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So there was no specific target. It was just an attempt to gather information. Fair enough. Ali Baba turned his golden eyes back to the distant black sands and fell back to the flank of the group as they pressed forward. Some of the members continued to converse in hushed tones, quietly debating a plan of action. He let them have at the discussion. Whatever they decided on would do well enough. They'd gotten this far, brushing past their own watch and into enemy territory without too much trouble. Surely these outsiders wouldn't pose too much of a challenge after that.

He grunted as it was suggested that they split into pairs to spread out. Leery eyes shifted over to Morag. She hadn't fared too well against these beasts in the past but she was more than ready to try her paw again. If it came to that, he'd put in a request to keep by her flank. At least he'd have a partner he could trust. Some of the others he knew only in passing.

A sound up ahead and a few whispered alerts brought the party to a halt. A wild dog, perhaps just a passing rogue, crossed their path. Nothing to be concerned about but it could pose a problem if the dog flew into a panic. He froze in place and lowered himself down. The ambush party had already arranged itself so for the moment, he'd wait for the party to move out once more.

Aithne's attention snapped to Elcca she was a little surprise they weren't splitting up but yet she knew the lioness did have a point, yet at the same time she was afraid that the group of wanderers was too suspicious but she felt at this point there realy wasn't anything that she could do. She couldn't help but to hope though, if some one were to find them that they would be able to trick them, maybe they had dumb guards, or if not she was hoping that the others could hang in there. It was a long way from home that was for sure. Her ear's perked at the sighting of a creature, at first she was excited, this was the start of the reason they were here but as she realized that it was a dog she was a little put off. Just a dog? Were they going to jump at every little living thing that they saw around the pride. They did have a right to be suspicious but she wasn't sure how they were going to get far at this point. She was ugessing that she was just going to have to hang in there and deal with it.

Then again she was the type that liked to rush. she wasn't patient at all. She flicked her tail behind her and watched carefully, keeping an eye on the dog just in case it was something that they should be concernred about. She glanced at the others and then moved toward the same direction of Elcca, she liked the lioness's idea of saying low and yet still watching what was tp happen. If they were picking 'buddies' to take she wasn't that sure of who she was going to pair with herself. She wasn't easy to get along with an in her mind others weren't easy to get along with. Her thoughs swirled in her head as she too positioned herself to watch the ambush. Her tail flicked behind her and she prepared herself if needed to move forward herself.

Mkazo hunkered down to follow the huntresses at a distance, trying to find a point that would cover an empty spot, yet allow the two lionesses backup if they needed it. He didn't think they'd need much help against a wild dog, but if it had a hidden friend, or worse, it was an ambush, it would be good to have another fighter near the front line. He found it pretty damn odd that the thing was alone, and wasn't entirely certain there wasn't a pack somewhere...unless the Nergui had slaughtered them. In that light, it actually wasn't that strange. Eyes on the wild dog, he tensed as Morag charged, ready to leap forward at the first sign of trouble.

Azulon was pleased to find Morag and the other lioness had managed to catch the canine without much trouble, and trotted over to join them once it was properly caught. He arrived just as Elcca did, and found himself a bit amused by her strange language. Fortunately, the wild dog replied in something everyone else would understand better.

He might reprimand the creature, but he figured some insulting was inevitable at this point. "We are going to ask you a few questions. The sooner you answer, the sooner you're free to go." Or the sooner they put her out of her misery, if that's what they decided to do. She really did look rather miserable. Or at least unhealthy. "First off, aside from 'thug lions', do you have any idea who we are?"

Aodhfin was pleased that the dog had been caught with no real trouble and was quick to join the group in questioning the dog. " we want you to answer our questions and leave it at that." tail lashing about, he could tell the dog was unhealthy and made him wonder if they would manage to get anything useful out of the dog since it seemed the scavenger type. frowning, he could only hope they could get something useful to their mission.

Once again, he was scowling at the others. Had the steering in this direction not been RIGHT? They'd saved themselves some time! He gave a snort and started walking, only to see some of the group slip off to do something. And that something ended up being finding a wild dog. He stepped closer, ears folding back into his mane as he watched the dog. "You are not with Nergui... So why you HERE?" It was a simple enough question... And everybody else was already starting on the really juicy ones. Serkan's tail swished under him, agitation rising. Delays, delays, delays! They were only finding delays! He then move to pin the dog, stopping himself mid-step. No, violence wouldn't answer his questions now... "Perhaps we keep dog with? Or... Send south into desert..." He tilted his head. "Or to carcass stupid bird tell us about." He heard the vulture in the tree let out an indignant sound at being called stupid. It made the lion smirk a little.

Offering food seemed to do the trick. Almost at once, her ears flipped upwards. The crovrems rurda didn't share food. They weren't likely to offer her her life either. As a survivor of the northlands, she took what she could get and hoped the red brutes at least had some honor. "It isn't like they talk to me though-" she warned.

Elcca shook her head. "We just need to know whatever you've got."

The little thing seemed to think. "They came here some couple months ago, chased out all the old lions and other big animals that lived here. There used to be a group that lived just on the border of the desert there, in the rocks. But then they weren't there anymore."

"While tragic, we're aware they are displacing groups. Do you know why?" Elcca continued.

The dog seemed a little uncomfortable. "Like I said, I don't talk to them. Their outriders chase away anyone that gets near them or they use us as hunting practice for their little brats. I don't know why they pushed out the other lions. They didn't even take their homes. Just left the place."

"Do they patrol around here? Lets say we wanted to find them. Where would we go?"

"They..." she started, wriggling once. "I don't know where they go. But sometimes they stop around this tree west of here. Lightning struck it, and it split in half. Its all charred but they seem to look around it like they lost something. Sometimes you can hear them singing."

"Singing?" Elcca balked.

"Not like any song I ever heard. I didn't like the sound of it. I never went close. That's all I know."

So the dog was around here, but the nergui had come in and gathered round some strange lightning struck tree. Did they praise it, wish for the lightning? Did they have beliefs in gods as some of the older firekin once had? Mwako'damu had heard stories, more so, murmurs of such a thing. Was their a god of lightning? Strange.

"Perhaps it is more of a chant, something where they think the tree gives them something..direction?" Mwako'damu suggested.

But it was a silly thought. For a pride bent on war, why would they sing around a tree.

"Do you remember any of the words?" Mwako'damu asked the dog, perhaps some of the Hongshan might decipher the words if relayed. "Regardless, we should go there, more than enough details to give us a destination of intrigue."