[Julien]

    After Rome, she had barely done anything. Julien had found herself in a small desert, close to an oasis. It was hot, and she enjoyed sunbathing everyday, and drinking every night. There had been a human camp here long ago, but it had since long been abandoned. Most of the huts were torn to pieces, barely even one truly standing anymore. Digging around the place, she had found drinks in a crate, and had pushed it to the boulder she had claimed as hers. The rock jutted out of the hill side, putting her small crate of alcohol in the shade provided underneath. Being as she had nothing to do, she rarely left her rock, only to go explore the abandoned village. It had been months since she had gotten here, and she had learned how the human made their drinks, but hadn’t tried to make it herself. When her stash ran out, she decided, she’d move on.

    The sun hung high in the sky, heat practically oozing out of the ground. A bottle was between Julien’s paws, as she sat on her rock, looking towards the small pool that she had been claiming as hers. She hadn’t seen anyone in days. Travelers were far and few, but she had been friendly. The desert wasn’t made for everyone, she had figured, after sleeping there for about a month. Now many more had passed, mainly because she wished for another party to attend. Julien licked up the liquid that dripped gently from the bottle, growing bored of the day. The entire morning she had slept, and then she had thought of going to the human village, but there was nothing there. During the second month whatever was left standing, she had torn it down. There were only a few bottles left in her crate. There was the temptation to drink it all down in one go, then get on her way to somewhere else. But she instead stretched out, then flopped back down, letting the warmth ebb into her.

    It was almost hard not to hear someone coming close. The lioness remained on her side, tail flicking along with an ear. She had just started to really drift off. Maybe they would leave, she thought, half wanting to sleep, but half wanting to meet new people. If they came closer, she would open one eye, peering at the stranger. “Ya touch my drinks, I’ll hafta fight ya.” Even if the words were threatening, her tone was not. It was almost like a mother scolding a child. Finally, she would roll onto her belly, paws handing off the edge of her rock, as she would look at the traveler. “Welcome to the desert. What brings ya here, huh?” She practically purred out. She held her bottle in her paws, looking at whoever had come across her. Julien wasn’t thinking of the threats that come from strangers, but instead wondered how fun they could be. What could they do to entertain her? 

[Sumitra]

Heat radiated through the pale brown saber, and she could feel her old self surfacing through the dead layers she had used the past few months to get by. She relished living in the quaint little forest while she could, but she felt it in her bones that it was time to keep going. Most of the inhabitants she encountered there were hungry, impatient, irritable, sometimes a bit homely. She could not find very many with interesting stories to tell or shenanigans to let her in on. Normally, she'd try to find the most amicable, enthusiastic knuckle-dragging punks and befriend them. It never failed to lead her to a good time. But in the forest, it was always quiet and the energy made her feel tired. Here, in the desert, she was reminded of her younger days when her mane had just began to grow in. She smiled to herself, thinking of what a little shit she used to be. Maybe she still was. It had just been awhile.

Sumitra slowed to a stop at the top of a small dune, her stomach growling as she lightly chuckled to herself. There would be one thing about her that would never change. She glanced around, narrowing her eyes against the rich golden sky and scanning the abandoned man village. She could find prey here easily. It was somewhat similar to her place of origin, after all. She preferred not to call it home. 

Her gaze finally fell upon a fellow feline lounging on a rock closeby. She peered at them for a long while, flicking an ear as she wondered what to do. Not only had it been awhile since she felt like herself, but it had been awhile since meeting face to face with another of her kind. She thought they were well beneath her at this point, for in her experience she did not always feel welcome around them. But maybe it was time for an even fresher start. Couldn't hurt, could it?

She began to pad towards the girl, nonchalantly approaching her with no regard of how loud her heavy paws must have disrupted her sleep. She stopped in her tracks a few steps away from where she lay, eyeing the curve of her back and intriguing fluffy mane. She waited until she began to stir, and then gave her a warm smile and dipped her head in greeting as she sat up to look back at her.

"Welcome to the desert. What brings ya here, huh?”

"Namasthae. Appe kaise hain?" She paused, remembering this wasn't her desert. "Tank you. I'm just on a stroll. About a two veek long stroll. Give or take. And please, drink to your heart's content. I prefer tea. She felt the anxiety creeping in her a bit, but regained her friendly grin and sat near to the lioness, her midnight eyes studying her carefully. "However, if you have food that you're villing to spare, I vill trade you for a funny joke."