The watering hole was surprisingly empty when the small group of strange travelers arrived, but Hadaya supposed that was for the best. Ume had been looking very nervous as they approached, but had a much more calm demeaner now that she saw there was not a ton of lions gathered around. She was expecting the worst, and was not great in crowds at the best of times. Mostly because she had no experience with them, and had a basic fear of all things she did not know. Her mother had taught her to be afraid of everything.

One of the many bad lessons she kept from her upbringing, which she was learning was not the way normal families work.

Hadaya sat down on a rock near the edge of the water, while Ume perched on the ground next to him. She was very tense, but seemed to be clinging to him for safety, and he did not want to give the impression that it was bothersome. He gave her a reassuring smile, keeping his eye on her between looking around to make sure no threats were heading their way. Or at the very least, unwelcome visitors. He did not want to stress her out any more than she already was.

Rangi was working out in his mind how to win Ume’s favor and prove he was not harboring any poor intentions about her. He understood that her heart was with another and that she was vulnerable, and he was a very honorable sort! Even if he was a free spirit, and enjoyed a good, string free time with a lioness or two, he was not about to cross any lines. To him, the world hinged on beauty, and it was not just in a lion’s coat. It was inside, and he would not let them think so poorly of him and what he was inside.

Ngome, on the other hand, waded out into the water alone, without saying anything to anyone, and crouched down in the deeper parts, where his paws were still touching the ground but the water was up to his neck. He let his face rest just at the water’s surface, as if his chin were resting on it as it might do a rock or a branch. He just… stood there like that, enjoying the water and closing his eyes. He almost looked like a part of the water itself, with his mane looking like its own spot of floating water.

“What… is he doing?” Ume asked, and Hadaya looked out at Ngome and frowned in confusion. He wished he had a clever, wise answer for what he was seeing, but he had no real idea.

“Uh.”

“He’s just enjoying the water,” Rangi said with a grin, padding closer but opting to sit on Hadaya’s other side rather than too near Ume. He did lean so he could see her, speaking to her directly. She averted her eyes, to avoid making direct contact with him. “He likes to soak, especially on warm days. I guess he just has a thing for water, because of his mane and how often others tell him he looks like a puddle. He never explains it, but I think it’s because it is a more important part of him than he wants to admit. Maybe he was blessed with such a beautiful mane because he was meant to enjoy the water, hm?”

Hadaya watched Rangi with a skeptical look, but let he talk to his heart’s content. Ngome heard them talking about him, his ears perking forward and twitching in mild irritation at being the topic of discussion, but he did not move from the water. He did not even bother opening his eyes, as Rangi was liable to babble about whatever he wanted, whether he voiced annoyance or not. Rangi meant no harm, but he had a big mouth.

It often got him in trouble with other lions, though, and Ngome did his best to protect him because of it. The last thing he would ever do was add to all that trouble.

Ume smiled softly at Ngome, thinking he was a rather gentle sort that reminded her a lot of Baik, who she was missing quite severely now.

“Are you sure Baik will come looking for me here,” she said suddenly, turning to Hadaya. The older lion looked surprised, but gave her a very warm smile that she absolutely had to believe. She even found herself smiling back ever so slightly, though her ears were still folded back nervously. “but you’ll all stay until he does, so I’m not alone? If that’s not too much trouble… I know I owe you a lot already.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” Hadaya began, but Rangi was on his feet in a flash, smiling brightly.

“We would do anything to be of service to you, Ume! I am not put out by it at all. In fact, I very much enjoy it! Plus, I would like to see you reunited with your friend, so you might offer us a full smile. See how easy I am to please?” He grinned at her, and she shyly backed away. She put her head against Hadaya’s leg to hide her laugh, but Rangi saw it and beamed proudly.

Ngome suddenly started moving, walking out of the water and up to the shore near them. He came over, not bothering to shake the water off and instead letting it drip through his fur. He watched them all thoughtfully, noticing that both Rangi and Hadaya were grinning broadly, and Ume was hiding her face. He heard most of the conversation, though he had expected Ume to be upset with Rangi, not laughing. He sighed, relaxing, and sat down with a squishy splash. This caused everyone, including Ume, to laugh harder.

Ngome stared at them silently, mellow eyes bouncing from one happy face to the next, and decided he would accept being their source of amusement for now. In fact, he even smiled himself, and joined in on the laughter after a moment.


Word Count: 1,015