This original copyrighted work by John Burkitt and David Morris is based on Walt Disney’s feature film “The Lion King.” Elements taken directly from The Lion King are the property of The Walt Disney Company. “Chronicles of the Pride Lands” is distributed free of charge excepting reasonable distribution costs. Quoting passages from our work, writing original pieces based partly (or entirely) on our work, or using characters we created is fine as long as you secure prior approval. That begins by sending either of us a copy of the work. Our e-mail addresses are:
John H. Burkitt: john.burkitt@nashville.com
David A. Morris: damorris@wilmington.net
Your comments on our work, pro and con, are always welcome. We have been asked about our legal note. This is our official response: “The copyright is maintained solely to prevent patently vulgar or lewd misuse of our characters. Most any work, including parodies would be fine as long as it meets certain reasonably broad standards of decency. We reserve the right as copyright holders to define and change those standards. None of these standards is meant to force the applicant to be consistant with the literary style or plot of the original work.”
The characters Akase, Isha, and Malaika are the property of Brian Tiemann. Used with permission.
Finally, this story is a fictional work. All resemblance to any characters living or dead is purely coincidental. Well actually not. With love and respect, we honor those who taught us how to laugh and cry. Without acting as clear models for any one character, many great souls, some non-human, pressed their mark indellibly on the fabric of our lives.
It is pointless to compare the old and new Chronicles for consistency. Consistency WITHIN this version was more important that consistency with the older materials. Many sharp-eyed readers pointed out a number of flaws in the old Chronicles of the Pride Lands, and those concerns have been addressed here. We both request that all earlier versions of Chronicles of the Pride Lands be replaced by this later revision.
With stirred emotions I watched the pagentry and color that was The Lion King. Secretly I harbored the desire to meet these characters, to lavish upon them in person the great love I felt inside and share the joy that lit my countenance.
My wish was granted here in The Chronicles. I have lived for a moment in the company of great lives and experienced through my pen their triumphs and tragedies. Humbly, I submit this work, holding it up on the pinnacle of Pride Rock. Behold my son, for it truly is my son, and the end of the writing process is a form of saying farewell. Asante sana!
July 15, 1996, Nashville, Tennessee
Back in late 1994 when I first saw The Lion King, the effect it had upon me was astounding. Never before or since have I been so totally captivated by a story like this. The magic, the splendor, the wonder of it all swept me away.
Within this work, I was presented with the opportunity to give something back to it, to express with the written word my love for a story which has deeply affected me in so many ways. The paternal guidance of Mufasa, the wisdom of Rafiki, and the selfless friendship of Simba all have made a significant impact on my life, and so I set out to return a little of the magic, and maybe learn something about myself along the way.
And once again, I got more than I bargained for.
July 15, 1996, Wilmington, North Carolina
The early morning sun reflected in Queen Akase’s eyes. King Ahadi looked into their fire and whispered the word “beloved.” She smiled and nuzzled him, then kissed her new twin sons as if the four of them were alone in a private kingdom of love.
But they were not alone. Next to them Shaka, the King’s brother, his wife Avina, and their twin daughters Sarabi and Elanna welcomed in the dawn. And spread out across the plain in their tribes were the works of Aiheu the Beautiful in all their splendor-the solemn elephants, the tall giraffes, the lithe zebras with stripes more joyous than the brightest bird. Side by side they stood, rank on rank, row on row. And never was the fang shown, nor the claw bared. They had come to celebrate the mystery of life through the presentation of the new Prince. For that one day, death did not walk among them.
Zazu:
Spread the tidings far and wide, Shout them from the mountainside! Cry Ai-heu a-ba-ma-mi all, because the Prince is born!
Akase (to Taka):
Our love, at last, has found its pure embodiment in you, Our love, at last, is visible in everything you do; The way you feel, the way you smile, the way you look at me, Will prove to all, beyond a doubt, how great a love can be.
And how I love you! You make the morning start. Joy streaming from my heart as I repeat your name: You are my treasure, you came into my world, Whatever Fate may hold, my life won’t be the same.
Ahadi (to Mufasa):
You will be King, you will be great, your dreams will all come true, But just for now remain my son, and let me comfort you. I want the best to give my sons, I offer all I own; What good is wealth and lands or health if one must live alone?
And how I love you! You make the morning start. Joy streaming from my heart as I repeat your name: You are my treasure, you came into my world, Whatever Fate may hold, my life won’t be the same.
Through the gathered hosts walked Makedde, the mandrill. Those near him drew back and cleared the way. He blessed them with signs of Aiheu’s love, touching the very young with outstretched fingers, and also the very old.
Makedde forded the boulders that protected the base of Pride Rock, a warm shaft of stone whose sheltering arms protected lions from the uncertainties of night. Up, up the winding trail he climbed until he reached the promontory of stone where destiny awaited. As the world held its breath, Makedde approached the two sons of Akase. Ahadi lay his paw on small Mufasa and nodded gravely.
“I touch your mane,” Makedde said with deep respect. “Incosi aka Incosi, Great King.” He sprinkled Mufasa with powdered Alba and anointed his brow with Chrisum. Then he picked up the small golden treasure and held him up. A shaft of light broke through the morning clouds and lit the cub like a kiss of joy. A child born of love who had known nothing but love in his short life looked over the admiring throng. Through the shouts, through the clamor of the transformed crowd a voice of sweetness whispered through the light, “Makedde, will you protect him?”
“With your help, Aiheu, I will not fail.”
Below, the crowd in respect and awe felt the presence of God, and they fell to the ground bowing, scraping and calling in their own tongues the words of worship each according to their own belief. But Makedde did not hear them. Taking the tender baby to his arms, he kissed him. “May the wind blow kindly on you. May the sun shine brightly on you. May the gods take you to their heart.” A tear of joy ran down his face.
Reluctantly, he lay the cub down by Akase. Small Taka looked up expectantly, his eyes full of innocent curiosity. With a smile, but some regret, Makedde cuddled the cub under the chin and felt the hum of his happy purr. “This will be the wise one,” Makedde whispered. “He would have made a great king.”
Ahadi loved to play with his young sons. But he also took time to see to their education. Some lessons were naturally fun—like stalking and pouncing. Others were less fun, but equally important.
Mufasa was always good at stalking and pouncing, and he held his own wrestling with his brother Taka whom he almost always beat. But Taka could listen to hours of the Chronicles of the Kings and the Law of the Pride while Mufasa would start to squirm and follow the distant herds with his eyes.
Ahadi found Taka a thirsty sponge, and flattered by the rapt attention he got, he drew on all the learning of a lifetime and told him many wonderful and strange things on the inspiring setting of the promontory.
“The words of wisdom are sometimes hardest to hear,” Ahadi said. “N’ga and Sufa, the sons of Ramalah ignored their father’s teachings, and it would bring them to grief. For a father teaches out of love, and to reject his teachings is to refuse his love. It’s the same with us, my sons. I would not have you come to grief…” Ahadi paused, glanced at Mufasa who was wrapped up in his own daydream, winked at Taka, and kept right on going in the same voice. “And it was in this time that a certain lion cub watched the plains for wildebeests, dreaming of the day when he would have no more lessons to learn. And doing so, he stuffed his head with dead grass instead of knowledge.” He added with some emphasis: “Isn’t that so, Mufasa??”
“Yes, father.”
Taka laughed and rolled about, singing, “Dead grass, dead grass, nyah-nyah-na-nyah-nyah!”
“What’s so funny??” Mufasa looked at Taka with irritation, but his father scowled, and he looked down embarrassed.
“Taka, what were we talking about?” Ahadi knew he could rely on him.
“There were these two brothers N’ga and Sufa. They were very famous. One day N’ga got into this fight with Sufa over this girl. Not just any girl, because she was white as clouds and magic, see, and if one of them married her, their kingdom would be great. But she was one swell number, and they both wanted her to marry them. So they went down by this lake (and this is the really neat part)—they fought all day and all night without stopping. And they fought the second day.”
He began walking around Mufasa as he talked. “They fought all the third day. They didn’t sleep either. They fought for five whole days and nights, cause she was such a babe, and they were so stubborn that neither one would give in. And on the fifth day, they both fell asleep at the same time. And while they were asleep, the girl sneaked out and married a magic lion with powers like hers, and boy did N’ga and Sufa feel like a couple of idiots!”
“Good job!” Ahadi nuzzled Taka. “And such a unique interpretation.”
Mufasa looked dejected.
“Come here, Muffy.” Ahadi pulled Mufasa over with his paw and nuzzled him. “I wish you could play all the time if that’s what you really want. But you need to learn the skills of leadership. Besides, while I learned these lessons from my father it was a special time for us to spend together. Enjoy this time while it lasts, and make the most of it.”
“I try. Really I do.”
“I know. But remember that I don’t love you for how smart you are or how strong you are. I love you because you’re my sons. Whatever gifts Aiheu gives you, you need to make the most of them, and that takes education. Understand?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Ahadi smiled indulgently. “Why don’t you two go play for a while.”
The cubs gamboled away, but Ahadi shouted, “Whoa! Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Muffy and Taka ran back and gave their dad a quick kiss.
The next morning, Ahadi rose earlier than was his custom. Stealthily, he crept over to where his twin sons lay side by side, and with the most careful nudge touched Mufasa. The cub shifted but did not rouse. He pressed again, a little harder, and stirred Mufasa from his sleep. Muffy looked up a little surprised and irritated, but Ahadi touched his mouth with his paw and silently jerked his head about to say “follow me.” His interest piqued, Muffy struggled to his feet quietly and began to follow his father out of the cave.
Taka, who was a light sleeper, felt a cold place on his back where it was warm before. He grunted and pushed himself back toward a brother that was not there. Sleepily he felt around with a paw, then looked about and just caught a glimpse that he was missing something important.
On stealthy paws, he stirred himself and crept out onto the platform that served as his spectacular front porch. There in the light of the early morning sun sat father and son. Mufasa leaned against his father, gold rimmed in the splendor of daybreak.
