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Laying in the mouth of her den Lawanda sighed gently, she had the feeling the day was drawing near when Tukwana would leave her and she felt very sad about this. She liked having the big blue male about but she knew he was starting to get wrestles for his own home and though she knew she did not want a mate in him, she had liked having his presence around.

Tukwana, the large deep blue lion with the striking face marking yawned widely his deep blue eyes opening to look up at Lawanda. "What ails you sweet one? You seem upset." He knew she would say nothing so he simply groomed her cheek a light smile pasted on his maw to try and cheer her up. He too knew that he would go home soon but a few more days in the swamps was okay, after all he did so enjoy the khaki lionesses company, for more reasons than one.

Each step brought her closer to home, back to her family. The white lioness anticpiated it, wanting to reach where she belonged and introduce her family to her new friend. Taking a trip towards the desert had proven a fruitful gamble, as she'd met the large male there. Hopping up on a large rock, she grinned over at him, "We're almost there, Matope! Just you wait and see, this place is great! And I bet the king will love having somebody as big and strong as you around!"
The male simply grunted, keeping his eyes ahead of him. The change from desert to swamp would be physically jarring, but he knew Hag expected him to come here. Ying-tai showing up had been a sign, something to tell him he was going the right way. Now it was just... Getting there... His paws hurt, and his muscles ached, but it would be worth it, he knew. "So, how many lions are here, exactly, and will they be alarmed by an adolescent big as an adult?" He noticed her bemused look, promptly wondering if the question about his size was worth worrying about.

Lawanda lifted her head as she heard the two lions approaching. They were both young, she could see that from where she lay, but one of them was very large. She stayed laying down and touched Tukwanas cheek lightly. "Stay calm Tukwana. It's a couple of children returning home." She smiled a gentle smile as she watched the two young ones.

Tukwana bristled as he eyed the very large young male. "He looks dangerous to me." He grumbles staying where he was just because Lawanda said so. He wouldn't normally obey a female but Lawanda was worth obeying she often knew things he did not and he had been told of the returning of lions from their naming quests.

The white and gray lioness laughed, pausing to gently shove the male with a paw. "Matope, nobody will care about your size! And I don't think you're worried about it so much as your pelt! We have a lion from the same desert, you know... He's big, and red and black... I remember seeing him when I was younger, before I left on my name quest. So you'll be FINE here!" She paused, nose twitching. She could smell other lions, and it tickled her with delight to know someone else was here. One smelled familiar, the other... Maybe a new member? She couldn't place the known scent, though, only that she'd smelled it time and again in the pride.
Well, that was somewhat comforting... He'd find a former Firekin in the Jini lands. The land felt drastically different, he noticed, so the familiar face might prove well. If it was familiar at all... But the red WOULD be familiar, at least. A bit of mud seeped up between his toes and his fur rose a bit, eyes widening. It would be a very... Very... VERY long time before he got used to that... Shaking the mud off his paw, he noticed Ying-tai smelling the air. "What, you smell something?" He couldn't. It all smelled like mud and muck to him. Even he already started to smell like it!

Lawanda smiled gently, her bloody red eyes resting on the familiar youngster. "Welcome home little one." She calls staying in a restful position, her dark eyes glanced to the larger male. He smelt of dry land, of a drier land even than the savannah, that to her meant the desert. She had seen many deserts in her travels and avoided a few dangerous ones. He smelled faintly of the dangerous one. "I see you have brought a friend home with you." She smiles.

Tukwana bristled slightly at the large white and brown male. He was big which meant danger in his mind but he had to stay calm. Lawanda seemed to be handling the situation after all so he simply eyed them both wearily. Many seemed to pass past Lawandas den on their way to the renaming place, this young one was no different it seemed.

Turning her attention to where the older lioness rested, Ying-tai's ears lifted as she grinned. "Lawanda!" She went over, smiling at her. "Yes, I've brought a new friend from outside the pride! His name's Matope'damu!" She then pouted a bit. "He came from a mean pride, they didn't like his coloring... I don't see WHY, it's such a pretty color!" Her smile returned, as she bound over and pushed Matope forward. "Say hello, Matope!"

He let out an indignant sound, surprise on his face. When he stopped, his mane fell across his face, expression still surprised. As he regained himself, he stuttered out a "Hello" before trying to hide behind Ying-tai. The look that male was giving him... It didn't make him feel easy. He'd heard from his grandfather about the Mistweavers... What if this was one of them? Surely he'd be ripped apart for his former pride's past doings!

The dark khaki lioness chuckled lightly "Well some prides are like that dear. If you travel for a long time as I have, you will see many odd things in the world. Though I must say I am glad you have returned home quickly. It's a shame that so many of our youngsters never return." She nods to Matope. "There is no need to be shy here, don't mind Tukwana, he is always a grump."

The big blue lion flashes his teeth and rolls his eyes. "I am not always a grump. You may be wise Lawanda but that male is far too big for his own good, he could be dangerous." He flickers his tail and bristles once again.

Matope's ears went back as he seemed to try to shrink down. Too big... He felt immediate shame in something else he couldn't help, flinching away from Tukwana. What if the whole pride found him to be too dangerous? They'd surely turn him away, like the pride of his parents had, and where would he go from there? Nowhere, likely, just another face on the savannah.
Ying-tai's own ears went back, but from anger instead of shame. "Now that's not very nice! Matope's a nice lion, he fought off an attacking leopard!" Nevermind that the blue leopard had been an odd sight for her, but she took after her unknown great-great granfather, she wasn't the biggest lion in the world. It certainly made it easy to believe that Mle'tonoka was her father. "You can't judge a lion based on their size, like you can't judge them on their pelt alone!"

