The dark cub anticipated the response given, and a flare of excitement caused her limbs to stiffen, as if literal electricity had coursed through her body. She didn't even have to do any sort of convincing to earn herself a meal. Kimagure was already on the move. Suddenly, a thought hit her. It was too easy, that had been far too simple. Worries of ulterior motives invaded her thoughts, and the cub had to rush to keep up with the ivory beast, determined to spectate, all the while intending to keep her distance. She watched Kimagure survey the area, and Eina's tail twitched suspiciously. Perhaps Kimagure would expect something in turn. Eina wasn't sure what she could offer, but surely debt would be insisted. Or perhaps there was some other catch she didn't know about.

Eina observed as Kimagure struggled with a turtle, and her charcoal head tilted as the armored creature was killed and carried. The young lioness remained where she was until her eyes met with Kimagure, and she scrabbled forth, cautiously, aiming to pause a mere few feet away from the lioness and her catch. She waited for the conditions--'Catch something as well' or 'I'm eating first' or whatever thoughts had yet to slither into her mind. She did say she was going to catch 'us' something, right? Had Eina heard correctly? She aimed to hold Kimagure's gaze for a moment before looking over at the turtle questioningly.

It was easier to shake off the sad memories when she was doing something. She saw the question in the female’s eyes, so she set to work. “I assume you’ve never eaten a turtle? Well, it’s more difficult than some animals are. You have to be strong enough to pry it apart. The shell isn’t good to eat,” she said, voice distracted as she worked her paws into the gaps between the top of the legs and the shell.

”You have to pull it apart to get to the meat.” Kimagure bent down, gripping the shell in her jaw and slowly, strenuously, pulled the shell away. It was not necessarily easy, but with the right force it peeled away. Kimagure tossed the shell to the side and removed her paws.

”Eat what you like. It has a... particular taste, however.” she told her. The lioness took the opportunity to bring her paw up to her face so she could clean away the blood that was left there after tearing the turtle apart. She sank into a sitting position as she did so, pretending not to watch the girl, even though she was.

Why did Eina feel a little embarrassed that Kimagure had guessed correctly that she'd never chowed down on turtle before? She teased the weight on either of her forepaws, shifting from left to right to release some tension as she felt herself heat up momentarily under her pelt. Her moment of small embarrassment had faded quite quickly, almost instantly forgotten about as Kimagure began to make a display of verbally and visually teaching the younger feline how to get to the edible bits of turtle, under the shell. Her muzzle followed the direction of the discarded shell, and Eina looked upon it for just a moment before looking back at Kimagure. 'Eat what you like' was all the cub needed to hear to lift her confidence in the situation. Her stomach tugged from within eagerly as she looked down at the exposed turtle.

Once more, she looked up at Kimagure, considering her suspicions once more. Kimagure had asked for no debt. Was she waiting until Eina ate and was unable to back out of it? Her colorless eyes squinted slightly as she watched the lioness appear to pay attention to only her own activity of grooming herself, and deciding she may be in the clear, Eina inched forward, testing the waters. When she felt it was fine, she started with a few tugs of the leathery skin of the creature, and the moment the flavor hit her senses, she couldn't resist taking larger chunks.

It was satisfying. So satisfying. Her worries were forgotten in the moment as she tore flesh from the carcass, chewing minimally before swallowing what would fit at a time. The taste was atypical of what she was used to, but it was nice in its own way. It was fresh. It was filling. It was just like before, when she wasn't alone. In the moment, it made her quite pleased, and only after she had enough to stop the jabbing of hunger had Eina remembered her manners, with a touch of shame at the neglect of such. Looking up at Kimagure once more, whether she was observing or not, she would offer a grateful "Thank you, ma'am." It was nice to be able to eat without flies buzzing in your ear, without carrion-eaters lingering by and waiting to intercept the food, without having to sneak around more able hunters, hoping they leave something behind.

Kimagure dropped all pretenses of not watching the girl when she began to really eat. If Kimagure had been unsure, she no longer was. She knew what she wanted to do, even with how things had gone with Colbert. Not all the children she had been the guardian of had been a disappointment, though he was the only one she had called her son.

"How long have you been alone, Eina? Where are your parents?" she asked, voice soft again. Her eyes searched the child's face, hunting for an answer. She placed her blood-stained paw back down against the sand, her tail wrapping partway around herself.

