[SRP] Lake of Sighs [Mng'aro]

[Vashtya]

A pale lion made his way carefully toward the newly formed lake, something driving him forward. He'd had visions off and on for his entire life; they tended to be vague, and sometimes made little sense - but often pushed him in directions that he may not have otherwise considered...however today's "adventure" was driven purely by curiosity...or was it? If he were honest, he wasn't sure, but something compelled him toward the oppressive, foul-smelling lake. Where had it come from? Was it linked to the odd lights in the sky, and the trembling of the earth?

Hesitating at the very edge of the steep-walled crater that ringed the lake, he listened, shivering slightly as he could hear...something, the sounds indistinct, making it impossible to understand or interpret...and...a flash of movement, seen from the corner of his eye, as if beckoning him down for a closer look, in spite of his better judgement telling him that this was an immensely stupid idea.

The ex-swampie was small, not much larger than an adolescent, with a slight build - for most of his youth, he'd been frail and sickly...and while he (fortunately) no longer struggled to the same degree, he'd had to work that much harder to be able to survive on his own, and would never have the strength and stamina that others took for granted.

He'd been alone since he left the pride on his naming quest, expecting to return to his home soon, expecting the hazy visions that he'd grown up with to direct him right to it...but they never had. And then he'd heard how the pridal lands had fallen to ruin, the pride disbanded, shattering any hopes of ever returning. And somehow, with all the wandering he'd done since, he somehow found himself here, second-guessing himself even as he picked his way closer to the newly-formed blight on the otherwise-boring landscape.
 

[Vashtya]

Quote:

You could swear you heard someone you once knew whisper in your ear, but you can't make out what they're saying! That's...not creepy at all.

Mng'aro shuddered, toes curling into the fragile lip of the crater, as he could swear he heard voices from his past - his father, who had always struggled to understand his dreamy-eyed, frail cub, but who had loved him regardless (and perhaps, who had loved him most fiercely of all his offspring), his closest sister, even his mother...but there was something strange about them too -frantic, almost crazed in tone, but so soft that they sent chills up and down his spine, and he couldn't understand anything.

It was almost maddening, like trying to listen to someone trying to convey something urgent, but your ears were full of water, making it impossible to understand, even though you could tell it was really important. His muscles strained, practically quivering with urgency, even as his ears pricked forward, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pick out anything that made sense, and logically, he knew that the voices weren't real - they couldn't be, right? He might be more inclined than most to not ignore odd, niggling notions, but this was a step further...

When one of his forepaws slipped, the edge of the crater crumbling under it, it snapped him out of his reverie, bringing him firmly back to earth with an almost audible snap.

His head jerked up, and he took a solid step back, then another. As he did so, he could still hear the vague, unintelligible voices, but they were fainter easier to ignore...and no longer tempting him to step closer, half-convinced that if he did, he'd finally be able to hear what they were saying.

Swallowing, he took another step back, then slowly, almost reluctantly, started to turn away. Was he just that lonely, hearing the voices of loved ones who, for all he knew were all long-gone, or was it something more sinister?

A breeze blew up along his spine, rubbing his fur the wrong way, sending a shiver sharply up his spine. It was the final prompt he needed to turn completely away from the sight he'd found so compelling only moments before, and making his way back to a far less threatening part of the rogue lands. Although with all the odd lights, and occasional small trembles of the earth that had started recently, he couldn't help wondering what was causing it all - and how safe anywhere was likely to be. Turning his head in a new direction, he began to walk - perhaps it was time to consider leaving his past behind him, and to seek out something new?


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Word Count: 738