Grouse Thicket Lions in the wild

She mentioned small prey, which of course caught his interest. Even rodents were sparse near the caldera. One point to... whatever this place is called, he thought, shifting his weight. His paws were still achy. She reported no large game, which was disappointing but unsurprising. Nothing much larger than a rabbit could sustain itself on these sparse levels of vegetation. He scuffed a paw against the bare earth even as the words nothin' green yet left the stranger's mouth.

When asked about his own origins, Peregrine looked around to orient myself, then simply bobbed his head. "Yeah. Southeast, I think." He paused, then admitted, "Things are bad that way. I was hoping they were better out here." So far, not so good... but he hadn't really taken a good look around yet and he wouldn't draw any conclusions from a single conversation anyway. He needed to see for himself.