Lethe smiled slightly, idly shaking out his mane as he considered what to say next. It was interesting, a small group of siblings, children of the neighboring king no less, to be out on his lands. Perhaps they were trying to sneak a peak, or snatch a bit of prey. There was no chance that they had simply stumbled across a marked borderline. Even from where Lethe stood he could clearly see the clawmarks he had etched deep into the bark of bordering trees. Their appearance on his land clearly hadn't been an accident, but Lethe decided against pressing the point. "I only know as much as my scouts have seen." Lethe nodded slightly to Snowfall, who had returned to their little group, Whisper having evidently decided to stay on the hunt. "We tend to keep within our borders, so I wouldn't know any personal details." Lethe paused for a moment to remove a small bit of fur that had stuck between his claws, wrinkling his nose at the reddish-brown scrap. (it's not rabbit fur) "No matter all of that. In any case, it's a good omen to stumble across royals in the territory on a festival day."

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Lethe was a good speaker, almost as good as Salman. Even still something felt off, and now Caleb knew what Ellie was thinking. He stayed his ground behind her. Thoughts circling on that one disgraced tuft of fur. Ellie looked back at him. She'd seen it too and both adolescents agreed something more was going on. But either Salman didn't notice or didn't care. Both were hard to believe, but his next sentence didn't help anything.

"A festival?" Salman said. "I don't believe I've heard of many local pride celebrations. Save maybe the kings birthday."

"If it's remembered." Ellie muttered.

Salaman nodded at her. "Even still what is it you are celebrating?"

Suddenly, Caleb understood. Unlike their father, Salman was keen on knowledge about other prides. Some of it was to help heal the poor relations Neo had created with many of them, but some of it was simply to learn. He was curious. Sometimes his curiosity was good, but Caleb knew of times where it had steared him wrong. Maybe it was just Ellie's jitters passing, but he wondered if they truly needed to back out now.

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"Oh, most of it's just pride tradition. There are some rather stuffy parts, you know that sort of thing, but it's usually a good time. We have a big one usually around once a year, to celebrate our connections with the stars-" Lethe's voice had taken on that slightly fanatical quality for a moment before he appeared to reign himself in.

"Anyway, we should get going. Plenty of things that need preparing, and Valoras here has been slacking off." Lethe cuffed Valoras slightly over the muzzle, making him stumble a little as he rose from his bow. "Unless, of course, you'd like to tag along? We haven't had much to do with the southern pride as of late, but It's always a good thing to establish relations between prides." Lethe leaned over towards Valoras, whispering a short command, which sent the submale off back towards the ravine. If the outsiders did want to come, there would have to be certain precautions. He wouldn't want them wandering off and stumbling across something he'd rather keep away from prying eyes.

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Ellie almost answered. A curt "No", with a turn on her heel. But she'd caught that look in Salman's eye and before she could spit her word out she heard the heir say, "Sure. I think we would find it important to establish connections with the northern tribe as well."

Ellie's heart went up a few places. She needed an excuse. This tribe had a fascination with something, and taking them into the festival was for sure taking them all to their deaths. Ellie forced herself to calmly move next to Salman. She could feel Caleb behind her.

"What my brother has forgotten is that if we go with you I will miss one of my trainings. Others will wonder where we are. There will be a search party. It'll be a whole thing." She gave a weak smile to the king, and then with the same expression looked up too Salman. Inwardly pleading he would say go.

"Caleb could take you back. Tell the rest of the pride I am on patrol." Salman said cooly. Ellie resisted the urge to stamp her paw into the dirt.

She opened her mouth to retort but then Caleb stepped in. "I agree Elllie, I also have things I need to do at home, but it's probably best we stay with Salman." He winked at her. It looked friendly, sort of a brotherly, 'its just your nerves' thing. But she knew he was trying to reassure her, and maybe tell her he agreed.

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Lethe watched the younger lioness with growing interest, his eyes occasionally flicking to the place where Valoras had gone to issue Lethe's orders to the pride. That fool of a submale needed to take better precautions in hiding the remains of the rituals. Marking the graves, really? Lethe stood, a flick of his tail getting Snowfall, who had been sitting unobtrusively over to the side, to stand with him, a clear signal they were ready to go. A glance over at Elli almost made Lethe smile, however. She was all but digging her paws into the mud, first shooting what was clearly supposed to be a polite smile at him and then to the primal, Salman. Pity, pity. Lethe had seen that gleam of curiosity in the eyes of many young lions before, and Salman was clearly set on following them back.

Interesting. Caleb, the other, much quieter male, had stepped in to... Convince Ellie to follow Lethe back? Not what Lethe had expected. "Now that we're all decided, let's get a move on. Your pride won't worry too much, I hope?" Lethe had already set off, his steps quick and assured as he moved deftly through the underbrush, walking with the swift and easy gait of a predator who can already taste his next meal. It would've been easier, perhaps, to just get the primal alone, but Lethe enjoyed a challenge every now and then. He didn't want his claws growing dull.

