The had long since risen in the sky, burning away the morning fog that cloaked the ancient empire, red beams of bright light shone through the windows of the Roc's alcove. Crystal trinkets refracted the light in a million sparkles, wind tugged gently on vines and rolled paper, as still warm coals of fire crackled and popped as they smothered themselves out.

Were usually hung a well used satchel a rogue bird perched and slumbered, shifting when the wind blew a hanging gem and flashed light briefly in its face. The cluttered room of knowledge and trinkets would be empty of its keeper. And where might he be? Searching the temple ruins of course.

Itai had always prided himself on being an early bird, to rise with the sun, is to walk among the gods, themselves (proverbs, Ilya (of course his father had written a book of proverbs)). It was in the calm and cool of the morning that he found his peace, relaxed into his day and set forth on his schedule. Another audience with an esteemed Crystalline hero. The lanky hellion paused, ears perking upward to the sound of fluttering bird wings and the kerplunk of a pond. Stepping through the overgrown flower wall, he'd spy the tattered (yet still beautiful) feathers, and pale coat of just who he was looking for.

"Good morning to you, Pandion!" Itai called walking carefully through the water garden, ducking his head a dragonfly flew past. Bright eyes glanced keenly over the damaged feathers, what a real pity. Besides the Crystallines losing their real status as nobility when the old royalty fell, this poor hero was caught up in the woes of civil war. Those lesser families were such savages, Itai was constantly reminded of just how they could be whenever he visited the vulture. "I request a meeting with you, if it's alright! It's about some points of interest." Itai bowed his head lowly in respect, finding a rock to sit on as he moved to grab his scrolls from his satchel.

       Winter's cold grasp took the floral life from the land and left only lifeless trees and snow in its wake. Few flowers survived the freezing purge and one could still find beauty in the winter landscape. The frozen crystals glittered in the sun and ice could create pleasing designs if one looked hard enough.

       In the snowy landscape a dark and cream figure stood. He was a colossal figure with broad shoulders and of considerable height. His wide paws sunk into the snow as his thick limbs supported his exceptional mass that came from his strong musculature with heavy bones to support his enormous size. His size was also exaggerated by his thick fur that made his body seem even larger, not to mention the thick mane that grew from his neck and stretched past his shoulders. Large fangs - sabres - extended from his upper jaw, marking him as a sabretooth, A thick-furred tail brushed against his hocks as red eyes gazed upon the land in front of him.

       The beast was not without adornments, notably a flower crown made of flowers that bloomed in the snow. White snowdrops and pink Camellias were woven together and sat on his broad head. Feathers from multiple birds were woven into his mane, primarily from cardinals, blue jays, and other songbirds but the occasional owl feather peeked out from the giant's mane.


       Perses gazed at the land ahead of him separated by a border of strong scents that was as much of a boundary as any fence. He knew what would happen if he crossed it, he would be attacked. He had learned that lesson the hard way during his first moon alone and he wouldn't forget it in a hurry.

      But the yearling found that he wasn't very good at surviving on his own as he had little solo hunting experience and his large size made hunting alone even more difficult. He had been feeding himself through carcasses and it had been meager pickings for the enormous feline.

      The oversized youngster had little to no knowledge of living with a group, some part of him urged him to find a group of some sort to live with. For most of the beast's life, such idea had been an odd, foreign concept to him and he had no idea what it was like. But his luck couldn't hold out forever.

      But what was he supposed to do? The beast didn't know what to do so he plopped down in the snow, waiting for someone to come across him.

OOC: Hello! Here's Perses who I hope will find a home? Please let me know if anything needs to be edited! Dated to December 5th if that's okay?

As the afternoon slipped into early evening, the blinding vivid hues of oranges and pinks mixing with light and dusky purples to fade into the softest of indigos. The pale face of the moon revealed itself as it climbed the night sky, waving a farewell to the sun that was setting behind the mountains.

It had been a quiet day, not that Padme was exactly complaining about it, she could definitely use a little quite. No offense to little Plum, she always enjoyed the girl's company, heck they were pretty much like sisters at this point, nigh inseparable. But Padme's mind was like a swirling storm, an endless stream of thoughts crashing upon her like waves and the shoreline seemed hazy and out of reach.

