06-03-2020, 11:50 PM
If Vigenere had been so bold as to ask Aurum if he had been in a war, the feline probably would've received an answer that he hadn't been expecting. After all, not only had Aurum been in one war, but he had actually been in two. One had been back when he had lived with his birth pride, and they had been in a long and gruesome war with the local hyena pack. It would've been easy for one to assume that Aurum's pride would win, considering their sheer power and superior numbers, but the hyenas had been conniving. They had known when to attack when the pride was least expecting it, and the lion had nearly lost his life because of it. The second war had been within Tanglewood, involving the gritty and lengthy war between Tanglewood – as well as pretty much everyone else – and the Pitt. It had been a long war that had involved so many kidnapped and tortured, and too much suffering for the angel to even recall all of it. He had been proud to be involved in the final battle against the Pitt, practically leading the charge for Tanglewood when they had joined Elysium and the Typhoon in finally putting an end to the desert bastards' ways. Needless to say, Aurum had experience with war. However, he had never believed in soldiers working themselves to death when one could fight another day.
The lion found himself chuckling a bit dryly when he heard Vig's initial comment, nodding his head, "Yes, yes it is. Mine might not be quite as bright as yours, but trust me, it isn't a walk in the part to hide when you're gold and red." He shook his head a little bit, still smiling, before it was wiped away by the turn the conversation took next. The former proxy really should've known where this was all heading, but he still couldn't help but wince, a heavy sigh leaving him. He looked down for a moment, his one blue eye growing cloudy in thought as he tried to figure out how to respond. Eventually he sunk his claws into the dirt, speaking softly, but firmly, "I know. Trust me, I am well aware of how important my position was. How hard I worked for it." He had been trusted, respected, and ready to lay down his life for Tanglewood at a moment's notice, but... he still couldn't stay. He continued, shaking his head, "I left for several reasons, if you wish for me to be honest. That simply... isn't the Tanglewood that I came to know and love anymore. When I first joined, I saw a group that was united. Free. Maybe we didn't have the best morals, and maybe everything wasn't perfect, but at least we had direction. Now, though... it feels as though with every day that passes, Tanglewood loses another part of itself. It becomes more of a lawless land than ever, where people don't have to care about others because they'll be rewarded regardless of their behavior. Every day it becomes more toxic, and I just... I couldn't anymore." He scrubbed at his face with a paw, letting out a little grunt as he accidentally nicked himself with a claw, "I stayed... I stayed for a long fucking time, Vigenere. Because I thought that if I stayed, I would be able to help. But then time kept passing, and all the people I cared about kept disappearing... Moth's death was the last time. Every time I passed by the... remains... of her home. It was too much for me. I couldn't handle it anymore. I'm sorry to have left everyone, but I couldn't have stayed there. Not in the state I'm in now. I just would've ended up lashing out and making things worse anyways. You're better off without me. Ultimately, now, Tanglewood will either end up improving... or devouring itself from the inside out." He hoped it would be the former, but if not... he didn't really want to be around to see the latter with his own eye.
The lion found himself chuckling a bit dryly when he heard Vig's initial comment, nodding his head, "Yes, yes it is. Mine might not be quite as bright as yours, but trust me, it isn't a walk in the part to hide when you're gold and red." He shook his head a little bit, still smiling, before it was wiped away by the turn the conversation took next. The former proxy really should've known where this was all heading, but he still couldn't help but wince, a heavy sigh leaving him. He looked down for a moment, his one blue eye growing cloudy in thought as he tried to figure out how to respond. Eventually he sunk his claws into the dirt, speaking softly, but firmly, "I know. Trust me, I am well aware of how important my position was. How hard I worked for it." He had been trusted, respected, and ready to lay down his life for Tanglewood at a moment's notice, but... he still couldn't stay. He continued, shaking his head, "I left for several reasons, if you wish for me to be honest. That simply... isn't the Tanglewood that I came to know and love anymore. When I first joined, I saw a group that was united. Free. Maybe we didn't have the best morals, and maybe everything wasn't perfect, but at least we had direction. Now, though... it feels as though with every day that passes, Tanglewood loses another part of itself. It becomes more of a lawless land than ever, where people don't have to care about others because they'll be rewarded regardless of their behavior. Every day it becomes more toxic, and I just... I couldn't anymore." He scrubbed at his face with a paw, letting out a little grunt as he accidentally nicked himself with a claw, "I stayed... I stayed for a long fucking time, Vigenere. Because I thought that if I stayed, I would be able to help. But then time kept passing, and all the people I cared about kept disappearing... Moth's death was the last time. Every time I passed by the... remains... of her home. It was too much for me. I couldn't handle it anymore. I'm sorry to have left everyone, but I couldn't have stayed there. Not in the state I'm in now. I just would've ended up lashing out and making things worse anyways. You're better off without me. Ultimately, now, Tanglewood will either end up improving... or devouring itself from the inside out." He hoped it would be the former, but if not... he didn't really want to be around to see the latter with his own eye.
— Reggan