Fumu and Chui were practically walking skeletons by the time they came upon the land. A massive stretch of green that was untouched by the drought. But surely such a choice piece of land was claimed. Fumu hesitated, looking at the piece of land before he looked at his sister. Food and water were close, he could smell it on the wind, but yet he did not think he could handle a confrontation if the resident lions were hostile...Chui would not last one second in a fight. It was a heartbreaking dilemma and when Chui slumped to the ground and complained that she was tired, Fumu was willing to follow her lead. They were exhausted from their long trek and had not gotten much sleep, a brief rest would be enough for now. As for food and water...well he'll think about that later. Fumu laid down beside his sister, gently bathed her pelt before he fell asleep.

Fumu's eyes opened then widened in surprise. Before them were two gourds, carved open to reveal the liquid within. And beside them were pieces of meat, zebra and wildebeest. Sounds from beside him quickly told the young lion that Chui was dining already and a glance proved that. The young lioness was gnawing on a zebra haunch, her eyes blissful. Fumu eyed the meat and drinks warily and gave both a sniff then a small taste. It would be odd if somebody was trying to kill them with food and water, but a rogue never took chances. After several hours and nothing bad happening, Fumu tucked in with his sister, his eyes closing in bliss as his belly was steadily filled. The two young lions laid side by side after their meal was finished. Enjoying the perks of having a full belly. It did not take long for Chui to look up at her brother with wide eyes. "Bwother pway?" she asked. Fumu gave a small chuckle and let her play with his tail as if she were still a small little cub. The sounds of Chui's laughter just made everything brighter.

The next days was the same. Fumu and Chui would fall asleep, only to wake up to pieces of meat and gourds or melons filled with drink. There seemed to be no trace of whoever was doing this kindness, which puzzled Fumu. But after a few days the young male decided that whoever it was, they had no malice in mind. But Fumu was curious to find out who was being willing to leave food and water for two strangers. Was it another rogue? Probably not since rogues usually kept to themselves, it was rare that other rogues would be willing to share resources with others. Was it one of the residence? Fumu tried to lay traps to see their helper, but the other was obvious cunning and always came when he and Chui were fully asleep. It was frustrating.

Days turned to weeks, and the strange meals being left behind were doing their job. Fumu and Chui were regaining the weight that had been lost, their bones were no longer straining through their pelts and both had energy that they originally had thought was lost. Chui was back to her bright and bubbly self, chasing her tail and catching small bits of prey for her brother. She was an expert mouser. Chui may had been not quite right in the head, but she did seem aware of things. Like when she woke one morning to see the faint imagine of a lioness slipping off, the bright yellow lioness was instantly delighted and ran after the other lioness, across the border.

Fumu had gotten his answer when Chui returned with another lioness. The lioness was unusual looking, not because of her white pelt...but because it appeared that she had extra limbs...and she did. Her front legs were normal enough, but only a little bit behind were a smaller yet almost fully developed set of legs. Her back legs were truly the oddest part of this strange lioness. The lower part seemed to have been split until it looked like she had two smaller paws to make up her hind paws. Her tail split towards the end and had two black-colored tail tufts. As if sensing that he was looking at her defects, the lioness watched him with narrowed blue eyes. As if expecting him to judge her. "Hello," Fumu said, trying to relieve some of the tension. "Bwother, Bwother! lookie!" Chui was dancing around the lioness, babbling happily then stopped to nuzzle the lioness's cheek. Fumu immediately felt embarrassed. Not that it was bad, but not everyone was aware of Chui's handicap and it might not be the best thing when dealing with a lion who could become hostile.

"I'm terribly sor-,"/p

"Don't be."

Fumu blinked. The white lioness's eyes had softened and she watched the young spotted lion. "Is she yours?" Obviously she was asking if Chui was his daughter, at times it also seemed that way. But Fumu was honest. "No, she's my younger sister. "What is your name?" the lioness asked Chui to smiled widely at her.

"Chew-ei." "I'm Fumu," the young lion introduced himself.

The lioness smiled. "Tombi."

"So...that's how we kind of ended up here." Fumu finished his story, not meeting Tombi's eyes. At first he had never thought there was anything wrong with his parents being brother and sister, but it didn't take long for him to notice that other lions took mates from different families. To his surprise there was no disgust in the white lioness's eyes. Only sympathy. "No wonder you two looked in poor shape, it lucky that I found you guys and not one of them." Fumu's brows furrowed, wondering who she meant. Tombi sighed and idly rolled a bone with one of her paws. It turned out that the smaller limbs didn't have much function really, they were just...there but they caused her no problem. "I would rather avoid this. But given you told me your history, it will only be fair to tell you mine." Tombi paused and looked across the vast expanse of greenery.

"There is a pride that lives in these lands, it's not really an official kingdom though the lions in charge call themselves Kings. The current 'king' is...my father." Her eyes dropped as if it was hard to admit it. "My father had eight cubs with his mate, but...there was issues." For a moment Fumu wondered if she was like him and Chui, only her being the result of many years. But Tombi shook her head as if she knew what he was thinking. "My parents aren't related." Tombi explained. "But one of them most likely had a poor gene pool and that ended up affecting the cubs. Out of the eight cubs, only I survived. So in a ways I am a 'princess." She gave a bitter snort. Fumu suddenly felt wary, wondering if it was wise to be so near a lioness of somewhat royal blood. "You would think being the only survivor would make my father care. Ha! Not a chance." She shook her head with a sigh. "My father casted me to the side, being a female was one strike, being deformed? Two strikes in one. Our pride sucks anyway so I took long ago to the edge of the kingdom. None of the pride bothers me, they probably are hoping I'll leave for good or die. Idiots." The pair fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Finally Fumu spoke. "Do...you want to spend time with us? If you don't have...other business." Tombi smiled, if she had eyebrows then they probably would be quirked in amusement.

"I have no plans...so alright."