The meal had gone by quietly, and when he was done, she was careful to store what remained of the pelt with her kills, and then burying the bones. It wasn't a difficult task, and took little time before she was ready to show Sliabh to the watering hole. The small thing was in the rogue lands, a little further away from the pride she called home. The thing was deeper than it seemed, and within a moment, she had waded in, showing him that it was safe for him to wade. Not many of the creatures that would normally be dangerous stayed here specifically. The water cooled her brown pelt, making her sigh in contentment, "The water is safe, Sliabh. Please, feel free to join me."

After his meal he had helped her stash the bones, an unusual practice but he could nevertheless see a use for such precautions, and resolved to employ the tactic himself when it was needed. Certainly it would be useful to be able to conceal his presence when skirting a more destructive pride.

Afterward he gratefully followed her, wading into the water with no hesitation. Some lions might be hesitant about submerging themselves, but he had traveled his entire life, and had met a great many strange and interesting beings, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas and even gods. A hybrid and his companion had even taught him how to fish many years ago.

Once settled he set about carefully splashing himself, ducking under the surface entirely to shake out his mane underwater. Of course when he rose back up he looked like a drowned cat, his mane streaming over his face and muzzle, water cascading back into the pool. Pushing his mane out of his eyes with one large paw he chuckled, not at all self conscious. "This is just perfect. Thank you Ruoho."

The female watched him move, watched the ease to which he took to the water. It had been some time since last she'd swam, usually content to simply groom the dirt from her fur, but this was nice. Something about the company, she supposed. At least, that was how it was seeming. Sliabh was an easy-going lion, something that Ru was finding a pleasant distraction from the serious nature of some that she'd met prior. Her own figure was far less elegant in the water, though she had no mane to cling to her face, her own fur short enough that it did not do much to bathe so deeply, "Of course, Sliabh. It is my pleasure. Why not partake in small comforts when they're offered? If we do not, it leaves us at a loss, does it not?"

He didn't understand why, but he felt younger than he head in a very long time. The burden of his home, the death and loss that rode so heavily there, felt further away here... Their weight not quite as crushing as it had been. Smiling at her again, he carefully shook his head, not wanting to soak her but getting rid of the water clinging to his face. "Very true. And this is a pleasure that is great indeed. We do not have many bathing pools back home." That might have been due to the fact their pridelands were out on he very edge, far away from anywhere that was highly populated. Their survival depended on their isolation and thus, their home was built in a remote and harsh land no one else had wanted to claim.

After a while he climbed out, shaking with a powerful motion to rid himself of the excess water, then settling down in the shade, content to rest a while. "You said you were from the Pridelands? I have not heard of this place before... What is it like?" Curious, he watched her. He had seen so much in his long life, but there was always something new to learn.

Ruoho nodded, curious to learn more about Sliabh and his homeland. She, herself, was not well travelled, having stayed in the Pride of her birth for as long as she could remember. However, there was some comfort in hearing strangers talk of their homes, though the lion before her almost didn't even feel as a stranger any longer. Smiling, she swam back into the shadows, settling on the bank to let her fur dry, "Yes. The Pridelands is the pride of my birth. It is a lovely home, I must say..I want for nothing, save for maybe a tale or two of the places of which I am not familiar." Shaking her head, the female sighed, "I am, unfortunately, not very well traveled."

Sliabh nodded at her words, offering another of his small smiles. "Then maybe I may be of some service to you after all. A kind of payment in return for your kindness in feeding me." He chuckled softly. After all, if it was tales she desired, she could not possibly have met a more suited lion. There were few lands he had not seen, from the red-coated warriors in the west, to the Viking raiders of the North. Even to the wild dog packs in the high mountains. "It is not. A bad thing, to have a stable home. I travail under the behest of my Queen." His tone softened slightly, an old sadness lingering when ever he spoke about his homeland. "I can tell you many a tale, if you desire..."

Her ears perked, head canting to the side as he offered to regale her with tales of his travels. There was a hope that she would be able to hear them, but her head slowly lay to her paws, curious, "A stable home has served me well, and I am glad for it, but at times, I do wonder about the outside world and what it may have to offer. I would like to hear a story, Sliabh..." This male had entranced the female, and she looked at him as though she were looking at some magical being that had stepped into her life from the mists. What a day this had become! How she would love to know everything he did, to see and feel new things...but for now, this would do.

Seeing her interest he dipped his head slightly, wondering what kind of story she would like. Shifting into a slightly more comfortable position and crossing his forepaws he looked back at her. "Have you heard of the red coated warriors of the Firekin? They came to visit my pride a season ago, and I have met several of them now. They are highly skilled and known throughout the Roguelands for their skill and prowess at warfare. But they are also diplomats and after hearing about a threat to my pride, they travailed all the way form their home to ours in order to bring us warning. For there was a new pride, little known and rarely seen, that had been attacking smaller and weaker prides, taking them over. These enemies are called the Nergui. The Firekin speaker told us what they had learned of this violent neighbour, and of the suspected reason they were headed towards our home. They wished to weaponise my pride's illness. If they managed to take us over, the entire population of lions everywhere would be at risk of a very unpleasant death." Pausing he made sure he recalled it all correctly, and that he wasn't freaking her out. "They set up an outpost of their own pride near our boarder and trained our few warriors. Though there was no way to make us able to defend ourselves, as any fight between a Kitwana and this Nergui runs the risk of giving the enemy the weapon they desired... So now, the Firekin are out there, protecting my homeland from the bloodthirsty fighters, living away from their own pride, fighting to protect a pride most of them have never visited."

Her eyes widened as she listened, head raising as her green eyes watched his face shift and change through the story. How strange....and...gods above, she was amazed, "I would have been terrified. It sounds as though things are very different in the lands outside of my own. You have seen so much, Sliabh, or so it sounds." Her paws shifted her again, and almost unaware, she shifted close to him. "It is good that your Pride is well protected from this Nergui threat." She'd never seen any of the threats to her own Pride, though she'd been outside of them only to the Rogue lands. Ah, how it would be to see more still...

He chuckled softly at her shocked expression. Shrugging one powerful shoulder slightly. "It was strange, the day a whole group of massive bright red lions turned up at our boarder. But they were very polite and helpful. Though of course it was kind of stiff and awkward at first. They are, after all, a whole pride of warriors. I have also met a member of the Navi, they are mostly blue and live in the deepest jungle. They are a far more peaceful pride, and worship a goddess they regard as the mother of all nature. The male I met was one of their protectors, but so far they are the closest I have come to a truly pacifistic pride." Smiling he recalled that particular meeting. The Toruk Makto had been an impressive male and knowledgable. Sliabh had learned many things about the forest from him, though the blue lion had been cagey about the location of his home, but then, Sliabh never told strangers his own so neither had taken offence.

Looking back at her he smiled, reluctantly raising to his paws. "Will your pride be missing you any time soon?"

The female let out a happy laugh, her eyes lighting up, "Likely not. I have a short time before the kills need to be brought back, so....a moment's dalliance could not hurt."

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