The last week had been a fucking nightmare for Aurum. It had started with Poet showing back up again, then working his ass off until his body felt like it was falling apart, then the fucking incident with Snarl and Vathmos. His anxiety and anger levels had been off of the charts as of late, and he was so glad that he was now on his way home. Speaking with Leroy had somewhat taken the edge off, since he knew that showing the general both sides of the story made it less likely that Vath was going to get kicked out of Tanglewood. Even if he was pissed and disappointed in the hyena, that didn't mean that he wanted her to get kicked out... he didn't want to lose one of his best friends, even if she was one hell of a dumbass sometimes. She wasn't the only dumbass that had been involved in that situation, and basically the only one who wasn't in the wrong in that whole situation was Miller. The drunk bastard had been annoying as hell, and had been stupid in throwing himself in front of Vathmos's jaws, but Aurum could at least understand that. He knew what it was like, feeling the need to throw himself in front of someone you cared about because you didn't want them to be hurt.

A heavy sigh left the lion as he moved inside of his home, glancing around the little shack for a moment before padding over to his bed. He collapsed onto the bed, letting the plush surface cushion his large body as he allowed his muscles to relax. He was given only a long moment of relaxation, however. Someone nearby cleared their throat awkwardly, and he opened his one eye, blinking slowly at Poetking. The younger lion had evidently been pawing through Aurum's books, given the way that he was frozen with one large paw resting on one of the lower shelves. Aurum let a long moment of silence pass before he finally croaked out, his voice slightly hoarse from roaring earlier, "Yes, Poet...? It's obvious you want to say something, so just say it." Poet had been walking on eggshells around him lately, being careful not to draw too much attention to himself or cause a ruckus as he adjusted to being within Tanglewood again. That was probably for the best, given how pissed Aurum had been when Poet had first reappeared, but the older male was beginning to grow tired of it. He just wanted Poetking to speak up, and actually say what was on his mind.

Aurum honestly wasn't sure how Roy felt about having his uncle around. The older lion had said very little about Poet before his return, and the most that the tiger had ever heard about the proxy's younger brother was soft mumbles of his name. That was it, and Aurum probably would've been happy to keep it that way, until Poetking returned. He was trying his best not to lash out, since he didn't want to turn Roy against his uncle without anything for him to really be angry about. When Aurum heard his brother's words, he sighed and spoke softly, "I am tired... I had a tiring day. People are... fucking idiots." The end of his words was more of a grumble than anything else, a heavy sigh leaving him as he buried his face in his paws.

Aurum tensed up slightly when Poet moved closer, his one icy blue eye focusing intensely on his brother as the other put his chin on the bed. His wings were rigid against his back, and it took a moment before one of the feathered limbs stretched out again, resting against the bed. Kneading his claws against the cushy surface beneath him, Aurum rumbled softly, "Vathmos and Snarl are fucking idiots, and they got into a fight at Snarl's stupid bonfire. Vathmos attacked and hurt Miller, and I got to break them apart and report it all to Leroy, since he wasn't there." He sighed and let his chin rest back down on the bed, his one eye narrowing a little bit as he thought about the incident. He hadn't actually told Poetking about his new position as proxy yet, so he doubted the other would realize why he had to be the one to tell Leroy.

Aurum sighed, watching his brother closely as the other moved around. He knew that he hadn't really explained who Snarl and Miller were, but... it would honestly just a huge pain in the ass to go through that whole process. So instead he just spoke softly, another little grumble leaving him as he closed his eyes briefly, "I broke it up... had to toss Vathmos away by the goddamn scruff of her neck, though. Miller's fine... his neck was bleeding a lot, but Moth and Kiira patched him up well enough... I just wish they hadn't goddamn started a fight in the first place." Both Vathmos and Snarl were in the wrong, and he just wished that the two of them would stop provolone each other constantly.

It was almost hard to list all of the changes that Aurum had went through during his brother's absence. He nearly was a completely different lion inside and out, and though most of the changes were for the better, the ones on the outside? Not so much. He still sometimes felt a terrible anxious sting in the right side of his face, where an eye should've been sitting, yet instead there was nothing but a gaping, empty eye socket, hidden beneath regularly changed bandages. Scars littered his body, with the most obvious one being the one that lingered in the middle of his chest. It was huge and had a sort of starburst shape to it, angry lines stretching out where a lance had been stabbed and wrenched painfully around just weeks earlier. It was still raw, and Aurum felt a sudden violent itch from it, one that made him move his head down, a grumble leaving him as he licked and dragged his teeth over the scar just to get rid of it. When he heard Poet, he lifted his head again, shaking it before he spoke, "No, don't. There's no point. I won't be able to sleep for a fucking hour, at least. Too full of adrenaline... and it's fine. It's fine... Sam still calls me Wormy, most of the time."