[FIN] Let me in (Jabez, Mith, Veri)

[Annchen]

Jabez stalked his assigned part of the border, trying his best not to be seen. It was a challenge to stay hidden in broad daylight, but the young leopard was determined to master the art of keeping watch without being seen. It might come in handy some day, and the only head on conflict he'd had with a rogue lion had put him off face to face fighting. The next time he would have the upper paw, and he would stay hidden until he could attack with a clear advantage or get some backup. The leopard hunting strategy to drop down on an unsuspecting prey from a tree had to work in fights too, right? Better not give any warning at all.

Only a few short months ago he had played with the thought of leaving his pride and trying his luck in the roguelands. A bored lioness had beaten that notion out of him, showing that the disease free lions in the roguelands were much sturdier than the ones he was used to. He was better off at home, and while he had lost all interest in being a warrior or guard he was determined to protect his pride in some way. He had seen that the outside world was a hostile and unforgiving one, and he wouldn't be fooled again.

---

Veri had agreed to take the mortal Mith to the pride he had seen in his visions. A diseased pride where premature death was a normal everyday occurrence. They were closing in on the pride now, and when the wind was right they could smell the sickness ahead of them. Anyone with some sense in them would have turned around, but as a Goddess Veri didn't have to fear this sickness, and Mith... Mith was Mith, and this was his place in the world.

She had come to trust him during their trip. She knew him to be strong enough now, but more importantly she knew him to be good company. It was with some regret she saw their journey get closer to the end.  

[Talencia]

Mith'ando paced quietly next to the goddess he'd come to feel close to. She'd flown ahead yesterday to confirm that they would arrive today, though he supposed they needn't have checked that way. The wind carried something on it that was faint and unpleasant, that told of pain, disease, and death. But it wasn't overpowering, merely added information. The atmosphere between them was charged, moreso on his end than hers. Expectation, excitement, and faint anxiety vibrated through him as he scanned for the first pride member they'd meet. Surely it must be soon.

What would they think of him? He was a large lion, not the most muscled individual, but tall and broad. Besides his physical presence, how would they feel about his visions? Would they welcome knowing how they would die? Or would it be an unkind reminder of what set them apart from the rest of the world, of what kept them isolated? He shuddered his hide a bit, sending a very fine cloud of dust from his fur. It had been a long journey, and he was hopeful they'd accept him as one of their own.  

[Annchen]

Jabez eyes widened, and his mouth went dry when he realised what he was seeing. At a first glance it had looked as a large and a small lion, but the perspective was throwing him off. The "small" lion was full grown and quite large, and the lioness was freaking huge. And winged. That meant that this was some kind of Goddess, and that could potentially mean trouble. Even if this wasn't their Goddess, Jabez knew that Gods and Goddesses liked to be treated with respect. He stopped his sneaking act and stood up to greet the odd pair.

"You're approaching pride territory," he called, but he suspected they knew that. There was a determination in the way the pair moved, "Can I help you in any way?"

---

If Veri was surprised to see the dark leopard step into view she didn't show it. She took a moment to size him up. Young leopard male in good shape. His coat looked well kept, at least from this distance, and she could not see any signs of disease. She wondered briefly if this was one of the individuals Mith had seen in his visions.

As the leopard spoke up Veri glanced at Mith to see what he would do. It was his quest after all. She wouldn't just leave him here, but she intended to let him do most of the talking. If he needed her help he'd ask.  

[Talencia]

The leopard's appearance wasn't really much of a surprise. He'd been expecting someone to approach them, so he took the figure rising from the brush with calm acceptance. He saw Veri glance at him from the corner of his eye. It seemed she considered this his show. With a mental nod of understanding, he stepped forward. He supposed he should only speak for himself, but most definitely introduce Veri. She had remained in her goddess visage so she would be known, so there was no harm in his revealing who she was.

