It had taken the entire rest of the day to talk the matriarch down from her murderous rage and negotiate for the cheetah's life. Personally, Kalos found it ridiculous to demand the life of a creature for the sake of a brief instance of indignity caused by that creature. The very thing that this Kriva had begged Doxa to not let happen was also asked for... his indentured service to the herd. The idea, unto itself, was comical. What exactly could a slim, fleet cheetah do for a herd of large, lumbering elephants? Of course, that hadn't been the intent of the suggestion. It had merely been a means for indicating they (or really, the matriarch herself, as the rest of the herd looked distinctly uncomfortable with the concept) wanted to make Kriva's existence as miserable as possible for however long they allowed him to live. Kalos was having none of that though, of course.

So it was that the final agreement was that Kalos would take responsibility for the cheetah and bind him to service here in the valley. The matriarch had used the word "slave" but the lion had refused to touch the term. He took no slaves, and never would. As far as he was concerned, he was accepting the cheetah into the family for a time for his own safety. If the elephants saw it differently, that was their choice.

He couldn't say that the cheetah had been exactly thrilled to find out he was now tied to the area and the odd little group of creatures that lived there, but he was grateful enough for his life to not be sour about it. Not that Kalos could blame him; minor imprisonment for the sake of a rash decision that resulted in a couple measly tail hairs (which Kalos still had no idea why he'd done that) was not exactly anyone's idea of a fair exchange. Even so, it was what it was, and the lion was determined to uphold his end of the bargain. He wouldn't force the cheetah to work, but he'd be at least asked to help feed the others. The solution to the concern that he might run when sent out to hunt was simple: Kalos promised Kriva that he'd inform the elephant herd of his escape and let them deal with him. It had been clear that such a threat was more than enough to ensure good behavior, thankfully.

He was standing on a ledge along one of the walls near the entrance in the early morning hours the next day, looking over the destruction wrought by the furious pachyderms when movement in the entrance canyon caught his eye. To his astonishment, four muddy, miserable looking forms were slowly staggering their way towards the valley. Even from this distance, it was clear they were exhausted and in need of food and rest, at the very least.

He bounded down the pathways to the valley floor, reaching the mouth of the canyon as they approached it. "Hello friends," he called, moving forward from the shadows, "do you need help?"

It bespoke how tired he was that Jacundi didn't even jump when a large lion appeared unexpectedly from the shadows. Granted, Skrissa had told them to expect to be met, but hadn't been very specific about by whom. Even so, it had been startling to see such a big lion appear so suddenly. Or maybe not so suddenly. His brain was so foggy from exhaustion, perhaps a herd of elephants could have taken him by surprise. "Y-yes," he replied hesitantly. "The snake told us we could come here?" They'd already stopped to drink briefly, but had pressed on for fear that they wouldn't make it all the way if they dared stop. Vaalia looked fit to collapse, and was actually leaning on Kekkel as they walked... staggered, more like... along. Maji was exhausted enough to not pipe up in response to the lion, as she might have otherwise, not even in greeting. Her tail was dragging the ground and gathering all sorts of debris as it did so, slowing her further. His poor friends. They all needed a long, long rest, at the very least. "We got lost in the swamp, you see," he began to explain, his voice slurred just slightly, "and the snake found us...," he trailed off vaguely, head hanging.

Kalos was aghast. These poor creatures! "Of course, of course, come this way," he urged them, thinking rapidly where best to put them. What was more important right now, rest, water, or food? Taking a closer look at them, he decided that rest was likely the best option just now. They had clean guest chambers close to the entrance for just such an occasion, so he led them there forthwith. The sky was beginning to lighten faintly, but it would be a long while still before any sunshine broke into the sheltered valley. That could be important, since the cave he led them into was rather shallow, and would catch the reflected light and warmth from the cliffs across the valley as the sun rose above the hills that surrounded them.

Jacundi looked around the clean, dry cave and nearly wept for joy at the sight of it. No mud, no midges, no rank growth. Just clean dirt, dry stone, and several piles of dried, sweet smelling grasses. He helped Kekkel lead Vaalia, who was asleep on her paws now, over to one of the grass piles and settled her down on it. Kekkel then had a difficult time prying the straps of her bags off herself, as they were glued to her with dried mud. He didn't blame her for the whimper of relief she gave when she settled herself beside Vallia, resting her chin on the hyena's back and closing her eyes, almost immediately asleep.

He turned to find Maji still sitting at the mouth of the cave beside the lion. She was speaking softly to him, no trace of her usual animation and vigor evident in expression or voice. He realized she was telling him their story, imparting their trials so that the stranger could understand their predicament. The lion was listening intently, his eyes roving over all of them as if assessing what was needed, and what to do next. Jacundi could tell that this male was a leader, one who looked after those under his care with the utmost diligence. That made him feel all the better to be here, for this to be who watched over them while they slept. Such a male would not let harm come to them unless it killed him first. Satisfied, the hyena nosed more grass into the nest Kekkel and Vaalia occupied, then curled up with his back against the leopardess'. He was only vaguely aware when Maji laid down as well, a little distance from them. His last thought was one of a relaxing sense of relief. They were all here, together, safe, and able to rest in safety. For now, that was all he desired in the world.