[EVENT] Foreign Diplomacy

[Mimsey]

In which we make trouble

And endear ourselves to the rest of the Savannah.

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It was strange to feel grass again, even this harsh, needly kind. Years ago, Armada had been born out in this expanse...but it brought no affection to her eyes. The only true home for her had been the Motoujamii: her shelter from this outside world. It had been a place where she had remade herself into something respectable. Something more than this land had deemed of her. It had erased the sorry creature she had been.

Now she was something else. Something stronger, and with a force at her back. She looked on this land with the kind of unsettling stare a viper might give a mouse. There was no doubt in her mind why she had signed up for this campaign. It felt like a revenge coming to fruition. It certainly had been a long time coming.

"Alright, you all," she barked. Armada might not have been in charge of this whole affair, but she'd be damned if anyone forgot who she was. "Our scouts are back, and so far its all clear."

Clear of potential Nergui, that is. Other lions had been ignored like background objects.

"Its time we moved forward. There's a small spring that will do perfectly for running a foreign outpost," her strange eyes turned upon the group. "I don't doubt we'll run into some local resistance, but so far we haven't seen anything worth breaking a sweat over."

Veru, ever misplaced in a foreign invasion, couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Oh, I am sure it will be so easy."

Armada narrowed her eyes. She wasn't the sort to tolerate humor. "Half of you down that pass, the other, with me. We'll take both sides of the bank and rest for a bit before moving on to the other surrounding spots."

 

[Mimsey]

Hey, this isn't the Motoujamii!

While tempers flared at the last meeting, firekin have gone through with their plans to secure water resources in the Southlands. Armed with the knowledge that their unknown enemy might be lurking somewhere in this foreign terrain, a force under the leadership of Moto'Seide leaves the desert. With no sign of surprise attacks, the firekin troops spread out to secure the immediate area.

The prize: a spring running just south of the Motoujamii. Only problem is it already belongs to someone...

/////

Elsewhere, the bonelands have been flourishing. The rains have only recently passed, and the land, full of tall grass and prey, is beginning to brown. Most cubs have long since been born, and are beginning to grow. Most have had their first journey’s far outside the pride. An Enda (Xatu), which many older members saw leave not long ago, has returned with his vulture in tow. This is the first time, for the pride, that there is much news of the outside world. It were certainly not be the last. . .

Recently, as well, a new male has joined the group. He claims to know, or have known, Gakere. The females are naturally more than a little skeptical of him, as they did not see him work for his position. He has a strange accent, but has a healthy coat, and seems devoted to serving Gakere. He has not yet taken any interest in the females.

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Rules:

@@@@ 1. All members of the firekin and boneland prides are welcome to join! If you do not have members of either, you may alternatively use familiars or rogues intending to join one of the two groups.
@@@@2. You may have your firekin or bonelands member voice their opinions openly. Disagreements and conflict are fine!
@@@@3. Always remember to respect other people in RP, even if your characters do not get along!
@@@@4. These threads sometimes move VERY fast. Do not take it personal if someone misses something you've said.

@@@@ Firekin only: You may select TWO characters to use outside the pride, regardless of rank. They must be adults.
@@@@ Bonelands Only: All ages may participate!

Rogues may participate if they are potential firekin or boneland members.

exclaim This event is open to everyone, regardless of participation in previous pridal events. [For both groups!]

THIS IS A CROSS PRIDAL EVENT:

Firekin, look where you are. This isn't your home forum. We understand firekin tempers run hot, but OOCly, remember your manners. There will be absolutely no godmoding. No feet on the couches! Conflict is fine, but respect other people. This is a pride that has invited us over to do a fun event with them not to them.

Bonelands members, thanks for having us! <33333

But what about prizes!

WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I HAVE PRIZES.

Okay, so we have prizes. We will be giving away lions for both groups, open to members of either pride to choose! Like always this will be held raffle style at the end of the RP. Each post is a ticket!

First winner will get to select their choice of prides to go off to. Each SOA will require one JRP to join their respective prides.

Bonelands girl is colored by Kaelyndra.
Firekin girl is colored by Meepfur, and is a rehome. She will come with some background info, but does not necessarily need to be followed.

