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 Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 8:16 am
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He'd never been to the Bahari'mtoto; though he had heard its praises sung by the petite goddess, he'd never spent time exploring the coast or its lush jungles. Consequently, as he followed behind Solomon, acting as escort to his now 'lost' friend, it was the first time in which he was afforded the opportunity to see exactly what it was Arimathras had been so fond of. To say it was different from his own home was an understatement; from smell to colour, it had a vibrancy that very few other regions could hope to compete against.
Interestingly, even the temperature seemed to be more pleasant as well, the warmth tempered by the slight breeze that swept in from the water. His home was upon the shores of a very large river, perhaps one of the most impressive in Africa, but this was something entirely different. In the end he had concluded that this was very much a place that Arimathras would have loved - it was very her for want of a better description.
Peaceful? Check.
Welcoming? Check.
Plenty of food and water for the general populace? Absolutely.
Destati had even taken a moment to marvel at the dens as he slipped passed, his brow raising at the care that had been taken in their construction, but more importantly, in the pride that the owners appeared to keep. It seemed that once again his own collective had advised him well, if there was ever a place their friend could rest, it was here...
"You are sure that they can help?" Destati asked, still uncertain as to the capabilities of this pride, despite Solomon's previous reassurances.
"Positive," Solomon glanced over his shoulder towards the older lion and shook his head. "They may not be able to settle his nerves," he paused briefly to glance towards his father. Just like the Justicar, Spectre had never seen this place before. His reaction had been similar, every now and then his uncertain steps would pause, and he would take a moment or two to inspect the landscape around him.
"But at the very least they will be able to determine how best to meet his needs," he continued at last and glanced left, then right, to ensure that the tiny terrors were not about to barrel through as they were prone to. Fortunately for him, it seemed the cubs were otherwise engaged at this current moment in time and he was free to proceed towards the one individual that he knew would be lurking.
Peregrine was significantly easier to find than his mother, often sighted in the same spot while he meditated each day. Solomon had therefore elected to approach the son first, make his case to him, and from there he assumed that the Mshauri would be able to provide greater insight. While Destati may not have known it, both Peregrine and Chessa were in a unique position to help Spectre.
"It is a part of their job," he pointed out with a small smile. It was here that he came to a halt again and glanced over his shoulder, patiently waiting for his father to follow...
Spectre up until this point had been incredibly well behaved... All things considered, the lion had followed quietly. Now that he was moving he seemed to settle considerably, and the presence of both the familiar (though unknown Destati) and his own son, had made him much more agreeable. Upon his arrival into the Bahari lands, this agreeable nature seemed to increase tenfold and even he couldn't really explain why... There was something about the pristine white shores that seemed to instill a sense of tranquility in him.
He couldn't quite put his paw on it, but something here gave off the vibe that the world was safe.
Had he been one who could express himself more eloquently, he probably would have stopped to ponder for longer, but in his current state the lion was simply more interested in the unique decorations that graced each den. Pressed up against the forest edge, all of them seemed to look different, as if whoever or whatever lived within them wanted to add their own personal touches and convey who they were as an entity. Some were more minimalist, while others were much like the forest they had stepped through...positively covered in colour.
Alas, he couldn't dwell for too long, and took note of the pair of lions who had come to a halt. The skeletal lion's gaze met the patient eyes of both males, and it was with a sheepish murmur that he hurried forward with his eyes bowed again. He knew their intentions were pure, but that still didn't mean he wasn't concerned for where they might be going, or what they might do in the long run...
No sooner had Spectre begun to follow them again than the blue lion slipped into view. It was something that caught Solomon unaware as his facial expression contorted, but the easy smile on the clouded male's face made it abundantly clear that word had simply gotten around. There were no secrets within the Bahari, once you stepped over the border your presence was known... And Solomon had certainly left in a flurry of drama that had left them all curious. The fact that he had left a message with the King to alert him to the severity of whatever issue he had left to handle had ensured that the healers would be notified the second he arrived.
...Peregrine was, conveniently, the one who happened to be free.
"You are a vision of health," he greeted the Bumani with his usual small smile and then turned his attention to the Justicar. He was related to the Captain that had been here, that much was obvious, but there was no doubt in Peregrine's mind that he was healthy too. No, on this occasion it was obvious who needed his assistance and it came in the form of the skeletal lion who seemed more interested in his own paws than acknowledging the existence of others. He had no immediate injuries from what the Mshauri could see, at least not physically, but he had certainly been through a great many trials.
Starved and exhausted, it was a wonder he was standing.
"Perhaps we should start from the beginning," he advised as he stepped forward to approach Spectre, lowering his own head to try and meet the lion's gaze...
Words (Des): 277
Words (Sol): 250
Words (Spec): 277
Words (Pere): 274
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 8:41 am
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Spectre initially pulled away from the clouded lion, backing up a few steps and he only came to a stop when his leg pressed against a piece of driftwood. It was enough to startle him and he glanced round, staring at it accusingly until his vision cleared and he realised that it was nothing more than wood. To say he was skittish was stating the obvious, but after a cautious glance back towards Peregrine he came to the realisation that the lion had no ill intent. This seemed to be a reoccurring theme for the skeletal lion as he had been led to this sanctuary and it was disconcerting to say the least.
