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A silence stretched over the grassy plains, disturbed only by the finat rustling of wind through the long grasses and the dry dusty leaves on the few growing shrubs that dotted the landscape. A lone bird flew overhead, cutting a dark swath through the bright sky with its body. It moved silently out of sight, and a few cautious moments later, the mouse family nosed out of hteir den of twisted grass and twigs. They peered up, up, fearfully at the sky. Was it safe? The bird had gone, it seemed, and they scampered about this way and that. Some tussled, others gnawed at what food was to be found. A happy mouse family, it was, until one decided to stray just a bit too far from home.

He crept through the grass and over a stone, nose twitching before his bushy whiskers. He'd smelled something tasty over this way before the bird had come and driven them all into their holes. He couldn't remember quite where, but he knew he'd find it again soon enough. No one would have risked their lives to the claws of the bird just for something tasty, right? Shortly enough he found the grain, and he pounced on it eagerly, nibbling as fast as he could (he would never share with those greedy siblings of his!)

Of course, that wasn't an issue he'd have to worry about half a moment later when the leaf-green lioness who'd been waiting ever so patiently sprang upon him and gobbled him whole. "Mmm...!"

Falas had been enjoying the past couple of days. Meeting new and different creatures was broadening her perspectives of the world. Now she understood what it meant to speak with things like leopards and wild dogs. She understood so clearly: other animals were weird! They were blind and rude and hunted in a different manner. Still, they were nice enough, she imagined, and the wild dog had taught her a new way to scratch without sitting down.

That was nice.

Then there was the male she was helping. A lion who had somehow managed to get himself caught and had hurt his paw. With his injury, he needed someone to look after him, so she had taken it upon herself to find them something larger than a hare to eat. Maybe because she also enjoyed making him freak out by doing things he wasn't used to. It was charming to see from the stuffy lion.

She stopped her wandering when she spotted someone not that far from her. She seemed to be in the midst of chewing, though she wasn't sure what she had been eating that hadn't left anything behind. Shrugging, she ventured closer. "Hello there!" she offered, "am I in your territory or something? I can leave!"

Dormin sat right up upon hearing the voice of another so close and so suddenly. How'd she snuck up like that?? A bit of mouse-tail still dangled from between her teeth. She slurped it up as soon as she realized. Ugh, what a way to make a first impression!

She rounded on the stranger, eyeing her critically. ...Nope, no one she knew. But this was technically the rogue lands. "My territory? Nah. Don't worry about that. I'm from a pride nearby, but I got bored." She shrugged. There really had been nothing to do lately. Even teasing the boys had gotten boring.

"I haven't seen you around before, and I usually would know...you new around these parts?" She eyed the lioness' strangely long hair. Hmm. Okay, well she sounded like a girl, and aisde from that looked like one. Yeah, girl. For a half second she'd almost thought she was a young (though relatively huge) male.

"...The name's Dormin. You in any kind of trouble or danger?" She asked the last with an almost eagerness, and she looked around as if expecting to see some great foe nearby. Of course there was none, and she let out a little sigh.

"Oh, Falas replied, looking around. Having never been to a pride, she couldn't imagined what one looked like- did it look very different from the rogue lands? Like, stepping into one, you would instantly know you weren't where you were supposed to be? Unless you lived there, of course, then you would be exactly where you were supposed to be. She couldn't anything dramatically different about the area, so perhaps it was harder to tell than she gave it credit for or they were too far from the aforementioned pride.

"I'm just passing through," she said after a moment, "I have a den not too far from here, but I was actually out looking for food. I have a guest so the stuff I normally eat isn't really good enough anymore." why the stranger needed to know all that, she didn't know.

"I'm Falas! And no, no danger, sorry," she said after the other seemed to eager, "are you looking for someone to save or something?'

She nodded understandingly, and watched with open curiosity as the lioness looked around. Was she trying to see where the rogue lands ended and the pride began? That was silly! "You're using the wrong sense! It looks the same here and in my pride (which isn't here, by the way) but it SMELLS different. Out here it's all grassy and some lion, right? In a pride almost the only thing you can smell IS lion."

"Heh, what? If your company's complaining about what you're feeding them at all you should tell them to go get their own darn food! Picky people are just a hassle." She'd assumed the 'guest' was just being stubborn and peckish. "For example, I think mouse is delicious! Not very filling, and pretty common, but eh! A mouthful's a mouthful."

"And...something like that. Shame you've not got anyone chasing you or anything. My pride trains lions to fight and protect people, but since we're all strong...well no one really needs saving. I keep coming out here to try to find some action, but so far it's been nothing but weird cheetahs and rude lions. Haha!"

The wrong sense? That made... sense. It probably would smell more like lions than anything else in a pride full of them. Why hadn't she thought of that herself, when she usually depends so much on her nose?

"Oh! He wasn't complaining, he's a perfect gentleman," Falas replied lightly, "he's just hurt himself and he can't hunt on his own right now. The only thing in my area are hares and I thought, since he's a big adult lion, he might like something with a little more meat on it, you know? I don't want to be a bad host or anything. Anyway, if I go out of my way to get special food for him he'll get all flustered and I find that really adorable," she giggled lightly.