“Why wasn’t I invited?” Taka wondered. He wanted to bury himself in the fragrant softness of his father’s mane and enjoy the sunrise. For a moment, he considered snuggling up on the other side. Then Muffy said, “What’s up, Dad?”
“Shhh! You’ll wake Taka.”
Taka enjoyed secrets, so he crouched in the doorway where he could see and not be seen.
“See what the light touches,” Ahadi purred softly. “That is the boundary of my kingdom. I sit here sometimes and look at it and it humbles me. So many peoples depend on me, and I must put their needs above my own. But it has been wonderful. It is always wonderful to be needed, especially when you always do your best to meet those needs. Someday you will know that feeling when I am gone, for I have chosen you to follow me.”
“Me?” Muffy looked genuinely surprised. “Whoa, neat!”
Taka gasped. “No! It’s not fair!” formed on his lips, but no sound came out.
Muffy said, with some difficulty, “But Taka has always been the smart one. I thought sure he’d be King. He knows everything.”
“Not everything, son, though he is very bright. You’re bright too, though you need to apply yourself more in your studies. I brought you out here in the hope that you would work harder if you knew what was at stake. What you are learning is the wisdom of our people. You are the future king. As long as you know how to be a good king, you will have lionesses who can chase wildebeests.” Ahadi sighed deeply. “The decision was not easy. Don’t tell Taka just yet. Right now, it’s our little secret.”
“Why is it a secret, Dad?”
“Because as you say, Taka is smart. He tries so hard. If he knew he would not be King, he may be discouraged and waste the talents that Aiheu gave him. Much as you were tempted to do.” He looked deeply but not judgementally into Mufasa’s eyes. “You know I speak the truth, don’t you. You are very clever when you want to be.” He sighed deeply. “This should have been a happy occasion. Instead it breaks my heart. I wish I had a kingdom to give each of you, but I don’t.”
“Why can’t we cut it in half. He can take that half, and I’ll take this?”
“That’s very kind of you, Muffy, but it won’t work. Hunting would be poor in a smaller kingdom. Accept fate—the whole kingdom belongs to both of you, but you will be King, and he will not. That’s why I taught you the story of N’ga and Sufa. If you always fight and can never agree, the prize will often go to another. If you love Taka, and I know you do, you will say nothing for now. I want to tell him in my own way when the time is right. I will be gentle.”
“I see.” Mufasa said thoughtfully, “I want to be King someday, but I sure feel bad about Taka. I won’t tell till you say it’s OK.”
Ahadi smiled. “Maybe you have to work harder on your lessons, but you have a good heart. That was my greatest hope, to leave this world without worries or regrets. When I think of you as King after me, I feel no worries or regrets.”
For a moment, Taka was very angry, but his anger soon changed to hurt. Head bowed and ears flattened, he sneaked back to the warmth and comfort of his mother.
“Minshasa, cloud white, borne upon the breast of the savanna like a dream of love. Who that bears the mane shall look upon her visage and remain unsmitten? Minshasa, the voice of tender longings. Minshasa, beloved of the gods. Beware, my sons, her awful charms!”
— RAMALLAH, FROM LEONID SAGA, “D” SECTION, VARIATION 1
Akase was worried about Taka. She had a lioness’ sensitivity to how her own cubs felt, and she knew Taka was not feeling well. He moped about. At times he would not meet her eyes. At other times he would stare into them as if he were trying to see something deep inside.
Even Ahadi could tell something was amiss. He nudged the small cub playfully with his nose. “Something got you down, Taka?”
“No sir.”
“You can tell your Dad. I know—how about a nice story? You know, one of the Great Kings of the Past. Have I ever told you about Moko Greatmane?”
“Yes sir.” Taka sighed deeply. Ahadi started to say something, but Akase silently shook her head and mouthed, “No.”
Ahadi gave his son a warm lion kiss on the cheek. “I love you, son. You know there is nothing you can’t tell me when you’re good and ready.”
Taka looked up pitifully. “Do you, Dad? Do you still love me?”
Ahadi bit his lip. “Oh gods. Don’t you know?” Deeply affected, he stared at the cub for a while, then wandered off a few steps to sit facing the distant mountains.
Akase was a little sharp. “What on earth made you say that? Of course he loves you. Look how you hurt him!” She softened her tone. “Honey tree, what ever made you think he didn’t love you?”
“Well I…” Taka could tell her the truth, but she would know he had spied on his father. He struggled with the burden for a moment, then said, “I was just asking, that’s all. I’m sorry.”
Quietly, Taka went over a secret list of every foolish thing he’d ever done, wondering which one condemned him to be second place for life. Was it the time he sneaked away without telling Mom? Was it the time he pulled that practical joke on Uzuri and she got so upset with him? Maybe Uzuri told Dad, even though he’d begged her not to? Should he have the nerve to ask? No. Of course not. He was not even supposed to know anything about it. Besides, after his Dad told Muffy his decision, it would be too late to change anything.
It was nearly noon, time for Taka’s nap, but Mufasa gamboled up like a box of rubber balls, so full of cubhood enthusiasm that he was about to burst. His mood was contagious. “Taka, you just gotta see this!”
“Gotta see what?”
“What is it, son?” Akase purred. “Another hedgehog? A meerkat perhaps?”
“Well, it’s—” His tail twitched. “Yeah, a meerkat.”
“What’s so great about a meerkat? We see them all the time,” Taka said, sulking. “It’s almost noon. It’s hot enough to melt your brain, if you had one.”
“But this meerkat is DIFFERENT,” Mufasa said with a sly wink. Taka saw the way Mufasa’s tail twitched, something that always happened when he told a lie. He half-smiled with a toothy, wry grin.
“Different, eh?” Taka was shaken out of his self-pity. “Well, I guess so. Is it okay, Mom?”
“If you’re back soon. You’ve been kind of under the weather today.”
Almost before she could finish her sentence, Mufasa and Taka bounded off like a shot, startling a flock of noisy guinea fowl into a conniption. They headed through the deep grass of the plain, stopping once in a while to stand up above the grass like furry jack-in-the-boxes.
Deep in grass though they were, young Sarabi saw them fording the broomsedge and knew there must be something up worth seeing. She hurried across the rocks and plunged into the green waves. Before long, she joined them, panting.
“So what’s up?” Sarabi asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Mufasa said. “We were practicing—stalking.” His tail twitched.
“Every time you’re up nothing,” Sarabi said, “You’re up to something.”
“We are going to look at—a meerkat,” Taka volunteered.
“A meerkat?” Sarabi asked, a little unconvinced. She saw his nose twitch, a sure sign that he was lying.
“Well, this one is different,” Taka said.
“Then I want to see, too,” Sarabi said.
“Good work, lame brain,” Mufasa half-snarled. He cuffed Taka soundly on the cheek. Taka growled and cuffed him back. These were done with the claws in, like the well-bred lions they were, but they started wrestling full-tilt.
Muffy was stronger, and he fought cleanly. Taka was a determined opponent, and before long he started snapping at ears and tails. As the fight threatened to turn really ugly, Sarabi started running little circles around them, distressed.
“Stop it! Stop it right now!” Sarabi was highly indignant. “We’ll never see that stupid old meerkat at this rate—if there ever was one.”
She had no effect. The snarls began to sound more serious. Taka was losing, as he usually did, but he wasn’t giving up. “Say Uncle!”
“Not till you—ow!—stop calling me names! Just cause you’re bigger than I am doesn’t make you smarter!”
Sarabi shouted, “I’ll tell your mother if you don’t stop! You’re both lame brains sometimes.”
“We’re just funning,” Mufasa said, on top.
“Yeah. We didn’t mean anything,” Taka said, wiggling out from beneath, and giving Mufasa one last hard swat with his claws out.
Sarabi looked Taka over, and seeing a small spot of blood on his right ear felt very motherly, began to clean it with her tongue.
Taka could always count on her sympathy, but he wanted to look more grown at the moment. “Doesn’t hurt.”
“You’re bleeding.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Really.”
“Yeah, really,” Mufasa said, cleaning a nasty cut on the back of his paw by himself. “Well, if you insist on coming, there’s this honey badger near the forest. He’s white—whiter than clouds. You remember when N’ga and Sufa were fighting over that white lioness because she was magic and could grant wishes?”
“You mean Minshasa?” Taka thought a moment. “Oh yeah! But you can’t marry a badger. Or can you?”
“I don’t want to marry it. I only want a wish.”
“What are you going to wish for, Muffy?”
Mufasa smiled an embarrassed smile. “That’s why I wanted you to come. I want you to sit with me when I join the great kings of the past. Dad wants me to be King when he dies.”
“I heard him. I was hiding behind a rock when he told you.”
“You shouldn’t spy on people,” Mufasa said sternly, but he added, “Maybe you won’t be a king in this life, but if the badger really gives wishes, you’ll be a king when you die.”
“Really?” Taka was in transports. “You’d do that for me? What a neat idea!” He was very demonstrative, and he nuzzled Mufasa. “You’re the best! You said wanted to give me half of the Pride Lands. I heard you.”
“Yeah. But it’s not going to happen, so don’t tell anyone I said that.”
“I won’t. It doesn’t matter now, but it was really neat. You’re the best, Muffy!” He laughed and took a swat at his brother. The two of them got into a wrestling match, giggling and squirming. Both of them did their utmost, butut as usual Mufasa quickly won, pinning Taka.
Mufasa had to smile a little inside. He was glad he didn’t wish for something selfish. Still holding Taka down, he said, “Look, when Dad tells you I’m the new King, you act surprised. You’d better. You know he’d cuff you good for spying on us.”
“I want to be where Taka is,” Sarabi said. “Either I get to sit with Taka, or I’m telling on both of you!”
“That’s going to be my wish,” Taka said. He squirmed out from under Mufasa, went and nuzzled her. “Now what are you going to wish for?”
Sarabi gave Taka a quick tongue touch on the cheek. “You’ll find out.”
With this settled, the three cubs headed toward the burrow at the edge of the acacia grove.