 

[Mimsey]

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”I’m hearing noises!” A pale lioness peeped out. Nahmba thumped her tail on the ground, eyes scanning the tops sharp cliffs that surrounded them. Silence passed, and the a large rock came tumbling down a side. It made a large splash as it sunk into the spring. Several playing youth were showered by the wave.

Then, again, there was nothing. The silence would not last long now.

From the back of the group, Surtak pulled onto his feet. He had not growled before, but he did so now, eyes up a path leading from the springs. “There are other lions here.”

Nahmba let out a chur in the back of her throat and was soon scrambling to all fours. “They are all bulky! Where do they find such food?”

“Someone should notify Gakere.”

Whether or not she was calling the coming group fat was hard to assess, but the new lions were large, and they were all strangely the color of fire. . .

 

[Lethrossen]

Umoya was never far from Quba, or at least it was a rare occurrence. As such, the two females were close by and Umoya was feeling slightly restless. Her gaze darted about as she watched many of the youth play, her tail flicking.

She gave a slight jump as the rock suddenly landed in the spring and she half rose, unsure. Her gaze flickered to some of the older females, then back to the cubs. She watched as Surtak moved to his feet, ears pricking forward to catch his words. She stood fully then, nudging her companion. "Somethin's appenin'." She spoke in a breathy whisper as she nudged the other female, eyes narrowed as she tried to look for what they had seen first.

 

[Andranis]

These lands were strange to him. Accustomed to the sands and dunes, Rowtag had opted to follow Seide so as to be able to see other places. Before he'd left, he'd been told by his half-sister, Savitri, about the world beyond the sands, where plants grew and water fell from the sky. He'd never known a land with rain, and couldn't imagine such a thing. While it seemed they'd just missed the rains, he wasn't disappointed about the description of abundant grasses. As he lifted his head, he found he had trouble seeing over some of them. Even he felt small, and he was on the larger side of the Firekin blood.

Close behind Rowtag was Tulipalo'luut, ever stoic and quiet. The two-tone lion lifted his own head, nostrils flaring as he smelled the air. He could smell water, and it was close. He also smelled... Other lions? His face drew into a slight grimace, before he nudged Rowtag.

The other lion swing his black head around, eyeing his nephew and friend. "What?"

He stopped walking, pointing in the direction of the water he'd smelled. Then he unsheathed a claw, drawing crude lions in the dirt around a pool of water. There was a pride near by... And it likely had a claim on the water already. They might have to try some form of the diplomacy he'd heard mentioned at the prior meeting. Or they'd have to fight and steal it... He didn't care about which option was taken himself, though, so long as nobody asked him any questions.

Rowtag let out a hm, then hurried over to Seide. "Luut says he smells a pride..." Well, sort of said.  

[Talencia]

Meeradin had left the group of three brothers and had begun exploring on her own. She loved to fly high on the upper air currents, and often went further than she had anticipated. Not that she minded, it was thrilling! Seeing new places, new plants, new creatures, and new individuals! The land she was in now had clearly experienced a surge of healthy growth, though the heat was searing the vegetation now. The watering hole had been a welcome sight, even though it was occupied by large (and small!) felines. Usually such left her alone, as she was agile enough to avoid attacks, and her heavy beak was a decent deterrent to potential hunters.

She had perched on the rocky cliffside to examine the situation before getting right in. A large rock splashing down into the pool displaced quite a bit of water, and created a rather convenient puddle up higher. She swooped down to it and eyed it brightly, edging along to consider if it was deep enough to drink or bathe in.  

[KasaiLoki]

Quba had recovered from her ordeal about practically being mauled on the last hunting trip. Although she had healed, she still held the ‘battle scars’ on her beautiful black pelt. She would tell herself that they would fade with time, but the likeliness of that happening was likely slim.

Nowadays, instead of ‘daredeveling’ out of the pride, she remained close to one particular lioness, her friend Umoya, who had really been there for her through thick and thin. It was her, and that other strange lioness whom Quba had not caught the name of, had saved her on that fateful day.

