They had found the strip of green that had taunted them in the distance for so very long, but it wasn't quite as helpful as they had hoped. It was an improvement over the sere plain, of course, and there had been more plentiful game. But something that all four of them seemed to be longing for was missing. There was nowhere here to actually make a home. It was something indefinable, a quality that would speak to them... or not. This place did not speak to any of them, not in a solid enough way to remain and settle down.

It was a pleasant enough place, of course. The green they'd seen from a distance was taller-than-average trees, that stretched their limbs towards the hot blue sky. Birds flocked there avidly, way up in the branches where it would take a very small feline indeed to reach them. The long, slender branches refused to bear much weight, as Maji had discovered very early on. That girl was a positive acrobat, but even she was foiled by the way these trees grew. The trees did offer some shade, but their foliage was sparse, and truth be told, there weren't very many of them, despite the fact that they trailed all along the edge of the still trickling river.

The running water was also a mixed blessing. Yes, it brought game and provided mud that slowed down the flight of prey. It also cooled the area dramatically, making lounging along the bank a much more appealing prospect than moving out from under the trees. However, one did have to wade through mud to get to the clean water to drink, and there were dangerous things hiding in that mud and in that water. Crocodiles were known to lurk, quite undetectable, until some unwary creature stepped too close. That was generally the last of that creature, even the slender, fleet-footed gazelle.

So they had chosen to keep moving, traveling along the bank, waiting out the heat of the day, and often traveling during the coolest hours of night. This night they had chosen to stop early, as they'd found a more dense clump of trees and figured to use their sparse shade for resting beneath. The horizon was only just beginning to color as Maji and Vaalia settled down wearily to sleep. That cheeton seemed to spend more energy than all three of them put together while they traveled, but always seemed to awaken fresh and energetic once more. Jacundi couldn't quite understand it, but thought perhaps it was the cheetah blood in her. Those creatures never seemed to flag! Kekkel, however, had left her bags and mask beside the other females, and had moved to the edge of their little grove, and was sitting, gazing up at the fading stars with a pensive expression.

Despite how tired he was, he drifted quietly over her direction rather than settling down himself. He drew abreast of her, gazing at her face, which she rarely left uncovered for very long. He could tell how she was struggling with what their lives had become, and his heart ached for her. "It will get better," he promised her softly, sitting on his haunches close beside her. "It won't always be like this." He gestured vaguely with a paw, taking in the trees, the sluggish river, and the brightening sky. "We'll find a home."

Kekkel kept her eyes on the disappearing stars, and heaved a sigh at her friend's words. He was right, of course. It couldn't go on like this, an unending nightmare of unhappiness and lack of belonging. But she had been happy in Sikukuu. Life had been perfect, or as perfect as could possibly be. She liked to think she was the sort that could roll with what life could throw at her, but this had not been a punch she had been able to avoid or absorb. It just was so very hard! She sprawled onto her belly and laid her head on her forepaws, sighing heavily again. "Home is to be in the heart, and in the family," she said softly. "You are home to Kekkel, and Maji, and Vallia." Which was entirely true. But... for once, it simply wasn't enough for her, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him that. Best friends they might be, but she was finding herself longing for so much more... some of it beyond her own ken. How could one absolve such wrongness when one didn't even know what was needed or wanted?!

Jacundi leaned over to groom the leopardess' ears affectionately. "Just because I am family does not mean I am all you need. Nor are the other girls." It was clear to him that she was pining. He presumed it was for the stability and contentment they'd lost when the pride had been chased off by those hateful wasps. However, the depth of the blue funk she was still sinking in seemed a good deal deeper than that. She seemed to need something more than just hope of a safe place to rest her head and make her masks and jewelry. For now, those things were plenty enough for the male hyena. But he was not a female, nor was he a feline. He knew there were depths to which he could not grasp, and it pained him to know he had no means to soothe her hurts.

He tried again, this time looking off across the horizon wistfully. "I know not all hurts have a simple solution. I wish I could offer you one." He paused, turning to gaze down at her again, his aching heart in his eyes. "I cannot tell you how much I wish I could unexpectedly produce something that would ease your pain and bring joy back to your soul, my friend," he added softly, "but I can promise you this. I won't leave your side until we find it. Together. Whatever it is, however long it takes." He leaned to nose her cheek lovingly, and she rubbed her cheek against him with a faint rumble of a purr. "Your happiness is mine, so we will go on until we both are once more content. Deal?" He offered her a paw. She smiled wanly up at him in the growing brilliance of dawn and reached her own paw to tap his.

"Deal it is," she answered, somehow finding comfort in his devotion to her. She shifted as he settled down beside her, leaning his shoulder-heavy bulk into her. As the sun broke the horizon, she curled around his already softly breathing form, closing her eyes to the dawn to sink into the solace of sleep.