the harsh truth - open; tanglewood leader

[rhosmari]

There was nothing stopping her. She had told no one that she was coming here because there had been no time. She was too angry, the rage driven by what they had just done. And she would destroy them, she would take whatever they loved and twist it, burn it. Raze their lands to the ground,  lands that did not even belong to them. They were filth that did not deserve their existence and she saw no peace between their groups and frankly she didn't want it. The flames that surrounded her, licked up her legs and burned the ground as she walked toward their territory. Using a small raft to get to their islands she would clench her jaws, trying to have something akin to restraint. Though it was more than they should even be given. As fire leeched against the ground she stood there eyeing the frozen landscape.

Slowly her muzzle curled and she shouted, a sharp cry of piercing and ravaging fury. "WHERE IS SHE!? THEY HAVE TILL SHE COUNTS TO THREE TO BRING MERLIN HERE OR SHE WILL BURN EVERYTHING!" It was not harsh to threaten them. To her they only responded to violence and she would give them violence. She would show them that Tanglewood was not to be messed with as she started her advance. The flames that licked along her limbs slithered along the ground,  burning the foliage as she moved forth. "ONE!" The pale lioness leaped onto a large boulder, standing on top to look upon this miserable place. "TWO!"

[Romulus]

Just as expected. Romulus had visited Tanglewood before and met their leader, noticing her blatant distaste for his people. He couldn't blame her. To hear her screech startled the lion onto his feet though. His pawsteps grew close in no time. Noticing the flames that licked at the floor first, he attempted to extinguish them with his own powers and stop the spread of the remains. If he couldn't though, the remainder of the mudslide's liquid might do the trick.

Despite the tense situation, he remained strangely calm and tried to withhold reason for the female's rage. "Your fury does not lie with us, but with The Pitt," he explained. Romulus craned his head, wondering if she caught his inquiry off the bat.  "A Pittian, by the name of Jormungand, in his ignorance chose to attack her, despite the warnings from Sojourn and I." The irony. He had told Sojourn the panther would bring trouble and she chose to ignore him, instead attacking her own brother. His judgement had proven to be right all along though.

Onto Merlin. The lion's paw gestured back towards the main island of the Coalition of the Condemned. "She's no state to leave and walk across the mainland." Romulus didn't mention that he had been tending to her wounds and about Jormungand's exile, but instead tried to appease Tanglewood's leader further. "If I may, let me escort you to her."

Not looking to argue, he turned back and began to walk towards the forbidden caves. Whether Elsweyr followed or not was not his problem. If she did, he would remain quiet during their short walk through the territory and only answer shortly if she spoke. Thankfully, they would arrive quickly. Coming close to her cell, Romulus looked one last time at Elsweyr and let out a sigh. "She's in better shape than when she arrived, but it's still... a sight," he mentioned. The lion, rather than explaining, left it up to Tanglewood's leader to see for herself. With the cell door already opened and Merlin inside, he stepped back to allow her to enter freely.

//Wait for Merlin please <3

[teef]

☆☆ ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?????????? ?? ????  ☆☆

?? ?????????  《》 Familiar the mesh of voices, her foreleg over her head, drowning out the worst of the whispering and chattering from those around her. She didn't know anyone here, and she was scared. She wanted to be home, she wanted to be safe, she wanted to be curled up in her own nest. It wasn't easy to admit that she was scared - she didn't think there had been a point since her arrival in the coalition that she hadn't been scared in some fashion. Nothing wrong with that, she'd had to assure herself.

The trembling of a roar in her bones caused her to remove her paw - she couldn't hear the words but she heard the roar. The scent of flame and burning things could reach her, acrid the taste on her tongue, nose working the air over. She smelt swamp and her heart soared at the scent of home - had one of them come to find her? Did Atbash come? She was being treated well after the one that had captured her had been banished, and the lion Romulus had been tending to her wounds. A silent overwhelming weight fell over her after some time as she waited with heart in throat, "Elsewyr?", she mewled as the lioness' scent reached her.

