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The large and brightly coloured Kemkemu Jua'kali had been lounging on a rock, enjoying the warmth of a sun about as bright as his fur, when his ears flicked at the sound of a name being shouted. It wasn't his name, though, so he decided to ignore it. That was until it came again. And again after that. In fact, someone nearby was just calling the same name over and over again. And from what he could hear, it was a female voice.

His interest piqued, the male lifted his fluffy orange head and opened his yet brighter blue eyes, scanning the horizon for the young lass. It didn't take him long to spot her, and not all that far away, either. Looking a tad depressed, from what he could tell from that distance. And now that he could see it in her body language, he could pick it out in her voice as well. Obviously, this little flower was going through a rough patch in her life.

Kemmy furrowed his brows. No pretty young girl should ever wear a frown! Getting to his paws, he hopped off the rock and wasted no time in trotting over to Hababuu, his unmissable mane bouncing with each lively and energetic step he took. And as he drew up close to her, he fixed a warm smile onto his face. He'd learned in his life that most ladies liked to see a smile when they were feeling down, rather than a sympathetic and pitying look. Of course... he was certainly willing to allow it if they wanted to cry on his shoulder.

"Miss...?" he said quietly as he came to a stop near her, but not too close. He had also learned that females could be wary if he was too close and personal too soon. "Miss, are you all right?"

The instant she laid eyes on him, Kemkemu could see just how terrified Haba was. Obviously, the situation she found herself in was more serious than he had originally thought. Something had very clearly got to this young girl, something bad. Of course, he had no idea she was scared because she was out in the wilds by herself. He couldn't guess she had once been in pride lands and was afraid now that the protection and security was gone. After all, rogues came in all colours, shapes and sizes.

He softened his smile and took a little bit of a step back, slowly sitting himself down so that he didn't look as large and intimidating. "Excuse me, young miss, but you don't really seem fine to me," he replied, gently and delicately, wary of metaphorically stepping on her toes and making her more upset and agitated than she already was. "Would you like to talk about what's bothering you?"

Obediently, Kemmy looked around, from side to side and over his shoulders, as though Haba's twin would pop right out of the ground when he needed to be found the most. Unfortunately, that just wasn't how things worked, and Kemkem knew that. With a regretful shake of his head, he turned back to the distressed damsel. "I'm sorry, but I haven't. I'm new to this area myself, and I've only seen a pawful of lions... and you're the first one that looks like you that I've come across."

When she smiled at him, his own strengthened. At last! She didn't look so terrified of her own shadow. It was certainly a vast improvement. And even though it was small, he could tell it was a pretty smile. Though, he had enough sense not to tell her that. With her mistrust, it would just be a baaad idea. Kemmy was a very social lion; he loved the company of others, especially females. Even if it never amounted to anything other than friendly chitchat for a while, he always considered the interaction more than worth his time.

Kemmy nodded his head slowly and made a quiet 'oh' sound, not really a word, just a simple expression of realisation. "I see... It must be terrible to be separated from him. I can understand why you're out here. If I happen to see your brother, I will definitely tell him you're searching for him. You have my word."

His face fell a bit as she again started to act like a frightened cub, worried because he had no idea what he'd done wrong to make her feel that way again. He felt it had been going rather well up until that point; he didn't understand what had changed so quickly. But her questions distracted him from those thoughts, and his brows furrowed as he tried to think how best he could answer Haba.

"Well..." He struggled to find a way to explain it that Haba didn't run screaming from him, and didn't automatically mistrust every lion she met that wasn't a member of her pride, whatever it was, because obviously she was part of one, if she referred to all the rest as 'rogues'. Unfortunately, thinking like this wasn't Kemmy's biggest strong point. While not completely and utterly dense, he wasn't a genius, either. He would just have to just start out however he could, and... see where it went.

"It's not so simple as that, miss. Just like there are kind and mean lions in prides, there are also kind and mean rogues. I've been a rogue all my life, and I've met both in my time... of all shapes and sizes. Some that aren't even cats like us. But most of them... aren't bad at all. Being a rogue doesn't make anyone mean... Being mean is a flaw of personality... I guess. Not all rogues have that... flaw... thankfully." He paused, hesitating slightly, before continuing. "You might not believe it, coming from me and not being trusting like you are, but... I don't have it, either. I wouldn't hurt a mosquito, miss, I swear." And everyone knew mosquitos were the most annoything things ever.

Kemmy was greatly pleased when Haba moved toward him, even more so that it seemed to be an unconscious, natural thing. She was warming up to him, perhaps even starting to like him, and that was always a good thing, in his opinion. Perhaps they could even be friends, maybe spend some quality time together to get to know each other, to hang out for longer than the length of one conversation. It seemed inevitable of late that others always had to leave just as he built up a pleasant rapport with them. It would be nice if that could change every once in a while.

