Bamba hadn't realized how abuzz the pride would get over the acceptance of non-combat members, and honestly he was a little startled by their reaction. He had grown up in the bonelands after all, and most members had been females in charge of hunting and caring for the pride, while the males fought and chased off interlopers. Was it honestly such a bit deal to allow hunters to join the pride? His was still somewhat new to the Tani'Ajiri himself, having joined not too long ago due to his expertise in knowing the land and how navigate and find things out in the roguelands. That's how he'd gotten his rank as ranger, a bounty hunter by all means. He paused in his step to study how the wind shifted the grass to his left and noted the dryness and color of the tall stalks. He supposed the mercenary band would just need to adjust, like the seasons changed with the winds.
Neze and Khanyo had decided to split up and look for the new members of the pride, hoping to introduce themselves and perhaps endear themselves in hopes of free meals. It was a little selfish he supposed, but the brothers weren't the best of hunters and they were always hungry after training and sparring. When Neze's dark eyes landed on a familiar face he didn't hesitate to trot over to his fellow boneland's outcast. Lusizi, they had been called. "Bamba!" Neze called, trying to keep his voice casual. He didn't spend much time with the golden pelted lion, but they had sparred on occasion and chatted about their homeland in passing before. "I'm surprised you're not with your mother right now," Neze commented. Indeed, he was rather disappointed as well. He had been hoping to meet with and talk to her. But maybe Bamba would know where she was.
Bamba was quite surprised to hear Neze call out to him, as he recognized the other male's gravelly voice quite clearly. He had spent some time with Neze and Khanyo since joining the Tani'Ajiri, and they had bonded over their shared experiences with the Ithambo'hlabathi. He also knew that Neze was the more serious one of the two brothers, much like his father Surtak had been. "Is that so?" Bamba asked, his brows raised in questioning. What exactly did Neze mean about that? "They're resting right now, and I didn't want to bother them," he explained, wondering why Neze seemed so concerned about it.
Neze was short for a male, so Bamba did happen to have a decent bit of height on him, but Neze was much more muscled than the other male. So much so, that Bamba looked almost thin in comparison, despite the other male's lean and athletic build. He sighed at Bamba's explanation, not wanting to bother them either. Well, he'd just have to find them later then. "That's too bad, I was hoping to introduce myself," he admitted, not thinking too much about how he had worded that. It seemed he had not learned his lesson from his previous conversation with Khanyo. The mercenary flexed his claws into the dirt, feeling restless now that his plans had fallen through.
And what exactly did Neze mean by that? Bamba narrowed his eyes at the dark male, wondering about his intentions now. "Stay away from my mum, Neze," Bamba warned. He had no idea if that was truly Neze's intention, but Bamba wasn't going to take any chances. The last thing he needed right now was for some awkward romance between his dear mum and someone he considered a friend. Plus, Neze wasn't that much older than him, and it would be weird. Just thinking about it sent shivers down the golden lion's spine.
A look of utter confusion passed over Neze's face as he considered Bamba's words and tone. "What? Why?" he managed to ask before he suddenly understood what Bamba meant by that comment. The dark lion's eyes widened and he literally took a step back in shock. "Its not like that!" he insisted, a flush of embarrassment coloring his usual gravelly tone. Gods above, Bamba and Khanyo were one in the same! How the heck was he going to explain this to Bamba now without looking like a fool. 'I was hungry and wanted to ask your mom to catch me a snack?' This was turning into more of a headache than it was worth.
Bamba continued to glare at Neze until he was certain that the other male had no intention of pursuing his mum. "Good," he said eventually, the hair on the back of his neck still standing on end. He hoped he wouldn't have to deal with any other sort of situation like this, and he groaned internally when he remembered Thunzi's reputation for flirting. Ugh, he did not want to have to deal with any of this. With a huff and a roll of his shoulders Bamba turned his attention back to Neze, annoyed that this had even come up to ruin the rest of his day. "Wait, where's Khanyo?" Bamba questioned, his eyes suddenly widening. The two brothers were rarely apart and Bamba worried that Khanyo had also been looking for his mum.
Neze was about to excuse himself from this rather embarrassing situation when Bamba asked him one final question. Neze paused in his step to consider what he should say next, after all, he didn't think 'oh, he was also looking for your mom', would help his predicament right now. "Uh, probably training..." That didn't sound very convincing, but Neze honestly didn't want to have to explain the situation at all now.
It wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for the brothers to be training at this time of day, but Bamba wasn't convinced. "Right," he scoffed before turning his back on the dark pelted male. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to find his mum and auntie after all, Bamba thought. The better to keep an eye out for Khanyo and Neze if they decided to 'introduce' themselves to his mum. He knew Damu could take care of herself, but he did not leave anything up to chance. All the better to avoid an awkward situation if he could help it.
Whelp, Khanyo was on his own now, and Neze wasn't about to go sticking his nose any further into that situation. It looked like, at least for the foreseeable future, he would be catching his own meals and that was fine. Really, it was fine, he told himself. Maybe not ideal, but it was much better than having to explain himself to Bamba any further. The dark pelted male went in the complete opposite direction Bamba started to head off towards, and his pace was a brisk walk, all the better to escape the embarrassment.
((Word Count: 1,141))