Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mkhai often thought of himself more as a father than one of the strapping males that fought amongst themselves. He knew well enough that were he to be challenged, especially by one of his sons, he would concede and return to the roguelands. The thought wasn't one that made him happy, but he knew it to be true. There wasn't much room in the pride for an aging male, no matter how much conviction he held to protect his own. But it hadn't happened yet. Many of his sons had chosen to leave the pride rather than fight for their position, and now his only daughter had chosen to go off on some half brained endeavor for fame. It made his head hurt just to think about it. He wasn't sure how well Tulia was handling it, he hadn't spoken to her in some time, but he knew it would be worse if she thought the way he did, that Samia would not be returning. It wasn't that he believed the girl wanted to hurt them, but he knew the roguelands well enough to know that a girl like her would easily succumb to some temptation or another. It was with all this clouding up his mind that he nearly stumbled over Ayumu at her resting place. Stopping a few yards from her he bowed his head respectfully, "I'm sorry to intrude, should I turn back?"

"Cub troubles," he said with a laugh as he settled down near her, "Well she's not a cub anymore, still a pain in my behind." He shook his head and forced a smile, "And you? You don't look the type to get down on life." Even though he wasn't looking to get entangled with another female he couldn't help but appreciate the markings on her. They were unique, certainly, not something he'd seen before. And she was local, that much he knew from his observations while the cubs were running about.

"Mkhai," he returned, "I've got five of my own, one girl." He shook his head, thinking to himself that the girl had caused him more trouble than all the boys combined but that that wasn't a particularly good thought to voice in a matriarchal pride, at least not with a female he barely knew. Instead he just smiled, this time much more relaxed, "How many ways are there then?" It was meant as a joke but after he said it it sounded hollow. Females had their pick of the pride males, he knew, but he wasn't sure how many of the others she'd already discussed the subject with. In truth, he was curious.

"No, not at all," he assured her while he shifted and looked back toward the dens. If he'd known what Samia was really getting herself into he might have taken offense to her words, but unfortunately he hadn't seen the girl since she'd left almost a week before. He paused, thinking about all of the things that had transpired in his youth in the rogue lands They could be a dangerous place, especially for an unaccompanied female. "Have you spent much time out there before?" he asked, considering that he might offer to accompany her. He was still a bit dense.

"I was born here," he laughed, "A long time ago, but I spent a lot of my youth in the rogue lands. It can be dangerous out there, I know that well. It's good that you found a good stable group." He paused, pulling himself straight as her rolled his shoulders and let out a huff, "I can only hope Samia is that lucky, but that's a mess to be dealt with later. Have you enjoyed your time here then, since you're still here?"

"An honest aspiration," he told her with a deep laugh, "Our strength grows with our numbers, and the younger generation doesn't seem so inspired." Not that they wouldn't grow into the lifestyle in time, but with the population so small many of them seemed restless to move out into the roguelands and explore. Some would come back in time, he knew, but they couldn't rely just on returns. They'd need to keep their own at home as well. His own litter had hardly helped the situation any, only one female among them and she was more daft than anyone else he'd ever met. "I wish you the best in that endeavor, I think you'd make a fine mother, you've got a good head on your shoulders."