[Crocodile]

    Crocodile wasn’t exactly sure what to make of El Dorado. Somehow his own brother, Kukulkan, had gained the throne, something he had probably always wanted. The pack already seemed close, or close enough from what he could gather. There seemed to be tempers and tension between most of them, like some kind of feuding families. Crocodile had let his brother handle whatever was needed to be done, the lizard child had simply gotten a job and laid in mud. Eventually he’d understand this place, but that day was not today. Instead the almost fully grown boy had walked close to the area the brothers had entered from, sniffing at the water that hid beneath them. The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting enough light for him to see the entrance, but not the inside.

    There was some temptation there, shouting at him. Leave!, the voice shouted. Ma, Pa!, it went on, and then came crashing down the memories of what they were supposed to have been doing. Shuck was gonna find a rock, find Sterling. Ku and Croc were to find a cliff, one large enough to push the rock off of. Then they’d end Sterling’s life, save their family, and go back home to Gemini, and to Rita and Shark and the rest of their family. But now he laid there, close to the entrance, monster eyes staring blankly in, caught up in his own mind. The lizards from Gemini, Inaria, and now El Dorado crawled about him. The lizards now stood out, as the Gemini had almost matched his fur, the newer ones were brightly and wildly colored. The purple Inarian lizards stood out softly, where the red and blue El Dorado lizards seemed to scream against his fur.

    The young man sat up, startling some of the lizards but they quickly went back into their own places. A huff escaped his mouth, as then a soft growl. He wasn’t leaving, there was no point. They didn’t exactly feel welcomed into Gemini, and after their plan to kill Sterling, he was sure that anything kicked up from there would make them no longer welcome into Inaria. The family wouldn’t be able to return to Tortuga, Rita and Shark’s home, surely. As long as his traitorous brother ran the place, they were to stay out. As well, there was no point in going back. Ku was here, and seemed to want to stay. The least Crocodile could do was to stay by his brother’s side, try to keep the family together, even if they fractured into small groups. He started to walk away from the entrance to the tunnels, back towards the main pack lands.

[nadine]

nadine wasn't sure of what to make of el dorado herself and she had lived there her entire life. it was home, but it was also obligations looming over her head. the raven didn't like having obligations. she supposed they were a necessity, yes, but one she did not appreciate having. she also wasn't sure what to make of the newcomers. she had not once spoken to either of them and yet here they were. taking over her pack. was she okay with that? yet another thing she wasn't sure about.

sometimes she wanted to leave. sometimes she didn't like the pack at all. however those nagging obligations kept her loyal to her family. well, she supposed she did like her family at least a little bit. everyone else was an almost definite no. they all thought she was odd, and perhaps she was, but it wasn't her problem nor their business. But objectively, Crocodile was a bit weird too. that meant that she was obligated to make him feel welcome. how bothersome.

she had been thinking about the newcomers quite a bit, actually. perhaps she shouldn't, but there was no real harm in it. what influence did a raven from sanguine have? kulkulkan was technically her boss now, she supposed, but he so far hasn't give her a single treason tk respect him and so until he did, she wasn't obligated to. hm, she appreciated that.

while she was mulling over all the recent events, she spotted crocodile leaving the tunnels and narrowed her eyes. what did he think he was doing? was he doubting his decision to come already? an interesting choice. of course she was assuming things but her assumptions were based on reason.

approaching the green canine, she frowned. how was she supposed to approach him exactly? did he have a superiority complex and need his ego stroked? did he want to be respected? or was he decent? "do you like it here?" she asked, her tone neutral, but eyes searching.

[Padme]

#9778cc

How many nights had she found herself doing the same? Wondering about the life outside of this one, the tunnel that would lead her to another world and with it hope, change, acceptance? The song of the sea calling to her over the high cliff walls, and the sound of water lulling inside of the tunnels themselves.  There was an entire world outside of their own, on the move. The tribe had always been so uninterested with it all, and she never understood how that could possibly be.

The youth had learned to step quietly, avoiding larks as she went, but always froze up as she got to the tunnels, just as he did. Watching from the safety of the jungle brush, wide eyed and heart in her throat. Expelling an uneven breath, dainty paws shook under her weight. Was she about to witness a deserter? Would that give her the strength to finally do the same?

The moon illuminated his large figure, and then suddenly he was walking away? Brows furrowed with confusion, a million questions sounding off in her head as lumbered back towards main land. In that moment it was almost like her legs had a mind of their own, hopping from out of the brush to run up alongside the green boy. Her mouth moving before she had a chance to stop herself. "Wait! W-wait!" Her usually soft voice strained from her sudden yell, even she winced apologetically at the boy and to Nadine.

"You, you were going to leave." Pale amber eyes attempted to make contact with his own gaze or at least get a better look at his face, expression practically plead for an answer, though she whispered it to him just in case (she didn't want him getting in trouble after all). "Why didn't you?" Padme took note of his markings, odd and strange, she had heard whispers of giants joining their ranks. The tribe was buzzing at the news, could this be one of those strangers from beyond?

The sparrow straightened in the presence of Nadine, shifting uncomfortably. "Good evening, Raven Nadine." Padme greeted softly.

[plum]

Plum led a simple life as a fledgling. Wake up, scrounge up something to eat, look for trinkets to give to Padme, and hide from the Doves and other adults. A simple pattern that gave the little lady all the freedom she needed, away from the restrictions and crowded nature of the tribe. Many of those adults contemplated the rogue Aviari's origins, no one stepping forth as her guardian and few able to get her to stay in one place for long. She was regarded as an orphan--one of many left behind in the war's wake--too caught up in her own little world to be of any use to the tribe but not annoying enough to require action. Some still tried to wrangle her and give her what they deemed a proper life, whether it be out of pity or for some form of benefit, though no one had succeeded yet. If Plum had her way, she wouldn't be roped into their family debates for a long time. Forever, preferably. She just wanted to live her life.

