Kimaria33: The sky was still tinged with grey but despite that Ona was content. It was true that he had not met any others of his kin since arriving here but it had only been a day and he was sure it would only be a matter of time before he met one. Kucha had told him she had seen tattooed lions from her journeys through the sky and he had complete faith in her. She would never lie and so it was only a matter of waiting for fate to lead him to other members.

With a small flick of his mane, Ona drew himself up from his crouched position in the grass and set off at an easy gait, gazing almost casually around him. So, where to start looking? He was not one to just start roaring and making a scene, he was quite, reserved and extremely shy since leaving his parents and he moved as quietly as it was possible for a male of his stature.

The long trek had taken it's toll on him, his short, stocky form thin but well muscles and his fur covered with dust. He had not yet stopped to tame his mane and rid it of tangles and grass but for now his appearance did not bother him. He had a job to do and until it was done, grooming and eating was far from his mind.

RhubarbDumpling: The opening heat of a day drawing it's first breaths hung like spice on the air, paws cutting through the silence that settled before the rush to watering holes that came with the waking of creatures great and small.
The owners of these paws differed greatly, a pair as opposing as night and day traveling together, one to her home, one to an unknown venue, but a new place, a new place to call her home.

The elder was a lioness of purest hue, snowy pelt marred here and there with such dainty markings it appeared she was a doll, breakable despite her movement, her solidity. Golden markings glinted in the sun, offset by softest blues, and a final touch, watery aqua eyes, drank in all they saw, held a suggestion that they saw much more than what they absorbed.

Her companion, a much younger lioness than herself, held a pelt almost black, fine white tattoos skittering like spiderwebs across her back, shoulders and ears, offset by a darker set of markings, resembling a mask, across her face.
Rather than the serene wisdom of her travelling companion's features, she appeared stubborn, a little too much will than was becoming betrayed in that emerald gaze. In silence they wandered, the miles traversed evident only in a slight weariness of gait.

Kimaria33: It was with their approach that the wind brought upon it the scents of strangers to Ona'raha's sensitive nose. For a moment the young adolescent paused, his body tensing with fear and preparation to run if the unknown lions proved to be dangerous. He was the wary sort, the type of creature who would jump at his own shadow if given the chance and yet he was also a kindly creature; softly spoken and well mannered.

With a small whimpering sound he took a few steps forward, aware now that his hind legs had begun their nervous shaking and battled with it to stop. He didn't want to be a scaredy cat, especially not in front of lions who may grow to become friends.

If Pona hadn't harmed him then he was sure that others would also show him no aggression unless he started it. With this thought in mind he straightened his posture and parted his jaws, releasing a low 'whuff' sound. It was not particularly loud but he was sure if anyone was clsoe enough they would hear it.

Then edging sideways the young lion crept over to the line of trees, using them as cover whilst he surveyed the area. It was here from this new vantage point that he saw the newcomers, one dark and one light, moving across the land in his direction. With a jolt of fear the male dropped onto his belly, wincing at the loud crunching of grass that cushioned him. He needed to be quiet!

RhubarbDumpling: Indeed such a noise reached the ears of two grown rather used only to the noises of the other, and with ears twitching the pair ceased their wandering mid-step, turning instead to gaze upon the other, an unspoken question lingering in their gaze.
The elder of the pair was the first to break their look, turning her clear eyes here and there, searching for the cause of such an unwarranted interruption.

"Hello?" she tried, voice low, testing.

Her companion seemed less keen to test the waters, eyes narrowed as she, too, searched, rather than the sure and trusting gaze of the paler femme.
Not blessed with a great gift for trust, Utlwa was hardly endeared to be trusting of unseen creatures that made untoward noises without warning.

Kimaria33: He swallowed back the fear and felt the familiar trembling sensation start in his muscles again as he heard the voice be directed towards him. What should he do? Run? Stay silent? No, no, no, he had to introduce hismelf! It was only polite...besides the voice didn't sound that scary, did it?

With s sharp inhale of breath he opened his eyes - which had been squeezed shut - and tilted his head up to gaze at the two strangers through the blades of grass. Perhaps he'd been expecting to set eyes on two monsterous lions, fearsome and terrifying but no. In fact what he did see was far from it. For there in front of him were two lionesses, one as white and pure as the snow that capped the mountains and another smaller lioness whose dark, tattooed body was a great comfort to his seeking eyes.

Finally, finally proof stood before him. Proof that he was not the only one to have survived the plague.

With all fear gone the adolescent rose up from the grass, a smile evident in his sparkling eyes as he took a step forward, head bowed and ears tipped back. "Hello." His voice was shaky as he held back relieved sobs. "I can't believe it. I can't believe I found you!"

RhubarbDumpling: Kaure, knocked off balance by the sudden and apparently grateful appearance of the young male, merely quirked a brow at his exclamation, tilting her head to one side and allowing that porcelain gaze to rake over the stranger.
To be sure, his marked body held a great similarity to that of the child with whom she travelled, perhaps they had found the rest of that pride, of which the uncle and grandmother so dear to her young charges wishes and heart belonged.

