THISTLE AND WEEDS // OPEN, JOINER

[buckingham barnes]

Learning to let go of his old life proved to be quite the difficulty. It wasn't exactly an easy thing to do, especially when you have a daily reminder of who you used to be. For Buckingham, his reminder was his metal prosthetic limb. Any time he glances at it, sees it's metal shine in the moonlight- he's reminded of who he was shaped to be. An assassin, a murderer, an assailant, and most importantly, an asset who used to be very loyal to his handler. He had been taught and told he was a weapon, and for the longest time, he believed it. Even when he broke away from his handler, he still struggled with who he was- his brain got conditioned so badly that there were parts of the asset he couldn't erase. Buckingham originally gave up, grimly accepting that being a murderer and assailant will forever be apart of him.

It wasn't until Buckingham abandoned what he called home- a rather violent, and dangerous place that Bucky wouldn't have lived in if it weren't for his former handler- that caused him to start thinking. He doesn't want to live a dangerous, murderous life anymore. He's tired of it, tired of the families he broke and enemies he made. He has to tell himself that he doesn't have to be that violent, out of control asset- he can be the person he chooses to be.

He can only hope that his life for now on won't be stained with blood. Or well, more stained with blood. While he looks clean on the outside, on the inside the maine coon was covered in blood. Blood from people he didn't even know the names of, innocents, and the guilty. There was no way for Buckingham to ignore what he's done in the past- he's surely been traveling through a river of blood. He can only hope that people won't catch on, or perhaps he'll be in a bad situation.

The maine coon found himself padding onto hot sand, eyes falling upon a beach that stretched far before him. Buckingham had been padding around aimlessly, not exactly paying attention to where he went. That was almost the exact opposite of him, as he's usually very alert and likes to be aware of his surroundings. When Buckingham began to wonder where he was, the scent of Sunhaven invaded his nostrils. A clan lives here. The male thought to himself, ears flattening to his skull. Bucky has been traveling around for a while now since he left his home, unsure where he was going to settle.

Perhaps it was like fate that Bucky ended up here. He was planning to eventually join a clan, hoping to find a new home that was far less violent. He had been traveling for months now, without a place to call home. He was never fully sure which clan would be the right one, but maybe this one will be different. "Hello? Is anyone out there?" The former assassin called out, feeling the sand between his paws as he looked out for any members nearby.

[Mama]

[align=center][div style="width: 470px; font-size:9pt; font-family:calibri; text-align: justify;line-height: 110%; color:black"]To escape ones past, be it the tragedy it had come to be touched by or else events crafted by oneself, was something many seemed to be attempting. It was a hard thing to do for memory seemed a funny thing, latching onto those scenes which proved little more than reminders of the bad, hardships you might seek to forget but can only recall with clarity, while the good is obscured, given to fading with time.

Ishayu was one such who had come to attempt to run from her past, had tasted fire and blood within those days when her home had burned, yet the screams were always there. They rang through her head within the dead of night when sleep became twisted and dark, touched her thoughts when the guilt and regret of leaving them behind rose like a monster to tear apart her fragile good mood, a constant companion walking by her side. She had become used to it, finding the memories there beneath the surface of her thoughts no matter her attempts to push them back, and had simply given in, gave them a place of their own if the act was done begrudgingly.

Though there was no blood to stain her paws, be it upon the outside or within for she had no care to fight another unless it had become a necessity to do so, it was still there for she had stood by and watched, allowed her family to die simply because she had been terrified. She understood the plight of those who had found themself decorated with the blood of others, scars only present upon the heart and soul rather than the skin, for she carried her own, a secret kept closely guarded.

“I am here,” the albino mountain lion called in response to the words, looking upon the smaller stature of the maine coon. Her attention was drawn to his prosthetic limb and briefly she wondered if he had been the creator and might be willing to teach her, for a time she had thought of crafting a prosthetic of her own yet it seemed a hassle beyond her, even with her smithing experience. Forcing her gaze back to Bucky's a soft smile laced her lips, one offered readily and to all though it lacked much, nothing more than an empty gesture to offer some fragment of reassurance she meant no harm. “This is Sunhaven, do you have business you wish to discuss with Jericho or were you perhaps seeking to join?”

[ hey sky, welcome to sunfam, i hope you enjoy your time here with us ]

[madster]

amnia didn't like to think about where he came from, so he just didn't. it was easy when he was so young, and so many others captivated him- like watching seaweed dry, or swimming alongside fishes in the ocean... he was innocent and still pure, he didn't even really have a concept of pain or suffering. thus, he'd never understand why some came to sunhaven. to him, it was a utopia, but he had just joined to discover more. he knew that suffering existed- it was just a foreign concept to the foreigner.

"i come in peace!" the child said, excitedly, rushing up to stand at the side of mama. his eyes were wide as he studied this newcomer. a maine coon with a metal limb? how cool! "greetings! are metal limbs a custom in your culture?" he asked innocently, tilting his head.

[buckingham barnes]

[ thank you for the welcome !! ]

Unfortunately, Buckingham wasn't the creator of his prosthetic limb. Back when he was that asset, that horrible weapon, his handler ripped his leg off. He didn't fully understand why his handler did it, perhaps he disobeyed an order that deserved punishment or it gave pleasure to them. He couldn't exactly remember, it happened so long ago. His handler happened to give him the prosthetic limb he has now- otherwise back then, he wouldn't have been as useful to them. As much as Bucky wished he could just tear the limb off, throw it into the ocean and forget how much blood he spilled in the months- he couldn't. Not only does the leg remind Bucky of who he isn't suppose to be, he still has to defend himself if the time ever comes. While he'll try not to kill or harm people, if he joins a clan and enemies attack- he'll defend their lives and his own. He'll make good use out of the limb, use it in attempts to save others rather than stealing lives.

