This was a strange place, something tickling the back of her mind. Jua'taka carefully picked her way through the brush, eyes scanning the area. Was the pride that lived here hostile at all? If they were, they may have been biding their time to ambush her. This was making her persistant foray inward rather stupid. She suddenly stopped, looking around. Did she just... Hear something...? She looked around, then up, staring in fixation as the sun seemed to laugh at her. "What the hell kind of place IS this...?"

Call it a holler-back to her upbringing, but Mwengu found herself acting defensive about this intruder. She had to stop herself from attacking, though, as she remembered... This was a pride that welcomed anyone and everyone. This new lion wasn't posing any threat, simply... Confused. So she stepped out of the trees into the open, walking as if meeting an old friend. "These are the Kizingo'zaa lands. Muhali blessed this haven, for all who live here, and we live a peaceful life. What brings you to our borders?"

Kizingo'zaa? Jua looked at the other lioness strangely, noting the wing markings. "Who is Muhali? And I came in here for the sake of curiosity. I've never been in a place with so many..." She jabbed a giant leaf with a paw. "Leaves... What kind of place IS this?" Having grown up in a desert, she'd never seen a jungle before. She didn't know what it was.

"It's a jungle." Mwengu eyed the other lioness, one eyebrow going up. "What, never been in one before...?" She chuckled, then tilted her head. "You know, you smell... Somewhat familiar... Like a lion that had just joined my old pride when I was little... He was big and white with a firey red mane..." She blinked a bit, frowning. "Are you related to him...?"

Jua's ears went back, eyes narrowing, at the mention of her brother. "He's my brother, and he lives in ignorance." Her claws pricked out, touching the dirt. "We were lied to by our father, and my brother refuses to see the truth!" She looked away, glaring at the dirt. "I can never be near him again, if he refuses to see that wretch for what he was..."

Mwengu tilted her head the other way, ears twitching. "So much anger... You should relax, you know... It'll do you well." She pranced around the other lioness, smiling. "Relax, and maybe sleep... You'll feel better, I can gurantee it! Let sleep envelope you..." She tugged at some leaves with her claws, making a bed out of them and patting it. "Here, come lay down... It's soft."

The other lion seemed up to something, and Jua'taka was suspicious of her. There had to be some ulterior motive, there just had to be. She poked a leaf with a paw, eyes remaining on the other lion. "What's your angle...?" She'd grown up in times of suspicion. Everybody was likely to be up to something, as Kidondo had gathered his forces for rebellion. Jua wasn't about to let her wariness go.

"All I offer you is a place to rest. After all..." She looked to the sky. "It's getting dark. It's a time for rest." Mwengu looked back, offering the other a smile. "Just lay down. Nobody here will harm you. We follow few laws... We welcome all.. We simply do not condone violence..." She paused. "Except, I suppose, in self defense.. No sense in telling someone they can't defend themselves..."

The black lioness eyed the other suspiciously, stepping around her. "Right... I think I'm going mad here, I'm hearing things... So... I think I'm gonna GO now..." As she started to walk away, she heard a giggling. When she turned around, the other lioness was still staring at her. The giggling came again, and she looked over, spotting a flower. It seemed to be smiling as it giggled... Again, she supposed. "What madness IS this...?"

Mwengu let out a giggle. "Oh, you went mad as soon as you entered our borders!" She pranced around, blocking Jua's path for a moment. "See, we're all mad here! But it's okay, it's Muhali's blessing!" She grinned wide. "It's how we connect with our muses. See, we can't hear them properly if we leave... So we stay, so we can continue to have good talks." She pouted a bit. "My muse is so fleeting... But when I eventually die, I'll be able to become one with it again!" When she saw the confused look, she motioned at the sky. "The dancing lights in the sky are my muse. Once I was part of it, but I performed some disgraceful act and was born a lion. We teach cubs to find their muses, so that when they eventually die, they return to their muse."

The expression on Jua'taka's face was hard to describe. After a moment, she shook her head. "Right, goodbye." She pushed past the other lioness, heading back for the border. "I LIKE my sanity, thank you, and I'm getting OUT of here!" When she got a distance enough away to, she broke into a run, racing through the dark jungle. When she eventually stopped hearing voices, she slowed down, pausing just long enough to look back. If she ever had cubs again, she was warning them to AVOID that place...

Mwengu let out a sigh, ears to the side. There went a possible friend.... Maybe it was the way she'd started to stalk her. She'd have to break that habbit at some point. She shook her head, smiling widely. Oh well... She could go stalk Pepe. He was fun to stalk, now that she'd let her angers go with the bliss that came with her own insanity. Pushing leaves aside, she set off to find the other lion.