The entrance to the burrow was a forbidding black hole. Mufasa started to enter it, but the opening was barely large enough for a regular cub to squeeze in properly, not really enough to maneuver in. Mufasa was a bit large for his age, and he had no hope of getting down there. He suggested that they call the badger out.
“Hello in there!”
There was no reply.
“Come out, badger. I can hear you breathing in there, so I know you’re at home.”
They waited several moments. Nothing happened.
“Let’s go,” Sarabi said. “Looks like he’s a no-show.”
“Wait. I think he’s holding out on us.” He yelled down the hold, “I’m Prince Mufasa-I’m going to be King someday, and I’m making you my prisoner. If you want to get free, you’ll have to bless me and my friends!”
They could indeed hear the sound of muffled breathing coming from the depths of the tunnel. Carried by the walls of the burrow, it sounded loud like the sound of the sea in a shell, and it was quick, almost urgent and upset. They didn’t know if he was afraid or angry.
“Maybe he’s deaf, Your Majesty,” Taka said with a laugh. “You pulled me all the way over here for a hole in the ground? I bet it’s a rabbit. Just a scared little rabbit! And YOU called ME a lame brain!”
“But there was a white badger here, honest!” Mufasa looked at Taka, then at Sarabi. “You do believe me, don’t you? I mean, does this smell like a rabbit to you??”
Taka sniffed carefully of the opening. He’d never smelled a honey badger before, but he knew it was not a rabbit. It was strange and pungent, and full of possibilities. “I’ve come this far,” Taka said. “If I’m going to get my wish, I guess I have to go in there.”
“You’ll never do it,” Mufasa said, looking at the dark hole with a barely repressed shudder. “He sounds really angry. Besides, it’s dark in there, and you’re afraid of the dark.”
“Says who?”
“Says me, that’s who! You always think the hyenas are going to get you. Sometimes you won’t go to sleep till high moon, then you have bad dreams.”
Taka was deeply stung. Often he would wake with the same nightmare of being ripped apart by hyenas. Akase, always listening with a mother’s ear, would be there quickly to comfort him with warm kisses that smelled like lioness love and let him rest his head on her soft belly until he fell asleep to the music of her breath. He never knew if he also woke Mufasa. Now, there was no doubt. Taka’s stomach knotted. He looked at the hole and knew what he must do.
Sarabi could see the fear and cuddled up next to Taka. “Don’t do it if you don’t want to. I sure wouldn’t.”
“That’s cause you’re a girl,” Taka said, but he looked at her kindly. Then he faced the dark hole. “I’m not afraid of the dark. I’m not afraid of the badger. I’m a lion, and lions aren’t afraid…” He looked over at Muffy. “…no matter WHAT their brothers think.”
With stooped shoulders and head held low, Taka angled down the steep passageway. As he reluctantly headed down the dark shaft, inch by inch, he kept talking. “We’re not going to hurt you. We just want you to give us a wish, see? There are three of us, so that’s three wishes.” The sound of breathing from the depths grew faster, as did Taka’s. “Three wishes ought to be real easy for someone like you. I mean, what’s three wishes for a real Nisei?” Silence. “Please say something. Anything.”
“Hey Taka,” Mufasa said, “You don’t have to do it.” He stuck his head in the hole and said, “I’m sorry I called you a dim wit.”
“It was lame brain,” Sarabi said.
“Whatever.” Mufasa snapped. “Hey Taka, come back. I was only funning about you being afraid of the dark.” He grew impatient. “Taka, I SAID I WAS SORRY, all right?? Now come out of there or I’ll tell mother!”
“Don’t block up the hole,” Sarabi said. She listened carefully at the entrance. “What’s he doing down there?”
“How should I know? Hush.”
They heard Taka’s voice from the depths of the tunnel. It was distant, thin and stammering. “We don’t want to hurt you. You see, my brother Mufasa is going to be King when he grows up, but I’m just his brother. He had this idea that if I could sit with…”
There was a low rumbling from the depths. It sounded like a growl.
“Please help me. I’m scared. It’s so dark in here.” It was Taka. Mufasa and Sarabi did not know if he was talking to the badger or to them. Mufasa tried to push his way down the hole.
It was a tight fit, and he realized he wouldn’t be much help. He started digging.
“Don’t!” Sarabi pulled him back. “It will cave in!”
“But he’s in trouble.”
“If he gets buried, he’ll really be in trouble.” She looked in the opening. “Taka, are you OK?”
“Is that you, Sassie?”
“Please come out. If you love me, come out.”
“In a minute.”
“Not in a minute! Right now!”
The sounds of breathing quickened again. There were some sounds of movement. Then silence. After a moment, Mufasa looked at Sarabi. “I didn’t think he’d do it. Either he’s very brave or very stupid.”
“He’s not stupid,” Sarabi said firmly. “If you hadn’t called him stupid, he wouldn’t be down there! Just because he’s smaller than you are doesn’t mean he’s stupid.” She called out more loudly. “Please come out! You’re scaring me!”
Just then there was a loud, menacing growl and a cub’s shriek of agony. “I’m going! Oh Gods! Let me go! Let me go, you’re hurting me!” They could hear Taka trying to back out.
Muffy started digging furiously. “Taka!!” Dust flew from his paws, and he managed to work his head in. “Hold on: I can see your tail! Come back a little more. Give me a few more inches!”
Mufasa grabbed at the tail and pulled with all his might. Sarabi grabbed Muffy’s tail, and trying not to hurt him too much gave a yank. Taka came stumbling out of the hole backward, his face covered in blood, and one of his eyes protruding from its socket. The white badger came out after him, but saw the other two cubs raise the fur on their backs and snarl. Thinking twice about its options, it reluctantly went back in its hole. Taka laid on the ground shivering. “Oh gods! It hurts! Somebody help me! I want my momma!”
Mufasa stared at the unseeing eye in a pool of blood. It took a moment for him to tear himself away from the horror and move. “I’ll get Mom—no, I’d better get Makedde.” He started off, then stopped. “No, he’d have to come back here. Can you walk, Taka?”
Taka struggled off the ground and began to limp. Blood dripped down his face and onto the grass. “I’ll try. Is it very far?”
“No. Just follow me.”
“Three things there are which cannot be called back. The spilled wine, the sped arrow, and the spoken word.”
— MENELAEUS OF NAXOS
It was a long trek to Makedde’s home in the baobab tree. In the hot sun, the blood began to cake in Taka’s fur, and flies mercilessly swarmed around him. His gait was unsteady, and try though he did, his bravery could only stretch so far.
“How much further is it?”
“Just a little more,” Mufasa said.
“That’s what you said the last time.” Taka began panting uncontrollably. “It hurts. Do you think he’ll have something for the pain?”
“He has stuff for everything,” Sarabi said. “Don’t worry, Taka. Everything will be all right.”
“How much further is it?”
Sarabi got ahead of him and looked into his face. His good eye did not seem to focus. She realized he was following the sound of Muffy’s feet. “You must keep going,” Sarabi said. “Do it for me.”
Loss of blood and the pain was sending Taka into shock, and he was getting weak in the limbs. “Sassie, I don’t think I can make it.”
“You can make it,” she said, leaning into him. “Taka, did you hear the one about the two wildebeests and the zebra?”
“No.”
“Well there was these two wildebeests, and one said to the other, ‘I bet I can get that zebra to laugh before you can.’ So he went to the zebra and said, ‘Watch this!’ He stood on his head and stuck out his tongue. But the zebra didn’t laugh. So you know what the other wildebeest did?”
“What wildebeest? I don’t see any.” He stumbled and lay still in the grass.
“Get up, Taka! Come on, you got to keep going!”
She nudged his flank with her nose, prodded him with her paws, and even tugged on his ear. “Get up!”
“I can’t.”
“You have to!” She nipped his leg.
“Ow!” He looked directly at her.
“Get up or I’ll nip you again.”
Muffy put his snout under Taka and pushed. With a little help from his brother, Taka stood again and began to stumble along. “I can see it from here. Oh thank God.”
Makedde, the sage Mandrill Baboon, was teaching his younger brother Rafiki how to divine the future with a bowl of water. This technique, called scrying, is the best way to tell the future. For water, they say, has risen higher than birds fly and it returns to Earth charged with the energy of the gods. This is so, for any lion sees the new green in the grass after a rain.
Makedde dropped his work at once when he saw the blood spattered cub and his two friends. “Rafiki, mix a poultice quick!” He looked at Taka’s eye closely. “Oh Master Taka, what have you done now!”
Makedde held up his hand on one side of Taka’s head, then the other. “No sight on that side. This is bad. Very bad. But perhaps I can fix it.”
Makedde got some moistened Alba from Rafiki and squeezed it on the ground. The dust became mud, and he took this mud carefully in his hand.
“These are badger marks,” Makedde said. “If I couldn’t see it, I could sure smell it.” He shook his head. “What on earth possessed you to play with the badgers? You know they are dangerous.”
“It was a white badger,” Taka said. “I wanted to get a wish, like N’ga and Sufa.”
“Oh I see.” He frowned. “You don’t know the difference between a white lioness and a white badger! So you wanted a wish, did you?”
“It was my idea,” Mufasa said. “When we died, I wanted my brother to sit by me with the great kings of the past.”
Makedde sighed. “Noble sentiment indeed. But all living things are precious to Aiheu. He gathers them all to himself and sits them where he will, not according to bravery or strength of body, but by the immortal Ka.” He washed his hands in a basin. “If your Ka is full of love and wisdom, it does not matter if you are smaller than your brother.” He patted Taka. “Courage, little one.” Taka gnashed his teeth. His good eye closed tightly and his ears went back.
Makedde was gentle with the lion cub. The cool mud surrounded Taka’s damaged eye, not hurting as badly as he thought it would. Then with a press of his paw, Makedde popped the still-intact eye back into its socket. With infinite care, Makedde took water from a gourd dipper and washed away the mud a few grains at a time. “Don’t squint. It makes my job harder.”
When all the blood was washed away, and the eye was clear, Makedde got a twig of Dwe’dwe and broke it in half. A single drop of resin came out, and Makedde skillfully ran it the length of Taka’s cut, pressing the sides of the wound together carefully with his fingers. He blew on it a few times to make sure the wound would stay closed.
