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For all the time that Damu had spend in the forest, she just couldn't seem to unearth all of its mysteries. Even if she explored every inch of the woods; as soon as she turned around something new seemed to pop up from no where. This had been the reason that for the past few weeks the leopardess hadn't left the forest she used to call home. Way too many questions without answers, puzzels not solved, territory unexplored, not memorized.

Finally however, she decided to take a break. Resting near a nice cool stream, protected from the sun by the trees above her. From her fixated position, she could easily see the exit to the forest which lead out into the plains.

It was odd for her; to think that she so close to the outside world, the world she always wanted to see, the world that was really full of mysteries, and yet she was still too fasinated by this one forest to leave...

Enough was enough.

She had made her choice the moment she left her fellow tree-walkers. She had decided to finally persue her dream of being an adventurer. An explorer of uncharted territory. A hero.
She was simply being ignorant, making excuses for now leaving by now! That was unacceptable. Damu needed to wake up and smell the roses, she was free to do as she pleased now. She didn't need to follow orders, worry over intuders, or anything of the sort. She was free. Free.

She slumped back down from her sitting posture into a laying one, allowing some of the water to run underneath her front paws. If she could leave any time... Why was it so hard to leave?

She didn't jump when Renzi emerged from the forest, but the leopardess did have a look of slight surprise on her face. It quickly went back to it's normal, observing expression, but she did look a little shocked for a brief second. Which was rare considering Damu usually didn't express many emotions. (Other than a few seconds ago when she sighed and appeared deep in thought wink she had lived in a forest with few other visitors, so that might have been the reason for her cold, stern look that often hid a smile underneath.

Her unintented icy gaze cast itself against the lioness who had just approched the leopardess.

"I'm afraid your in the wrong direction then." Damu finally found the words to fill her mouth. She also forced herself into a sitting position as she remembered she had the ability to speak. "The mountain exit is in the other direction." She looked over at where the mountains undoubtly were waiting.

Damu thought for another moment before she spoke again. "It's an awfully confusing path however. You might get lost without a ... Guide." She had stopped for a few seconds to think of a suitable word. The leopards in the area didn't exactly think of themselves as guides, but most were willing to show a lost stranger the way out of the woods, or too a specific exit. If not at least give easy to follow instructions. They weren't all too approving of strangers in the woods after all...

Damu's first reaction was her blinking. Well, what was she expecting? She was a resident of this forest, and a perfect oppertunity to be helpful to a stranger. Despite her undisplayed shock, it didn't take her long to give a responce. At that her responce was odd. Very much different then from a meal or two that the lioness was offering.

"I'll help you regardless of what I get in return." She paused for a short moment before continuing. Finding a way to phrase what she wanted to say without it seeming overly weird. When she couldn't come up with a decent way to say it she simply blurted it out with no second thoughts.

"If you don't mind though, I would like to acompany you to where ever your travelling." She said bluntly.

Forcing herself back into a sitting position, Damu was moreorless ready to stand when she need to. Which was undoubtly perhapes at the longest eight seconds from now... It didn't bother her much though, since she was about to embark on a journey across the unknown world even before the lioness had shown up.

"Damu." She said. Her name was Damu Chui actually, but she considered that too be to long and pointless in saying when simply refering to herself as Damu was much shorter and convient.

Besides, there was no time for worring about saying your partner's full name if you got trapped somewhere unexpected. At that point you'd probably just scream out 'help' in hopes someone would hear you.

That had almost happen to Damu once, getting trapped and being forced to rely on some stranger that may or may not have actually been around. She'd been following a trail near the mountains that she hadn't noticed before when she had slipped and ended up rolling down a steep hill. Rolling, and rolling, some more rolling, unable to get her proper footing; until her body slammed into a rock, which ended her continuous downhill fall.

She'd been lucky enough that she hadn't been overly hurt by that rock. Otherwise she wouldn't have been able to drag herself to safety until her minor wounds healed...

"What's your name?" She finally asked, noticing that she had been too wrapped in her own thoughts to realize she was creating an akward silence.

"Likely much more than I tend to notice." She admitted, carring herself in the direction the lioness was headed in. It was likely true. Damu had lived a life that involved her, herself, and briefly, her cubs. Although she was ... A little unaware about the last one. Long story short, the rock she was thinking of wasn't the last one her head had a collision with.

But, Damu was not used to having to respond to people. Not used to seeing anyone other than some familiar leopards wandering around the same territory as she did. Appearently however, Renzi didn't mind the silence that came with conversing with Damu. After all she was alarmingly close to her when she had managed to remember to talk.

Was that how strangers greeted each other? Outside of the forest that is, if friendly did they get all up close to one another? Damu doubted it, it was probabley just something Renzi did. Since no one can be spared of having their own flaws.

Damu gave a nod and continued walking. Briefly thinking of what Renzi had just said before concentrating on the present. Glancing at her surroundings, determinding which path would lead them to the mountain quickest. All the while, remaining quiet as usual. She wasn't that much of a talker after all. Instead, she prefered to listen to what others said, only saying what she wanted to be heard when she felt it needed to. It was rare for to go into a full on rant about something after all.

"So..." She said, ending her silence. "If you don't mind me asking, why is it you need to go to the mountains?" Damu had to admit, she was a little curious. Granted, exploring up there was thrilling, and the scenery was remarkable, but she couldn't help but think that an amazing view wasn't what the lioness was after.

"We are." She said bluntly, although her answer was probably unrequired. It was a known fact after all that leopards were better climbers than most species. Something that at least all the creatures in the forest knew. Renzi had conformed that ground-dwelling creatures had gained this understanding as well. For whatever reason this made Damu slightly happy. To know that her species wasn't being all too ignored.

Her slight glee was deserted though, and instead she began to come up with different things that Renzi might want to see in the mountains. Might want to investigate. It got her curious. The idea of finding something that even Damu would be interested in. Much like when she first started exploring it was because she was curious. Now she wanted to get to the mountains faster, discover the undiscovered and bask in the glory of finding something no one else had.

So what was it that Renzi had to go to the mountains for? It could be as simple as meeting with someone...

She had completed ignored the fact that Renzi had suggested that she was simply going to the mountains for the sake of it. Like it some how didn't click it in her brain and instead left Damu to go on thinking of different reasons for visting the highlands...

Renzi's voice snapped her out of her thinking world and back into the actual one. "Not even in the slightest." She somewhat almost smiled. Her natural stern expression hindered this though.

Damu didn't know her family. Couldn't remember them no matter how far back her memory went. It was strange really. Most parents lived with their children, or at least one did. But not for Damu, it was more like she simply just seemed to exist.

She shook her thoughts away again, focused on reality before she fell off a cliff or something. "I never knew my family anyways, and the other leopards in the forest never bother to make friends with each other or myself. So there is no worries of anyone chasing after us."