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There was comfort to be found in familiar places and Azhara was no exception. She had been gone for a while, longer than ever before, and while she had enjoyed it she was glad to be home - even if it wouldn't be home for much longer. The lioness felt confident that she had found her place, with her great aunt and her mate.

A slight breeze swept through her fur as she took in a deep breath, glancing around. Was her father near? Had her mother returned, and had her brother stayed, or left just as she had? Would there be new faces amongst the old, rogues who had sought the safety of a pride? The thought of change wasn't threatening to Azzy, but it was certainly strange to think of. Had she been gone long enough that she would not be remembered?

She slipped quietly through the territory, silently watching for family and old friends.

She always had a lot on her plate, it was a simple fact, and today was no exception to her busy schedule. However, she found that if she didn't make the time to give herself a small rest, she ended up working herself much too hard. She had promised Uumi that things would change, that she would take things easier, and this was a small step towards her improvement.

Leading the Usare'Wasii, helping her nephew lead the priding, all of that could wait for a little while as she caught up on some well-earned rest.

Slinking through the lands, a grace to her step and the way she moved, Syeira sought out the shade of an old tree. Gnarled and old, it still stood taller than nearly any other in the territory with its great arms spread wide and heavily laden with foliage that provided ample protection from the burning sun overhead. With a soft sigh, the mocha-toned lioness crept into the cool shadows, brilliant icy eyes shutting slowly as she relaxed into a comfortable position against the cooler earth.

Azhara's nose twitched as the scent of another drifted towards her. It was vaguely familiar, not associated with anyone she was close to, but certainly someone she had been near before. With a new sense of purpose, she lifted her muzzle to the air, taking in another deep breath.

There. In the distance she could see a lioness lying in the shade of the great tree. After a moment, the memory hit Azzy. She had seen the lioness with her great uncle, the lion she saw many times but never properly met.

Eyes bright, she began to pad towards the lioness, head cocked just slightly. Now that she thought of it, her great-uncle looked much like Kiuma - identical, in fact. He must've been the twin the older female had mentioned, and this lioness, Azzy guessed, was his mate. Would that mean she was her great aunt? Azhara felt embarassed suddenly, embarassed about not having made a connection with more of her family.

[Syeira picked her head up as the scent of the other female drifted towards her, ears flickering as she turned her eyes over the land before her. Seeing the rusty and white lioness coming in her direction, she pushed herself up into a sitting position, appearing more dignified than her simple lounging one could promote.

Her eyes did narrow, however, once the female got close enough. She knew most lions of the pride by name, if not by sight, and although she was having trouble naming the one before her she was sure that she had seen her before. After a long moment of consideration, she realized just why she seemed so familiar. She belong to Denahi's daughter, though she was sure she had been gone quite a while now.

"Hello," she said softly, once the lioness was close enough, quirking a brow as she spoke. Her posture was rigid, her tail wrapped about her forepaws, and her head held high. Syeira always did like to appear as regal as possible, even if her title of princess had long since been lost as the throne changed paws.

Truthfully the lioness was intimidated by Syeira and the somewhat icy aura she seemed to give off, but she tried her best not to let it show. Lifting her head, Azzy offered a small smile, stopping a few feet away.

"Hi," she said, lifting her muzzle a bit as she spoke. "My name is Azhara. I was born here, but it's been a while. I've been... travelling."

With a tilt of her head, she continued, "You know my uncle - Uumikaji? I remember you, seeing you with him, and yet I never got your name."

Syeira let a soft smile spread across her maw at the female's words, silently pleased that she did not resemble her grandfather more in attitude. Perhaps they were just as different as their opposite pelts implied at first glance. She certainly wouldn't lose sleep in knowing that Denahi had failed to pass his foul moods to those in his lineage.

"My name is Syeira," she said softly, dipping her head in a respectful sort of greeting, though she did feel momentarily saddened that she had not taken the time to introduce herself to the young lioness before now. She loved her family, but the duties that bound her often meant she neglected the more distant members around. "I knew your face to belong, here, though I hadn't seen you in a while. Welcome home, Azhara."

At the mention of Uumi, she could only laugh, softly and collected, but it was not without mirth. "I suppose no one has ever told you, so I might as well now. Uumi is your uncle through your grandmother, but I am also your aunt through your grandfather Denahi. My brother and I fell in love with siblings, though we chose lives in two different lands." She nodded, however, to the initial question, "but yes, to answer you, I am Uumikaji's mate."

"Thank you, Syeira," she said gratefully before settling back onto her haunches. It only took a bit of conversation for Azzy to feel much more comfortable with the lioness before her.

"So if Uumikaji is my uncle through Rehani," she said slowly, "would that mean that he's Kiuma's brother? I met her when I was out, for the first time, and she mentioned having a twin. They look alike, so I figure..." She chuckled softly. "Well, I figure she's his sister, right?"