The pain of being alone was dashed, trying to struggle closer to the opening of where she rested. She was too weak to move properly or escape any natural predators on this island, it was safer for her to stay within the cell, where the bars could save her life from an attack. Muscles strining as she tried to move, her ribs screaming in protest as she inhaled upon seeing the lioness. The scents were confusing and hurt her head stoll, though by day she was getting better. Among them was one she swore she knew but couldn't place, a puzzle for another time.

Exhaling as she looked up at Elsewyr, she felt the tears choking her up - she wanted to speak but couldn't for the emotion. So she hadn't been forgotten by her group mates with her small presence. Nothing was more comforting than the smells that clung to Elsewyr, she wanted to touch the lioness and cry. She wanted to admit to the pain and the fear, but she could only force a teary smile at the sight of the Luminary and choke out a soft, "Its okay Elsewyr, I'm safe", she hoped that she could soothe her groupmate's anger, when the fact she had shown up was more than enough to make her want to cry from relief and gratitude.

??? ?? ?????????  《》 doing her best not to cry //

?????? & ???????? & ????????? ????????

[APHRA CIPHER .]

[glow=grey,1,400]LOVE ME, HATE ME ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

It was only a matter of time before Tanglewood came to their borders in search of their captured clanmate. Fortunately though, it seemed as if Romulus had the situation under control. Funny, considering the guy wasn't even a high position. Aphra didn't really have any qualms against the lion's decision to announce Jormungand's exile, but it was getting a bit on her nerves that the guy was acting like he was in charge. Just because he was Sojourn's brother doesn't mean he had a right to act like he was leader in her place.

Aphra didn't let these thoughts fuel her for now. Right now, she needed to make sure her clanmate was not hurt. The woman was silent as she came to stand close by, watching the scene in case Elsweyr remained threatening.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[rhosmari]

The might and fury of the Tanglewood Luminary slowly paused on her counting. The rock underneath her burning limbs already turning a bright orange from the heat and beginning to melt down the side of the boulder in liquid small trails of molten rock. The anger in her gaze was apparent as she watched him. His calm demeanor doing nothing to make her feel anything for them or this situation. She was utterly in a wildfire state and she wanted them to burn. But his familiar face held her. His actions held her. She remembered when he had came to Tanglewood seeking to see their library. He had not barged in like she had their home, something she took note of although this was a very different situation. The flames of her mane coated her shoulders and much of her back as she listened to him, claws digging into molten rock and scorching her.

Yet nothing mattered when it came to her own physical being. The only thing that mattered where her people. And she was tired,  sick of all the pain. The death. The anguish. It was time for Tanglewood to rise and take the reigns for once. But her thoughts split. Her eyes widening unnervingly when the lion spoke about her fury being misplaced. Miscalculated. That the heathen that had attacked one of her's did not belong to them but instead belonged to the Pitt. The Pitt! She had trusted after everything that they had went through to keep things calm. Her muzzle curled, flames licking between her teeth before she turned her head skyward and fire spilled up into the sky, a vortex of flames. Suddenly her jaws snapped closed and she winced as smoke funneled from her nostrils. "As much as she hates his kind she does appreciate him telling her where the culprit came from. She will...make preparations. This one is done with the Pitt." Too many times. Too many chances.

If Merlin had severe wounds, if she couldn't make her way back home as was told to her then she would make sure the Pitt understood this. That she was not going to tolerate this. With a small nod she followed after Romulus. Trying to take this moment to force herself to calm down. To force some reason back into her mind. It was harder said than done. But she breathed and she followed with silence. Once they got to the holding and she saw her she forgot about everyone else and rushed forth. Pain and a grimace passed over her expression as she noted the injuries that Merlin had sustained. "Safe? No, she is not safe here. Sh-She needs to come home. Merlin needs to come home. It'll be safer there and Moth, she can look at you." Moth could but she knew Merlin could not walk. She knew she was too hurt but she didn't want to leave her in the care of animals that had killed their former leader and held them beneath their bloodstained paws. It went against her nature to just leave her.

