[ LOG ] The blind prophet and the mistwalkers | Finished

[Thalion]

Augustine:
There were always stories. Always whispers. Sometimes there were songs or elusive hints, but every one of them served as a leaf on a much bigger plant. Every leaf was a little different than the other. Some were wider, some were more narrow, some had a curl to their blades while others were flat. In the end, they all grew out of the same stem and that stem was firmly rooted in reality. What exactly the reality was, he didn't know, but that's what he sought to find for himself. The problem with stems was that every leaf had its own idea in which direction it should grow. No one could properly discern the nature of the root of a plant by what any one leaf told, nor could the truth of anything be taken on here-say. Every tongue told a story one way and it was the few grains of words that peppered those stories in which the common thread of truth began.

Gods had once rested among mortals. Gods had once lost the trust of the mortals. One god turned on the cradle of their kind and plunged them into the sea. The mists swallowed them up. The mists housed the restless spirits of the dead. The gods tormented the mortals that failed them- so many stories but they all quietly echoed one truth- this place was where they all radiated from.

He could feel the moisture in the air, the cold swirling mass around him, brushing his mane and dampening his back. The distant sound of falls crashing against water and stone, the sound of wind tossing water from the arch of the falls into the air. For most lions, the mists would have proven an impossible gateway, even more so now that the goddess of mist herself thickened the veil and blessed only those within it. For one who was already used to moving through the endless dark, trusting only his paws and hearing, the mist had no hold over whether or not he continued on.

Faun:
The mists were not something that had ever bothered Faun. The grey and white lion was a son to the mists as the blood of his ancestors ran thick through out the very ground his paws rested on. Faun was tiredly far to aware of where he came from. All of his young life he'd been schooled on the teachings of the ancestors of the land their family reclaimed once again.

And though young Faun would never say it out loud, the young adult did not care much either way how old the lands were or why the mists were so thick and what crimes against the pride had taken place. Not that he shooed those thoughts away completely, but Faun was not one to dwell. Faun was much more interesting in the act. The act of navigating ones way through the thick mist and feeling the smooth stones beneath his paw pads. The act of sparring with his fellow sentinels and so on and so forth.

Even so, Faun was well learned and knew never to take unnecessary chances. He was not always trying to prove him self by doing bold and stupid things. Fauns upbringing had groomed him well to think of the prides well being with every action.

So because of this, the lion kept very quietly to the mists in tail of the light gold lion he was trailing. Every paw step expertly calculated before even placing it down. Faun had not yet figured out that this lion here was blind.  

[Thalion]

Ernil Dúlin:
High above where the blind lion walked and his brother moved like a ripple behind a trailing serpent, Ernil Dúlin watched in silence. The senteniels often moved through the mist, brushing through the narrow passages of the caves and cliffs, stalking the thick, twisted branches of the ancient trees on their border, and haunting the edge of their sacred pools. Above in the rune-filled caves the Maji looked above the mists to the stars above, learning their movements through the heavens and the significance of their alignment. The Mistweavers of old revered both the King of Storms and the god of the moon himself. They honored the starlight, the night time, the thick mists, and the waters that brought them light. All elements put together gave them their elusive lifestyle, allowing them to hide when need be and to foesee their own futures.

He watched with a silent, knowing smirk as his brother trailed the intruder. Haldir was patrolling the northern border, and Faun was on his own. It was one of the first times he was allowed to patrol without a superior to oversee his route. How fitting that now he woudl be tested.

Setting his studies aside for the moment, the fair, slender male picked his way down the cliff's face with the same caution that a spider would decend from her web.

Augustine:
Augustine felt more than heard the other presense nearby. There were rumros of ghosts in this place, angry spirits that fell long ago to a horrible plague. Or a war. Or a god's wrath. Or perhaps they were gods themselves- the stories were so varied it was hard to pick out which was the more likely.

He walked in silence, ignoring the eyes on his back for a time but as his paws brushed a gentle lapping water bordering on the stone he sighed and turned an ear. "If you're going to follow me, we'd best make introductions and be polite about it. Come on now."  

[Thalion]

Faun:

Best make introductions?Faun had been mid stride when the intruder had called what he assumed to only be him out. Was the lion bluffing and calling out to the mists to make sure he was alone or was he really aware that he was being trailed. Faun set a paw down and stayed silent as he puzzled over this.But he was a sentinel and this intruder was on his lands. It was his job to see what business he had. Not just watch.
"What business do you have that'd you'd so willingly stride in to the lands of ghosts?" Faun stepped out of the spiraling mists and revealed him self. His demeanor quite serious. He'd never dealt with an outsider that hadn't been screened before. Sure, every once in a while a sentinel would come back with acceptable outsiders but Faun knew better than to just assume this was a harmless encounter.The pale lion might have been a little too stiff. He was a tad nervous. His brother close by had yet to catch his attention.

