Shikoba shook herself as she finally emerged from the jungle that the Bahari called home. She felt like there was sand in her fur and spiders crawling on her, and it wasn't a sensation she liked. Thankfully she knew of a watering hole not far from here in the rogue lands that would rid her of the itchy, creepy crawly feeling that currently consumed her entire body. Trotting in the direction of the water, she didn't realize she had someone following her.

Once she reached the water she didn't hesitate to dive in, paddling around for a bit to try to get that gritty, icky sensation off her. She swam underwater a bit before surfacing and climbing out of the water, shaking herself to get the water off her. She froze when she heard a second splash, turning around quickly as whatever it was broke the surface of the water.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to startle you!" Rieseln said as she paddled around, following the example of the much larger lioness. She dunked under as well and swam over to the shore, walking out and shaking as Rieseln had. "That was some pretty stinky stuff, huh?" she asked with a little laugh, making a face at the memory of the sandy bones that they had been dragging around all day.

"Oh...that's right," Shikoba said quietly, finally placing where she had seen the lioness before. Not a few hours ago, helping the Bahari drag rib bones from a massive carcass on the shore up to the den area. "You were assisting with the bones."

"Yup! I saw you slink off before I got a chance to say hi, so I was surprised to see you leaving the woods just about the same time I did," Ries said, wiping her face with her paw to try to get the water out of her eyes.

The white lioness' words made Shikoba look away, a bit bashful and embarrassed. She had gotten rather turned around in the jungle and had spent more time trying to get out than she had actually helping the pride. Still, she had managed to bring one rib bone up to shore. That had been something.

Ries tilted her head as Shikoba looked away and, when she put two and two together, had to laugh just a bit. "Oh...got turned around in the jungle, huh?" she asked. The silence that followed was answer enough. "Yeah, everything kind of looks the same once you're in the thick of it. I found a path that led right out, thankfully. No getting lost for me."

"Good for you," Shikoba muttered quietly, deciding to head off. Ries followed, though, much to the blue lioness' chagrin.

"I know, right? Super lucky," Ries said with a chuckle, following behind the larger female. "So, what's your name? I'm Rieslen."

"Shikoba," she offered, hoping that would stem the questions coming from the other female.

"Oh, that's a nice name," Ries said, walking along side Shikoba now. "That was a nice pride, don't you think? I'd never seen the ocean before, let alone a whale. That's what that thing was," she added. "I didn't know, since I'd never seen one before. Thankfully there was a nice lion that explained to me what it was. Can you believe something that big exists? It was bigger than an elephant!"

As Ries chattered on and on Shikoba had to try very hard not to turn and snarl at the lioness. She loved helping people, but when there was nothing to help, she preferred to be alone. This lioness was going to drive her insane if she didn't go her separate way soon. She let the other lioness chatter for about five minutes of walking before she stopped. Ries kept on going, not realizing her partner had gone, until Shikoba was a few paces away in a different direction.

"Oh! Are you going somewhere?" she asked, calling after the larger lioness. Shikoba stopped and lowered her head, quietly telling herself not to snap.

"Yes, I'm going in the direction I had been traveling before I made the detour to help the pride," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh! Well...I was going this way, so I think I'll keep going this way," Ries said cheerfully. "It was nice to meet you, Shikoba! Good luck wandering. Maybe we'll run into each other again." She gave a little wave and began to trot off in the direction she had been heading in originally, a smile on her face. What a nice lioness! And so large, too. She wondered if she had any god blood in her, or came from a pride with large lions. Or maybe she was just born that way! It was a curious thing, really, that some prides grew larger than others. Finding a small stone as she walked, she began to kick it and chase after it as it skittered ahead of her. She loved making new friends!

Walking off in the other direction, Shikoba was glad to be rid of her parasitic partner. She was sure Ries was a very nice lioness, but Shikoba liked to be alone. She didn't like lots of talking, she didn't like to be followed, and she definitely didn't like to be treated like a best friend when she hardly knew someone. Still, she knew snapping at anyone wouldn't get her anywhere in life, and she might even get a bad reputation in the process. No, it was best to hold it in unless someone was being threatening towards her. Rieseln had been annoying, not threatening.

Turning her paws to the sun, Shikoba pressed on to her new destination: as far away from Rieseln as she could get.

Rieseln, looking back in the direction of her new friend, grinning again. Man, that had been a fun day. Seeing new things, learning new words, meeting new people...very successful. Glad for the learning experience, she continued to hit the little rock she had claimed for her own along the ground, heading away from the sun.

FIN
WC: 1013