With what little self control he could manage to muster he finally took the steps forward, placing himself close to Peregrine once more. It was at this point that he lifted his gaze to meet the piercing blue orbs of the younger male. Haunted and dull, his were a shadow in comparison to the lion before him who seemed to be in the prime of his life - yet there was a strange sort of 'quiet' about him. Was this what they meant when one sought inner peace, that sense of serenity where absolutely everything seemed to fall in to place...?
Spectre didn't know, but at the very least his mind had concluded that no harm would come to him here, his visions had stilled and even with the new faces that occasionally trotted passed in the distance, none of them seemed to have the capacity to set him off either.
To him, it was like he had stepped into an entirely different world...
"Peregrine this is my father," Solomon spoke once he was certain that Spectre had settled again. With a parent who was so easily spooked, a large amount of his energy had been placed into reassuring the skeletal male and hoping that he wouldn't bolt. While he had no doubt that Destati would have been able to assist in herding him back to the right spot, it was a chase he preferred not to have. His aim was a simple one, and no doubt a position that any healer would approve of, he wanted to keep the stress levels to a minimum and for that, they needed to avoid the unnecessary chases.
"We initially thought he was dead but as you can see he isn't," he flashed a wry smile. Truth be told with the state Spectre was in he might as well have been dead. There was still uncertainty between himself and Destati as to how well he would even recover, he might have shown tenacity, but ultimate the damage of such a prolonged weakened state was something neither of them was familiar with.
"Destati will be able to clarify what happens to be the issue," he didn't like to pass the buck, but on this occasion it was the truth... Solomon knew little about medicine, and even less about what the Collective had done in an attempt to cure his father. On top of that, he didn't even know the complex details surrounding what had happened to Spectre in the Al-siq, but Destati did and that was in large part why Solomon had insisted that he come.
"For the time being my father needs rest, so I'll take him to my quarters," he smiled gently. "I'm sure Destati will be able to afford you with as much information as you need, but...we really do need your help," he finished.
It wasn't often that he looked exhausted, that he seemed to feel the need to 'plead', but this was an unusual situation for everyone involved. However, confident that Peregrine wouldn't refuse him, Solomon instead set about leading his father to a place he would be able to sleep for the time being, leaving Destati and Peregrine to converse...
Words (Sol): 368
Total Words (Sol): 618
Words (Spectre): 276
Total Words (Spectre): 553
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Posted: Sun Feb 26, 2017 10:01 am
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As Solomon led his father away, Peregrine turned his attention to the Justicar. Though not formerly introduced, he didn't ask for the name nor provide his own given that Solomon had addressed them both. Indirectly they were aware of one another's identity and it would simply be a waste of time to mince words and concern themselves with trivial etiquette. For this reason, the clouded lion had fixed his gaze on the freckled male and was now waiting patiently for Destati to explain what he needed to know.
"This is going to take some time," Destati said finally and lifted his paw to rub at his chin. He would have to pick his words carefully, ensuring that the healer received all the important information without compromising the Collective's efforts, or the Al-siq. Whether the Bahari were curious or not was irrelevant, the Al-siq were still isolationist and despite their current issues, it was in his best interests to ensure no one knew where they were. It would prevent the unscrupulous from attempting to take advantage of the situation - he was already fighting two wars, he didn't need a third.
"Perhaps we should start with the easier questions," Peregrine offered and pursed his lips. "What conditions was he kept in that have resulted in such a malnourished state?" he asked.
"With the exception of being imprisoned within his own mind, none," Destati responded. "From what we have gathered he has been on the move constantly, failing to secure appropriate sustenance as he continued on his way," he clarified. He gave a light shrug of his shoulders as if to imply he had absolutely no idea how the lion had managed to survive in this state for this long, at this point he assumed it really was down to his training.
Peregrine nodded.
"And you say that he is imprisoned in his own mind," Peregrine paused and glanced over his shoulder towards where the patient had gone. Based on what Destati had said, he was either insane, or something else had happened to cause such a locked in state.
"Spectre does not recall who he is or where he came from," Destati sighed. "It seems that when he was attacked several years ago he inhaled something that he responded poorly to, however whatever it did, seems to have caused him to..."
"Suffer from a loss of memory," Peregrine waved his paw as if to spur the lion along. "If we're to treat him I'm going to need some context in regards to exactly what he's running from," he clucked his tongue. "If only so we understand what he might be referencing should he have an episode."
Yes, Peregrine had already come to the right conclusions regarding the skeletal lion from mere body language alone.
"He possesses the unique capability to sense his enemies approaching, they can paralyse him if he's not careful."
"A seer then."
"His sight is often violent; we have reason to believe it's that which causes him to flee. Based on his current self we are not entirely sure he understands what it is he sees..."
"How accurate is it?" Peregrine asked, furrowing his brow.
"At this point we really aren't sure, he suffered from the same visions as we attempted to catch him," Destati paused briefly and grimaced. "Depending on your view, I would argue that it remains accurate given we were the enemies at the time..."
"I see," Peregrine paused. he really did see as well, it seemed that Spectre suffered from abilities which were not pleasant. In short, he was very much like he and his mother. "Then we should be able to settle his nerves," he took a breath and then sighed. "Though it may take a considerable amount of time."
"We do not expect to see him return to our fight," Destati confessed with a weak smile. "We only hope that he'll be comfortable here."
"We'll do what we can," Peregrine promised; and he knew that both he and his mother would...
Words (Des): 343
Words (Pere): 323
Total Words (Des): 620
Total Words (Pere): 597
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