"I am Mith'ando," he spoke formally, bowing his great shaggy head, "and my companion is the lady Veri, goddess of Blood." He had always addressed her with respect, both before and after the revelation of her identity. If anything, his respectfulness had increased, but nominally so. "She has led me here at my request, for I have been seeking your pride for many years now." Despite his outer calm, his stomach did a little flip-flop at the words. The validity of the statement, when spoken aloud, was astonishing. His life-long quest, coming to an end. He took a breath to further gather his thoughts, taking the moment to calm himself inwardly once more. "If you would have me, I have come to become one of you." It was perhaps awkwardly stiff and formal, but right now that was all he could manage. When nervous, he fell back on his stately manners and crisp, deliberate etiquette.  

[Annchen]

Talencia

"I'm Jabez," he said, and dipped his head in a clumsy but formal greeting, "Scout of the Kitwana'antara. Welcome Mith'ando and Veri, goddess of Blood."

As he welcomed the pair he thought for a moment that he felt the scent of fresh blood. But since he couldn't see any injuries on the lions before them he disregarded it as his nerves playing him a trick. Meeting outsiders wasn't out of the ordinary, but meeting a Goddess...

Most of the pride members on border duty had a little speech rehearsed for meetings with outsiders, and Jabez had been advised to practice this when he was still an apprentice. He hadn't had the opportunity to try it out more than one or two times, and he had never met someone who actually wanted to join them before. He had never heard about anyone actively seeking them out to join them before, so he figured it wasn't exactly a common occurrence.

"We don't turn anyone away," he started, pretty much following his set speech, but starting somewhere in the middle of it instead, "But if you wish to stay you must devote yourself completely to the pride. You must also understand that it might not be possible to leave again. You... you do know about the disease, right?"

---

Veri bowed much more gracefully than the leopard had done, and she couldn't resist fanning her wings slightly, making the beads and teeth hanging from them clatter. Ah, a bit of showing off couldn't hurt, right?

"I would like to enter the pride too," she stated, "But I don't intend to stay forever, and I do think I better talk with someone in charge. There are some things regarding my domain that I'd need to discuss."  

[Talencia]

Kitwana'antara. He finally had a name for the place that had called to him for so long. For a moment he savored this in silence, eyes distant. He was coming home to a place he'd never been. It felt... right. There was no other word for it. He took a deep, cleansing breath, then drew himself back to the present. He nodded his head solemnly at the leopard. "Yes, I know about the disease, and yes, I will be dedicated to the pride."

He cast Veri a look of shared amusement before turning his attention back to their greeter. "I have been devoted to this pride for many years, though I hadn't found it yet. I have seen the member for generations in my visions, seen the death and disease as it touched lives. Yes, I know of the disease, and the consequences of asking to remain here. I know it very well, but this is where I belong." He gave the scout a deep bow. "Thank you for welcoming me home."

He smiled with amusement again at Veri as she intentionally made a bit of a spectacle while greeting the scout. She wasn't at all prone to vanity, but one could hardly blame her for enjoying the moment once in a while. When she mentioned speaking to the leader of the pride, he nodded both agreement and approval, warming at the realization that she had taken his words to heart. "I should come as well, at least this once, so that your leader understands my visions." A moment of uncertainty made him falter. "Also just in case he or she is not pleased with what I see." Was it possible that he could come this far, only to be turned away due to the very thing that brought him here?  

[Annchen]

Talencia

Jabez was having a truly weird day. Mith'ando would have been odd on his own, but with a Goddess thrown in for good measure it was unlike anything he'd ever heard of. Taking them to Nawiri'chiwa was probably the next step, just like they said.

"Yes, I'll take you to our queen," he said, making a mental note to make sure they passed a guard or two on the way there. He was pretty sure he made the right decision, but he'd rather not be alone in presenting them to Nawiri. He started walking, leading the way.

"The devotion of a new pride member is important," Jabez explained, talking while they walked to distract himself from the absurd situation, "Nawiri will tell you more, but it involves getting a bite or scratch from three different diseased members. To show you are not afraid of the disease, and that you're willing to devote yourself fully to the pride."

---

Veri was having a good day. Watching the leopard's insecurity was mildly amusing, but seeing Mith's obvious delight at finally coming home. That was priceless. She didn't think this queen would turn her mortal friend away, unless she was completely dim-witted. She followed the leopard, walking a few steps behind and listening to what he had to tell them.