Rafiki brought a gourd of water for Taka. Makedde added some herbs for building blood, relieving pain, and a small pinch of Tiko Root for good measure to prevent infection. Finally he added some honey. “It won’t taste good, but it will feel good.”
Taka found the mixture bearable, but he was terribly thirsty after losing so much blood in the heat. And it did feel good.
It seemed like an eternity to Sarabi before Makedde was finished. She worked up the courage to ask, “Will that eye work again?”
“Rafiki,” Makedde asked, “You heard the lady. What will come of Taka?”
Rafiki was nervous. It was his first time to scry for another. So he looked into the water thoughtfully, trying to remember all his brother taught him. A wind came out of the west and stirred the water. It carried with it the odor of decay. The ripples died down, and he gasped. “Wait, something appears. It tells me…”
“What?” Sarabi asked impatiently.
Rafiki stared into the water as one possessed. His voice deepened and was labored. “The road is long and hard. Those who smile to your face bare their teeth as you leave.” He left the bowl and stooped in front of Taka. Pointing his finger accusingly, he said, “Friends come from unlikely places, then abandon you in your hour of need. He who is first to touch you shall beget your doom, and she who gives you love shall let it turn to hate.”
“Rafiki!” Makedde shouted. “Control it! It’s an evil spirit!”
“Anger is your only salvation,” Rafiki muttered, gripping Taka by the fur of his cheek. “Arm yourself with cruel hate. Take what is yours, for it shall not be freely given.”
Taka broke away and tried to hide behind Sarabi and Mufasa, crouching low and trembling. “No! It’s not so! Tell me it’s not so!”
“Stop it!” Makedde shook him violently. “Stop it in the name of the gods!”
Rafiki looked wild-eyed as if he’d seen a ghost. It took him a few moments to come to himself. “Brother? What happened to me? I could not control myself. I was a stick, and some hand was swinging me!”
Mufasa was horrified. “Is this going to happen for sure? Can’t we stop it?”
Rafiki went behind Muffy and Sassie to look at the cringing Taka. “Don’t be afraid, my son.” He stroked the trembling child. “Oh gods, that was not me speaking. That was not me. I love you. I would never say such things. You must love, always love, the way I love you. Forgive me. Please forgive me.” He wept.
“My brother did not know what he was saying,” Makedde said sternly. “He did not control the water-the water controlled him. Smell the reek of death in the air? Evil spirits often come to speak, and they use a half-truth to bring mischief into the world. When I can see you alone, Taka, I’ll tell your future and I will do it right.”
Taka started to cry. “Do they really hate me?”
“No, Taka,” Mufasa said firmly. Then he looked a little embarrassed. “We all love you, even if you do get in trouble all the time.”
“But what if it’s right?” Sarabi asked. “I mean if its a half-truth, doesn’t that mean half of it is true?”
“None of it’s true,” Mufasa said. He went to his brother and draped his paw over Taka’s shoulder. “There—I’m the first one to touch you. I’m your bestest friend in the world, so you don’t have to worry any more.”
“And I’m the one that loves you most,” Sarabi said aloud, not caring who heard it for once. “When we grow up, I’m going to marry you.” Without thinking, she touched Taka’s face with her warm tongue. The taste of blood reminded her of her mistake. “Oh Taka, are you all right?”
Taka stared at her, then tilted his head. He smiled. “I can see you! I can see you with both eyes!” He nuzzled her affectionately. “You would never hurt me, would you, Sassie?”
“Never! Not in a million years.”
Taka gave her a weak lick. “We will always be together, I promise. You did mean it—about marrying me—didn’t you?”
“Yes, Taka. That was going to be my wish.”
He smiled. “I just know I’m going to catch it when I get home, but it was worth it. Really. Will you walk home with me?”
“Of course I will,” Sarabi said.
“Dad won’t spank you,” Mufasa said. “You don’t spank someone when they’re hurt. You know, you REALLY should have come out when I told you to. Maybe you’ll listen next time.”
“Yeah.” He looked at Mufasa closely. “Does it show? Do you think Mom will notice?”
Muffy looked at him carefully as if he were trying to make up his mind, but it was no contest. “She’ll notice all right. I think it’s going to leave a scar.”
The three cubs bounded off as quickly as Taka could keep up. After they were quite a way from the Baobab, Rafiki said, “Brother, I’m quite sure of what I saw. I don’t know why I said it, but I knew it was so.”
“I know,” Makedde said. “But sometimes it is in the telling that things come true. You did not pray for guidance first—you left yourself unprotected. Evil spirits just wait for chances like this. They speak their piece, filling innocent little heads with foul thoughts to stir up trouble. Sometimes silence is the wisest prophesy of all.”
Rafiki hung his head. “I am so ashamed. Can’t I undo it, brother? Is there nothing I can do?”
Makedde went back to the scrying pool. He looked deeply into the water. For a long time he saw nothing, because his head was too full of worries. Then there was a gentle breeze from the east and on the wind was wafted the comforting scent of wild honey. The wind stirred the surface of the water, and after it had passed, the power of a blessed spirit had dispelled the shadows.
Makedde stared like one in a trance. “Rafiki, if you would hear the words of Aiheu, pay attention. For a little truth is like a little branch that will not reach to the choice fruit.”
The young mandrill fell on his face. “Speak, Lord.”
“The evil which you have set free, you must also bind. All the years of your life shall you toil to undo a careless moment. Milk and mud join quickly, but do they separate quickly? Your words have made the milk unfit to drink, yet I have not forsaken you. For if milk and mud are my creations, I can appoint whom I please to separate them, and it will be done.”
It is difficult, if not impossible, to hide a fight from parents with a hunter’s instincts and an excellent sense of smell. Taka saw the pain in his mother’s eyes as he described the incident in the badger hole to her, and felt mixed sadness and gladness. It was a strange kind of gladness that warms the heart when tears and sympathy spring from love. She pulled him to her side and began to nuzzle him and kiss him.
His father Ahadi left early without much to say. Secretly, Taka had hoped he’d feel a little guilty for making Muffy his heir, and reconsider whom is the bravest of the two. Instead, all Ahadi did was say, “I’ll be back.”
Akase kept the wound clean with her tongue, but even so it began to be stiff and throb with each beat of his heart. Taka began to moan as the pain made each movement painful. He wanted to rest, but he could not sleep but the most fitful of naps.
“How long is this going to hurt?”
“I don’t know, son.” Akase began to lick the wound again tenderly. “I’ll see if Makedde has something for the pain.”
“I can’t stand it anymore,” Taka said. “Please see what he has. My whole face is burning. I have a headache.”
“I don’t know where Zazu went. I’ll have to send your father as soon as he comes back.”
“Where has he gone?”
“I don’t know, but I have my suspicions.”
“I hope he comes back soon. Real soon.”
“So do I.” He closed his eyes and tried to sleep again.
Sarabi came by. “How is he?”
“Resting.”
“Is he hurting?”
“Yes, the poor dear. As soon as Ahadi comes back, I’ll send him for Makedde.”
“I’ll go,” Sarabi insisted. She did not word it as a question, and without waiting for a reply, she headed for the distant baobab tree.
Taka’s fragile sleep was fraught with dreams. His legs jerked, and his mouth and ears twitched. “It’s so dark in here,” he muttered. “Let me go. Let me go!” Akase didn’t know whether or not to wake him. But the decision was soon made by another.
“Son, wake up!”
Taka rolled over and opened his eyes. He saw the large hazel eyes of his father looking down on him. He was dusty. A trace of blood was on his lips, and his nose had been scratched and was bleeding. Taka started.
Looking down beside him, he saw the white badger stained crimson with blood.
“He won’t hurt you again.”
“Dad, you’re bleeding.”
“Am I?” He half-smiled. “I think he got a little desperate when I found his secret exit. Is it my nose?”
“Yes.” Tears began to roll down Taka’s cheeks. “I love you.”
“I love you too. You do believe me, don’t you?”
Taka ran and buried himself in Ahadi’s mane, kissing his wounded nose and nuzzling him. “Promise we’ll always be friends. Promise?”
“Better yet, I’ll swear it.” He smiled broadly. “You feeling better, champ?”
“You bet!”
“Now do you want that story?”
“Sure!”
Just then, Yolanda walked up. She glanced at Taka’s face, and before she could catch herself, said, “Oh my God! What happened to him??”
Taka quickly hid his face in horror.
Avina was always a free-spirited lioness. She enjoyed hunting with her Pride sisters as much as any other lioness, but she also liked to try her skill at stalking prey alone like a leopard. She was uncommonly good at it, as good in single hunting as Uzuri was at leading a group hunt. So even though she married the King’s brother and should be setting a good example for the others, she continued to make solitary forays into the savanna.
To keep from disrupting the night’s hunt, she would stalk by day. Spoiling the evening stalk for the other lionesses would be unforgivable. But hunting by day only increased the challenge, and she relished each kill she could win for the Pride as she showed it off proudly. “I did it by myself, and in broad daylight,” she would boast. The others did not mind as much as might be expected. They enjoyed a good meal as much as she, and Avina always sang out cheerfully, “Dinnertime!” It was her open invitation to whomever wanted to dine on the results of her labors.
With Sarabi and Elanna in the care of their Aunt Akase, Avina went blythly into the tall grass, blending her golden body into the gilt colors of the savanna. Sarabi would be fine playing with Taka, and Muffy would content himself with a few words from Elanna. And few words there would be, for while many thought Muffy would end up marrying Elanna, there was no magic the way there was between Taka and Sarabi.
Avina ghosted through the fields on quiet paws, seeing all and being seen by none. Her pride in her own skills was evident, and well she had reason to be proud.
A herd of Hartbeests did not even hear her approach, though they were rather uneasy, stopping from time to time in order to listen. Hartbeests had a feeling about such things that makes them very hard to stalk.
Ears down, tail down, and legs moving in perfect oneness with the rhythm of the earth mother, Avina kept her eyes on the herd and gradually, methodically closed the gap, stopping from time to time as a head looks up from grazing to glance about.
