White, checkered paws tapped against the ground, soft beats bringing a steady tune through the air. The young cheetah was watching the other animals ahead of him mingle, but they were mostly lions, and he found that he wasn't very inclined to talk to any of them. Not so much because he was hostile or afraid of them, but more because... well, they were different species and some lions didn't take too well to being around cheetahs. He didn't really think they were all that different, personally, but they were stronger than him.... At least he could outrun anyone who might try to attack him. That was one trait that he had over them. He'd have to get a running start though, which is why he'd settled a good distance away. It didn't look like any of them had even noticed him (yet), so it appeared his plan worked.
Admittedly, Roku wasn't entirely sure why he was observing them. He'd started out the day searching for anyone who might have recognized him or know anything about where he came from, and he had doubts that anyone in this group knew either of those things. With a huff, he dropped down with a plop and nuzzled his maw into his paws. It was probably time to move on.
On the oppsite side of the spectrum, Anya was utterly ecstatic to see other lions nearby. She'd been walking all day, the savanah giving no quarter in terms of heat but she was used to that, and was delighted when she saw the group standing ahead of her. New people! Hopefully friendly people! Maybe they could tell her some new stories, or go on a hunt with her, or-The lioness paused in her trot, not having realized that she'd already started walking towards them, but not caring after she noticed the sleek black form sprawled across the ground a ways away. They were a good distance away from the rest of the group - in fact, now that she really thought about it, he probably wasn't even part of said group in the first place, but he was watching them pretty intently. Was he lonely? Shy?
Well, she was never one to pass up making friends, even if they were uneasy towards other people. Someone had to help them out of their bubble!
Roku sighed, going back and forth over what to do, and then chuffed as he pushed himself up to his feet. No use sticking around here. It'd only end in him being ignored or worse. So, with a flick of his tail, he turned to slink away before the lions noticed him.
And then let out a mighty yelp upon seeing the grinning face not even a foot away from his face. He scrambled backwards, landing on his furry behind and almost squishing his tail in the process, and stared, wide-eyed, at the lioness who seemed to appear out of nowhere. He didn't even hear her coming! When had she popped up?!
Okay, maaaaaybe standing behind him and not saying anything wasn't the best idea on her part, but it was so worth it to see that reaction. Anya chuckled at the look on his face, but after a few seconds of silence, decided that maybe this was a little mean. He was just minding his own business before she showed up. And if he was nervous about meeting people, it's probably gone up a few notches with what she did.
Well, best make up for it then. He wasn't saying anything, so she delegated herself the ice-breaker for this conversation. "Hello!" She shifted from paw to paw, tail swishing in a hopefully non-threatening manner behind her. "I didn't mean to startle you," lies, "but I just wanted to come say hi." That was the truth though. "What are you doing all the way over here?"
Roku wasn't sure how to proceed with this situation. This lioness didn't seem mean or condescending towards him. If anything, she was playful. A quick glance back towards the previous group showed that they were walking away too. Perhaps she wasn't with them? What are the odds of coming across two unrelated groups (if you could call her on her own a "group" ) of lions?
... There might be others with her though. He probably shouldn't let his guard down quite yet.
Not wanting to be rude though, the cheetah slowly looked back at her and then said, "Just watching other people." Of course, now that he's said it out loud, he realized that that was sort of a creepy thing to do. "I-I mean, I was thinking of asking them a question, but I think I'll pass on that now."
Anya cocked her head to the side, confused. "Why wouldn't you?" The brown lioness looked back over to the lions - or rather, where they used to be. They were pretty far now, well out of range of them. "If you have a question, you should just ask it. Now it won't get answered." Humming to herself, she nodded and turned back to him with a smile, "But we could still catch up to them. I'll go with you!"
He froze, very much not ready to meet such a large group of felines quite to suddenly. SHE might seem nice, but THEY didn't. He'd been watching them for a while, and he could tell from their body language that they wouldn't be so hospitable towards anyone outside their pride... maybe other lions, but not a different species altogether.
Or at least, he didn't want to chance it.
Roku shook his head in a quick no, "I don't want to... impose on them. And, it's not a question that I couldn't just ask anyone."
A question he could ask anyone, huh? Well, she could help with that too. "How about you ask me then? I don't know if I'll have the answer you're looking for, but it's worth a shot."
She had a point. There was no reason he couldn't ask her. So, with a deep breathe to calm some of his still-frayed nerves, he explained, "Well, I'm looking for anyone who might recognize me or have heard of anyone looking for me. I don't really.... remember very much, so any clues would be helpful." It was a long shot, he knew this. He'd just been going over in his head how unlikely it was that someone outside of his species would know anything, but.... He also didn't have anything else to go on. So where did that leave him?
Unfortunately, this was indeed a question she couldn't answer, and she hadn't heard of anyone looking for such a strange looking cheetah. Her ears drooped just a bit, wishing she could help, but knowing that wouldn't be happening. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen anyone looking for you, and I've been traveling pretty far for a while. What did you say your name was?"
Sighing a bit dejectedly, Roku shook his head in reply. "It's okay, you're not the only one... And it's Rokusasu."
"Huh, well, it's nice to meet you! My name is Anya." She paused, tapping a claw against the ground in thought, "And no need to be so discouraged. I'm sure you'll find someone eventually." She nodded, "Yep, I'm sure there's someone out there just waiting to see you again soon! You just need to keep looking."
Roku sat, thinking her words over for a minute, before giving back a tentative smile. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right." Perking up, he felt himself soften a bit more in her presence. She didn't seem like a bad person, and it was nice getting some encouragement from someone. That said, he DID need to keep searching. So as much as it was nice talking to her, he needed to get moving before it started to get dark.
"I should get going," he said with a look up in the sky, "I'd like to ask around a bit more before it gets dark."
Ooo, that sounded fun. Anya wanted some company, and even though they'd probably have to separate at some point, she'd love to tag along, if he'd let her! "I can help you look for a little while! Two heads are better than one, after all."
Again, she had a point. And it would be nice to have company for a while... but she was still a stranger to him. That said, he could always split ways with her later. "... Alright. Just until the sun falls though. I'm sure you've got other things to do than humor me."
Anya giggled, "It's not 'humoring' if I'm helping someone out, but alright." Hopping around she started off in a random direction. "Well, let's get going!" And with that, she took off at a jog down the plains.
