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The sunlight danced down lazily through the trees, growing brighter in the small clearings, casting a soft, greenish light in areas. The shady world of the jungle offered a much-welcomed change from the scorching, merciless savannah that lay outside of it, though it wasn't always safe. Then again, there were few places in the wild that were ever very safe.

Chavu didn't care...he wasn't a little cub anymore. The black and white lion slunk through the clustered brush of the forest floor, slipping through odd plants and around the huge, gnarled roots of old trees. It had been a long while since he'd visited the forest, but hed returned again, hardly afraid of anything he might find or run into. He chuckled lightly to himself--coming here always reminded him of the run-in he'd had with the unusual spotted things, the leopards. In retrospect it was funny, but he would always be more careful.

The teenage lion almost blended in like a shadow in the dark foliage, but the white band around his middle stopped that from happening. He slid ahead, ears perked, heading for any water source he could find, considering himself alone, for the most part.

Chavu had never been a family-oriented creature...truthfully, he could hardly remember his own mother, or any other family he might have had. He had wandered away as a little one, and had lived that way ever since. Consequently, the young lion enjoyed his freedom. There had been Tobari though, a wily ethiopian wolf he'd met and befriended back when he'd been no more than a cub. But they hadn't always stayed together, and respected Tobari's right to wander, and be alone.

He'd lived in the jungle for a short period during his cubhood, but had fled after a while, spooked by an unusual incident involving two leopards. So he had grown up on the savannahs, lead by his own impulses, and partly guided by Tobari.

He jumped a bit, jarred from his thoughts by the feminine voice that called out to him, looking around through brilliant red eyes, which finally caught sight of the patterned female nearby. He backed up a bit, cautious.

"Hello?" he eyed her curiously...he hadn't seen another female lion in a good while...or any lion, for that matter. He ran into Aziza every once in a while, but that was never pleasant...she usually just drove him off.

Chavu puffed his chest a bit, and stood his ground then, watching her quietly. He wasn't afraid! Bt, he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to look stupid, for the moment at the very least.

"Good day." he replied, nodding. "I'm glad to hear that. Most of the females I run into chase me off the first chance they get." he smirked, and seated himself, eyes travelling over the lioness's generously patterned body. He'd never seen such unusual markings on a creature. "A pride, eh? I've never heard of lions living in the jungle...fairly smart thinking though, to be sure." he said, scraping a claw through the moist dirt under his paws, glad that he wouldn't be prosecuted for trespassing. The savannah was often far too hot for him to bear, especially with his dominantly dark coat, which only absorbed the sun's rays.

Chavu blinked, and his tail twitched as he listened. "Very interesting. Better than being out in the hot sun, I'm sure." he mused. He'd never contemplated joining a pride himself...he treated the thought apprehensively, at best.

He smirked again to the question. "Well, I suppose it's just one that chases me off. She's a sour old cus...so I don't take it personally." he laughed softly, and played with a fallen leaf absentmindedly, piercing the damp material with his claws. "I haven't met another lion in a long while...I thought all that lived in here were leopards..."

"Wow...your whole life? Aren't you curious about the outside?" he asked, cocking his head. He couldn't imagine staying in one place for such a long time. He himself had almost wandered out toward the desert regions of the Firekins, but had abandoned the plan, warded from it by the wise words of his wolf friend. He was still curious, of course.

"Name's Chavu. Pleasure to meet you." he smiled charmingly.

The teen blinked a bit. "I can't imagine staying put for so long. There plenty to see out there....what's a priest?" he asked, changing the subject without a second though, knowing they'd probably return to it later.

His eyebrows raised at the next comment. "Queen??" he seemed baffled. He'd never met anyone important before. "Well. Excuse me if I've said anything rude, then." he said, bowing a bit to her with a light chuckle.

Chavu smirked lightly. He truly didn't think about ranks so much, perhaps because he'd never been part of a pride or group structure before. He knew respect well enough, but he would never kiss a** unless it was to save his skin. Sweet talking was always a possibility when it came to getting out of tight spots though, of course. Tobari had taught him that one.

"Great." he said, and laughed. He could seem a bit uncouth at times, but he managed to keep a formal tongue when conversing with strangers. He wasn't nervous, even if she was a queen she was very affable, in his opinion. Not stuck up or snotty, which was a stereotype of that position. He listened to her explanation, blinking lightly. "Wow! Sounds a bit complicated." he mused, wondering how one would see into the future. "I get your meaning though." he added quickly, and mulled it over.

Chavu was interrupted from the thoughts, and smiled lightly. "Yes, I believe so. It was nice to meet you, though. Perhaps we'll cross paths someday again." he said, bowing some as he rose to his feet.

"Good day!" he said, and began to wander off, casting one last friendly smile her way.