A mountain river flows into a large, stunning lake. The waters reflect silver in the day and under moonlight. A plain of gentle hills and forests surround the lake. Herds of elk are native here.
It was time to finally concede and consider joining other groups. But the lion was picky; he wouldn't just join anyone for the sake of shelter. He knew how important a decision this was. After telling Roxanne to stay put at the den, he went off in a somewhat random direction until he came across the scent borders of a group. Today, the sky was full of clouds. The possibility of a later rain was just as likely as the possibility the clouds would simply go away. He could feel the chill in the air as autumn became more and more apparent. Many of the trees had long since started their color switching.
His arrival here was through flight. The lion already knew the general location of this section of the border, and so landed among the trees that surrounded the silver lake just before he crossed over the border. There, better protected by the weather but not so much by prying eyes, Matthias would simply wait. He wanted to know how long it'd take them to notice a stranger on their border. He gave a good stretch, laid down in a small dip in the earth, and let his body heat warm up the area as he waited. Though comfortable, he kept a watchful eye out for anyone who might take his loitering by the territory as a threat.
code by naboo, with alterations.
(Pre-emptive perception roll to see if he notices any potential attacks and is able to dodge them given his alertness)
(Also idk if this is a valid move but it doesn't hurt to try)
Character Diceroll 1: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Perception.
516 was added for Level 2.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
8 was deducted for C. Vagrant Penalty.
Malachi let his steps fall easily and quick. At that moment he could almost hear his father getting on to him for it; it was loud and not deliberately quiet. But Malachi wasn't trying to hide his presence, unlike his anti-social father had been.
While being accepted into the Kingdom by Enya, Malachi had yet to settle in much. Most of his recent time was used to scout out the lands and paths, marking things as he went. On his journey he hadn't seen any other wolves so far-but he was sure they were lurking somewhere.
Eventually his travels took him to a place where the hills rolled over one another in fascinating ways. Malachi pranced over to a near-by stream and leaned down, taking a long, cold drink. His eyes found themselves fixed in the water once he finished his drink; watching the dark shadows if fish dart this way, and that way. His stomach rumbled. Malachi was hungry.
The wolf slid his father's skull from his neck, setting it on the bank carefully, before he waltzed into the chilly water. He was, for now unaware of the stanger lurking near by. For a good moment he was still. Letting the fish go under and around him, until he was sure his presence was unnoticed. Then, he plunged, like a fox digging underground!
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(OOC note): Malachi is trying his hand at catching fish! Anyone from the Kingdom is welcome!! Rougues or those outside of the Kingdom will be met with caution ⚠ he hasn't noticed the rouge yet! Next post he will via the wind? Unless your character makes themself known
Eon had been doing his patrols from the sky. It gave him a better view of the lands below and also gave him the advantage of spotting trespassers from a distance. Eyes like hawks scanned the world below. His patrols had gone relatively smoothly today, spotting nothing out of the ordinary until he had reached Silver Lake.
There, on the border, sat a suspicious blue feline. Eon slowed his flight and gently landed in the branches of a nearby tree. Nose to the wind, he sniffed the air. This lion did not carry Duskorna's scent. He wasn’t supposed to be here. His feathers ruffled, more with anxiety than anything else. Although the lion didn’t carry Verdantis's scent, Eon was cautious.
Looking the stranger over, Eon accounted for the lion's massive size and feathered wings. He wouldn’t be able to escape to the higher tree branches where he was usually safe should it come to a fight. Deciding this wasn’t an opponent he wanted to take on his own, he’d attempt to use his siren song as an alarm call that would echo throughout the nearby territory. Having extra eyes around wouldn’t hurt even if they posed no threat. He’d rather take the chance of acting too soon than not act and end up mauled by the massive lion.
Lowering his posture, he’d fix his gaze onto the stranger below. He wanted to gain as much information as possible while waiting for backup. “Who are you? And what do you want with Duskorna?”
Arcana Roll:
Success: The call is loud enough to cover a vast distance throughout the territory.
Fail: Its just a normal alarm call, and only those nearby would be able to hear.
Character Diceroll 1: Success Diceroll must be above 500 to be successful.
0 was added for Arcana.
540 was added for Level 3.
0 was added for A. No Enchantment.
7 was added for B. Homeland Buff.
Over time, the presence of another would show their face. Though they weren't showing it to him. They didn't seem aware of his presence yet, the way they perched over the water looking for fish to snatch up. Matthias would watch them in silence, legs adjusting in preparation for a quick stand should he need to rise, but he would otherwise make no noise and no movement.
Eventually, bright eyes would catch sight of a purple feathered wolf. It looked weightless, the way it so easily flew in the air, and Matthias briefly imagined how easy it would be to bump it out of the sky. On purpose. Hehe. The wolf would land on the treetops nearby him, and he would watch in silence as it scented him out and let out a loud warning call. Closing his ears to the noise, Matthias would rise into a stand, looking up at the feathered wolf indignantly, "Jeez, woman, did you have to be so loud about it?" at least he thinks it's a female. The wind wasn't blowing in his direction.
He is immediately corrected once they speak. But instead of correcting himself or even answering the wolf's question, Matthias would take flight. He didn't like being looked down upon, and now that the call has been rung out, he'd at least be talking to two people, so it's better to get all the physical people out of the way by getting into the trees with Purple Wolf.