"You draw blood to show devotion?" she asked, focusing on that aspect of the ritual. She had seen similar things in other prides, but more often as a show of strength. A lion who could bleed and still be strong would be considered more worthy, or something like that.

"Would you like me to stay for this devotion," she asked Mith. He had been in her presence for a long time now, and any wounds caused by the ceremony would probably bleed more than usual. She was sure he could handle some mild blood loss, but she had no intention of making the introductions more uncomfortable than they had to be.  

[Talencia]

Mith followed the smaller feline, listening and nodding somberly. "I see. That does make sense, as infection would occur eventually anyway, should they wish to stay, and should they be susceptible." He wondered briefly if he himself would catch this disease, or if it would pass him by. It wasn't something he'd pondered before, and was a sobering reminder that this was no longer a thing of his visions, but reality. "When will this occur?" Despite the daunting prospect of gaining the pride's curse, his tone was nothing but eager, as if he was looking forward to it. "I will be willing to undergo this ceremony as soon as possible," he added firmly, just to be clear.

He glanced over at Veri, but took her question to him a bit differently than she'd meant it. "No, you don't have to stay." He gave her one of his rare, teasing smiles. "I'm a big boy, I'll be alright without big sister." At this point, they'd fallen into a relationship that Mith could only classify as sibling-like, though this was the first time he'd referred to her in such a manner. As swift as the smile had appeared, though, it was gone just as quickly. He again turned to Jabez.. "What is your Queen's name?" He paused, then glanced at Veri. "Also, if she is too busy to see us both, by all means I can wait."

((Uta said the Dark Rumors rp would have started almost immediately after they arrived, so either Mith doesn't meet Nawiri, or he only meets her briefly.))  

[Annchen]

Talencia

"I won't take off just yet," she said and smiled at her travel companion. She hadn't worried about him not being able to make it on his own, but she appreciated his little joke. She interpreted it as a tactful way to say she shouldn't stick too close to him when he was initiated in the pride. That might not have been what he meant, but she had a few very good reasons to remove herself from the pride soon. She wanted to give birth in private. This was a pride filled with diseased lions, and where there were disease there were healers. Veri had seen her fair share of those and she highly doubted they'd leave her alone if they noticed her condition.

"If the queen is busy," Veri added, "It might be better if I didn't stay too close to the diseased while we wait."

---

Jabez gave the Goddess a quizzical look. As far as he knew the disease wouldn't affect gods, even if they looked a bit like lions. But he supposed even a goddess could feel uncomfortable around the diseased. He might as well lead them to the quarantained area where no diseased lions were allowed to go, it was closer anyway.

"Our queen is named Nawiri'chiwa," Jabez said, "I'll take you to a place away from the diseased and introduce you to some people who can help you meet her. I should get back to the border after that..."

They were nearly there, so he started looking for guards on inner duty.  

[Talencia]

He nodded acknowledgement of the queen's name, mentally rolling it around to familiarize himself with it. Nawiri'chiwa. He wondered what she was like, and which of the lionesses in his visions she was. Oddly, he hoped he had not yet seen her death. Somehow, that would trouble him, knowing such a thing about the ruling female. It just felt wrong, as if he were plotting somehow on that knowledge. Ah well, time enough to mull over that. For now, he was entering his new home, the place he'd settle for the rest of his life.

He padded after the leopard, gazing about himself. It wasn't the prettiest of places, but that was understandable. It did look as if the land, though it had suffered some unnamable blight, seemed to be slowly regaining its vigor, growing stronger and more fertile. Perhaps this spoke to the strengthening of the pride, as well? For the merest of moments, his heart quivered anxiously within him, a flutter of a butterfly's wing, an uncharacteristic moment of uncertainty. But it passed, and he turned a smile to the goddess beside him. Yes, he was home. Very softly, so their guide did not hear, he spoke. "Thank you," he said simply, putting all his inexpressible feelings into those words. She had brought him home.