ilijas arthur valentine

It was rare moments such as these that Ilijas cast aside his feline body in favor of something different, something adorned with a magnificent set of horns and a stature that far surpassed that of most of his clanmates. He was not a lethal force while in the form of an elk, but he was something that represented nobility and power, the type of power that did not physically take and destroy but rather, the sort of power that was admired. Respected. Very rarely did he utilize his elk body, finding that it was often too much of a hassle to keep up with, but for some reason, the desire to further explore the mountains had seized him that morning and it had become his only option. A bengal could only navigate the rocks and ledges so well, an elk was practically made for the peaks and valleys that a mountain range, however shallow, provided.

In his pursuit of the wilderness, Ilijas hadn't expected to stumble across anyone in particular. While the occasional joiner dotted the border, hardly ever did he see someone in the true thick of things. Interesting. She appeared disoriented, lost even, and the Dawnkeeper idly wondered if he should shift back into his domestic body in some attempt to assist her. An elk was hardly a credible source, he believed, and he didn't want to intimidate her even though he was nothing more than a gentle giant. Heaving a sigh, the hoofed mammal resigned to that outcome, shaking out his pelt as he now regarded Bottleblonde at a more appropriate size.

[color=#454843]"You okay?" Came Ilijas' low inquiry, a metaphorical brow arching. He knew that the answer to that question was probably not 'yes' but asked anyways, figuring that it was the least he could do before he began to question her. [color=#454843]"I'm Ilijas and you're kinda near Sunhaven territory. What's your name? Are you lost?" He didn't mean to bombard her with so many questions but it just sort of happened that way. Whoops.

cause god, i never felt young

☀ — just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me

Pierce knew what it was like to be lost. Both literally and figuratively, Pierce had found himself hopelessly lost so many times. At only five months old, he'd had to leave the home he was abandoned in to seek shelter, been thrust into the unknown with no knowledge of anything outside his little home. He had stumbled across his first clan by complete chance, which was a slightly different situation from Bottleblond's. Figuratively, god, he'd been "lost" so many times, but he wasn't going to get into that- he still wasn't emotionally stable enough to think about any of those things right now.

He had been on his usual walk around the territory, which usually consisted of him pausing every couple of steps to either pick a flower or to sketch something down that he might want to repaint later. However, the sight of two figures in the distance, one of which he was pretty sure was Ilijas, distracted him from the little bumble bee he had stopped to look at. Could it be a joiner, or an aggressor? Or perhaps it was just some lost traveller. Abandoning the buzzing insect, Pierce lifted his head, shifting the satchel slung over his shoulder to mask the large burn scar beneath it as he approached. Considering the girl looked overwhelmed enough and Ilijas had already asked the appropriate questions, he settled for a gentle greeting of, "Hey," accompanied by a warm smile for the time being.

"speech"

MONROE

MALE — SUNHAVEN — SUNBEARER — HARD

Without a doubt, there have been instances where Buckingham felt lost figuratively. One major instance Buckingham could think of was during his final days as the Asset. For weeks, Bucky was the perfect Asset- he went through with missions and orders with no hesitation, did not seek for his old memories that his 'enemy'(now he knows that enemy was his old home, and were lies from Ximen) stole, never questioned his handler, and only lived for his job. He firmly believed back then that he was a living weapon- a weapon who shouldn't have his own thoughts, opinions, or emotions. Bucky remembered expecting punishments if he ever slipped up, or how his handler would phrase it, malfunctioned. During those finals days as Ximen's 'perfect' soldier, memories began to surface. Memories that he knew he wasn't actively seeking- as he thought if he got his memories back, they'd interfere with his job, and he wouldn't be performing his job to his full potential. Well, he wasn't wrong- without a doubt, as soon as they began to surface, it left him in confusion and panic. For weeks, Bucky believed what Ximen told him- he was convinced he was always a clanmate of Ximen, and that their enemy stole everything from him. He was certain if he ever wanted his memories back, they'd be exactly what Ximen said- but they weren't. They were the exact opposite, they told an entirely different story.

When he approached his handler, he almost got killed for bringing up- he was lucky to escape with his life. Not long after he approached Ximen, the mutated cheetah left the clan. Bucky didn't run back to his true home- the guilt he felt towards what he did to them could never be redeemed. He felt lost- he felt himself getting mentality drained the more he thought of who he's suppose to be. It felt horrible to realize he lived weeks and weeks of his life on lies, and that it'd be nearly impossible to return to what he used to be. While he left his handler and returned to his original name, he wasn't exactly the same. It's like the Asset and pure Bucky Barnes fused into what he is today. A cold, yet caring, former assassin who has difficulty expressing his emotions. A former assassin who's longing for change, which almost feels impossible to accomplish.

The next one to pad into the scene happened to be Buckingham, sneaking his way in shortly after Monroe. Each step the male made was with delicacy, as if the ground was thin ice, and Bucky didn't want to fall into the below freezing water. His gaze scanned the small crowd around Bottleblonde- which happened to be Ilijas, Pierce, Gordon, and Monroe. As his eyes scanned the crowd, they eventually found their way onto Bottleblonde. He didn't have to look at her for long to notice that concerned expression on her soft face. Like others suggested, he assumed she was lost, but didn't bother to ask if she was- considering Ilijas already asked her. He didn't want to repeat the question or press more questions on her. The male frowned slightly, deciding not to say a word until she spoke up herself.