Damla walked to the small area her group had been staying in. The appearance of a young seeming goddess joining their ranks was off enough, but the female looked familiar -- a marking pattern similar to what she knew long ago that nearly forgot. While Shido was unsettled, it was bringing Damla an odd peace, the lioness walking into the camp. It was clear Shido was family -- some brother, likely, and Damla was adjusting to the notion. As she returned, she brought some small kills in a bundle, looking as Ifa was sighting by Shido, and Shido sat, looking over towqards the trees.

Ifa was still not over the conversation with Shido. In a sense they had both sort of hit an impasse, neither fully ready to try alone, and so they'd spent time after thinking and not talking, making Damla's expected return welcome respite, but at the same time, Ifa worried. The sky had been darker, and voices filled the air around them, the lioness highly unsettled. While swamp-born, the lights were nothing frightening to her -- no, it reminded her of the swampy mud -- but voices.. She was no seer, no spiritseer -- she didn't expect to hear their voices, even if pleasantly surprised.

The dark sky earned caution. That was her concern. The signs mixed into a gellish landscape and Ifa was unsettled. When Shido heard sounds from the woods, he had turned to look, and Damla returned -- in time for a shock of red and red-orange to emerge from the trees, the lioness almost fumbling as she approached. Drache dropped the food by her companions, moving first to the seer.

"You again." Damla drawled. Dragon's Blood paused, looking at Damla, before sighing relief.

"Yes, me again. Me, me, me. I needed to see you lot." The dragonmarked lioness looked away, looking towards the edges of the horizon, away from her homeland, and sighed.

"I visited your homeland recently." Damla explained softly. Ifa looked, but Shido seemed to follow first, head tilting.

"You spoke to my mother? Is she well?" Shido asked. Ifa frowned, moving next to him as Damla looked to her half-brother. Between the three, the air grew heavy, and Dragon's Blood shook her head.

"No, no. An uncle. He says your mother misses you." Dragons Blood looked to Damla and Shido, and smiled. "She'll be happyto see you. But, I would've come sooner, except...."

"Except what.," Ifa spoke in a surprisingly firm voice, approaching Drache, the lioness swallowing.

"If you return, you'll die. I was in your area while you were away and saw a vision of that mountain exploding. But I don't... I don't see anybody there. I think your loved ones will be fine, but that area...."

Dragon's Blood made a face.

The Hellgate... Turning on us?" Ifa's words came quietly, eyes turning skyward in alarm. Were the spirits trying to warn her? The lioness frowned, blinking when Damla moved up next to her and stared Dragon's Blood directly in the eyes.

"What about my mother?" The female demanded, tone a soft growl. "She is no demon, they don't have vested interest in a rogue living near them."

"Actually they do, Damla." Shido responded, Ifa looking to her friend as he spoke.

"We have cousins there. Uncles.... Our Great Grandmother. They won't leave mother. I trust them."

Silence. Dragon's Blood looked between the group, trying to read each in silence.

Damla was first, the spitfire lioness surprised by her brother into silent thought. The lioness was turning things over in jer mind -- a mind already obviously hit with shock after shock. Her reaction would be least predictable, Dragon's Blood supposed. A lioness raised fighting tooth and claw, who followed impulse and passion. Damla was obviously hungry for her family, and the lioness seemed to be tryuing to sort between feelings.

Next to her was Shido. He obviously intended to wait, watch, and see what happened. He was a steady sort, if also impulsive -- possibly learned from their mother, or inherant to the family. Still, Shido was watching Damla, and Dragon's Blood was faiurly sure the boy was trying to sort out his own opinions of what Damla might do.

Ifa was silent, hard to read, ears pinned and eyes downcast. Her home, newly found, was turning on her pride and it had to be hard on her. She seemed upset, and rightfully so, the lioness turning over things in her head as she fidgeted with her paws. Dragon's Blood worried for that one -- the dragons as well, as Dragon's Blood watched a small lizard creep out, looking around and seeming to linger as it did. Was the girl worried about the caves? Did the nice demonlady need a dragon? A good dragon always helped-- Dragon's Blood shook her head, muse seeming to quiet before Damla looked up.

"There might be other rogues." She said, voice firm and soft. "They need to be saved, too."

"But we could miss the pride and get killed." Shjido pointed out. Ifa looked over, and Damla sighed.

"No. I won't die. Mother won't -- the rogues near there won't -- not if Igo. Not if I find them. Idon't know mountains but I know heat and sand, I know survival past that most deal in. I was left alone in a desert, brother. I can run, and I am strong enough to help the weak."

There was further silence, and Shido frowned.

"And Mother might See this coming and warn others too. She hads our sister. I can't let you put yourself in danger, Damla. I can't let you die."

Damla braced, preparing to argue, when Ifa sighed.

"You're both right. But, if we can wait and see... If this seer can find your family, your mother may be able to find us, maybe, even bring rogues with her to protect them. She's a smart lady, Damla. We need to honor her and be smart too."

Dragon's Blood blinked in surprise, looking between the three before Damla sighed.

"You make a good point, Ifa, but I'mstill worried. What do I do about it if mother got hurt? She wanted me and had me taken... I didn't know her but..."

"But you have to believe you will see her, and trust the spirits." Ifa said, voice soft. "I'm sure you heard the voices too. The spirits must be trying to communicate -- they left the mountain and the swamp to help everyone, surely... It must be their will."

Damla sighed, sinking and looking to Ifa in worry before laying, head hanging.

"Nobody said we should do nothying either." Shido assured. Dragon's Blood nodded.

"He's right. You can keep your eyes peeled for other rogues whom might go that way or similar. You can still prevent tragedy by keeping others safe -- by keeping them from travelling there."

"And, sister, we can ensure that mother is comfortable when she arrives. You're the best hunter for the roguelands terrain among us -- you could even ensure there's pelts waiting."

"We can do plentyto plan and prepare." Ifa chirped, then looked to Dragon's Blood.

"Do you want to help?" Ifa offered, but Dragon's Blood shook her head.

"No, it's not my place to help. I'm not sure I should even be away long with the political crap in my pride." Dragon's Blood admitted. "It's been crap."

"Then let me walk you to your border, at least." Shido said, voice soft as he walked to Dragon's Blood. The lioness nodded.

"I'd appreciate it."

Dragon's Blood rose, turning to return to her pride carefully as Shido moved to walk beside her, head high. What he lacked in size he made up for in grace as he led the lioness almost, the pair moving off before Ifa put a paw on Damla's, and the lionrss surprised herself be releasing held breath.

"Damla. It'll be okay." Ifa assured gently, then rose herself, moving to the kills to begin to remove the pelts.

"C'mon. We can get these cleaned together."

Damla noidded, slowly, and moved, settling to work the skins with Ifa, the pair entering an amiable, if but worried silence, serving to clean the pelts in hopes of the arrival of Damla and Shido's mother.