Lulana squinted up at the sky as the moon shone down on her sun-warmed fur. Things certainly had been strange lately, from the sun and moon winking in and out to whispers on the wind and that strange feeling she was constantly being watched. As all Firekin were trained to do, Lulana was more than capable of taking care of herself out here in the rogue lands, but it still was rather unnerving to be sure you heard someone right behind your shoulder, only to whip around and see nothing at all. The changing light didn't help her nerves much and it was with a grumble that she decided it would be time to find a place to call it a night. Or day. Whatever.

Not far away, Jahim was also glaring up at the sky as the sun once again disappeared, leaving the stars and the moon to fade into view as if they'd been there all along. She was exhausted from the march back home from the Mwezi and although their mission seemed to be a success, a bunch of their original party were stuck behind a mountain and the Nergui were nowhere to be found. It was a disappointing venture as she hadn't even been able to go along with the group, but hopefully some good would come of this.

A pale figure in the distance made Jahim stop short, her ears pointing forward as she scented the air. While unfamiliar, there was something nostalgic about the smell... something she couldn't quite put her paw on until the wind changed and she got a face full of the stranger's scent. Desert. Home.

"Hey," she called out to the figure, turning to trot towards her. Perhaps someone in their group had gotten a little misplaced, although none of the others smelled like home to her. Strange...

Lulana froze as she heard yet another voice, although this one was loud and clear. Turning, she could see a red lioness making her way towards where she stood and it only took a moment to recognize the strong, large figure of a Firekin. When she had set out Lulana wondered if she'd bump into the foray and it seemed that was the case even though this was just one lioness out of many that had gone. Hopefully everything was all right.

"Hello," she called back, turning to greet her former pride sister. "Are you from the foray?"

"I am," Jahim said as she drew close enough to the other female to speak without shouting. "Are you?"

"No," the pale female answered, leaving it at that. She knew that although blues were tolerated in small amounts in the Firekin now, some still held a stigma against it. She hoped in the darkness her blue areas were hidden, as even white and black Firekin were more welcomed than those like her.

Jahim didn't bother to press for reasons why Lulana was out by herself, more relieved that she had stumbled into their path. That meant they had to be close to home if the smell of the sand and heat were still on her fur.

"Well, that's fine," the red lioness said with a huff. "I'm just glad that we seem to be close to home. The Mwezi are all right, but I didn't get to do one single thing other than sit around and listen to them talk about the great lion," she said, her tone mocking as she rolled her eyes heavily. "Ugh...a bunch of religious idiots if you ask me."

"That's a shame," Lulana said with a tiny smile. It was kind of funny how some of the Firekin were so against the possibility of gods and beings more powerful than them. "What of the Nergui?"

"Gone, apparently," Jahim said dryly. "Didn't even get the chance to swat one of them across the nose. Pah! Some adventure this was."

"Well...you still got to get out of the pride," Lulana pointed out. "That's a bit rare for those that aren't Ambassadors."

"I guess," Jahim muttered, kicking at a rock at her feet. She had wanted glory and blood and fighting, not a walk through the Savannah that ended up with a bunch of sitting around and twiddling their toes. Why did she have to be so red? Her sister had gotten to go! So unfair. Once they were reunited she'd have to bug her to see if her time stuck behind the mountains had been as dull as Jahim's time with the Mwezi.

"Is the rest of the foray nearby?" Lulana asked when it became clear Jahim wasn't going to expand upon what had happened. The red lioness nodded, lifting her head again to glance at the pale female.

"Yeah, they're not far. Settling in for the 'night' if it's gonna stay this way. Seems to have stuck for now," she groused, glancing up at the sky as if it had offended her personally. "Don't know how we're supposed to sleep when it keeps going back and forth like that."

"I know," Lulana agreed with a sigh. "It's very disorienting. I'm not sure if it's actually day or night. But I'm tired, so I was going to get some sleep. Perhaps I could join you and the foray for the evening?" she asked hesitantly. They didn't know she was no longer a part of the pride, but what they didn't know couldn't hurt them. Jahim seemed to find this acceptable as she nodded and turned back in the direction she had come from.

"Yeah, come with me and we'll get some sleep. Hopefully we'll make it back home tomorrow."

"Hopefully," Lulana agreed, secretly planning to head out long before the foray was ready to go. She'd simply continue on her way in the direction of... something. What, she wasn't sure, but there was certainly something out there that was meant for her. She wasn't sure what it was just yet, but that's what this adventure was all about. Finding herself and the place she felt she belonged in.

"Come on then. I'm Jahim by the way," the horned lioness said as the two fell into step, perfect little soldiers in a line.

"I'm Lulana," the speckled female replied with a little smile. "Nice to meet you, Jahim."

"You too. So, how's home? Is all this crazy stuff going on there, too?" The two continued to talk as they walked back to the larger group of Firekin settling in for the night, whispers and voices that weren't their own following them quietly.

[FIN]
[WC: 1092]