Azzy sat, looking up at the sky thoughtfully. "I travelled with her for a bit, but I wanted to return here before staying for good. Perhaps. I don't know, I haven't really decided yet. She seems decent enough, as does her mate, but I think that I need something... bigger. Only two lionesses for company? I liked it here, where there are plenty of others to speak with and spend time with."

The smile on Syeira's maw faltered as the female mentioned Kiuma, being replaced instead with a somewhat icy demeanor. "Yes, Uumi is Kiuma's twin brother." She tried to forget the female that had caused so much turmoil for her family and when she was finally forced to think about her, it didn't exactly bring out the best qualities in her.

"I can't imagine that she approves of you being here at all," she said, her voice growing somewhat distant, as was common when she found herself faced with emotions she would prefer not expressing openly. Her face was not cold, not cruel, but strangely lacking in emotion and quite stoney in her attempt to hide her true feelings. Her eyes, however, were the sign of life as always - they danced like icy fire, her anger at the small mention of the red lioness evident if one looked carefully there.

"She has expressed how worthless she thinks our lands are and how worthless our blood is on more than one occasion." She shifted, her tail flickering, and she allowed her eyes to narrow upon the surroundings as if she expected the fiery lioness to appear from no where. "She is also unwelcome here," she said finally, slowly.

She turned her eyes back upon her niece, offering her a weak smile, though perhaps the only one she could manage when talking about such a sore subject. "I do hope for your sake that whatever mate she has chosen has managed to tame her, especially if you're considering making travel with her a permanent thing. She is not, by any means, one of the most rational or sensible females I have ever met." She smirked, coldly, and shook her head as she looked away into the distance once more. "She is not a lot of things that she pretends to be."

"I..."

She hadn't expected to hear that. "She doesn't know I'm here, really. I told her I needed some time to myself and left - I wanted to visit home again. I had no idea."

There was an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of the young adult's stomach. Worthless? It was a harsh word, especially to describe the land so many loved, and to describe the residents themselves too. Azzy had thought there was a ferocity in Kiuma that she didn't openly show, but she had attributed it to being strong and confident, not angry and irrational.

"Unwelcome." She echoed Syeira, not as a question, merely a statement. "Surely that wouldn't happen without some great reason."

The lioness's easygoing mood had sobered up quickly as she tried to consider what this all meant. Kiuma had seemed like the kind of lioness Azzy would be happy to follow, but if she was, as this other great-aunt had said, pretending...

"Perhaps I should... reconsider, then." She locked eyes with the former princess, her expression confused, worried. "I plan to leave again, because I've never felt that this is where I'm supposed to be, or at least stay, but..."

She trailed off.

"I would advise, perhaps, that you keep it that way. Kiuma does not like these lands and would probably not much appreciate any follower of hers to come visiting, whether it was their home or not." She shrugged it off, trying to take as much of detached approach to it as she could, although the female's hesitation showed her that perhaps she wasn't as loyal to Kiuma as she originally thought.

She turned her eyes upon the female once more, taking a deep breath, readying herself for an explination. After all, Syeira had never thought name calling should go without justification. "There is a great reason she is unwelcome," she said with a small nod, eyes growing icy, face set like stone as she recalled the past. "A long time ago, Kiuma and Uumi were inseperable. When Uumi and I had our first cub, I came home without telling him I was pregnant. He followed me here." She laughed coldly at the thought, remembering the day the two twins had come into the lands, the horror that followed. "He decided then that he should do the right thing and stay to help me raise our cub."

She shifted, staring off at the sky for a few moments, then looked back upon her niece with a bit of a frown. "Apparently that was the wrong choice for Kiuma, and she grew bitter and angry. We met her after that on one occasion where she promptly insulted my entire family and physically abused Uumi while using a god's influence to keep us from being able to defend ourselves properly." She sighed, shook her head, and glanced away once more, as if the simple memory was far too difficult for her to remember, though she did a fine job of disguising even most of that emotion with her stony facade.

"I told her then that she was no longer welcome here, not after her intent to harm my mate. Her uncontrolled rage was too unpredictable, especially when connected to the hatred her selfishness has bred over so much time."

She turned to stare back into the eyes of her niece, watching her, waiting for her reaction. "It is not my place to tell you whether or not you should leave her company or stay in it, that is your own decision to make, but it is my intent to let you know there are two sides to every story. Not every male that she claims has wronged her has done so out of spite."

"A responsible thing to do," Azhara murmured to herself when Syeira told of how Uumi stayed to help raise their son. She did not understand lions that did not stick around to care for their offspring. Parenting, she knew, was a huge commitment and great duty, but one she thought would be fulfilling at the same time.

