Welcome to Gaia! ::

It had been several days since she returned home, escorted by the younger male. Aniheyu, he had called himself. She hadn't given him her name in return. It wasn't like she would be speaking much to him.

In fact, she had spent the past few days in silence, examining the home she once knew. It was different now, changed. Things could be repaired but never would it be the same. Her heart ached as she saw the den she grew up in. She had just been old enough to move out of her parent's den but hadn't quite yet. Then den, or at least what was left of it, was just a mess of brambles and fallen rocks. Quickly, she turned away.

She would need to speak about the flute soon. She hadn't been summoned yet but... she knew she would have to voice her shame of losing such a precious object. Swallowing thickly, she turned away from looking at the Tree of Souls... bumping into a very familiar lion.

"Brother Aniheyu," she murmured, thankful for her strong voice. She felt like fine ice, ready to shatter. Coming to the Tree of Souls and thinking of her family was a bad idea.

So, he had learned of her name. It didn't surprise her. The pride was a close knit one, after all. Regarding him carefully, she considered what to say. She wasn't okay, but it wasn't due to bumping into him. And so, she chose not to respond to that bit. "No, Brother. It was me who wasn't paying attention," she murmured with a sigh.

She tilted her head, wondering about the question. Was she doing well? It was a simple question to ask. But... not one she wanted to answer. She was against lying, after all. "I don't remember seeing you before the... before the incident," she murmured. Before the flood, she would have been fawning over a male like him. He was quite handsome. But... he seemed young. Still innocent.

So, he was born during the storm. He was very young. She had assume he'd been a cub, already born, when the storm had happened. Ingyentsim nodded slowly. His age was of no importance to her.

She opened her mouth to excuse herself, ready to walk away from the young adult, when he spoke again. A flash of suspicion crossed her eyes as she studied him. This was home. This was safe.

Until a storm struck, that is.

Willing the thought away, she finally nodded. "I could accompany you," she agreed hesitantly. She craved solitude. Or the company of a cliff's edge, though she was too cowardly to do anything beyond that. But she was back in the pride and knew she should try to integrate again, even if just a little.

She followed him silently, her eyes moving around, seeing the changes to their home. It hurt her chest, thinking about all the destruction and death. Her family used to walk her along this path... but now, she would never see them again. Pulling her eyes away, she decided to train her eyes on the ground in front of her.

So much change had happened that she hadn't realized where they were going until she spoke of the tree and led her into the small clearing. Her breath caught, her eyes stinging. It had survived. After all that destruction, it stood tall and strong. She hesitated, unable to move forward more. She had been avoiding visiting the tree of souls, hadn't gotten the nerve to see it. She doubted she would have visited it even next week.

"I..." she tried and swallowed hard. Her throat felt clogged with stones. Her eyes ripped away from the tree, looking at Aniheyu, before looking away. "Peace... is something I hope will come soon," she said carefully. But hope was reserved for idiotic dreamers, she silently added. Her eyes closed before opening again. She needed an excuse to leave here... "I'm glad to see it still standing," she added, still unable to look at the tree again.