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Lalaith wasn't used to being away from his pride, but he knew the others were prone to exploring. It was something he was going to have to deal with, just so he would be able to relate a bit better with the other members of his home. At the moment, he felt a little... like a loser. Someone they didn't really want to be around. Maybe he needed to be more out going. Or more funny. Or... a different color.

Or maybe he just needed to stop thinking there was a problem in the first place.

It was a problem that he always thought there was a problem.

Since he was forced to have a look around anyway, the green lion did his best to look cheerful as he shuffled over dry grass, the prickling against his paws nothing of concern. His eyes were darting all about. This place was a lot different than his home land. The lush forest had faded behind him, the open, almost barren lands a far from welcoming sight. Where were the many caves sitting inside a mountain scape? Where were all the nutty lions in the clearing? This place was quiet, creepy, and most unbecoming.

It seemed unlikely he would find the same appeal so many of his friends enjoyed. Nothing was pretty, nothing was elegant.

Sighing heavily, his cheerful looked faded into a grumpy kind of scowl, the male plopping against the dust next to a small collection of rain water. A drink, perhaps, would help him feel a little bit better.

“AHHHH” He yelped, nearly leaping out of his own very green fur. Claws digging into the dirt, eyes wide, he snapped his head in the direction of the voice, fur still on end when he saw the equally bright female looking back at him. It wasn’t some wild animal come to kill him. Or… it was… but it was very pretty. Then again, if she wanted to kill him he imagined it wasn’t going to be very good even if she did have a pretty fur color.

Frowning, he sat himself down again, embarrassed by his outburst. In his defense, however, she had come out of no where. And he was on edge. And… the sun was in his eyes.

And he felt a sneeze coming on right when she came out, distracting him even more.

Right.

Regaining a more composed air, Lalaith shifted to face this newcomer. If she was a threat or not, he didn’t know, but that didn’t mean he needed to be rude to her right off the bat. Discover first, then treat how in an appropriate manner. It worked in his pride, and it probably worked in this rogue’s land, too.

“Hello,” he offered awkwardly, his voice betraying the look of calm he had afforded himself with a great deal of effort, “I, um, didn’t see you there. Is there something I can help you with? No-“ he yelped, cutting off his own thought, “I’m being rude, aren’t I? I should introduce myself first… my name is Lalaith… I’m a scholar from my pride, the Suka’Fumo.” With that, he offered her a polite bow of his head, forcing a weak kind of smile.

“And you are?”

“Ah, there’s no such thing as trespassing in our land,” the male replied easily enough, though his voice was more nervous than he would have liked, “we welcome all, for visits, to live, or to pass through. I mean, as long as you don’t cause trouble. Not that you look like you’d cause trouble, of course. Not that I think you look weak or anything, either! I, uh, oh, well… we’re not in the pride lands right now… so it’s okay.”

Smooth.

In his defense, he didn’t often talk to females, and he almost never conversed with lions who weren’t members of his pride. Even that often proved a bit of a task for him. If it wasn’t about learning something new and interesting, he was pretty horrible in the communication department. Then again, maybe that was his loop hole. If he just told himself that he was there to learn something from this female, perhaps it would help him relax. It was worth a shot, wasn’t it?

“S-so Aolani,” he offered after a moment, if only to show that he hadn’t missed her introduction, “you said you were newly a rogue? Does that mean you’ve left your former pride?” He didn’t want to pry too much into the matter, though he was curious. That instinct to learn really was sparking up in the back of his mind, even if he had only been trying to use his knowledge-seeking ways to be less awkward. Why do lions leave their prides? Because they want something new, or was it because they had something bad happen to them while in their own home? He imagined not every pride was like the Suka’Fumo.

Even his own pride, he had heard, had once been a much darker, much more troubling place to live. There had been chaos and violence, from what he had heard. A king who cared only about his own views, sharing no pity for his subjects. Bwana, their new king, seemed much nicer than whatever had happened in the past.

For some prides, however, he imagined changes hadn’t yet happened. Of course, it was silly for him to think she had come from some unfortunate, war-torn homeland. It was far more likely that she had simply grown up and wished to explore the world. As he did, too.

Though he liked the safety net of his pride waiting for him to return.

Lalaith chuckled. “Well, yes, I’m quite sure you could,” he told her, being very honest about it, “I’m not really a fighter.” He had been raised to love learning, not anything physical like sparring or hunting. So his talents weren’t in those areas, and he didn’t want them to be. It didn’t bother him that he knew she could probably totally kick his a**. A cheetah could probably kick his a**.

It was nice that she seemed confident in her abilities- he liked that. So it didn’t bother him to tease himself a little about his own weaknesses.

“That’s a good point- there is something nice about moving around and exploring a much larger world. That’s what I’m doing, too, though I don’t think I could leave my pride entirely. I just felt like exploring for a while, and then I’ll happily return home to my pride.” He was glad his home didn’t have strict rules about coming and going- he wouldn’t have been inclined to stay if he hadn’t been allowed to roam as freely as this. There was no time frame in which he had to return, and there would be no penalties once he got back. It was far more scary being out then thinking about the return.

She seemed to stumble a bit as she spoke, which he found familiar. Maybe they were similar in something after all. Talking too much.

“You’re right,” he smiled, “to each their own, yes? I think there’s nothing wrong in wanting to find that special place. And if it ends up being these prideless lands, then that’s good. As long as you’re happy, right? I’m lucky that I’ve always had my home, and never felt disconnected from it. I hope you find a place where you feel you belong as well.”

Oh, she had asked him about his pride and he lit up a bit. “Oh! Well. It’s, uh, about entertainment. Acting, singing, costumes, and all that other kind of stuff, you know? But there’s also a high class nobility that’s a bit… stiff. They have purple coats. Most of them, anyway. The rules seem to be changing, and more purple lions are mixing with the rest of us. As far as the rest of our pelts, well, it doesn’t matter if you’re bright or dark- we got a bit of everything.”

“That would be sad,” Lalaith agreed, “if you really loved your home and had to watch it go. I know my pride lands had some trouble long before I joined it- a lot of lions left to escape a bad leader, I think. Not because they hated their home, they just didn’t feel safe there. But there’s a new ruler now and lions have started to return from their attempt to stay safe. I think it’s nice to see them returning!” He smiled brightly, happy to share the information he had gathered with someone else. Likewise, it was nice to hear about other things, too.

Whatever she might want to tell him, he would take in and keep for his records. Something to pass along to other generations.

She had lots of questions for him, which was something he really enjoyed/ Answering questions, teaching others, was his job, after all, and his mother had taught him to love it dearly. “Oh! Well, they act out lots of different things. They like to perform for the other classes and jobs, though anyone can play with the actors if they want to. They like to make up their own stories, but they also act out periods in the history of the pride, moments that had been shared with them in other lion’s lives, or anything else they can make a show out of! They also do singing and dancing, and anything that can entertain others. Some even do some very strange things- there’s really no limit, as long as they make others happy and entertain both themselves and the pride.” He smiled lightly. It was always fun there, even with some of the nobles being a little snotty about their purple coats.

“I’m a scholar,” he added after a moment, “I teach and keep records, so the history of the pride can be passed to younger generations. There’s lots of different jobs for lions, and other animals, to do there.” He smiled brightly, his tail whipping from side to side merrily.