Walking was becoming just a bit harder. Jua'taka let out a huff as she sat down, looking around. The world was much vaster than the desert had ever led her to believe, and while the ground didn't give under her like the sands of the desert... She wasn't used to hard ground. Her paws hurt, her bones were starting to hurt... Which was odd, since she wasn't old. She figured it had to do with the difference between the desert sands and the hard-packed dirt of the savanna.
Ying-tai, too, was used to very different ground. The dry, hard ground was nothing like the soft, wet ground of the swamp. But she was young, and easily adapted to it. Because of this, she found no problem running across the ground, feeling the wind through her pale fur.
Ears pricked before Jua'taka looked up, hearing someone approach. A low growl escaped her throat, wondering for a moment if it was her brother come to find her. The white blob was getting closer, really making her wonder. She knew too many white lions, anyway... Savitri, Ngoma'mwale... Menta... Was this one of them, or someone new?
When Ying-tai spotted the black lioness in the distance, she slowed to a walk, sides heaving. As she got closer, she smiled and called out, "Hello there! I don't think I've met you before!" Then again, she hadn't met a whole lot of others outside her pride. It was a big world beyind the swamp's borders, and it fascinated her. The adolescent kept a good distance, though, when she spotted the wounds on the dark lioness. "Are you okay...?"
"I'm fine..." The Firekin regarded the younger lion. No, not somebody she knew... Still very white, though. "I've certainly never met YOU before, either... But I seem to have this thing for finding white lions..." She lay down, letting out a groan. Her wounds twitched, sending a shiver of pain over the lioness. Damn Ngoma for injuring her like this...
Watching the other lion, the adolescent frowned. The lioness was in pain... She took a couple steps closer, still frowning. "Hey... Those look pretty bad... Do you want some help there...?" She didn't know if this lion was safe or not, but she looked like she could use some help. "I can clean them for you... Get you something to eat while you rest..."
Normally, Jua'taka would refuse, and try to stick it out on her own. But she was in unfamiliar terrain, her injuries didn't seem to be getting better on their own, and she was starving and tired. The dark lioness let out a huff, settling. "Okay..." Her skin quivered, a sign of multiple smaller problems. "I don't like this ground..." It was random, but... If she was going to have this lion stick around, she may as well make conversation. She was reminded of Kimiko... Yet another white lion... But not so broken.
Settling next to the other lioness, Ying-tai set to cleaning the wounds. Each one looked bad, and each one needed a deep cleaning. It took a while, but she'd soon finished. "Why don't you like this ground..? And what's your name and where do you come from...?" She had questions, and she wanted to know many things.
The dark lioness let out light growls, aggitated by the pain from the wound cleaning, but not complaining otherwise. When the white lioness had finished, she kept her gaze averted. "My name is Jua'taka... I come from the Motoujamii desert, from the Motoujamii pride. I was born there, I was raised there, and I thought I would die there, but things changed in the pride that I and many others didn't agree with... So I left. I may never get used to the ground out here, so I don't like how hard and solid it is compared to the sands of the desert."
Ying-tai listened with intent, ears pricked. "That sounds amazing.. I've never been to the desert..." She paused. "But I should head that way... Daddy Mle told me I should find the lion Bodaway, that he lived off in the desert pride..." She shifted, wondering what the sand felt like. "I wonder how far it is..."
Jua'taka let out a growl. "What's your name and where are you from? I told you about me..." The lioness shifted, getting more comfortable. "I've heard of Bodaway... I've met him... He's an old lion, but I don't know if he's still alive or not. If he is, he's about ready to either retire, or die. Whatever comes first." She shook her head. "And don't try to go to the desert... It's too far, and you might run into a less than savory pride on the way. You could get hurt."
Her ears folded back as the black lioness warned her, and she nodded. "Okay, if you say so..." She then smiled. "My name's Ying-tai! But it won't always be that. I'm on my name quest for my pride! I'm from the Jini'msemi swamplands!" She let out a wistful sigh. "It's simply WONDERFUL there, what with all the water, and the trees, and the reeds..." She noticed Jua'taka's expression. "Every lion's going to love a different place... You'll love the desert, I'll love the swamps."
"I know..." Suddenly her stomach rumbled, signalling just how hungry she was. The lioness looked away sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I haven't eaten in a while..." Which was bad of her, really. She needed to at least recover from her wounds, or she would starve to death. She started to get up, her body protesting mightily. This wouldn't be easy...
With much more agility, Ying-tai rose to her paws. "No, you stay here, I'll go get something!" She smiled. "After all, you have to rest, you're not yourself right now!" Only when the dark lioness had laid back down did Ying-tai head off to hunt.
A short time later, she returned with a small antelope she'd caught. Laying it down before the other lioness, she smiled at her. "How about I stay with you a while, until you recover? You could use the help, you know..." She sat down, waiting for Jua'taka's response. Regardless of what the other lion said, though, she WOULD stick around. This was someone who needed help!
The dark lioness let out a huff, not particularly WANTING help. But she had to concede, she needed it. Want and need were different things, so even if she WANTED to be able to do things on her own, what she NEEDED was help. "Thank you... As much as I don't want it... I need it..." She sighed, thought a bit as she ate, then pushed her necklace off. "Here... Take this as a thanks... You deserve it. You have a good heart, and are showing me more kindness that I might deserve."
Ying-tai hesitated to take the necklace, but the look she got told her to take it or else. Pulling the collection of gold pieces to herself, Ying-tai sat down. "Thank you... And why wouldn't you deserve help? Everyone deserves some help." She leaned over a bit. "And don't tell me you don't, because you do! Out here in the rogue lands, nobody's past particularly matters, just the present." She then went and lay down, not giving the black lioness much chance to protest.
Jua'taka watched the other lion go lay down, then sighed. Well, that was that, then, she was stuck with her company, regardless of what Jua said about what she deserved and didn't deserve. Settling where she was, she started to eat again, something that felt good.
