a forest of hope - joiners

[wormwood.]

Well, this certainly was an... interesting group. The last time they had such a large group of different animals at their border, it had been Beck's siblings, seeking out the young ghost in order to reunite. Aurum honestly really hoped that wasn't the case now, since that entire incident had caused quite a bit of drama and hostility, not to mention Beck crying all over the place. Although the angel had his doubts that such a thing would ever happen again, considering he hadn't really seen Beck since Audrey had died, nor had seen Selby or really any of the family since Moth's death. It was an unfortunate truth, but one that Aurum had come to accept, considering the lion had seen more than a few poor souls come and go in his day. He wished it wasn't the case, but at least if they disappeared mysteriously one day, there was always the chance that they might come back, rather than facing a fate like Moth's. Of course, there was always the chance that someone would come back even after death, like Leroy had eventually done, but those incidents were few and far between – something that was ultimately probably good for the world, considering death was a natural part of life. However, now wasn't the time for such philosophizing. All it would do was depress him, and there being newcomers at the border was a happy occasion. Unless, of course, they were here to cause trouble.

The lion found himself making his way over slowly, mainly due to the hesitance that came with having so many new scents at the border. It was almost overpowering, considering that they were all intermingling, yet still very distinctly separate. He knew it was enough to give him a headache if he didn't take it in individually, so he took his time ambling through the trees, eventually coming to a stop in front of the large group of seven. It really was a ragtag group of creatures, considering their species ranged from bright and dull colored avian to massive, hooved beasts. The bison set Aurum on edge a little bit, mainly because it was one of the first creatures he had seen in a long while that was larger than he was, but he resolved to not make this another Beck's siblings situation. He wouldn't show them outright hostility, no matter how much the large group of animals set off alarm bells in his head. After all, who would he be if he was an asshole to any potential joiner? Snarl? Just the thought was enough to make him shake his head, before he returned his one eyed gaze to one of the creatures in the front – the alligator, "Uh... hello there. I'm not sure if... any of you were aware, but you're on Tanglewood territory. I'd appreciate it if you could all tell me your names, and your business here. Don't worry, we don't bite." You might, however, his thoughts helpfully added on, his gaze lingering on the alligator's jaws for a moment.

[glow=black,2,300]— ✘ —[/glow]