Welcome to Gaia! ::

Once they all stood before Adia, Daveigh moved to sit next to Adia and gave her mother a light nudge of the shoulder as she turned and sat to listen to what her sister had to say. Daveigh could tell she was being genuine with her words from the tears that came from her eyes.

Adia saw it too and it was all she could do to keep tears from forming and falling from her own eyes. She needed to keep her composure for once instead of allowing emotions to take over. After Floria was finished Adia gazed at the cubs now upon the ground. There was no mistaking their lineage with those flowers, spots and stripes on them. "Your words hold a lot of truth young Floria. I can see you have finally learned what your parents had been trying to tell you all along. I just regret you had to learn it the hard way. I thought for a long time I could hold a grudge against you. That I could chase you away and let you live with the consequences of your past actions... But seeing you here humbled, wanting to return and trully sorry for the stupidity of your youth I cannot turn you away. You are my daughter no matter what anyone says or what you do. I love you. I'll always love you and you should always remember that no matter what happens you can always return to me." Adia didn't know how Santos would take Floria's return. Floria was the first to return after angering them. Amador's return had been after being thrown out and not anything like Floria's. She wasn't sure if he'd take it all too well or if he'd open his paws and welcome her as though nothing had happened. She would be ready for the worse of the two if it came to it but she doubted he would take it all that horrible after all she was one of his little girls. All his daughters seemed to have a special place in his heart.

Dafina was completely awe struck at the sight of her sister. When she acted as though she was just another stranger it disheartened her but Floria was Adia's major concern for the time being so she would wait her turn and take in everything she could about her long lost sister. She was such a noble and gracious queen. Dafina just knew that Adia was doing her best not to follow in the paw prints of their former pride.

Adia made no move to step back as Floria moved forward nor did she move at all to make any signs that she did not want to be approached. However when Floria attempted to nuzzle her that's when she moved and used her paws and neck to pull Floria closer to her. "My baby. My sweet baby." Adia purred into Floria's ear. Now Daveigh took her turn coming up beside Floria and nuzzling her head upon Floria's back. "We missed you little sis."

A sweet smile spread across Dafina's maw at the sight of the three females. The scene warmed her heart deeply. Light shuffling near by however caught her attention and she looked down to the three newborn cubs to see a white and red version of Adia standing a few feet away from them and gazing at the with interest. Dafina giggled at the little girls curiousity.

Rylee jumped slightly as the blue lioness giggled. She quickly stepped back away from them and looked over to where her mother was still nuzzling the pink lioness. The nuzzling puzzled her but not nearly as much as the way she kept calling her "her baby". She couldn't understand this at all and Daveigh having called her "Little sis" would have meant that the lioness was her big sister but she thought she knew of all her siblings. She'd never been told about a pink lioness in fact she'd never even heard her name before today. It was as if the pink lioness had been erased from memories for a while.

Adia couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes and onto Floria's fur. She had her precious daughter back. Her tears were finally of celebration and not sadness. "I missed you too sweet heart." She replied. When Floria pulled away she reluctantly released her and looked down at the little cubs that had been on the ground behind Floria. "Despite who their father is they are simply precious. Cubs their size don't require much more than protection, food, and shelter which they will get here. I will show you how to properly care for them." Adia said to Floria with a reassuring nod. If Floria had stayed around until her newest siblings had been born Adia would have planned then to teach her how to care for cubs so she would know when she had her own but seeing as she hadn't now Adia would teach her how to care for her own cubs instead of her little siblings. Now as Floria spoke of the new lioness Adia turned her attention to her. Floria's words were what made her trully curious. One she should know? She didn't know this lioness though...

Dafina was reluctant to move closer but she did. Her whole posture was sheepish and Adia's gaze was what made her that way. She could see plainly on her sisters face that she did not recognize her at all and this bothered her. "Adia... Do you not remember me?"

Adia looked trully lost by the lionesses words. "You speak as though you know me. I have never seen you before..."

Her words really disappointed Dafina. Something must have happened to keep her from remembering her. "Adia I'm Dafina. We're twins. Remember? Our parents were killed protecting us. We got seperated. I've been looking for you ever since we were seperated."

Adia still looked lost as Dafina spoke. She was doing her best to recall all this that Dafina was saying but she couldn't remember past a dark night where she woke up by herself and had been that way until she was found by a pair of lions that took her in and raised her. They had been sort of like parents. "I don't remember you."

Dafina was extremely disappointed now. She'd come here hoping for a warm welcome but it wasn't going as she'd expected at all. Oh she really could have used her fathers help right then. He'd always had a way with words. "...My eyes... Our eyes. Dad had always said our eyes were identical and the way our markings were looked like we were two different halves of one whole."

Adia gazed into Dafina's eyes and the small flashes of random colors and images came flooding to her and she saw them those same eyes staring back at her from the eyes of a blue cub. Now a flash of an older female face came to her and the eyes on this female were the same as hers and Dafina's. These images were so fast that Adia had to force her mind to recall them.

