It was hot. The flies weren't even buzzing, the heat too oppressive and the sun too strong. Umlotha snorted quietly as she rolled onto her back, trying to take a dust bath as the birds did to help ease some of the heat. She was already under the shade of a tree and far from the Bonelands, hoping the lack of animals would invite more breeze. She was fairly close to the Firekin outpost, actually. It hadn't been frequented by either pride in such a long time she didn't think it would be a problem. Or, rather, it didn't cross her mind that it might have been a problem.

Getting up, she gave herself a shake to get rid of the extra dust. Satisfied for the time being, she slumped down under the tree once again to make the most of the shade.

Not too far away, Soleil was trotting further and further into the rogue lands. She had heard that there was an injured water-seeker around here somewhere and she was hoping to find her before something else did. The heat out here wasn't anything new to the Firekin native and she took the beating sun in stride. The marking on her rump made her think that the sun had blessed her with a tolerance for the heat, for she was usually the last to grow weary after being in the sun for so long.

Movement caught her eye and she turned towards a tree where a dark lioness lay. There was no flare of red, but that didn't mean this wasn't the water-seeker she was looking for. "Hello! Brasa?" she asked, only knowing the name of the female that was out and injured, but not her appearance.

The call made Umlotha lift her head and narrow her eyes at the approaching lioness. It was clear where she was from - the coloration of the female and her size alone let her know this was a Firekin. Umlotha hadn't seen one of the desert natives before and she had to admit she was impressed with her pelt. They were quite striking, especially when she was used to seeing such natural, neutral tones among her own pride.

"No," she said, not bothering to get up. She was too hot to play with this female. "Umlotha."

"Oh...terribly sorry," Soleil said as she paused, still at a distance where she needed to speak up to be heard. "You haven't seen another Firekin around, have you? I'm not sure what she looks like...probably red, black, white, or a combination of those colors."

Umlotha shook her head and flopped back down on to the ground. "Nope. Sorry." Gods...did she just apologize? She never said that! She cursed quietly under her breath, wondering if this was what it took to reduce her to a passive and harmless cub. Just a bit of heat and boom, there went her energy and her desire to mess with everyone. It was awful.

The rather lackluster response from the dark female made Soleil pause for a moment. She hesitated before moving in closer, her natural concern for others overshadowing the fact that she really should move on. "Are you all right? I'm a trained medic if you need assistance."

That made Umlotha laugh. She looked up at the female with a raised brow and a small smirk. "Me? Need help? I don't think so. It's just too hot to do anything."

"Oh...I see. It was quite warm," Soleil agreed, unsure if she should press the question or just let the lioness be. Obviously she wasn't hot enough that she was in danger, it just seemed to make her rather grumpy. "The desert is like this frequently during the day so it's fairly normal for me, but I can only imagine what having all that dark fur does." Her pelt was about half black and half red, so she considered herself lucky. Her mate and some of her children were luckiest of all with white fur. Sometimes, though, the white fur was a bit of a curse as it made it easier for the sun to burn the tender skin under it.

Umlotha rolled a shoulder in a shrug, obviously not too concerned with her pelt. She liked it dark. It was a sign of strength in the Bonelands and that, combined with her size and attitude, made for a formidable female. This Firekin obviously didn't know the Boneland ways, or perhaps she didn't realize she was a part of the female-dominated pride. "Eh. The price to pay to be sought after," she said with a purr, her tail flicking. "Where I am from, the darker the pelt the stronger the lion. I'm quite the catch."

Soleil gave a quiet 'ah' as she realized who she was talking to - a Bonelander. She had never met one of them before but she knew quite a bit about the pride thanks to other that traveled there to visit. "Well, that's a heavy burden to bear, I'm sure," she said with a weak laugh. "I'm glad you take it gracefully, though."

"Oh yes, the heaviest burden," Umlotha said with a dramatic sigh. "It's hard to beat off the males, really. Begging me for their cubs." A massive lie if ever there was one, but she didn't care. She'd never see this lioness again after she finally left. As if to hurry the process along, Umlotha gave a massive yawn and rested her head on her paws. "You should go before they find you, by the way," she hummed. "They don't take kindly to intruders."

The warning made Soleil's fur stand on end just a bit. She was sure she wasn't in anyone's territory, but the realization that this lioness might actually be lying about who she was hit her hard. "Ah...yes, of course. Well, I hope you enjoy your nap." She turned and retreated quickly, off on her search once again for the missing water-seeker. She had become a medic for a reason, after all. Soleil was no fighter, and she was sure that dark female was, whether or not she was from the Bonelands.

FIN
WC: 1022