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Tlotlego'Setu was content. So far, things with his family had been going well and he was starting to feel like he could be at peace once again. He had taken the disbanding of his birth pride harder than some, since he was the type who loved a sense of familiarity. Then again... Change wasn't all that bad, was it? During his trek through the rogue lands, he had met a pawful of interesting beings, though they were interesting for drastically different reasons. And the Pridelands was a beautiful place. Fortune must have been in his favour the day he had found his brother again!

He wasn't completely sure where he was going at the moment, though. With practiced expertise he walked with silence to... nowhere in particular. Huh. Maybe he had gotten lost. He worried about that for a moment until he spotted a fellow male among the rocks of a kopje. Curiously, he turned to approach the younger lion. What exactly was he doing?

"Whoa... um, what's stupid?" Setu jumped and answered in surprise... just before the adolescent nearly ran right smack into him. Setu cringed away awkwardly, his eyes widened with shock. "W-what are you doing?"

Setu wasn't exactly the most outgoing lion in the world so he wasn't entirely sure what to do with himself. The expression on his face was similar to that of cornered gazelle; wide eyed and nervous. His solution was to stare at his own paws until he could figure out where he could look without feeling embarrassed.

At least the adolescent seemed to be as awkward as he was in that moment... It brought a bit of guilty comfort to Setu.

"For practice? I suppose that any practice is good..." He muttered kind of uncertainly. Rocks didn't seem to be the best targets, but he supposed they were better than nothing? Setu was kind of confused.

"And yes I am new... Uh, are you new too?" As soon as the question was out of his mouth, he regretted it a bit, but it was too late to take back.

Tlotlego'Setu figured the younger lion was trying to be friendly despite the odd expression on his face that was... uhh, well Setu couldn't even begin to describe it. But smiling was a good sign, right? Right?

Setu wondered if his time as a rogue had taught him anything about others after all.

"Rite of passage, huh?" He echoed, without a clue about Jua's regret. "How does that work? I mean, I've heard it mentioned but uh, I don't really know what that is all about." Oh dear, there was something else he would have to learn eventually. Oh well, it kept him busy when he wasn't out hunting.

The older lion watched Jua intently as he spoke, having forgotten his embarrassment from before. There was nothing he liked more than gathering up new information... He always liked to know what was what so he didn't get left behind!

It wasn't a glamorous explanation, but it was enough to satisfy Tlotlego'Setu. It didn't even occur to him that Jua would be trying to hide something. Setu wasn't naive, but he could be a bit too trusting at times.

Setu smiled good-naturedly. "Well, congratulations! How did it go?" He asked innocently. Surely Jua would be excited to tell his tale! What lion didn't feel pride in their first real hunt?

Tlotlego'Setu tilted his head to the side. What had gotten Jua so flustered now? But he didn't pull his gaze away. He wanted to hear this grand tale!

.....

Oh dear. It sounded like a grand tale but not the way he expected! He watched with brimming amusement as Jua stumbled all over himself in the effort to cover up what had happen with little success. It was like he couldn't help letting things slip!

When Jua trailed off for the last time (Setu paused longer than usual just to make sure he had finished completely), he started to laugh. He couldn't help it; he felt bad for Jua but it was just too amusing to ignore!

"Ahh nevermind that," Setu said eventually, a huge grin on his face. "Sometimes things happen, you know? It's all part of the experience! You'll do better next time, I'm sure."

Trying to make Jua feel better, he glanced back and forth as if he was checking for eavesdroppers, then lowered his voice. "Anyways, it's better to be honest then to tell some huge lie, isn't it? Most don't tell the entire truth about their first hunts." With that he laughed a bit more, feeling a lot less nervous than he had been before... Even if it was at poor Jua's expense!

Setu's grin didn't quite vanish while Jua introduced himself. He seemed like a good guy and Setu truly hoped that things would go better for him in the future.

"I'm... Tlotlego'Setu. Feel free to call me Setu, if it's easier," he replied, nodding a little to show that he didn't mind the late introductions. He wasn't much for formalities, either, unless he was meeting someone who demanded it.

Setu jumped a little when Jua started suddenly, but the surprise was quickly forgotten with the suggestion of a tour. Setu looked around once more, wondering how much he had missed just by wandering around.

"That would be.. great actually," he said eventually, nodding once again. "You... are one of the first people I've met. So it might be nice to know more..."

And spending a bit more time with this young lion didn't seem like such a bad idea. It would be great to have some quality company along the way.



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