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It had been a long night and an even longer day, yet Syeira knew that she would get through this. There were harder things she had faced in this life - the disappearance of her son, the death of her mother, the insanity of brother. She knew all of these things were on a level that surpassed this, though for all of her supposed intelligence, she couldn't begin to figure out why this hurt so much. Love baffled even the most brilliant, she guessed. She'd have really liked to rip love into non-existant pieces.

The farther her steps carried her away from her den and closer to the isolated edge of the creek, the more her feelings seeped out of the shell that she so carefully tucked herself away in. Pain, anger, jealousy - they all raged on the surface of her face as she met her reflection in the lazily drifting water of the tributary.

Lack of understanding was a way of the world. Even moreso, the inability to understand any deep 'feeling' was something that Zola was faced with constantly. Not that she had emotional crisis on a semi-normal basis, but that she had met one or two who were... deeply emotional and had been unable to understand.

Instead she'd found herself puzzled. Why? Why did it hurt them? Why was it this one thing? Was it that way with other thing? Just a pick of the litter with inquiries from the splotched lioness. At least on such topics. Which she hadn't met for a moon or so. (The 'Moon' thing had only started making sense to her in recent explanations, really).

But amongst many things that she couldn't understand herself, was the constant habit of stopping for water amongst her aimless (why were they aimless? Why did she have nowhere to be?) wanderings what were more like custom than a habit. And as often, why was it where water was, there was often company (not that the water was needed itself, but that everything seemed to go at the same time) to be met with?

Such had been the case today, Zola finding herself frozen in an inner conflict at the sight of the oh so innocent source of water she could have drank from than left (ah ha ha, likeliness of her just leaving was slim) and it's company. It wasn't exactly happy looking company, seeming to need to 'be alone' in it's own way, but at the same time...
..

Why did that mean she had to leave?

It wasn't long before Syeira became all to aware of the presence that had intruded upon her. She may not have heard the approach, per say, being so lost in her own thoughts, but she felt that boring sensation of eyes staring at her and that was just as much a clue to company as any. The icy eyes of the lioness flashed open, her heart wrenching as she tried desperately to package away all the emotions that had come flooding out of her. It was seldom that she allowed and thus it was quite hard to force it back in so quickly, but once she was sure she had managed to maintain some semblence of regality, she turned to meet her inquisitor.

"Have you need of assistance?" Her face was calm, her body rigid in its perfect stance, but those eyes that were always known for their icy, piercing ability were still somewhat alive with the emotions that had been writhing upon the surface of her being. She saw little harm in the female before her, though the emotions on her face were a little hard to read. She would not deny her help if she needed it, even if she did not recognize her as a pride member. As the reigning queen, if not by name quite yet at least by the responsibility and action she had undertaken, she could not refuse anyone.

She didn't puff up in fear or surprise when she was noticed (nerves of fog to be so unphased, really), the early colored female staring at the other when she looked to her. How she maintained such a flat expression was probably amazing, the brown female bypassing the inquiry of 'Why do you ask if I'd need assistance?' due to the answer having already come to mind from previous meeting as 'Because she would like to help if possible' and the 'why' to that already answering 'because she cares' and the further why 'because that was how she was nurtured' and instead lightly shaking her head.

"I don't believe I do, but there are many things I am unsure of even about myself." she offered as an answer.

It felt odd in her mouth, but definitely a good answer, in a way.

"What of you?", the same logic as before with the stranger asking her the same (though differently worded ('why can two differently worded things mean the same thing' 'because different words can hold the same meaning' 'why?' 'Because there are too many types of individuals for one word to suffice' 'Why?' 'Because that's how they were nurtured')) question, carefully pacing up to the side of the stream and giving the lioness a very ...... well, there was no word to pin this expression with.

It was as though she was trying to return to sentiment of 'caring', but wasn't sure if that was the proper thing to do.