Lawanda shakes her head. "Tukwana, really! You're like a silly child with your prejudices." She shakes her head and gets to her paws moving towards the young male. "Don't worry about him, he thinks I am too old to look after myself. Tukwana does not live here and we are short of a few good sturdy young lions around here. I do hope you're a good hunter, oldies like myself struggle a bit these days." She winks playfully at the young female. "He is very handsome indeed. And really don't mind him. He is just an over protective jerk sometimes."

Tukwana huffs managing to stay laying down though he wanted to jump up and put himself between Lawanda and Matope. "Yeah well. I am just trying to protect you Lawanda." He grumbles lashing his tail about and turning his gaze to the ground. He almost felt ashamed that she was less cautious, less frightened than he was of the extra large adol.

Hesitant as he was, Matope pricked his ears just a bit. She was so nice... Like Ying-tai. "Are you Ying-tai's mother..? You're as nice as she is..." It made him wonder how many more lions in the pride were this nice. He hoped they mostly were... His fear, it seemed, was rejection. Green eyes flicked over to the blue lion, watching for any signs of trouble. He didn't want to be attacked on his first day here.

Peeking at the male, Ying-tai wondered just what would posess such protectiveness. She then looked over at Matope, errupting into laughter. "No, she's not my mother! She could be, though, she's so motherly herself!" Delight danced in her eyes. "You sound worried, Matope... I assure you, we're nice and welcoming lions here! Wary in many cases of new faces, but you're trustworthy! You're just looking for a happy place!" Brown eyes shifted to the blue male. "Are you looking for a happy place, too...?"

Lawanda chuckled lightly "Bless you, no, but I do so enjoy the company of youngsters like yourselves. I have many children and it's hard to just stop mothering." She smiles at the young female with gentle blood red eyes. "Don't you worry young ma. You'll be welcome here. You just look after this young lady here I do believe she has taken a shine to you." She chuckles.

Tukwana grunts. "No, I have a home, I am just, visiting with Lawanda for a while, learning about your pride." He grunts watching Lawanda carefully while she floated around the large young male. He didn't want to trust the young male but he supposed he had to. This was not his pride after all he was just a visiter so he had to behave and be peaceful. "I have a home which I will be returning to shortly. It's a nice place though I have to admit, just not my home."

That was it, her curiosity was piqued. "What's this home like? Is it big, is it small? Where is it? What are the lions like there?" Were they even all lions? She was so full of questions... Maybe she should have stayed out on her quest longer. There was so much else she wanted to know, but her want for family trumped all. Then she caught Lawanda's words and blushed. "Oh, we couldn't be more than friends, Lawanda! His grandfather's the lion Bodoway, and Daddy told me that he was like a brother to him, so that makes Matope like my second cousin!"
Matope had to sit down, his head spinning from Ying-tai's questions. It had been spinning when she'd asked HIM the same questions, too! The ones about family had been... Interesting, to say the least. He reached out, putting a paw on a small rock near him. "Why do you have to ask so many questions about EVERYTHING...?" He shook his head, then looked at Lawanda in surprise. While he, too, blushed, his own reply only came out in stutters. He wasn't as suave with the ladies as his father seemed to be.

Lawanda laughed gently at the youngsters, it was so sweet to see them like that. "You should get going to see the king now, you don't want to keep Matope waiting too long." She smiles gently nudging the young lioness in a motherly fashion. "Take care of yourself now and come back this way when you are re-settled and have seen your parents okay?" She smiles and nods her head to the big male. "Welcome home to you too young man, you take care of this young girl now you hear?" She chuckles.

Tukwana shakes his head "It's a distance away thats all you need to know." Why was Lawanda so trusting of everyone? It escaped him. He grunted a goodbye towards the two young ones and turned his head away as if something in the other direction was far more interesting than what was happening in front of him. He had no interest in fraternising with these young ones. This prides business was none of his and as long as Lawanda was safe he was fine with what ever this pride did.

Letting out a giggle, Ying-tai butted her head gently against the lioness' shoulder, then padded off, enjoying the welcoming feel of the swamp ground under her paws. Each step was bringing her closer to the heart of her home, where her own heart belonged. She paused, looking back with a grin. "Come on, Matope, the king'll be waiting!"

Matope could only glance at Lawanda and Tukwana, before hurrying after Ying-tai. As his own paws sank slightly in the ground, he swore he saw little lights. Was the swamp haunted? Ying-tai had mentioned that it seemed so... But then, he didn't think he wanted to meet a ghost, now OR ever. Ignoring the discomfort of the mud under his paws, he caught up to Ying-tai, keeping close to hopefully keep safe.

Lawanda watched as the two youngsters wandered off to see the king. She was glad to see new blood coming in to the pride. New blood was good blood and more to the point it meant very little inbreeding. She sighs gently, she remembered being that young very fondly, she also remembered being in love. Shaking away this thought she returned to Tukwana laying down at his side and resting against him. "i'm glad she came back safely. It's good to see the young ones return." She whispers a yawn stretching her maw as she curls up close to the big blue male.

Tukwana grunts a sort of half assed agreement watching the two wander away he shakes his head and rests himself closer the the dark khaki female. This was a happy place to live and he had enjoyed his time here but he knew all too soon he would want to go back home, return to the place he called home and the family he actually loved but right now he could manage a little nap.