[PRP] Goodbye. Hello. [Shauku x Tethys]

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The Malenga was seeing off the green lion, he'd been a wonderful 'house' guest and had perfectly enjoyed himself. "Goodbye Ali." She remarked as she watched the packed up lion leave the prides lands. The roguelands had given her a great idea of trust and helped to build a set of skills she hadn't yet learned - an ability to read individuals. The skill itself would have to be sharpened, but she felt confident that she could encouragement more visits from the outside. Perhaps that would need to happen more so after the repairs were complete.

"Goodness."

She smiled to herself, rewarding her hard work with a mental pat on the back. Getting some visitors would certainly get the spirits back of those who hadn't quite joined the already enthusiastic individuals, but like she had already thought, after the repairs. Instead of leaving the borders, allowing the guards to continuing their patrol, she decided to seat herself and simply watch. The lands out there seemed a little less far from home as she peered out.

Shadows seemed to dance as she watched. Taking notice of this she peered skyward and was rewarded with a sunset. The world hadn't lost it's luster.

Behind her she heard the kickstart of drums, she imagined there would be a small crowd by now and perhaps some food/drink passed around. She hesitated about moving, choosing to stay a moment longer where she sat. Her tail thumped silently to the beat playing.

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The world had simply been too quiet, with next to nothing happen and the enthusiasm of his warband was dwindling and even he had contemplated returning home. They weren't gardeners, they weren't cartographers, and the vast majority weren't diplomats... it was no wonder they were bored. What they had needed was sport and at this time they hadn't gotten it. Somehow, the things they had been chasing had become remarkably quiet and he had completely lost their scent.

...Or rather he had until he had overheard one of his father's companions, or collective, whatever the hell it was that Destati had at his disposal. Their intelligence network had suddenly sparked to life with the words he really shouldn't have longed to hear, but he was relieved all the same.

We've got a problem.

It had been so simple, and yet it had been enough for the white lion to raise his head in interest and listen in to the briefing. The scourge that had been silent for so long had been sighted, more concerning, was that it had been sighted in daylight. While the sources had indicated that this should be regarded with caution rather than absolute concern, the true issue lay in where they had been seen. Tethys hadn't appreciated the significance until his own father had dropped everything, gathered his companions and moved... And by moved, Tethys would have described it as 'hauling a**' - something was about to happen.

Consequently, Tethys had taken this as a sign to move his band as well, with a quick march after his father. Granted, he wasn't entirely sure where they were headed as they had quickly disappeared and weren't the most easy to attract, but the overall direction had been clear, they were heading back to the shore.

Unsurprisingly this resulted in crossing otherwise familiar territory and Shauku wouldn't have any difficulties spotting the warband (though they chose to ignore her home), as they moved briskly towards their next destination. It wasn't Tethys who led them though, he simply seemed to walk midway between the ranks and opted to be the closest to many of the wary border guards should they attempt to intervene - he could be diplomatic after all, it was better they talk to him!

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The serene moment was swiftly ended by a sudden 'sea' of motion right before her. An impressive number of lions moved quickly in one direction that suggested they were either running from or hunting down something. Guards that had been relaxed and posed to speak comfortably with another had suddenly sprung up, but stood at the ready of their leader. It appeared the group was simply passing by, but the Malenga grew curious.

"You there, pale lion." The words were rude, not what she typically used to greet another. The dark lioness lifted herself from her perch and began to approach the warband - a number of guards followed, but nothing in comparison to the number is the band that appeared to almost move in unison. "What's going on?" She queried.

Her crimson eyes couldn't sit still, she was speaking to Tethys, but kept watching the number of lions moving as a group.

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[Epine de Rose]

Nailed it.

Tethys really did deserve a pat on the back for being able to predict trouble nowadays, his father would be proud of him if he could see him, hell even Dione may have given him a raised brow of approval. Nevertheless, as Shauku approached he drew to a halt; his warband might have continued to move but he wouldn't struggle to catch up to them, particularly when he knew exactly where they were headed.