Augustine:
So he wasn't alone. Lucky hunch.

The lion kept his back turned and seemed to be watching one of the distant falls. The mist thickened up near the water but cleared as the lake went further and further in. Once within the pride's territory, the mist tapered off, allowing the pride to enjoy the untouched beauty of their homeland under the pure sun or moonlight.

Not that it mattered to him.

"Is that what the locals call this place then?" He tilte dhis head curiously. "Well there's one story verified. Do tell me-" He turned his head fully, his eyes looking well past beyond his companion and more out to the rocks behind him. "Are you a vengeful spirit here to take me to the afterlife or are you a god? Could you be something inbetween the two?"  

[Thalion]

Faun:
Those eyes. Faun's own pair widened when the lion seemingly stared a hole through his figure. This shocked the light grey lion so much that he couldn't help but spare a small glance to the side before his eyes quickly returned to their focus. Something seemed off. One should keep in mind that Faun was not accustomed to being in the presence of a blind lion.
To Faun's credit, he stood rock still any ways and kept his eyes focused on the odd lion before him. But those eyes. That stare. It was other world like.
Luckily Faun's ears were working alright. He caught the questions the outlander asked and shook his head, still not catching on to the fact that this lion was blind. It would be blasphemy to claim such to the dead that resided in the mists and the gods that over looked their daily life.
"Of course not. Can't you tell that I am flesh and bone as you are?"

Augustine:
The lion smiled, an easy expression on a young face. There was a hint of humor in it as well, one that was perhaps a little more exadurated than would seem normal. "I can tell a few things."

He seemed to be speaking a little to the left of his host, even as he turned to face the source of the voice he didn't seem entirely centered. "I can tell you are young- about my age. Male. I can tell that you are a native, you were very silent, better than most in fact. But, no, I cannot tell you are any more than that. For all I know you are a winged zebra or a very tall snake."

Ernil Dúlin:
Durnil paused as he listened in, a good distance off. His form hadn't fully decended from the face of the rock to the solid ground benieth. He needed only a few yards to listen into the conversation at hand. He was nosy, and often fell under-paw, but knowlege was power. This stranger likely had knowlege of the outside that he and his family did not have. He was pale, shockingly so, and seemed a little disoriented. Still- he was able to sense his brother. Perhaps he was a seer?

He shot a swift glance to the Oracle House just across from the lake. Perhaps they should be informed...
 

[Thalion]

Faun:

That knowing grin was met with a very confused look from Faun as he listened to what the outlander had to say.

"You're blind." Finally came from his maw which maybe would have been a bit more obvious if this lion was walking in to things, which is what Faun stereo typed in his head, but this outlander was well poised even in comparison to some that could see.

If Faun wasn't on duty he might have laughed at the bit about winged zebras and snakes. While amused, he kept his chuckles to a mere approving small smile.

"I ask again. What brings you to our mists?" His tone got a bit less official and a lot more friendly now knowing he was dealing with a blind lion.

Faun had yet to notice exactly what this outlander had about his brother being so close by.

Augustine:
"I prefer to say that my vision is different than most." He offered gently, showing no offense or malace for the observation. Offense might have been taken quite a while back, prior to his mane having come in. It was difficult for a cub to cope with a world of shapes and colors that those around him were constantly discovering and finding delight in while his scope never changed. At least, that was the mindset of a cub. Now mature, he found his own way of perciving the world was different, but no less valid.

"Stories mostly." He said sincerely. "Stories of a land where angry spirits whisper and curse through the rocks, where magic swirls with the mists, and where the gods themselves rest." He listened for a moment.

"You have a friend with you?"

Ernil Dúlin:
Ernil put a paw over his mouth. He'd gasped as his brother revealed the state of the outsider. He'd never seen a blind lion before and while he had heard of them, it was one thing to simply hear about it and another to witness it. How on earth could anyone get along without sight? Was black black to them? What did they see in their mind's eye? So many questions but it seemed he woudl be the one providing answers in short order.  

[Thalion]

Faun:
Faun made a gruff clearing his throat sound."I am sorry Outlander. You are the first I have met to see the world quite as you do." He wasn't going to get in to oracles and other pride secrets. This stranger was still being screened and Faun wanted to make sure he was absolutely right before revealing anything about the pride he might regret telling a stranger. He was leery and untrusting of strangers from the stories of the past he'd grown up with, pelt color or not. Granted, Faun would have been a lot more reluctant and more guarded if this stranger was stained with crimson or salmon.

