Mindra was, once again, lounging by the rouge lands. Her last encounter had been a pleasant one and she was hoping for another fun encounter today as well. Her rainbow tail flicked back and forth as she settled down on a warm rock, her grey fur blending in nicely to give her at least some protection from any threats. Not that there were any, of course. This was the Pridelands where lions reigned supreme, and all other creatures knew it. There was a friendly atmosphere to the whole place, though, and even the prey beasts walked calmly among the predators. There was an ebb and flow here that promised safety and health to everyone through a special relationship.

Blowing a breath of air through her nose, Mindra rested her head on the warm rock, eyes squinting against the sun. She wondered if there might be a better rock to lay on, one that offered a bit of shade as well, but she was too comfortable to move. Something caught her eye and she lifted her head, her heart leaping as she realized it was a rouge. Hurrah! She darted off her rock and ran through the grass, grinning ear to ear.

"Hi!" she said as she pounced in front of the stranger before recoiling a bit. "Whoa!"

Mez, who had been minding his own business, lifted his head from the snack he was munching on that a vulture had dropped. Oh dear. He knew he cut a rather imposing figure, but to have blood all over his face really didn't make his friendly nature shine through. That, and he had been startled by the sudden greeting, so his fur was sticking up more than it already did.

"Ah, hello," he said with what he hoped was a friendly smile. He quickly worked at rubbing the blood from his face with a paw, getting his ankle wrappings a bit dirty in the process. Oh well, they could be washed. "Sorry, you caught me by surprise."

Mez's words made Mindra blink, and she realized how rude she had been to just jump in on the poor male. "Oh, no no no, it's my bad," she said, ducking her head in embarrassment. "I'm really sorry! Ugh, I should stop just pouncing on people," she added with a weak laugh, to which Mez chuckled.

"That's quite all right. You must be a great huntress. I didn't even hear you coming," he said with a grin. He had managed to clean his face up so he didn't look quite as terrifying. "I'm Mez, by the way," he added, finally taking a closer look at the female. Huh...she had the same pale rainbow coloration as his friend, Mlinzi. Of course there were thousands of lions in Africa, so it wasn't odd to see the same marking twice. But generally it mean someone was related to another lion...

"I'm Mindra," Mindra said with a grin, glad Mez wasn't upset with her. "And yeah, I'm pretty good," she added with a little smirk, flexing her claws. "I'm really fast so they send me out to exhaust whatever it is we're hunting that day."

"Ah, a nice strategy," Mez said with a nod. He was quiet for a moment before clearing his throat, unsure if he should ask or not. The look Mindra gave him - one of confusion - was enough to let him know that she had picked up on his suddenly hesitant body language. "Sorry, you just...you look a bit like a good friend of mine."

Mindra tilted her head to the side, smiling just a bit. "Oh...well, it's a small savanna, maybe we're related! I've lived here all my life though. What part of me reminds you of your friend?"

"It's your rainbow markings," he said after a moment, wondering if Mlinzi had ever traveled up here in his younger days. Or perhaps her mother had gone to the K'A...

"Oh! Nope, that's from my mom. She's got rainbow dragon markings," she said with an enthusiastic nod. Mez gave a soft 'ah', the sudden resemblance disappearing. Of course there were other rainbow lions out there. Rainbow dragon? He was pretty sure Mlinzi would have mentioned having a relative like that.

"Well, never mind, then," he said with a little laugh. "Well, you're very beautiful and I bet your mother is as well," he said with a little wink which made Mindra flush under her fur.

"Oh, thank you," she said sheepishly. "Ah, I should let you get back to your snack. I really didn't mean to interrupt. And I think I have to go...uh...go hunt, actually," she added,looking up at the sky. The sun had passed its peak by now and it was around twilight when her group would gather to decide where they'd hunt. "It was nice to meet you, Mez! Enjoy your snack!" Mindra said before darting back through the grass.

Mez watched as Mindra babbled and hopped away, an amused look on his face. Well, that had certainly been interesting. She did remind him of Mlinzi despite what she had said, though. Perhaps it was her mannerisms rather than her appearance, but there was just something he couldn't put his paw on. Oh well...as far as he knew Mlinzi didn't have any kids, so he really shouldn't be even thinking about it. Perhaps he'd tell him when he got back to the K'A.

Mez settled down to finish up his snack before moving on. He enjoyed stopping near the Pridelands because they were so plentiful and friendly. He shook himself out before deciding it was best to move on, leaving the pride and the not-Mlinzi daughter behind him. He set his paws in the direction of home, ready for a nice break. He felt like he was due for a 'vacation' from work, as he'd been out and about so much recently. Ah...he'd have to check on Theseus when he got back. She was growing so fast, especially when he was gone for long periods of time. A smile on his face, he set off for home, ready to see his adoptive daughter.

FIN
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