In times like these it left her restless and unable to retreat into herself, where do you go when your mind is not on your side? Out, of course. Walking often soothed her nerves, and she could do with moving. The air still warm with the heat of the day, the rain forest coming back to life with sounds of night life. The dappled aviari passed temple ruins, the marketplace, and briskly entered the surrounding forest.

She found a relatively large clearing with a huge log that rested in the middle, a scattered array of large stones, and a colorful assortment of wild flowers. The canopy parted for the purple of the sky to be seen as the stars began to appear, one by one. Like a million tiny little freckles, Padme watched them for a moment, whatever shallow light that shone down from off the face of the moon caught her iridescent feathers. She mumbled softly to herself, unintelligible, pacing back and forth as she came toward the log. There was a rustling that caught her attention, causing her to pause, there wasn't any wind? "Hello?" Eyes narrowed slightly as she looked to the shadowed areas, was that a figure?

"You can come out, it's only me." She called meekly, trying her best to keep her tone warm and welcoming.

From the icy clutches of the north, to southern deserts, he had searched. Far from his element, he'd left behind the home in which they had begun, the one that followed in which they'd built together, only to watch it fall, eaten up by blizzards. A family they tried to patch together, gone. His most beloved partner, gone. He'd always been the move clever of the two, the survivor, so Raffaello never wavered in his belief that Sabal survived the ice and snow, left it behind even. He made it out, even when others had not- he had to. And so he had trekked, all across the Straits. He owed it to Sabal to try, and even when it took him from their most comfortable element, he'd carried on.

He'd met many along the way, wolves and cats alike, fools and wanderers, those with their own purpose. A would-be King who'd drug him up from the sweltering heat and scorching sands, saved him and whispered plots to him, only to fade away like some mirage. He'd heard plenty of misguided leaders before, and thought little of it. May you reign in your imaginary kingdom, he'd thought of the cat of oranges and reds, certain he'd find the same fate as so many. It hardly mattered, Raffaello's sights remained set on one thing only.

Months became seasons, and he had lost track of the time as it passed, intentionally perhaps. It would be hard to accept that he had been without his guiding light for just so long. He had, all at once, begun to feel lost. He had all along, really, as he always was when he did not have Sabal before him. He owed to his partner his very life, and had, even in his own strange ways, always dedicated himself as such. Was he gone now, could he really accept this as fact? Move on and live without? Stubborn as ever, Raf refused the notion. He would carry on, he would keep looking... Sabal had to be alive.

Because believing that he wasn't, was unbearable.

It only made sense for his journey to bring him to a place where others like them had gathered- others, not so equipped for northern territory as he, but powerful felines nonetheless. Whether upon a whisper, a whim, a scent on the wind or even simply intuition, he would arrive, on the far edges of the place he'd discover as Stoneclaw. Here, part of him accepted as the end of his search, in whatever way that meant. Help or home, he would figure it out in time.

Standing a little straighter, his regular proud posture having given way to slouching, just as some of his bulk had been lost in his travels. A cleared throat and dipped head were followed up by a sizable, rumbling roar. Notice me. Come find me.

Naerileen was a tired woman. She had been for a long time.

She still remembered the day following her trials, waking up in a cold sweat and facing the scornful eyes of her parents not but a few moments later. They had told her that it was time for a change, time for her to become a proper Riverine and leave behind her childhood and friends to embrace the "destiny" they had planned for her. Like a fool, she had trusted them so blindly. She had played their games, became a daughter that they could despise just a little bit less, all at her expense. She had once been afraid of snakes, fearful of their cold eyes and their delicate but sharpened fangs. But snakes had been her only companions under her parents' grueling regime, a goal to chase. She wanted to be like them, told she was meant to be like them. She believed it and a snake she had become. For years, she was their puppet, obeying their whims without complaint.

But then Cassandra came into her life. A young spitfire determined to change the world even if violence was demanded; she certainly changed Naeri's world. For all her pushing, desperate to remain alone, Cass had been determined to get closer and closer until Naerileen relented. For that, she had been thankful. But things had to stay secret. She couldn't let her parents know that she was consorting with a non-Aviari, a rebellious one at that. The punishment would certainly be a harsh one at that. Especially since her mother had been distracted by the newly-born Lorcan and her father had full reign over her life. Cassandra had been her only escape, even if their relationship had its downs.

