Welcome to Gaia! ::

Kerke trotted through the grass, gaze shifting from side to side as he attempted to scout out a place to rest. His mind was partially distracted however by the female cheetah. She had said she would stay, and Kerke was glad for the company, but more so because if she hated the pride so much then it seemed the logical choice to not go back. However he was not as strong as a whole pride full of lions and wondered idly if he would be able to keep her safe out here. Sure he had not come to much harm himself, but she seemed frailer. In fact the first time they had met had been her cowering behind a rock. The memory made him chuckle silently.

However he knew he would try his best should any threats pop up. Kerke might not be the best fighter, but he wasn’t going to just turn and run if someone he knew and cared about was in danger. He turned and ran back to where he had left Zairia, calling out as he neared. “I think I spotted a nice place further out that could provide a bit more protection. Looks like a good place to spend a few days at least before we keep moving.”

Kerke nodded. “That would be nice. We can see if there is anything around as a good natural start to a den in the area, a little less work then. Should be plenty of space there though. Naturally i will help where needed.” He added in, smiling. He certainly wasn’t going to make her do all the work, however was also not sure where he would be of use. Kerke normally trued to use whatever happened to be around for shelter, be it a cave, tree or even a bush, and was not used to actually making a place to sleep. Although he was also more used to moving around on a more regular basis, so staying in one place for a while was also a little different. Not a bad different, though he would have to looked around and get a feel for this place.

Kerke turned back around, facing back towards the spot he had previously indicated they could stay. “At least it didn’t take too long to find a suitable place. The area around here doesn't look too bad either, though we will have to see how much prey roams this area.” He took a few steps forward before glancing back, smiling broadly. “Well, shall we go check it out more closely then?”

Kerke couldn’t help but smile at how she was acting. “If you insist then.” He replied, turning to make his way towards the area. “Feel free to make it as close or far from your den as you feel comfortable with.” He added, glancing back at her over his shoulder. “Just be careful, and let me know if you need anything.” He turned his gaze around and scanned the area. “If you don’t need my help I might do a quick scout around here. It would be a good idea to know what we are sharing this area with.”

Kerke glanced back as Zaria started up her digging before setting off. He didn't’ want to go too far and risk leaving Zaria unprotected should some beast attack her, however he also wished to know what dangers actually might lie close by, as well as how they would be on resources. It didn’t take long for him to find tracks, of which were both good and bad. He sniffed the larger of the sets, definitely lion, but they seemed quite a bit older. As he continued his scouting around he came across hoof tracks, fresher than the lions, which was certainly a good sign. A set that looked like a cheetah, as well as what may have been a wild dog. It was not too bad a spot though, and the traffic seemed minimal predator wise. A bit less competition. As he came to the crest of what he thought was a small hill he saw it went down a bit further than expected. The sight of a watering hole greeting him as he peered over, with a good bit of shade nearby. He spotted a herd further on the other side of it grazing. At least there was something around for a meal here.

As Kerke continued his loop around he spotted a few more sets of tracks, one a fresher set from a lion that he would keep an eye out for, but otherwise the area seemed a good one to settle down in, if only temporarily. Satisfied that the area had everything they would need he finished his loop around and made his way back to Zaria. “Everything looks good! Seems we found a fine place to settle.” He left out the recent lion tracks, not wanting to frighten her. It was likely long gone by now. “How are the dens coming along?”

Kerke came forward and peeked in to the den, chuckling softly aloud. “Well it is indeed big. Looks like a fin den though, much better than anything I could make.” Kerke tended to just live in whatever structures were already present, which usually ended with him sleeping in a bush or under a tree, and comparatively this was a veritable savannah palace to him. “Very impressive.” He spoke, though it came out more of a mumble than intended as he made his way in to inspect the den further. Certainly better than anything he could have come up with.