~Aiyenna's Island in Ruins~ ((Semi-lit ~ Always Accepting))

[Wildmagic_warrior]

"You may stay for tea," Queen Amaali replied, "And much more beside. I am very sorry, my dears, but you may not leave my lands until these conflicts are settled." The Leopardess clapped her hands twice and from the doors at the end of the throne room came the sound of military-marching footsteps on the tiled floors outside. "It is my only wish to offer hospitality to the two tigresses to whom I have been nearly a mother, while your aunt ran around playing at war when she should have been at the palace raising you two kits properly."

Amaali shook her head. This was not the conversation she was going to have with Vanendra and Shaily while they were her honored guests. "My knight and personal bodyguard Cindre will attend to your needs, and the boy Fitch can run messages for you. I promise that you will be comfortable here, but you must remain within the palace grounds."

With this, the Leopard Queen poured tea for the two princesses, as well as a cup for herself. She had been good friends with Arita, but this was war. It was no place for the heirs to the tiger throne, especially if their aunt was dead or dying.

[Saeli]

Once the fire started Nio sat down against a tree with a loud sigh. The birds chirping in the trees was calming to his nerves and he closed his eyes. Opening them again Nio stared at the tree Ali had disappeared behind. Something must really be bothering her to disappear like that. Standing up, Nio dusted the dirt off his pants and shouldered his pack. He checked his snare only to find nothing was caught and was only slightly disappointed. Returning to the fire he kicked some dirt on. Ali, shouldn't alone to long in case they were being followed.

Grabbing some of the extra rope from his pack, Nio went to the horses. After putting taking care to put the saddles on both he tied them together with the rope. Grabbing the middle to lead them, he followed after Ali's trail.

[~Erica~]

The emotions bubbling though her felt so foreign and unnatural. She was suppose to cry, she, Alithel Blare, was not weak. Crying made her feel that way though, and her fragile emotional state just made it worse. This base reaction to an emotion that triggered bad memories almost scared her. What it could mean if she let it, and how things might turn out again.

Right now she wanted a friend to lean on, someone to trust. She both loved and loathed the idea for various reason, and now she was stuck the war the two feelings had decided to fight. One would win out eventually, but when and how she wasn't sure.

Sniffling slightly, biting her lip to keep the sound of her crying totally silently, Ali tried to wipe her tears away. She tried to tell herself everything would turn out okay, but her mind wouldn't accept that lie as a reality. Life had taught her that, more often than not, things turned out worse. Something could and would always go wrong. It felt like every time she started to get somewhere life decided to shove her back into the beaten dirt path. For every step forward she took two steps back.

Nothing worked and things rarely got better, especially when it came to friends.

[Saeli]

As Nio's trek through the forest led him no where and he couldn't find Ali, he began to wonder if he made a wrong turn and now she wouldn't be able to find him when she finally decided to return. He stopped moving for a minute in order to gather his thoughts. As long as she headed in one direction, he would stumble upon her shortly, at least that's what he thought.

Then an idea came to Nio, what if he could sniff out her trail like the wolves and foxes do! Taking a big whiff of air Nio started to cough as he caught the scent of the horses and himself. That was a terrible idea you idiot! Nio thought angrily at himself, he could not believe that he thought that would work.

Sighing he began to walk slowly again in the direction he thought he saw Ali head in. Hearing a muffled noise ahead of him, Nio quickened his pace.

[Vanendra]

Vanendra nodded and looked at the ground. "Thank you your majesty." Then she looked over at Shaily,wondering what the princess was thinking. Vane was already planning to sneak out and get some freash air later. She had been cooped up on the boat there was noway she'd stay under a guard's eye. The princess yearned to know what was happening.

[god-and-angels]

Shaily had simply said nothing, she let Vane do the talking. She was never much of a talker but much more of an action person. A look of uncertainty crossed her face when Queen Amaali said they may not leave until the conflicts are settled. Keeping a straight face, something sort of boiled inside of her, she needed to be there in the Tiger Palace, with her aunt or off fighting. She needed to do something. She nodded her head, she still though they needed to go back to the Tiger Palace, they were needed, she couldn't just sit and wait for the Tiger Palace fall. "Yes. Thank you, your majesty" she whispered as her eyes stared down at the ground.

[Wildmagic_warrior]

Amaali lowered her cup of tea. "I don't mean to keep you here against your will," she told the two tigresses. "And I know that's what it seems like I'm doing, and I can't tell you otherwise because I know that you would much rather be home with your aunt." She sighed, then flapped a hand at Cyndre and Fitch. The wolf knight bowed, then grabbed her fox nephew by the shoulder and steered him out of the throne room.

As soon as the door shut and the throne room was empty but for the royal women, Amaali seemed to wilt slightly. She still looked regal and was obviously very powerful, she also appeared... old, somehow. Even though she was younger than Arita by several years, she had never had the health of the Tigress Queen. "I'm just doing what is best for the both of you," she sighed, before raising her teacup to her lips and taking a careful sip.

"Please, my dears, sit down. I have a story to tell you, of days and wars past. I'm going to assume that your aunt has never taken the time to relate to you the adventures she and I had, during the Great War?" The Leopardess took another sip of tea, then sighed the steam away as it curled over the lip of her cup.

[god-and-angels]

Shaily looked at Queen Amaali a little more interested now. "She talked little and sometime about the war.But I never knew you and her had adventures..." she said trailing off, curiosity filled her voice. War always intrigued her but she much liked to stay in the shadows and only come out when the need to attack was necessary. She took a small sip of her tea and let her finger run over the rim of the cup, her mind focused on the Queen.

[~Erica~]

It took a while but eventually Ali managed to get her emotions down to a more manageable level. Tears instead of sobs. She still wasn't pleased about the fact that she was crying, but she couldn't avoid it; and tears were better than sobs. They were tamer and made her feel less weak, though not by much.

The sound of horses hooves nearby made her perk up and concentrate on that. Had someone followed them this far into the forest? Surely not.

Scrubbing her cheek and eyes dry with her hand, Ali tensed and shifted upright against the tree, one hand going to a dagger. She just hoped it wasn't Nio. Having him see her upset like this suddenly felt humiliating. Even if her tears had stopped, she knew that her eyes and face would be all red and puffy from it. Besides, she knew she didn't look pretty when she cried either. Some girl managed to look all dainty, crying just made her face turn red.

[Saeli]

Nio was looking along the rows of trees when he thought he saw movement from behind one of them. It could be Ali, some forest creature, or some other bandit hoping to rob him. "Ali?" He called out into the forest as he continued his search for her, though his footsteps had slowed. He did hope it was her, he felt oddly alone and was worried about her. Nio bit his lip as he thought about what would happen if he lost her. It's not like Ali couldn't handle herself, but she was all he had left and it was strange being separated when they had traveled together for so long.