Syeira stared at the other lioness for a long, silent moment with an expression that was suddenly unreadable. It wasn't that the emotions that had been in her eyes were gone, it was simply that Syeira hadn't quite seemed to make up her mind about this lioness. Something seemed off, as if the question she pressed wasn't quite full of the same sentiment Syeira had used, or as if the expression she was giving her wasn't weighed down with the right depth it should have been.

At last, however, she simply laughed. She laughed and closed her eyes, letting the emotions swell and dissipate in the face of this strange lioness. There was no room for self-pity when interesting and odd things presented themselves to her. "No, I do not think that anyone will be able to help me. Only time, the passing, and with the passing, healing." She opened her eyes again, peering up at the lioness from where she sat on the banks of the meandering creek.

"Do not take this rudely, but I'm sure that you are not a member of my pride. Is there any reason you have come into it?" It was formality, but at this point, with the reactions she'd already seen, she doubted this lioness was here for any real reason other than simple wandering.

She didn't even budge under the stare of the other female, waiting patiently as she was appraised (one of those 'scoping out the one you don't know' things she assumed), not even getting down to her task (water) until the female laughed. Hmm. Was she funny? If so, was it her appeareance or her statement?

It appeared to be, with the following statement, that it had been what she said. Which left Zola to ponder what, in turn, she'd been told. Time, passing, healing. Those were... very straightforward answers, truly. No questioning in terms of them needed. Healing needed time because everything took time to progress to it's next stage. It was one of those things she hadn't ever pondered about, really.

But time to answer the piper came, but it was an 'innocent' (if there were such things) question. "'My' Pride. That would make some unknown boundary I have passed the edge of a domain where you are known or act as soverign," it seemed as though she was thinking out loud, her logic rather.. clean-cut and not sounding, in the least, like she was denouncing the idea of said 'pride'.

"My reason for wandering in this direction, though this place as a 'pride' was not my goal, was to see: what is here and what there is here I do not know yet."

She waited patiently as the female reasoned out her thoughts, for she had no doubt that was what she was doing. It wasn't the first time she had known someone quite like this, though those that she had stumbled upon in her travels were more airy and dreamy in their philosophies, not so clear-cut as this. It made her wonder, and almost unbidden, a solitary brow rose in an unspoken question. Yet, she still said nothing, only let her speak as she sought.

When finally she seemed to be adressed, Syeira let a slight smile grace her mug. All thoughts of pain and suffering seemed to be tucked away in favor of humoring this strange creature. "But of course you know what is here, I just told you." Her head tilted to the side just a fraction, ready to judge and decipher whatever words came from the lips of this rather strange female.

She was quite possible the opposite of 'airy', really, and had she been male and a little less questioning she would have made quite the warrior (not easily shaken, beliefs founded easily) for any real 'kingdom'.

Or any child she might have reared (Oh she'd need help making those not as inquisitive as she is).

Zola seemed to note the emotions having been tucked away, her expression tightening just a bit as it was, but not questioning it for now. Instead simply leaving some part of her brain to try and logic out such an odd behavior. Not a bad one, just... odd. But it seemed that in exchange for that being put on the back burner her 'new' thought was going to be shared instead.

"I know 'where' is here, a pridal land, but I am far from knowing 'what' is here. I do not know those who live here or what there is I have yet to have seen or experienced. I have seen only what lays directly behind me. How is anybody to know 'what' is here if 'Where' is here is taken as being the same thing?"

It made sense to her.

The more the other spoke to her, the more she found that she was indeed some form of a philospher, even if she was likely not to use the word herself. She seemed to want to understand every tidbit of information spouted at her, to a depth that anyone else would simply accept. Syeira accepted it just as well, for there was forgetting in the banter and passing of words. She could get lost in the twisting of thought and the working of such small and simple things as this.

