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The climate had noticably started to change a day or so back in the journey, but now the first of green is appearing on the horizon. With the Jungle not far away, Kijibwa is in high spirits. The bright green spot ahead of them is the whole reason for the travels through the sands, and he is looking forward to getting the sand all from his fur.

"We're almost there," he says brightly, glancing around for Siku, "Look at the horizon, finally something other than gold."

He puffs up proudly.

Kijibwa's mien stays tall and proud after Siku's reaction, if ever he had a second thought of taking the young lioness from the Pridelands there is not a trace of it now. Watching her become more confident itself was an excellent reward.

"I'm coming," he calls up to her, grinning, "We'll be there in no time now!"

He does a quick stretch, and then leaps into a sprint after her, catching up quickly as she prepares to run again, "Then we can be rid of all the sand, I know I'm covered in it." He winks.

"We'll decide how soon that is in due time," he replies with a chuckle. Though the lion is not fond of the sand, he has some strange attachment to it. The desert is his earliest memory, and he has a new friend out there- both of which contribute to his attachment to the land. At least, he doesn't mind visiting it, though he wouldn't stay long.

Kijibwa watches his own pace carefully so that he doesn't get ahead of Siku, prefering to run along with her instead of ahead of her. It's not a race, after all! Not yet, anyway. He glances to her face, spying the proud expression, and he grins fondly at her joking. How she's grown!

The jungle comes closer and closer the longer they run, the land becoming less and less dry and sandy feeling. Just the feeling of the minute amounts of water in the air tells them they aren't in the desert any longer.

Kijibwa skids to a halt when Siku is suddenly not in his peripheral vision, and he turns his head back to find her. He laughs when he sees her taking in a deep breath, and then walks over to her.

"Don't apologize," he says quietly, "The scenery's slowly been changing but you're right, it seems to just strike you all at once." He pauses, considering her statement for a moment.

"It is interesting, and you never seem to get tired of the feeling," he beams, "You never just get used to it."

Kijibwa keeps his eyes on Siku the entire time she pauses dreamily, waiting for her to come back to here and now, but also just liking to watch her and her reactions. His eyes light up when she starts up again, and he grins widely.

"Alright, I think we're close enough now," he says, shifting his weight to his back legs to prepare to spring forward again, "I'll race you to the trees!"

Kijibwa sprints, but keeps it just barely below his full speed- though even if he had been truly bent on winning the race, the lead that Siku has suggests it wouldn't have been enough. The lioness is obviously more aerodynamic than this lion.

Still grinning, he narrows his eyes at Siku when she turns around, obviously about to throw some taunt back to him. He only sees what's about to happen second before it does, and he stumbles a few steps when she crashes into the tree. Then at once he starts running faster to close the gap between them as quickly as possible.

"Siku!" he says, sounding concerned, "Are you alright?"

Having come to a stop just behind her, he leans forward to try to hear what she says- not understanding a single word of it. He raises an eyebrow despite his concern.

"What?" he blinks, following her gaze after she asks about the jungle, and finally laughing, "No, that's just one tree." She must be alright, though a little confused. Bumps on the head do that sometimes. With a slight smile, he gently pulls Siku away from the tree so that she can get up.

Kijibwa takes a seat beside the poor, dazed lioness and remains turned to face her so that he can make sure she really is alright. He can see the dizziness in her eyes, and is tempted to shake his head but decides staying still is probably a better idea.

"I noticed," he replies, giving her a gentle nudge and recognizing the look on her face when she sees something, apparently, funny. He doesn't know exactly what's so funny until she comments, then he laughs along with her.

"Looks like it," he says when he stops laughing, "Do you need a break, or can you get up?"

Kijibwa watches Siku struggle to get to her feet, leaning into her a bit to offer his support, "I don't doubt that you'll be fine, but are you fine now?" He asks, and keeps his eyes on her as she stumbles around and then claims to be fine after all.

"Alright, but we'll just go to some water to get a drink and cleaned up, then we'll rest," he suggests, "That ok with you?" He stands up, turning back to the trees with a smile. Without waiting for an answer, he steps towards the trees, stopping by the one she crashed into to see if she's coming.

"Right this way, but watch out," he jokes, grinning, "No races to win this time, speedy."