NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — It wasn't often that Aurum ended up thinking about trying to change his appearance. This was simply because he didn't really want to change how he looked. There had been a brief period when he had been an awkward and growing young cub, where he had constantly worried over his looks, but that was long over by now. Or so he thought, anyways. He wasn't nearly as anxious or looks obsessed as he had been when he had been what was practically a teenager, but... he couldn't deny he felt a bit awkward these days. His wounds had nearly fully healed, but the scars still remained, as did his kinked tail, and the slightly crooked tilt that one of his wings now had. None of it was enough to cause his mental anguish every day, or anything like that, but they did have a tendency to be annoying. They were also enough to occasionally cause him to get second looks, as eyes traveled from his missing eye, to his crooked wing, and eventually down to his kinked tail. He hated those particular look overs, since they often made him feel like some sort of circus attraction while he was just trying to walk around town – not that he did that much at the moment.

While none of it was enough to make him want to shapeshift from his birth form, or do something equally drastic, he did feel the need to make a bit of a change. Nothing huge, just something to make him feel good about himself. Something to make his mind not focus so much on his flaws. So, after some thorough searching through those within camp that had the means to do so, Aurum had eventually found someone to do a few new piercings for him. Three small bronze rings on the outside of both of his ears, as well as a matching bronze nose ring that now adorned his muzzle. The process had been a little painful, as all piercings were, but the NPC he had found had been good, and the lion had remained mostly numb through all of it. Now, as he leisurely strolled from the NPC's home back towards his own house, he couldn't help the crooked smile that rested on his face. He knew that piercings weren't anything huge, especially for some folks around Tanglewood, but they made him feel good.

When he eventually found his way back to his own porch, he sat down at the bottom of the stairs, pressing one of his broad paws up against his nose. He winced before pulling the limb away, muttering after a string of curses, "That was a stupid idea... it's definitely in, though..." He didn't doubt that the piercer had done his job right, but he still felt an anxious little prickle running beneath his fluffy pelt. What if he didn't take care of the piercings right, and they somehow got infected? The thought of it was enough to make the former proxy wince, a little grumble leaving him as he searched through the supplies he had been given by the NPC.

( retro to takeover ) — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — The slap of a rather large and rather unpleasant looking fish against the ground caused Aurum to jump, his one eyed gaze flicking up to Elsweyr. Despite his surprise, he found himself smiling, his grin toothy and sharp – although not intentionally – as he greeted, "Oh, hello." The king cheetah was one of the newer faces within the group to him, but he enjoyed seeing her around. Her company could occasionally be a bit odd, since he didn't know much of the tribe she came from, but he had his own little traditions that others didn't understand too. Perhaps it was something that they could bond about in the future, both being from different smaller groups before they had ultimately ended up in Tanglewood. Either way, the lion soon found himself letting out a soft chuff, pleased by the compliment for his new piercings, "Ah, thank you. They're made of bronze, so they have that sort of distinctive color... I figured they would match best with my own fur." He shook out his mane a little bit, the fading sunset colors of it fitting well with the spots of rusty brown that his piercings presented.

With his one intact blue eye drifting over Elsweyr, he soon found himself rumbling from deep in his chest, "I like your piercings as well... I take it that they're made from bone?" He wasn't sure what else would have that distinctive ivory color, not to mention the rather unique texture of them. He was distracted from them by the cheetah asking him if he wanted the fish she captured, causing him to pause. He didn't want to just eat the fish if she had gone through all the effort of catching it herself, especially since he hadn't hunted yet today. With that in mind, he sniffed at the aquatic beast, muttering, "Well... it does seem as though it would make for some good food. But I don't want to take it from you after you went through all the effort. Would you perhaps like to share?" They were both fairly large cats, but the fish was also pretty damn big, so he didn't think it would be such a big deal to share. It wasn't as though he couldn't get some extra food later, after all. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