"You're welcome," he murmured warmly. Haba certainly was a nice girl, being so concerned about her brother, even though he could surely look after himself. He may be sick (of course, Kemmy thought that Haba meant physical health problems, not mental), but if he felt well enough to strike out on his own, then Kemmy was sure he'd be fine. However, he'd learned such reassurances didn't always go down well with people who knew their loved ones better, and so he would keep that opinion to himself until he knew it was safe. "I think you'll find him soon, though. Two souls as close as yours are can't stay separated for long."

As Hababuu took on a more abashed demeanour, he simply smiled kindly and shook his head. "It's quite all right; no need to apologise. It happens far too often for you to be sorry about it. One lion will have an encounter with a bad rogue, the story will get spread, and suddenly a whole pride is raising its cubs to be untrusting of us travellers. It's sad, but it's the way it is. We get a bad reputation a lot of the time... all because of the mean actions of one."

A thoughtful expression crossed Kemkem's face as he thought back to all the different wanderers he had met during his life, the reasons he had found out that they travelled like they did. And slowly, he said, "Well... there are many reasons, I suppose. Some want to see a certain place, and some want to see all places. Some are nervous of large groups like prides, and some simply prefer a quieter, more solitary life. Some are looking for something, and some are trying hard not to be found. There are some who just simply cannot sit still and be happy in one place, and there are some who just... like travelling. And yes, of course, there are those who have been thrown out or rejected by a pride, but those are few and far between." He smiled again. "But just because we wander doesn't mean we can't have a family, miss. Many times I have come across nomadic families, complete with a mother and father, and the little bundles of joy that come with them. My own family was like that, though my parents are gone now, and the locations of my brothers are unknown to me, sadly."

Again, Haba had thrown him a question that needed consideration, and he pursed his lips as he tried to form an answer. It came out slower than the first. "I guess... mostly, it's because I'm used to it. It's how I've lived all my life. Either with my family or on my own, I've never had a set home. It's all I know, really. My home is where I rest my head for the night, I suppose. But I also travel because I like to meet others from all over, rogues and pride cats alike. It's probably not strictly true, but I like to think the inhabitants of different areas have different personalities. And the rogues you meet in between are often very interesting."

He smiled with a nod, inclining his head slightly in her direction. "It's nice to meet you, Hababuu," he said. "My name is Kemkemu... or Kemmy, if you prefer that."

It seemed to Kemmy that things were now going swimmingly, and the big, bright male couldn't help but grin. This was what he wanted, for Haba to be comfortable with him. He wanted to make a friend, of course; he wanted the social interaction. Sometimes travel could be incredibly lonesome. Well... most of the time, to be honest. Kemmy was a male who had no ulterior motives when it came to spending time with others. That was all he wanted from them: a bit of their time spent with him. If it developed into something more, that was an added bonus that he welcomed.

He gave Haba a kind smile as he shook his head slowly. "No... You're not a rogue. You have a home to go back to. Even if you never go back, you'll always be welcomed back into your pride." Then, the bright male nodded his head in agreement. "It's always best to try and travel in company whenever you can when you're out here. The lands themselves aren't truly perilous, and most of those wandering aren't dangerous, but there's a certain amout of safety in numbers in case one does run into misfortune. Sadly, it's not as common as it might seem for strangers to pair up as travel companions and help rid each other of loneliness. You can't help but learn at least a small amount of caution out here. Even I can be wary of strangers if I don't get the right vibe from them."

Pleased at receiving a compliment, the young adult grinned broadly and even seemed to fluff up a bit. "Well, thank you, young lady. It makes my day to hear you say that. And I hope you don't mind me saying that your smile is very lovely to see, as well." Then he leaned forward with an almost conspiratorial smile, and said quietly, "To be honest, I don't know where I'm going." He pulled back again, and pointed slightly to his right. "I let my feet decide which way I go, and before I stopped to rest, they wanted me to go that way. They seem to have a good sense of direction, though, because they've never taken me to the same place twice yet." He gave a cheery laugh, his bright eyes twinkling.

Kemmy listened to Haba with equal parts sympathy and admiration. He thought she was very, very brave. Never mind that she was scared and wary of pretty much everything out here in the wilds. It took great amounts of courage to set out from one's safe zone alone and without a friend to keep you company. And he also admired that it was for a very selfless reason. She went out into potential danger to find her brother and make sure he was safe. Kemmy wished he'd been smart enough to keep track of his brothers' locations so that he could know they were all right.

Smiling warmly, the big, fluffy male nodded his head. "It would make me very happy if we stayed together for a while. I don't like being on my own, either. I've always preferred being with others, and you, my dear, are lovely company." Still smiling, Kemu got to his feet again and began slowly moving in the direction he had been travelling before, looking at Haba over his shoulder. "I think now is as good a time as any to begin moving again."