"But a pride is indeed a 'what' if you consider that, by definition, it is also considered the members that compose it." A smirk slowly uncurled upon her maw as she stared up at the lioness, unphased and quite at home with the following her thoughts. "So, I told you the truth. What is here is a pride. So, in essence, you already know what is here. Wanting to know those that live here is an entirely different answer to the question I asked."

"They are a 'part' of this pride, yes, but not it itself, as those here should, hopefully, be considered so much more. Nor can I, from just knowing 'where' is here what everything is that doesn't move. Trees and rocks will not come to me." Why? Because they cannot walk. Because they do not have legs and they do not slither because they are not flatter and thinner and lay on one side.

But enough with that logic (listening to her raise children would, again, have been interesting).

"So while 'what' is here may be the same as 'where' is here, simply being told lets me know nothing for certain." Indeed a philosopher by her own right. Or rather by her own curiousity. "Such as one like you, who would not be 'the pride' as a singular being by my judgement." Why was she not the pride?

Because she was a singular individual. Why was she a singular individual? Because there was only one of her.

"By my definition my answer fit the question, but I cannot expect the question to mean the same for one such as myself as it is for another." Why not? Because everybody is different. Conditioning. Really. Her thoughts were quite the place to be.

She let out a soft laugh as the female reasoned around her answer, nodding in pleased acknowledgement of the better one. She had no way to banter it and found that she truly did not wish to try. Where Syeira found sport in words, this female found only the need to figure it out. Listening to her was simply enough and though she might find herself wanting to challenge this thought or that one, she would not attempt the degradation she usually bestowed upon those unable to keep up with her wit. In fact, she wasn't sure this was one such person as that at all. Though her 'wit' was choppy and perhaps not conventional, her mind seemed deep. Different measures of intelligence.

"So you are right, I believe," she said softly, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "Just as well. You're free to search the lands as you'd like, see and explore and learn what you will. I see no harm in you and no reason to call the guard and have you escorted out." She turned her head out towards the heart of the pride, raising a paw to gesture widely. "Welcome to the Kusini'Mwezi," turning her gaze back upon her, she inclined her head, "I am Syeira, princess and heir to the throne." With no one on the throne, at the moment, that seemed as fitting title as any until the council officially decreed her status.

Zola found no fault in the other female's logic by any means. It was simply that her own mind had sought to wrap itself around the idea and feed itself into little crevices as it was allowed. Not a difficult thing for her with what she already had answered. In fact, she had yet to have found a little crevice to shove her mind into and investigate thoroughly at the given time.

Which for this meeting... had saved a lot of odd sounding questions.

But it seemed that her words had earned some.... level of 'respect' from the lioness, Zola shifting awkwardly (apparently the 'bow' was... strange to her...) but not budging from it. No joyful leap to go investigate the lands (as 'exciting' as it would have been) when she was given permission, though her posture did say that such a thing would likely be happening as soon as was proper.

The testing 'questioning' process was run through once again as Zola took these new pieces of information, before storing it away.

"Zola, though I have no title to go with it. Simply Zola." she counter-introduced, bowing her head in return. It was only respectful to give such a gesture to one who had announced themself as higher rank, though she was a rather interesting lioness without it.

"Simply Zola it is," she said with a nod, studying her for a moment more in silence before finally turning her attention back to the creek. It seemd that she would not be leaving any time soon to go investigate the lands as she had been given permission to do, which meant that Syeira's attempt at having some amount of alone time to divulge in the feelings ravaging the inside of her heart and skull was not to pass. Just as well, she supposed - there was no time to let herself have fancies of sulking like an adolescent.

She leaned forward to drink a cool drink of water from the meandering stream, then turned her gaze back up to the lioness, fighting to maintain her resolve now that the banter had died and they fell into an awkward sort of silence. She wasn't quite sure what she was expecting of her now, which was an interesting situation for Syeira to be in. She was used to leading it, not being led, and though Zola did not seem the leader type, it was certainly her curiosity that had spurred their conversation forward. Now, with her in silence, there was nothing to spurr it. "I hope I did not stop you from drinking," she gestured idly, nodding towards the stream. Typically, so close to water, that was what one was after.

