come the beginning >> o, AE visitors

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THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

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the bite of winter wind chilled the giant lizard, movements slow against the bone-biting chill, lacking the fur to protect their body. golden scales numbed by frost and chill, blue eyes fixed out on the ocean's swells. exhaling softly, they shook their head with a tremor. why were they here? it was so cold ... and they were beginning to feel tired as winter began to grip the lands so slowly and cruelly. yawning, the dragon continued on, finding it to brutally cold to continue in this body. giving up their scales in favor of dark fur, the kingpin shifted into their jaguar body, pawsteps bringing them quicker as they shuddered. well hell, this was no better, but at least they weren't as slow.

raising their head, fur bushed out against the chill, the kingpin stopped at the border with palmclan, putting their head up as they rumbled, settling within the shade of a large boulder looming beside the boardwalk. this was a bit too bitter for them, this wind. hopefully, their scent would reach the members of palmclan, red antlers prominent, golden scales showing through. rumbling at the chill, they licked down their chest fur, ears swiveling around at all of the different sounds, focusing in on the sounds of water and animals below the boardwalk. stomach grumbling, they realized that they hadn't fed themselves in a few days and their stomach was now reminding them of their need to eat.

[SirDio]

Hurricane

Winter really was etching in fast onto the beach, the cooler air didn't hit Hurricane all that much though. But it was much colder than he really wanted it to be. The warrior usually hunted alone, and always brought back more than his own share anyways. Walking along the border he sang his usual shanties when he came across a black blotch resting by a boulder. Huh - was this the leader of that other group that Rhine talked with? Curious, the tom halted his shanty and walked over, a small minnow in his mouth.

Stopping a good distance from Bai, he dropped the fish, "Hello - who might you be?" He tilted his head, great mane flowing with his motions. He wondered what it would have been like if he hadn't had the mass of fur he had for his entire life.

[axiom]

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While Bai Shi shapeshifts, Wuyi plays amongst the boardwalk. Xe prods stones and kicks over old things, looking at the odd bugs and plants pushing against the concrete. The cub prances and plays, dabbing at colorful and crinkly leaves. Orange and red leaves? Xe never saw anything like that before.

The cub’s ears twitch when xe hears the fluffy tomcat approach, and the child turns to give Hurricane a toothy grin. Wuyi, too young and inexperienced to fear strangers, waves a paw. “Hi! You were singing something really weird in the distance, right? Was that, like, a poem you wrote?” Wuyi asks, curious as ever.

Wuyi doesn’t wait for the fluffy guy to reply before xe continues on. “I’m Wuyi, and this is Bai Shi! We’re from Alithís Evgenis. Bai Shi is our leader! They’re really nice. And I’m assisting! I think? I hope I’m assisting.” Wuyi frowns in thought. Now that xe thinks about it, xe doesn’t think Bai Shi needs much help during all of this, but Wuyi’s trying xyr best regardless.

“Anyway! What’s your name? Are you from PalmClan?”

[number nine.]

Alithís Evgenis was a group that Number Nime had certainly heard of, but he didn't really know a whole lot about. He knew that the two groups were allies, and that was obviously a good thing, but beyond that? He didn't know who their leader was, nor did he really know anything about their culture. However, Nine had always been someone that was eager to learn about other places, so it was no wonder he ended up showing up beside Hurricane. He had already been nearby anyways, having been touring the boardwalk as he looked for a place where he could set up the rest of his stuff – the main camp was nice, but it was definitely a tight fit. As he had been walking along, the jaguars interest had been caught by a rather unique scent reaching him from nearby, along with the sound of voices. One, distinctly familiar, and the other distinctly not. It immediately interested the winged beast, and he wasted no time in making his way over.

Bai Shi's presence was immediately interesting, but the kingpin wasn't the one that had chosen to speak just yet. Instead, it was the little cub, a fact that caused Nine to smile. He leaned down a bit so that he was on xyr level, speaking in a warm tone, "Hello there, Wuyi. My name is Number Nine, and I'm a warrior here in Palmclan. Are you and Bai Shi looking for our leader, or are you here for something else?" Nine's warm tone contrasted sharply with the chilled wind that was rushing through the air around them, but he hardly notice it. His thick pelt and heavy feathers made it difficult for the cold to bother him, and he had adjusted to far harsher climates than Palmclan's in the past.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO

[Grimm]

Simple the mind slow in expanding beyond restrictive boundaries, beneath whim changed until near unpredictable behavioural patterns that shifted between each day. Yet never lessened the drive wanderlust cast, how it warped quiet thoughts and begun a desire rather simple in and of itself, basic the map woven in his mind. Poor this decision, however, apparent this only when too far had he gone.

