[PRP] Taking to the Lands [Alduin x Heladhi]

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Alduin had been tied up - primarily due to political babble. Babble that had begun to bore him a touch, not that he was alone in that feeling. He had seen the faces of his council, sure they had a game face on, but the relief when he called to have a break was to real some days.

"It will only get easier."

He reminded himself quietly. The dark lion had made a decision to have some time free, it would be a joke to call it a day off as he wouldn't know when he was called back, but that's what he hoped it would become. There was a always a possibility. Until then he carried himself down a path that lead towards a stream, as he approached it he could hear the soft trickling. Alduin wasn't sure how far his 'scouts' had gone yet, but he himself hadn't been past this stream and on to pastures that weren't entirely theirs.

Expanding their lands was a priority, but not priority number one. He thought of this and decided to bring that back up to the council soon. If they were to grow they'd need the space. Then he realized, you can take a leader from his cave, but can't take away the thinking. Sure he had stepped away a moment, but his mind was forever with his pride. He'd never stop considering things. Easier. He mused at his earlier statement.

Soon he reached the stream, something perhaps more akin to a brook, a babbling one at that. Slowly he stepped towards it and began the descent into it's cold 'depths' and crossed it's width to reach the otherside. Once crossed his simply began to look around and look back. Though he had just crossed a small brook of water he felt as though he was seeing a new world.

"The outlands." He smiled softly, feeling a little dangerous, now he knew what the younger lions had been talking about.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

The morning had been a rough one for Hel, one filled with negotiations for a trade of raw material for finished crafts that she could further barter with as she left the pride. In the end, the deal was not what she was looking for, and she shook her head.

She would have to try again another day, or simply process the pelts the hunters in her family gathered. She wasn't a crafter by trade, but she had picked up some skills to help her out anyhow. It wasn't her favorite thing in the world, and neither was her job, but she was good at it. She rolled her shoulders as she made her way into the rogue lands outside of the prides borders.

The lands that her parents owned in the pride were quite close to the borders, it made for easy leaving for hunts and trading after all. She didn't want to pass through anyone of the other family's lands, after all, but with her father being the Jarlkona's brother, it wasn't like they would cause her any trouble. The lioness shook her head huffing and she wandered further still.

Perhaps something interesting would find its way to her after the droll day of bargaining.  

[Ctrl F Greenie]

Alduin was truly testing the outskirts of their pridal lands now - he surely didn't intend to do so, but it happened and though his instincts told him to go back he chose to move forward instead. He figured this was an opportunity for an unfiltered glance at the world around him. Sometimes input from others was insightful and appropriate, but not always.

Step after step he found even grounds littered with branches, leaves and some muddy spots. The darker, grey lion studied these spots briefly, curious at their origin as he couldn't recall any rains coming through the territory recently, perhaps they didn't see all the rains. This was his narrow mind being opened, something he hadn't anticipated to happen so early in his venture.

Then he spied someone.

White pelt, decorated with stripes the color of fresh blood and dark mane/tail. He couldn't tell much more detail than this, nor could he see her face clearly. Trying desperately to adapt to these new types of situations he decidedly made a youthful mistake, even at his older age. Stepping free from his spot among some trees he moved to interrupt her vision, but remained silent.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Hel was quite surprised to see another lion so quickly outside of the borders of her pride, but she hadn't quite realized she wandered so far as to reach that of another pride. She tilted her head as he appeared before her, farther off than she could see properly, but her eyes zeroed in on the black shape.

She found herself moving closer, realizing that the other was more a brown and grey than black at all. She eyed him carefully.

She could fight well enough to take him on one-on-one if she needed to, but she was a merchant, and as a merchant she would negotiate first if she needed to that too.

"Hello," she greeted easily as she approached, blue eyes glittering almost mischievously. After all, it was also part of her job to find members or allies when she was out an about, or kill those who tried to invade. She would do either with pleasure.

Mysses Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

"Hello."

Green eyes gazed at the other as she approached - the lioness seemed friendly enough, but he was guarded. "Who are you?" Alduin asked abruptly, perhaps he should have considered working on his nerves before considering undertaking such a task as to wander away, certainly not within distant enough to call out.

The dark lion situated his paws a little better, visibly rolled his shoulders and settled once again, but this time he appeared a touch more relaxed. "I mean, what is your name?" It seemed the relaxing tactic worked a touch, he breathed a little easier this way as well - boy if she inquired even a little about his position she'd never believe his was a noble position at all.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Hel was used to foreigners, used to speaking with other families and strangers. She held herself with confidence and showed she wouldn't be afraid of the other. She almost laughed at his misstep in speech, but she just smiled instead.

