Welcome to Gaia! ::

Word did travel fast in the large pride. Word of mouth was quicker than lightning in some cases, especially when things like glory, honor, and treasure were on the line. Vidar had caught wind of the untimely demise of one of his fellow captains and had wanted to congratulate the replacement on his promotion, but now that there was talk of a long Viking that promised bloodshed and fun - in Vidar's eyes at least - he was itching to seek out the pale lion and have a little chat with him.

Tethys wasn't hard to find. All Vidar had to do was follow the commotion and boom, there he was, reclining on some rocks. Settling his trademark smirk on his muzzle, Vidar sauntered over, careful to walk so the many trinkets that adorned his mane jingled and clinked against one another to announce his presence. Although he wasn't as large as some of the captains and he came off as cocky and maybe even a bit lazy, his success was clear. Vidar had mastered the art of being laid back ninety percent of the time and fierce the other ten. He wanted whispers of his name to fill the rogue lands, that a Stormborn captain so powerful and terrifying had to tie things that would make noise to his mane so those he sought would have a fighting chance of running before he even arrived.

"It's a good day to die," he said as he came up to the pale lion. "Apparently it was also a good day to die not too long ago. Congratulations on your promotion, Captain...Tethys, was it? Your name has been whispered among the Reavers as of late. I'm Vidar."

Reavers and Captains weren't the only ones to hear whispers of a promising Viking. Runa was finally of age and in the right mindset to take her first Viking, but she didn't want it to be some simple outing into the rogue lands. She wanted glory and victory right off the bat! At the same time, she knew it would be difficult to do so considering she hadn't been properly tested on a Viking yet and convincing a Captain to take her on an important mission would be a gamble for him or her. Still, with the newly appointed Warlord being female, the pride as a whole had been rather shaken up and it seemed a fire had been lit under many of them. There were still those with very traditional mindsets as far as females went, but now that one oversaw the pride as a whole, it was hard to deny females couldn't fight alongside males.

She approached the place where the Viking band had been not long ago but stuck to the less populated area. She wished to speak with the Captain that was currently occupied with another. She would wait patiently for her turn, not wanting to interrupt two higher-ranking lions. That would definitely hurt her chances of being allowed to join.

"Cowardly methods, hm?" Vidar hummed as he sat down before Tethys, making himself comfortable. He hadn't heart just how his predecessor had died, just that he had. Usually when deaths happened to Captains there was some sort of underhanded methods involved, although it was usually the one that did the killing that took the dead Captain's place. This didn't seem to be the way with the lion before him.

"That is a shame. It's the way of things, though," he added, rolling a shoulder in a shrug. "But I suppose it doesn't matter now. You're in charge. And with those whispers of your name I've caught wind of a rather massive scale Viking that you're seeking to begin," he said, changing subjects to get right to the point. Vidar only liked to small talk when he was chatting with ladies.

"I don't know the details beyond that, but I did want to come offer the services of myself and my band."

---

Runa held Tethys' gaze for a moment before the lion glanced away again and she knew he had noticed her. Good. Now she had to simply wait out Vidar...and everyone knew he could be a bit of a chatterbox. Hopefully he wouldn't be too long-winded and would get out of the area after making his point.

She settled down for the long-haul, though, finding a scrap of bone to bat between her paws while she waited.

Vidar kept the confident and relaxed look on his face even when Tethys' words seemed to imply he hadn't realized he was a Captain. Surely his reputation preceded him? If not, he was just going to have to show this fella his stuff, and he'd do whatever it took to do it. He didn't want to be feared and revered in the rogue lands alone, he wanted to be known throughout the pride, especially by fellow Captains. He wanted to be invited on all the biggest raids and Viking parties, but to do that he had to prove he was worth his weight and could back up his words.

Which he could. He just need the opportunity to do so!

"Ah, it seems my name really hasn't made its way to you yet," he said with a little chuckle as if brushing off the fact that he hadn't been heard of by the lion before. To be fair he hadn't heard of him before either, other than recently. "I'm not one of those bull-headed brutes that charges in without thinking." He had been in his youth and could still be at times, but he'd restrain himself when he needed to. "And my band is comprised of the sons and daughters of the god of chivalry, so they are all for talking things over and being polite. You don't need to worry about that."