Behind he trailed as though a shadow carved from ivory and silver, drawn forth when exploration of the shoreline had become watching those foolhardy in their attempts to pluck from the depths various aquatic life. For so long may such retain his wandering mind and when one had split from the rest, solitary figure absorbed in their own affairs, after did Foam follow. Unlike the other he lacked a coat thick and long, harsh the biting chill that nipped at him. Against was it fought with spare furs constructed into basic coverings yet behind had it been left, deemed unnecessary for what was meant to be a short trek to allow him a chance to get out of the main camp.

Pronounced the manner he shivered, further apparent by how his teeth quietly chattered despite his efforts to silence them, when he finally joined the assembled few. A sight both made, few their own numbers that stood out in similar fashion, drawn attention to the speaker, however. Narrowed for a moment his eyes as he regarded xem, infectious xyr energy and quickly drawn across pale lips a smile, slight as it was.

"H-hi." Disrupted his quiet greeting, though he pressed his teeth together to stop their ceaseless movement, tail waving briefly. For the moment he would stay otherwise quiet, knowing his presence may be looked upon poorly and bearing no wish to be reprimanded.

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I think I’m not quite ready to let you circle the drain. all the things we’ve broken can be puzzled together again, all your sums and your pieces are enough to clean up all the messes you’ve made

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code by Wisker

[Kydobi]

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HOW COULD YOU BE SO HEARTLESS -
♕tags-powers♕

[OOC: ]

Among all the brine and sea it was harder to harness his sense of smell. While he was getting slightly better at picking out certain scents it was all still one giant chaotic blob of stenches and perfumes. Of course, a very familiar scent would stand out especially if the strong wind brought it right up his nose. Thunder began to pulse in his chest as a mix of anxiety and joy exploded inside.

There was no way it was possible but if it was he did not want to miss his chance. Just follow the smell, he would be okay if he did that. True it was that Tsekani didn't know his way around these lands yet, but there was another minor trail of his supposed clan mates so it couldn't be too difficult.

****

Of course it proved to be just that. Paws ached as his stocky legs began to feel like jelly everytime he stopped moving. There was a rough soreness to the pads, having only been alive for so long they havent had time to callous over. Miserable. But there was a small group of people who belonged to the clan...

But where were they? Little eyes scouted around among the legs before resting upon that familiar cobweb pelt. Lynn. His Lynn. Kydobi wanted to run into their arms, in fact he found himself staring and waiting on them to notice him. For their eyes to lock like they always did.

Of course, he realized that not even they would see him more than a child. A lump formed in his throat and he brought his fiery gaze away. Instead of throwing himself in their presence he would instead step back in the outermost area of the crowd. His eyes stung as small black tears welled.

Stop. This is nothing to cry over. Lynn chose a coyote over you... yes but what about their sons? Their babies together. God. His heart was calling out, were his children okay? Was Piers even alive? Leoku? All the other sons and daughters he bore....

[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[SirDio]

Hurricane

A rumble of laughter erupted from the tom as the young cub called his songs weird, poems. "They're not poems, kiddo - Shanties. Sailor songs." A shrug rolled off his shoulders, fur moving along with it as the cub, Wuyi, explained their arrival and asked him questions. Ears twitching to Nine as he approached he nodded gently. "Yeah - My name's Hurricane, and I'm a warrior of Palmclan. Usually, Medusa would have come and said hi but things have happened." He didn't want to explain the circumstances of why the she-cat hybrid, who usually was almost everywhere at once, was restricted to the ruins within the forest. But the worry in his eyes as he spoke of the warrior was clear enough. He stepped aside for Nine, then Foam, then Tsekani. The wind was now biting at his nose, but he cared little.

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THE KINGPIN

golden lung dragon & black jaguar w/ vitiligo & platinum silver fox. unknown age - ancient. bai shi lynn lingré. proper chinese name is lin bai. prefers lynn if close. they/them. blind. wind element & electric element. firstborn son of jerisidie lingré & current head of family/general. courting delilah evergarden & halo mercer. kingpin of alithís evgenis. demiromantic gray-asexual. parent of veris, arvin, leoku, erian, flos, kekhai, evarhi, and laeglin. elder brother of ramona and hope, uncle of quennel and cosette.