The recent change in leadership--or, rather, the recent gain in leadership--was a curious matter. The newcomers that had come and taken the throne, depriving so many greedy Aviaris of a crown they so coveted. It was a puzzling thing to contemplate for the fledgling, an affair that many would deem her too young to think of. Then again, she was a puzzling thing herself. Regardless, she was curious about it. Curious enough that each day, she crept a little bit closer to the pyramids. She played a dangerous game, one that could end poorly if she were to get caught. She was just as cautious as always, but each time she got closer she was a bit more reckless.

Today had not started like one of those days. No, it had started like any other. She had woken upon a nest of feathers and leaves, Hibiscus slumbering nearby. She blinked the sleep from her eyes, yawning quietly and poking the capybara until it woke. Its paws twitched in its sleep, head rising a few moments later and looking at the little Aviari that it spent most of its time with. Plum smiled at Hibiscus, getting to her tiny paws and walking out of the makeshift den she had constructed over the past few months of living on her own. Little trinkets--items constructed from what resources that Plum could scavenge around the territory--decorated the outside, not quite noticeable enough to draw attention should anyone come walking by. A passing glance would dismiss them as jungle debris and barely anything more.

Her first order of business, other than finding something to eat, was collecting some friends for the day. The usual sort--colorful songbirds and their ilk--nestled amongst the child's fur and chittering amongst themselves. She chattered to them quietly, sitting amongst branches with Hibiscus standing watch below. She took care of them, feeding them and befriending them, and in return they provided much-needed companionship. The girl's visits with Padme were only when chance allowed, her only company otherwise being Hibiscus. While she didn't wnjoy being rude to one of her only friends, Plum would admit that Hibiscus wasnt the greatest conversation partner to be had. Plus, she spoke to and understood the birds oddly well. Capybaras were... a bit different.

After gaining a plethora of feathered companions--alongside her heavy furred one--the child went to go find items to make more trinkets. Shiny things mostly, smooth stones and pretty feathers. However, amongst her searching, the little girl caught a scent of one of the few individuals she completely trusted: Padme. Oh, was her "big sister" out? Maybe Plum could catch up if she hurried. She always enjoyed Padme's company, clinging to the older Aviari like a lost child. Which, technically, she was. Not important, though. Padme was family in her eyes, someone she could trust. And someone she genuinely enjoyed being around.

Following the purple Aviari's scent, the young girl, Hibiscus in tow and birds nesting in her fur, traipsed onto the scene. She blinked wide blue eyes in surprise. Nadine. Yes, she knew Nadine. She had seen the odd Raven a few times before, each time with the wolf spotting her as well and letting her go. Nadine was Safe. And a stranger- a big stranger. Scurrying over to Padme, the fluffed up Aviari chattered to her birds in alarm. Soft coos left her maw, eyeing the stranger warily as she tried to press herself against her basically-adopted sister. A stranger was not good, although if the stranger's not-quite-tribe smell alluded to anything... maybe he was one of the newcomers that she was curious about.

And he had lizards! Lizards were usually good news.

[Crocodile]

    Crocodile wasn’t exactly sure what to make of El Dorado. Somehow his own brother, Kukulkan, had gained the throne, something he had probably always wanted. The pack already seemed close, or close enough from what he could gather. There seemed to be tempers and tension between most of them, like some kind of feuding families. Crocodile had let his brother handle whatever was needed to be done, the lizard child had simply gotten a job and laid in mud. Eventually he’d understand this place, but that day was not today. Instead the almost fully grown boy had walked close to the area the brothers had entered from, sniffing at the water that hid beneath them. The moon hung heavy in the sky, casting enough light for him to see the entrance, but not the inside.

    It shouldn’t have been a surprise that the bird-wolves were stalking around the tunnels, watching over them as their job - and he wondered if they were curious if anyone would follow them (he wondered too). Crocodile felt the tug, but he had never been one to react right away, to just do something the spur of the moment. If anything random happened, it had been because of his siblings, not him. No, even if Crocodile one day left, it would take time for him to decide. Besides, he hadn’t seen all that El Dorado had to offer. Maybe they had found this place on purpose, maybe there really was something for them here. It sparked his mind to think that maybe this was some kind of step towards destiny, but he also felt tired, heavy.

    If destiny was here, it could wait a few more days. The boy was walking away from the tunnels when a soft voice called to him ”Wait! W-wait!” The lizard boy turned towards the voice, monster eyes landing onto the aviari girl who dashed up towards him. "You, you were going to leave." Was he? He hadn’t actually been sure of what he was doing, or had been doing. To him, he had simply just been moving around, following wherever his paws brought him. They had only happen to bring him to a place that seemed to make him think. "Why didn't you?" Crocodile slightly opened his mouth to reply, but his eyes fell onto a small aviari child that ran up to join the pretty purple girl, and then he took notice of the red feathered girl.

    "Do you like it here?" The purple aviari greeted the other adult, calling her Raven Nadine. Crocodile had the basics of the ranks down, knowing that Raven was a rank title versus name. Crocodile almost felt his fur starting to raise, being surrounded by these strangers and almost feeling accused. I could take them, he thought, eyes darting from one to the other. Don’t, there was no reason to freak out. Instead of thinking of the consequences towards himself, he knew it would possibly reflect poorly on his brother. No, he needed to keep his odd temper and odd frights at bay. “It’s fine.” It might be slightly seen that he was not comfortable with the amount of strangers around him. “Ku is here, why’d I leave ‘im?” It was all he had for the moment for keeping him here. Something in him wanted something more personal for himself, but for now, his brother would do.