The younger, meanwhile, had learned not that tact that came with holding her tongue, and was quick to respond to the male.
"I had no idea we were the subject of a search party."
Still, that critical emerald gaze, when unleashed a while longer on his figure, sparked some recognition, some knowledge of her heritage.
With bated breath did she stand, before unleashing the only question of import to her mind;
"Do you come from Ama Galu'nadi?"

Kimaria33: His eyes flickered over the the daintily marked face of the elder lioness, his glassy gaze suddenly nervous. Had he been wrong to just jump up like that? He must have looked like a fool and yet he could not regret his excitement at seeing others, especially the one who was obviously a child of the Ela'wadiyi.

Though despite the fact he had expected the porcelain one to speak it was the younger that put her thoughts into words first, her tone not as friendly as he had been expecting. His ears drooped a little but he did not let her retort put him off the fact that he was no longer alone. He thanked whoever had been watching over him and nodded, opening his maw to begin his explanation.

"I've only been here a day but I feared I was the only one. I...I'm so glad to see I wasn't the only one to survive. So glad." Were those tears evident in his eyes? "But no...I am not from Ama Galu'nadi." He was not sure if he'd even heard the name before but decided not to let it ruin the reunion.

"I am the only son of Fa'moyo Abadan and A'kiutu Subiani." He looked desperately saddened at the mention of their names but continued on despite that. His parents would not wish him to grieve forever and though he mourned their loss he knew it was time to let his heart heal. "I am.../was/ from the Shadow Clan. Ona'raha is my name." He placed a shy sort of smile on his face and raised one white forepaw as if considering taking another step forward.

RhubarbDumpling: A careful smile snaked over the maw of the pale lioness, head dipped in greeting.
"A pleasure to meet another of my friend's kin."

Here, however, she was swiftly corrected by the juvenile, tone disappointed and seeking anger to explain such.
"He is not kin. Uncle and grandmother are kin, and even your strange dreams do not tell of them."
Once more casting a suspicious gaze at the young male, the dark Ela'Wadiyian unfurled her tongue again in reply.
"I am Utlwa Galu'nadi. This is Kaure.
I am Sky clan."

Her ease of position was more affected than his, and the lioness beside her, for she stood limbs thrown astride, chin jutting defiantly.

Kimaria33: He tried his best not to look offended but failed miserably, the smile faltering on his face leaving only the tears shimmering in his glassy eyes. True he was not blodo related, but they were of the same pride even if not of the same clan. They were all connected in some way, even more so now that there were barely any of them left. Was it wrong of him to feel upset over the younger's words? He wasn't sure, but he knew deep down that whether she was nice or not she was still the first Ela' he had come across since the fateful day of Paytah's death.

"It's nice to meet you both." He replied, trying his best to sound cheerful. "I'm glad not to be alone anymore. Though I did have a guide for company, as well as a cub I met on the way."

He paused a moment then continued, "have you met any others? Are there many who have survived?"

RhubarbDumpling: Blurting an answer before Kaure has chance, Utlwa nodded to the last of the male's speech, remembering the other male they had encountered, member of the wolf clan, unless memory already failed her.
"We have met one other."

They had not yet found those they sought. But Kaure told her they lived, her dreams had told her so, and in the porcelain lioness Wally had something very rare indeed, for her, trust.
The adult, indeed, had a gift for seeing that which came to pass, for though the gift of foresight was not her own, she dreamed of that which happened elsewhere.
"I believe you are not alone, though your numbers are thinned," she stated softly.

Kimaria33: "One other?" Then there was more, and with that knowledge a great reasurance was placed upon the male. So there may be even more out there somewhere just waiting to be found and that thought was highly comforting. Living on his own for so long with no one but an avian for company had begun to take it's toll, but now that he had seen the proof of survival he knew he could rest easier.

This was only the beginning.

"I am glad there are others, truly!" He smiled genuinely and moved to sit down, letting the bangs of his white and grey mane fall into his tattooed face. "Are you two here to stay?"

RhubarbDumpling: "Indeed," the younger of the pair answered again, tone slightly easier, but still full of that which could come across as pride, or worse.
"We come seeking my kin, to be with them."

Kaure, heart soft as the youngers, but without the heat of anger running so deep in her veins, nodded at this assertion.
"We look for the Ela'wadiyi pride, that I may return this little one to their order."
Her charge may have scowled upon being called little, but it was with her usual serene smile that the porcelain lioness delivered her speech, regardless.

Kimaria33: Ona smiled softly, his tufted tail sweeping from side to side behind him. He was a short and stocky male with a thick mane twined with colours gifted from his mother. Even now when he took a peek at his reflection in the water he could see the image of his parents within him. The news and proof that his Pride was not dead had brought hope to life within him and with it the grief subsided - if only for a little while.

