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Pale eyes tracked the movement of a dandelion fuzz that danced through the air on the light breeze blowing through the pride. It wasn't nearly as interesting as the wisps had been, but Ruaka wasn't about to go poking around to see if she could find any. While others had shied away from the whispers and the floating lights, the young lioness hadn't minded the company of the ancestors that had come to visit even if some of them had been a bit malicious in their games.

The fuzz landed a few paces away from Ruaka's paws and she moved forward, giving it a little bump with her toes. It skittered along the ground but caught in some grass just as it went to lift off again, so she lowered her head to give it a gentle push with a puff of warm air. It rose into the sky once more and she sat, watching it dance away, higher and higher.

Curling her tail around her paws, Ruaka closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. While the wisps had been strange and interesting, they had brought unrest to her pride. She was glad that they seemed to have settled a bit in recent days, though the leaders were still looking for ways to appease the restless spirits. Although she was young and in no position to say anything, Ruaka couldn't help but wonder if perhaps just sitting still and listening was all they wanted. They had been dead for so long, maybe they just wanted some company.

A noise caught Ruaka's attention, although the only indication that she had heard anything was one ear twisting back to hone in on the sound. It wasn't until she heard her name being called that she opened her eyes and glanced over to see Nchekwube heading her way, his 'worry' unfounded. Although she enjoyed occasional solitude as much as the next lion, she much preferred to be around others. She was curious by nature and it was hard to ask questions and learn new things when you were alone, after all.

"Hardly," she said as she stood, turning to face the young Amusu. They weren't terribly separated by age but the sandy lion already had his full mane whereas Ruaka still had a little growing to do. She bobbed her head in greeting as he drew closer, pale eyes warm with a touch of the smile that was on her face.

"Finally getting a break?" she asked, knowing how much work Nchekwube had put in when the influx of joining rogues had needed to have their families decided. She didn't envy him for his talent as it seemed quite exhausting, but she did admire that he was willing to share his skill with the pride. If she had some power like that she wasn't sure she'd be able to handle the constant questions, pressure, and attention.

"You certainly deserve one."

Ruaka nodded slightly in agreement - if it wasn't one thing it was another, it seemed. The arrival of her mother had heralded quite the shake-up for the pride and things had continued shaking ever since. She hoped it would settle for the sake of everyone's sanity, but now these floating wisps were causing trouble. Only the ancestors knew what came next.

"Oh yes, quite well," she said with another nod, this one a bit more enthused. Although Imani had sent an unpleasant ripple through the pride at first, one joining rogue in a sea of many was no longer such a big deal. They were no longer strange or unusual... sort of. Most of the pride knew them on sight still, but at least she and her family weren't bright orange or covered in strange markings like some of those that had joined recently. It allowed them to blend in with the others a bit more.

The question made her c**k her head to the side, the curiosity that kept her always asking questions piqued. She gave a thoughtful hum but remained silent for a moment, unsure if her thoughts would be welcome or not. Nchekwube was an Amusu, after all, and had a very powerful gift. She was a young lioness from a former rogue. In her eyes, her opinion didn't matter much. But he had asked and she was never one to turn down a question seeing she asked so many herself.

"Everyone is scared of them or seems nervous that they're here," she said, glancing down at her paws as she let one scuff at the slightly dead grass beneath her toes. "If I were a wisp I wouldn't want my family to be scared of me. Maybe they've just come to visit us in a way that we can understand. I've been...um. Listening. They don't seem to be able to say words, at least none that I can understand, but I thought it might be nice to at least attempt to hear them out."

She glanced up a bit shyly, knowing that her reaction wasn't the norm for the majority of the pride.

"And none of them have been trying to coax me away from the pride or anything malicious like that. They like to settle around my paws and on my head when I hold still long enough."

Unhappy ancestors certainly did make for a worrying thought, but Ruaka couldn't help but wonder why they'd manifest in such a gentle way if they were upset. Soft, floating lights didn't exactly set off any alarms in her mind, but she wasn't one of the leaders and surely they knew best. Nchekwube hadn't scolded her for her thoughts, though, which allowed her to relax a bit. Some of the older Amusu would have surely told her off for thinking the spirits of those that had passed on were just stopping in for a visit.

The question made her shake her head slightly. "The only thing I can think of is that I'm not running away from them or flinching if they come close, which is why I think they're not necessarily unhappy," she said. "Maybe they're just lonely or glad to see their families again. I don't want to hurt their feelings further by doing the same." Perhaps word had gotten around in the wisp world that the pale lioness was someone who would tolerate their presence. She honestly wasn't sure.

"I know if I were a wispy ancestor I'd be pretty upset if my family turned away from me," Ruaka added quietly, casting her gaze to the ground, a heavy weight settling in her chest at the mere thought. To think of her mother or brothers being scared of her... it wasn't something she liked to think about. It almost felt too real to even consider for a moment.

Ruaka gave a little shrug of her shoulders, not wanting to completely agree with Nchekwube if only because she didn't wish to insult those that were from elder generations. They had their beliefs and they were in charge, for the most part, and while she did think that some of them were coming kicking and screaming into this new-minded 'era', so to speak, she didn't blame them. They had grown up much differently than she was.

But she was glad for the young Amusu, that much was for sure. To know someone in a position of power shared her thoughts - or at least found them worthy to listen to - made her mild anxiety about speaking up about them settle. Perhaps now she'd say what was on her mind more often.

The question surprised her and she glanced up at Nchekwube, startled by the change of topic. Her mind went to work trying to pick through the various stories she'd been told as a young cub.

"Ah... a bit," Ruaka confirmed, bobbing her head in a little nod. "The name is familiar but I can't put a paw on why. Were they a particularly famous line?" She knew there were some families that traced back for generations that had survive the plague, but there were also other short-lived lines that did great things in their time in the land of the living.