Kaa'lee wandered through the trees slowly, her head bent low. Her encounter with the queen's daughter was... interesting. She had told her vauge details of the pride that made their home here. It seemed... nice. Honestly, Lee didn't really know what to make of it. For now she lingered, since she was granted safe passage. But would she stay?
The pride's beliefs seemed pleasing enough. Lee didn't loath males, but she did feel more at ease in the presence of other girls. Perhaps it would be nice to stay.
All these thoughts clouded her mind, until she sighed heavily and shook them free, eyes closing tightly. For now she wouldn't worry about it... For the moment at ease, she bent her head down and licked at the water from a stream. She decided to keep close to the water, since it seemed well protected.
Kannon was taking a break from watching over the queen's daughters. Kiuma's brood were all sleeping, and it gave Kannon a few moments of peace that she took advantage of. Of course...the northern lioness didn't mind watching over them in the least. In fact...watching young ones was where she excelled, where she was most comfortable in this tiny pride. This family.
Cubs opened up Kannon's heart in more ways than any adult could do. Honestly...the lioness was certain she would give anything for the health and safety of a cub. Even male cubs earned some warmth from her. She let go of a contented sigh and stretched out, letting her silvered paws dangle in the water of one of the streams the branched off the main river.
She would have likely stayed like that until the cubs pounced her...but something caught her brown eyes. Curious, Kannon raised her head. Well...another lioness. A visitor, or had another come to join them? Either way, Kannon was not the sort to be rude. "Good day."
Lee jumped, startled by the other lioness' presence. She had not noticed her a moment before, which made her more anxious. Lee was not the type to be rude either, but she was the type to be very nervious, especially around new people.
So she ended up just staring at her for a while, eyes slightly wide. Finally she found her voice, and let out a rough sounding...
"Hey..." Her voice seemed misused and a touch deeper than most females, and as she continued on a slight stutter was revealed. "Are you... part of this pri..pride?" Her demeanor wasn't particuarly weak or submissive. It merely seemed that she had not met many other lions in her life, people she could speak with and learn from.
Kannon had been about to break the rather...awkward silence. She had started to get just a little fidgety...being stared at had that effect on her. When the other broke the silence, she was a bit relieved...and a bit caught off guard. She'd never really heard someone have trouble talking...it just...well, the lions she'd grown up with just weren't the sort to get tongue-tied. Especially not around her. She smiled encouragely and nodded.
"That I am. A rather new part, but Kiuma and her family have already become sisters to me." She pat the scars on her cheeks...like pink tear-trails. "Are you just visiting?" Visiting wasn't really a word she thought appropriate...but it was the only one in her vocabulary at the moment. Those that managed to find the pride found it for a reason...Like Kiuma's friend, Moto'nyota, had found sanctuary and time to heal.
"I..." She paused, blinking at her again for a moment. She didn't quite know what she was doing here either. She had come into the forest because of the security she thought the trees might give... And she had been rather weak, until she had drank from the stream and hunted a little in this paradise.
"I... guess... I Don... don't know if I'll sta...stay. People have been ver...ver... very, very nice. So I might." Her gaze flickered away for a moment, then she looked back, ears twitching back anxiously. "Kaa..Lee. I'm Lee."
Ah...so this one was like Kannon herself, a bit. Kannon had just run across Kiuma's little paradise...and ended up staying. This place had called to her as Home so strongly...Kannon stood, showing she wasn't nearly as large as many of the other grown females. In fact...she could have been considered on the small side, if not for the way she held herself. She was comfortable in her own fur, and rather didn't care if someone else didn't like it.
"If you do choose to stay, Lee...I doubt you would be unwelcome at all." Kannon made a slight bow, smile never faltering. "I am Kannon. Though...if you wish, 'Non is perfectly fine."
She shifted a bit when Kannon stood, her eyes flickering over her small body. Curious, judging, but not rudely. Her gaze drifted back to her face after several seconds.
"N-non, o...okay. Nnn, I guess not..." She nods a little, now looking down at the water. She was unsure what to say next, being not used to small talk. Her paws shifted a little, claws kneading the wet earth and pebbles. The awkwardness lingered for a minute or so, until Kaa'lee glanced back up at her.
"Bb...been... here long?"
With all the rather...outgoing creatures Kannon had encountered in her travels from her father and then in Kiuma's pride, the brown-eyed lioness was a little curious as to why this other lioness seemed so...Shy.
"Not long, no. Only a couple of months. But...I feel like I should have been here long ago. This place has been more of a home to me than anywhere else." She kept her voice even, despite her want to just let all her joy out. She didn't want to scare Lee. She seemed so...well, almost delicate. Like her voice would shatter if Kannon spoke too strongly.
"Ah..." She nods a little, one paw lifting to scratch idily at her other front leg. Her fur in general was a bit untamed, but not very dirty. It stuck out at odd angles here and there, giving her a rather rugged appearance. Intense grooming was another habit she seemed lacking in. At least she didn't stink.
Lee looked around at the trees, listening to the birds high above calling to each other, frogs ribbiting, and other sounds of the jungle. "Nice. I.. mean, it's nice here. Pretty. Loud though. I'm not uu...used to these sou..sounds."
Kannon chuckled a bit. "I had to get used to it myself. But I don't mind the noise...this place is alive. The birds and preybeasts and small creatures flourish here, just as this pride is starting to do." And life...life was something Kannon treasured. And something she protected as caretaker of the cubs. She was silent a moment, just taking in the birdsong that floated through the trees.
Then she turned her dark head to Lee. "I hope you don't think me rude but..." Her smile turned a little sheepish. "Would you like some help taming your fur? You still look a little travel-worn." Honestly, Kannon couldn't help but be a little motherly towards most other females.
Kaa'lee had been content to fall into silence, letting the birds fill in the gaps. They had such a beautiful song, one that Lee had never heard before.
When Kannon offered the grooming session, Lee blinked at her in confusion, eyes slightly wide. It seemed she didn't really know what to make of the offer, or the contact that would come with it. Touching, speaking, and being around other people in general was something Lee was not used to.
Finally she settled down a bit, glancing down at the water again, fidgetting. She merely nodded, her ears perked with cautious curiousity.
