The Yawning Grave

[Atlas]

March 30th, Year 1

He had come to realize the moment he had open his eyes that the static noise of visions that flicked through his head had not really been visions. Instead, they were experiences that had occurred in the past, not the future, and they had already come and gone. They weren't exactly his either, or maybe they were he wasn't sure. He was sure though that he never got to see the whole picture.

The memories were always blurred out, foggy, the voices in the memories sounded muffled, distant, but each one distinct. He didn't understand the purpose of these things though, but he did understand that they were urging him to go somewhere. Somewhere far from where he woke up in choking dust and the shuffle of Blackbloods. The sound of rumbling rocks above causing him to quickly flee in panic...

So he followed where his paws just led him. He had wisped on the outskirts of a battle-torn and wrecked Africa lingering there as if waiting or looking for someone, and then through the hot climate of the desert. From there, everything had been a blur, and now... He was here in the bitter, frigid cold where it smelt of death and loss.

Death somehow did not unnerve him though, it was the natural course of life but it was something that lulled him in like a sweet song.

It was why he was even within some range of the encampment of Freedom Fighter refugees. He had just finished harvesting a soul to guide it back to where it belonged, feeling enriched once more when the bubbling of a song grumbled in his chest. He did not realize he was in the territory of the army, but even if he did it most likely wouldn't have stopped him either.

"I know the rain like the clouds know the sky
I speak to birds and tell them where to fly
I sing the songs that you hear on the breeze
I write the names of the rocks and the trees...

Oh, you fool, there are rules I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins."

Flecks of green and silver stardust seemed to flit off the large liger's pelt as he moved further into the tree line only pausing when he spotted scouts. His voice echoing through the mass of trees like a haunting whisper as he sung without much care of being spotted.

"I tried to warn you when you were a child
I told you not to get lost in the wild
I sent omens and all kinds of signs
I taught you melodies, poems, and rhymes..."

[Kiara]

Of all the feelings to break through the numbing grief, embarrassment was not the one that Kiara had expected. She and her breed were creatures of warmth and sunlight; rich earth and plains filled with the sounds of life. Built to deal with the freezing cold they were not. The wind whipped through them like claws through hot fat and felt as though it would shred them much the same way. To combat this an idea had been proposed based on the more humanoid species' clothing.

Blankets and thick wool had been stitched together in makeshift coats that clung to the torso and legs, which was useful in keeping the worst of the chill off but absolutely horrid for mobility. Kiara had overheard that it was a temporary fix meant only to last until a more stream-lined design could be put to leather, or until the weather broke. She certainly hoped that was the truth. It was a pain to navigate in the snow even before being encumbered. Having a chance to get outside and escape the attentions of others had been too tempting to pass on however, even with the annoyances.

Out here in the quiet and the cold Kiara could escape more than just a crowd; she could escape her thoughts. Racing through the snow in bounds and leaps she was able to outpace the feelings that dogged her every step. To the army she was merely training her body in a headstrong workout. In truth she was very pointedly working herself to dropping, for only in the sleep brought on by exhaustion did she escape dream and nightmare. If she was too tired to feel anything but the ache of her muscles she was too tired to stew and brood.

Too tired to grieve.

It was a song carried on the wind that gave the young lioness pause, tugging her incessantly from the rhythm of her run. Lifting her head Kiara began a slow scan of the forest around her, ears perked until she located the direction of the melody. Only by studying with an eye trained where she thought the sound was emanating were her eyes able to discern the stripes of a feline figure from the surrounding shadows. His eyes had found her before she'd found him; the fact that he had continued singing rather than slipping into a stalk hinted that this was an ally rather than an attacker.

Still.

Kiara's head lowered slightly as she regarded the figure. Like many of the other felines she'd encountered he was large, with the stripes that marked him as some breed not unlike a tiger. Unlike the only other tiger she'd seen his colors reflected her own more closely, but whether that was a natural feature for the striped cats or an outlier she had no clue.

