P unsteady hands.

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

arsynia tollaire.

The cold Arsynia could have swallowed—her thick wolfish fur often quelled the brunt of wintry gusts—but there was something unsettling about the emptiness, the openness of the tundra. Trees dotted the horizon like little black ants crawling across the snow, twisting in the wind yet not quite breaking. Arsynia could see the pawsteps she left behind, prints left in the snow disappearing as she walked further and further away. There were no sheer cliffsides nor looming forests to protect her from the intensity of the tundra's environment, and Arsynia's fur was ill-suited for such an off-white place, often sending arctic hares skittering before she even realized they were in her path.

She had wandered from her place in the mountains after seeing such a land dusted in white, an aching curiosity plunging her into a place that almost reminded of her birthlands.Almost. The scrublands had not quite the same amount of snow, nor the same amount of perpetual flatness, a ceaselessness that left her bare, exposed, naked. She was certain even those from the forests and sierras that surrounded this place could see her wander aimlessly. The bitter chill that frilled around her paws reminded her of the stories her mother had told her once: bitter cold, never-ending winter, cubs culled at their mother's bellies long before they could ever experience warmth.

Eventually, she came along a line of trees, a lonely island in a sea of ceaseless white. She slipped between the snow-dusted pines, before resting her shoulder against its bitter dark trunks, letting her dry eyes slip close for just a moment. Just a breath.

Art by AleTie

Kaden,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Max

---

Kaden was not aware of the tight smile stretching at the edges of his lips or the gleam of satisfaction that shone from his gaze. He was wrapped up in the feeling of walking against cool earth under his paw pads and the shrill burning of cold in his sinuses--the tell-tale signs of his most familiar stomping grounds. This was not the land he had reigned in or even anywhere near it, but there was no one there to tell him this. He could pretend he was familiar and comfortable and that he held the advantage of home.

The sound of a nearby thud and airy breaths caused his ears to swivel like velvet radars honing in on an enemy signal. Kaden stopped briefly, scanning the horizon for any signs of life. He looked over the grove a few times before finally distinguishing what he suspected was the figure of another cat from the towering trunks standing guard over them.

"You there--who owns this land?" He called out over the distance of a few yards. His posture remained statuesque as he waited to be able to disqualify the creature as an enemy.

speech

Table by Naboo

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

arsynia tollaire.

She thought she was alone, and such a thought would not have been unreasonable. The tundra was seldom a place for a lion, and even Arsynia continued to shiver despite the thick wintry plush of her fur. But when the gentle footfalls of another lion accompanied the whistle of the wind, even she could not hide the surprise that flickered in her mismatched gaze. You there--who owns this land? His voice called from afar, and when the Wolf lifted her gaze, she could see his dark form standing from between the trees; another sore thumb, just as out of place as she was. “Nobody who has any sense,” she retorted, frustration etched in each shuddering word. The trees broke enough of the wind to settle her bitter chill, and after a few more moments of regathering her warmth, Arsynia was finally able to will away the trembling in her thighs, the frosted ends of her fur that unfurled on the back of her neck.

She abandoned the tree, pacing a few strides closer but continuing to maintain the distance between them, as if sheltering further in the trees only to escape the ceaseless openness of the the tundra just beyond. The blissful islands of trees could be forgiven, but they were too small to bare any fruitful life; any lion who chose to take residence here would have to be far more desperate than she. She wondered briefly if this man thought the same, or if he were asking her because he'd intended to claim it himself. The idea of it caused her to shudder. “Were you hoping to?”

Art by AleTie

Kaden,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Max

---

Despite the displeasure so obviously spilling from her lips as she retorted, Kaden cackled with laughter at the sentiment. Only after she said it did he pay attention to the quivering of her fur and the fog of their breath against the frigid air. Sure--he could feel the prickly shivers running down his own skin if he paid attention to it. His toes were numb as they trod against the ground. It was just not so bothersome to him.

"Unless their goal is owning something no one will ever take. Seems sensible to me," Kaden played the devil's advocate with amusement still evident in his expression.

She questioned his own intentions for the place as she abandoned the tree she had huddled under and pressed toward him, forcing the goliath to consider his answer. It was familiar--that much was true--but Kaden did not think he wanted more of the same in his life.

"Hoping to scale it without getting spat on," he corrected flatly.

speech

Table by Naboo

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

arsynia tollaire.

This man was far more light-hearted than Arsynia seemed to be; she prickled when he laughed, scowled when he smirked. And yet, there was something relatively at ease about her. The tenseness in her shoulders fell away, the tightening of her jaws slackening into a more neutral, chilled expression. Unless their goal is owning something no one will ever take. Seems sensible to me. Arsynia could not hide the crack of her smile then as it broke the firm line of her lips, though it did not quite reach her eyes. It fell away as she neared, before coming to sit mere feet from him; far enough away to escape a decisive lunge, but close enough to see the way his whiskers twitched in the frigid air, the way his chest rose and fell beneath his handsome mane.

Hoping to scale it without getting spat on, he remarked. His words incited another, small smile, before it too was gone as quick as it came. “Arsynia,” she introduced suddenly, deciding that perhaps the company of another in such a bitter place was better than clawing her way out of the tundra alone. Especially if she were in the company of a man hoping to not get spat on along the way. “Would you like to scale it together for a moment? At least—until we get out of the cold.”