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[Loving the intrigue and chance of murder ;P]

Caleb walked beside Ellie. Both of them barely a pace behind Salman. He had fallen instep with a grey lioness, Caleb had thought he'd heard Lethe call Snowfall. Salman quietly chatted with the lioness. Clearly trying to learn more about their northern border mates.

Caleb was surprised and irritated with Salman. Clearly this Lethe King had been eyeing Ellie. Something both of them had been trying to prevent. Fortunately, no King had ever stolen any of their lionesses. Many cubs were born "without the blessing of Neo" as some said, but all of the lionesses remained with the pride. Well, there was also the rebellion of Hakim. That was another story though.

"I'm sorry." He said leaning his head close to his sister's ear.

"What were you thinking?" She scoffed.

"I just wanted to keep Salman safe." He said. He looked up the shoved his muzzle much closer to Ellie's ear. "I like adventure but I'd prefer my family to be safe. We're young, but if this guy gets ideas we can easily over power him." He nudged her with a muddy paw then a little louder, just at a normal hearing range stated, "and it's and adventure. To many of our neighbors hate Nro enough to kill us on the spot."

Salman looked back at Caleb and gave him a glare. It quickly turned to a chuckle at the splatters of mud Caleb had accidentally put on Ellie.

"El, your starting to look like your mom." He chuckled.

Ellie looked at herself then swat Caleb with her tail. "Well proud to look like as good a piebald as my mother."

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Snowfall had pricked her ears politely as one of the strange males, Salman walked over to her, head tilted slightly in confusion. She hadn't really expected one of the southerners to approach her, but it would be nice to talk with someone who wasn't Whisper or Stormstripe, Whisper with her somewhat heretical views and Stormstripe, who only ever wanted to discuss hunting tactics or defense strategies.

Feeling a tad embarrassed, Snowfall used a paw to swipe away the small flecks of blood that still dripped from some of the deeper scratches. It stung a little, but it seemed to be healing alright. She could hear the quiet chatter of the other two strangers behind them, catching slight snatches of their words. Interesting to hear that they weren't on the best terms with their neighbors.

Snowfall turned back towards Salman, having worked up the courage to start questioning him a little. With a glance towards Lethe to make sure it was alright, Snowfall began.

"So, Salman, was it? What's life like in the southern pride?

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Salman smiled at the question. The southern pride. Most prides were named after their leaders but Neo struck anger into the hearts of most who knew about his existence. So they simply did not have a name. Salman hoped to change that when he became King.

"I suppose were like most prides really. We have hunters, and submales for patrol. Of course though we also have four submales. And sometimes six. Which I've heard is unusual." He shrugged. "What makes your pride special?"

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Snowfall flicked her ears slightly, trying to imagine the chaotic patrols. How did a king even manage six submales? It might help if they were all related, but still. Snowfall had been around enough of them to know that it could easily get out of hand.

"That is kind of odd. How does your father keep them all reigned in?" Snowfall paused as she considered Salman's next question. There was definitely the stuff with their stars, and the rituals, but she knew Lethe would have her head if she mentioned anything that might scare off the new visitor. A glance back at the young lioness, Ellie, gave her an idea.

"Well, our pride makes its home in a ravine, with some of the most important members living in the cave systems at the bottom. Most of our huntresses, cubs, and adolecents all shelter inside the ravine itself, in all the nooks and crannies. I suppose it could be called unusual that we do a good portion of our hunting at night, unless we have something like the feast to prepare for when we need the extra time. Other than that, and worshipping the stars I suppose, I can't really think of anything else."

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Worshiping the stars? Well there was a thought, as Salman formulated his next question. He knew of prides that questioned the sky. Their closest allies. The southern pride to them, had red start coats. They lived in a mountain. Although how was what Salman had been trying to figure out. They claimed their ancestors became stars. A common idea in the lion world, but they claimed they showed respect only and not worship. The crazy one in the pride, Rainy, claimed she followed in the ways of Wenet and worshiped rabbits, but that was another story.

Salman did chuckle at her question. "I suppose it is. We take turns patrolling. Sometimes we take the younger ones with us. The others who aren't on patrol oversee functions of the pride, such as monitoring the hunting parties and food rations. They might work with the lionesses on relations with other prides. We also help my father make important decisions. We work like a counsel. Our oldest leader just passed, so Radishi, an adopted son of the former king heads our counsel now. It's kind of fun actually."

He paused formulating his own question a bit better. "Your pride sounds very different. I'm curious though. What do you mean by star worship?"

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Snowfall nodded, honestly a little surprised that the submales seemed to have an organized way of running things. Her old pride, not Lethe's pride, one long before that, evidently had been something of a mess. She picked up her pace a little to match Lethe, who had begun to perk up a little more as they got closer to the ravine. The soft earth and undergrowth of the scrubby forest near the borders was slowly giving way to the short grasses and small pieces of rock that littered the places near the ravine. A sniff of the air revealed to her well trained nose the scent of her pride, faint scent-trails left by her fellow huntresses, covered by the much fresher scent of Valoras, who evidently had gotten to the pride quick enough to give them the orders.