Ah, so this guy was sired by a god as well? Vidar was starting to feel left out a bit. It seemed everyone he knew had a god in their lineage somewhere except for him! Perhaps it was why he always felt so small around other lions even though he really wasn't all that tiny.

"White?" he asked with a little bark of laughter. "Like t'keep things color-coded, eh? None of them are. They're more...tan and red with a little bit of purple splashed in." The only member of the litter that wasn't in his band was his russet colored sweetheart, although it was a completely one-sided affection. Still, he was sure he'd impress her enough one day to win her over.

"The only white you'll be getting from my group is the white in my own mane, I'm afraid."

Taranu had heard the whisperings of revenge floating through the air as he went about his day within the pride's lands. He'd heard about the captain that had been killed, so the stirrings of a retaliation was of no surprise to him. In fact, he was hoping to potential join the band that was heading out to battle.

While he was happy to be at home surrounded by family and familiar faces, his heart itched for adventure and the thrill of the fight. This could be an excellent opportunity for him to stretch his legs and learn some things. As he approached the area where the captain the question sat with others around him, Taranu waited patiently for an opportunity to introduce himself to the captain.

"Huh."

So the color white was something to be wary of having. Or mostly white, it seemed. Tryggr and Fastny were pale, but certainly not pure white, so they would be more than safe. He himself only had the bit, as mentioned, so he would be too. Not that he'd back down if he did have white fur or white Reavers - they were a hardy bunch that could withstand any assault!

"Noted," he said with a grin and a wink. "We'll chat more later," he added, finally noticing that he wasn't the only one around. There was a dark lioness off to the side and one of Fastny's son's standing there now as well. He turned away from Tethys then, giving a little nod to Taranu.

"Your mother will be quite pleased to fight along side you if you join," he told the male as he passed by, giving him a winning grin. Fastny had told her children they could join whichever band they wanted if they wished to become Reavers, but Vidar had been set on making a collection out of the entire family if possible.

With that he sauntered off, trinkets clinking merrily in his mane.

Runa watched the other Captain saunter off and rose to her feet, eyeing the new arrival. He had just walked in and was keeping his distance as well, so clearly he wasn't anyone of importance. She had arrived first, though, and moved forward as the white male addressed them both.

"Don't flatter yourself," she said with an amused snort. She certainly hadn't been admiring him, but simply waiting as was proper of a Freeborn when two Captains were speaking. "I wish to join your band," she added, pausing a few paces from the still reclining Tethys. "I am Runa. I have heard that you are preparing to embark on a long and arduous Viking and I wish to lend my services to you."

"Oh you do, do you?" Tethys didn't seem to have taken offence to Runa's remarks, by now he had become used to the almost snarky manner in which many of the females in this pride acted. There were very few who acted with decorum, at least not around him anyway. Perhaps they were over compensating,it occasionally came across as just a little too try hard, but if that's what it took them to find their paws then who was he to judge?

"It will certainly be a long one," he confirmed and raised a brow. "Can you control your desires enough to avoid cutting your trip short?" he asked. While it was all well and good for a male to have a dalliance or two on a viking, given the length of this one it wasn't an entirely advantageous route for a female to take. Not that he could prevent them from doing it if they wanted, but on their head's it be if they had to be turned back to avoid unborn casualties!

"If you are confident you can do so then you're more than welcome, but I will make one thing clear," he took a small breath. "While other Captains may pause and return briefly to the pride, my band will not be returning until we have finished what we started... Do not make any immediate plans for the future if you can avoid it."

He did however flash a warm smile as he saw the familiar face come in to view. Now there was someone he hadn't seen in a while, just as well really, he would sooner she hadn't ended up in some of the conflicts he'd gotten himself in to. Not that he didn't think she was capable, but she was still a little green and it could potentially put someone off another expedition for life!

"Xochi!" he chuckled. "An honour to have a familiar face at my side," he confirmed with a nod.