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Strange rumors had been heard of late, concerning more than one of the prides. As Inatarni was the farthest thing from a pride lion, she generally didn't care. But the substance beneath the rumors had included a warning - keep an eye out for strangers, for there were likely to be more than usual.

She took the advice with a grain of salt. Most pride members she'd run into weren't worth the fur it took to cover them. They couldn't navigate, couldn't keep a lookout, were generally unsuited for life outside of their precious prides.

Nevertheless, she had to wonder what had prompted the rumors to fly so thick and so fast. It wasn't like she or Antallian talked to that many people in the rogue lands, so it was a bit unusual to have actually heard such rumors and from multiple sources.

The black lioness raised her head as she heard...something. Whatever it was, it didn't belong. It didn't take much looking around to spot the thing that didn't fit - it was green, fuzzy, and making no effort whatsoever to blend in.

Spina considered pretending she hadn't seen or scented anything, but good sense won out and she padded over towards the stranger.

"Afternoon," she offered the word shortly, almost sharp enough to be considered a rebuke. It would have been if it was directed at Bauble for sleeping in so late...but that was besides the point and not at all relevant to the current situation.

She looked the other lioness up and down, not bothering to hide her inspection. She did, however, manage to keep her lip from curling with disdain. But not by much.

Spina snorted, a hard smile on her face. "If you were trespassing, you'd be bleeding," she told the other lioness simply and truthfully. Really, it made no sense for people to lie, the truth was a much crueler weapon.

She considered the stranger carefully. There was...something there. Beneath the bedraggled surface the green lioness was currently presenting to the world. Ina wondered if whatever lay at her core was actually worth digging out.

"You don't belong here, trespassing or not," the black lioness pointed out instead of asking the thousand and two questions that came to mind.

Red eyes glimmered and a small smile hung around Inatarni's lips. Too squeamish to survive out here, that's what this one was. She'd been pampered by living in a pride, and most likely was only passing through on her to find her way back to a protected place.

"That begs the question," the black lioness put forth after a long silence. "Why are you here in the first place?"

Spina snorted again. "Don't insult my intelligence. If you don't care to be entirely honest, you're better off saying nothing," she advised the other lioness coldly.

She didn't doubt that there was some truth, but there were a great many reasons as to why it was a good idea to leave one's home. Inatarni considered offering advice, to the effect of "go find another pride," but she held her peace.

So, appearances could be deceiving. Even in a soft prideling. She had to give the green lioness some credit for not giving another inch. Annoying as it was.

"I see," she replied coolly. The black lioness considered a few ideas and discarded some of them before jerking her head in one direction. "There's a few prides that way," Ina pointed out. "You might prefer that."

Spina snorted a last time. "Don't thank me. Just leave before you are trespassing," the black lioness retorted before slipping off to do some hunting. Talking to the stranger lioness had been somewhat frustrating, and she was looking forward to the chance to rip something into shreds.