slow dancing in the wild / TERRITORY MOVE

[emil]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; padding: 10px; height: auto; overflow: auto;"][div style="width: 400px; padding: 0px; line-height: 14px; text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"]after the fire had destroyed their home, the rosebloods did not have very many places to go. at the edge of the territory, in a small clearing the fire had not touched, they took shelter while their leader debated over what to do, where to go. it was tight, and everyone was on edge from losing their home and some loved ones; prestige could feel the tension in the air each time he went on his rounds to check on everyone, feel their eyes lingering on him as he passed, wondering what their next move was. if he was being honest, the pharaoh wasn't sure. he didn't know where to go.

in the night, when sleep took him away, the sun god visited him. in his ear, ra whispered to him, and shared with him a vision of thick rainforest, a hole in the ground, ancient ruins; when the snow leopard arose from his sleep, the sun peered over the trees and into their hideout, bathing the tall grass in golden rays. he watched it rise for a few moments, then turned to his dwindling numbers, stirring from sleep. prestige twitched his tail. he knew where to go. ra would lead them to their new home.

silver paws carried him to a small, jutting rock in the clearing, hopping upon it and watching silently as curious eyes followed. the leopard cleared his throat quietly. "rosebloods," he murmured. members padded slowly to him and seated themselves ahead of him, wondering what the pharaoh could have to say.

"today we will be beginning our journey to find our new home." prestige announced to them, and though some gave him confused looks, he continued. "i need volunteers to run ahead of us and scout out this place before the rest of us come, so we know it is safe and habitable." he didn't offer many details; to any volunteers, he would speak to privately and give them the location. the pharaoh couldn't help the suspicion growing within him, unable to figure out what could have possibly started the fire in their territory. there were no traces of any creatures, and it certainly did not seem natural.

best not to dwell on it.

pres rubbed a paw over his face and sighed. "we will leave just after noon. prepare your things." have trust in me. the snow leopard finished with a short nod before he hopped down from the rock, then seating himself at its side, watching the crowd for any that wished to scout ahead for him.