Daveigh tore her attention from her mother and the other lioness when her pink sister whispered to her. At her questions Daveigh gazed down to the little cubs and then turned her gaze to Floria and with a very serious expression she whispered. "They are family." She stated with a nod. To her family was family and even if they were the spawn of an evil male she would treat them no differently than the children of her brothers. Just because a cub came from an evil family didn't mean that the environment they grew up in would not have at least a little effect in making them better lions then their evil father. "Father is unpredictable but I don't think he will harbor any ill will towards these cubs. It is not their fault who their father is. Besides they have a good mother that can't go ignored at all." Daveigh said with a sweet smile to her little sister.

Dafina now wondered if coming here had been a bad idea. She may have been better off never stopping to console a saddened mother, never speaking of how she scented of her sister, never helping her at all. It seemed that her sister had forgotten her completely. She knew for sure this was her sister but it didn't seem as though her sister knew she had a twin or had had a family at all as a cub. It hurt her to know she'd been forgotten but there wasn't anything she could really do now. Glancing over at Floria who'd moved away from her didn't help either. She felt so alone now. "I'm sorry Queen Adia. I must be mistaken. I won't waste anymore of your time." Dafina finally said through the silence that was coming with Adia's blank stare. Giving Adia a nod and not waiting for a return nod she started down the path off the platform of the den.

It took Adia a moment to snap from her trance but when she did she shook her head lightly and stood. "Wait, River." She said in a pleading voice. Dafina stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide at the nickname she hadn't heard in a very long time. Slowly she turned her head to look back at Adia. "Fire? You remember?" Dafina asked in almost disbelief.

"Just little bits... I remember you, mom and the battle... I was hurt during the battle. I woke up at night and couldn't recall anything at all."

The tops dogs, the Rose Petal boys, had been visiting their other family at Heaven's Hopes. Santos, flanked by Razi who was lager than him on one side, and by the smaller Arsenic on the other, moved swiftly through the lands.

Santos knew every inch of these lands. Every pebble, every blade of grass. This was home. His home. His family's home. But these scents... four of them had never been here before, but smelled so familar, one had not been here in so long he had to fight not to cry. His baby was home... but she had brought friends.

He kept his white form looking regal. He would not look weak infront of strangers. Soon the group was coming into veiw, they were all infront of the den. He opened his jaws and let a roar errupt from his throat. Not threatening, simply informative and slight territorial. The king was home.

Razi carried a zebra on his back, the blood from it's injuries trickled slowly down his side, turning his black fur even darker and blending with the red stripes and spots. His white mane fell like silk around his face and his muscular body seemed only slightly strained under the weight of prey. This male, this prince, was a true Rose Petal warrior. The best of the best. When you mess with a rose, you get cut by the thorns.

He flicked his ears at his father's roar and blinked at the gathering. He did not know most of these lions, but He knew his sister, and that was enough ot bring the warmest of smiles to his face. His sister was home!

Arsenic on the other hand didn't look quite so regal under the gazelle, but he didn't have to. He was the brains of the three. He staggered quietly behind his father, taking in every sight and scent. 5 lions. His beloved sister, two females, and two males. Three of the were rather young. When they came into veiw he smirked, finding that all his guesses were infact, true.

Amarantha staggered out of the den, awoken from a short nap by her father's roar. "Daddy's home!" She squealed, blinking and making the rose on her eyes whole several times. She bounded out a bit but stopped dead in her tracks to see five unfamiliar lions. "D-daddy..." She darted behind Adia, peeking out to watch the others carefully.

Dafina moved till she was standing back in front of Adia, a smile plastered to her maw. She was remembered, just the thought made her extremely happy but her happiness didn't last long as the roar of a male, a for sure dominant male rang in her ears. She gazed at Adia curiously and watched her face for a sign of recognition that as she expected came.

Adia's ears twitched back in the direction of the roar and she glanced over to Floria who had layed down around her cubs in an almost attempt to hide them. She wasn't sure how much of a good idea that was but she didn't say anything as Dafina stole her attention away from her daughter. "Is that...?" Dafina started but couldn't make herself finish the question. Adia understood what her sister was asking and nodded. "That is. My mate and the king."

Dafina glanced out to where the three males were coming in and she was absolutely amazed at the sight of the three. She knew there was no mistaking the smaller red male as Adia's son and with careful consideration of all the children of her sister she had seen she took a gander that the white male in the middle was the mate of her sister and the king of the pride. All of this amazed Dafina, she was beyond awed. At the cry of another cub Dafina smiled as she caught a glimpse of the little girl as she ran to hide behind her mother.

Rylee didn't need anything more, at the cry of her sister she dashed to join her behind their mother. It wasn't the fact that she was afraid but simply that Amarantha was out there and she wanted to be with her more than any of the others.

Daveigh's attention went to the prides lands as she heard her fathers roar. Seeing her brothers and father coming home worried her a bit as she was not quite sure how he would take Floria's return with her extra guests. Taking her eyes off the aproaching group she looked back to Floria and was surprised to see her trying to hide the cubs. She knew hiding them would not help at all as she had made the mistake of trying to hide cubs from others before and it had not turned out pleasant in the end. Standing up she walked over to Floria and leaned her head down to whisper in her ear. "Best to just let him see them right off. Hiding them may make it worse. I'll have your back, promise." Daveigh said and she meant every word. She felt that Floria had a lot of courage coming back after what had happened and she admired that courage wishing she had had that courage back when she'd had Adieu and Vasillios. If she had she might still have her son.