He hadn't really been sure what to expect as he followed the young lion back towards his home; beyond the vague descriptions he had been given by Tanith, he couldn't have quite imagined that he'd be greeted with the sites he was. Suffice it to say that the young lion had not done his home justice, or at least he hadn't done the towering 'gates' justice. There was something intimidating and perhaps even a touch mysterious about the high slung cliff faces and the thin slit within the rocks that acted as the initial access point.
Even Auberon could concede that if the Al-Siq had chosen to continue hiding, and had kept their gate 'shut', there would have been few who knew there was anything behind it. He hadn't had the opportunity to explore the entirety of the border and to be honest, he wasn't sure he'd ever have the time, but if it was as enclosed as this gateway then it was no wonder they had remained in solitude for so long. Intriguing, but in some respects sad, what lay beyond those gates had been lost to others for quite some time.
His musings had continued as he had followed Tanith through the crevace, lips pursed as it slowly but surely broadened and turned into something less claustrophobic. Eventually they would find the end and there he was greeted by several bemused guards who probably hadn't been expecting Tanith back for quite some time. They'd exchanged glances, then they'd regarded Auberon with considerable curiosity before they proceeded. All in all this was an experience that the blue lion wasn't accustomed to, especially when he was led into a small cave, an office of sorts, to meet with one of the guards' superiors.
...It was all rather extreme for a visitor, was it not?
Except it wasn't. After all, these lions hadn't seen many outsiders in a very long time and they couldn't be faulted for their caution. As Tanith had explained, his kind weren't yet ready to open themselves up to the world fully as of yet, and as a consequence any visitor was vetted. Alas, the green lion had failed to warn him about the vetting and what it entailed though, and as such the blue lion was subjected to a stream of questions before he finally seemed to tick whatever boxes they were looking for.
It was with a nod that he was handed some sort of jewelled necklace and then promptly released from custody into the expectant company of Tanith.
"That was certainly thorough," Auberon remarked, lifting a brow as he fiddled with the necklace. He lacked finesse when it came to placing the thing around his neck and it was the younger lion who came to assist him in positioning it correctly. All in all it looked smart and had it not been for the fact that they all seemed to wear one themselves, he would have assumed it was to help them spot him from a distance. Curiously they all seemed to wear different colours though, but he could save that query for another time.
"We failed to be thorough a number of years ago and the consequences are now felt beyond our borders," Tanith replied simply and shook his head. It seemed that there were several individuals within this pride that lived with the guilt of letting something 'out'. Auberon hadn't had the misfortune of meeting these creatures, but based on the stories that had caught his attention as of late it seemed that others had. The Bahari'mtoto were included in this list, with his cousin in the immediate firing line. Credit where it was due, at least this pride were now taking the necessary steps to try and contain it.
...It might be too little too late in the eyes of some though.
"As a result we are keen to ensure that we know who is coming in, their purpose and how long they may intend to stay," he smiled wryly. "On this occasion I don't imagine they would have issues with an individual visiting an injured family member," he pointed out. After all, Auberon was related to the lion he had requested an audience with and it would have been unreasonable to forbid access. That and while Tanith wasn't sure how much Auberon had told the officers, it seemed equally important to communicate the precarious situation the Bahari'mtoto found themselves in.
Tanith knew little of the beach pride, only small fragments of information, but from what he had gathered from the older lion, things had entered a rather patchy spot. Following the assault on the scourge and the 'loss' of their king there had been several changes. Auberon had observed them in silence from the outside and he seemed to be of the opinion that now wouldn't be the time to stir the hornet's nest. Granted, Ram would be the one to make the ultimate decision, but this was a choice that Tanith preferred the correct individuals made... He really didn't want that responsibility on his shoulders!
"Smart, but I'm not entirely sure that those who got out the first time used above board methods of leaving," Auberon pointed out with a wince. He was right of course, but Tanith had always known better than to ask awkward questions like that. It seemed both the highest echelons of the military knew how things had escalated, and the lowest echelons had some hint of an idea, but no one pressed at it. All that had become clear was that the issue needed to be dealt with quickly, efficiently and with as low a number of casualties as possible. Whether or not they would succeed remained to be seen and few out of those specific circles attempted to ask for reports on progress.
"Maybe, but I can't say I know where those points of access would be," Tanith shrugged. "I'm sure that wherever they are they've been found though," he grimaced. "Ever since things escalated and it all spiralled out of control, the tone has changed a bit," he admitted. Even the politico had noted that the Justicars had let the nobles run riot for a time while they dealt with the much more important issue. Consequently the politics of the kingdom had temporarily shifted with the nobles acting more entitled than they should have, and all because they knew there were no current consequences.
Tanith wasn't one of those, but he knew in time that this would revert and those individuals would soon see themselves staring down the barrel of a loaded gun if they weren't careful...
"The military don't take failure well," he added as he nodded for Auberon to follow him. "And to be honest this is a pretty major screw up, I haven't been on this earth all that long and even I know that," he mused. "But we might as well get you settled and then we can arrange for you to see your cousin," he added. "He's in the yellow district at the moment which isn't too far from here," he finished.
"They're coloured?"
"After each Justicar, yes!"
"Are the Justicar's actually that colour though?" Auberon was a touch curious.
"I think so; to be honest I've only seen the blue one but from what I've heard their coats do tend to correspond with their region."
"How quaint." Auberon murmured as he followed after the young lion. Suffice it to say he had more and more questions and definitely didn't have enough time to discuss them! Well, timeline wise he didn't think he did, but he'd come to a decision after he'd conversed with his cousin and found out what Ram's views might be once he'd received an update on his home...
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