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It was so rare that anyone called on his name. There were mortals who sought him, mortals that wished to gain his blessing, mortals that sung about lands of peace and times of peace, great beasts of peace and those who had died in the name of peace. There were always these things and he felt them, more than heard them. Some were quite sad, others almost bittersweet. They were common enough and rarely stirred him from his slumber or troubled him during his journeys from land to land.

However, he had never met a god who openly called for him. Maua was always there, she never had to call him. If he strayed from her side, she found him. There was also Mut, but he never called on peace. He simply arrived to defend it with his massive bulk and his fierce nature. Gods had mocked him for his stature and weakness, some even just ignored him outright. But...one was calling for him.

The god lifted his head, his eyes heavy. At present, he laid beside Maua as she slumbered as well. Both had traveled for so long and had run so far, looking for answers to the questions that troubled peace itself.

He glanced over to her as he rose, silent as a whisper, and gently stepped away. Smiling softly, he turned and took to the air. Where most gods flew on wings, Li ran across clouds that seemed to collect around his paws and hooves at his will. His golden mane flew behind him like a king's banner and his scales shone like a hoard of gems. The rush of simply running through the sky blossomed into a wide smile and and eager gallop forward.

In short order, he heard the actual voice on the wind. Maua's words of caution whispered in the back of his mind. This god could be hostile, he could even be out for his life. Maua wasn't far- if this god proved to be an enemy he could likely make it back. Peace wasn't powerful nor particularly wise in battle, but it was a swift thing that could come and go on a breeze.

"I'm here!" He called out, privately curious how this god knew his given name.

The smaller god stood on a whiff of cloud the same way one might stand perched on a boulder or a small outcropping. Often times he would simply hover in such a way, standing on a cloud while he watched the world below. Drifting in mid-air was effortless. He had once envied the winged ones, wishing for a feathery pair of his own but it seemed that it would require far more energy. Running was familiar, and running on the air itself took so little effort on his part. There was no shock of flesh and bone against the solid ground, no uncertainty of dips in the ground or uneven footholds. In the air, it was true, unbridled freedom.

He watched, and listened, in complete confusion as the god explained, sort of, his purpose for calling him. As he explained himself, Li's expression went from curious to apologetically confused. The smile remained, but his eyes were completely lost, unable to recognize this individual or follow why such information was crucial enough for him to know.

"I apologize... Van? I... have we met?" He tilted his head slightly. "This is the first time I recall having ever met you."

This lion was out of his gourd.

Li hovered in place, smiling warmly but his face was contorted with obvious confusion and something akin to sympathy. Perhaps they had known at one point in their past lives, perhaps not. Maybe he looked like someone that this god had known before, perhaps not. It was hard to say. Li understood mortals and their ways far better than he could ever know the ways of the gods. It was a sad statement...maybe it would change.

Then something clicked. Li's eyes went wide. Find three seers-

"Oh...gods." How did Sammy know?! Or...how did Van know? Was this a set-up? The timing seemed horribly perfect all things considered. Maybe things just worked out that way- or maybe it was in fact karma working for a good cause. He didn't know.

"I'm sorry I just... I've not been the same since I died last," Wow was that a strange statement, "You have three children? Seers? I...actually, that's what I- well we - are looking for!"

He could have melted in relief at that. Their journey was over. The search was done. Soon they could get the kingdom founded and return to their duties. The tug of their callings had been put on hold. Sammy would be able to get back to his duties, at least for a time.

He shook his head, unwilling to get his hopes up just yet. The seers would need to be presented to the two others, and approved. After that, they would have to be trained, tested, then sent out into the world. It would be a long road, but it would end well. At least he could hope it would...still. The children of innocence! He couldn't ask for a better set up.

"I... I don't understand fully," He admitted. "Why...won't you raise them? Look after them? Did they do something to disappoint you?"

The small god grew somber. For being as young in appearance as he was, for a moment he looked almost ancient. The playful, almost naive expression faded into something almost kingly. There was a hint of disappointment and a distant sadness to his eyes as well. He knew well what it was like to not know a father. Even as a mortal, in an adopted family, there had been no fatherly figure in his life. Mut was as close to a father as he had but courage was a god of few words and even fewer appearances.

"I will look after them. But I have a condition-" He held up a claw. "You visit them. Let them know that they were not left to my care out of lack of want. I couldn't do that to them."

Li's somber expression faded as quickly as it had placed itself on his face. His ears relaxed and his eyes softened. The children would see their father then. It wasn't his place to tell them of their father's fate. That job belonged only to the father. Perhaps he would never tell them, perhaps they would never actually know, but at least they would have some exposure to them.

He glanced up, watching as Van ascended higher into the sky.

Oh wait-

"Van!" He galloped after the god, pushing clouds under his form to rise higher and higher. "Where are they?"

Near the mountain of the gods? In a cave near a waterfall... it sounded like the Mistwalkers but to his knowledge, no god had taken up residence there. Not permanently anyway. It must have been the gods haven. A tremble of fear coursed over his small body as he turned in the direction of the mountain. He had never gone there before, and with good reason. He feared his own kind as much as most mortals feared them. They were alien to him, and the haven was not a place he had ever set paw or hoof.

Swallowing his discomfort, he turned back to Van. "Very well. My journey continues. Thank you, friend."

With that, he whirled about on his hooves, horn and scales flashing in the light. He sprang from his current cloud and shot downward, nearly free-falling back the way he had come. The god's haven then... Mkodi keep us...