they waste energy when enemies could be anywhere, just waiting to attack? "How do you keep your pride in order when you mess around like this?" he responded, nothing she said making sense. Energy was a precious resource, and had to be used only when needed. If you wasted energy, it wouldn't be there when you needed it. How could they get anything done? Her words made him snap attention back to her. "Well, we make time for fun. There is a time to work, and a time to have fun," she said, stopping in front of him. She sat down and raised a paw, beginning to groom her face. Askari looked down his snout at her with how close she was, but didn't move.

He wrinkled his nose, not sure how that system would work. Wouldn't they stop working hard if they were only focused on fun? How could they be focused on their work when they had time to play? And how could they waste time playing such games when everyday was a fight for survival? Questions swam around in his head, but he kept his mouth shut, knowing that whatever she answered wouldn't make much sense to him anyhow. "You know, you remind me of my dad. From what my mom used to tell me, he used to be such a stick in the mud," she said, though her tone was friendly rather than offensive. She rose to her paws as she spoke, and his eyes followed her movements as she moved past his shoulder. "Come on, I'm going to teach you how to have fun," she added, giving him a grin as she paused beside him before she trotted out, Askari having to turn his head to follow her.

He thought to himself for a moment about whether he should follow or not. A drop of water fell and hit his forehead, and he decided as he shook his mane out. He rose to his paws, and padded quickly after her to escape the darkness and water, and emerged into the pale moonlight as he brushed past the screen of vines. He felt himself relax greatly as he could now see his surroundings, and scanned the nearby area to see Alba walking off. He trotted to catch up, and as he approached her, slowed to walk beside her. He still couldn't see the purpose of fun. His goal was to find his pride as fast as possible, not to run around for no reason when his pridemates could need him. But, he couldn't really do much now. Besides, it was dangerous to go off alone at night, as he felt he hadn't regained his full strength, so he figured following Alba was better than wandering blindly and hoping to make his way back to Priderock without fighting. But he still doubted that fun was a good thing for him. He couldn't allow himself to become lazy. He had to always be on alert and focused so when he left to find his pride, he'd be of use to them.

Alba smiled to herself as she looked at him from the corner of her eyes before looking ahead again, an action that Askari missed as he looked absentmindedly around the landscape, not sure where they were going, or what she was planning, though this time he felt more confident than before. She thought to herself for a moment, then suddenly broke into a run, causing Askari to stop in surprise as she ran ahead of him. She looked over her shoulder as she ran, and called, "You're going to have to catch me!" He cocked an eyebrow in confusion as she raced away, causing the grass to rustle in her pawsteps. He was unsure what to do for a moment before he sighed, resigning to chase after her, though his pace was less enthusiastic as he did. How was running fun? This would only drain them of precious energy that could be used elsewhere. He shook his head to himself as he ran, but continued after her, unsure of what else he was supposed to do. She clearly was just trying to be nice, but he couldn't see how this would be useful or fun.

Alba looked over her shoulder to see Askari was following, but not at a pace that she agreed with. She huffed, and it turned into a smirk as she devised a plan. She faced forward again, and ducked into a field of tall grass, deciding that he'd have to find her when he got here. Askari continued, and saw as she disappeared ahead over the crest of the hill. He rolled his eyes, but continued, and stopped at the top of the hill where she had disappeared, crickets chirping in the night air. Panting, he looked around but found no sign of her. He looked for possible places she could've gone, and almost immediately spotted the tall grass. He snorted in annoyance as he realized she had probably gone in there. He paused for a moment to catch his breath before he sighed, lowering his head to the ground to follow her scent. He soon immersed himself into the tall grass as he followed her trail, and groaned inwardly. How was this fun? It only annoyed him further.