Today, she was laying down, enjoying the heat of the sun warming her black pelt. Her bright blue eyes cracked open at a splash, before closing them once again. If she could, the lioness would sleep the whole day, regardless of the actions going on around her. However, at the nudge from Umoya, she eyes darted open again, this time a bit more a wake. She didn’t rise to her feet, but instead, lifted her head up. Her ears were perked forward, watching and listening intently.

“What is it?” She asked quietly, slowly rising to her feet. She stood just a bit shorter than Umoya.  

[Princess_Feylin]

Withdrawn somewhat from the pride, as had been her habit since bearing her shameful cubs, Beru was grooming one of her two daughters, Sekai. The girl was dustier than usual, having just come running back from the main area of the pride, and trying very hard to tell her something, but there was a firm rule in Beru's small family that bathtime was quiet time because Beru couldn't speak while licking the girls clean.

"There. you're done," she told her purple-eyed daughter. "Now, what is it you want to tell me?"

Sekai looked up at her mother shyly. She felt closer to her sister Eisa than anyone else, and she was a little afraid of her mother, even though Beru had never given her any obvious reason to be. She was just so stern and forbidding and unapproachable.

"I was hiding behind a rock when I heard one of the others saying to another that something was happening. Someone big was coming." She hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for eavesdropping.

Beru barely managed not to roll her eyes. "Someone big, huh? And what do you think I should do with this information?"

"Um. Maybe we could go see if it's true?"  

[Tanakako]

Laini'hatua had been playing along the edge of the water with a couple of the younger cubs. Letting them crawl over him in between short sprints of 'tag' before their short concentration span meant they got distracted from the game by a shiny pebble or a fluttering bug, or even him... which was how he had gotten caught in the game in the first place, having come over for a drink and gotten pounced by two of the youngsters.

Flopping over on his back he let one cub chew on his tail as another squirmed about on his chest. The position however had him looking directly up the cliff and the flash of red and white caught his gaze. Frowning he craned his head, and a moment later, the rump of a red lion flashed past the rocky bluff. Though at first he wasn't overly alarmed, he could hear the adults near by standing up, and then a male's deep warning growl made him shudder.

And then a large rock came whistling down to splash not that far away from them.

Carefully pushing the cubs off himself he stood and turned after making sure none of the others had been hurt by the rock, trying to see what was on the cliff, nervousness making his fur prickle.  

[wooga Paes]

Moto’spaki had never left the desert.

It didn’t seem to bother him, though. He hadn’t visibly reacted to the grass, though inwardly he did think it felt strange beneath his paws. He simply felt there were more important things to be done than getting worked up over the novelty of new lands.

He walked along with the group, as usual, keeping relatively quiet. He listened to the other firekin, but mostly just tried to pay attention to his surroundings. If he hadn’t cared much about the lands themselves, he certainly was curious about inhabitants. He just so happened to be behind Seide when she was approached by a firekin with a black head, and Moto’spaki had good enough hearing to make out what he said. He raised his head, and smelled the air.

“I also smell them.” The white lion said, and approached the edge of the cliffs, trying to see if he spotted anything. “Yes, other lions.” But there was no surprise there, they had always expected there to be other lions when they had set off. “And they’re looking at us, too.” That one was said with some amusement, as he turned and stepped away from the cliff. This would be interesting.
 

[Princess_Feylin]

"Fine. Let's do that," Beru said. She did try to be involved in the pride as much as possible while simultaneously hiding out until her girls were old enough to live apart from her and lead separate lives, and the arrival of more than one lion was something she felt she ought to witness.

"Really? Okay," Sekai replied, suddenly not sure she wanted to go investigate after all. She remembered how poorly her first trip beyond the pride's borders to go hunting with two adult huntresses had gone. This would probably be worse.

She didn't like meeting new people at the best of times, and these people sounded like they'd be new not just to her, but to the whole pride, so there was no guarantee at all that they'd be all right.

"I could stay here," she suggested hopefully.

"No. It was your idea and your news, you're coming with me," Beru said firmly. Her daughter's shyness irked her sometimes, and she was determined to cure her of it, lest she be saddled with a homebody daughter who never left her side.

The two of them made their way to where Sekai said she had heard the news, drawing near in time to see some enormous lions with red pelts. Beru's eyes narrowed. This didn't look good.  