"It's Tethys," he said, dismissing the lack of manners from the lioness who was probably a little disconcerted by the sheer number of visitors on her borders. Just as well they were only passing by, she had the right to be anxious and that normally brought a curtness with it. "And we're just passing through, no need to be alarmed," he added and glanced over his shoulder towards the band. They had slowed their gait, if only to catch their breath, they knew better than any that exhausting themselves would put them at a disadvantage.

"Unfortunately for you, where we're going just happens to lie in this direction so you ended up with the unannounced parade," he mused and tilted his head to the side. "That being said, as much as I can appreciate the curiosity, on this occasion I would perhaps advise your kinda against following us, it might end poorly for you and it wouldn't be by our paws," he murmured gently. His tone was polite, but most importantly, honest. The warning wasn't intended to threaten, it was there to preserve life...

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"Shauku."

She responded lightly. "My name is Shauku." Her ears flicked backwards and her eyes were apologizing before she could even utter a word. Leader of a pride she'd forgotten her own formalities for the sake of shock.

"I'm glad to hear you're just passing through." Though she was still curious as to why, but her gut told her that perhaps a deeper conversation on the matter wasn't a good one to have when the group clearly needed to be somewhere. "I'll pass the message along to my guards and pride to not worry about your passing. They won't likely bother any of you any how." She said honestly, a shrug followed smoothly to confirm her lack of concern about the matter.

"Any chance you'll give up the destination? Or is that confidential?" Shauku knew her pride wasn't prepared to assist anyone, not that the lion standing before her would likely know, but she wouldn't dare lead her pride to the aid of another while they themselves were weakened. "I can promise we won't be following, our numbers couldn't support a large fight, but we'd be able to help in the aftermath. A number of lions know their way around healing and our guards could help in small volumes?" She offered lightly, not committing, but she wasn't about to let the lion walk away with nothing.

The diplomat in Shauku had quickly considered the situation and even after thinking about what she had said she figured it'd be the right move, a pride in need could help them down the road as well. All about give and take.

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"I don't think it would be heard to track us down, we're not exactly subtle," Tethys responded with a half smile. He had no intention of giving her the precise location, but he also knew better than to assume they would be immune if she really wanted to locate his kind. "It's a deserted region," he explained with a shake of his head. "Long abandoned by its denizens for reasons we don't quite know, but something has taken up residence there that we regard with considerable interest," he added.

There was a pause as he considered her offer for aid and then slowly shook his head. By the sounds of it the pride simply didn't have the capacity to aid them, and any aid they would be able to give was technically something they could do themselves. They didn't need healers or guards and neither did the deserted land, for the time being the Nchi would remain safe and have the time they needed to rebuild.

"We don't need assistance though, we can most assuredly tend to our own and given there is no one in that land that would also require your help, I think it's best you keep your numbers here," his smile deepened and he shook his head. He had passed by here before, but he didn't quite know who they were, he'd simply never had the chance to ask. "By the sounds of it, you need the guards you have to keep yourselves safe without having to intervene in the affairs of others," he mused.

"Probably worth less of a headache as well, to be honest..."

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Had she felt the tension build up in her muscles, no, but it had been there because she could feel the sweet relief of his words washing over her in a way that eased her shoulders and her mind. She'd have loved to helped, in fact she would have encouraged her pride to do what they could with what they had, but the truth would smack them in the face eventually - they needed the time to regrow and nurture their 'wounds'.

"I'm glad that a pride isn't intended to be harmed, you yourselves look like you could outlast a many number of wars." She smiled warmly, appreciating the smiles he had to offer. This lion and his band were something she wouldn't soon forget. "Thank you for helping to set aside my concerns."

After some careful consideration she did know what she could offer to them. "If you ever find yourselves by here again we'd happily welcome you, so long as you didn't intend to harm anyone here." The words were out before she had given herself a chance to consider the offense she could possibly inflict on her company, but even as she thought about it Shauku felt comfortable that her point would be made.

"We can offer entertainment, trade with a limited number of merchants and something to drink/eat." Her smile had never really faded as she began to play hostess, it did soften quite a bit though. "Just if you happen to be the area again."