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quiet the rumble of greeting, kingpin's head filled with the sound of waves kissing the shores, gaze fixed out on the oceans, lost in a time so different to this one. a shudder gripping the being, they parted their jaws, eyes showing them a figure so far out of their reach, forever lost to them. dropping their gaze to the shore, their shoulders shaking, they raised a paw to their muzzle, pressing against eyes sore and reddened by tears. oh how their days became things of pain, memories they wished to push away rising up. eyes following wuyi in xyr exploration, they felt sadness blooming in their chest. would the child fall to the curse that hung around them? would the child be taken away by death too? exhaling, they shook their head. kade would have wanted them to look after her children, and that they would. a new scent, wreathed by the scent of fish, reached their nose and they raised their head, seeing hurricane without seeing him, a time before understanding triggered in their mind. gods, were they losing their mind now too? exhaling, they chuckled as wuyi answered the warrior, their own voice coming after xyr's. "hello, we are here to speak with your leader.", they murmured, voice thick with the remnants of a brutal cough.

they scented the air, picking up foamkit's familiar scent, causing a slight smile to split their maw. the child ... he was here too. they'd only seen him when he had dropped off all sorts of gourds and pumpkins. dipping their head to number nine, they gave as commonplace of a smile as they could muster, the chill air making their fur bluster around their shoulders. another jaguar? interesting, even with the fanciful patterns on his coat, and his wings. each to their own, and hells, wings would be nice to wrap their body up in. gaze taking in foamkit as he came forward to greet wuyi, their smile became warm, chuckling softly, "greetings, number nine, and hurricane. and hello to you too, Értóng.", they murmured to foamkit from where they sat, gaze warm. curse them and their soft spot for children, reminded of the recent loss of their daughter.

coughing slightly, they turned their head away, clearing their throat and lungs, wiping their paw with a paw as they turned their head back. they had isolated for the duration of their sickness, away from their groupmates, back in the nursery caves and by the gods ... they weren't prepared for the chill in the air. hopefully malak wouldn't scold them for making this trip so soon. there was much to discuss, and this was only the tip of the iceberg. another shudder claiming the kingpin, they shook their head, bushing their fur, thin from little nutrition and lack of self-care over the past few months and weeks. clearing their throat, they knew that they ought to assauge fears, "worry not, we come with good news and a request for rhinestonestar. our first matter of business is to invite you and your friends and families to join us for a bonfire, where we are planning to hand out gifts, as well as have food and drink.", they murmured, gaze catching on a youthful body late to join the others, trundling along.

voice catching in their throat, the kingpin watched tsekani with a hollow heart, their pulse beating in their ears. why was this jaguar cub here? well, they weren't any better, bringing wuyi with them. the child needed out of camp, and well, they could do that. they could bring the child out for a walk. eyes locked on yellow orbs, they held the child's gaze from so far away. his pelt ... so close to veris. emotions choking their throat, they fought back tears, their breath tangling in silvery threads deep in their throat, a strangled croak leaving their lips. they knew nothing yet of kydobi's demise, but this child standing at the back of the group ... he was enough to remind them of the other that they had lost in their own foolish aims to fill the void inside of them. crouching down a bit to get a better look at him, eyes freed of their blindness, they smiled, "hello there, little one. i promise that i don't bite.", they murmured, some part of their conscious screaming to ensure that this youth knew that they were not a thread. perhaps they were a bit too intuitive, but his red markings reminded them of veris, and of their lost beloved. chuckling softly, "sorry, i don't have any treats to give either of you this time, a certain swift-pawed juvenile has taken off with my stash of sweets. little one, call me old if you wish, but if my daughter were still here, i think you two side by side would be a sight to see. you would have been good playmates, and an old dearly beloved friend of mine might think of you as his own cub.", they murmured, paw touching the sash hanging at their side, emptied of it's sugary treats.

Értóng- child //

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“Hi, Number Nine! Why are you named like that? Is it because you have nine types of plants on your fur?” Wuyi looked at the winged jaguar, flashing a sabertoothy smile, and rustled the wings on xyr back. “And! Look! I have white wings like you! I can’t fly very well yet, but I will one day!”