It wasn't that Zola was making any attempts to put a dent into the 'sulking time', as she had never acquainted herself with such a thing personally, but that she wasn't sure if it would be proper for her to up and flee the scene with her raging curiousity.

She watched the other female for a moment, taking the other female's action of drinking into stride easily and leaning forward to do the same, though with less casualty to it. In fact she took several more seconds to her name (she never knew, for certain, where her next source of water would be...) before she straightened up once again.

Almost a rigid individual, she was.

"It wasn't urgent enough that a little conversation would be passed up for it." she replied. Why. Because. Why. Because. Such an active thinker, really.

Syeira noted the extended time Zola took to fill herself upon the water, realizing that she was indeed a traveler of some sort. When one knew where water sources were, it was not such an important thing to fill up on the much-needed resource. It was quite a different story for travelers, and well should she know. Who knew when the next river or watering hole might present itself? One thing was for certain - Zola would not go parched in the lush lands of Kusini or those that immediately surrounded it.

"How long have you been traveling?" she asked out of simple curiosity, her head tilting to the side at the question. She had traveled far and wide to train her son and grandson herself.

Though the question posed didn't require Zola to wrap her mind around it in her inquisitive and feely way, she did find some use in spending time thinking about it. How long? How long? In comparison to what?

She looked at her reflection with a slightly perplexed look on her face, obviously considering the idea, before she sighed, ever so lightly, and continued on with her response, as simple as it was: "I've traveled as long as I've existed, even before then inside my mother's belly, carried in her jaws, and following along after her tail."

Sounded awful long.

"There has never been a time in my life where I wasn't 'travelling'."

But, as everything else she said, she didn't sound too..... depressed about it, really. It simply was.

Syeira shouldn't have expected any other answer from the lioness, she supposed. It was a philosphical sort of reply to her question, and yet, it did seem to make sense. From what she coudl determine, unless she was truly giving her an answer full of riddles, it seemed like Zola had been born a rogue. It seemed as likely of an answer as anything else - pridal lions weren't often likely to leave their prides.

"Then you were born a rogue," she said, less a question and more of a statement. It was a form of thinkin allowed, she supposed, or perhaps it was just a way of finalizing the answer that lay between them. "I traveled for a time, myself, but only so long as it suited my purpose." She offered a smile, momentarily entertaining the thought that traveling again would take her away from Uumi and his troublesome ways.

The pride needed her though, no matter how tempting that silly thought was.

Nice and to the point, that statement was. Born and bred Rogue, most definitely. Sure that would have been a nice simple answer, but 'nice and simple' really wasn't her way. Because nothing was really simple. It was all broken down into smaller logics (which she was sure very few could follow along with at times).

"Travelling is a way of life that all follow at some point or another in some way or another." she mused, not seeming very surprised that a princess would have gone off and travelled on her own. Though it was likely that Syeira had company when she went out and about in the lands in comparison to her own strange foolishness.

Though it was not by choice.

"But it is not unpleasant for me. Was it such for you?"

"I suppose you are right, in some way." Not everyone ever left their prides, but then, some prides were large enough to constitute travelling inside of it. Talking to Zola certainly left room for her to question things, though she was sure that Zola was questioning everything enough for the both of them and more. It was interesting just how endearing someone like Zola was only after knowing her for a few moments. Syeira supposed that many others probably found her more irritating than endearing, though - she just happened to be a bit of an oddball herself.

"No, it was not unpleasant for me. I traveled to teach my son and grandson and to raise them to be strong. The experience was good for them." She had done her traveling out of duty, which was quite unlike what her companion here was doing. For Zola, it seemed, traveling was a way of life. "I came home, in the end, to fufill my duties here and to see that they put their knowledge to good use."