Chuckling inside, Avina knew that she would have a sure kill. There was a buck on the outside of the herd that she had picked out. He was old, and chances are he would be slower than the rest. She kept on concentrating, contemplating, and closing the gap until a rush was forced upon her.
A Hartbeest looked up and saw her. Without waiting for a reaction, Avina sprang out of hiding, sprinting with all the speed Aiheu gave her toward the old buck.
Indeed, he was slower than the others. The herd opened like a large blossom, but she ignored everything but her target. It was a very private matter staged in the middle of a large herd. Her strength flowed, her courage rose, and the buck was coming closer, closer, ever closer.
The hartbeest changed direction, but so did she. Avina cornered tightly and cleanly, and even managed to gain a little on her target. “You are mine!”
With all her might, Avina sprang as she had sprung many times before. Up and forward she came, rising to loop her strong arm around his neck and pull him over.
But she missed. “Damn!”
A strong hoof slammed her cheek. In an instant, her great strength left her. Tumbling out of control, she rolled to a stop. There, stunned and breathless, she writhed in agony, clutching at her face, and letting quickly go when it burned like fire. She tried to cry out, but her jaw hung open crookedly and all that came out was a dull, wordless shriek. Anger and disappointment quickly gave way to terror at her predicament. She desperately needed a friend. Someone, anyone. There was no one. As she lay on the ground, she wondered if she might die there alone.
“No,” she insisted, summoning all her strength to pull her wounded body from the bonds of gravity and stand once more.
When she could struggle to her feet, she felt something drip from her chin. Blood and saliva were dripping profusely from her battered face, out of the corner of her mouth. She started to panic.
Gasping, she fought to think clearly through the muddled haze. “I have to get to Makedde,” she thought. Unsure where she was, she lost valuable time trying to focus on the distant horizon and find the baobab tree. “Aiheu abamami-Lord, give me strength.”
She began her long march in the hot sun. Her useless jaw seared her with each step, and she fought to keep her eyes focused.
She tried once to feel with a paw to see what had happened. The tip of a shattered jaw had stuck through the skin. It was like a sharp dagger, covered with her lifeblood. “Oh Gods,” she thought. “My face! My face—is gone! It’s gone!” She wondered what she looked like, and what she would do if the pain did not lessen.
What would Shaka think when he saw her? He would still love her, for he was a good and gentle lion, but her beauty was gone forever. And most likely she would never hunt again. What a foolish waste! What a stupid thing to do! And that is if she even lived to see him again. All of her cleverness, all of her boasting and bragging was now a reproach to her. “What a fool I was!” she thought. “What an idiot among fools!” Now she would be a charity case, an example that parents would hold up to their daughters when they acted recklessly.
She staggered forward, trying to hold her head up. It was not easy. Her neck was strained, her panting dried out her throat, and her eye was running on the side where she had been kicked. “Keep going, girl,” she thought. “I can’t stop. I have to find Rafiki. Please, gods, let him be home!”
The sun tormented her. Flies were gathering in hosts to plague her, and she could not raise her paw to swat at them. In fact, she could barely raise her paw to step forward.
Her eyes began to go out of focus, and she could not compensate. The world was growing darker, and the image of distant trees began to sway and shimmer. “No, I can’t die! I have two children! I have to get home! I have to get home!”
Blood had covered her chest, running down her legs. The smell of it entered the side of her nose she could still breathe through. Surely it had travelled other places by now.
There were footsteps in the grass around her.
“Who is there?” The words came out almost unrecognizable as speech so she painfully and slowly uttered. “Who…is…there??”
“Just us.”
It was a hyena voice. “Help me. I’m the wife of the Prince Consort.” The words burned like fire. “If you…get me to Rafiki…my husband will…reward you. Imagine…all you can eat!”
“That’s what I’m imagining right now.”
“No! Don’t do this! In the name of God!”
“Nothing personal, dearie,” the voice said. As if at a signal, a hunting party came out of the grass and attacked her.
It was Shaka’s turn to do border patrol, a job he didn’t like thought he didn’t really hate it either. It did take away time he could be spending with his family. He would have been playing with Sarabi and Elanna, but instead he was defending the Pride Lands against enemies that rarely ever show up.
He amused himself by remembering the long passages of the Leonid Saga he had memorized as a youth from his father. Shaka was good at reciting verse, and he was a living encyclopedia of lore and ceremonial prose. He sang to himself Sarabi’s favorite song.
“Moko Greatmane was a great cat, And a great big cat was he, He climbed up over the mountain pass to see what he could see, As the cat climbed up, all the rain climbed down and the wind was blowing fast…”
“Hello there!” shouted Zazu. “Sorry to interrupt Your Highness, but there are hyenas on the eastern meadow! They’ve killed something.”
“Thanks,” Shaka said. “I’ll get on it.”
He was looking for a little excitement anyhow. Chuckling to himself about the impression he’d make on the hyenas, he loped across the savanna and plunged through the reeds. “Let them hunt on the Pride Lands, eh? Not as long as I’m on the job.” His easy but massive lope made up the distance rather quickly.
At last he spotted them, eating quickly as if they knew it was a matter of urgency.
He roared at the hyenas. They growled, but withdrew from the carcass and stood back a few yards.
“My Gods, it’s a lioness!” He didn’t recognize her until he got close enough to turn what remained of the face with his paw. The final look of horror still hung on her shattered face.
“Avina,” he whispered quietly. Her torn body lay open under the barren sky, and flies buzzed around. “Avina!” Shaka looked up to the sky, drew in a deep breath and shrieked, “Avina!!! Oh God, Noooooo!!!”
His grief and rage were competing like two rabbits trying to enter the same hole at the same time. For the vital moment, rage won out. His eyes red with hate fixed on his target. “Dirty stinking murderers!!! I’ll kill you!!!”
He took out after the hyenas at full tilt. For a lion, his onslaught was something terrible to behold. But he was built for power, not for speed, and was unable to catch up with the lighter-built hyenas the way a lioness might have. Instead, he kept up with them.
The scavengers flew across the savanna swiftly as evening swallows. They put on one final spurt and with great relief crossed the border into the elephant graveyard where their grounds began.
They stopped for a moment to look back-a foolish mistake. Shaka kept coming. He ran over the invisible line that delineated his authority. He half-ran, half-stumbled down the slope and into the dusty realm of the dead. Finally, one of the hyenas stumbled over a pile of bones and headed to a terrifying stop.
Shaka was on top of him very quickly, bearing the hyena’s small body down with crushing weight. “You killed my wife! You ripped out my heart, and I will rip out yours! I give you a moment to pray to your god.”
Before he knew what was happening, Shaka was surrounded by hyenas on all sides. They seemed to materialize from the dust and emerge from the skulls and caves.
“Let him go!” said Amarakh, the ruling Roh’mach. “You are trespassing on our lands. You are holding one of my people.”
“He’s a murderer!” Shaka narrowed his eyes at her. “He killed my wife in cold blood, and he was on my land! She had two cubs, Amarakh. Two cubs that won’t have a mother coming home tonight! She was alive when they ripped her! Alive!”
“I will investigate it. I know him. He’s a trouble maker anyhow, and you can be sure I will punish him if he’s guilty.”
“IF??” Shaka looked down at the trapped hyena. “I saw him over her body. Zazu saw the kill. You tell her. TELL HER, VERMIN!”
The trapped hyena squeeled in fear. “Somebody help me!”
“You can’t extract a confession to a murder by death threats.” Amarakh glared back. “This is my land, and I give you my word we will investigate within the customs of our law. But you must let him go. Leave-now!”
“I do not believe you.”
“You are not in a position to negotiate,” Amarakh said. “Leave at once. I will see your brother the King tonight. We will talk.”
“You are right,” he said. “You are absolutely right. I am NOT in a position to negotiate.” Shaka looked up at the sky. “Aiheu abamami!” he cried in his deep grief. Then he quickly dropped his head and bit with tremendous force, snapping the hyena’s neck and almost severing his head. The body twitched spasmotically before collapsing with eyes staring sightlessly into space. A deep gasp whispered through the assembled throng. Then with bitter rage, the crowd closed in on Shaka.
Sarabi and Elanna were playing with Mufasa and Taka. But eventually they began to wonder when their mom and dad were coming back. Ahadi began to wonder too, for it was getting late in the day. “Did they dump the kids on us and take a vacation?” Akase was only joking, but she was genuinely worried.
Zazu came in for his report. “Sire, Khemoki of the Zebra’ha is certain that…”
“Wait on that. I need to know where Shaka and Avina are. Have you seen them?”
“Well, Sire, Shaka went to chase off some hyenas. They’d made a kill in the eastern meadow, and I sent him off right away.”
“How long ago?”
“Oh, about two hours ago. Maybe three.”
“Two or three hours??”
“Well, Sire, I could be wrong.”
“Where is Avina??”
“I don’t know. She was going to go hunting in the eastern meadow and…” Zazu stopped. “Oh my lord! That’s where the kill was, and…”
“You must show me the place.” Ahadi shouted, “Sarafina, Uzuri, Isha!! Come quickly!!”
Fearing what he might find, Zazu led the four of them out into the eastern meadow and straight to the place where he saw the carcass. Even from the air, he could recognize the golden color of the pelt. He dropped to the ground and shuddered.
Ahadi stalked up to the body-what was left of it-and glanced at the face. “Oh God, Avina!!” He turned away and wretched in the grass. A few awful moments went by where not a word was said. Then trying to regain his composure, Ahadi let Uzuri take a look at the body. Uzuri trembled, but she was still able to make her observations. “Her face was…” She shuddered. “There is a kick wound. From a large hoofed animal, no doubt. But there is a trail of blood leading back that way. She wandered here.”
Uzuri followed the trail for some distance, noting with horror the hyena tracks. “The hyenas got to her while she was still alive. Dear God, the evil scum ate her alive!”
She trotted back to the body, then followed the tracks away toward the elephant graveyard. “It’s Shaka-I can still scent him. He chased them this way.”