The child looked at Foamkit, a youngster that looked about the same age as himself. But this one was really, really, really tiny. “Hi! You look cold? And small? Why are you so small?” Wuyi asked, tilting xyr head. The cub had never seen domestic felines until coming with Bai Shi to look at the other groups.

Then Wuyi noticed another cub, this one staying a bit farther away from the group, and xyr eyes squinted a tad. “Yeah! Like Bai Shi said! We’re really nice, and usually Bai Shi gives candy to everyone, but I ate all of them! They’re really tasty, and maybe you’ll be able to get some for Halloween later! After all, I can’t steal all the candy, right? Like, how would I carry and eat all of it?”

To Hurricane, Wuyi nodded. “Oh! Shanties. What are sailors? Are they, like, musical performers? They must be pretty good, to have a whole type of song and singing and poemitry named after them!”

[number nine.]

Bai Shi was here to see Rhinestonestar. That was hardly a surprise, considering that the both of them were well respected leaders around these parts. It would only make sense that they would come to Rhine with any potential news, or trades, or whatever else it was. However, the expression that lingered briefly on Bai's face made Number Nine uneasy, even if it didn't pertain to clan relations. Were they doing alright? It seemed almost as though they had been filled with sorrow, or perhaps sickness. It seemed to linger in the air, although Nine didn't mention it, not wanting to offend them. There were many causes for sorrow, and sickness wouldn't exactly have been surprising, considering the recent changes in the weather, and the chill that hung in the air around them. This was natural... Nine could only hope that they would be alright, and that Palmclan wouldn't end up losing a valuable ally because of outside influences. Shoving this from his mind for now, he let a smile grace his muzzle, rumbling in response to Bai, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bai Shi. I'm sure that Rhinestone will be here very soon. He doesn't like to keep people waiting." Especially ever since that whole Coalition incident, even if Nine doubted anything like that would happen here. It was obvious that it would be a bad idea to leave outside visitors unattended for long.

Tsekani's approach caused Nine's attention to temporarily be pulled away from the task at hand, for several reasons. One, Number Nine just had a personal interest in Tsekani. The other was a child, and a jaguar, and Nine felt an obligation to make sure that he was safe. And two, the winged warrior couldn't help feeling a bit of confusion at the way that the cub paused while looking at Bai Shi, as if he were expecting something. The pause was over as soon as it came, but it did cause Nine to look between them a little. Did Tsekani know of Bai Shi, or did they know each other? It was pretty obvious that the second wasn't true, considering how Bai had mentioned how nice it was to meet Tsekani. Either way, Nine chose to shrug it off for now, muttering in a lightly scolding voice as he stretched out one of his large white wings, a feather light touch pressing against Tsekani's back, "Careful, Tsekani. We're a ways out from camp, not to mention that it's freezing out here... I'm not sure your pelt is thick enough yet for you to be comfortable in all this." It was obvious that what Rhine had warned them about earlier was coming true – this year's winter would certainly be more brutal than usual. Part of Nine wanted to draped his wing over Tsekani, possibly in a parental gesture to keep the cub warm, but he resisted the urge. It was obvious the other didn't enjoy being treated like a child, and Nine certainly wasn't his father.

Wuyi's words were what caused Number Nine's mind to snap back to the present, green eyes moving over to look xyr over. He chuckled before speaking, his large pairs of wings spreading out before settling back against his back, "I'm afraid that even I can't tell you why I was named what I am. I never got to truly meet my parents, so I can't say. I do think that your interpretation of it is quite nice, though." It was certainly better than the truth, one that Nine had avoided confronting for so long. He was named Number Nine because that was exactly what he had been to the humans who had once experimented on him – just a number. Nowadays, however, he wore his name as a symbol of his growth, and how proud he was to have developed beyond being just a number. As Wuyi spoke about xyr wings, Nine grinned down at xyr, spreading his own wings wide – while being careful not to hit anyone – as he spoke, "I'm sure you'll be excellent at flight, one day. You're actually very lucky that you were born with the ability to fly. I got it later, when I was an adult, so it was much harder for me to learn. I'm sure it'll be easier for you." His tone was warm and encouraging, and his gaze flicked up to Bai Shi for only a moment, full of approval for the way the other was parenting.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO