→ The elephant graveyard was a place of foreboding, a place where mighty beasts came to die, a place teeming with untapped energies and gathering place for spirits of all species. Above sun bleached bone, in otherwise empty sky, a raven hovered with wings outstretched. Its trio of black eyes scanned the hallowed territory below, letting out soft raspy calls whenever it detected movement.
→ Beneath it, on cracked and dusty ground, a brown figure rested. The only distinction that set her apart from the colorless landscape was a pair of cloudy olive eyes scanning the horizon. Her body, lightly covered in dust and dirt, dappled with soft spots and rosettes, blended so perfectly with the environment it was a wonder that she had not been created to live only in this place.
→ The raven let out a different sounding squawk, something loud and raucous, unpleasant to sensitive feline ears. The primal female shifted her gaze, turning her head to trail across whatever had taken her companion's focus. A soft wind disturbed the otherwise silent scene.

You have liked this post!

The male moved across the dark plains, his massive body swinging from side to side. As muscles moved under velvet fur, his fiery mane shook and blew in the gentle wind. His paw steps were heavy, as his being was shrouded in darkness of the clouded cub. He picked up the scent of another lioness, so was currently on alert. His shoulder blades rolled as he turned from side to side, trying to isolate the other member.

You have liked this post!

→ Across the monochrome features of the landscape, the female caught sight of a brilliant fiery red. She pressed her ears forward, squinting to ward off any possible illusion. The raven called once more. It was no mirage, no spirit that walked across the parched land. Whatever creature approached was large, though obviously feline. His broad shoulders, his gait, his physique, this was no ordinary lion.
→ The mottled brown female stood slowly as her companion bird circled towards the stranger. It crowed, voice a haunting melody across the plain, craning its head to watch the strange male that approached on the earth below. The primal lioness shook out her fur, dust coming off in a cloud around her. She didn't intend to hide from the newcomer. She padded out into the open, past a gnarled set of tusks jutting up from the dirt, her head and short tail held high.
→ "The ancestors didn't warn me of your coming," she called as soon as the male was within earshot. Her voice was smooth, calm, soothing. By no means did it betray her age.

You have liked this post!

Hearing the caws, and the feminine voice, the heavy lion turned to where the sound came from. At her comment, he snarled and shook his vermillion mane in frustration. "The spirits abandoned me long ago." His voice was gnarled and raspy, even though he wasn't particularly old. He was on the older side, definitely not a young king anymore. "They don't care 'bout me." His face was scrunched, as his bright eyes bore into the Lionesses'.

You have liked this post!

→ The female blinked, breathing out a sigh through her nose. Another gentle breeze flowed through the graveyard, threading through her thick fur. The aged bones and teeth tied around her neck made gentle clattering sounds with the wind.
→ She approached the stranger, tilting her head from side to side to examine him, though she paused just out of leaping distance. The raven's wings disturbed dust as it settled atop a mighty skull a small distance away, staring at the fiery newcomer with one eye. It croaked, puffing up its feathers.
→ "The spirits abandon no one, stranger," the female consoled him, one paw lifted slightly from the ground. "Perhaps you are the one who has turned away from them." No sign of malice showed on her face, only the gentle look of a mother, a protector.

You have liked this post!

"If you say so, Milady." He bowed his head, sighing and closing his eyes, saying "I'm Macabe. What's your name?" He pulled his head up, and looked down on her.

You have liked this post!

→ She gave the large male a genuine smile, setting her paw down and turning to show her flank. The female considered the question for a moment, looking out on the mighty skulls and stone among which she made her home, before glancing back at the stranger and murmuring, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
→ With an aged grace, she lifted her chin to him and continued, "The local prides call me Mother, but I am known through many names. The name my mother gave me is Alali. My mother's name is Aha'e. Her mother's name is Impala. Those of my blood have tended this place for as long as time has been."

You have liked this post!

He tilts his head, then nods. "You have thick history, like blood. You are called Mother? How intresting. You're lineage has beautiful names. My name is Macabre. I come from far away, and have wiped my past away." He flashes a toothy grin as he sits down, his short tail flapping with content.

You have liked this post!

You have liked this post!

→ The female chuckled a soft, purring sound, "Perhaps this is why I haven't heard of you." Even the spirits had their limits, and if this male came from far north or south, the ancestors may have never known of him. Perhaps he was just as mysterious to them as he was to Mother. "How far have you traveled to come here, Macabre? For what reason do you journey?"
→ Something in her was inclined to believe that he was fleeing this past that he spoke of, this history that made him believe that he had been abandoned by the precursors. Her gaze, ever so gentle in expression, trailed across him, quietly picking out anything, anything at all that could give insight to his story. Scars? Items? What could she learn about him from sight alone?

You have liked this post!

" I have traveled exceedingly far, only because I have nothing left of where I came from. I had no reason to stay where I was, nor did I want to. It has been a long journey." He sighed, then scratched his neck.

Hidden in his mane, there were a few scars. Gunshot wounds in his shoulder. Along with his scarred shoulder, he had a gash along the lower side of his soft stomach. It was healed, but the scatting showed that it was claw marks. Other than that, he had nothing of notibility.

You have liked this post!