If one wanted to maintain their beliefs, they were better off not knowing Zola. She was.... a very outside the cube sort of lioness. Not just a square, a cube. But she seemed ever so interested, if in a vague way, about listening to the lioness's little story, though she didn't settle down for it, simply... maintained something resembling an interested expression.

She wasn't exactly 'good' at 'interested' expressions.

But family matters seemed to pique her interest in a special way, her brows lifting ever so slightly at the mention of the two. Oooooh, seemed that she did have a certain forte of interest with family. Though for why, it wasn't exactly obvious.

"It seems you do well with serving those around you in a way to improve them." she commented, not... quite flatly, but with that same little note of interest. "Not a bad way to live, but I would hope you didn't wrap yourself too much in the ways of others?" She didn't mean that she didn't want this lioness to have been helpful to others she knew... but there was a certain degree of self interest she thought was a requirement.

"No, not at all," she said with a shake of her head. "This is a large pride, though, and with a large pride you need good protectors. My son and his son, along with many other males, make up a guard. To know those that would attack you, you must know their minds and how they think. I like to think that letting them experience the world and so many different types minds lets them expect many different things." It was sound logic as far as she was concerned. She prided herself in making sure that her family was well learned, not of an idiotic sort like some others. She would not suffer them to be dense.

"I would not have my cubs or grandcubss, or any of my family for that matter, wrap themselves in the ways of others. It is important to understand, for ignorance can lead to many mistakes, but maintaining who you are is important." She shrugged her shoulders lightly at the thought, as if it were obvious, though if she dwelled on the thought too long she'd find it hitting too close to home and with that a measure of hypocrisy.

The thought made enough sense to her as well, Zola not even trying to wrap her mind around it (perhaps also because it was none of her business). Good minds made good warriors. Just as important as good bodies (or at least that was what they said... she hadn't questioned the validity of it herself quite yet).

But her duty to her line was very.... encouraging, really. Not that Zola had any such things to worry about, it was simply the 'concern' for more than just her own direct children, while not being wrapped up in them, was something she was... very much not used to (She'd met one female who, without her children to care for, had found she had nothing to do with herself).

Definitely a nice change, though.

She didn't know if she'd hit a note, but now she was leaving it alone herself, instead standing and shifting her weight, as though testing what she already knew. Which was .... odd in it's own way, but it wasn't as though she was doing something that was...so out of place like Satanism or something.

Just seemed she was settling on stretching her legs a tad.

Once again, Syeira found herself in that awkward silence, which she assumed was probably commonplace with the Zola if she took a long time to think about the things that were said to her. Without another word, she stretched out her limbs and pushed herself gracefully to her feet, having come to terms with the fact that she'd be getting no time alone today to sort out the feelings that were threatening to devour her.

"If you'd like, I can show you to the heart of the pride? It might take some time off of your wandering and let you find whatever you wish to more quickly." Mostly, she just thought it would have been rude to turn and walk away without another word and her position demanded some sort of hospitality.

It wasn't that Zola was expecting her to spend the whole day with her, but it seemed that would be the case anyways. Though it wouldn't be too unpleasant to have company into such an... unfamiliar stretch of land, to say. At least into area where there may have been someone fo her to question.

Such a kind offer, really.

And while the answer was a 'no duh', Zola still look a few moments to ponder it.

"That would be most appreciated, Syeira." she answered lightly, bowing her head in gratitude, though with her it looked, obviously, just like another formality. Everything with her, outside of her curiousity, was just a tad too well thought out.

Good for someone being level headed in a panic, bad in an emergency, really.

"Alright then," she said with a dip of her head in the direction of the other female, "this way." Without the slightest moment of hesitation, Syeira turned back towards the direction of the pride's heart, far sooner than she would have liked and with none of the answers she had come out here searching for. She would have to wait another day, she supposed, but at least she had a little bit to show for her troubles.