Intiha-ka found that life had become...exceptionally interesting of late. And that was really something, because her life had always been interesting, from the collapse of the Kunanda' Nakhun to her time with the Antianeira, only for that pride to dissolve, and then reuniting with her mother and sire - who had taken up residence in another pride that ultimately disbanded - the lioness had had a life that was chock full of ups and downs, to say the least. Together with Sataa and Ikkuma, and her friends Aletheia and Io, they'd continued to drift about as a small nomadic unit, and life had been fairly quiet for awhile. A little unsatisfying, perhaps, but quiet, which was a welcome change from turmoil.

Ah, but then she'd seen the Impibutho warparty, and life had quickly gotten interesting again. To see for herself the audacity and cruelness of the males, enslaving females and smaller creatures, had set her blood to burning. And not only that, but one of the so-called 'war dogs' with the group had been a lioness! It was absolutely shameful, unforgivable! Wretched creatures, the lot of them. And so she and her mother and Aletheia had brought their wrath down upon the warparty; they might have been outnumbered, but they were excellently trained, and had had righteous fury on their side - and the help of the party's captives, once they'd realized what was happening. They'd killed some and sent the rest packing, and just like that, their tiny little group of wanderers had more than doubled in size. Not everyone they'd rescued had a life to get back to, or that they wanted to get back to, and had been perfectly content to just stay with them. They could all have simply wandered on together, but after what she'd seen and heard, that wasn't enough for Intiha-ka. They could make something of themselves, provide protection and a haven, and resurrect the spirit of the prides that had come before. But better. She knew that they could do so much better! Each had had its strengths and failings, and they would build from what they needed and cut away what they did not.

For the first time in her life, she truly had a purpose, and it was both daunting and exhilirating. There was so much to be done, so many decisions to be made, and if she got it wrong...there would be the dust of yet another failed pride on all their paws. That was not acceptable. But the seeds had been planted, the groundwork was in place, and they had finally decided where they would settle. The former lands of the Einaliai Thalassai, described to her by her mother, sounded like a paradise, and a safe and fitting home for the Te'a-Nakhun. The journey there would take time, as their group moved more slowly now that there were more of them, and some of them were still recovering from their ordeal. And their path was, to some extent, deliberately meandering, as they canvased for any other lost souls along the way, lost family or friends or pridemembers, or anyone in need of aid. Any who would accept the ways of the Nakhun would be welcome among them, and be part of a strong and stable foundation from which they could grow.

To that end, as the group settled down to rest after the day's walking, Intiha-ka ventured off on her own for a look at the unclaimed lands they were passing through to see what she might see, and soon enough, she did see something: a lone lioness resting a safe distance from a small watering hole, an eagle perched in the scrubby tree that provided her a meager patch of shade. She looked in fair enough health, at first glance - no evidence that she had been lacking for food or had seen any recent violence, and Intiha-ka found herself shaking her head at the assessments she now made almost without thinking.

It was the eagle who noticed her first, vocalizing to alert his companion to the bright lioness' approach, and the brown-pelted stranger lifted her head and surveyed her with interest, but didn't make a move to stand. Chemankari was quite comfortable where she was, thank you very much. "Hello," she offered to the approaching lioness. "Looking for water, or for shade? I'm afraid there's not much of the latter, although with sunset approaching, it's not such a precious commodity as it was an hour ago."

"Indeed," Intiha-ka responded with a small quirk of a smile. "I wasn't looking for anything in particular, to be honest, but it's good to know there's water here. The others will appreciate it."

"Others?" Chemankari tilted her head curiously, looking in the direction the blue-and-orange female had come from, but there was nothing to be seen from here.

Her eagle companion chimed in then, "I did tell you I saw a group while I was looking for our dinner, didn't I? She must be one of them, hm?"

"Most likely," the colorful lioness confirmed with a nod. "We're the Te'a-Nakhun."

"Are you nomads, then?" Chemankari's ears flicked forward with keen interest. She'd heard of nomadic prides, but had never actually seen one that was truly nomadic; only the Ela'wadiyi came close, and they had an expansive territory over which they roamed, rather than moving across the lands.

"Not for much longer," Intiha-ka answered. "We're on our way to claim lands for ourselves, assuming the ones we seek are still unoccuppied."

"Interesting. Have you lost lands, then?" It struck a chord with Chemankari, who had twice endured such a loss.

"In a manner of speaking. We're from many different places, but quite a few of us are from prides that crumbled. And you? Is there a home behind or before you, or are you a true rogue?"

"There is a home behind us," she former swampie answered, and her eagle added, "But there's also a home before us. We're on our way to the Aka'mleli."

"That's a name I've never heard before," Intiha-ka said, now curious herself. "And where are you from, if you don't mind my asking?"

"The Jini-msemi," the pair answered together, and Chemankari snorted softly. Perhaps they'd had no one but each other for company for a bit too long.

"That name I do know!" Intiha-ka exclaimed. "On of us is from there! Tiisha!"

"Really? I don't recognize the name, I'm afraid, but we also change our names, and there were so many of us, I don't think I could have known everyone."

"Would you mind coming back with me? She's had a difficult time, and whether you were acquainted before or not, I think it might do her good to see someone from home."

"I don't see why not," Chemankari decided with a shrug, and stood and looked up at Sesh-ratri. "Coming?"

"I don't see why not," he chortled, and she rolled her eyes as he left his perch to settle on her shoulders, sharp claws scraping the already scarred and slightly thickened skin there.

"Alright, then - lead the way... Ah, sorry, I think we forgot names! I'm Chemankari, and this is Sesh-ratri."

"Intiha-ka," the bright one supplied, and started off with a slight bounce to her step. "Very pleased to meet you both!"