Vathmos's recent return to Tanglewood had been... bittersweet. Sweet, because Aurum was overjoyed to see his old friend around again, after so many months without her and so many hardships having happened in her absence. Bitter, however, because it seemed as though Vathmos would not be welcomed back entirely with open arms. Aurum had only been watching silently from the sidelines, but just watching the interactions between Vathmos and Snarl had been enough to make him wince, and he had wanted to get involved somehow, but knew well that both of them would just end up aggravated at him in the end. Even if Aurum didn't hate hyenas as many of his kind did, he could very much see why their culture, instincts, and attitudes could make things very frustrating, especially when you made friends with them. Even if Vathmos would deny that she was truly friends with Aurum, even if the proxy ended up dying to protect her. Sometimes she seemed as though exactly the type to receive a friendship bracelet from Aurum and tell him it was stupid, but then utterly refuse to ever take it off again. Just the thought of such a scenario brought a faint smile to Aurum's mouth, and allowed him to relax after all of the recent stress in his life. Aurum had, very unfortunately, missed his chance to hang out a bit with Vathmos by bringing her back to town when she had first arrived thanks to the unpleasant little interaction between the two hyenas, and the rest of his day had been utterly filled with proxy duties along with being forced to heal, so it was only a day or so later when he was actually able to put aside time to find her.

Thankfully, it wasn't very hard to find Vathmos. Mainly thanks to the heavy scent of death and decay that the hyena carried with her everywhere she went. A scent that, even when dampened by the mixture of mud upon her pelt, was too distinctive to belong to anyone else. Aurum had spent only a couple of minutes searching around town before that scent had hit his nose, and he found the hyena laying near the edge of town, chewing on the bones of... something. Aurum desperately hoped that it had been a piece of fresh kill, and not a clanmate. Trotting over slowly, the proxy settled into a sitting position and wrapped his tail around his paws, giving Vathmos a moment to acknowledge his presence and stop chewing for a second. Once she did so, he smiled at her, his voice accompanied by a pleasant hum, "Hey, Vath. It's good to see you... I figured maybe we could do some catching up like you suggested? I know things have changed a lot since I last saw you, and I wanted to wait until you had settled in a little bit." He very much wanted to talk, but he could also understand if the hyena refused him, considering she might've thought a day wasn't long enough to settle in, or was still perturbed by Snarl's treatment.

Why did you leave? It was certainly a question that lingered on Aurum's mind as he faced Vathmos, and more than once since she had returned had it lingered on the tip of his tongue as well, but he resisted asking it, mainly for his own mental health. He knew how Vathmos operated, and even if he knew full well that they really were friends despite her protests, he wasn't sure if he was ready for the female's instincts to tell him that he owed her nothing, and had wanted to strike out on her own. Aurum was certainly overjoyed to have the other back, but it had never been a surprise that their friendship was volatile, stretching back as far as when Vathmos had first unintentionally raged on him and injured his leg. For now... he just wanted to keep the peace between them. He wanted to relish in the fact that one of his first real friends was back. The heavy questions could come later. For now, all he wanted was to talk to her and relax. When the other confirmed that she was alright with talking, Aurum allowed himself to lay down near her, his heavy body settling against the soft earth to put less strain on his tired muscles. At her first question, the lion let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head a bit, "Yes, that... well, I didn't change it until recently. Well, if you can call a few months ago recently. I just... I didn't really feel like Wormwood fit anymore, you know? Worm was the name originally given to me by my parents because it was supposed to be an insult, and... I didn't really wanna have that hanging over me anymore. I chose Aurum because it was what Ament used to call me, in his raptor language. It apparently means "gold." Aurum was unsure if Ament had arrived before or after Vathmos had disappeared off of the face of Tanglewood, but he could always explain that as well if she didn't know.

Vathmos was right, in that Aurum couldn't truly understand her reasoning in leaving Tanglewood. Lions, although not quite as driven by pure instinct as hyenas, also had their own innate desires. Stay in prides and packs, because that would keep you safe, and would make hunting easier... there would always be females to watch the children, and everyone could work together under one common leader. Most other lions would be yearning to return to a life where they had a pride of others like them, but... Aurum wasn't like most lions. His pride hadn't reflected safety, or home, or family. All it had represented to him was thinly veiled insults, being tossed aside and berated, as well as everyone shunning him. Hell, if he hadn't grown up fast – both for himself and for Poetking – he probably wouldn't be alive today, since no one truly cared enough to want to protect or nurture him. It was nearly impossible for Aurum to understand Vathmos's leaving because his old home, his old pride... it didn't represent the safety that Vath felt about her pack. No, instead, Tanglewood represented that safety for him, and that's why he didn't think he could ever leave.