Kiara had to swallow a few times before her throat felt wet enough to call out.

"Friend or foe?"

[Dhall]

”Oh, you fool, there are rules I am coming for you.”

”You can run, but you can’t be saved...”

”Darkness brings evil things, oh, the reckoning begins."

”You have opened the yawning grave...”

Dhall hardly recognizes that she’s singing along, smoldering gaze resting lazily along the tree line. The Forge Queen smells strongly of burning herbs and incense, wispy, pale smoke rolling off her every time she moves or speaks.

She’s essentially taking a smoke break, attempting to fend off the mental and physical exhaustion that came with keeping up with the medics and their charges. Not everyone who’d made it here had survived, and some might not make it to the next sunrise. And yet...

Dhall found most exhaustion when dealing with a number of the shattered Pride.

Some were doing well, some stretched a paw outward to recognize what damage had been done. Others... well, others seemed to only curl further into themselves, more focused on their own hurt than that caused by their pear-shaped monarchy. More focused on rebuilding themselves than the army their blood had completely destroyed. She wanted to warn them; not recognizing what had been wrought by their family’s claws would only repeat history. But the walls were already up, and she wasn’t about to play the Depression Olympics with a bunch of lions.

There’s a deep breath from the creature as she rolls her neck, eyes sliding closed as she leans against the side of the barnhouse.

”Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you...”

[Atlas]

As cold breeze rolled by again it brought the sound of voice and the scent of herbs to him, the cold wind brushed through his fur and he almost seemed to curl his body into it. As if unphased by the frigid temperature. His yellow hues slid closed as he inhaled the soothing scent and the song filled his ears. His eyes only opened as the young lioness a couple feet away suddenly spoke, his gaze shifting toward her but he did not address her quite yet. More tempted to lure the companion voice in with the child. His head tilted slowly, looking down at the cub. His thoughts pittering about with her image, trying to piece together things that did not quite make sense in his mind.

"You can run but you can't escape..."

Red tinted ears twisted forward to listen to the breeze, hearing distantly the other picking up the lyric. His lips almost seemed to quirk with a smile but it was uncertain if he truly was smiling or not.

"You will open the yawning grave..."

It's here he begins to hum the song, almost like a lullaby. As he truly begins to pay Kiara attention. His tail curls and gives a small flick before he fully emerges from the shadow of the trees. Standing, no towering, over the younger pridelander. "I am what you make of me, child. Friend, foe, human or monster... I do the bidding of those-" His eyes seem to slide away from the other as if falling somewhat distant. "Who no longer live and breath..."

[Kiara]

An echo of the male's voice brought a twitch to the young lioness' ears, swiveling a single fur-tipped disc towards the source and swinging a glance in the same direction. Familiarity born of close quarters lent the recognition required to pull a name without seeing the vocalist. Dhall again -- nearby, but not yet within sight.

The presence of another member of the army assuaged a bit of the teen's tension. Were this male to become hostile at least Kiara would have an ally nearby should she need it, or a raised alarm should she fall immediately.

When Kiara's gaze returned from the brief foray they'd taken away from Atlas' she found a glint within those sun-kissed orbs that gave her pause. She felt as though she were one of the maps the ranking soldiers pored over. Studied. Kiara shifted in her stance like a nervous horse, weight sliding from one leg to another under his scrutiny.

A gentle sound eased the spell of uncertainty and gave the lioness a stilled pause; eyes unblinking and head canting ever so slightly to catch the hummed tones. A lullaby... Such a thing could have been considered childish. Perhaps even should have been childish. Yet Kiara stood stock still as though entranced, feeling more at ease than she had in what felt like a lifetime. It felt as though she stood in a dream. Reality couldn't touch her with the ugliness of betrayal and falsehoods. "I... I think... I would like a friend. But I don't understand what you mean."

[Atlas]

"I... I think... I would like a friend. But I don't understand what you mean."