[Kimaria]

Elda was not here to talk or get involved in politics. She was here, quite simply, because Moto'Seide was here. That and the fact that she believed her sturdy personality might be required if things got heated. All Seide needed to do was ask, and Elda would do as ordered without question. It had always been that way and it most likely always would.

Towards the front of the group, lingering close to Armada, was Heti. Her striking pelt was easy to see amidst the crowds. Sometimes she reminded him a little of his own father, except that she seemed to like him, whereas his father didn't. He shuddered as he remembered the cold look Azar'bijan had given him when he said he was crossing out of the lands. Azar had been insistent that his place was in the desert and had refused to come. Perhaps he was afraid. Or perhaps he did have the right idea. Either way, the young male was glad that he had opted to stay. Too many fiery tempers could prove rather disastrous.

To Moto'spaki he gave a small smile. "Likely they will...be quite surprised to see us. Let's hope this doesn't get complicated..."

--

One of the Boneland's newest members, Ainra, was alerted to the disturbance when around her, other lionesses began to move and talk in quiet voices. Her eyes opened, ears turning to face forwards as she tried to gauge what exactly was happening. And then a voice, calling out. Other lions?

Interest caught, Ainra rose slowly with some of the others and took a few tentative steps forward. "Someone big?" She asked, blinking between the females. "Could it be danger?"

Her eyes caught sight of little Laini'hatua. "Are the cubs at risk?"

 

[Mimsey]

"Looking at us?" Armada ticked. "Perhaps we should turn around then. Remember, we have a job to do. We anticipated locals." Whether or not that troubled Armada's conscience at all was up to debate. What was clear, was that she was moving towards the water in one straight path. Body low, strange eyes focused on her target. The grass beneath her feet slowly turned from sharp needles to wet silt.

Once she had reached the water's edge, the large lioness gave out one quick, sharp roar. By now other strange faces were poking out among the grasses. It didn't seem like there was any use in masking their arrival. She expected the locals to be soft, not stupid.

Agitation vented, the strangely marked lioness sunk down her head and took a gulp full of the cooler waters. It was strange, but she had almost forgotten what the taste of water was like when it was not clouded with sand. It felt murky, but satisfying. If there had been any doubt that they weren't making the right call, it would be in this.

Even Veru, who came up somewhat less aggressively towards the water's banks, took a quick drink.

"We'll need to secure the other side," Armada said. "You there, lions. I suggest you do not come much closer. We mean you no harm, but this water is ours now."

 

[Andranis]

When Armada moved, Rowtag saw Luut move. He looked over toward his sister, Elda. "Well, I think it's time for a drink!" His attention then turned to the water, as his paws moved quickly. He added his own loud roar, punctuating Armada's statement. The water smelled so... Wonderful... He dropped down next to the odd-eyed lioness, taking deep gulps of water. The mud felt odd under his paws, but it was a welcome odd. He'd never realized just how parched his throat was, as it washed over his tongue and went to his stomach. It felt simply wonderful, and he wasn't in the mood to stop until he could hold no more.

Stepping up next to his mother, Luut eyed the other lions. He wasn't quite so sure about chasing them off - There were cubs, after all. He couldn't imagine running cubs away from the water. They needed it as much as the Firekin did. Regardless... He gave in and sank down as well, taking in great gulps of water. The bottom of his dark red mane touched the water, starting to soak it up. When he lifted his head, it dripped from his maw and mane alike, first in rivulets and then tapering down to drops. His own oddly-white eyes scanned over everyone on the other side, before he started moving toward the other side. His mother said secure it... He was going to secure it.  

[wooga Paes]

"Let's hope, yes." He agreed, glancing at Heti, then making his way down towards the water, as Armada had done. When he reached it, Rowtag and Luut were already drinking, and Armada was warning the lions.

Speaking of the lions, it was a bit interesting to see. Brown, furry little things. It felt like years since Moto'spaki had seen so many not-red, black and white lions. He approached the water and took a quick drink, but not much. He remembered days where you could drink plenty of water at a time, and it could slow you down. He hardly wanted that in the event of a fight. He remembered once being tackled by a sibling after a long drink. It had been extremely unpleasant.

Secure the other side, then? Alright. He stepped away from the water, and it dripped from his mane as he moved ahead to join Luut.