Listening closely to what Vathmos had to say in response, Aurum chuckled a bit, one of his ears flicking as he stretched out. It didn't entirely surprise him that Ament would choose a name for her that meant savagery or hostility. There were very few people that Vathmos seemed to legitimately get along with, and Aurum felt a sort of honor in being in that exclusive club, even if he wasn't quite sure if the hyena would ever truly respect him. Shaking off such thoughts, Aurum spoke softly as he thought back to Ament, a faint smile spreading across his muzzle, "Yes, well... I had already been starting to feel like Wormwood didn't fit anymore, especially considering nearly every new joiner would give me an odd look when I introduced myself. So, when I thought back to Ament and his name for me... it just felt right. Especially as a sort of way to honor him... I have no idea where he is now, truthfully." It had just seemed like one day the raptor was there, and the next day he was gone, a fact that had made Aurum's heart ache severely when he had found out. Sure, perhaps Ament couldn't truly speak beyond his own raptor language, but that didn't mean he hadn't been a friend.

Rejection. It was a feeling that both Aurum and Vathmos could relate to, considering their backgrounds. Vathmos, rejected for her blood and what it represented, and Aurum, rejected from his family and his home simply for not being the preferred son. Neither was fair to either of them, but hopefully both could find a home within Tanglewood, even if Aurum had to be the one screaming from the rooftops that Tanglewood could be the home that the hyena desired. It might've seemed a ridiculous mental image to most, but if standing up on one of the roofs of the many homes scattered around and shouting would actually get the point across, Aurum wpuld do it in a heartbeat. After all, it wasn't as if he didn't have wings to just conveniently fly up to a rooftop.

Pushing away those unpleasant thoughts, Aurum was unfortunately only forced with more when Vathmos brought up that many people had disappeared since her last time being around. Sighing heavily, the proxy nodded, his eyes glancing around almost wistfully as he thought of the many faces that were still missing, "That is true... many people have drifted off, or gone away, or maybe even been taken. Some don't even go because they mean to... I miss most of them as well. But all I can really do is hope they'll be back one day. Like you." He offered the hyena across from him a soft smile, before blinking in surprise at her next words. Questions? Well, yes, he supposed that was why he had come over, wasn't it? Shifting a little bit on his paws, Aurum nodded before speaking, "I suppose I did... I'm not even sure what to ask first, to be honest. Did you... were you... did you meet any other hyenas while you were gone? I know that hyenas tend to... gravitate towards each other." He motioned a paw a bit awkwardly as he spoke, demonstrating that he didn't quite know the exact wording for how hyenas tended to find each other.

Normally, the proxy wouldn't have approved of any fighting between clanmates. It went against the entire point of Tanglewood, and pretty clearly fell under the whole "no hurting clanmates" rule that Leroy had been looking to enforce more strongly as of late. However, Aurum had certainly seen this far how Snarl treated Vathmos, and he couldn't say that he wasn't a little annoyed by it as well. He was beginning to think of Snarl as a friend, but Vathmos was a friend as well, and he really didn't appreciate the insulting way the other hyena spoke to her. So, if both parties agreed to some sort of fight or spar... well, he would probably allow it, provided it didn't end in death. When Vathmos spoke, Aurum felt a soft chuckle leave him, his eyes seeming to get a bit of a far away look as he nodded, "Trust me, I'm aware of how hyenas work together to survive. Back when I lived with my pride, we lived near a tribe of hyenas in the area. Usually we managed to avoid conflict, but whenever there was anything... well, let's just say there was never just one hyena coming." He could still remember them losing a few lionesses to a pack of hyenas when the worst of the fighting had broken out. That had been a dark day. At her second statement, however, Aurum felt confused. A faint frown tugged at his muzzle before he tilted his head to one side, his words slightly hesitant, "Didn't want you...? That's ridiculous. Vathmos, you're one of the best warriors I've ever seen. You hunt well, fight very well... why wouldn't they want you?" Despite having more of an understanding of hyena culture than most, that didn't mean Aurum knew everything. And he certainly didn't know what the markings on Vathmos meant. For the most part, he thought they were just scars, acquired from random battles.