[table][tr][td][/td][td]
[/td][/tr][/table]

code by Wisker

Bronze? It was bronze? A strange color but perhaps it was also something else. Right if she remembered they had used bronze before but it was so rare to find and use that bone was the stable. Bronze was special and important to them. Marking of one who was higher in the tribe. Aurum was higher then? Her head slowly tilted to the side as she examined over him. His figure looked built from harsh times and held power in the very muscles. She could see it and she dipped her head respectfully. They did look wonderful on him and she hoped that perhaps in the future that he could gain more for his achievements. Carry them with pride always flashing in his eye. A smile pulled at her maw then before the question was asked about her own and she gave a light nod of her head. "Yes, all of her's are made of bone. Very important as some are milestones of her life. Her nose was when she became a true warrior of her people." The way her voice rumbled with pure pride said it all as her long and slender tail shifted back and forth rather lightly. She always strived to improve as much as she could and even here she hoped to do her best.

The woman had not thought about sharing her catch though as it was talked about. She figured he would need more food. He was larger then she and she always thought that the larger and stronger needed their fill so that they could protect everyone. A frown pulled at her muzzle but she could tell that he meant well. He was courteous and she had to remember that this was also a different world. Sharing was acceptable in certain circumstances. "She does not mind sharing. But perhaps Aurum can show her better hunting techniques for the bog later on?" As she spoke she pushed the mutated like fish closer to the other. But a soft and brief touch to her shoulder made her pause and twist her head to look down at a young cub. Her eyes that were fiery in color blinked slowly before she tilted her head just a bit. Her tail gently moved to lightly bush against the child's back. A gentle greeting. She welcomed him openly even as he was about to continue off.

But it appeared the adornments stopped the younger of the group and had him staring before voicing a question that was normal to hear. She did not mind the searching question and instead gave a brighter smile. "It depends on where they go. Sometimes. But not always do they hurt. This one thinks they have a bit of a sting, especially in her nose. Would the small one like to have one one day? Maybe when he makes first kill? Big accomplishment!"

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — In a way, one could say that Aurum's piercings did sort of reflect his accomplishments. While he didn't get piercings whenever anything important happened in his life, he did often decide to get them as a celebration – as a way to reflect some kind of growth. Perhaps it wasn't the exact same kind of growth that Elsweyr was thinking of, but it was close enough, and Aurum didn't mind making the connection. After all, he knew well how hard it could be to connect one's old culture with the culture of Tanglewood – he had gone through his own adjustment period with the pride. Dipping his head in the cheetah's direction, the angel said with a faint smile upon his muzzle, "Milestones, huh? That's an interesting way of doing things, but I think it's interesting. I'm sure that you must've been very proud when you got it." He tapped one of his large claws against the new ring in his nose, explaining casually, "I don't always get piercings for milestones, but... it felt right this time. I've finally recovered after a while of being injured, and I'm proud to have gotten through it." Perhaps Elsweyr wouldn't think making it through injuries was that impressive, but Aurum had been on the verge of death when he had returned, so he felt pretty good about it.

As the large fish was pushed towards him, the lion blinked and looked down at it in surprise, not used to just having prey handed over to him. He supposed it was a matter of pride, and he wasn't about to hurt Elsweyr's pride, so he eagerly leaned down and took a large bite out of it. When he pulled his maw back, his tail was flicking behind him, and he spared another nod to the king cheetah's direction, "I'll be happy to show you some more hunting techniques around the territory. It can be a bit difficult to get used to the kind of land we've got around here..." It seemed as though he was about to continue, but he was then surprised by the soft sound of Salvia questioning them. Turning to look over at his son, Aurum chuckled before he shrugged his shoulders, explaining, "Like she said, it depends on where you get the piercing. The nose one definitely hurt a lot more than the ear ones... you can get one at some point, but it's by no means required, so no need to feel anxious." A piercing for his child's accomplishments would be something interesting, but that was Salvia's choice, not anyone else's.

Unsurprisingly, the next one to appear was another one of his children, causing him to chuckle lightly. He could see the gleam of excitement in Ayla's eyes, and he wrapped a paw lightly around her side, pressing his nose to her head and resisting the urge to wince as he spoke, "Thank you, Ayla. That's very sweet of you to say... like I said with Salvia, you could get one someday, if you want." He'd never stop his children from accessorizing if they wanted to, but he wanted to make sure that they knew that it could hurt a bit. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.