Alba pricked her ears at the sound of him approaching, and snickered quietly to herself as she realized he had followed her in. She wove through the grass, silent as she avoided going too fast so as not to announce her presence. Askari couldn't hear her, and continued following her trail as he tried to stifle his annoyance. He shouldn't be mad at her-she was only trying to be nice. But, he didn't find any part of this fun. He paused as he stopped at a small delve where her scent had collected, and he guessed she had paused here before heading on. He felt the ground with a paw, and noticed it was still warm. She couldn't be far off. His tail gave a flick, and he huffed to himself as he trudged onward, nose to the ground as he picked up her trail and began to follow. As she slunk through the grass, she decided to make things a bit more exciting. She noticed a small pile of rocks ahead and padded towards it. She knocked it over with a paw to cause some noise, and she quickly crept away to continue leading him on. Askari pricked his ears at the noise, and quickly followed it. He stopped when he found the pile of rocks that caused it, then huffed, frowning in annoyance at this chase.

His tail flicked behind him in contempt, stirring the long grass as it did. He was growing tired of her games. How did she see this as fun? If anything it was frustrating. He forced his anger back down, not wanting to snap at her when he next saw her, and rushed on, sniffing furiously to try and follow her trail, now going at a faster rate to finish this thing. Alba laughed silently to herself, and another plan formed in her mind. Smirking to herself, she looped around in a wide half circle until she was confident she was behind him. She could see his silhouette ahead of her, as he was unaware of her attack and still following the trail. She tensed her muscles then leaped forward, slamming into him as she tried to pin him down. Askari gave a startled gasp at the sudden impact, and his mind immediately switched to attack mode as he felt he was being attacked. His look of shock quickly turned into one of anger as he whirled around, claws unsheathing as he seamlessly dug his claws into his attacker's sides, and using his momentum, turned the tables so he could pin them. He dug his claws into their chest, vaguely registering that it was a lioness as it lacked a mane. He snarled, bringing his nose close as his fur bristled and teeth were bared to bite. But then, he froze.

The pelt was familiar, and as he took in more of her features, his anger melted into confusion as she stared back at him with clear blue eyes. "Alba?" he asked, backing up as he sheathed his claws, allowing her to stand. He had genuinely thought someone was attacking him. He didn't think it would be Alba. Alba stared at him blankly as she slowly sat up and rose to her paws, and then, almost out of nowhere, she burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. Askari stared at her with wide, confused eyes, and took a step back. Was she mad? He couldn't understand what was so funny. Perhaps she really was crazy. His ears flattened against his head, and he felt unnerved at her laughter. He'd been about to tear her throat out, why was she laughing. If he hadn't realized it was her, he likely would have killed her. Didn't she realize this? He found himself again questioning her sanity, and whether he should leave without her. It'd probably easier and safer. He'd heard of lions gone mad, and he didn't want to experience it first hand.

He watched as her laughing progressed, and her legs gave out. She rolled onto her back, still caught up in her fit of laughter, and he became more wary. She must really be insane. After a bit, she finally managed to regain her bearings, and steadied her breathing so she could speak. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach. She rose to stay in a crouch, and Askari felt more intense. Why was she acting so strangely? Finally, he managed to respond. "Why're you laughing? I just attacked you," he retorted, giving her a strange look as his eyes darted up and down. She couldn't be crazy, could she? Her pride most certainly wouldn't keep a crazy lion. Then again, their pride was far different, and it seemed they coddled each member. Perhaps she really was crazy and no one decided to bother mentioning it.

"Did you have fun?" she asked, looking at him strangely in return as she stood. She didn't process that he nearly killed her, and instead seemed unfazed by his attack. He stared at her with his mouth open wide in shock, brow furrowed deeply in the moonlight, their shadows cast beneath them. "Should you really be concerned about that right now?" he responded, giving his tail a swish of agitation. Did she really not see it? He was beginning to doubt the greatness he had heard of the Pridelands. Did they not even consider death? In his pride, it was well known that death was the end. That's why they had to be cautious. He had nearly killed her, and she acted like it was nothing. Were they just stupidly brave? She