The Grove King had seldom left his kingdom, but now with the stirrings of spring, the beast was stirred from his gnarled throne into the mainlands of Skaer. The acts of diplomacy were foreign to Audric as a King, but not foreign entirely; he'd always been rather suave and well with his words, even in the presences of men who felt they were more powerful than he. And despite his goal of conquering all of Skaer under one united front, whether it meant overthrowing and usurping other prides or allying with them so strongly they eventually fell into his ranks did not matter to he who sought not to bring bloodshed on the entirety of their shared country. It would be just what the Gods wanted: for them to eat themselves from the inside out.

Instead, in a rare display, the Grove King lingered on the borders of his closest neighbor and called out for its leaders. He'd hoped his own Queen would have come along with him, but would not protest her absence either. It would help to have a woman with him (women always had such an affect on other Kings, both trophies and bartering chips, and perhaps pretty enough to soften hearts). Audric slowly sat down, his gaze focused forward, his eyes narrowed as he watched, and waited.

@Lucien + @Magdalena if she wants!

He was bein' summoned. A sound that was, until now, foreign to his ears. Of course his ol' partner Iz had wandered into the Plains and called out to him, but it was nothin' compared to this. This was somethin' entirely different, requestin' his presence at the borders. A brow would raise as large paws moved muscular body in the direction the sound had come from, a swift walk with a little pep in his step. Golden eyes would observe his territory, makin' this a two bird with one stone action by usin' this to also patrol his lands.

It wouldn't take Lucien long to arrive, his eyes landin' on a male that was sittin' right before his metaphorical doorstep. Nostrils would flare, takin' in the scent this stranger brought with him. It was nothin' he had encountered before, muscles tensin' subtly and his shoulders pushin' themselves back to make the Nebrora King stand up straighter and taller. Howdy there, drawlin' voice would greet the unknown lion, a bob of his head also given while a warm smile curled his lips. Name's Lucien Hanover, King of Nebrora. How can I help ya'? He would fall silent after he got what he wanted to say for the moment out and into the open, his gaze never leavin' the others face.

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code to kay

if you'd like me to change mags knowing his name, caitt, pls let me know! i figured our thread would likely end up there so no mushy timelines!

In the very least, at least she knew a little about the Plains that they were visiting. Magdalena didn't think twice about following suit on the mission of breaching the social wall of Nebrora and the Grove. She expected that Lucien might have an idea that she would return. Besides, it might be nice to see his face again - handsome as it were - but her loyalty remained to Audric and the future she felt destined to have in the Grove. So as he sat, she placed herself at his left with a raised chin and waited. A pair of confidence defined. It is good to see you again, Lucien. Surely she wouldn't have to introduce herself again to him and he remembered her face, but she'd gladly remind him if that was the case.

@audric @lucien

Audric had been unaware that his Queen knew this foreign King (an inquiry he slighted himself for not indulging her in when he'd had the chance, but it was far too late now). He was a new King, after all, and he was bound to learn from his early mistakes. The man who appeared was much unlike any sort of King Audric expected, but he wasn't entirely sure what to; after all, not all men were like him. They did not have the same ambitions and drive. Audric's shoulders squared upon Lucien's approach, somewhere uneven with his height and stature but still just as brutally built. “Well met, Lucien,” he began formally, though his voice was steeled and unusually dark, “I am Audric Guarin, King of the Grove.”

The Grove King had kept his specific intentions a cruel secret, but he'd assumed Magdalena would fall into line beside him. He'd taken note of her familiarity with him, and perhaps a softness that he was unsure of how deep. But the King was a clever man, and he was as cunning in his mannerisms as he was truthful in his words. “I have heard rumors of a wild boar that has awoken from his hibernation. I have found trees destroyed on the fringes of my territory, and since we are neighbors, perhaps I am right to assume he may have been sighted in your borders?” A brow lifted curiously, and he got to his paws, beginning now to stalk the fringes of Lucien's borders as if intent on felling such a creature. As if anger boiled through him from a ruined territory, and not the growing excitement of testing the new King's reactions, gauging his response. “I also suppose it might be right of me to warn you to hide your women and children while I flush out this demon. You are welcome to join me, Lucien Hanover.” If such a boar did not exist, Audric would find one; he knew the mountains that bordered their territories like the back of his paws. What his the King's intentions were? Many: but they were all harmless and clever.

He did, after all, need to win the hearts of all of Velstand's greatest armies if he were to see his dreams realized.

@Lucien @Magdalena

As he waited for the male to respond the familiar feminine figure would waltz into view. Blackened lips would curve into a grin at the sight of Magdalena, a bob of his head given in a warm welcome. "I agree," words would rumble out in their usual deep tones, golden gaze watchin' the woman as she took to the lion's side. Lucien wanted to reach out to the pink-eyed cat, but time was a fickle one with the Nebrora King. As in, he didn't seem to have much free time to himself anymore. It was all focused on patrols and invitin' new members and keepin' his current members held accountable for bein' active and earnin' their keep within the pride, as well as helpin' the pride itself thrive as a whole. But was he upset that this was what his time and attention were mainly spent on? Absolutely not.

Gaze would shift once the male began, ears prickin' forward and takin' in what the brute spoke. Audric Guarin of Elurin Grove. King, nonetheless. He'd remember face with name, tuckin' it into his brain with all the other useful information he kept. Brow would then rise at the mentions of a boar on a rampage, his tail flickin' to the side and muscles tensin' as he watched Audric begin to stalk the very edges of his borders. This made the dun man's shoulders roll a bit and his eyes narrow subtly onto the other male before lookin' back over toward Magdalena. "A wild boar, ya' say?" His question was asked in rhetoric, not waitin' for a response before continuin'. "Naw, can't say a wild boar has been in the Plains. Maybe some coyotes, but not a boar."

He'd ignore the part where the Grove King mentioned about hidin' the women and children that lived in the plains; hide from a boar? Puh. Lucien wasn't scared of tacklin' a creature head on. Hell, he barreled into the stomach of a bear for lions he didn't even really know, except for one. And he was more than confident that the women that created the majority of his pride were able to take care of themselves, a few names poppin' into his noggin in particular. What was this man's end game?

"Howdy"

image/table by wallflower

@audric @magdalena