Matthias would keep plenty distance between them. His large size and stallion legs weren't meant for landing on branches, so it took him some awkward moments to find a somewhat comfortable position amongst the trees; still outside of the territory, of course, "I'm here to--" his back leg slips for a moment, and he takes another moment to regain stable footing, "I'm here to learn about Duskorna. I'm a rogue, as you can surmise, but I'd like to change that. I need to know if Duskorna is right for me."
His jaws enclosed around the slippery scales of the fish, drawing it out of the water. He hopped into land and took a large bite out of its side. The salty meat filled his mouth, Malachi swallowed happily, and was ready for more when a warning call echoed over the land. It quickly interrupted his meal. Malachi grasped his fathers skull and stuck it firmly over the top of the fish to block sunlight from heating it.
Then his attention was left to focus on was he could only assume as a pack member finding something that didn't belong here. He struts up careful, eyes flickered to the trees as that was where all the sound was. He didn't say anything as of yet, he only moved closer to Eons tree and sat. Waiting and watching. Wondering what the next move would be.
Eon didn’t react to being called a woman. In fact, he didn’t really care what the stranger referred to him as; what he wanted to know was why he was here at Duskorna borders. He watched as the lion struggled to get in the tree branches, obviously desperate to get to his height. He supposed that was one advantage, being small, provided he could move amongst the trees quickly. It came so easily to him that watching the big lion try to find his footing amidst the branches was almost comedic.
"I'm here to learn about Duskorna. I'm a rogue, as you can surmise, but I'd like to change that. I need to know if Duskorna is right for me." Eon listened to the lion’s reply, allowing himself to relax slightly, though he didn’t completely let his guard down. He would quickly glance around him to see if anyone had responded to his call, finally spotting the navy-colored wolf below him. He had yet to acquaint himself with them, but they at least carried Duskorna's scent. He felt a little more confident, knowing he wasn’t alone.
With a sigh, Eon opened his mouth to reply. “Maybe I wouldn’t have been so loud if you had simply announced your presence and intention as is common courtesy. How should I take a lion lounging about just outside our borders? Seemed more likely you wanted to cause us trouble.” Still, he couldn’t turn away a potential devotee to Tsillah. No, it was his duty, and Duskornas duty, to spread her teachings and prevent an akrasia from ever happening again. There was a reason this loner had been guided to their borders. Perhaps Tsilah saw potential in him, and who was he, her humble messenger, to question that?
A gentle gaze now fell upon the blue lion. “If you wish to learn the ways of Duskorna, you are welcome. We are devotees of Tsillah, the goddess of death and rebirth. I trust she guided you here with a purpose, even if that purpose is yet unknown to us,”he’d speak, slightly regretting his decision to send an alarm call. Still, he wasn’t about to admit to that. "If you have any questions about our ways, I will gladly assist where I can."
He took note of the young wolf who heeded the call. They didn't seem immediately aggressive, and chose to watch and wait in silence. Matthias figured he probably had some secret power in his fur that would make the distance between them negligent. Then he thought of his own power, the ability to wield charges and lightning. It made him feel safer than he probably ought to.
Turning back to the winged wolf, Matthias would nod in resignation upon hearing the comments about how he was just watching, "Yeah, that's pretty fair," but it was always good to test the security of another domain. Imagine Matthias chose to live here, chose to place Roxanne's safety under their care - how could she be safe, if they don't check their borders often enough?
Being up in the trees when you're half hooves and no talons is a difficult feet. He's starting to regret being up here, and tries convincing himself that having the high ground is worth it. Meanwhile, the winged wolf speaks of Duskorna, and of a Goddess named Tsillah, a goddess of death and rebirth. Ordinarily, Matthias would turn away immediately - a cult? Who worships the Goddess of death? But time has shown him that making such a heavy decision about where to live comes with some sacrifices. And hey, maybe he's just jumping to conclusions. Certainly they don't, like, sacrifice people and stuff right?
"Could you tell me more about Tsillah? What makes her the Goddess of death and rebirth?" and then, after that question, "I'd like to know about Duskorna's culture. What your group values, what codes you live by. It's important I find a place that doesn't conflict with my own," in actuality, the very core of most groups conflicted with his own self-centered desires, but where was he going to find another group like that one band of rogues he used to ride with?
Malachi sat under Eon's tree. His ears flicked listening loosely to their conversation and the speaking of their Goddess. "If I may," he interjects once all of the conversation has died down. "I've not witnessed it myself, but Enya had- the Goddess brought my dad back twice. The last time he saved my life, and brought me here to Duskorna." Malachi pauses a moment then continued, " It's a safe place that is well guarded- if you're the kind to worry about safety that is." He muses, letting his double colored eyes wander over the hooved cat in a tree. "In my experience, Tsilliah has brought us life and death. But I'll let him say more on the matter." Malachi had never formerly met Eon; but he wasn't letting that known. He kept that secret for himself.
As it started to grow darker in the shade trees Malachi's golden skeletal markings would start slowly appearing over his entire body to view.
--
Ooc: sorry kind of fillierish on my end <3
His glance doesn't not move from the stranger to Eon but he nodded to Eon's earlier question; why was a lion outside of the borders- and watching, for so long. Lazarus would have chewed Malachi's butt for missing the lions presence- but now wasn't the time this stranger seemed so full of wander.