Slowly the flaming woman lowered her head down to attempt to press her muzzle on the top of Merlin's head. "This one....she will come back for her. She will visit to see her progress. Merlin is not alone, she remembers this, yes?" It felt wrong to leave her. So very wrong.

[Byriath]

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SOMEONE TO HEAR YOUR PRAYERS, SOMEONE WHO [color=#e600e6]CARES

So, maybe a persian cat wasn't the best form for... a fuming, flaming lioness screaming about how she'll burn the coalition on the count of three if they didn't bring the damsel out. But Byr was an old being, she felt no fear. So the dark grey persian padded up, scarred face contorting into a small frown. Purple eyes flickered to everyone and then finalized on the Lioness. "I will do my absolute best to help her recover. Do not worry, that bastard of a panther will get retribution. Do tell what happens to him if you visit them soon." She wanted to know what his punishment would be, or if he was going to get his ass yeeted the moment they found out.

"I promise you, no harm will come of her under my care." She was the Guru, so it was her duty to keep Merlin alive. Help her recover.

BYRIATH-COALITION-FALLEN GOD OF VIOLENCE, CRUELTY, AND MALICE

[sup]© tikki[/sup]

[teef]

☆☆ ??????? ????? ???? ????? ?????????? ?? ????  ☆☆

?? ?????????  《》 gaze becoming blurred by tears she could no longer hold back, sniffing as she held back the frustrated sobs that wanted to escape her lungs. she wanted to go home with elsweyr, she wanted to go back to a place she knew. she knew they were caring for her but that didn't stop the longing for her own nest, for those that she knew to surround her. she didn't like this situation anymore than the rest did, but it had happened and she had to suffer through it until she recovered. closing her eyes in a vain attempt to choke back the tears, she would inhale shakily before leaning into the touch from elsweyr with a soft exhale. "i-i remember", she would murmur softly, looking up at her luminary with tired eyes.

the flaming lioness was a protector, someone she felt safe to be cared for. a faint wrinkle of her muzzle, recalling the sour taste of his blood, "i'm sorry this happened ... but i got him back. wasn't gonna let him get the best of me", she would murmur with a flare of fierce gaelic pride. silly as it might have been, the molly was proud of herself for that small feat - perhaps she'd avoided a worse fate, or if she'd given in, her injuries wouldn't be this bad. it didn't matter too much now, what was done was done and she had to live with it. "is everything okay back home?", maybe she was asking about a certain woman, but she wouldn't let that on. she wasn't truly aware of how long could pass before she could go back, but she was weary and tired, and the thought of anyone being upset warmed her. elsweyr had been upset enough to come to find her, to demand her release, so that meant that her kidnapping had certainly been noticed. at least, she would have some comfort in the visits from elsweyr, that's all she could think of - how it felt to be here now, and the freedom she would eventually feel on her return home.

??? ?? ?????????  《》

?????? & ???????? & ????????? ????????

[INFERNO CIPHER-VANTAS]

[align=center][div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ —  ɪɴꜰᴇʀɴᴏ | ꜱᴄᴀʀᴇᴄʀᴏᴡ ᴇꜰꜰᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴀʙʏ | ᴄɪᴘʜᴇʀ-ᴠᴀɴᴛᴀꜱ | ʙɪᴏ



ɪᴄ ᴛᴇxᴛ | ɪᴄ ᴏᴘɪɴɪᴏɴꜱ

Yes she had heard about the exile. Found it a tinge amusing, mayhaps a trait acquired from her mother, but she still eyed the other leader warily, pelt bristling slightly. That was probably a trait she herself picked up from the small scraps she received growing up. Icy optics would blink, she wanted Sojourn back. Romulus was in the wrong, that was her strong opinion. Wasn't like there was a Second, or anything. Her tail flicked, gaze narrowing on the Tanglewood leader.





ᴏᴄ ᴛᴇxᴛ!




"ꜱᴘᴇᴇᴄʜ"