The party of lions headed down the weak but definite trail until they reached the boundaries of the elephant graveyard. Waiting for them there was a large group of hyenas, and in front was Amarakh.
The lions came in as a group, showing fangs, and daring anyone to bother them. Ahadi demanded, “Where is Shaka?”
“What is left of him is removed to the place of the dead.” Amarakh scowled. “He took the law into his own teeth and killed one of ours on our own land without a trial. We offered to hold an inquest, a fair trial by the law of our people. But he turned us down and killed a male whose wife is pregnant.”
“So you murdered him!”
“We EXECUTED him. We couldn’t wait for him to kill others. He was too dangerous to place under arrest.”
“There is no doubt he was dangerous after his wife was ripped alive. We have seen the evidence.”
“We had not, Sire. We could not be sure, and we could not wait to be sure.”
“Here is the dead male’s wife,” Amarakh said, motioning for Fabana to be brought forward. One of her eyes had been clawed out and healed with a brutal scar. She cowered before the mighty King.
“If you would have revenge,” Amarakh said, “let all the people see that you fight honorably with her, one on one. Let them see that you have given her the FAIR chance to defend the honor of her family.”
The quaking hyena female stammered, “Mercy! Have mercy! I am with child!”
Ahadi looked at her with some pity. “Now you know what it feels like to lose someone you love. The Roh’mach is courting death to toy with my sympathies like this, but she has won this round. You will not be harmed.”
But Ahadi looked sternly at Amarakh. “Because your people have killed my brother, and because his wife was basely murdered, you are Corban. No more shall you scavenge on the Pride Lands. Not until the last of the group that killed Avina is dead.”
“But my Lord, we will all starve!”
“Perhaps a few hungry nights will motivate you to enforce your own laws, Amarakh. Besides, this is not such a bad spot to scavenge. You never know when an elephant might want to die.”
She held up her head and stared back. “You mock me because you are powerful, and I am but a hyena. But the gods know I must be fair to my people. Grief has blinded you, impaired your judgement and robbed you of your wisdom.”
Ahadi and the lionesses left. Someone had to break the news to Sarabi and Elanna. Ahadi knew that Sarabi and Elanna belonged with him, and he knew he was the one that must speak the awful words. “Aiheu abamami,” he stammered. “Please God, give me strength.”
Muffy and Taka are six moons older. Their cubhood spots were long gone, and they had grown in size and agility. It was time for them to learn some important lessons about defending a kingdom.
In their cubhood games, they had built up a repertoire of reflexes and moves that would serve them well as adults. But there were moves reserved for serious combat, moves they would need to defend the Pride Lands from intruders and rivals. Though Ahadi tried to put some fun into learning, this was no game.
Ahadi knew too well that a lion should know his strengths and his weaknesses. With Mufasa, Ahadi saw strength and endurance. For this reason, Mufasa easily mastered the forward thrust his father taught him, coming up on his hind legs and pushing out and in with his massive forepaws. Taka was small but quick, and his father taught him the haunch seize first off, instructing him to dip low to bite the back leg and throw his opponent over. But of course there were defenses against these attacks, and they had to learn them too. A lion with only one strategy will never be king for very long.
Yolanda, who was quite a powerful lioness, helped Ahadi with his demonstrations. It looked much more violent in actual practice than it had in teaching. Mufasa and Taka watched spellbound and horrified as Yolanda and Ahadi went at it hammer and tongs. They didn’t growl or roar, but even in their dignity the raw power of aggressive fighting was all too clear. Of course, Ahadi and Yolanda were careful not to really hurt each other. They retracted their claws and did not bite down hard, but they used a great deal of strength, and the smell of sweat was on the air.
Sarabi ambled over by Mufasa, trying to look casual. “Be careful with him Muffy,” she whispered. “You know you’re stronger. You don’t have to prove anything by hurting him.”
“Don’t worry, Sassie. He’s my brother.”
“Then you’ll try not to make him look too bad?”
He smiled. “You really like him, don’t you?”
“Yes.” She gave him a quick tongue touch to the cheek. “Thank you, Muffy. You’re a real sweetheart.”
“Not to mention a real hunk,” Elanna said, flirting.
Winded, Ahadi and Yolanda finally stopped. Ahadi pushed his mane out of his eyes and said, “Of course (pant), you realize (pant) that there would have (pant) been a winner (pant) and a loser if this (pant) had been real.”
Yolanda nuzzled him. “Incosi (pant), I touch your mane.”
“I (pant) feel it.” Ahadi took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “OK, my sons. You try it.”
The two brothers stood up and faced each other. Taka took a deep breath and began circling Mufasa slowly. His head bobbed, weaving an irregular pattern as he looked for an opening.
Mufasa lowered his forequarters and shifted around, keeping the bulk of his body facing Taka. The speed with which Taka could dart in and grab a haunch was frightening, and he dared not expose his vulnerable back legs.
Taka frowned. “Fine then,” he thought. He resumed circling, pacing himself, his breath going in and out rhythmically. Then he took a short, quick breath.
Muffy read the signs correctly and jumped back just in time. Taka pounced on empty grassland, his paws scrabbling for purchase.
Ahadi nodded gravely but said nothing.
Looking around, Taka saw Muffy smiling at him tauntingly. Baring his teeth angry, he began flailing at his brother wildly. Startled, Muffy methodically countered one blow after another, blocking Taka’s sweeps with his forepaws. With a guttural moan, Taka felt panic set in as he realized he was probably going to lose—again. He glanced at Sarabi, trying to read her expression.
That moment was all Muffy needed. He cuffed Taka hard enough to tip him off balance. Before Taka could draw in another breath, Muffy’s heavy weight was bearing down on his chest, pinning him to the ground. “Say uncle!”
“No!” he gasped, fighting for air as he struggled futilely. Muffy was too strong for him.
Taka struggled hard, but Muffy was too strong for him.
“Say uncle!”
“No!”
Taka could not bear to be humiliated like this, not in front of Sarabi! He saw Muffy’s leg within reach of his jaws.
“Say uncle!”
“I—said—NO!” His teeth buried themselves in Muffy’s leg. As Mufasa jumped up, bellowing in pain, Taka darted out from under him and came out swinging with all of his might. A forepaw struck Mufasa under the chin, making his teeth click together painfully.
“Cut it out, Taka!” Mufasa backed away, his forehead furrowed in anger. “Don’t make me get rough with you.”
“Give me your best shot,” Taka whispers arrogantly. “I know you’re being careful with me. After all, you’re a real sweetheart.”
“And you’re a real fool.” His eyes narrowed. He closed with Taka, grappling. Taka swung at his legs, trying to hook them out from under, but Muffy blocked the move quickly. Circling again, Taka slid in and tried at another angle, only to meet the same result. Fear crept in as he felt his strength waning. In desperation, he cheated again, going for a leg hold with teeth bared.
“No!” Mufasa struck at him claws-out with all his might. Taka went sprawling to the ground. “Try that again and I’ll knock your fool head off!”
Taka wobbled to his feet, took a couple of unsteady steps, and sat down again. He rubbed his face with a paw.
Sarabi wanted to rush over and comfort him, but she knew better. It would make a bad situation worse.
Muffy saw the look on Sarabi’s face and thought about the promise. He looked at Taka and saw the dazed expression on his face. “Taka, are you OK?”
“I’ll live.” He rose unsteadily and shook his head.
Ahadi sniffed of the cut on Muffy’s leg. He looked over at Taka and frowned. “Some wrestling match.”
“He cheated,” Elanna said. “I saw him do it twice.”
Ignoring them, Taka paced away slowly, wincing at the throbbing in his cheek where Mufasa’s powerful forepaw had struck him. He whacked at small stones with his powerful paw, muttering words his mother did not teach him under his breath.
Wending his way around the face of Pride Rock, he lay down in his favorite resting place, on a ledge under a jutting overhang of granite which shaded him nicely. With some trepidation, he raised a paw to his face and touched it gingerly. Bringing his forepaw before him, he was relieved to find no trace of blood.
“Taka?”
He glanced over to see Sarabi gracefully make her way onto the ledge with him. He smiled listlessly. “Hey, Sassie.”
She padded up to him, glaring. “Don’t ‘Hey, Sassie,’ me. What did you think you were doing?!”
His smile vanished quickly. “What are you talking about?”
“Were you trying to kill yourself? Let me see your face.” She started to examine the swollen cheek under his scarred left eye, but he jerked away.
“Don’t worry about me. I would’ve won that stupid fight if he hadn’t cheated.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “He cheated? Taka, you bit his leg! I’m surprised he didn’t knock your fool head off!”
He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. “Yes, I appreciate the support, Sarabi.” He added mockingly, “Oh, Muffy, take it easy on him, he’s not strong like you are.” He spat. “I don’t want him to LET me win, I want to BEAT him! Just once, I’d like to be better at something!”
“But you are better at something,” she said. “I don’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.” Her voice wavered as she fought back tears. “I’m sorry if my love is getting in the way of that tiff with your brother.” She turned and headed away.
Taka froze. “Sassie, wait!” He watched as her form continued away down the path. “Oh, God, it’s happening!” he cried.
He ran after her, got out ahead and blocked her path. Sarabi stopped, startled.
“I’m sorry! Please, I’m sorry!” He began to beg, pleading desperately. Falling on his back, he pawed at her. “I love you! Please don’t leave me, Sassie!”
She saw the sheer terror in his eyes, and felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She forgot her anger.
“I had to try and win,” he stammered. “If I lost all the time, you might not love me anymore. I’m a loser, Sassie. Not that I don’t try.”
“Is your head full of dead grass?” Sarabi took her paw and held up Taka’s chin so that he looked her in the eyes. “I love you because you’re sweet and clever and very cute. That won’t change because Muffy beats you at wrestling.” She kissed him with her warm tongue and nuzzled him. “I am a little disappointed that you cheated, though. I’ve always thought you were above that.”