Her blue eyes widened at the story that followed. "That's..." She couldn't find words to describe it, but she figured Syeira of all creatures did not need to be told that it was unacceptable. "Perhaps she has changed," she finally said, looking at her paws, "but I can't say I'm comfortable with the idea of being in her company regardless. I'm sure that everyone is capable of changing themselves, of becoming a better creature, and I wish I could give her the benefit of the doubt, but I just..."

"...can't," she finished finally. The lioness was deeply troubled by this news, although there was gratitude in her eyes when she looked back up at Syeira.

"I appreciate you telling me, I really do. I was so ready to stay with them, try and find my place among them. In a way I wish I could just deny what you said, but what point would there be? I know that you have no reason to lie to me."

With a weak smile, she went on. "I don't think I'll be returning. In a few days, I'll leave again and try to find something new."

"I would have liked to think she had changed, bettered herself with time, but I believe she has only grown angrier and more bitter." She frowned, shifting, recalling what Uumi had told her of the last meeting he had had with his sister - one quite recently. He hadn't bothered to alert anyone, just met with her on the borders of the lands and allowed her to leave. He had a soft spot for her, which she could understand, she still had a hard time seeing Denahi's faults at times. "But recently she came to see her brother one last time and said many of the same, hurtful things she had always said."

"If the ideas she holds are what appeal to you, then perhaps you would be interested in a pride I know. It is a long travel from here, but it is run entirely by strong-willed and powerful females and is worth the trip for anyone that is seeking a place like that to belong." She quirked a brow at her as she spoke, her face softening now that she no longer had to think of the wretched lioness that had caused so many difficulties in her life.

Azzy shook her head. How could someone become so angry and so bitter, especially over something so trivial? It was rather sad and she felt a stab of pity for the red lioness, but she still couldn't shake that uncomfortable feeling.

Syeira's mention of a different pride snapped her back to attention and she listened curiously. "Oh?" she said with the characteristic tilt of her head. "I can't say I feel strongly about the ideals, but I don't oppose them, either. I think that I'd like to find this pride, and even if it doesn't feel right, I'll have learned something new. Different experiences are what make life worth living, right?"

Syeira was quite pleased to not have to think about Kiuma any longer. She and Uumi had done their best to put their trying past behind them, to concentrate instead upon the present and the future of their family. They had gone through a lot, Kiuma not being the worst or the hardest, but she hadn't help with her jealous rages.

"They are very family oriented in most senses, and the queens are some of the most respectable females I've ever met. They are strong, wise, and beautiful in every sense of the words." She smiled, shaking her head slowly as she recalled the experience. Had she been younger, with no family to speak of, she herself might have joined their ranks.

"They are southeast of here, situated in the heart of a jungle closer to the eastern shore. It's a long, hard journey, but I believe it might be just what you are looking for." She offered a smile, polite, kind, but the aftermath the previous conversation still weighed upon her.

Azhara wasn't aware of the full extent to which Kiuma upset Syeira, but she could tell that there was still something wrong. "I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories," she said a bit sheepishly, scuffing the dirt with her forepaws, "but thank you for giving me the other side of the story, and thank you for telling me about the... sorry, what is the pride's name?"

She rather liked the sound of them. Family-oriented was the main thing she was looking for, and leaders that were strong and wise certainly didn't hurt.

"It is quite alright, sweetheart," she said with a shake of her head, as if to say it wasn't that big of a deal. It was obvious that it was not a happy subject with her, but she didn't want her niece feeling bad for bringing it up - she would rather her know both sides of the story instead of blindly following Kiuma's lead. "If it helps you make a wise decision, I am happy that I told you my tale. I learned from my past, as has Uumi, and that's all we could hope for."

"The Kunanda'Nakhun is the name of the pride, and you are very welcome." She dipped her head to her, glad to have been of help. It was sad that she would be leaving Kusini, but she knew that some lions simply felt a calling elsewhere. Some of her own children had fled looking for the home where they belonged.

Azzy smiled warmly at her, dipping her head in return. "Kunanda'Nakhun, then, in the jungle by the eastern shore. I think that I'll leave tomorrow... I should probably rest, and I'd like to see my parents before I leave."

She rose to her paws, lips parting in a huge yawn as if to prove her point. "It was nice to meet you, Syeira. I'm sorry that I need to leave so quickly." Her thoughts had wandered to her family, Siyo and Baridi and Mbali, and the lioness felt the overwhelming need to go to find them.

Syeira simply nodded at the other female as she stood. "I'm sure they would very much appreciate seeing you before you left," she said softly, her tail flickering as she remained sitting where she was. She had meant to come here and get some rest, and while the conversation was not an unwelcome one entirely, she was still going to get what she came for.

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well, Azhara, and I hope your future travels serve you well." She dipped her head to her niece, a pleasant smile upon her maw.