You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon! /O, Joiner

[Ares]

LET'S START A WAR!

Ares. Female. Tanglewood. Child.

It had been a dull, cool day as the horned feline scampered from across the swamp, a bundle of cloth dangling from her mouth. Eyes were wide open, aware, staring, watching everything around her. The scent of fear was still heavy on her body, the scent of blood a simple afterthought. She had to save her child, by any means necessary. Even if that meant leaving her in a swamp. Anything was better than burning to death.

The feline dragged herself deeper into the swamp, making to drier ground before tentatively placing the cloth bundle down, supressing a cry as she heard the mewling. She pressed her nose against the golden cloth, running her raspy tongue over the embroidered name, ARES, that was on it. Quickly, though, she turned and ran from the territory.

From that golden cloth bundle, a little feline squeaked and squabbled, weak "mama.." leaving her little jaws.

"Speech"

#psychosocial.

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

Traversing the swamp had become second nature to her. As easy as breathing. It was home to her and though she did miss her tribe she had come to see this new group as a different sort of tribe. One that had the seem base principles and more. Her eyes wandered her new found home and she took in the scents around her, shifting across the marshy ground before a smell invaded her nostrils. Fear. It was easy to smell something so strong and the shaggy maned cheetah paused in her steps, suddenly alert with ears pulled forward. She heard no sort of distressed nose, but the pittering of paws caught her attention. Creeping through the underbrush she forced her way through vine laden grounds, fiery orbs narrower slightly before she caught the wisp end of a leaving individual.

The smell of smoke was heavy in the air as well the closer she got. Yet her attention was grabbed from that to a bright bundle that was upon the ground. With ease the painted warrior would ease her way forth, sniffing and smelling the scent of milk and warmth. The small voice calling out 'mama' was not lost on her and she nuzzled the small blanketed being gently, carefully. The mere fact test the cheetah could not read made the child's name lost on her but that mattered little to the woman as she moved around. "This one is so young. She will take her to the village. Get help, and food." She spoke with a gentle tone, gently aiming to nudge the young child into walking but staying close enough to help.

[Ares]

LET'S START A WAR!

Ares. Female. Tanglewood. Child.

The strange scent of other feline roused the tiny child of war, raising her head above the golden blanket. Eyes blurry with tears from unknown pasts, she squeaked at Elsweyr, scared and terrified. Where was her mother? But the cheetah's gentle voice soon soothed the girl, and she fumbled out of the golden bundle, brilliant splash of crimson fur spreading across her chest the most prominent feature of her. Help and food.

The tiny thing began to move, but moved back to tug at her cloth covering; the only thing that kept her and her past connected, the only thing that she would ever remember of her mother.

"Speech"

#psychosocial.

[Grimm]

Limited the instances the perimeter enclosing central town breached in wake of prior instances, once delicate and pliable heart grown sullen, sheltered once and now tarnished by the war drums that beat at the door with fervour. Escape needed, and thus taken, self imposed shackles discarded for moment, uneasy the vision that perceived clustered environment. Slow the transition, even as quickened steps grown hasty by desire to leave the constricting boughs, impeded this even as moisture begun to soften soil. Edges poor in definition, a change staged between the woodlet and swamp one noticed only by the observant, all he may focus upon when his momentum slowed on that edge.

"Is that…"

Words died on tied tongue, swallowed as mind caught up. Easy to determine the differences present, species by far that which was most apparent, manner Elsweyr spoke enough confirmation. Unease made his steps closer difficult, between the two looking as though for permission, mouth parting yet silent. Attached seemed the kitten to th golden cloth, matched Elsweyr and Salvia where their skill in reading was concerned, though for rather different reasons, over the lettering his eyes sliding without taking anything from it. Slowly he reached forth, allowed the child to disturbed the folded bundle, finally speaking only once she seemed still.

"We won't leave it behind." Had she understood his words was not a thought that crossed the mind of the cub, perplexed and beyond frightened, looking again to the cheetah as if she may have an answer for this.

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[/td][td]

But I wish I could I could show you more of yourself, I wish I could make you somebody else but I left it way too late, are you stuck in your own ways? you only look at me properly now when you're drunk watching movies. where are you? what happened? I want what we had

[/td][/tr][/table]

code by Wisker

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

Yes, there was no way that she was going to be leaving a small cub like this alone within the swampland. Not when there were enemies afoot within the bounds of their home. She found that to be the worst thing that anyone could do. Especially leaving a child so young to fend for themselves. Or perhaps the one who left the child knew that she would be found and taken care of. Either way the woman gave a soft nod of her head to Salvia before she flicked her tail gently toward the blanket that the smaller one was attempting to take with her. "Important. He will carry this, yes?" She figured he would not mind carrying this for just a moment as she moved to stand closer to the child. Here she remained for just a moment before she lowered her head, aiming to nuzzle the child briefly before she then tried to pick the young feline up by her scuff.

If she managed this she would then begin the long trekk back to camp, often turning around to make sure that Salvia was right behind her. The village was not too far away but it was a vast territory with the swamp as a natural barrier. Yet soon the homes came into view and she was slowly and gently put the child down before moving off to get food for the child. It took her little time to return with a small piece of meat from fish she had caught within the swamps and she laid it before the kid, trying to entice her to eat.

[Ares]

LET'S START A WAR!

Ares. Female. Tanglewood. Child.

