her neck and tried to peer up at them. It was difficult to see from this vantage point, but she thought she saw pelts similar to hers. How about that? She snatched up a mouthful of dandelions and headed for a rock to ascend.

Whatever gods heralded over this land must have been smiling over her, because she was able to climb and leap from rock to rock as though she was some kind of mountain goat. That would literally never happen to her again, so she was glad she had two witnesses. Thank the gods someone had proof of her looking cool for once in her life.

"Hope you took a good look," she spoke through the weeds in her mouth, only barely audibly. "because that," she gestured back to where she had come from. "will never happen again." Nat laughed, which caused her to remember the dandelions in her jaws. "Oops," she carefully laid them on the stone just in front of her paws.

"Sorry, mouthful of weeds. I hope I didn't interrupt. I mean, I was down there," she motioned with her muzzle toward the crag below. "so I wasn't completely crashing."

@Pluto @Anatole

Pluto,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Taboo

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"That's the plan, An-"


A voice. Rising up from below, where the wind and terrain hid the scent of whoever had the guts to eavesdrop on them.

Pluto was glad they hadn't spoken of anything of importance, just a few lines of idle chatter that likely meant nothing to an outsider. But he still couldn't help the irritation that soured his mind before he swallowed it down, allowing his mask to settle comfortably into place for this rock hopping stranger. She was lucky to have only heard what she had, and that they hadn't set upon her like a pair of blood hungry wolves.

Her coat also gave him pause, being similar enough to their own. She could have easily passed for one of Stellultima blood.

In fact, he gave his tail an idle flick.

Something perhaps innocuous to those who did not know its meaning, a nervous tic or thoughtless motion, but for those who were aware they would have been able to zero in on the brief flash of a diamond shaped scar midway up the appendage before it was once more hidden from view.

"We'll be sure to tell your story for years to come," Pluto mused as his sunset eyes watched for any hint of familiarity from the strange lioness, but he doubted he would. As far as he knew, they were the first scouts into this land.

"But it's no problem, we were actually a bit lost. Do you know what the name of this land is?"


@Nykhia
@Anatole

Anatole,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Werge

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Chase the Morning

Yeild for Nothing

Eyebrows lifted at the presence of another voice infiltrating their conversation. He had a right mind to scold himself for letting his guard down enough to not even sense another's proximety- however judging by the look on his cousin's face he wasn't alone in his surprise. The Dawnstar thought along the same lines as his planetary counterpart.

She was bold to make herself known as eavesdropping, lucky in the fact they'd not said anything important. Nonetheless, his tensions faded in unison with his kin. While Pluto looked for any sort of familiarity in her Anatole found himself confident that she wasn't. The Dawnstar knew many faces of his clan and hers wasn't ringing any bells. He did take the moment to size up her small figure, taking in her rather stunning pelt. The phases of moons trailing down her limber legs piqued his interest, watching them morph as she powered herself over the rocks...

He'd put a pin in that for later. Meanwhile, he'd grin sweetly at her awkward entrance, contrasting pretty humorously from her smooth stunt."Why not at all dear!" He said with a whip of his tail to slap his cousin's hindquarters. "I wouldn't say we're lost, exploring's more the word. And what a sight we've found- what's your name, moon-coat?"

Background | Table by Werge

Nykhia,

Lioness of Junior Member

Played by vae

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The general vibe she got from these two was that she had just crashed some kind of boys' club (never mind that one of them wasn't exactly a boy). To be honest, that didn't really faze her in the least. If they genuinely wanted her to piss off, she would go without incident. Luckily for her, after an initial awkwardness, they appeared to be at least somewhat amiable - well, the second more so than the first. Neither of them was terrible to look at, though (a huge plus). They had to be some of the most striking lions she had seen in a long time, if not ever.

"Anyone ever tell you two that you look like you came straight out of the sky?" she chuckled, hoping they understood that she meant the night sky, where stars were seen. Regardless, she glanced back to the first lion and shook her head. "Oh, I haven't been here long, either. I came ahead of my mentor because I got antsy." Sometimes her teacher moved a little too slow for Nat's liking.