"You've found it!" He spoke, "or atleast I think so. My guide told me that this is where she saw others of our kind dwelling. She led me across the rocky path to this place." He swallowed nervously, hoping that Kucha had not been wrong. "And although you are the first I have met I am glad of it, Utlwa Galu'nadi. You gave me back my hope." And it was true.

RhubarbDumpling: The words could not be without some effect, even on a mind so stubborn as that of the juvenile, and with a nod of the head she acknowledged the male's speech.
"There are more," she uttered simply.
"Kaure saw them in her dreams."

The mention was made with a surprising amount of faith in one in general so wishing to distrust the world and it's inhabitants. Kaure, it seemed, had an ability Wally trusted in, and that the older lioness perhaps allowed the child to rely on when her spirits sank too low.

She had no comment, however, and merely nodded an affirmation.

Kimaria33: "What are you going to do now?" Ona questioned, ears drooping slightly, he ahd to admit he was unsure what step to take next. He had spent a good half of his life travelling to a promised land and now that he was here... "I feel lost." He admitted sadly, "I travelled here to find home, but this place is strange and filled with unfamiliar lions. I don't know what to do." Everything would have been okay if his parents could have been there at his side, but they were not and he was alone.

No, not alone. Not so long as this dark-pelted female remained.

She seemed somewhat rude and a little mean but Ona was one not to judge others, especially by first appearances. His greetings were often shy but that was not the real lion. Ona had a spirit more friendly and kind than any other but it was this shyness that made him seem somewhat anti-social. A shyness brought on by the trauma of his past.

Yet now, now he was face to face with someone who understood what he was going through and that was a great comfort.

RhubarbDumpling: "We will find my uncle, and my grandmother," she answered simply.
She knew they would be somewhere, it was just a matter of looking. If they were not in the pride's lands, she and Kaure would find someone who knew where they were, or when they would return. She and Kaure would find them, however long it took.

Like the male, Utlwa was not that which she showed, but rather a child screened by a facade, hurt belied by strength, her stubborn need to be above her own vulnerability allowing only that glimmer of her heart to sparkle when trust was achieved.
Her companion, however, had a heart too soft to ignore the male's appeal, and it was she who allowed herself to answer his further comments.

"You know none, then, who live in the lands we venture to?"

Kimaria33: He smiled softly, his eyes glistening as the younger Ela'wadiyi spoke of relatives and remembered fondly those of his family. For his grandfather too had perished at the jaws of plague, atleast now his family were together looking down at him and protecting him until it was his turn to join them. "I am glad you have family around here." He smiled, hoping desperately that she could find the ones she loved. That one little miracle could be the start of many to come, or so he liked to believe.

"I have no one. My grandfather perished...my parents soon after that. My friend died on the journey and if it was not for my golden guide I would not have made it myself. I was lucky to get here alive..."

He sniffed, "the only other I know is an outsider, a little cub named Pona. She's nice...but it isn't the same."

RhubarbDumpling: The words perhaps rang truer to Utlwa than her self-appointed guardian, but if she showed sympathy for his story, it was quickly hidden, and her remembrance for her own loss, though unknown to her, as happening before her birth, was in the smallest sniff, and a flick of the head.
Kaure, outwardly moved, bestowed a soft smile upon the young male, allowing her soft eyes to rest upon his face a while, an attempt at comfort.
"You shall meet more of your pride the further you venture into these lands, I am sure."

At this, the dark juvenile showed movement, for it hit upon her own hopes, her own family.
"Their settlement cannot be far now, I think."

Kimaria33: "I hope so!" He felt a little guilty that he had left Kucha and Pona to their own devices but knew deep down they would understand. He would not abandon them but finding his Pride was something he had to do without them. They were outsiders and though they meant well they could never truly understand how much this meant for him. It would be a turning point in his life, a moment he would never forget.

"Do you mind if I come with you? I...don't really want to go alone." He was hesitant to admit his fears, pawing at the ground sheepishly as he asked the question. What if they did mind? Well then he'd have to face his fears and find the clans alone.

He just hoped that when he did come face to face with the other Ela'wadiyi clans that he didn't lose his voice and succumb to the shy nature that so often let him down.

RhubarbDumpling: Doubt lingered in the emerald eyes of that dark femme, for a stranger, even of her own pride, was a stranger nonetheless.
Still, she was not entirely without sympathy, and the look on the white lioness' face bespoke a wish to help the other.
"Very well," she allowed at last, admitting him into the last trickle of journey to be completed, to where the small rabble of Ela'Wadiyians remained.

Kimaria33: A wave of relief swept over him with such force that Ona was almost forced to lie down. His legs shook and though tears dwelled within his eyes they were born from sheer joy and not sadness. He would get to meet the survivers of his Pride and he would get to do so by the side of another. Fear left him and in that moment Ona'raha knew that somehow everything would turn out okay.

His eyes swept upwards to the clouds that hung over his head and for a moment he took the time to thank his parents for being there and then with a small bow of his head he spoke again. "Thankyou Utlwa Galu'nadi! Thankyou Kaure." He was not sure what else to say, though he was sure they were aware of just how happy they had made him.