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Umlilo'ilihlo had traveled leagues and leagues but he was no stranger to sandy desert terrain. These dunes were not too different from his own, but the bold, red lion knew as well as any other desert-born creature that there was strength in numbers. So from his homelands he wandered through rogue territory on a hunt for the Firekin– well known even in the distant reaches from where he came. Much like the pride he sought, his previous home had a little bit of an issue with finding unrelated mates. It seemed like a natural transition. He knew he had to challenge a member for a duel, but that would not be a problem. It had been a close spar and a challenge, but he persevered. The lion he had fought had been a recently joined male who said he came from the Myrsky Sytnyt, also known as the Stormborn, but Umi had never heard of them by either name. After the battle, getting to know the lion named Creve a bit more, hist bested foe explained the pride he had come from was on the coast, so that explained its foreignness to Umi.

He still had a lot of getting to know pride members to do but he had liked the first one he met. He would be a soldier, too, he felt, but it was probably worth finding out a little bit more information from other pride members about the other ranks. Let’s see… he had yet to meet a water-seeker. He decided that would be next.

“Excuse me, can you tell me what rank you are?” He called out to the first lion he saw that morning as he was padding around, exploring these new pride lands.

Said lion, a splotchy red and black and white male, had only inclined his head in greeting Umi and had not expected to be spoken too. It took him just a second before he replied.

“I’m a water-seeker, friend.” Cyprinnus assumed the male must be new to the pride– not that he himself was known by all pride members far and wide, but it was not a common question, usually everyone knew someone from every rank, or at least where to go to find someone of whoever rank. Perhaps this lion was looking to find his place in the pride.

“You have only just joined, I assume?” He gave the bright red male a half-grin and walked towards him to make the conversation easier to carry on. His black mane bobbed, and Cyprinnus nodded to himself, glad he had been correct. Umi was quite pleased with himself, too, that the first lion he had struck up conversation with had been exactly what he had been seeking.

“I’m Umlilo'ilihlo– Umi, if that’s easier to remember. I’m inclined to become a soldier but wanted to make an informed decision, you know?” The other lion nodded his head in understanding.

“I was not born in this pride either, but I have called it my home for several years now. I was born in a pride on the coast,” Umi wondered if it was the same one Creve had come from, “so it took a lot of getting used to initially.

“My pride disbanded, eventually I stumbled upon the Firekin, and because of my love of water it just seemed natural to try to seek it out, I’m just drawn to it.

“It can be very difficult at times, either we find no water, sometimes we find scarcely enough to get us through the trek home, other times it’s tainted and undrinkable, but sometimes we find springs welling up and filtered by the sand and it’s the most satisfying feeling I know.” He grinned, a little sheepishly. He probably didn’t make it sound as interesting as he felt it was, but maybe it was just kind of a hard sell, he told himself. Not as glorious as fighting the Nergui or other foreign invaders.

Umi considered what he had said thoughtfully. He knew the position was invaluable to the pride, and difficult for one so large, but it wasn’t especially compelling, as he had expected.

“I had to leave my pride because it was rather small so finding anyone unrelated was becoming a bit of an issue. Most rogues who wander into the desert die or join the Firekin so there’s not an overwhelming supply of new, unrelated blood.” He shrugged. It was natural in the pride and many males left to seek mates in other territories. If anything it probably made things easier on the pride that he had called his home for so long. There was one less mouth to feed and he would not accidentally sire cubs with defects that would die in cubhood because he and the mother had not known how much ancestry they shared. It was not an overwhelmingly common occurrence, but Umi had known it to happen a few times before he had left. Besides, his share of whatever they managed to find could go to a strong, rogue male who would keep the pride’s genes and culture going for at least one more generation.

Cyprinnus nodded sympathetically. The Firekin felt a similar genetic bottleneck squeezing tighter at times but with a laxer policy on coat colors– yellows and oranges being allowed– and less stigma and distrust against rogues, that seemed to be relaxing a bit. The historians who tracked lineages didn’t hurt anything, either.

“You’re welcome to come with us sometime and shadow us so to speak, but I feel I have not much changed your mind about becoming a soldier.” Cyprinnus gave a lopsided smile which Umi returned with a grin and a shrug. He laughed. 

“I won’t take it personally.” He had been sitting but rose to his feet and shook some sand off his coat.

“It was nice meeting you, Umi,” he said genially.

Umi bobbed his head and returned the smile, mirroring Cyprinnus’ shaking off of dust and sand.

“I appreciate you taking the time to speak to me, Cyprinnus. Maybe our paths will be more similar than we think.” The bright red lion watched as Cyprinnus smiled and walked off before going on his own way.