Zuka was feeling pretty happy. They were heading back the way they had come, and he had Pima and Rrab with him! Though, that didn't mean everything had been resolved. Rrab had told them about her former pride, and about how cruel they had been to females. Why she had been afraid of a large male like Zuka was completely clear to the purple lion. She had seen the same smug lions she had known before, and it had brought back all kinds of painful memories for her.

He had been responsible for bringing her pain, however unintentionally. That didn't really sit well with him, and he wanted to make it better somehow.

"Say, Rrab," he offered lightly as the three of them walked together, "I have an idea. You're free to say no, of course, but I think maybe... you might like it. You see, I'm the leader of a pride, as you know, and I think that you would be very happy there, if you wanted to come back with me. It's not like your pride before, and I want you to see they're not all like that! It's a nice place, with friendly members, and we teach each other how to fight! I think you could learn a lot of great things there! Ways to defend yourself and feel less afraid when you're around males."

Pima listened as the male explained his pride. She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the thought of it. "I could never understand what it is about you lions and having prides to live in. It's just too weird to me. I much prefer living along!" She sighed softly.

The pride life was not for her. Still, she looked over at Rrab, smiling supportively.

"But I definitely think you should give it some thought. You know, he's right about prides, even if I don't really get them. I know they're totally cool for you lions, and being without one kind of sucks, doesn't it? I mean, I know your last one wasn't that good, but still..." Maybe she wasn't really helping. Zuka seemed to be giving her a face that suggested she shut up soon.

It made her laugh a little.

Rrab was very surprised! she hadn't thought that Zuka liked her after what she had done, and now he was asking her if she wanted to join his pride! So she wasn't hated? He didn't mind that she had mistaken him for another lion and run away from him as a result?

She couldn't believe it. More than that, though, she couldn't believe the offer she was hearing, either. It seemed like he really wanted her to join his pride. Pima was offering her input, too, though she spoke in such a strange way that Rrab sometimes had a difficult time understanding her. Slang, they called it.

"It... sucks," Rrab replied lightly, a little unsure of the word outside of its normal use, "Rrab dislikes being alone, but a pride... Prides can be scary. Is your pride really not scary?" She asked Zuka, looking him right in the eyes to check to see whether or not he was lying. She could always tell when someone was trying to lie to her by the ways their eyes moved as they spoke.

Zuka looked back at Rrab, stopping his walk so he could look into her eyes without them bumping and bouncing around. Pima also stopped, watching the two of them with interest. It seemed like she was watching something very interesting after all!

"My pride is not scary," he told her, "we don't mistreat anyone, and all walks of life are welcome. We fight because we love to get stronger and grow as animals, not because we want to hurt one another. I think you should see another pride in action. A pride that doesn't use violence for the sake of it. We apply a purpose to everything that we do! And we do it well, too! Plus! There's also things to do if you don't like to fight, too! Though I think you should try and learn our ways. I think having some fighting lessons might help you out in the long run, you know? You never know when it might actually come in handy. And knowing you can stand on your own two paws might help you feel less afraid of males in general."

"It never hurts knowing you can beat someone if you need to," Pima offered, "but it's not like you HAVE to join his pride, you know. You could ask Kiti if you wanted to go back with her, too. And you could bum around with me if you wanted to! Not that I'm very good company."

"That's right," Zuka agreed, "I'm not trying to force you into anything, I just want you to know about my home. It's a lovely place. I'm sure Kiti's home is a lovely place, too, and I'm sure Pima would be good entertainment, if nothing else."

"Hey!"

"I... like all," Rrab said lightly, smiling though she was somewhat confused and feeling a little over whelmed. "Go with anyone, Rrab would being happy. But Rrab... not sure. Thinking wants to see Zuka's home. Maybe join, maybe not, but wishing to see it." She explained as carefully as she could. She did agree with them. Being in a pride was much better than being alone. But she still wasn't sure if she was ready for a pride.

She had just run away from him for looking like a male she once knew. What if she did that to animals in her pride, too? They would hate her! And she wouldn't blame them, either! She sighed softly, looking down at her paws. She had learned one thing, though- Zuka wasn't lying to her. He really believed that his pride was safe and happy, even though they battled a lot.

It was an interesting way to view things.

"Rrab want thinking more about this," she added after a moment.

"Don't worry about it too much, Rrab," Pima offered in return, "you have all the time you need to think about the offers! We just wanted you to know that you have a lot of options, and none of us are going to be giving up on you anytime soon."

"Yes," chuckled Zuka, starting to walk again, "we all like you, Rrab! And we all want to see you happy. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it will be for the best. Anyway, I wouldn't want you to make any decisions before speaking to Kiti again. Perhaps once you see her, she'll ask you to come with her, rather than you needing to ask her!"

"I'm sure she's worried sick. We should hurry back," Pima added thoughtfully, "I think she's been waiting for a few hours now. Though she might have been asleep. That would probably be the best situation to hope for."

"She does seem like a worrier," Zuka agreed lightly.

"Rrab not wanting Kiti to worry!" The lioness huffed, picking up her pace all of a sudden, "Kiti was nice lioness! help Rrab learning more language! Want speak better!" She hummed lightly, "pride help speak for Rrab?" She asked, looking over at Zuka again. The lion looked thoughtful for a moment.

"We don't have anyone who teaches language specifically, but we do have lions who look after the young. They help them learn how to speak. I'm sure they could help you to learn in a similar fashion. And other members of the pride might be willing to teach you just because it would be something they like to do. We don't have any rules saying you have to do ONLY what your job in the pride is," he chuckled lightly.

"Learning with a bunch of cubs?" Pima grunted, "that actually sounds like a lot of fun, if you ask me. Though, I don't got no problems speaking!"

"Is that so?" Teased Zuka lightly.

Rrab laughed at the banter between the two of them. She hadn't spent so much time with other lions before! And she'd NEVER spent time with a leopard. Her pride had thought non-lions were garbage, basically. But since that was what they had thought of her, too, she had never believed any of it. Seeing Pima only proved how wrong her pride had been. And seeing Zuka talking to her like she was another lion really helped her calm down. This lion really wasn't a bad guy- he was happy and nice and even welcoming of other species.

She liked all of that. It made her want to see his pride even more. First, though, she wanted to get back and speak to Kiti again! She had missed her in their time apart, and she felt very guilty about leaving her alone in that moment of panic.

So she continued along their path, taking the lead once she picked up on Kiti's scent. She traced it all the way back to where the lioness had been resting, happy the whole way there.

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