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The move was over, he had a new home, a new life and he was trying to take it all in calmly. The only problem was that by the time they made their way here Kiwi, now Maji, was just about ready to give birth, and shortly afterward she had gone off into isolation. That left Mkaa mostly alone in a pride full of strangers, still wondering on how he could possibly get a new name and how much anxiety was normal when your mate went off to give birth without you. Add that Mkaa had the task of making himself more familiar with other pride members and the territory, he had a great deal on his mind. It was times like this he wished he were more social, but he could take it slow. He certainly had time.

With a goal in mind, he wandered around. Worst case scenario, he would learn a bit about the swamplands he now called home. When he came by another lion, he hesitated a second but then had no intention of disrupting what appeared to be a very tired individual. So he moved to keep on going.

Too late. Mkaa flinched, but then put on sheepish smile and looked over at the familiar stranger. He stopped and faced Nari, but he did not immediately move closer as a respect for the other lion. Maybe it would be better to forget about all of his worries and actually meet somebody. It was better than just worrying about Maji and then wondering how he would really get around to introducing himself to all the lions he was supposed to know.

"Sorry about that," he apologized with a quiet laugh, "I didn't mean to disturb you."

Reassured, Mkaa smiled. He knew how to be friendly, he knew how to be polite.. there was no reason to be worried. What would his parents think of him, behaving like this? He shook his head at himself and stepped closer, looking more confident.

"I'm Mkaa," he introduced himself, "For now. It's nice to meet you Nari." He took a moment to appreciate that he had seen Nari around before, he was familiar looking. That almost never happened in the Pridelands. Not to a high degree of familiarity, anyway.

"That's right," he responded, though with an obvious touch of anxiety, "Maji has gone off now to give birth." It was difficult getting used to the idea of her being completely separated from him, but he wouldn't say so, especially to a relative stranger. Besides, he understood and respected the tradition, the meaning of it and the consequences. He just missed her and wondered just how big of a family he was about to have. He had normal concerns about upcoming family life, and expected concerns when his personality was considered.

But that was hardly suitable small talk.

"It's quite different here compared to where I came from," he commented lightly, trying to think of something to say, "Much more personal, it's nice." Mkaa did not want to offend, so he tried to choose his words carefully. He was being truthful, though.

"Thank you," Mkaa said politely, cheering up a bit. It would be OK, he was being completely ridiculous now. He managed a smile, relaxing a bit, nodding at the question. It was a logical leap to make, Mkaa wasn't sure he even knew exactly how many lions were in the Pridelands but there were a lot.

"Yes, I came from the Pridelands," he said, "There are so many lions, so many colors, I'm not sure how anybody could keep track of who was really a member of the pride. I suppose I never really liked that."

"It is very nice," Mkaa responded sincerely but almost automatically, "I mean, the best way to get crowded is to accept anybody in need of a home. I've never heard of anybody turned away."

He thought about it. He really hadn't been unhappy, he had just never been terribly social. There was nothing wrong with his former home, but Maji was here, this was where he wanted to be.

"I like it here, though," he murmured, looking around with a small smile.