A proud smirk now rested on the sentinels maw. So the prides image had rippled out to outsiders which was a good thing to keep most unwanted out."Magic does swirl in the mists and there are plenty of spirits in these lands. But I wouldn't worry about that. I have never witnessed a vengeful spirit take form and attack an intruder. That is why these lands are guarded by the likes of me and my brethren."

In hind sight maybe that had been a little much on the information. Faun paused. Some one with him? He didn't want to blurt out but... he had to ask."Friend? Some one else in the mists...." Had this outlander been followed? Faun tensed up and became all that much more alert.

Augustine:
"Augustine." He offered. 'Outlander' sounded somehow unrefined, threatoning, and somewhat hostile. He was none of those things, he would fail in even attempting even one. "As I said before, we should properly introduce before we explain ourselves. That is, unless, you like being called 'ghost' and I appreciate being called 'outsider'. If you like your nickname then by all means, but I prefer my given name."

He rolled his ears and slowly scanned the silence, his eyes rolling up to the sky while his ears took careful stock of the area. The breath had silenced but he could still somehow feel another set of eyes.

"Hm...strange."


Ernil Dúlin:
"It's me." The ruse was up. Ernil stepped away from the ledge and landed softly on the damp rock below. Shaking his silvery mane out, the younger brother approached his sibling with a nod of apology.

"I was stepping out for some air and saw that you were after someone from the outside."  

[Thalion]

Faun:
That got another smile from Faun."Faun will do just find friend. I am sorry to have offended if I have done so." He didn't want to admit that this was the first time he did a 'screening' of an outlander before.

"There isn't much time for formalities right now though if you are really sure that there is some on-." And the mystery was solved. Faun's expression fell from serious to 'oh its you'. Not that Faun disliked his brother but he was on the job right now. But Faun was not mad."I'm just relieved that you're not something much more terrifying Ernil." And that was the plain truth.


Augustine:
"Faun it is then." He smiled a bit more and snorted. "No offense taken. I've grown a thick skin to such things. You wouldn't imagine the places I've bumped through on my way here. If anything, it's one of the kinder welcomes."

He turned his head to the new voice. Ah. They knew eachother then, good. He had half feared someone had been stalking him here, though it would have been silly of them to do. He wouldn't make a good meal for one of his fellow lions and most other creatures weren't stupid enough to risk having a bone snapped by a lion's paw- even one lacking sight.

The new voice sounded similar to the first, a little softer but around the same tone.

Ernil Dúlin:
"Thank the gods for that." Ernil snorted. "But that's what we have you brawney ones for, isn't it? Had I been something horrible, I'm sure you would have made a good story out of my carcas."

He glanced to the stranger then back to his brother. "Should...we inform someone? I can run if you want to keep an eye on things here."  

[Thalion]

Faun:
Stories of the outside some times drifted their way being a newly rebuilt pride. He could only imagine that some prides out there were less kind than others. Faun didn't care to see the rest of the world really. His place was here among his sisters and brothers so that he could provide a safe haven for them to live among the spirits of their ancestors and add their own stories to the walls.
Faun couldn't help but swell his chest proudly at his brothers compliment. Compliments on his brawn would get a lion quite far, not that Faun was going to out right admit to that.
"Ah yes. That is an excellent idea. I'll stay here with Augustine and keep him company." He nodded to his brother.

Augustine:
"Actually-", The lion cut in cautiously. "I... did have interest in remaining here. I've followed these stories for quite some time and it would be worth it all to be able to exist here and simply learn. Absorb it for myself. However," He turned towards the voice belonging to Faun though his eyes drifted just beyond him. "The seed that brought me to first look into this stories is just beyond your borders. I needed to investigate first for myself. Would another be too imposing on this place?"

Ernil Dúlin:
Ernil took a step away but froze as the other lion interupted. Frowning, he glanced to his brother. "Another? A seed?"

Augustine:
"Yes, well I met a lion who... well he claims to be quite old, but I met him before my mane even came in. According to those around me, we looked to be the same age. His voice is still that of a child and his mane has not come in at all. Not one hair thicker or a breath longer. He claims he was blessed- or cursed - by a god long ago."
 

[Thalion]

Faun:
Well then friend. Come with us and we'll get you to talk to who you need to." Faun nodded to his brother.

Augustine:
"Very good." He took a moment, lifting his head to gather his senses. North. South. East- That way.

"I'll not be long. My little sprout is waiting just beyond the border. He'll likely give me an earfull. You'll hear us approaching long before you see us- I suspect."