For such a small amount of silence Atlas had fallen to his thoughts again, it was only when the child had spoken of wanting a friend had he 'come to live' once again. Light colored hues slid back from their distance glance and focused on Kiara, dark tentative ears curled forward as if pondering what to say next. His expression was aloof but it didn't quite seem to reach his eyes.

Behind those sunny-colored irises seemed to be a man who was pondering. Who was attempting to reconnect the broken threads in his galaxy of a mind. However he was lacking the context, the information he required to do so. He needed more time to gather the information so perhaps it really was in his best interest to stay with the living despite how wrong it felt against his true nature. He 'consumed' the souls of the living but something about this bunch of misfits was important and his thirst for knowledge, for closure, was much more abundant this his actual hunger and calling...

"Then you shall have an ally." He responded suddenly with a soft dip of his large head. The large feline emerged from his spot nestled in the trees and slow steps moved to lead him to the child's side before he came to a halt. Right, of course she wasn't sure what he had said. Perhaps he should have made it more clear, or well less confusing.

His tail curled 'whacking' Kiara on the underside of her maw in a playful manner before a smile finally gave a small light to his serious expression. "I guide souls to the land of the dead. Heaven, hell, wherever they think they belong. I believe I am what humans call a reaper?" He gave a light shrug of his shoulders. "Really, our whole existence is not always dependant on death. Sometimes we are here to help the living heal, as strange as that sounds."

It was then, he raised a paw, slowly almost gingerly only to plunk Kiara right on her nose. "I believe you mortals have this tradition of introductions right? I am Atlas... and who might you be?"

[Kiara]

What a strange, strange cat.

It felt as though between the briefest of moments he escaped the resided realm into his own head, leaving the shell of his body empty between words. Kiara peered up with undisguised curiosity and a tilted head. Despite his oddness the male seemed... Oddly trustworthy. It was as though he simply oozed an aura of reliability. Perhaps there was something about this male that should have inspired suspicion, but to a child who had been robbed of the trusted adults in her life the allure was too much to resist.

Kiara wanted friends. Her pride was... Her pride. It was likely that they would always have their relationships with her tainted by her royal blood, no matter how close they were. She would always be Simba's little princess. Reassurance that the striped behemoth before her might consider her an ally nearly sapped the girl of her strength with the relief she felt. Surprise shot down her spine as a fluff-ended tail whumped her softly under the jaw. It had been sudden enough to break through the wall she'd erected between herself and her volatile emotions -- a rare smile flickered on those kohl-lined lips like the wings of a dew-soaked butterfly, laden with heavy drops of liquid diamond.

"I've never heard of a reaper before. I never thought spirits needed guiding, I guess..." Kiara's head tilted the other way, expression puckered as she puzzled over the thought. "I guess I thought that the spirits of the dead just... Went to join the stars on their own when they died."

The young lioness went cross-eyed as her eyes followed the digit as it rose to gingerly boop the snoot. A single blink and a hint of a giggle accompanied the surprisingly silly gesture. This 'Atlas' reminded her of Rafiki. Not in looks, certainly, but in his shifting manner and easy likability. The purpose he described as well seemed very in-tune with what the old mandrill had practiced. Maybe that was where the sense of familiarity had been born?

"It's nice to meet you, Atlas. I'm Kiara. I'm a..." A what? A soldier? A refugee? Or... Maybe just a burden. "... I'm a part of the group staying here. Have you traveled far?"

[Atlas]

The giggles of the small cub had his ears curling forward as far as they could go to catch the sound. The warm embrace of a cool summer's night gripped his mind, the softness of fur curled against his belly and the quite noise of amusement coming from the ball of fur laid beside him. There were soft murmuring voices all around, he could see the flash of a reddish mane, the briefest of smiles. He could also hear a voice sweeter than honey, kind teal eyes... and then just like that the memory, a flash of time, was gone as quick as it had come.