She sat herself down a moment, nodding thoughtfully. Come to think of it, she lived in the rogue lands and didn't often see others in need of saving. "Yeah, I guess that would be hard for you! A pride where you learn to save others, but have no one to save!" Probably a little frustrating, she imagined. "I guess I saved someone recently, but not from another animal. From a fallen tree. And you're right- there are strange animals out here!"

The more Dorm listened, the more she understood. Ahaaaa, so THAT was it! The look on her face went from curious to sly and knowing. "You thnk he's adorable, huh? I getcha." For a split moment she recalled the white and red lion that'd harassed her and she nearly made a nasty comment but managed to bite it back.

"It is pretty funny to put someone off guard...but hasn't he ever seen a lioness hunt before? He should know what we're capable of, I'd think. Unless he's only ever bee naround males or something. Some of those big furry ones couldn't catch a lame baby zebra that was asleep in a mud pit, I swear."

"Mmhmm. Just gets boring after a while. I've thought about leaving, trying to go find a big adventure, but with my luck someone would show up needing help the moment I did." She looked around curiously again. "You've met odd critters? Like what? I met a cheetah a few weeks back, but I doubt he's here now..."

She blushed under her blue fur, shaking her head furiously. "No! I mean, not like THAT or anything! I just... think he's kind of cute when he's flustered because he's such a stuffy sort of creature! I don't think I've ever met such a young lion who acts like such an old one!" Still, he was older than her. It just didn't seem like he was old enough to be acting the way he did. Whatever the case, it was still better than having to deal with some kind of ego-freak or jerk.

At least he was nice.

"Oh, I don't think it's about my style or what I can bring back," she hummed, "he'll be upset that I went to get something bigger knowing there are hares everywhere. He'll probably think that he's making me do stuff I don't want to do!" It was no hidden fact that female lions happened to be much better hunters than their male counterparts.

"I met a leopard who wanted to steal my kill, and another one who couldn't see anything! There was also a wild dog who taught me to scratch standing up like this." She showed the other, raising a back leg and scratching behind her ear without sitting down.

"Uh huh, uh huh, no I gotcha." She chuckled. "Sounds like fun. You should get him something absurd, like an elephant!" She was obviously joking, but it WAS pretty funny to imagine the face on this mystery fellow seeing that he'd been brought something so huge. "And it's not like you're that young, right? I mean, you're like what, my age?" Not that she knew exactly how old she was herself, but this gal didn't seem much younger.

"Ah yeah. Not all rogues are good hunters I hear, and since they don't have a pride to help them out they can get pretty hungry. Stealing's wrong, but no one wants to starve, right? I can't blame 'em." She seemed more interested in the blind rogue. "He was alright though? Not in any trouble? D'you know if he was born blind, or maybe just got that way recently?" If someone had just become blind, they might have trouble getting food or, well, out of trouble.

Maybe she could find them and escort them to safety!

"...You look ridiculous, you know?" She chuckled watching the other. "I guess that's convenient though...Weird. I din't really think there was much a dog could teach a lion. We're much more flexible, I mean, right?"

"I don't know!" She laughed. How could she know if she was the same age as the other lioness? She didn't know how old she was! It seemed rude to ask another female how old she was, however, so Falas remained mute on the subject, instead beating her tail on the ground lightly, letting the dust kick up and settle with each swing.

"I think he was just doing it to be a jerk," she said, "I mean, I would have given it to him if he was a hungry guy who couldn't hunt well on his own! But he said he knew how to hunt and he just liked getting free food." She frowned at the memory. If all male leopards were like that, she didn't want to meet another one!

"She, and I don't know if she was born blind or anything... I thought it would be rude to ask, actually. But I hope to meet her again- she was very nice and we had a nice nap together. It seemed like she was used to being blind, though." Which she probably didn't want to hear, since she was trying to save someone. She smiled when she was called ridiculous, nodding in agreement. "Yeah! I just thought it was funny. She was nice, too. But I think I should be going! I still need to find food for my stuffy guest! Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Hmm. Sounds like a nasty guy to me. I've not met many leopards but...they can't all be bad. But still. Now at least I know there might be a bully around." Her face scrunched up, determined. If there was someone stealing food or tricking lions out of it, she'd get to the bottom of it!

"I guess if she was used to being blind then she wouldn't need my help. It's good she's managing on her own, yes." As much as she wanted to save people she wasn't a total fool. It'd be awful to wish someone was in that much peril just to get herself some glory. At least, she told herself she didn't do things like that. Maybe she did. Just a little. But did that make her so bad? It wasn't like she was the one going out and blinding people!

"Maybe, maybe. The pride's really easy to find, if you follow your nose. If you ever need help, or you have to fight an even meaner tree...you'll come tell us, won't you? And tell your guest I said he should be glad he's got you! If it was me he'd have bugs to chew on!" She laughed and winked. "Not really. You know though. Don't let him off easy just cause he's a little hurt!"