Bamba was moving as quickly as his paws would carry him, while also appearing to be in no hurry at all. It was a difficult balance between a brisk trot and a lazy lope at times, but the golden male was still fresh from his conversation with Neze and he didn't want to leave anything to chance. So help him if Khanyo had found his mum before he did! Bamba wasn't even sure of the other male's intentions, but the last thing he wanted was an awkward romance to crop up between the two of them while he wasn't looking. Maybe that was selfish of him, but... but that was his mum! It just wasn't something he wanted to deal with, especially since he had just seen her for the first time in years. Bamba frowned as he slowed his steps and eventually came to a halt. Where had they gone to?
Fortunately for Bamba, Damu had just woken up from a nap and had left Asali's side to go find him. She had joined this pride to get to know him better, after all, and she would be damned if she let any opportunity slip through her paws. Of course, she wasn't quite sure where she was going, or even what the borders of the pride consisted of. Hmm, this could prove difficult. Plus, Bamba also spent some time outside of the pride's borders doing, uh, what did he call it... bounty hunting? Damu still wasn't entirely certain what that was or how often her son would be away from the pride, but she hoped he would be here today. After all, they had only joined up yesterday, and she wanted to spend time with him.
Perhaps they had gotten lost, or Thunzi had decided to talk with them some more? He wasn't sure he liked that idea either. Thunzi was known around the mercenary pride to be a bit of a flirt, and Bamba did not want to think about what he might be telling his mum or auntie. The male groaned unhappily. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all? No, that was pretty terrible. He was happy he'd run into his mum, and he was happy they had decided to join the Tani'Ajiri. He sighed as he cast his gaze around himself, trying to find any sign of Damu or Asali. Finally his eyes landed on the dark pelt of his mum, and it seemed he hadn't been too far off in finding her. The dark maned male was quick to set off towards her, his pace a brisk jog.
Bamba happened to see her before she saw him, but it was hard to miss the approaching male out of the corner of her eye. After all, Damu was use to keeping an eye on her surroundings at all times. It was a side effect from living in the rogue lands for most of her life, and being absolutely on guard to any male presence that might have wandered too closely to her or her sister. But as she turned her attention to the approaching male she was pleased to see if was her son and not a member of the pride she had not met yet. Her deep frown turned into a warm smile as she turned to regard Bamba. "There you are," she told him when he was closer, offering a sincere greeting. "I was wondering if you had left for another job already." That would have been unfortunate.
"Contract," Bamba corrected off-handedly as he came to a stop next to her and offered a bump from his head in greeting. "You and auntie sure slept in this morning," he told her with a smirk. "I've already had the time to get some training in." Not much, but he did get a little bit of sparring in this morning before his talk with Neze. Which reminded him... "You haven't spoken with anyone else this morning, have you?" No point in being subtle, Damu was usually very capable of picking up on any time he tried to something.
Damu returned his head bump with one of her own as she took in the new word he had used. Contract. Hmm, she'd have to hear more about that one. Though maybe some other time. She was just happy to be able to spend some time with her son. "No, why?" His question caught her off-guard slightly, but she didn't really think too much about it. "Should I have?" Was there some sort of official she needed to speak with? Perhaps she needed to check in with a pride leader. Honestly Damu just shrugged her shoulders at those thoughts. If there was something she was suppose to do then they should have told her so.
"No reason," Bamba said a little too quickly, and he knew it. His mum gave him strange look and he knew she was on to him. So instead he took this moment to look around them and make sure Khanyo or Neze weren't hanging around before he turned a smooth smile to his mum. "How about I give you a tour? We're still new to the territory, but I can at least show you the borders and the training grounds. There's also a river on one side of the territory," he told her with a bob of his head. It would be good just to spend some time with his mum, and maybe learn more about why they had left the Ithambo'hlabathi. Bamba found it strange that they had just up and left, and they hadn't seemed keen on talking about it too much earlier. He wondered if there was something he should be concerned about.
Bamba was definitely hiding something, a mother could tell when her son had something on his mind that he didn't want to share. Hmm, she just have to pry it out of him sooner or later. "Yes, that sounds like a wonderful idea," she told him happily. The more time they got to spend together, the more opportunity she would have to pick his brain. Her claws slid out as she scratched at the dirt underneath her paws. She was eager to see what her new home had to offer, and even more eager to see what she could get out of Bamba. Something was clearly bothering him, and Damu did not run from confrontation. If she could help him in some way, then hell be damned she would help him.
She had that look in her eye that told him this was going to be a very productive conversation. Well, at least she hadn't changed in the years he hadn't seen her, and he almost had to laugh about it. Yup, that was his mum alright. Without hesitation Bamba nodded towards the direction they would be headed in first and began to walk that way. "First stop is the training grounds. Its where most of the mercenaries spar or other members work on their combat skills," Bamba began, as he decided they would eventually get to what was really on their minds. No need to rush things. "Also Thunzi does a lot of business on the rocks over here, ironing out contracts and such with visitors." Usually Bamba wasn't too worried about that, but with his mum and auntie now in the pride, well, he was a little more concerned. "Maybe be a little careful over here, you never know who is going to be around." Like an enemy in the making, Bamba reminded himself. You never knew how such things would turn out, and it wouldn't be the first time.
Damu didn't have to ask him why, as she had spent most of her life being wary of strangers. In fact, before he and his litter were born, she had practically attacked and chased off every male that had even attempted to approach her or Asali. How she had managed to accept and even like Jasiri, Bamba's father, had surprised both herself and her sister. "You don't have to tell me twice," Damu affirmed with a serious nod of her head. She had gotten better over the years, thanks to the stability that life in the bonelands had given her, but Damu was not completely ready to let down her guard around strangers."What else should I look out for?" Now that her mind was on it, she was ready to be on the look out for potential dangers while Bamba narrated their little tour around the territory. She would pick his mind eventually, but for now she was content to learn about her new home.
((Word Count: 1,442))