Then, whispers of rebellion roamed the streets. Cassandra had confessed to her that she was one of them: a rebel determined to change El Dorado for what they believed was good. Determined to overthrow the Aviari that ruled them. She told Naeri that she wanted to fight for their future, to guarantee them a future for her and Naeri, alongside Cass's newborn child. Such a child was one that had brought on a horrid fight between them, provoked by venomous words and fueled by growing stress. The betrayal had been one that she had forgiven, as much as it hurt her heart. And so they had continued, Naeri convincing herself that their relationship was just having a rough patch, especially from the war and the stress that was brought on by the outbreak of violence.

She had stayed mostly neutral, too preoccupied with the growing terror she felt for her younger brother. She couldn't let him face what she did. He was so young, so carefree, so simple. She didn't want her parents to ruin that. Not to mention, her growing hatred for them had reached a peak. She couldn't let them hurt him. She couldn't. So, one night, their deaths had shaken the Riverines. "Poison," they whispered, nobody looking toward the dutiful, grieving young daughter, clinging desperately to her innocent younger brother. Cassandra had accused her, shouting about how they didn't aim to kill people. Naerileen had denied her accusations with a sharp tongue, shouting and sobbing and regretting every word she uttered.

And then the fighting reached a peak it had not quite touched before, violence reaching to the peaks of the pyramids. And, amidst her bloodlust, Cassandra made a mistake. With one push and a desperate grab, her fate was sealed. From the pyramid she had fallen, head hitting too hard on the ground as her blood mixed with that of her enemy. And Naeri had been there to watch, having come to talk her partner away from the violence and apologize for all the words she said. Too late. She had been too late. And she was the one to see the blood soak her lover's alluring red and white fur, staining the golds and oranges that speckled her pelt. The one to sob as she stood over two bodies, one beginning to chill. The one to drag her lover's killer away, driven by some horrible pity and newfound mercy.

He was only trying to survive. Cassandra had been the provoker. It's not his fault, she told herself to keep from feeding him the same poison that had stolen her parents' lives. This time, it would have been her taking the life, her direct responsibility. But she hadn't. She had done her job and healed, not destroyed. Then, with cold eyes dulled by grief and exhaustion, she had left.

She had thrown herself into the turmoil of the world around her, desperate to ignore the ache of her heart and avoid the grief that she knew would tear her apart. For a while, she had. But now, things were slowing down. Lorcan didn't need her anymore. There were no patients to tend to. Plum was being cared for by Padme. She had nothing to do but face her sorrow. Face the truth. Cassandra was dead. She was gone. She wouldn't see her warm amber eyes or hear her whispered words of adoration. She was dead. She wasn't coming back. She was alone again, the flame that lit up her life snuffed out in a matter of seconds. But flames burn, and I got too close.

Sitting alone in the darkness of her room, Naerileen pawed at her face gently, rubbing her reddened eyes and wiping the tears from her fur. She had work to do today, she wasn't allowed to sit alone and wallow. She could do that later, when she was done, when no one could see her and she was alone with the snakes. She looked toward her jewelry; gold bangles, and amethyst earrings and whatever else she had received from Lorcan. But the amethyst adornments was from Cassandra. I should get rid of them. My eyes aren't as pretty as these. Still, almost against her will, she put them in. Then she rubbed once again at her eyes, desperate to remove any hint that she had been crying and trying to rid herself of the bags that plagued them. They remained.

Sighing, she didn't do anything else to improve her appearance. She didn't have it in her. Her limbs felt too heavy, lacking energy despite all the sleeping she had done the past few days. Her feathers were only slightly tended to, not as pristine and orderly as she kept them. Her long fur was a bit tangled and lumpier than usual, but she was too tired to try grooming out the knots. Grabbing her satchel and a prepared bag of dried herbs, the Aviari left her room. She avoided the more used halls, taking her time to avoid notice. She didn't want to be seen.

Coming to the hallway that led to most of the rooms that were taken by the Winds, she came to a door she was mildly familiar with. Knocking against it quietly, she called softly, "Pandion. It's Naerileen. Here to check on you." She was pretty sure he would be in considering it was barely even dawn, but it was always polite to knock.