Buckingham thankfully didn't have to wait very long. His ears were pricked up the moment he called out, staying alert and trying to pick up any sound. Unfortunately, Bucky's sense of hearing wasn't as strong as it used to be, he could only pick up sounds from relatively nearby, or any loud, attention grabbing noises from far away. When Mama padded up to him, the male just caught on the sound of paw steps when the albino mountain lion spoke up to him. The former assassin looked over towards her, the male having to lift his head to settle his gaze on the larger feline.

Sunhaven, huh? Well, that name certainly sounded interesting, and it already sounded far more peaceful than his old home. His old home was constantly at war, whether it was them instigating it or not. They were always full of blood lust and gained satisfaction by the pain and misery from others. They always gave off this vibe that they were dangerous, and that you should stay away, but Buckingham stayed put for a very long time. Since leaving, Buckingham hasn't felt that vibe, and he didn't feel it here at all. "Hello, I am Buckingham Barnes- or Bucky, if you prefer. If you wouldn't mind, I'd like to join...-" He began to introduce himself to Mama, before his voice trailed off as a younger voice made it's way to his ears.

Bucky tore his gaze off of Mama for a moment, light blue eyes landing Amnia. A child, he could practically see the excitement and curiosity in his eyes. Bucky wished he could go back to those days, when he was young and with his parents. He can almost vividly remember their faces, the smiles they always wore when they looked down at their only child. Those had been the good old days. He blinked a few times at Amnia's question, glancing at his metal limb for a moment. The maine coon looked back at Amnia, a hardly noticeable smile making it's way onto his maw. If they couldn't catch the smile, they'd surely notice the nostalgia and warm heartedness gleaming in his eyes. Bucky looked like he barely shows any emotion, but his eyes do the majority of the talking. Due to his past experiences as an asset, for the longest time, Bucky barely showed any emotion. Emotion hadn't been important to him to back then, as weapons weren't allowed to weep.

"Hello little one," He said with a swish of his tail, "No, they aren't- interesting question though." He kept his gaze locked on Amnia for a moment, before deciding to speak up one more time. "What's your name? I'm Bucky," He said to the child with a flick of his ear. Yeah, despite his murderous past and working as an asset- Bucky had a soft spot for children. Even the asset had a soft spot, that was one thing that couldn't be erased by a handler.

[axiom]

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© lexasperated

IN THE SUMMER SILENCE,
I WAS GETTING VIOLENT

Quantum understood the need to get away from excessive violence - she and her sisters came from long line where their family members thought wearing clothes looked stranger than the crust of old blood smeared across someone's pelt. She claimed her spot as the family's heir through gruesome brawls, using her abnormally large (for a female, anyway) body to out-muscle her competition and, when that failed, cleverly twist the odds in her favor. But she and her sisters tired of such constant war, and so they came to this part of the world to settle for a new life - though Quantum misses the violence far more than she would ever care to admit. She wants to fight, even now when she knows this peaceful group held little use for her skills - and, indeed, she thinks that their stuttering leader probably tires of her constant aggression, bordering on insubordination at times.

She is in the mood to hunt, like most other days, as she walks up to the small gathering by the border. While she doesn't recognize Buckingham, she does grin to herself as she realizes yet another tiny feline joined the group - she doesn't understand why these tiny little things are so common, especially when many are able to switch their form at will. Quantum, with her six bone gauges and tribal scars, feels as though she constantly wins "most savage appearance" whenever she interacts with others - unless one of of the other two triplets are around.

She flicks her tail slowly, appraising the metal limb on the joiner and his general body language, but she supposes he seems decent enough, as she watches him soften to talk to the kid - though she thinks to herself, that no child of hers would ever wander up to a stranger so trustingly like the unsupervised Amnia. "Welcome to Sunhaven, then - you'll probably want to pick out a house to live in soon enough, before the sun gets any hotter out," the bengal tigress remarks, not as fond of the heat as some of the other members. She prefers the coolness of night; she is only active now because her restlessness to fight gnaws at her and refuses to let her sleep properly.

"I'm Quantum Caralho - you'll probably meet my two sisters eventually," she adds, not bothering to give a description of them. The 'Hoes are the only tigers in Sunhaven, as far as she knows - practically the only large wildcats, save for Mama - so she assumes Bucky'll figure it out with just one look at the other tigresses wearing bones for jewelry.

TAGS • WRITTEN BY AXIOM

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© LEXASPERATED

[madster]

amnia had the curiosity of both a child and an alien exploring a new planet, and thus amnia would do anything for some information, even if he had to approach complete strangers. still, this thought didn't really exist in his head- he had no fear, no second thoughts. he just did things because he wanted to, and that was it. plus, he felt safe wherever he went, as bigger creatures were always around.

his eyes widened as buckingham approached him, softening his tone to talk to him. he was so nice! so cool looking, too... amnia was decently familiar with technology, but he hadn't expected lifeforms to use the technology to replace their own limbs! it was fascinating. as buckingham talked to him, amnia got visibly excited, trembling. his name was bucky... what an interesting name? amnia had to release all his energy and excitedly said "i'm amnia! your metal leg is really neat!" he listened to quantum speak. "oh! mister bucky, you should pick out a house! i can help you, i'm really good at it!" he said, grinning from ear to ear.