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The large male turned his gaze towards Matifa for a moment. "It was fighting another, and a trespasser was not welcome." He had been travelling the lands in search of a home for the next few weeks. The idea of migration had been bred into him, funnily enough. Nodding now to Ulaka, he smiled. "The water is safe."

It was then Hadharani's voice that held him still, and he lowered his head into the water, in the effort to clear some of the muck from around his face. After he had done so his head rose again, this time uttering something different to a name. "Sister?" His smile returned.

This excitement was all too much for Ukulambile to miss. First there had been ugly monkeys, and now there were dead crocodiles! And a great big male that the adults were all going on about, but that wasn't anywhere near as interesting as the crocodiles. Or the water. She was getting pretty thirsty, after all!

Fearlessly curious, the juvenile tromped closer to the front of the group, ears up and eyes bright. "Can we get a drink now?" she asked, directing the question at no particular lioness. "And can we eat them? I'm hungry!"

This was nothing new, as Uku was always hungry, but she'd never had crocodile before.

His topaz eyes met hers and he nodded, his white mane showing through the remainder of the muck.

"Yes, It has been too long, ho-how are you?" He reached towards Hadharani with a nuzzle, and smiled firmly. Nguvu and his sisters had been close as they were growing up, he had always hoped to run into them again, to get another chance to look after them. The large male had always been rather protective.

His eyes darted around quickly. He was aware that not everyone would be interested in a family reunion right now, they certainly seemed in the middle of something... He nodded his head again at the group as a whole. "I do not hope to interfere, with... what you are trying to acheive?" He questioned. His experience in the pride had led him to believe one thing, "Migration?" He asked casually. Nguvu had left quite awhile ago, he doubted many remembered him...

Hari gaped in astonishment when the hulking rogue revealed that he was Hadharani and Nyesui's brother. She honestly didn't remember the lion, not even when he cleared some of the mud and gore from his face. Recognizing him was not important; the important thing was that he wasn't a threat.

Ulaka's call drew her attention, and she happily welcomed the distraction. Trotting over to the water, she waded in until the surface lapped at her belly fur and began to drink. My, was it ever refreshing!

Hari caught a hint of the conversation behind her and twitched her ears. Her thirst quenched, she raised her head and turned to watch. The situation was very interesting indeed. A strong male - especially one strong enough to face a crocodile and win - would make a good addition to any pride; however, she doubted that the Abaholi would see him as anything but a threat to their positions. Having no personal connection to Nguvu, Hari was only interested in his fate for the sake of her friends, his sisters. She doubted they would easily get over it if he was forced to leave. But Hari knew it was not her place to try to reason with the Abaholi - she wasn't even mated to any of them. She was tempted to wait and see what would happen, but it was highly likely that the Abaholi would attack first and ask questions later.

"Nguvu. While I feel that you would be an asset to our pride, and I'm sure that your sisters would be overjoyed to have you return to us, I fear for your safety if the Abaholi find you here. I think it would be best if you left before they caught up."

The words pained Hari, almost to the point of catching in her throat. She didn't want her friends to think she had betrayed them, or Nguvu to think she wouldn't welcome him if it were up to her. However much it would hurt her friends to have their brother leave, it would hurt them far more to watch him be attacked... and possibly killed.

"But mom," Ukulambile protested, "I'm hungry! Why can't we eat crocodiles? What if they taste good?" The young female eyed the corpses longingly, and despite her mother's insistence that they weren't food, carefully inched closer to them. Maybe, with the stranger to distract her, she wouldn't notice if Uku tried to have a little nibble...

She was much too interested in food to give any input on this new male, and kept her attention divided between Nahmba and the ultimate goal of possibly-tasty reptile.

---

Wodi's gaze flitted from the crocodile-slayer to the females who clearly knew him - were related to him, in fact. Two sisters, from the sound of it, and one of the older lionesses was quite interested in him as well. Another relation, maybe? Eh, whatever.

She sauntered into the water after Ulaka and took a drink before plunking down as well. One rogue male was hardly worrisome; he might have been big, sure, but there were a lot of lionesses and only one of him, fresh from a fight with a crocodile. Even without the Abaholi on their way, they could have handled him.

"Might as well let him stay awhile," she said with a shrug. "What's it gonna hurt?"