The more personable of the two began laying on the charm thick, and she had to resist the urge to laugh. Boy, was he ever going to be disappointed! Nat was married to her job, and few lions she had met during her short time on this planet really cared for that. She might as well have been the healer equivalent of a nun.

"Nat," she gave her name with a humored expression. "Who are you?" That was spoken to both of them. "I'm assuming you're both related. Either that, or you're doppelgängers, and this is how I die." By the jaws of handsome lions. There were worse ways to go.

@Pluto @Anatole

Ceres,

Lion of Prideless

Played by Eerie

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I t was the sound of hushed voices stirring about that roused the weary traveler from his tentative slumber. Eyes bleary and jaw stretching into a waning yawn drowned out the specifics of what his dear brother and cousin spoke of, but context would lend itself to musings of where they would venture next. To space, perhaps, had they the means. Alas, all they had were their paws for the time being, paws with claws to prove worthy. As the mirror rose to his feet, he heard his party's voices begin to grow more distant. They were on the move it seemed. With a shake of his mane and a rushed stretch of his hind legs, Ceres tailed after the scent his kin left behind.  "Leaving me behind, are we?" Ceres crested, standing a rock above his family. He peered down past them, his bright eyes spying that of a fair maiden just below. So that was the foreign voice he had been hearing? Ceres leapt down from his perch to stand beside his twin. The starred lion hid his gaze behind his half mane, his eyes blinking curiously to the lioness across the way. He could tell the look of scrutiny upon his copy's face that he was analyzing their visitor for familia. Anatole, on the other paw, shifting into dare he say friendly banter. Not necessarily unwelcome, nor was it unnecessary either considering the information they could garner from such an interaction. A newcomer as well? Not quite as much information as he could have hoped, though there still could be something underneath. Mentor… Was there another lion nearby as well? The blue pelted lion twitched his ear at the thought. Ceres could almost offer a chuckle of his own at self proclaimed 'Nat' speaking of her untimely demise. The irony drew an upwards quirk of his lip.  "Doppelgängers? What an intriguing concept," Ceres mused quietly for a moment. He pondered his next move as he'd done so, his blazing eyes shooting to Anatole. Names weren't important, he would have said, but that moment had since passed already. Instead, Ceres simply opted to play coy, pretending as though he'd only heard the tail end of things. "Sharp eyes," He answered, knowing that the trio's looks were too uncannily close to deem coincidental, unlike their newfound company's.  "speech" @Pluto @Anatole @Nykhia

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Pluto,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Taboo

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Had he cared even a bit about Anatole's nigh flirtatious mannerisms, at least outside of when they ran the risk of causing trouble, Pluto would have rolled his eyes at his cousin.

He also refused to acknowledge the light 'thwap' of a spank that he received from the other's tail. The night coated lion's only sign that he'd even been aware was a brief narrowing of his eyes before the conversation picked up once more. Much to everyone's mercy.

"Family resemblance indeed, our bloodline is said to be star-touched," Pluto couldn't help but feel a thrum of pride in his chest at this Nat's observation. The Stellultima Clan founder had passed down the words that stars were the ultimate form of immortality. Long after their bodies had turned to dust, the stars would still be there every night.

As long as there were stars, there would be Stellultima.

"Funnily enough, I nearly mistook you for one of our own." Pluto wasn't too worried about her lack of information, if they were stumbling over inbound traffic into these lands then surely they would eventually run into someone who did know the area further in. The tidbit of information was sparse, but told him that paws were moving here.

The familiar voice of his twin broke the heartbeat of silence that had fallen, and Pluto turned his gaze away from the lioness, trusting Anatole to keep eyes on for any sudden movement, to look to his sibling.

"Fell out of the wrong side of the sky, brother?" He hummed, gently shouldering past the sharing of names just yet.

@Nykhia @Anatole @Ceres