“Oh.” He didn’t know whether he liked that remark, but he loved her. Kissing her cheek, he said, “I’ll love you till the day I die. Longer, even. They will see two stars side by side and know it is us.” Without shame, his eyes filled with tears. “My love must be stronger than fate itself if it’s to survive. My body may be weak, but Sassie, my heart is strong.”
“Taka, it’s that prophesy again. I can tell it. When will you learn to trust me?” She stroked his face with a paw.
“I believe your goodness is so strong that you can beat this thing, but you heard the rest. ‘He who is first to touch you shall beget your doom.’” He looked down. “Muffy was the first one to touch me. He’s going to kill me, Sassie.”
“That’s foolish. He loves you!”
“You knew he was too strong for me. We’re gonna get in a fight one day, and he’s going to lose his cool and kill me.” He turned his gaze to the vast savanna which stretched before them.
Sarabi was horrified. “Stop talking like that, you’re scaring me!” Moving close to him, she nuzzled his head gently. “Taka, maybe your head IS full of dead grass. Muffy loves you. He needs you. He’s your brother. Rafiki was wrong—even Makedde said so.”
Taka half smiled. “Yeah, he did, didn’t he! You really think we can beat this thing? The three of us?”
She kissed his cheek gently. “Of course.” She rose, switching her tail. “You stay here and rest, Taka. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Okay.” He lay his head on his forepaws slowly and shut his eyes.
Sarabi hurried down the path to where it joined the promontory at the front of Pride Rock. Padding across its smooth surface, she entered the cool recesses of the main cave. As her eyes adjusted, she saw Mufasa sitting nearby, licking his wound gingerly.
“Muffy, I must talk to you.”
“Sure.” He smiled at her.
“It’s about Taka.”
His face fell. “Hey, I tried to go easy on him, but when he bit me, I saw red.”
“I know, and I’m not upset with you.”
She sighed. “It’s that prophesy again.”
“You two had another fight?”
“No. Well, yes, but that’s beside the point.” She sighed again. “Don’t be upset, Muffy, but you know that business about the one that touched him first bringing about his doom?”
“Yes. But…” Mufasa’s eyes broadened. “Oh gods, don’t tell me he thinks I’m going to whack him??”
She looked at him closely. “You wouldn’t, would you? Promise?”
“For gods’ sake!” He blinked at her, surprised. “Of course I promise! He’s my brother!” He shook his head. “What AM I going to do with him, Sassie?”
“Tell him. He needs to hear it from you more than anyone else.”
Nodding, he started away.
Poor Mufasa wanted to ask his parents for help, but the whole thing embarrased him too badly. He resigned himself to handling Taka “the usual way,” which meant humoring his moods, no matter how ridiculous they are, and being careful to remind him that he’s loved.
He finally got his chance later that day.
Taka was resting on the end of the promontory. It was his favorite place to sulk when he felt like the whole world was out to get him. The scale of the view helped put his problems into perspective in the great pagent of life.
“Taka?”
“What?” Taka didn’t bother to turn around.
“I just saw Sassie.”
Taka turned around that time. “What did she say??”
“Not much.” Muffy tried to keep his tail from twitching. Apparently he was successful. “She was upset. She looked a little depressed, so I asked her what was up.”
“Oh gods, here it comes.” Taka drooped.
“She was watching us fight, and she thought about the prophesy. You know, the part about the first one that touched you would begat your doom.”
“Oh?” Taka gave him his undivided attention. “And what did you tell her?”
Mufasa smiled, but a tear rolled down his cheek. “I told her you’re my brother. I’m sorry I hit you so hard. You bit me, and I went crazy. You know we both love you, Sassie and I. She worries about you. In fact, she’s always telling me how she’s going to marry you when you get older.” Mufasa swallowed a sudden lump in his throat. “You don’t know how lucky you are, Taka. I got the kingdom, but you got Sassie.”
Taka smiled at him, a real smile, now. “Yeah, I guess I am. She’s really beautiful, Isn’t she?”
Unable to reply, Mufasa merely nodded.
Taka looked at him closely. “Why Muffy, you’re jealous….”
“Come off it.”
“No, you really are.” Taka smiled an amused smile. “Gods! You’re jealous of me! And all this time….” He rose briskly, stretched his legs, and came running over to Muffy. He nuzzled him and put his forearm around Mufasa’s shoulder. “You must think I’m crazy.”
“No. Well, not much.”
“Sometimes I feel crazy. Dad always has it all together. He always knows the score.” A tear ran down Taka’s face. “Help me fight this thing, Muffy. If the three of us work hard, we can beat the prophesy. We can. You’re good inside; so is Sassie. We’ve got to be good to beat it.”
Muffy swallowed hard, then said, “Don’t worry. We’ll be really good.”
“…And it was that Aiheu the Beautiful, having made the World of Ma’at (soil) gave it to his spirit children for a dwelling place. And they praised him, for the land was very comely. But in the first days, which were called the Days of Ka (spirit), some were not as happy as Aiheu had wished.
“What has this land to do with us?” they asked. “The sun does not warm us. The waters do not cleanse us. The wind does not cool us. How can this be our home when the grass does not stir beneath our feet?”
“So Aiheu took ma’at (soil) and mixed it with maja (water) that it may be shaped. And for those ka that desired to know pleasure, he clave them to bodies which he formed from the mud, breathing into their nostrils the breath of life, that so long as they should draw breath, they should be part of the World of Ma’at, and that the sun would warm them, the water would cleanse them, and the wind would cool them. These and many other pleasures he gave them for a birthright, but he also gave them a warning. For pain is the brother of pleasure, and those who are of ma’at must accept pain with the pleasure.”
— THE LEONINE STORY OF BEGINNINGS, Variation D-4-A
Rafiki awoke with stiffness in his lower back. At his age, he was frequently sore in the mornings and had to take an herbal preparation to get himself back in the thick of things. Because the medicine had to be fresh and moist to work, he had to make up individual doses as needed. That meant working while tired and sore. Still, Rafiki did not complain. For one thing he lived alone, with no one to complain to, and for another, he was a shaman and accepted what life brought him as gracefully as he could.
Soaking in a water-filled gourd, some bonewort would loosen the tightness in his spine. He carefully removed just enough to do the job. It was followed by Senophalix bark and roots from Psamnophis gelleri for pain. But the final ingredient was a powder made from Alba, a red flower. It did not grow nearby, and he had to trade to get it. The small cache of this drug was nearly exhausted, and he put in a little less than was his custom. He had requested some from the apes that lived in the forest near his baobab.
The other mandrills thought Rafiki a bit strange. They didn’t understand his need for the flower, but they happily raised the fee to what they thought he could afford. For that reason, precious time that could be spent serving others was spent collecting large bundles of herbs and other notions for payment.
Mixing the ingredients into a paste with his bowl and antelope bone, he downed the bitter mixture with a frown, and quickly took some water and honey to purge his mouth. Perhaps the medicine did not work immediately. Yet he felt better at once, knowing that help was on the way.
While he waited for relief, he settled down for his morning prayers, which always began with thanksgiving, then ran through the name of every lion on the Pride Lands whether they were ill or well, and ended with a modest request to “Remember old Rafiki who trusts in you.”
Breakfast was a simple affair. Mango was his favorite, followed shortly by ripe Kannabia australoafricanus, which he called by an equally unpronounceable Mandrill name. Honey was not easy to come by, since he’d grown old enough to make climbing a problem. Besides, even at the best of times, there was an element of luck involved. So he put only a few drops of honey on the fruit to season it, and ate his breakfast. Perhaps in the next life, there would be honey enough for his sweet tooth, which only grew stronger with age. He felt he would know sooner rather than later, a fact brought home by the silver hair that reflected in his scrying bowl.
Only after breakfast was over and he’d rubbed his teeth with the chewed end of an acacia twig did he start out on the day’s business. Alba was waiting for him—the apes said it would be waiting for him in three days, and the time was up. They were robbers, but they were never late. One, two, three hard-won bundles of roots and leaves were sprinkled with water, wrapped in Rattasia leaves, and secured with long acacia thorn pins. The barter was gathered up with the care it deserved to ransom the modest stash of tiny red blossoms that waited for him in the forest.
He was about to leave when Mufasa came in. Muffy was a year and a half old, and the beginning of some ruff around his ears and neck showed that he was coming along on schedule.
“I had almost forgotten our appointment.” Rafiki put his bundles of herbs aside. “Trouble sleeping, I believe? Loss of appetite?”
“Yeah.”
“Difficulty concentrating.”
“And don’t forget depression. I’ve been down before, but now I’m really down for the count.”
“I see.” Rafiki put his ear to Muffy’s chest. “Breathe in. Good. Now let it out slowly.” He tapped Muffy’s chest a couple of times with his knuckles. “Once more.” The breathing seemed to agree with him. He felt the radial pulse alongside his neck and winked. “Soon enough, I’ll have to use the arm. This old mane will be in the way.” Mufasa smiled proudly. “So tell me, how is Taka?”
“Fine.”
“The cough all gone, I take it?”
“Yes, Rafiki. I made sure he took all his medicine. None of that hiding the herbs under his tongue and spitting them out when I’m not looking.”
“How did you manage that?”
“I rubbed his throat till he had to swallow.”
Rafiki laughed. “He’s just a big cub. And Sarabi?”
“Oh, she’s fine.”
Rafiki looked surprised. “Whoa there! Your pulse is jumping like a Springbok!” The mandrill looked Muffy in the eyes. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had the fever.”
“The fever?”
“Lioness fever.” Rafiki rubbed his chin whiskers. “And you got it from Sarabi, I can tell. Does Taka know?”
“No, uh—I mean…”
Rafiki shook his finger at Mufasa. “Don’t hide from me behind those little lamb eyes. I know what I see.” He looked in Muffy’s eyes and sighed deeply. “You got it bad, son.”
Mufasa glanced away. “There must be a cure for it. I won’t betray my own brother. You must have something for falling out of love.”
“I don’t even have anything for falling IN love. But tell me, does Sarabi love YOU?”
“Well she’s my friend. Of course she loves me.”
