All things considered he was displaying a remarkable amount of patience, no sooner had they arrived than the individuals within the very depths of this jungle had vanished. Shui had seen them, he'd heard them chattering amongst themselves, but the moment his party had arrived... The world had gone quiet. Even now, they stood in a region that was clearly settled with carefully constructed dens. Every so often his gaze would catch upon another feature or quirk of the island's denizens, but the most important aspect of this settlement was missing.
...Where had they all run off to?
His lips had drawn in to a thin line as he had surveyed his surroundings, taking care not to disturb their property as he wandered through it. He had attempted to be as unimposing as possible but they had still deemed it appropriate to bolt. He would have been inclined to call them cowards if he hadn't seem first hand what they had developed to shore up their defences. As it stood he felt more like he was in the middle of a trap and it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences.
Fortunately his circle had chosen to heed his requests and had stayed back, though he remained unsurprised that Lucivar had taken to inspecting things on his own. It had once been disconcerting to see how the lion conducted himself, but there was an odd beauty to every move he made. Shui couldn't quite put his paw on it, but there seemed to be an art to what that lion did... After getting used to Lucivar's demeanour he was no longer disturbed by it and neither were his advisors.
"We aren't here to hurt you," he finally called out as he turned his head, attempting to catch a glimpse of these lions at the very least. "Though I suspect we are far from a threat to begin with," he acknowledged, taking careful note of the trees just in case anymore unexpected stones were headed towards him. It seemed that for now though they were simply being observed. Whether this was because they were waiting for him to step in to a trap, or for him to give up and leave, remained to be seen.
"We have need of an audience... Or I think it would be fair to say that we humbly request one given our insolence," he added. Clearing his throat, he glanced towards his own escort to determine if they had seen anything. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority had still come up blank and Lucivar had all but disappeared from view due to the depth of the shadows in the heart of the jungle. "Despite our determination to claim these lands as part of the Bahari'mtoto we've made no attempts to consult with you since these bonds were forged," he admitted.
He was still met with silence.
"This good will has been squandered, and I would see that this was repaired and your island given the recognition, and reputation, that it rightly deserves."
...He was sensing a pattern here.
Whoever lived here was remarkably good at erecting walls of silence and seemed to be disinterested in pretty words. He couldn't blame him, he could credit his father for forging some of these bonds, but his father had done little to nurture them. These islands had become part of the Bahari'mtoto many moons ago, long before he was born, and yet he'd never been actively encouraged to learn more about them. With this in mind Shui found it imperative to correct these errors and give them redress (or he would if they'd ever respond).
So would he admit defeat?
He was considering it, with additional plans to send further envoys later, until it seemed his most reliable shadow entered play. At some point the black lion had ascended into the trees, yet another skill Shui couldn't quite grasp, and had taken to staring awkwardly at at least one lion who appeared to be seated within the canopy. Lucivar hadn't indicated that he could see any more than the one he had found, but Shui had a sneaking suspicion he knew exactly where these creatures were hiding.
With Lucivar being a deliberate inconvenience to those who had hidden above the young King it wasn't long before the lion that had been discovered made the decision to descend. Soon, Shui was greeted with a battlehardened lion, he was weathered, but more importantly he didn't seem terribly old either. Whomever it was, he didn't seem intimidated by their presence and it would have been more accurate to assume that he had simply accepted that the time for hiding and observation was over.
He'd been found, and now he'd provide the young king with an audience.
Shui really shouldn't have been surprised that he was greeted with further silence as Lucivar descended from the trees and returned to the edge of the camp to settle with the rest of the escort. The island's denizen were entitled to their silence though, particularly when Shui acknowledged he was uninvited and from a region of the pride that had promised much and delivered nothing.
"I'm going to assume I'm not entitled to a name," Shui pursed his lips. "But I'll provide you with an introduction, my name is Shui and I am the new monarch of the Bahari'mtoto -" This received a raised eyebrow from the lion in front of him. Evidently they hadn't been privvy to the events that had occurred in recent weeks and the change in leadership had come as a surprise. "We have had several eventful months in the cove to say the least," Shui confirmed.
"But now that I have been selected to lead, I saw it as only fitting that I extend a paw to you and revisit old agreements."
The brow rose higher on the dark green lion, if there was ever to indicate that he was skeptical and certainly not born yesterday, it was that one.
"I am aware that we made several promises in regards to securing the islands as part of our extended family and we did not make good on the majority of those. Only the closest islands to the sand bars have benefited, and I would see that remedied... If you are willing, that is."
"In exchange for what?" The lion finally spoke.
"Pardon?"
"Those in the cove only came to the islands when they saw the mists clear, then they only came again when they needed something. What do you want, why now?"
Shui pursed his lips, the lion was a shrewd one and he could respect this, in fact as he had come to power he had realised he appreciated the most shrewd players more and more. There was a time and place for diplomacy and even empathy, but sometimes tough decisions needed to be made.
"Security," Shui decided to do away with flowery language and be honest. Nothing but the truth would get passed this lion and to attempt any form of deception, or to provide any political answer, was likely to end in disaster. "We have very little, not enough that can be relied upon," he confessed. "I consider it important fix that vulnerability -"
"So you want us," The tone was scathing.
"Originally, yes." Shui responded in just as blunt a manner. "However, now that I have experienced several of your defences, I see greater value in learning from your expertise rather than simply requesting more bodies for a front line," he stated. "You don't always need bodies on the front lines if nothing can get through it after all," he pointed out.
"We see," the green lion shook his head. "And what do we receive in exchange?" He pressed.
"That is something I am willing to discuss until we can reach an amiable agreement," Shui replied smoothly. "It would be wiser to start small and if we find common ground...then we will see where it takes us. I would prefer to stay away from extravagant promises and deliver on them this time."
Silence once again prevailed as the green lion stared at the young King; his expression gave nothing away but it eventually shifted into something akin to interest.
"You have something we want," the lion said at last and gave a small nod. "You may call me Sokar," he added and gave a nod of his head. "You and your friends will come with us, we will see if we cannot come to some arrangement. We will see if you are any different from the others..."
It was with that, that Sokar stood up and motioned with his paw for them to follow, just as Shui caught sight of shivering leaves and glimpses of coloured coats. The king and his escorts had no other choice but to follow.
"Well done," Lucivar murmured as he slipped in behind the young king. "Your father would be proud," he finished with a curt nod.
It was something the king had desperately needed to hear.
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