Welcome to Gaia! ::

[I AM A NEWBIE]

Margulis had heard rumors of something strange, and that was all it took to light the curiosity within her. There were those who had called it a monster, she could not be so sure. It was surely misguided to name something beast when one hadn't ever seen it. Beast-like, perhaps, but she'd known many a lion who would warrant that same name. And so, not trusting simply the words of others, she had come in search of evidence. It seemed many others had as well.

She could hope. She knew in reality many were looking to take a piece from the creature's hide, whatever it was. If it proved truly foul and dangerous she might count herself among them. For now though, she would watch and wait. It was good time to learn more about the world, she'd come far out from home for this and from the looks of those around her she was not the only one. Lions, wild dogs, she even spied a maned wolf. Fine company, she felt.

[I AM A NEWBIE]

Shebh didn't have much business being here, yet here he was. He had just followed along with a crowd of fellow rogues out of curiosity. It was only now that he was beginning to learn of the purpose of the meeting. A reason that he scoffed at.

"There's no such things as monsters," he would say to anyone who would listen. "Anyone who believes that baboon's tail should go join the baboons themselves."

But deep down, he was feeling a bit anxious about the whole event. There had to be some truth to the stories to get so many creatures to gather in one spot, right? Especially such a bizarre group as it was turning out to be. His eyes couldn't seem to settle in one place, since there were so many new faces around him. It seemed more like chaos than a contest.

Mura nodded. "A baboon? Hm, So much commotion for such a creature. Though, to be honest, I've never actually seen a baboon up close to see the trouble they can cause. I think I might stick around and help find the little troublemaker." She said with a smile. "By the way my name is Mura, it is very nice to meet you. I am also thankful for your help! It isn't often I find someone willing to help me."

She saw the Jackal and her smile widened. Even small creatures were showing up! How adorable. She would be sure to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't get hurt in the group. "Little Jackal, if you need to see, I wouldn't mind giving you a small lift"

She noticed more gathering near them. A grey lion was near them, which made her happy. At least now she wouldn't be the only lion in the small group. "What do you think of the gathering?" she asked curiously. She thought that maybe if she asked around, she would fully understand the situation. Whatever was happening she would be sure to help out the best she could.

Amali was distracted as he picked up bits and pieces of conversations going on around him but he continued to look around- until he spotted his sister. He did a doubletake and took a hesitant step towards her before scrambling out of middle of the crowd and not stopping until he very nearly ran into her.

"Ruka!" he cried, barely realizing that she was careful not to call him by a name and not caring to comment on it. While he had plenty of time to visit with family outside of the swamps, his wandering sisters and his parents were out of his reach and he had missed them so much. All at once, just from seeing his sister, all worries of forgetting home seemed laughable. Nevermind that their cubhood together in the swamps had been much shorter than the time he had spent on his pilgrimage so far.

"What are you doing here!"

He came here looking for excitement but immediately he felt it was too dangerous for his sister-- and when he realized she had strange scars on her face, he was even more convinced. For the moment, at least.

Ears perking to the side Mtifu's muzzle soon turned in that direction as well, spying a black lion with a bright orange mane (Shebh) next to her. She scoffed at his neigh-saying and shook her head. "Monster or not, something is terrorizing the lions and such around here. Why not go see what it is and take care of it if it really is killing others?"

The scent of blood was thick in the air, it would be hard to argue that nothing was going on around here, for there certainly had to be a reason for the blood to be sniffed, even from where they were now. She could only imagine the smell got worse once they got deeper into the woods.

"Ahh, in that case... It could be fun to discover what the unknown thing is." Shebh had to agree with Margulis, a soft chuckle escaping before he could stop it. Maybe he could come away with a story to tell, even though he felt a bit confused by the whole thing. He supposed he deserved it after following along like a lost cub!

"At the very least we could dispel the rumours," he said, rolling his shoulders in a noncommittal shrug. "I just hope that we don't scare... whatever it is, away." Shebh ended by gesturing to the ever expanding group, then shaking his head.

What was going on? Her home, such as it was, seemed to be totally invaded by… by… lions. Lions were numerous everywhere of course, but there was so much land in the rogue areas that one could avoid them easily if need be. No such luck now! They seemed to be congregating in droves to the edge of a forest. Lani wasn’t particularly fond of entering the greenery. There was plenty more food there, of course, but plenty of danger, too. Didn’t these lions know that? Why, not so very long ago a whole pride had been cut to ribbons for crossing over.

Lani was pacing, her ears pinned back and her tail wagging anxiously between her legs. This would not do. This would not do.

Finally, a spot of orange nearly as bright as Lani herself caught her eye. Another dog!

“Oh, thank the stars!” she yipped and dove into the mass of lions, trying to make her way towards Mtifu,” Excuse me! Excuse me! What is all this about?”