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Buna had managed to avoid being hit by the rocks, but she was glad to leave the pesky monkeys behind. Baboons were dangerous creatures. Crocodiles could be too, but that didn't mean that they should invite every rogue that happened to be able to kill one. It didn't matter to her that he had once been one of them. There was a very good reason for chasing away male Lusizi when they matured.

"He can't stay with us," Buna said after having a drink, "It wouldn't be right!"

It irked her that Hari had asked the male if he wanted to return to the pride. Most of the others had only suggested that Nguvu stay with them for a while, but the black and white lioness suddenly seemed to want to invite him back in. As if that was something for the Abazingeli and Busisa to decide. She laughed out loud.

"And if he'd like to come back?" she asked and glared at the other lioness, "What difference does it make? It's not as if you can decide to let a rogue male in. Those that are not content with our own Abaholi can wait for the rogue swap."

She made a face, not particularly fond of that particular custom either.

Hari turned to face Buna with a sigh of exasperation. The other lioness had taken her question entirely the wrong way. Hari was very much content with the current Abaholi - in fact, she had even taken a bit of a fancy to one in particular. On a personal level, Nguvu returning to the pride meant nothing to her; but she knew how much it meant to Hadharani and Nyesui to have their brother back.

"I never said I did have that power, nor was that an invitation. I merely noticed that we're all debating over whether or not he should return, when Nguvu may not even want to. This entire conversation could be completely pointless, just a waste of time while the Abaholi draw near."

Hari was painfully aware that the Abaholi were approaching fast. If Nguvu didn't even want to return, he should have been long gone by now. If he did.... well, he should probably still be long gone by now. For the sake of her friends, she hoped that he would desire and be allowed to stay, but she very much doubted it. And if the Abaholi did drive him off, she would be there to comfort Hadharani and Nyesui. She just hoped the Abaholi didn't kill Nguvu to ensure that he stayed away this time.

Kayin decided then and there that he didn't much like Thulisile. Not only was she stealing Ora's attention, but she was also making him look bad in front of everyone! And it wasn't like he had asked for her opinion. He squinted grumpily at the lioness, flattening his ears again. "I am not!" He puffed himself up to look a little bit bigger, as if that would prove her wrong. "You're wrong."

If Thuli's comment had bruised Kayin's ego, however, Hari's words were more than enough to calm him down again. The cub's ears pricked happily, and even as he pointedly turned his rump on Thuli, he beamed up at Hari with all the eagerness a cub could muster and declared, "Well, when I'm a grown-up, then." That would show Thuli.

Kayin scooted closer to Hari, sitting himself down next to one of her paws so he could lean against her as he watched the lionesses debate what was to be done with this massive rogue lion. Although the cub didn't know the guy, he was all aces in Kayin's book, and he also just looked so much cooler than all the Abaholi around, who Kayin had grown up seeing and who didn't seem half as exotic as Nguvu did.

"Maybe he could teach me how to kill a crocodile..." He said, more to himself than anything, though he didn't try to keep his voice down.
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Ora bit back a laugh at the exchange between Kayin and her sister. The little rascal. She knew him well enough to know that Hari would be much better company for a cub of Kayin's temperament, and he seemed to have taken a shine to the black and white lioness. Indeed, Kayin took a shine to anyone who took the time to give him a compliment, so it need not have surprised Ora that he looked so at home sitting next to Hari.

"Oh, but we can't be such terrible company," she piped up, though she was half trying to convince herself as well as everybody else. Surely, Nguvu wouldn't mind staying for a little bit. She hadn't even gotten the chance to introduce herself yet, and... it seemed a shame to let talent like that slip away.

Even the temptation of water had gone half forgotten in the excitement of seeing the dead crocodiles, and Ora remembered how thirsty she was upon seeing Thuli take a drink. She moved toward the water and lapped at it, wishing it hadn't already been warmed by the sun. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and water was water.

((aka, Kayin has apparently decided to vote #3))

Nguvu was glad to be recognised, although he never did think that those who left would be forgotten. He nuzzled his sister back, looking at how she had grown! Both of them.

Smiling to Baie he nodded. "I understand what you mean,completely." He was familiar with the rules and the beliefs, and therefore did not take offence. However he was still eager to stick around as long as he could, if only to keep a protective eye on both his sisters, plus, he hadn't had much luck on his own thus far.

"Hari, I am familiar with the reasoning behind why I shouldn't be with you anymore, but I still find myself loyal to the pride in which I was born." He looked to Nyesui again. "I do not expect anything, but if I can be of assistance to you, I will." One thing that made him slightly uneasy though, was that the name Gakere was not familiar to him, but, Nguvu would stand and prove himself if he had to. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

When Mhisani heard the deep gutteral growl Surtak let out, panic lit up her face. "Surtak, wait, before you run him off!" She went over to him, ears back and eyes pleading. "He made the water safe!" She pointed at the crocodile. "He killed that, all by himself! If he can do that, he might be able to help keep us safe! Can't he stay, temporarily, if he's on his best behavior? Another big strong male to keep us safe from unknown dangers! And I may be new here, but... Some of the other lionesses, they already know him!" Surely that weighed well in his favor, to already be a known face for some of the females.

Nyesui was comforted when her brother returned the bit of affection. She had missed him so much since he had left, though she had grown closer to her sister in the process. She hoped that they would listen and allow him to at least accompany them for a little while.

Any happy thoughts over the reunion were halted when she heard the deep, threatening growl from Surtak. Her eyes widen slightly and she stepped in from of Nguvu.

"Please, listen to Mhisani! Just look at what he did!" she, too, gestured to the crocodiles. "If it wasn't for him, who knows what we could have found here, we could have been hurt or worse! Please, consider letting him stay."

While tempted to speak up, Hari was hesitant. She understood why Surtak didn't want Nguvu to stay, and felt sure that the other Abaholi would share his opinion. She was even more hesitant to defy Surtak with a snarl like that coming out of him. Swiveling her ears back and forth nervously, she took a small step forward, careful not to move the paw that Kayin was propped up on.

"Maybe we could allow him to accompany us for the remainder of the migration, so he can help to protect us, and then you can decide if he can stay permanently when our journey is over."

Feeling very vulnerable after speaking out, Hari lowered her head slightly but kept her ears forward and her eyes set with determination. If Nyesui was willing to beg with Surtak, the importance of her brother staying meant more than Hari thought, and she wanted to know that she had at least tried to fight for her friends' happiness.