For all intents and purposes, Singh had found he didn't particularly enjoy daylight. At least, not in the desert. He much preferred the night life, and in fact carried many plants that only came to life at night. Mostly it was mushrooms, but now and then there were some night-specific flowers. As the evening drew in, the pale lion crossed fully into the desert, finally prepared. He knew that little of what he needed actually grew there, and had gathered plenty of dried things to take with him. As his paws sank into the sand, he kept a vigil ear out for anybody approaching.
And approach somebody did. Like a ghost in the desert, Savitri crested a dune and spotted the other lion. It wasn't hard, either. He stuck out like a sore thumb. Then again, so did she. And her cousin, Zii... And Zii's daughter... And her own adopted daughter... And a number of OTHER lions. Still, though, she knew every white lion in the pride. And he she did not know. With intent and purpose, the blue-eyed lioness hurried down the dune, her paws moving in a fast trot as she approached him. Strangers in the pride... She did not take lightly. Especially with a drought going on.
As vigilant as he was, he didn't know the lioness was coming until something hard slammed into his side, sending him tumbling down a dune. In a quick move, he shifted the bag of stuff to his abdomen, as he slid down the sand on his back, a look of shock in his pale purple eyes. And then he saw the intense look of concentration and mild anger in the eyes of a white lioness up on the dune above him. Who was she, and why had she DONE that? As soon as he stopped sliding, Singh was rolling over to get up... And RUN.
Oh, it was on. Ears back, Savitri jumped down the dune and proceeded to RUN the slope. With every beat of her paws on the sand, speed was gained, using full advantage of the incline. As her paws reached out to grab him... He dodged. The lioness tumbled for a moment, and then was up and after him again, before finally pouncing on and pinning him. "WHO ARE YOU?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" It wasn't the most GLORIOUS welcome to the pride... But she was irate with the lack of water.
Pinned to the sand, Singh had no choice but to try and struggle away. "I-I-I am Singh! I came to join!" He tried to get her off of him, finding her weight FAR less than pleasant. "My niece is here!" With a mighty shove, he pushed the lioness off of him. "And I bring herbs for healing!" He motioned to the bag he wore, as if to prove his point. "Please don't kill me?" He paused. "I could make it worth your while..."
Her eyes widened, as her ears went back. "Worth my while HOW?" She then shoved him with a paw. "Come on, move it. You want in that bad, you're willing to stand up to a guard..." She snorted. "But you should put that bag away when we get there. You're gonna be jumpin' through a LOT of hoops to make medic, especially with Ea around!" It was likely one of the few times she was VERY glad for her cousin's ill temper. Maybe it'd keep this guy at bay. For a while.
The lioness let out a huff. "Well, good luck to you impressing Ea!" Her eyes then went to the bag. "What all's in there, anyway?" Her eyes returned to him. "And why would you come in here at NIGHT?" Many lions came in during the day. Coming in at night... He was a bit suspicious. Maybe she'd call one of her sisters to help her kick his tail from there to the border and beyond.
He motioned with a large paw at the sky. "Well, it's easier to find your way at night, for one." He pointed at a star. "If you follow that star, you can find your way easily. You can't see them in the daylight." He then shrugged a bit. "It's much cooler at night, too..."
"I suppose that makes sense..." The lioness tilted her head, regarding the male, before she began walking towards the dens. "As for what you should be.." She thought about it, one ear flicking. "You don't strike me as particularly violent, but your heart seems to be in the right place. I imagine if pushed... You could push back easily." She nudged him, making a clear reference to how he'd shoved her off. "I'd say you should be a cub sitter for the time being." She paused. "Just not watching MY cub."
A cub sitter...? Well, it was better than NOTHING... Maybe he could teach them some herbs while he was at it. He lifted a paw, stepping just a bit away from Savitri's prodding paw. "I... Suppose I could do that..." He looked at the dens. "Maybe I can talk to this... Ea... She can't be THAT bad..." He paused. "Can she?" He spared the white lioness a glance. "If she proves to be as bad as you say, though... I gotta know who to mention warned me beforepaw."
"I never told you my name?" She let out a hm. "Savitri." Then she motioned. "Look, it's getting late, you should go pick an empty den." Without waiting for another word from him, she started down the dunes, heading for the cliffs that held the dens. She knew that back in her den, her adopted cub was waiting. She just hoped that Rashmi didn't begin calling this guy 'daddy' just because Savitri brought him home.
Singh let out a sigh, then began to follow. Thankfully, he'd skirted the issue of his bag's contents. Wheover this Ea was, he'd rather present them to her, not this lioness he knew not the rank of. He just hoped Ea wasn't as bad as Savitri implied.