Daring a few more bites to ensure peak fulfillment. For the first time in ages she felt physically satisfied. There was still some left for Kimagure, but Eina made sure to pick the side closest to her clean. She licked at her lips, her pink tongue standing out against her dark face. She lapped up any bits of flavor possible with a content sigh she just couldn't help.

Kimagure's voice pulled her back to reality, and suddenly she remembered where the food had come from in the first place. She blinked as the question was processed--well, questions, and she pulled her paws close to her, brushing her tongue along her toes, as if that would make the question go away. "I don't know." She answered vaguely, considering the information she wished to share for a moment. "Gone." It was true, at least, even if vacant of details. Her mother, as far as she was aware, was gone from her life. Her father truly was gone.

She unsheathed her claws, nibbling at them for a moment to distract herself from whatever kind of look Kimagure was presenting. "I do okay myself, though." Whether that satisfied Kimagure would depend what her standards of 'okay' were. To Eina, she was still alive, so to her, it was okay. She hoped the ivory lioness would agree.

Kimagure's ears twitched when the girl confessed she didn't know where they were, trying to convince Kimagure that she did fine on her own. The lioness wasn't blind. That clearly wasn't true. The lioness stared unblinking while the girl fidgeted. The lioness tilted her head to the side, her expression serious. Was she really about to do this again? Take in an older child?

"I don't know if I'd call being that hungry doing 'okay'." Kimagure looked at the surf then, watching it wash up the shore and back away again. She licked her lips, turning back to look at the girl with a neutral expression.

"You need a mother, someone to watch after you," she told the girl, somewhat resigned. Maybe it would be good for Kimagure to have something to do, and was it really harder watching after the cub than just herself.

@Eina

The black cub felt a burn of pique within her chest as the larger feline openly doubted her assurance. Her nibbling ceased and she pressed her nose against her paws, refusing to meet those pink eyes for a moment until she gave in, glancing for just a second before allowing her gaze to travel down to Kimagure's own paws. She didn't dare hold that unblinking, unreadable stare for long.

Her stomach sank a little when Kimagure proclaimed she needed a mother. Her silver eyes widened slightly, and her gaze fled to the turtle's remains. Was Kimagure suggesting some strange woman take in Eina? Her own mother rejected her when the chance came--why would some stranger unrelated woman be different? Longing for her father made her stomach churn. "I'm okay." She insisted softly as her tail hugged her haunches. She had to admit, she'd love it if she had more help with food. That turtle was her best meal in ages! She pondered for a moment of Kimagure herself would take her instead. The idea still left Eina uncertain. She awaited the adult's response, skin tingling with anxiety.

The girl struggled to meet Kimagure’s eyes. She saw how her expression changed when she suggested she needed a parent. Limagure claws dug into the sand as she shifted her weight, thinking. Kimagure sighed softly at the child’s response. Sand had began to cling to the blood on her paws.

”I don’t think you are. Let me help you, Eina,” she replied, bending down so that her head would be level to the child’s, trying to catch her eye. Her face had become more serious, despite the trepidation she felt about the situation.

Anxiety gnawed at the cub's chest, threatening to tear into her throat. What was in it for Kimagure to even go through the effort of convincing her? Would she be lead into danger? Did she have friends waiting nearby to seize her? Was this a false insist of help? The fact that the air carried no scents to catch Kimagure hiding said friends made her feel slightly better about it, but it wasn't enough. She refused to let her body language announce her worries, best she could, but there was little the cub could do about her eyes being unable to remain in one place for long, her pupils subtly wavering and having a difficult time focusing on one single object.

Her claws desperately scraped at the sand under them as she forced herself to freeze her eyes onto Kimagure's own, with maximum effort. "Why? Where do you want to take me?" Did Kimagure really intend to help? Would Eina end up in better conditions where she could eat like this every day? Part of her really hoped so. Another part of her despised the hope, for it made the situation all the more difficult than just making the choice to keep shooting down Kimagure's offer for help. "Would I get to eat like this more?"

It seemed Kimagure was making the girl uncomfortable, perhaps a healthy level of fear of a stranger. Too many children were all too trusting. Eina finally met her eyes. Kimagure remained still, still watching her.

”I don’t have a home myself yet, but I will soon, one way or another,” she told her. Kimagure was not terribly troubled by it, but a younger child would mean Kimagure would need to speed up the process. She could not watch her constantly, not when they were roaming.

”Yes. You would. I don’t look underfed, do I? I have an older son, not quite grown, and I like to think he turned out alright,” she told her, allowing herself a small smile. Kimagure had never had to work to take in a child before. They all came willingly.