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It might have been a problem, once upon a time, getting up so early but now Jitokeza was a happy early riser. It was hard to sleep through the harassment of two cubs trying to get you up, so he had adjusted his sleeping patterns. He was up with the sun and then on his way to where he and Anjali had agreed to meet up for the morning. He could already hear some birds around the swamp, he was sure their bird-watching trip would be successful this time.

Once he was close to the meeting spot, he could see Anjali waiting there for him. It was good he didn't have to wait but now he had to wonder how long she'd been waiting.

"Good morning," he called, his pace slowing as he approached, "You're up early, I hope you haven't been waiting long!"

"Alright," he said, not sure if she was being honest but if she wasn't she was being nice about it anyway so, all was well. It was a lovely morning, "You can already hear some birds out so there should be plenty around the little frog pond." And while everybody else slept, there wouldn't be anything to disturb the birds- or the frogs, they might even see more of those!

Optimistic, Jitokeza started walking along the path towards the frogs and the birds.

He didn't mind that she stayed a step behind him but he did feel a little awkward. Then again, until she got used to finding her way around, it was probably more comfortable for her. As long as she stayed cheerful, he would be OK with that. It was nice doing something with just one other lion, not that he didn't like Baridi or her family, there were just a whole lot of them.

"Quiet is probably the safest way to go," he said thoughtfully, "If we want to hear the singing, anyway. We might find someone chatty, though, too. You never know."

"Quiet's probably best to start for either, but they're probably used to lions wandering by," he thought aloud, not entirely sure what the best way to go would be. Certainly they shouldn't run through like something was going on. They weren't being very loud anyway. Her comment about having fun made him smile.

"The only downside of going out in the morning is it hasn't warmed up much yet," he commented when she mentioned the dirt. The damp, squishy earth was also colder now that it was just starting a new day. But if you could handle it while it was cold, you were really all set.

Jitokeza looked up to the sky, considering how warm it might get before they got the lake but it wasn't looking hopeful. This would be cold and squishy but it wouldn't be warm until much later, it was the price they paid for getting up so early in the morning.

"Hopefully they're out," he said brightly, they sang most before they had chicks but then the chicks made a whole bunch of other noises so.. unless they'd moved, they should find something interesting.

Stopping and standing still, he listened for what Anjali heard, smiling at the sound of the frogs. It was a sure sign they were out quite early but it wasn't that bad a sound, either.

"Frogs, but we're getting closer, we should start hearing the birds," he said brightly, and he stepped carefully as the land became squishier as they round near the frog's pond. He decidedly didn't take the way directly beside it, hoping to avoid unnecessary cold. The soft, musical chirps of a small group of songbirds could faintly be heard as they came nearer and nearer their destination.

Having made this trip with two noisy juveniles before, Jitokeza was confident they wouldn't cause much disruption- so long as they didn't trip or slip or something silly. It happened sometimes but hopefully it wouldn't happen this time.

Through the trees, the frog pond seemed to be quiet and still in the early morning light but the sounds of frogs contradicted the image. The birds became more and more apparent the closer they came, their shadows fluttered through the leafy branches and the songs became louder.

"Hmm."