It had been a few weeks since Soleil had accompanied Kasoro to help the lion he'd seen in his vision. They'd both been surprised to find a god rather than Kasoro's estranged father as he'd seen, but they'd helped the wounded male out and in exchange had been told he was in their debt. Kasoro had brushed it off but Soleil had had a moment with Anhunanol - she's certainly remember his name - and he'd doubled down on what he had said. If she ever needed any help at all, she could call his name and he would come.

Having grown up in the Firekin Soleil was as knowledgeable about gods as the sand under her paws. She knew better than to go around asking others because most here were vehemently against the gods, even saying they didn't exist. Of course she knew that to be false now, but it was still hard to wrap her mind around. She'd asked Kasoro to walk with her while gathering herbs and plants along the edge of the desert to talk and he'd grudgingly agreed to go with her, seemingly already aware of what they were going to talk about.

"I've told you before, Soleil, I don't know much about the gods," he muttered as he brushed his paw over a bit of nearly dead grass growing between some cracks in the hard earth of a dried riverbed. "I only have a few memories of my mother and she was just one god. They're all very different which is why you can't trust them. Some are evil, out to ruin lions lives just for sport."

"But Anhunanol wasn't like that," Soleil insisted softly. She considered herself a very good judge of character and the god had been intimidating at first just because of his size and appearance. Once he'd begun to speak to them it was clear there wasn't an evil bone in his body. Kasoro gave a little sigh as he picked at the plant until it broke, leaving it in the dirt for something that might care to eat it.

"Not all of them are evil," he admitted. His mother, Uuni, wasn't evil. But that didn't mean the not evil ones were nice. "You just have to be careful. There's a reason many of the Firekin here distrust or don't believe in the gods and it's important you keep this between us."

"I know," Soleil said with a sigh before digging into a bit of sandy earth to uproot a small plant. "I'm just curious. I want to understand how they work...he just disappeared! One moment he was there and the next, poof!"

"They can teleport," Kasoro said, wrinkling his nose a bit as he tried to remember his mother doing much of the same. "Or fly. Or something...I can't remember that well. But they have powers as well. It has to do with their domain, I think. They're not easy to kill but it is possible to do," he added, recalling the injuries on the god. For a mortal they would have been fatal but he was pretty sure if he and Soleil hadn't gone to his aid, Anhunanol would have recovered just fine.

"It's so strange," Soleil said, her tone of voice soft with wonder. "How creatures like that can exist without us ever knowing them. Well...most of us knowing them."

"They tend to know which prides to avoid," Kasoro said as he helped Soleil dig out the plant. "I doubt they'd want to go where they aren't welcome. As I said, they're not easy to kill but it is possible to do so."

Finally they got the plant out and Soleil transferred it carefully to her satchel, keeping it upright so she could get it back to the pride in one piece. The juice within the stems was what she was after and if she broke it here it would dry up before she could use it. She gave a little sigh and looked out to the rogue lands where they'd gone to aid the god and she wondered just how many gods were out there. Anhunanol said he'd been the god of selflessness. Kasoro had said his mother was the goddess of blood magic, and he had an aunt who had helped raise him and one of his siblings who was the goddess of blood. It was strange to think that gods had siblings, parents, children...how did that all work?

"I know that look," Kasoro accused as he bumped his hip against Soleil's lightly, a teasing look on his face. "Don't wonder too hard, my dear. You'll get a headache."

"Oh, stop it," Soleil huffed, bumping Kasoro back with a wry smile. "I won't think about it too much, I promise. It's just fresh in my mind still. I know you don't have all the answers but you know more than I do and I can't help but ask questions!"

"I'm afraid that's about all I know," Kasoro admitted as he began to head back to the pride, their prize safely in Soleil's pack. "The only other thing I can think of is that if a god has children with a mortal, then the children are seers like me that have visions. Some have them more than others, some are more clear...my siblings and I all varied in our experiences with visions. But beyond that..." He rolled his shoulders in a shrug as he continued to walk. "I haven't a clue about anything else."

"Well," Soleil said with a little sigh, bumping against Kasoro as they walked. "Thank you for indulging me. You know your secrets are safe with me and have been for years now. I suppose you can think of all my questions as payment for keeping quiet for so long." She looked up at him with a cheeky grin before breaking into a light jog.

"Come on. This plant is better when it's fresher, provides more juice that way. Let's get home quickly so I can make the most of it."

"It's so hot," Kasoro complained though he did join in the light lope. "I'll be useless the rest of the day."

"That sounds about right," Soleil said with a laugh, picking up the pace as Kasoro gave a little 'hey!' of indignation and began to chase her. The two laughed all the way back to their den, thoughts of gods and mortals forgotten.

WC: 1069