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Vaina's curiosity had led her to Sikukuu, and she had happened to get there during the Gala of Learning. To her surprise she hadn't been chased away, but instead been invited to the celebrations. She had met other visiting rogues too so she assumed that it was normal for this pride to invite others. It was the first pride she had encountered that was friendly like this, and she still couldn't believe that she was offered free food and entertainment without being asked for anything in return.

She was currently wearing a crown made from fragrant greens that had been gifted to her. It had a strong scent, but it might be impolite to remove it so Vaina had decided to wear it until she left at least. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, even if it made it slightly harder to feel other scents. She saw other animals wearing crowns made from flowers and vines so she wasn't the only one sporting greenery on her head at least.

There were a lot of creatures milling around, and Vaina was amazed by the fact that there were no fights. Hyenas laughed together with lions, cheetahs and wild dogs ate from the same kill. It was weird and wonderful. This pride was like stepping into an alternate reality. It was a bit freaky, but it was a nice change. No one even growled if someone else bumped into them.

There were a few collisions in the crowd, and soon enough a small red something ran into her. Aina swallowed a growl. She didn't want to be kicked out for bad behaviour, and when she looked down she could see that it was only a cub, and nothing dangerous.

"Uh... No problem," she said, "Lots of people around..."

She noticed that the cub had a leafy crown of her own, and she tried a small smile to appear as non-threatening as possible.

"It is exciting, isn't it," Vaina said and looked around at all the activity around them.

She stiffened a little as the young cub stepped closer to sniff her. Most creatures didn't want to get closer to her once they caught wind of her. Or maybe it was the fleas rather than her scent. The leopard's nostrils widened slightly as she sniffed the cub. Well... Now they knew each other by scent, if not by name. She should probably offer her name, but the cub asked another question before she could.

"Yes," she said and shuffled her paws, "I was invited."

The cub would probably not question her right to be there, but she was a bit proud over the invitation.

"My name is Vaina," she said, and managed a slightly larger smile than before.

"It is great," Vaina agreed, and then shuffled her feet as she tried to figure out what to say next.

Vaina was not used to making conversation, and she wasn't used to cubs. It was surprisingly easy to talk to the cub however, and since it was just a small lion it didn't feel very intimidating either. Well, to be honest she hadn't been very intimidated by the large lioness that had invited her either. Everyone was so friendly here.

"Did you learn something this festival?" she asked, remembering what Madakata had told her about this festival. It was all about learning, or something like that.

Vaina wasn't prepared for the question. What had she learned? That there were prides that wouldn't chase away strangers? That lions could be nice to other carnivores? That she could be accepted? Not answers fit for a cub perhaps. She fell silent and tried to think. You learned things all the time, right? She had learned many things without even noticing.

"I learned about the Sikukuu," she said, "I didn't know about this place before."

She shuffled her feet.

"Perhaps I should come to one of the autumn festivals then."

She didn't intend to stay here, but to her surprise she realised that she wouldn't mind coming back some other time.

So she was the first leopard this cub had ever seen? It was funny to think about. Vaina had vivid memories about her first lion, but it had been nothing like this cub, or the oter generous lions she'd met here.

Pranks? Vainas ear folded back slightly. She wasn't sure she'd like that. Her prank experiences so far hadn't been great. Mostly because she had been on the receiving end of them.

"We'll see," she said, "I might visit if I'm in the area."

Perhaps she should have offered the cub to visit her some time, but that would be silly since Vaina didn't have a set territory, most of the time. She tried, but the good spots had too much competition, and when prey moved she had to move too.

"I'm going to see if there's somehing to eat," she said, "Have you had anything to eat yet?"

Vaina smiled as the cub's stomach answered for her. She looked around, trying to find the best way to navigate through the crowd.

"Walk in my pawsteps," she said, "That way you won't get stepped on."

And with that she started pushing through the celebrating animals.