Welcome to Gaia! ::

(( Van is disguised as a mortal. While he will appear as an adult lion, his coloration is the same as his cub form with winged markings and no god traits. He's aware of the prides biased having lived among them for some time before they took off to this new pride territory.

Posting order: Chobi - Kasai - Amon ))

The world was falling apart all around him quite literally with a war in the haven. The rogue lands were starting to show the stresses of what was happening above and even for an easy going god such as Van'Kal ; this was beginning to be too much.

Not too long ago he'd encountered the reincarnated version of his sister and safely depostited her near a pride where he knew she'd be safe and well hidden. He was now realizing he couldn't have made a better decision on his part as things on the outer lands were not looking so great. Van had to be sure that he'd made the right call and was stalking about on the outer edges of the pride disguised as a mildly pelted mortal that looked similar to his god form only much duller. There was nothing unusual to this behavior as Van often did travel as a mildly pelted mortal lion but he was especially careful around this pride knowing their policy on pelts.

He knew deep down that Faun would always accept him despite this but he wanted to be careful as there were others in the pride not as familiar with him.

The god was very careful not to cross in to the prides territory but he looked dumbfounded on how exactly he was going to gain the little goddesses attention. His paws slid over the silver sands as he thought about this problem not coming up with a great solution. It would also seem that he hadn't realized he could alter his form to something other than a lion and simply cross over the prides territory with little to no difficulty. Nope. That was too simple to think of.

It seemed Judeau was back to being a grumpy scruffy raven, hiding in a tree and pretending to sleep. Or at least he was 'sleeping' until a vaguely familiar sound met his ears. He opened his eyes, peering down at the small bird, sigh.

"Oh, it's you again."

His voice was a mutter, maybe she had not seen or heard him and he could just go back to sleep. Or maybe he would just fly away now and avoid her entirely. It was perhaps fortunate he had not seen his brother, or if he had he did not recognize him. The raven surely would have flown away had he known his brother was nearby.

"Nara?"

uh-oh. Did...Did someone see her do that. Wait. They knew her name! And the only ones she knew out this way was Van and Judeau. She had yet to mingle with others in the pride just yet.

"Um.." her head tilted. "V...Van?" She questioned, staring at the male before glancing towards the raven above.

"Oh. Hi Judeau! You're a raven again!" She cooed, grinning. Oh wait. She glanced towards Van, before back at Judeau. Well, he was a god, and technically the raven was a god as well, so she didn't need to be as secretive between the two right? "Come down and say hi!" She turned to Van. "How are you! Are you here to stay as well! I feel like it's been a little while since I last saw you." She rambled a bit. If she could, she'd probably talk both the boys ears off.

Nara was going on so quickly and excitedly it was all Van could do to shake his head and listen with a smile as the words slowly absorbed. There was a familiar name he had not heard in a long time but certainly it couldn't be his Judeau.

"What a divine name for a raven," He finally said after throwing out the possibility that it could, indeed, be his brother. Sure, he was pretty sure that if his brother wanted to take on the form of bird he could such as Nara had but that would be dumb. Judeau would be so happy to see him that he'd be that of a god.. oh wait. Van was only now realizing the hypocrisy of his thoughts as he stood as a mortal now.

Still, he figured it wasn't so much as coincidence he was sure. Well... not sure.

"Are you two playing birds together? I saw you mid transformation. Impressive." He grinned, "I don't think I've ever taken another form beside this." He craned his neck upward, "Raven. You have a good name. Can I assume you are an equally good bird to carry such an honorable name?"

Oh, Van didn't recognize him. His brother thought he was just another raven, Judeau was not sure if he should feel relieved or sad at that, but it was perhaps better for him that his brother not know him. Van was sure to ask questions that Judeau did not feel like answering. Oh Judeau, stop feeling sorry for yourself.

And then Nara opened her mouth and told him everything, Van was sure to know it was him now. A huff, Judeau glared at Nara, hopping on his branch hard enough to send several small twigs and berries falling in her direction.

"Anyone ever tell you that you talk to much?"

And he wasn't grumpy, he just didn't want to come down! He liked it in this tree thank you very much!

"I told you, you don't need wings to fly."

Nara watched in awed as Van transformed into the small cub form she had played with, before losing the wings. She glanced at her back, wishing she too had the feathered appendages on her back like the two gods before her.

"Someone might have mentioned..." She mused with a grin.

She glanced back between Van'kal and Judeau. Oh. they knew each other? Her head tilted, a small frown on her maw.

"Yes you do." She argued with the raven. At the crash of light, Nara's eyes widened. "Was that a storm?" She asked inching closer to the cub version of Van'kal. Even at his size, he was good protection...right?

"Oh um...Yeah! I mean...I haven't...really met anyone yet....but I think I will. soon, maybe." her tone quieted down. Mainly, she was scared of giving away her secret to others.

There was a conflict rising in Van because he was currently in the presence of his long lost twin brother (I know ... soap opera or what?). But he also was here to check on Nara and her well being and there had been terrible terrible things in no lions lands which had the god seriously concerned. He shut his eyes and processed his list of priorities.

"Its not a storm ..." He didn't want to alarm Nara. He knew his sister was no longer his actual sister anymore and that she would not fully understand there was something seriously wrong going on and that he didn't fully understand exactly what it was. All was not well in the haven.

"Its..." He swallowed his words and decided that it actually might be better to focus on his brother, "Its.... so surprising you're a bird brother. I would never have thought to take such a form." The concern sat like a lump at the bottom of his stomach but he could see Nara was fine and that was all he wanted to know.

"I remember when we were young brother... I remember there was a time I tried my hardest to fly even with wings and I could not. I fell in the snow again and again." He grinned at Judeau. "Do you remember?" He looked down at Nara, hiding the concern, and smiled.

"It is okay if you can not do it right now. You will learn over time. Besides.. flying is over rated you'll soon find."

"I remember, you were rather clumsy back then."

There was a sadness in Judeau's eyes, as if he missed those days when they were both cubs running around the haven. Judeau had always been more cautious than his brother, and perhaps quite a bit more graceful. They had been happy together then, hadn't they?

A scoff, flying overrated indeed. Van had always been a fluffhead, what nonsense. Flying was the only thing that had ever come easy for Judeau, he most certainly disagreed that it was in any way 'overrated'.

Judeau would have growled if he could have in raven form, leaping from his tree branch to flutter to the ground directly in front of the little fuzzy goddess.

"Did you ever thing that maybe I know things because I have not forgotten them? Look at my wings, fluff-for-brains, do you really think I could fly with these if I were not a god?"

Wings spread wide to emphasize his point, showing off their full tattered glory of broken and missing feathers that no mortal bird could ever fly with. A huff, the raven stopped the ground with a taloned foot. Fluffy idiots, the both of them.

"It does not matter what it is, it does not concern us."

Judeau was not an idiot, he knew of the storm in the haven and how it was shaking the land below. What did he care? The whole world could fall apart around him, it didn't matter.