Child of war turned her head toward Salvia, little body hunched over her blanket, protecting it. But as she turned to look at Elsweyr, she gently backed up. Shocked at the motion of being lifted, but with the feeling being so familiar to her, she relaxed. She felt safe, even though her life was at peril only mere moments before. Being carried was normal for the child, and when she was dropped gently, she longed for the security again.

The scent of fish brought hunger from the depths of Ares' stomach, and when Elsweyr dropped the piece before the child she ate ravenously, little noises coming from her as she ate as a way to deter anyone else from trying to eat her food. But, like, this is a small child. Hardly threatening at all.

"Speech"

#psychosocial.

[wormwood.]

NOTHING BESIDE REMAINS — Luckily for Ares – and both Elsweyr and Salvia, in a way – Aurum was able to read. While the lion had not initially been in to see the child be brought in, too busy with planning an alternate escape route and discussing with others, he did notice those around him started to glance at the trio. Turning around, his eyes widened slightly when he saw the new little one, filled with both a sense of happiness and a sense of fear. A new cub shouldn't be here, not while they were still under such oppressive rule. Despite this, he made his way over, trying to keep the wary look from his face as he inspected the cloth that had been brought in with her. A thoughtful hum left him before he spoke, glancing at Salvia and Elsweyr, "...Ares. That must be this kid's name. Certainly an interesting one..." He could remembering hearing about an Aries in various stories that he had read, but it was spelled in a different way, not to mention that the god was male. Not that gods especially cared for gender.

With his eyes still on his son and Elsweyr, Aurum questioned curiously, sitting back on his haunches, "Where did you find her? I can't imagine someone so young just arriving all on her own..." He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but that didn't mean it felt good. This wasn't the first time a child had been dumped on their border, whether for noble reasons or not. He just hoped that Ares was young enough that being left here wouldn't cause her too much lasting stress. — OF THE MAN WHO WAS BORN AND DIED A KING.

[Ares]

LET'S START A WAR!

Ares. Female. Tanglewood. Child.

She kept making little noises as she munched on a bit of fish. As Aurum approached, though, the kitten let out a very audiable hiss, letting out her displeasure in something so big getting closer to her. Hearing her name she gently lifted her head, then hissed again at Aurum. Tiny tail puffed out, fur sticking up on her back and haunches as if to make herself seem bigger. Of course, baby is literal baby, so this is just funny to see.

"Speech"

#psychosocial.

[Grimm]

Brief the relief that seeped through gentle sigh passing betwixt closed teeth, response enough to quell the doubt arising in his throat, relaxing to a slight degree. Attention turned with her words, regarded once more the blanket in which located the kitten, halted before he may take the golden fabric. Stance over top one familiar, adopted in times terror overwhelmed, gentle the smile he offered child as he spoke hushed words. "I won't take it from you."

Rather than admittance the presence of Elsweyr seemed enough to diffuse the situation, back child stepping before departure from ground was conducted, a limp little thing aloft held in careful hold. Short the laughter that escaped, taken up the blanket, checked for any soil that may muddy it. None located departure was conducted a few steps behind the other, quickened his steps to close the distance, behind trailing, at times halted by the look Elsweyr cast over her shoulder. Purpose easily detected, respond immediate each time, however, even as the town nestled within the heart of the sodden terrain grew visible.

Alone were the two left for a moment, rather clueless as how to proceed as he gently rested the fabric near the child, watching in silence the movement the cheetah conducted. Her arrival was quick and deposited a morsel seemingly befitting the tiny thing, ravenous in the quick feast she settled into. Disturbance of quiet scene expected, forth ears drawn, about lips drawn a tentative smile. It indeed seemed an odd situation, the cheetah arriving with customs she had acquired from a tribe supposedly not settled on these shores, and the lion that was little more than a child himself, both now tending a kitten that seeming too young to be alone.

"Oh uh, Elsweyr found her," hurried the words Salvia spoke to fill the silence left in wake of query, fallen silent as kitten — Ares briefly halted to voice her anger. The display was not terrifying, far from it, but Salvia still treated it as though it were something of more substance than a disgruntled kitten voicing her rage. Chin rested atop the earth and he made himself as small as was possible, once more adopting a soft tone. "Is okay, this is my dad, he won't hurt you or steal your fish."

[table][tr][td]

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But I wish I could I could show you more of yourself, I wish I could make you somebody else but I left it way too late, are you stuck in your own ways? you only look at me properly now when you're drunk watching movies. where are you? what happened? I want what we had

[/td][/tr][/table]

code by Wisker

[rhosmari]

AND IT'S HALF PAST THREE
[align=center]AND I GOT ANGEL WINGS

BUT A DEVIL'S GRIN

AND ONLY ONE CAN WIN

elsweyr — tanglewood — three years

When Aurum came forth and spoke of the strange characters that were upon the blanket the woman turned her gaze to it. The strange markings were a name, lines shifting to make up language. It was an off concept for her but she understood to a degree. Ares was the child's name and she understood this at least. "Ares...." She tasted the name on her tongue finding it odd like many of the names here before she focused predominantly on the questioning sentence that came from the lion then. "Yes, like Salvia said she found her. But she is uncertain why. There was another and the smell of fear scent with them. But she did not see them. Child was left behind." Left to fend or in hope. Either one she was a but concerned and a small and light chuckle left her jaws.

Watchung the young Ares as she huffed her anger at the lion and without much thought she wrapped her tail around the child. Carefully and she gave a soft nod to confirm Salvia's words. "Aurum is nice. He will not hurt her. She promises." Though she had to wonder if the child knew this or could even understand what they were saying. She was so young and her maw twitched a bit as she deliberated on it.