"So, "

She started at that, turnig to face a dark lion, that had seemingly materialized from nowhere. "Everyone in this joint has birdies. Where's yours? "

The gray cub, who'd simply been flopped lazily on a rock, gazing out through the savanna couldn't quite register what was going on, so her response was a simple. "Raiden! "

The darker, older, and larger lion roled his eyes, bobbing his head as if impatiently agreeing with a statement. "Yes, yes, its me. Answer the question. " He snorted impatiently, shaking his head. Geez, was that so hard?

Ethiopia frowned, ears laying back slightly. "I just don't have one yet? " She shrugged, answering his question quickly before going on. "What are you doing here? " A pause. "Where are your wings? And horns? "

"I was bored. They attract lots of attention. And why not? " Similarly, Raiden answered her questions quickly, casually wandering to a nearby bush and lowering one of its branched with a paw, nipping carelessly at the berries on it.

She furrowed a brow, quirking the other. "You can just make them go away? And I'm not totally a member of the pride, I'm still new. And it takes a while. " She shrugged. "Mapatano says we usually get them by our adolescence. " She shrugged.

Raiden glanced back at her, distracted from his berries. Not that he really cared about them, as a god, he didn't feel hunger, didn't need to. He just sometimes likes a little flavor. "Yes, I can. " He replied impatiently, as if talking so an incredibly dense child. "I can do other stuff too. Part of the god package. " Rolling his eyes, he walked back towards her, putting both front paws on the stone she was perched upon.

"I saw cubs with birds. So where's yours? " Ethi frowned. Yes, some cubs did have birds, she assumed. Peke did, others probably did too. "I guess theirs just came earlier? " She shrugged. Why did he care so much?

"Oh, so the birds pick? " He tapped his chin, quietly intrigued. "They're the ones that say when they come and who they come for? " So, essentially, avians were boss or something? The god tilted his head, ears perked, before settling down on his haunches, looking up at her on her advantage spot atop the rock, mldly annoyed with this.

What kind of a question was that? "Yes. " She shrugged.

The god blinked, considering this for a moment, before deciding he really didn't like having to look up at her. His result? Hopping up onto the rock and not-so politely shoving her off. She squeaked, hitting the floor with a thump. The god was, though young, much larger and stronger than she was, there wasn't anything she could have really done. "So how do you know one will pick you? " He asked casually.

Ethiopia frowned, quickly looking over herself for any injury. Though its not like the rock was a cliff, it was somewhat high, and being shoved off didn't end well. "That hurt. " She grumbled, though the ideal would havebeen to loudly protest at the actions, Ethiopia was too soft-spoken to actually do anything of the sort. "And.. well, I don't know, I guess. " A shrug.

"Why so many questions, anyway? " She sighed, settling for lying down next to the rock that was once hers, the god was now making himself comfortable upon it. "I told you, I'm bored. " He shrugged, propping his head up with a paw. "Sorry. " That caught her by surprise, and she blinked up at him. id he mean the shoving her off the rock? "O.. kay. " She said uncertainly, though he'd said it, he didn't seem seriously sorry.

"Sorry your bored. " She shrugged, not sure of how to contribute to him being bored. "Boredom is not your fault. " He shrugged, peering down. She could feel his eyes on the top of her head, but Ethiopia didn't look up at him, instead staring at a few strands of grass, as if they were the most fascinating ting she'd even seen. "Well? "

Now she did look up at him, tilting her head slightly. "What? " She caught him rolling his eyes. "I told you, I'm bored. Entertain me. " That tone again. She looked away, back to the grass. "What am I supposed to do? "

Believe it or not, Raiden didn't deliberately try to annoy or upset mortals, so he did frown at the twinge of annoyance her her voice, though it was so mild one could easily miss it. Raiden was, in his own way, trying to create a 'friend' out of this kid, so he decided to try a different approach. "Want to do anything? "

The different approach didn't go unnoticed by Ethiopia, and she glanced up at him again. "I was.. " Going to take a nap. But then, with a sigh, she got up. Might as well entertain him a bit, he'd been nice last time they met. "We could.. go for a walk? "

He pondered this. Walks were somewhat boring, he figured, but it was better than nothing. Shrugging and sliding off his perch, he moved to stand next to her. "Alright. " Then he started walking. It was implied, now; he led the way.

"So, " He said after a while, while Ethiopia was distracted watching a rabbit scurry under a bush as it saw them. "What happened to your parents, anyway? " He attention snapped to his, and he quietly wondered how tactless the question had been. But, he didn't want to take the question back either, so he bobbed his head politely, but glanced back. He still wanted to know.

He noticed the change in her behaving quickly, her head lowered slightly and her eyes were downcast, ears drooping lamely. "There was an earthquake. " He nodded, he remembered that, though it hadn't hit hard where he'd been. "It was a mess. " She dismissed it at that, not wanting to give more details. The god opened his mouth to press on, then stopped hmself. Yes, that was enough.

"Sorry, " He shrugged, looking away as an awkward silence settle between them.

Finally, Raiden decided there wasn't anything more to do here today. He honsetly didn't know how to switch from dead parents to something more upbeat.

"Well, I'll go home. Bye. " Ethiopia looked up to him, then he simply vanished. It was almost unsettling. There was no puff of smoke, no sound, no slowly fading away. One moment he was there then he was gone, and she was left, puzzled, looking ahead, and then, unsure of what to do with the rest of the day.

.. Napping, her previous plan, was out of question now. So she decided to keep on walking.