Naturally, one had to explore after joining a new environment. Acclimation was key. Especially when someone as juvenile as him wanted to blend in. Finding the nooks and crannies of the territory was key. From the barn to the marsh’s deep pools, Raymond had walked all over. There seemed to be so many areas to adventure through. He barely thought surveying the area once was satisfactory. Hell, Tanglewood’s territory had to have more to it. His curiosity might of just gotten the best of him though.

Nevertheless, the worst was saved for last. It’s stench was atrocious. Needless to say, the panther’s last trip relied on the junkyard. He wasn’t thrilled about i.t. Unfortunately, to be a true ‘Tanglewooder’, or whatever they called their lousy bunch, Raymond found that his trip to the dastardly rubbish landfill was significant. His decision made him dearly question his choice to join, but he proceeded anyways. It seemed better to get it over with now before he was enviably dragged into the junkyard for an unusual occurrence or event.

Wary paws sauntered over towards the entrance. The otherworldly stench graced his nostrils, causing his nose to scrunch up. He stared outwards at the trash, eying the piles strangely before taking a step in. ”I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he grumbled underneath his breath. With no further comments, the panther wandered into the abyss of garbage and began to look around. Perhaps he’d find some company.

//mobile post [member=6838]stilly.[/member] [member=303]Aurum[/member]

The sound of crunching plastic caused his ears to point backwards towards the noise. Strangely enough, he didn't feel in any danger. Thankfully, Raymond's prediction was right. A familiar voice rang out in between their loud footsteps, causing his head to shift towards them. He was met with a lousy smile. If they weren't in  a junkyard, perhaps he would be more critical of their expression, but he was also unenthused. The panther barely managed to smile back himself. Instead his expression remained blank. The only sign of interest from him was that his nose briefly shuttered out of it's scrunched up position.

"Greetings," he inquired back. "I suppose I am taking a peek around." Moving to face Aurum, the panther forced a deep chuckle. "Can't say I'm too impressed with this shithole either, Aurum." His paw gestured back towards the trash. Green eyes peered behind him for a moment. He only let out a sigh when his eyes returned to the lion. "But who would be?" Maybe some sick freaks or an artist looking for an underlying meaning that didn't exist. Other than that, the rest of the territory felt homely. Of course there were some downsides, such as the swamp and the infamous stench, but Raymond was pleased. There couldn't have been a better place for him.

A smirk curled upon his maw. "So, big guy-" Aurum's rank, Captain of the Guard, seemed important. "-tell me about yourself." The panther began to navigate out of the junkyard, gesturing for the lion to follow with his tail. "You must of flattered Leroy somehow." In reality, Aurum should of been the one asking Raymond who he was. He was the newcomer. Nevertheless, the larger cat took it upon himself to skip past that. No one needed to know the monstrosity his past held.

As the lion matched his pace, the panther listened with interest. Though he showed no sign of it, the fact of Leroy and him having a predicament really threw him off. After all, they had been the two to greet him first and the general even asked Aurum for their opinion on his acceptance. What had disturbed the two? Raymond couldn’t help but wonder what pushed their buttons. ”Well, obviously he saw a change,” he nonchalantly replied. ”Otherwise you would of been still on the bottom with me.” If that’s what he thought being a member was. The smaller wildcat’s perspective was skewed anyways. ”At least he’s not using you- right?” he inquired curiously. While his comment was inherently sarcastic, there was some intention of hearing the answer. Something had to cause discourse.

Part of his answer came soon enough. ’Hot-headed.’ Raymond hasn’t known Leroy for the longest time, but the general’s straight-forward attitude had intrigued him. So far, he really had nothing horrible to say about anyone here. Negative words said by Aurum were merely pushed to the back of his mind, but not forgotten. The panther would form his own opinion first. With caution too... He merely nodded along with the other male’s words in the meantime. 

Raymond unintentionally directed the question towards their rank. He really wanted to know about Aurum’s past or even their hobbies. There had to be something that connected the two together. The feeling of certainty laid within him. ”I suppose I should of asked what’s your story,” he rephrased. Certainly there had to be something besides the other male’s rank. Ray could just tell. ”What really makes Aurum tick?” His tail swished playfully past the lion’s back, urging him to go on. Though Raymond was quite the talker himself, he was introverted on the current subject. He’d rather have the other continue until they satisfied themself... It seemed like they both didn’t want to necessarily speak about themselves.

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Raymond merely listened. His expression didn’t flicker as he did so, but he did nod once or twice. There was no advantage being taken of when it came to Aurum. Seemed like a damn shame, seeing that the lion was kind-hearted and boisterous, along with powerful. Nevertheless, he was not surprised. The thought of an outside interfering between the general and captain, whatever it may be, confused the panther. Even so, he had done enough pushing tonight. Any further interest in the subject would be suspicious. After all, his curiosity had always stabbed him in the back and he’d like to prevent that within Tanglewood.

His eyes widened in surprise. ”About six,” the panther echoed back. ”You don’t say.” That seemed like such a short time to instill trust in someone, but in hindsight, it made sense. Tanglewood had many members that had stayed around for a long time, but seniority meant nothing. Only the bold stood out. Aurum, unsurprisingly, was someone that made a great impact within the group.

Family was not a topic Raymond took pride in. In the news of their success, he couldn’t help be envious of their environment. He had never had a family that cared for him or a child to cherish. If he could change that, then perhaps he’d be satisfied. That didn’t seem like any time soon though. ”Sounds splendid,” he commented delightfully. There was no sarcasm in his tone, although he would like to hide a hint of it in there.

With the mention of childhood though, his mood happened to fall flat again. They held that in common. Even if seeing that Aurum could change their ways gave him hope, the sinking feeling in his chest said otherwise. His disdain was hidden under a smirk though. ”We have that in common then,” came his cocky remark. ”Heaven help us.” He doubted God would ever do that for him though. Especially now. What he did before was inexcusable in the Lord’s eyes. Little did he know, Aurum was apart of God’s circlejerk and be used to his advantage.