Welcome to Gaia! ::

The hints of the changing weather were all around them, storms tapering off and the dry season returning. Which, dry season on the shore was a subjective term at best. There was 'sparsely rainy' and 'constantly rainy' as the two seasons. Storms in the summer were not unheard of, after all. But it was that time of year where the two merged, and rain was sporadic, happening as many days as it was sunny. Siobhan hid under a ledge in the cliff face, peeking out as rain poured down. She didn't think she would ever tire of it, so different from the mountains and plains further inland. It brought a smile to her face. "I love this time of year, Natsu! So cooling, but bright and vibrant!"

Beside her, Natsu could only chuckle, peeking out as the rain began to taper off. "If you tire of sun, wait a few minutes and rain will come." He stepped out, stretching after hunching slightly. The rain was still a drizzle, but sunlight peeked through, chasing some of the clouds away. "Let's go for a walk, my dear, and enjoy the coolness while it lasts." He led the way, padding along the rain-soaked beach. The sand, usually soft under the rain-soaked surface, was actually wet far enough through that no dry sand was yet reachable. If the sun stuck around a while, though, it surely would be. The pair still enjoyed it, paws leaving tracks as they walked, before reaching the rise up to where the dens sat. They paused, admiring as water slid along a leaf, a flower, and a bird darted down to dance and ruffle its feathers in a puddle, washing away a bit of dirt.

The clouds were strangely indecisive that day. With the noise of the mummer's ball, it has been difficult to concentrate or find a moment of peace. He and his mate had arrived to their current homeland during the ball, but it was chaos. He was looked askance by the other pride members, perhaps with good reason. He was a behemoth of a lion, tall and thin as a lithe. His legs were more akin to those of a cheetah than a lion, long and gangly rather than short and stocky. He sported tall, sharp shoulders and a long, sloped back that only compounded his odd look. A demigod, as his old pride is called him, he was naturally a little larger... And naturally blessed to be unnatural.

He moved like a storm cloud down the beach where the sea foam gathered and hardened the sand. A tattered cloak hid much of his face and back, both licked with horrible scars, and billowed along behind him. He took little notice of the happy couple, but he did note the change in territory.

It was the Mummer's ball. Borders were open after all. Thankfully, those that would disturb the peace were off getting themselves knocked up or entertained.

The movement hadn't been missed. Natsu's gaze turned toward the other lion, eyes lighting up. "Look, Siobhan, one of the lions from the neighboring pride!" The distant sound of the Mummer's Ball could just be heard, a hint of songs and revelry on the wind, but only just barely. He couldn't help smiling, ever the friendly lion, as he padded back down the path, heading for the caped lion. "Hello, neighbor! Come to have a break from the revelries next door?" Really, he couldn't fault anybody for getting overwhelmed. The idea of being where so many where, with so much noise, he wasn't sure how he himself would react.

As welcoming and pleased with new faces as her mate, Siobhan followed along. Her ears flicked, hearing those distant sounds of celebration. "I wonder how long the ball goes on for..." They'd arrived just in time to miss it, the year before, so hadn't attended. She had to confess curiosity, though, as the two prides seemed to be ever tied together. In some respects, it felt almost like they were two halves of a single shell. They seemed opposites, too - The Bahari were peaceful, kind, living life at a slow pace, with no fears or frets about lions coming and going. Of what she'd heard about the Kizingo'zaa, though, they were loud and boisterous, secretive, and not keen on lions just leaving willy-nilly. Unless, of course, they were moving up the beach to the Bahari'mtoto.

Myuto turned his gaze from the darkening skies to the two figures moving his way down the coastline. They were certainly trustingly. Friendly. For all they knew, he could be some terrible assassin taking advantage of the open borders and the lax security between the two prides.

Stop thinking like a rogue.

He forced a smile but it remained hidden behind his cloak and only grazed his eyes.

"Given the excitement here last year with the.... Monster that washed ashore, I thought I would check the skies." The meaning of that would be as vague as ever. His seer abilities weren't exactly... Something he could put into words. It was rather like explaining blue to a blind creature.

Siobhan took a seat, placing a paw to her chest. "Oh that thing was HUGE!" At least, to a lion's perspective. "So much meat, though..." They hadn't had to hunt for a while, and everybody had grown a bit fat from it all. So fat, at first Natsu had thought she was with cubs. But no, she knew her own body, and knew there was nothing there but a belly very full of food. Cubs weren't going to be a thing for a while, at least, she was sure of it. The idea was still a pleasant one, though. She couldn't recall any cubs within the pride... Probably since they'd arrived, actually.

Gaze shifting to the sea, Natsu shifted on his paws. "Don't think anything's washed ashore with the storms lately, outside the usual." A few mermaid's purpses, tossed back to the sea, a number of rare shells even for the seashore, a turtle that had wound up upside down... They'd turned it back over so it could go back on its way. His gaze flicked back to the other lion, tilting his head slightly. "Anything unusual wash up on the Kizingo'zaa?" Idle gossip, surely, but he couldn't help his curiosity, given their giant feast before. And of course, always the buffalo.

"Performers." he answered with an absent shrug. They had blown in from the land, not the sea, but they had blown in regardless. A play had no interest with him. A bunch of animals standing around to watch another bunch of animals recite words spoken from figments of fantasy or distant history.

"I thought I would check on this pride though. A gesture I suppose. Sometimes the skies are silent... Perhaps there is nothing particularly interesting- for good or ill - to tell us."