It left the reaper a little star struck for a moment, his brows had knitted together tightly. It appeared as though he had caught the child in a lie, but in truth his mind yet again was interrupting such idle conversation despite the conversation being that of somewhat importance for mortals. Introductions, first impressions meant a great deal...

He pushed the voice of static into the recesses of his inner self trying to defean it. He brought forth as much focus as he could muster before giving a hardy shake of his reddened fur. He moved to stretch, first his front legs then his back before he shifted his current form without much warning. Where once stood a tiger now was a man but still the comforting aura that had been there was still remained. He dusted off his jacket, speckles of dust and sand falling from the fur lining of it.

"I've gone from there to here, across the sand and then the waters." Ah yes, there he went again once again back on topic with being a cryptic. He shrugged lightly, offering a soft smile down at the child before giving her an answer she would understand then his weird little sentences of speech. "Yes I have traveled quite far, though it seems you have too. Lions aren't suppose to live in the snow." He chuckled. "Especially ones like you, you'll freeze to death without better wear on." He stretched a hand out, pausing to give her a chance to get her bearings before brushing his hand between her ears, the action a bit more parental then indeed. After that though, he gave a small movement of 'follow' before he attempted to head more inward to the source that was calling him into the lands.

[Kiara]

With polite patience Kiara regarded the tiger before her, considering him with a child's interest as he was lost to his thoughts once again. It wasn't that he was dull or slow-witted, of that she was quite certain. Instead this Atlas seemed to take a great care with his actions and words while pondering some mystery she couldn't begin hazarding a guess at.

With how close the pair stood to each other Atlas' stretch brought his forelegs to either side of the smaller feline, causing her to take a quick step back in order to keep herself outside of what would be considered his very personal space. Sure, he didn't seem all that averse to touch based on his introduction, but still.

Manners and all that.

Between one breath and the next the form of her company shifted, swirling the air about the pair in a draft as it rushed to fill the space that Atlas' body had previously held. Kiara couldn't help her reaction -- like a housecat she bounced upwards with back arched and tail lifted, her eyes wide. That had not been something she expected. Coming back to the snow she was now facing slightly away from the man, expression openly bewildered and mouth a scribbled line across her muzzle.

Okay that happened.

Tiger, human, okay. Shapeshifter. That's... Normal now.

The girl's composure was not regained fully as Atlas spoke, though her tension eased a bit with every questioning blink. The cogs in her mind turned with creaking slowness. A shapeshifter... With a human and tiger form. The chugging train of thought was paused by a gentle ruffling of the fur atop her head. As effective as an off button the gesture halted Kiara. When was the last time someone had ruffled her fur? Treated her like a kid? Tentatively she reached up to feel her head herself as Atlas' hand left as though groping for the sensation again.

It took a few crunching steps for Kiara to realize that Atlas was walking away. "A-ah, wait!!"

Turning on herself Kiara bounded after the man. There was a job she should have been doing, wasn't there? Patrolling? "Uh, I should probably walk you to meet with our leaders!"

Or... Something. Truthfully the lioness just wanted to tag along with this soothing oddball.

[Atlas]

Odd colored hues gazed down at the former princess as a soft smile grazed his lips. His hands were now tucked into his jacket keeping him fingers and palms warm from the frosty nip of the winter air around them. This human form while it burned hotter than a normal human was really not suited for the cold either. He was silently very thankful that he had a jacket already as well as some thicker clothes. As they walked he made sure to keep even pace with the lioness though it wasn't too hard to do so. Four legs were faster than two.

"Leaders?" He questioned curiously, he hadn't really had the chance to observe too much of the army so he was certain he was in for quite a surprise when they got to the barn. "How many do you have?" He asked in a small bit of curiosity. The walk didn't seem to take too long, trees went by and bushes, and before they knew it they were just a few paces away from the ragged barn and the beginning makings of a settlement around them.

He gazed around silently, that feeling of familiarity growing like a painful knife wedged into his chest at all the faces that turned to look towards him. ...Did... he know these people once?

~Yawning Grave is now open to everyone please hop in y'all!~