Art by AleTie

Kaden,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Max

---

While he could see her apparent irritation with him as he laughed at her remark, it did nothing to smother the smile on his face. He had spent a good portion of his life laughing at other's expense, so he was familiar with the look, but now he only laughed at the untamed resentment behind her remarks. She did not need to know that. Only after he offered his retort did she smile in turn, moving closer to him and offering a single word that he had to assume was a name.

"Kaden," he mirrored the introduction and its simplicity. Perhaps he would not have to announce himself so often someday soon--perhaps his name would be known. "Fine by me. A fast pace helps with the cold," he offered a bit of knowledge from his own experience, turning to continue on and glancing at the woman as if to test for how serious her offer had been.

"This land--Aesseldar--is this your home?" He posed the question to start off their moving discussion, reciting the name he had learned from the lioness a couple of days prior.

speech

Table by Naboo

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

arsynia tollaire.

Kaden, he responded, and Arsynia recited the name to memory. There were so few lions she'd met so far in these strange lands that it was easy to remember the faces she'd come across, and how each and every one of them shared the same similar characteristics: boyish, steeled, giant. Its expanse stretched further than the valley she'd grown up in, and did not seem to be plagued by its same uncertainty. The ground did not rumble and creak as the volcano's underbelly swelled, nor did the heat of the savanna draw away the hopes of mild winters save for the mountains ruled often by large, protective kings.

And yet, these men seemed more powerful. Almost like her father.

Fine by me. A fast pace helps with the cold, Kaden drawled, drawing Arsynia's attention away from her distant thinking. Lingering, even among the protective barriers of the trees, would do little to settle the bitter chill. Arsynia turned to follow him, the soft snow crunching underfoot, though her toes too had long grown numb. This land--Aesseldar--is this your home? Aesseldar. Was this what this place was called? Arsynia paused, her lips pressing into a firm, thin line. The mannerism of his question lead Arsynia to believe that he perhaps, too, was not a native of this place.

How easy it would be to shed her past, to bare a new skin in favor of anonymity; and yet, the ghost of her father clung to her, the threatening promise of Smaug carried in her teeth and her soul. Leave it now or embrace it. “No,” she finally breathed, “but perhaps someday.” Strange how those words felt so familiar.

Art by AleTie

Kaden,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Max

---

They began their trek at a healthy pace, Kaden allowing himself to adopt his usual long strides given the context of their gait being swift. It would not kill her to work a bit to keep up, he thought, glancing over at the lioness to assess their positioning relative to one another. He thought that she looked somewhat like a bear with the thickness of her coat and the intense warmth of her gaze, and though she was smaller than he preferred, he had to acknowledge her beauty.

"My position is much the same," he agreed lowly as she denied calling this land home. He doubted anyone who lived here would wander this area for fun, especially with how she had been huddled against that tree.

"Why are you here, then? I hear that others are coming this way. It won't be long until blood is spilled," Kaden warned ominously while looking ahead to the paths they would soon tread.

speech

Table by Naboo

Arsynia,

Lioness of Prideless

Played by dusk

---

arsynia tollaire.

m - language warning!

His pace was unrelenting, but Arsynia Tollaire was no stranger to such arduousness. She'd scaled mountains far larger than he, crossed rivers more tempestuous. Although smaller, she managed to maintain the same distance between them as they finally broke the line of trees and plunged into the ceaseless tundra once more. She could see the outlines of the mountains in the far-off distance, and the smell of pine carried sharply on the winds that blustered in from the south. My position is much the same, he confirmed her suspicions, and briefly she, too, wondered where he might have come from. Was his past as precarious as hers, as filled with woe and war?

She had little time to implore him before he continued. Why are you here, then? I hear that others are coming this way. It won't be long until blood is spilled. There was a warning in his words; a stark difference from the charming, keen-smiled man she'd seen moments before. Arsynia's eyes narrowed, but it was not fear that unfurled in her heart; it was something else entirely. What was she here for, then, if not to join the scores of power-hungry lions clawing toward a throne? Would she not be among the fray, bloodied and bleary against the blinding sun, swallowing the sky so desperately so she could feel some semblance of power and control?

“To watch such chaos unfold, I suppose,” she responded, the steeled edge to her tone matching the ominous cacophony in his. “What fun it is to watch lions scramble for power and blight lands once untouched, claiming and fucking and destroying everything they touch.” She paused, her gaze flitting toward him. “Should I expect to see you among the fray?”

Art by AleTie

Kaden,

Lion of Junior Member

Played by Max

---

Their pace was steady, her own agility impressive to the lion as he continued on and, judging by the shadow in his peripheral, she had not fallen behind. It made him want to move faster and with even longer strides, pushing the envelope to see just what this lioness could do. He was certain it was less than he could.

Through the crunching of snow underneath his paws he heard her reply ring out over the tundra, a wild statement about being there for the chaos of it all. Kaden shifted his gaze momentarily to study her expression as she said it with great interest, noting the edge to her tone and the vivacious imagery she conjured.

"This is a lion's greatest work," he declared with a cryptic smile. He was quite familiar with this, having done plenty of fucking and destroying in his own life. There was almost a wistfulness to the way he spoke.

"I'll be at the center," Kaden promised.

speech

Table by Naboo