Performers... The world elicited memories, once, of the few pride members they'd had remaining, before coming to the Bahari, that had done such a thing. They had put on constructed articles, hats and masks and capes and the like, and acted out a story passed down many generations. Natsu couldn't recall the words, or what the story was about, only that he'd spent most of his time trying to entice play out of the few other cubs in the pride. "I'm not sure about Siobhan, but I may go look, see what the performance is!"

Beside him, the lioness let out a chuckle. "I may have to join you, Natsu!" She looked back at the caped lion, inclining her head slightly, before looking at the sky. "Mostly rain right now. It's at that point where it rains as much as the sun shines." Her eyes closed, a smile spreading broadly across her maw. "I love it." Really, she hoped nothing worse came. When she opened her eyes, though, she glanced toward the jungle. She thought she saw the form of the local leopon vanish into it, but it could have been her imagination. Buffalo were persistently in there, with the effects spreading further out as time went on. Who would want to go in there?

Myuto followed the lioness' gaze skyward. That's...not what he meant. Any lion with one nut and half a brain could tell when the darkened sky was about to spill over. Any lion with their eyes missing could smell the growing moisture. Any lion blind, deaf, mute, and half-dead could feel the electricity of a storm.

But again, it was like explaining blue to the blind.

"Mmm....", He nodded slowly. "My name is Wizard." He looked back to them. "I am a fortune-teller of the Kizi. Your leaders have already gone to watch the performance. I don't foresee any trouble...but you may want to be cautious while things are this lax. The outside...is not reserved about taking advantage of those who would openly greet them."

Her ears went back, gaze returning to the gray lion. "I'm not sure what anybody would want in our lands, we mind our own here, bother nobody..." She looked at Natsu, who himself looked slightly troubled by the idea of invaders. "The only lions the Bahari really visit are the Kizingo'zaa, and prides lions have relatives in." Which was, frankly, a lot. She had to wonder what pride DIDN'T have a connection by blood to the Bahari'mtoto, and then how many were even aware of it. Probably a lot.

Despite the moisture in it, Natsu's mane fluffed up, eyes narrowing. "I am Natsu, this is my mate, Siobhan. It's a pleasure to meet you, Wizard. Though your warning is troubling." He didn't fault the lion for caution, of course. The Kizingo'zaa were, comparatively, far more prepared. They also had the benefit of a comparatively larger population to defend the pride with. The Bahari... Didn't so much have that. "We should bring it up with the king and his council... Though probably after we take care of those buffalo." Nothing could make repelling an invading force worse than trying to do so while buffalo attacked everybody left and right.

"...the outside isn't a place of reason I'm afraid. Some would take advantage simply because they were able to do so." His eyes darkened slightly. His mate, for example, had been nearly killed by some such lions. His own encounters with hostility had left his pelt peppered in scars, the skin of his mouth ripped to shreads, and his faith in the majority of the population in tatters. Trust wasn't something he offered easily. To anyone.

He shook his head. "Not a warning. Not officially. Just some advice. The performers in Kizi are strangers- and they have eyes in the stones. If they were to make a hostile move...they would not get far. It would take them time to respond if you were in danger." He glanced to the happy couple.

"....buffalo?"

Natsu sighed, offering as best a smile as he could. "Advice, warning... In this case, both apply, and are much appreciated. Nobody here would like our peaceful little haven to turn... LESS than peaceful." What pride would ever want that?

The lioness nodded along, then gestured with her head to the jungle. "There's some buffalo in there, they've been around for nearly a year. Every time somebody tries to get close to find out why, they get chased out." She grimaced. "I just hope they leave SOON, everything in there gets worse every day, and having to navigate around it to reach you in the south makes the trip take a while." In other words, some lions were just plain lazy and didn't want to take that extra tme, but weren't foolish enough to risk the buffalo.

He could name one. But...the less they knew about the depths of depravity beyond their borders the better. Afterall, they wanted to live in peace, right? Some things that transpired out there were the things of nightmares. Very odd. Painful. Sickening, perverted nightmares.

Myuto glanced to the woods. Buffalo. Dangerous, yes. Food, also yes.

"...sounds like you may need to recruit some claws to solve your problem. Or a god. So they call themselves anyway."

Siobhan could only sigh, shaking her head. "Well, we'll get to it eventually. Hopefully before a cub goes wandering in. Until then... It'd be best of the Kizingo'zaa also kept out of the trees."

Rubbing his chin, Natsu's eyes had narrowed again. "Perhaps not.." Out of the corner of his eye, he noted the confused look his mate gave him. "We should see if the Kizingo'zaa would be willing to help us. A sort of... You scratch our back, and we'll scratch yours, thing."

"I could pass word along to our king." Wizard offered off-handidly. The Kizi had their share of tricks, despite their smaller frame. They weren't powerful up front, but they rarely fought toe to toe. Instead, they were dangerous for their wit, their tricks, and their numbers. Bison were powerful creatures, but they were still prey. Prey that could fill bellies.

"I would...keep cubs from the woods. They aren't hard to step on."

The chuckle he let out could almost be called dark. "Since we came here a year ago, we haven't actually seen many cubs in the pride." In fact, when was the last time cubs HAD been seen..?

Letting out sigh, Siobhan rose and nudged her mate. "Thinking about the lack of cubs is making me a bit sad. Why don't we go join the ball?" She looked at Wizard, offering a warm smile. "Did you want to come with us? I imagine there's more to do than watch a performance."

Myuto chuckled and shook his head slowly. "...you can blame the powers that be for that. Seems our pride has run into a sudden...unexplained drought of fertility as well. Only those that bow to the antics of the corrupted...so-called gods are blessed with cubs it seems. Those that hold their own ways...well..." He shook his head. "They don't want to see them populate the world."

The fortune-teller shrugged and turned himself around. "Might as well."