Lunaria was lost and alone.
Everything that she had ever loved and known was gone. Looking up into the depths of the night sky, she knew the moon would be her only source of comfort now. Maybe her people had somehow managed to escape back to their original home? She would never know. With a deep and heavy sigh, the dark lioness whose color matched that of the endless black/violet of the night stared forward and wondered where she should go. She no longer had a home or a purpose. So, she simply decided to go forward and follow the moon's light. It was the only thing that she could do at this point.
Arutemisu was also lost and alone.
The downfall of the Silver Moon Pride was abrupt and violent with everyone fighting for their lives. They had been viciously attacked by their sworn enemies the Black Moon Pride. Their people had long believed that they were descendants of lions that were native to the moon and had come to Earth and that their enemies had chased after them. The descendants of the Black Moon had managed to find the people of the Silver Moon and had sent their forces after them to try and destroy their peaceful land. When the attack happened, everyone had scattered in every possible direction to avoid everyone being killed at once.
Arutemisu knew that there had been a significant loss of life during the attack, but he also knew that many had gotten away. He had no idea where those that managed to escape had disappeared to. Had they found a way to return home to the moon?
Trudging forward, the lioness walked with emptiness and hollowness in her steps. Lunaria had never felt so ridden with hopelessness. She had no purpose or destination, she was simply wandering. She was the true definition of a rogue now. Tears were beginning to form at the corners of her eyes, but she fought them away and refused to let them fall. She recognized that she was no longer safe out in the world by herself and should not expose herself to potential danger. So, Lunaria gradually numbed herself inside her heart so she would not suffer an emotional collapse in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
Arutemisu sat and stared long and hard at the brilliant moon as she sat beautifully in the midst of the sky. He wanted to know what the next step was. He hoped that by gazing into the source of all the things he loved in the world, he would be able to better understand his imminent future. With a deep sigh, he dropped his gaze away, blinking the moonlight from his eyes and readjusting his sight forward. He hadn't had any sudden realization as he'd hoped, but he thought he knew what he should do now. Standing to his feet, Aru slowly picked up one paw and began his journey forward.
Lunaria had walked all night long that night, afraid of what would happen if she were to stop. It wasn't until the golden edges of daylight began to take over the sky did she finally fall to ground in exhaustion. She'd laid there for hours, drifting in a out of a strange form of sleep and unconsciousness absently hoping that a flock of buzzards would see fit to end her suffering.
Fortunately, they did not. Even though Lunaria was feeling rather unfortunate for herself, she knew that she'd survived for a reason and needed to go on. She needed to live. That evening, she made a sad attempt at hunting for herself in her depressed state. Heavyhearted, she did not know how she was going to live this way.
It had been months since Arutemisu moved on from the wreckage of the only place that he'd ever called home. To say the least, he was doing quite well for himself. He'd made a life for himself roaming through wide opens lands searching for any survivors that may have escaped from his old home. Needless to say, he hadn't found anyone so far, but he didn't allow his lack of success to detour him from his self-imposed mission. He refused to accept that he was the only one who got away. The time he'd spent wandering the rogue lands still turned out to be quite the adventure. The stark white male had met all sorts of other creatures and personality types in his roaming. Though unexpected, the interactions had been welcomed and needed to stave off his loneliness.
Ever since leaving her home behind in pursuit of surviving on her own, Lunaria had been doing just that and only that. After nearly starving, she'd wandering into a jungle where small creatures scurried about everywhere and she was able to feed herself in her weak state. Lunaria had not left the jungle ever since. She'd become one of the many creatures whose eyes shone in the darkness amidst the large trees.
The ever present memories of the carnage that had left her on her own and the continually wondering if anyone that she had loved was alive eventually drove her mad. In order to hold on to what sanity she had left, Lunaria subconsciously made herself forget everything about her past. She forgot about the Silver Moon Pride and everyone there. She forgot her family, her friends, her beloved Queen, and even her own name. The only things that Lunaria held onto was the strange way the moon pulled at her heart and a distant memory of someone lovingly referring to her by a nickname "Luna".
It had been a fairly average day for Arutemisu. He'd managed to hunt down a sizable pig early that day and had stuffed himself to the point of near explosion. After taking a well deserved nap, Aru rose to get back to exploring the lands. He walked steadily in a direction that he hadn't traveled before and kept a look out for danger. The farther he went the deeper he found himself in the midst of a jungle. Colorful birds that he'd never seen before flew about in the canopy above his head. Small animals and curious lizards occasionally scampered past his feet as he walked on.
Arutemisu was totally unprepared for what happened next. Before he knew it, he was attacked and driven to the ground by an animal very similar in size to himself. His adrenaline instantly kicked in and he threw the other off of him and stood to get a look at his opponent. Then, Arutemisu was shocked into stillness when he gazed upon a black lioness that bore the same crescent moon marking upon her forehead as he did. It was the mark of the people of the Silver Moon Pride.
"Luna...?"
