Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was good to be back in the pridal lands. Kichomo'damu had missed the desert, missed the dry heat and the sand and the rocky area that was the center of the pride. And he and Mikā would be STAYING in the pride this time. Mikā had grown uneasy being so far from little ones. And he wanted to stick with her, and to help ensure the safety of the pride. He watched others as they milled about, sticking close to his ashen friend. When Kidondo opened the floor to findings...he listened. He and Mikā had not found much, beyond his mother. And...that was of no consequence to the Firekin. His eyes flickered to the side not occupied by the lioness as another form sat beside him.

Miale'ku'majivu sat beside her uncle, nodding to Kich before turning her attention to her maternal grandparents. She had nothing to report, since she'd been inside the pride this round...but she intended to listen. To listen, and learn. And then she'd join the next round of Sentinels. She was a Tracker. Her skills could prove invaluable out there.

Kucha-moto had arrived with Conlaodh, both Soldier and Guard on edge. Neither had left the pride; Con had been too young when it all started and Kucha too new. And neither was sure what all was going on out there. Both wanted to hear the news. Both wanted to know what chaos was surrounding the Firekin. The report regarding the outpost was of the most interest to the pair that often worked together. New recruits were always valuable, and the water from the Ithambo was an invaluable resource indeed.

Kasi ached, her body sore from her increased training routine. Not only because she was trying to regain her pre-cub body, but because of the threat. If there was to be war, she was going to be ready to fight it. A slight limp had appeared in her walk thanks to her training session earlier that morning, but her stride did not falter as she approached the meeting. Her eyes scanned the crowd coldly, taking inventory of who had come out. Her eyes locked on her former mentor, Azar, and she longed to go to her, but something made her hesitate. Perhaps it was guilt. Kasi had not participated as a pride in many things. She had been...colder, quieter. She had pulled back. She wasn't even sure if Azar would still want her around. She shook her head, trying to dispel that guilt.

She looked towards Kinodo and No, waiting for the discussion to start.


Safi'lipuka had approached the meeting, firmly at her mother's side, protecting. She scanned the crowd as well, but it was not Azar that she was searching for, but her father. She had been training with her mother, scratches decorating her side from a particularly vicious training session earlier in the week, her position as guard dropped for the moment and her soldier training beginning. Her mother had not been all that forthcoming recently though, and Safi was nervous that something was wrong with her, but Kasi would not talk to her, not now. Not amongst all that was happening. Safi sighed to herself, but kept it quiet enough that Kasi would not hear. She glanced at her mother, before returning her gaze to those leading the discussion.

Sozin was glaring at a figure across from him in the crowds, half listening to what was about to happen. Sozin loved the idea of war, it thrilled him, but right now he was currently concentrating on wishing, Siasa'meka dead. Meka wasn't even aware of the death glare, and was instead focusing on the crowd around him. Sozin was mildly disturbed just how much Meka looked like his father. It was...creepy.

Mkazo had been surprised, to say the least, when his return with the rest of the unauthorized spying mission had been met with a promotion instead of punishment. He couldn't honestly say he'd thought of himself as the sneaky type, but he knew well that there was more to fighting than the combat itself. If you were better informed than your enemy, you had an edge--and he could, he would, deliver that advantage. For now, his job was to continue as he had been before the journey, ostensibly a Guard...but in reality, something more. Always watching...always listening.

-----

Nuria was glad to be home. Life on the outside had been fascinating and strange, but it was good to have familiar sand under her feet again. There was little time to relish in homecomng, however. She nodded along with Seide, her face twisting in a sour look at the lack of anything to report on the Nergui. Allies were a useful enough thing to add to the Firekin's strength, but it chafed to know little more about the Nergui than when they had started. Her tail twitched back and forth behind her, betraying her irritation along with the slightly hard look in her blue eyes.

Tch'kero attended the meeting dutifully, though the comment about not raging herself dry was inapplicable to her. She did not rage. She fought with ferocity, certainly, but cold, hard ferocity. Rage was something she denied herself, bottling it up tightly inside lest it burst out and get the better of her. She kept her personal fury locked away, and chose not to rise to such heights of feeling about anything else, period.

She sat dispassionately in the middle of the gathering, her eyes flat and unreactive to the shifting emotions around her. She listened attentively, but had nothing to offer in response or information. She was a grunt, and a new one at that. She hadn't earned her place yet, or at least not in her own estimation, and thus was not one to be trusted with vital information until the rest of the pride knew it as well.

She became aware of a presence just behind her. Laying her ears back faintly, both to listen and to show irritation, she finally turned to look down disapprovingly at the youngster hovering there. "Sit yourself down, or go away," she hissed irritably, her glare reproving. This was a serious meeting, not a cub's playtime. With a lash of her tail to indicate the severity of the juve's misbehavior, she turned her gaze back to the regents.


Thus reproved, Zjarr settled back, disgruntled. She hadn't been doing anything wrong, and she hadn't been playing. She was practicing! She gave a huff at the stiff back of the rogue-born lioness and then rose to stalk away. She noticed the red boy cub bouncing through the crowd, off people's paws and legs, and shook her head. Such a baby! Loftily, she prowled through the crowd in the opposite direction, avoiding the cranky black lioness she'd paused behind before. Eventually, though, she gave up her stalking skills in favor of finding a perch that would allow her to see without being under everyone's paws. Eyes upward for a convenient outcropping, she wove her way along the outside of the gathered lions, seeking the ideal spot.