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"I've lost a fair few too," Tethys confessed. He'd be lying if he hadn't said he had been close to death on more than one occasion; had it not actually been for some of his most loyal companions, he'd have lost more than just his ear. At this point in his life Tethys was fairly confident he wasn't the most pretty sight in the world, but at least he'd have a story to tell by the end of it!

"A good party and some good food is something we'd be idiots to pass up on though," he smiled warmly and shook his head. "If there's one thing I know they'll like it's the opportunity to have some fun - just make sure it doesn't involve plants," he murmured. Gods knew they definitely didn't want to encounter any plants, he'd have a mutiny on his paws and he wouldn't blame the band in the slightest in the moments they overthrew him.

...He would overthrow him.

"I'm sure we'll be passing through again at some stage," he chuckled and glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Perhaps not in such huge numbers but it isn't unheard of us all to be wandering about for some reason or another; quite a few of us like to bring a pretty haul back home," he winked. "Source of pride for us, bit of an ego boost and all that..."

He paused.

"Although at this point my ego boost will just be preventing a riot and finishing this hunt successfully, I'll take that as a success story at this point," he mused and released a sigh. "But yes you are absolutely safe, the only thing I would warn you of is to keep your paler lions out of sight," he motioned to himself. "Essentially anyone my colour," he added. "Not sure if you have any but the creatures we're stalking are rather...partial...to them."

It was a friendly warning, though perhaps the Nchi would be graced with luck in that most of their pride might be darker, or simply more vibrant in colour.

"Beyond that, I think you'll be just fine and you'll be entertaining a fair chunk of us in no time." He finished with a pursing of his lips. "Maybe after we've managed to find what we're looking for, it can be celebratory, eh?"

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Shauku nodded at his confession. "I'd have thought as much, it'd be foolish to think you came out of every battle unscathed." Like the rings on a tree she could gauge how many battles he might have seen, but chose to leave that topic alone - perhaps another night when story telling was being enjoyed.

"Plants?" She asked, raising a brow. "You know what, next time you come around you can tell me about the hate of plants over a drink. I can assure you that there will be drums and some songs, the only plants involved might be the grass we lay on." She was curious about those plants, but the way his statement had become a touch quieter told her there was history there.

Another nod. "Sounds good, Tethys. Large or small numbers, either will be fine. Our numbers may not be what they were and most might be distracted by other tasks, but we can certainly host a many number of lions in our home. We pride ourselves on that." She beamed happily, the proud leader of a pride that had seen some struggles, but they would pull through - a flood was just another way to have a new beginning.. or so she tried to convince herself and some others.

"Thank you for the warning." She said, though her tone of voice conveyed her confusion. As with much of the conversations he decided to leave her in depth questions for later. "I'll keep tabs on our paler family members, though I believe we may be fortunate enough not to have many." Fortunate how though?

"You'll explain yourself when you come for a visit, won't you?"

Something in her gut told her the answer would be no, but she had to ask the question anyhow or it'd have eaten her alive.

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[Epine de Rose]

If he came out of it alive, would he tell the tale? Probably, let's be honest, it was worth a hell of a lot of kudos where he was from and he didn't come from the place those things heralded from. He was unlikely to know the significance of the existence, the intricacies of their heritage and so forth, so yes... Perhaps in time Shauku would be graced with a story or two. If it wasn't from him, then it was almost a guarantee to be one of his fellow brothers... After all, they'd spent months on this already, credit needed to be given where it was due.

"I'm sure we'll be able to give you the full story next time," he confirmed with a wry smile and shook his head. "Just not right now, we've no idea how it ends yet," he pointed out. It was small fortune that her pride was on the darker side and therefore, not another one they needed to keep half an eye on just in case.

"Until next time though, when I fully intend to take you up on that offer of festivities, stay safe," he finished and, noting that he had fallen just a touch behind, he elected to part ways. He wouldn't have minded spending more time with her, and in truth he would have liked to have given her more details, but sometimes it wasn't always a good idea to be completely honest. By the sounds of it they weren't ready for combat and they really didn't need to worry about this.

...When he came back though? Well, they all better make themselves comfortable while the epic tales were told, and songs were sung (apparently in the company of drums)!

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