Nyesui stuck to the back and listened as the male explained himself. So he hadn't viciously murdered the crocodiles after all; the one he had killed had been done in self defense. When he spoke her and her sister's names she crouched down and looked to see was Hadharani decided to do. She watched as Hadharani stepped up to join Matifa in the open with the male that seemed to recognize them.

She watched as her sister spoke with the male. Her own eyes widened when he dipped his muzzle into the water to rid himself of some of the muck that had collected on him. She could see the hint familiar markings on him now; when Hadharani stepped closer to him and he greeted her with a nuzzle, there was no question.

Nyesui stepped out of the line and hurried up, ducking past other members, to get to them."Nguvu!" she greeted in excitement, "I never expected to see you here." she was grateful for the chance to see him again; she had been worried she would never get the chance to set her eyes on him after he had been exiled. She nuzzled his cheek, getting a bit of muck on her nose, before turning her attention to Matifa.

"Please, you see he could be an asset to us," she stated and gestured to the crocodiles, "Please, let's see if he can stay."

Thulile stuck close to Hari, not at all object to having someone other than her brother fuss. It was nice she was offered shade beneath the other, though it was not yet dawn. When the sun did rise it would get hot again, and with her mother elsewhere, she wasn't going to give up an opportunity for possible shade.

"Thank you," she happily beamed, glad that her brother seemed too distracted by the movement and the happenings in the grasses to continue to lecture her. Still, her own golden ears twitched back and forth as a new ruckous seemed to happen. . . .

Was it more baboons?

Would there be rocks again!?

As it turned out, it was just a male! And crocodiles. Dead ones. While the young cub was listening -- sort of -- to the conversation, her attention was first on the dead crocodiles. . . but most importantly on water. As a few other lionesses approached, Thulile didn't hesitate. Bolting forward, she did a quick, precautionary check for any more crocodiles or baboons -- best to be safe, right? -- before lapping eagerly at the water.

What they did from here on out was okay by her, now that she had her proper drink! Her ears did hear someone talk about eating crocodiles. . . could they do that? She glanced over at Ukulambile, straining to hear whether or not there would be approval to do such a thing. It seemed like a good idea to her. . . . . meat was meat, wasn't it?

Still, hunger could wait. Thirst could not. Looking back at the pond, letting the adults talk about other adults, Thulile took another drink just to be safe. "Take that, baboons. We got water anyway. Hmph." She spoke to no one in particular, simply glad that they had renewed freedom to drink where they pleased, without worry of stones.

Just leave it to Thuli to have her back. Ora couldn't help but smile at her sister's reaction. It was more than a little reassuring to know that there would always be one lioness she could count on to hold the same opinions as she did. Not many creatures had the same loud and indomitable spirit as the two of them, and that alone would have been enough to make them kindred spirits of sorts. The fact that they were sisters too, well that was just a bonus.

But as with all things, there were moments when that quality backfired. This, apparently, was one of them. Ora shot her sister a wry look at the boyfriend comment. A younger, less mature Ora would have flattened her ears and protested loudly, even somewhat indignantly. Now, though, all she did was smirk. "Why yes, Thuli, yes he is," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm as she reached for Kayin and hugged the unfortunate cub to her foreleg. Just as well. If he wanted to tag along, he would have to suffer the consequences too.

"He... uh... well." Ora blinked, nudging her sister with a devious look. "He killed a crocodile. I mean, that's... impressive." As in, he was epic and altogether swoon-worthy. Surely, Thuli would understand. "I mean... I think he should stay..." If only so she could admire him a little longer.
-
"HEYYY!" Kayin squirmed in Ora's grasp, evidently unwilling to be caught in this talk to boyfriends - because obviously he was not. He wasn't anybody's any kind of friend.

In any case, it didn't seem like he would have much to worry about. When Ora finally dropped him back onto all fours, he looked up to see her bright gaze fixed almost hungrily on the strange male. A small pout formed on Kayin's face. Unused to the inattention, he flattened his ears and wandered over to Thulile, plopping his bum down beside her and Hari.

"What's so great about him?" He asked, sounding more than a little sullen to have been banished from the lioness' attention. Just because this new lion had showed up, didn't mean they all ought to stop paying attention to him. Kayin was, after all, every inch as impressive as this lion - or would be, anyway, once he had gotten a little more growing up done.

"I bet I could kill a crocodile."

((Ora picks #3))