Welcome to Gaia! ::

Keegan nodded in greeting to the other cub, and grinned up at Fia, but before she could speak again something happened. whatever it was, it had certainly got Fia's attention! In a whoosh of action suddenly Fia was standing over her and Mate'moto, and then it was all gone.

Keegan hated when she was unable to really follow what was going on, and irritably, quietly, blamed her ever-present headache. She was irritated to discover that she would not be able to go investigate like the adults, and scowled a bit when Mate'moto's request was shot down by Azar. Oh, well.

Better to make the best of it. "It's okay, Mate'moto." She said, once she had gotten near enough. "They need us to stay here and make sure everyone doesn't slack off." She said it confidently enough, but shrugged a bit because she was still disappointed. "Right, Fia?"




-

She didn't bother to hide a bit of disappointment at the lack of news on her other daughters, but in short time Kalama's attention was drawn elsewhere. There was a little commotion, and some shouting of intruders, and she almost ran right along with the others.

It was perhaps a miracle she didn't. Somehow she still managed to consider her present offspring, and if there were intruders she would not risk leaving them with less capable paws. So, with a hint of annoyance, Kalama plopped down.

--

"Oh, I see everything." Yayuka grinned at Aithne. But his words proved untrue moments later, because he failed to spot what everyone else had seen.

But he wouldn't let that stop him. Eager to find a different task than simply repairing holes and bemoaning the hole in his head, he nodded quickly. "Yes, let's go!" He did not need to be asked twice, and hurried along with Aithne towards where the others had run off to.

At the mention of hyenas, Kosuke stopped and looked over at Morag. Hyenas... Vicious creatures... "Should we fan out?" Could they take them by surprise? He looked around, brow furrowing as he smelled the air. Lots of wet lion smell... He paused to sniff his shoulder, then made a face. "I cannot wait to dry out..." He wasn't sure, but he couldn't think of a time he ever thought he'd miss the dry heat and baking sun.

"I'm not worried." Azar snapped back at Niu, though he clearly was - just a little. "It's in the job description." He seemed to settle again at her offer of help, though, giving her a short nod. Whilst the others discussed the problems with hyenas and whatnot, the corporal had already started his way towards the ward dens.

All talk and no action! This was what everyone's problem was. Well he wasn't going to stand there and talk about it. He was going to do something.

He was still close enough, though, that he heard Mwale'kono speaking and, interrupting with a growl he snapped: "With me. Not alone."

--

Meanwhile, back at the 'dig site' Vesta was trying to cheer up the cubs (sort of with Fia's help).

Fia gave a short nod in response to Keegan and turned to give them both gentle nudges in the direction of the pools. "There're more than enough of them to handle a few intruders." She replied, though the fur on her shoulders and neck were still bristled.

Vesta nodded agreeably. "Someday you will both be big and strong, too, and then you can join them. But don't be in a rush to grow up! This job may not be as exciting but it's still very important. We need the rain to stay living here."

It wasn't exactly selling it, but it was true.

"Come on." Fia added. "Whoever digs the biggest hole gets to pain a picture on the history stones, later."

Mat glanced over at the other cub as she spoke up. In any other circumstance she might have been a bit happier to help, but there was action going on way over there...and they were stuck here! Keegan being here too was lifting her spirits just a bit, though. They were just a few of the cubs she had seen. All the others were hiding in their dens from a little water! Ha! Although it was starting to come down a lot faster...

Fia got her attention again and she stood up, shaking some of the mud from her body. Yellow eyes glanced at the pools and, when she was told of their importance, she stood a bit taller. While the adults were off chasing down those intruders, they could help them by digging still!

"Okay!" she said, a determined tone to her voice. The idea of a competition sparked her energy and she was off, starting to dig at a hole that a lion had abandoned just a few scoops in. It was pretty tough, she came to realize, since the ground was getting saturated. The dirt just kind of slid back into place. She had to take her time to make sure the dirt ended up outside the hole rather than just higher up on the sides.

"Like this?" she asked after a few minutes, emerging from her hole. He bright markings were completely covered in mud, making her a black and brown lion cub rather than a fiery one. "Or should it be deeper?"

The path to the wards was less treacherous, thanks to Ea's insistance that everyone keep the 'ridiculous digging' out of her line of vision. There were very few in the pride who could carry out such a fuss and win, and the ill tempered medic was one of them.

Several lengths away from the pride proper, the wards were always somewhat...strange. Lions were sick here, sometimes died here. It often had strange odors, and the medics that lived there tended to live life in a reverse schedule from the rest of the pride. No doubt that had a little bit of Ea's paw in it as well.

Seeing the wards in the nighttime, in the middle of the storm, made it seem all the more unsettling. Veru scrunched his nose, feeling the cold water dripping off of his whiskers. The chain of rocks and lonely caves that made up medical outpost seemed lost in the darkness. As they approached, Veru fell to a stop.

"Is anyone here?" He called. The only sound other than the distant thunder was that of the water splashing into puddles around the mouth of the cave. The wards were rarely evacuated. For someone not to be there...

"We'd better go in. At the very least, Ea should be posted here."

arrow Tread forth into the darkened wards! Next person, roll a dice 1-2.

1. The clouds begin to part, letting some moonlight light their path. [+ Advantage]
2. A loud slamming noise echoes in one of the caverns- prepare for a fight! [-Advantage]

The clouds shift, allowing for light from the moon to slide across the empty desert. The sliver of light is not much, but its enough for the sensitive eyes of the lions' to see. If only just a little.

As the group files into the first and largest cave, they find the ground littered with debris. Roots, plants, makeshift beds and poultices have all been ransacked. Some of the roots appear to have bite marks on them, like they were chewed. Some water pours in from the back, where part of the roof seems to caved in.

Elcca stepped through the debris, her nose crinkled. "What a mess," she quipped. On her shoulder, Yoan made a faint cooing noise as he appraised the damage.

The noise was enough to startle something towards the back. A lioness struggles to get back to her feet- her face bloodied and the fur cloak she wore across her back tattered.

"Ugh, its about time someone got here," she winced. "It seems like mom left hours ago..."

There were several medics in the wards... few of whom he actually knew. The black lion preferred to take care of battle wounds than, shall we say, mental ones. The whole place actually kinda creeped him out. Even more so like this, with the storm having apparently torn some of the cave apart somehow - though he wouldn't be too surprised if that was actually a result of the wards' inhabitants.

Kiberiti was hissing softly from his shoulders, clearly troubled by the sight of the place. But at least they could see better, with the moonlight twinkling in. It was enough light to show a red lioness staggering toward them. They were related, but it wasn't a surprise considering Roihu practically felt related to everyone in the pride. Everyone was his half-brother or half-sister somehow. Nevertheless, it was all the more reason to take care of her. "What happened here? Are you hurt?" His eyes scanned her pelt as he rushed over, seeking some source of a wound to treat. He still had some herbal ointment in the pouch around his neck, though it was likely a little watered down at this point.