Normally, this close to a festival night, the ravine and surrounding area would be a bustle of activity, but Snowfall couldn't even hear the normal sounds of the scrub, like the bird calls or whining insects. She continued, puzzling over how to answer the question, or find some other way to fill the almost eerie silence. Those problems were solved, however, when Lethe stopped with a short growl.
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Lethe raised his head as the familiar scents of the ritual incense reached his nose. A quiet growl rose from his throat as he came to a quick halt, turning slightly to make sure the other lions in their little group stopped in time. It was getting close to the ritual time, and he couldn't be late. He'd have to leave Snowfall or Valoras, most likely both in charge. It irked him that he couldn't personally oversee to the guests, but the stars would see to it that things turned out according to his wishes.

"Snowfall. Escort our guests to the main clearing. Valoras should join you soon, I have things to prepare." Lethe turned, and without another word, broke into a quick, bounding run, heading towards the depths of the tunnels. His gods were calling.
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Snowfall stepped backwards, ears flattening slightly as she watched Lethe hurry off. The scent of incense was certainly stronger than usual, especially when they hadn't even entered the ravine. She glanced back at Salman, Caleb, and Ellie. They would follow her, right? After all, Lethe had left her in charge. Snowfall steeled herself a little before taking charge of the situation. "Apologies that Lethe had to leave so abruptly. I'll take you all to the ravine, and he should be able to rejoin us their if we're lucky."

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The lioness caught up to her king. Had he said something wrong? It was a fine conversation. An eerie feeling hit his gut, but he shoved it back. He looked back at Ellie. Her eyebrows raised. Concern and a flash of I told you so were in her eyes.

Suddenly a sharp oder hit his nostrils. It was different than anything he had ever smelt before, yet he couldn't put his paw on why. The king suddenly stopped. He gave orders to Snowfall to see them to the clearing. The eerie feeling returned. Salman fell in pace with Ellie.

"I may have been wrong."

"Glad you can see it now." She scoffed.

Snowfall cut off any further conversation.

"Um, that's fine. Kings have a lot to tend to." He said he ducked his head to his sister's level. "If they attempt anything on me, you or Caleb we will Thunder Clasp." He said. Ellie's eyes lit up.

"Roger that pricey." She returned with a wink. She turned and whispered the same to Caleb.

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Snowfall continued, relaxing as the smell of the ritual incense grew a little stronger. She'd never quite figured out how, but it always seemed to smell of salt water, exactly like the sacred pool, and the surrounding cavern. The ravine was close, and Snowfall looked back at Salman, who seemed to have withdrawn somewhat, talking with his siblings, who occasionally glanced at each other in a way Snowfall had seen in the herds she and the other huntresses tracked, that watchful kind of worry, backed up by sharp hooves and horns. It wasn't like she had given them much reason to be wary, had she? Maybe they had heard some kind of rumors.

"I'm glad you understand, he usually has a lot on his plate, especially with the pride's hunting grounds shrinking a little." Snowfall flicked her tail slightly, her words directed towards Salman, an invitation to continue the conversation. She was interested in talking with a stranger, with the pride being so isolated, and she knew Lethe would want his guests relaxed, and in good spirits. They were already wary, but hopefully she could get them in more of a party mood. She'd keep the conversation light, and when they reached the ravine, Lethe could take back over. He was always so much better with other lions than she was.

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Salman lifted his head and smiled. His nose finally realized what the smell was - salt water. He' only heard it described once by Vivian, a recent addition to the pride. She'd wandered everywhere, exploring, but she always said her favorite place to be was the sea. Come to think of it the strong scent did smell like her pelt.

He hung back with his siblings, but figured continuing the conversation might at least reassure her they were still on board. "Food is a hard problem to deal with." He heard Elli sigh behind him. She was playing along too. Of course he guessed the sign was true. She knew what he was going to say next. "I have often wondered what it would be like if we did not need to eat. Or if we could simply eat the plants like our prey does. It would make life just a bit easier."

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Snowfall looked back at Salman in confusion. Eating plants? Like prey? It would be nice if they didn't have to hunt, but Snowfall wouldn't want to give up meat, that would be a little too strange. Although, that was probably a little hypocritical, considering what she was doing at the moment. "It would certianly get me some more free time if i didn't have to race after fluffballs every day." Snowfall laughed quietly, but her ears were pricked, and she held her tail a little stiffly. She could see, at the edges of her vision, a couple of the round, white stones that Valoras sometimes would place to mark the remains of sacrafices, give them what little dignity that remained. They were getting very close. The wind had sutbly shifted direction, bringing with it the pride's scent. It was sharper that the southern pride's, tinged with the smell of seawater, and that unmistakable dank scent of the caves.

(shorter one today, have some school stuff i need to get done, I love how Salman and ellie are just conspiering together)

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