She wondered who the other was, too, however. How had she only just exited her pride - or so she thought - and entered another one so quickly. This couldn't be anything but another pride. The lands smelled thickly of Pride and Not Home that it had to be another's territory.

"I'm Heladhi, the niece of Liana," she spoke highly of her aunt - the leader of her pride. Perhaps he would know her, and interesting things would happen. They were close at borders after all. She watched him closely, glad that he seemed to relax after he asked his question the second time. "Who might you be?"

What was he doing at the edges of his own pride...? She was eager to find out.

Abominable Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The dark lion was amazed by his companies confidence - a likely reason with being how sheltered the pride had been, he hadn't had a chance to develop the appropriate skills for outside living. Now was a good as good a time as any to begin developing them and so he tried to pull himself together to mirror the radiating confidence, but his words had already failed him - something he would have to monitor a little more closely.

He watched briefly, particularly as the lioness introduced herself. It was clear she'd been raised a diplomat (or as near as could be without being one herself) and so he wondered what kind of situation he'd gotten himself into. "It's nice to make your acquaintance, Heladhi." Alduin had meant to add 'niece of Liana', but debated just how far one had to go in a case like this one.

"I'm Alduin, Jun of Dov Strunmah." The lion had no idea that she may not know what he was speaking of, but still said it with plenty enough pride that the point might have been made. Even so he continued on to explain a little bit. "I am the leader of my pride, we've made some elaborate changes recently and have needed to investigate some of our new territory."

Too much?

Alduin thought on his decision to say what he had said and figured out for himself that perhaps he had spouted off a little to much, but he hadn't explained that they were newly released from the walls of their home - or that they were still unsure of their footing with others prides, though his earlier misstep with formalities might have made that a dead giveaway. Then a thought occurred to him, what if they weren't the only pride to have made a choice like that? Hm.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Hel gave a bit of a cheeky grin. "Nice to meet you as well, Alduin," she said in return. He was the leader, huh? That made some sense, but he seemed a little out of his depth, and she wondered what made him that way.

"What kind of changes?" She asked, curiously. They had to have been big changes, and she hadn't heard of this pride that was so close to her borders. She hummed, tilting her head to show the curiosity in her questioning, and she grinned at him.

"Well, Vaeringjar, my pride, is just that way. Liana is the Jarlkona - the leader - though I am currently only a merchant. Her children have more rights to the leadership than I," and she was fine with that. She never expected to get the title of Jarl in the pride, unless she fought and killed her aunt's mate.

Still, that didn't mean she couldn't be a diplomat.

Abominable Greenie

 

[Ctrl F Greenie]

The dark lion was about to answer her question when she began to describe her home land. The pride appeared to be lead by a female, intriguing. He'd have to admit eventually that his home hadn't been lead by a female - certainly there was the mate of the leader, but there hadn't been a female to take control of Dov, ever? He couldn't think on it now, he'd have to take his question to the paintings on the cave walls.

"My pride has been secluded for most of it's existence." He admitted to her, he recognized what a merchant was, but didn't know the rank system in her pride - she could be some high ranking individual and so he approached the situation with a generic attitude. "We are born from the mountain and stayed within it's walls until just recently. When I became Jun the choice was made to leave those walls and move to just outside of them." The idea was strange when he began to say it out loud to a stranger, but still he stood by their way of life.

He grinned back at her, enjoying the company of the lady very much.

Seaki

 

[Seaki]

Ctrl F Greenie

Honestly, Hel could not imagine what it would be like to be secluded into a pride. She moved freely away from the borders and explored the roguelands at will. She liked to hunt for treasures and deals and just... anything. Being trapped in the mountains did not sound one bit appealing

"No plans to lock yourself back in the mountains I hope?" She teased. She wanted to see more of him, after all. She couldn't very well do that if she was out here and he was locked up in a mountain.  

[Ctrl F Greenie]

"Not that I can predict the future, but I don't think we'll be heading behind those walls again anytime soon." He agreed. The joke had almost gone over his head, but he managed a small smile. Then he realized how discourteous he was being in not having offered a tour.

"I hope you'd be willing to accept a tour of my home?" Alduin wasn't ignorant to the dangers of welcoming a stranger, but he was trusting his gut instinct with this one - she didn't seem to have a mean bone in her body. Or if she did she had managed to keep it well hidden.

Seaki