No nodded her head curtly, listening to Seide conclude her assessment. She'd never seen the firekin as being very democratic- but then again, it was rare to be up against foreign enemies and nature itself. As a lioness not of the desert, she privately saw much use for an alliance with a few outside groups. Particularly those so different from their own that they would not likely be supporting their next adversaries.

A smile cracked across her face at the mention of Su. Su had always been an ambitious, intelligent child. She'd do well as an ambassador. "This is good to hear. I trust your assessment Seide, and I am inclined to agree. The last thing we need are our enemies poaching the surrounding territory."

The north was another matter. It was too far for much of a presence, other than the makeshift wall and guard post some of the guards had constructed. "The lack of information about the Nergui is concerning, but perhaps a bit of a boon as well. We know they are traveling in the South, but such little direct information seems to imply they have not put down roots yet."

Leading into the next track, her eyes scanned the crowd and fell to Morag. "News on the north, however, is not so silent."

Azar'bijan and his son, Heti, could not have sat more far apart even if they had tried. They had not spoken since the day that Heti had 'abandoned' his guard duty to take to the rogue lands as a temporary sentinel and it was a feud that didn't look like it was going to end any time soon. Heti had called it honourable and necessary.

Azar'bijan had called it cowardice.

So, Azar'bijan sat close to the front, brooding, his eyes occasionally lifting to throw a glance at whoever was speaking. He was done with all this alliance building. He wanted to put an end to it now so that they could get on with their lives. He'd never been in a true war before and as far as he was concerned, that was what he had been preparing for all his life. Being denied that day after day was growing tiresome. He was by no means an old lion but he wasn't getting any younger either. These were his glory days he was living and so far they were proving pretty miserable.

Thankfully, Heti had a distraction from his father's disapproval in the shape of his son, Plamen.

The large guard-turned-sentinel, moved over to where his son was standing and gave him a gentle nudge with his nose. "That's right, Plamen." He replied in soothing tones. "The Nergui are the bad guys but they can't get us here in our home. And, with the Ithambo lions as friends, we're better protected than ever before." He had grown fond of their 'neighbours' and though he was glad to be back home he also missed aiding the Bonelands lions with their training. It had made him feel useful. Nevertheless, discovering that he was a father had come as a shock and a joy. He still needed to properly catch up with Armada, too...though she didn't seem to be nearby."

Kasi realised she shouldn't have been surprised at the smile she got from Azar, her mentor had never been mean to her and she felt foolish for thinking she might be unkind now. She smiled back, gently, at the woman who had seen her through just about everything odd and turbulent in her life, including when she ended up mated to the female's son.

Speaking of which, she was quickly distracted by Kakek's arrival. His slow movements obvious to the female who now shared his life, supposedly at his side. She felt bad for pulling back from him, but she was just...so busy. When he nudged her, she turned her gaze to him and gently, softly, nudging his cheek with her nose. She did adore her mate, even though she had been distant recently. She lent against him softly as he sat beside her, not putting all her weight on him, but relying on him a little, but keeping one ear open to the conversation.

Her attention was taken when Kosuke spoke up, her claws gripping the sand beneath her paws at the news of yet another death, furious. How...how dare the Nergui take another life, and worst of all, it was one of the mother's amongst them that had been taken. She wasn't sure what angered her more.


Safi was glad when her father appeared, and shifted slightly away from her couple-y parents, giving them some semblance of a privacy in the crowd, but she too was distracted first by No, then by Kosuke, her ears drooping with sadness at the news.

Meka shifted in his spot, eyes flicking around the meeting, watching the reactions of people to the news which was being shared, the reports. He was not much of a fighter, he was more of a tank than the soldier, his bulk and attitude more suitable to barrelling through situations than finesse, which admittedly might be useful in a situation as well, but one could never be sure.

Sozin ducked his head, smirking at the news, but hiding his expression from those around him. Another death. Surely war was only a word away now. His claws were itching for battle, more than the duels. He did love the attitude of the firekin, and how often he got to engage in 'battle' but he had missed the thrill of war. He had never been involved in an army with war, but he was sure it would be far more entertaining than a solitary war.

Morag sighed softly as the news of the death came from her father's mouth. As much as a tragedy as it was, the Regent was right... it was a lesson that they could not afford to ignore.

"It is a terrible loss, and our Regent is right. The Nergui will not come at us head on as they have done with other prides and everyone should be wary of giving them opportunity to n** away at our strength. My watchers and I have gathered a lot of information over the last few weeks, but most of it only highlights how much we don't know." She glanced around the assembled lions, noting the expressions and private conversations.

"First and foremost, as I said, they are not looking to confront us head on... at least not yet. They follow a belief in a power of the Earth, something they call Tra Ord Omak. This power is weakened by what other prides call Gods, and as such, they seek to destroy them. With our history, they see us as... sort of kindred spirits. From what we have gathered, they seek to recruit us. As such, they are more likely to attack us from the shadows, from the frindges, or from the inside... This is why we caution against putting ourselves at risk."

Morag turned then, inclining her head to the Regents. "Even our fearless leaders are not without risk... Remove the head of a dangerous animal and it falls."