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As the began to leave this mortal plain for night to rule, a haunting noise filled the air. It was so disjointed in that it was clearly an adult's call. An adult's roar, booming and strong, like it could shake the earth. And yet, it was distressed. Repeating over and over again.

Sat by a large rock near a small patch of shubbery and saplings was a generously proportioned lion. He was very dark in pelt, with odd patches of white or grey, and a mane that was darker still. His tail thrashed about in distress, in time to his long roars for help.

He was in the process of another long drawn out roar when Leboya spoke. He visibly started and looked at her with wide eyes. Just her mere presence seemed to calm him almost instantly. His tail continued to move, but was in a smoother swish rather than its previous frantic flailings. He still fidgeted a little though.

"Its mah mum..." he started, with a voice so deep and strong sounding it could have commanded an army. "She's gone...and I can't find mah bruvver..."

Tipwa watched Leboya approach, and was nervous at first, but he was at least aware enough to know he was alone and helpless. This lioness could help him. His eyes never left her form right until she'd settled down to groom his mane. His mum used to groom his mane.

"Mah mum...she's gone...I went...to get something...like she asked me to...she looked real tired...she said she were tired...I come back with zebra...and she sleepin.." he began, his words a little slow, as if thinking each one very carefully.

"So I leave it for her...for later...and I feel sleepy too...so I sleep...has some nice dreams, of big water...and of the big grey lions I saw that day...I wake up...but mah mum doesn't...she's really really tired I think...so I start breakfast for her...she still not move, not wake up...have to chase off some monsters," he said calmly, then progressing into a vicious growl at the word 'monsters'.

Tipwa could never learn the real names for things and referred to them as how he saw them - big grey lions were elephants, monsters were hyenas. Like elements from a fairytale.

"Then pretty little bird...she tells me mah mum is gone...I tell her she's there and point," he said, and even demonstrated with a great big paw. "She means in another way...she never get up so I can't ask her..."

Tipwa looked at Leboya with sad and pleading ember-yellow eyes, like he was really trying to understand her and stay calm and be a good boy, like his mother would have wanted. Then he looked away a moment or two, trying to think.

"TAMBA!" he exclaimed with great excitement and happiness, fidgeting even with his outburst.

He was about to leave it there, as though this pretty lioness would know who that is. But then it occurred to him she was a new lioness and would need telling.

"Tamba. He's my bruvver...smaller than me but he's smarter...always smarter...and always helping me when mum couldn't," he said, visibly more cheerful. "He looks...a bit like me, but not JUST like me...he's not black, he's kinda darkish blue thingeh, like really dark big water."

"Yes! Tambuzi is his big name...I always called him Tamba or Tam...loads quicker and easier to say," he beamed at Leboya.

It took a little longer for her second statement to fully sink in and for him to then produce an appropriate response.

"Big water? Tamba lives near big water!? Like in the stories! He made it real, he really found it!" he babbled excitedly, physically fidgeting and looking ready to burst. "Mum used to tell stories of her old family, by the big water."

"You know how to get there?" he asked and blinked at her, his face a picture of wonder.

He followed her suit by also getting up and stretching, realising once he did that he'd been sat down for way too long and his legs were extra stiff. They wobbled a bit under his weight but he ignored that.

Within these few short moments, Leboya had handled herself very well and Tipwa felt safe around her. She reminded him of his mother, the security and the wellbeing, the irrefutable sense of being looked after. That nothing bad could happen if she was around. And perhaps that was why Tipwa had not gone too far from his mother's body (it was far enough away that it wasn't obvious). He didn't dare move for fear of losing that safety.

But this Lebby...she seemed safe. No monsters had come whilst she was here, that was a good sign. And she knew Tamba! That was also another good sign.

"Okay...Lebby," he said, with a slight hesitance. The only female he'd known in his life was his mother, and even with his younger sister, he'd never committed her name to memory.

"My name's Tipwa. I don't have a short name though..."

Tipwa made that embarrassed little laugh-chuckle whenever a child gets a compliment and is very happy about it. He even looked down at his feet a moment, shuffling them, and then bringing his gaze back up to his new friend.

"Umm..." he said, taking a look up and around him. Their meeting conversation hadn't been all too long, but the sun had almost completely gone now, leaving only that dim afterglow as a warm reminder of its glory during the day. "Its dark now...we might get losted or something..."

His whole form seemed to scrunch a little at the mention of dark and it was obvious he was uncomfortable.

"Maybe after sleep. I always sleep at night, mum said it was good for me. I like to be good. I am a good boy. We can find somewhere safe?"

"Okay," he said compliantly with a smile.

And despite Leboya still being rather bright even in the disappearing light, Tipwa then did something rather odd but instinctual to him. With incredible gentleness for a lion of his size, he leaned down and scooped up the soft tuft of her tail in his mouth, holding it like a human child would hold hands with their parent. He'd always done this with his mother, she told him it was so she'd never lose him.