“You know what I mean. I mean lion fever. Has she ever given you those little hints? You know, the feeling that you’re being stalked, and any minute she may decide to charge?”
“No. I-well she-no. No. She’s so struck on my brother. Oh Rafiki, sometimes I get the feeling I wish I were an only child. I love Taka, really I do, but Sassie is on my mind all the time. I can’t be weak, not with my brother’s girl. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do?”
“Maybe a nice swim in the cold spring.” He popped Muffy on the flank. “There’s nothing wrong with you that your own conscience and a little time can’t fix. But keep your eyes open. You must also be fair to Sarabi. What she wants is important too. And I think you are selling yourself short that way.” He smiled toothily and added in a whisper, “If you can’t give both of them what they want, choose the girl. What she don’t got, you don’t need!”
Six moons had passed since Muffy’s chat with Rafiki. He and Taka had grown in strength and size. This miracle was made all the more evident by its speed. There was no difference from day to day, but a clear, sharp memory of passing under a low branch was no insurance against a bump on the head. The brothers, the sons of the King, were attracting the attention of the others with their strong, comely appearance.
Mufasa’s pride was all out of proportion to the straggly pioneering hairs that made his head and throat look somewhat shaggier than the rest of his body. But that was matched by the pride of his parents Ahadi and Akase. Ahadi insisted that he was equally proud of Taka, and Taka wanted desperately to believe it.
Taka had a dark mane, something most lionesses consider very attractive. Often his mother Akase told him that happiness was more important than power, and if he had to choose one, go with happiness. Taka saw the sense in this. He was often unhappy, but he believed in his mother and in her love. And to a degree, he believed Sarabi loved him though they were more prone to more arguments than talks in recent days.
The Mantlement Ceremony is all that Ahadi and Akase seemed to talk about—all everyone seemed to talk about. That first trace of mane is for many male cubs a sign that they are about to venture out into The Big World, and brings as many fears as it does hopes. It is the wakening of their interest in lionesses as more than playmates. For Mufasa, it was a step closer to the kingship—the Prince was growing up. No one expected the brother of Mufasa to go out into The Big World, and he, like Mufasa, would be honored by all subjects in the Pride Lands as Prince Consort.
And yet there was no doubt that everyone of every species would be staring at the future King. Taka’s Mantlement was the last big step that the public would take interest in, and he had to endure it in the huge shadow of his brother.
Immersed in this thought, Taka sat alone on the point of Pride Rock and looked down on the wide savanna below, now occupied by a few wildebeests, but soon alive with bowing and scraping subjects looking on their King-to-be. And that what’s-his-name brother of his—the one with the scar. Only recently had the other lions begun to talk to him without staring at the eye. He’d long passed the stage where those who were dying to know more about it could ask, “How are you feeling?” or “Can I help?” Now it was as healed as it would ever be, and they had gotten used to it. But along with the familiarity came the rumors—mostly true—about how he was marked, and the nickname Scar. Oddly enough, no one blamed Mufasa in the least for what had happened to Taka’s eye. Instead they wondered who would be stupid enough to go into a badger’s hole in the first place. Everyone knew how badgers act—that is, everyone with common sense.
“Hey, Taka!” said Mufasa, sitting alongside. “Thinking about the big day tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Well, you don’t look too happy about it.”
“I’m just fine,” Taka said firmly. “I can’t help the way I look.”
“Yeah, right.” Mufasa hopped up lithely and sat on the other side of Taka to look him in the eyes. “What’s your problem? I mean, it’s your big day too. Everyone who’s anyone will be there to look at your new mane. Besides, the babes dig it! I mean, without a mane you’re just another kitten.”
“You must think I’m really stupid,” Taka said. “Who’s going to care about me? Half of them don’t even know who I am. I’m just that kid with the funny-looking eye.”
“You help protect the Pride Lands,” Mufasa said. “That’s important. And hey, if something happened to me, you’d have to be King.” He made a sweeping gesture with his paw over the empty savanna. “They all know that. And they know they better treat you with respect, or they’ll have to answer to me.”
Taka stared at Mufasa right in the eyes, something that made his brother feel uncomfortable. Mufasa could almost feel Taka looking right through him, examining his bones and sinews. He was looking for something he could remember from long ago, from days when friendship could be taken for granted in the innocence of early cubhood. “Would you miss me if I died?”
“Of course I would,” Mufasa said, a little irritated. “What kind of stupid question is that?”
“Don’t call me stupid! I hate it when people call me that!”
“I didn’t call you stupid,” Mufasa said, backing back. “What is your problem, anyway? Go ahead and sulk—that’s all you ever do now. But you watch yourself tomorrow. You’re the son of the King, and you act like it. I don’t want you spoiling my Mantlement, understand?”
“I understand clearly. I won’t spoil YOUR Mantlement, brother.”
On that word, Taka left the point of the rock and headed down quietly.
Sarabi was lying half-asleep in the shade of an acacia tree when Taka walked by. Her keen senses were stirred by the light tread in the grass. She looked up quickly, then relaxed her ears. “Oh, it’s only you, Taka.”
“Only me?”
She frowned. “Not another one of those moods again. Get a little fuzz on your neck and you lions take yourself soooo seriously.” She took a half-hearted swat at him. “Tell me, Taka, will you be like that when I get you alone? Smile if you think wicked thoughts.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Smile if you think I’m sexy.”
He looked away. “Cut it out, will you?”
In a sultry half-purr, she added, “Smile if you think you’ll live through the honeymoon.”
He broke into an embarrassed grin which he tried to hide behind a paw.
“Optimistic little devil, aren’t you?” She nuzzled him affectionately. “I like that much better. I hate it when we fight.”
“So do I,” Taka said. “I should let you have your way more often.”
Sarabi’s eyes narrowed to slits. “I don’t want to have my way more often. I mean we should agree to disagree. Don’t patronize me.”
“I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then how did you mean it? I’m not stupid you know.”
“I know.” Taka licked his paw and tried to groom what there was of his mane. It was a nervous habit. “Sassie, let’s never fight again. I was thinking about the prophesy. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately.”
“I don’t believe in it,” Sarabi said firmly. “I thought we had that settled.”
“Still, you can’t blame me for worrying. I mean we never used to fight before that stupid thing with the badger.” He licked his paw again and began to nervously rub at the other side of his neck.
“Please don’t do that,” Sarabi said.
“Don’t do what? Oh…” Taka put down his paw. “Do you think you’ll always love me? I mean, Makedde said sometimes we make our own destinies. If we work hard, we can change them.”
Sarabi nuzzled him. “There are times your own mother couldn’t love you,” she said. “This is not one of them. Forget the prophesy—I liked you better the way you were, when you trusted me.”
“I trust you now,” Taka said, beginning to groom his mane again. “I don’t think you’d ever WANT to hate me. But things can happen—bad things.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know what kind of things, but you know. I mean, maybe I’ll do something really stupid and you wouldn’t love me anymore.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m coming of age, the time when a lion goes out into The Big World to make his fortune. Other than food and water, I have one need. Love, Sassie. Right now, Mom and Dad still love me. Maybe not as much as Muffy, but they do. And you love me, don’t you?”
“Yes! How many times do I have to tell you??”
“Once,” Taka said quietly. He put his left paw on her shoulder. He could feel her tremble. “It’s time we stated our intentions. I want you.”
“We are not of age,” Sarabi said. “Not in their eyes at least. It is corban. They would never agree to this.”
“Then don’t ask them to,” Taka said. “If you will always love me, pledge to me. I won’t ask more until you come to me of your own free will. But we’ll go away together. We’ll leave tonight at high moon.”
“I’m honored, really,” Sarabi said. “But how are you so sure you will want me as your lioness? I mean we’re friends, but do you really know what you want?”
He put his left paw on her shoulder once more and let it fondle her strong, shapely form. “Our love could move Heaven and Earth,” he whispered seductively. “It would spread like ripples in a pond, growing, spreading, deepening. You know I want you. When you look at me, when you touch me, I want you. Sarabi, look at me. You know I want you.”
She felt his eyes meet hers. It was what lionesses call ‘The Look.’ “I believe you.” She tore herself away from The Look and glanced down at the ground. “You will be Prince Consort. It is foolish to go away when you are wanted here. It is safe here—out there in The Big World it is so uncertain. We have to think about our children.”
“There is only one certainty I want,” Taka said with barely suppressed passion. “Before the gods, before the stars, before the assembled host I swear to give you my protection, my love, and my comfort forever.” He looked at her pleadingly, like a small cub who’s afraid of the dark. “Come on, Sarabi. Say it.”
She started to hold her paw out to touch his. It trembled. She put it down. In the intensity of the moment she could not speak.
A painful moment passed. Taka’s face changed visibly—it was like watching him die. “I understand,” he said. “You are only a small lioness in a big world. How could you hope to fight destiny?” His ears laid back dejectedly and his tail hung limply. “It would be better for all of us if I left. I want to be remembered with some kindness-maybe a little regret for what might have been. And it might have been fine, Sassie.”
Sarabi felt her eyes mist up. He trotted off into the bush without another word.
Deep in the heart is a land of shadows, Its a place of sighs and tears That’s where the lost dreams and hopes forsaken Tend to end up through the years.
Oh, but they don’t go down easy, no, they do not meekly go, To that graveyard for high expectations where the broken dreams lie low! They cry for attention and they seek intervention till they shake your very soul. You may try to bury what your heart can’t carry, but it won’t stay in the hole.
Heavy the heart of the disappointed, Long the empty path of night; That is the fate of the broken-hearted, When the darkness steals the light.
Oh, but they don’t go down easy, no, they do not meekly go, To that graveyard for high expectations where the broken dreams lie low! They cry for attention and they seek intervention till they shake your very soul. You may try to bury what your heart can’t carry, but it won’t stay in the hole!
Sarabi watched him draw further and further away until he was a small speck of tawny among the brush. Panic seized her, and she found her tongue. “Taka! Wait! I’ll do it!” Apparently he did not hear any voices but those in his head. “Taka!”
Though his essence still hung in the air, he was gone. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “May the gods be with you.”
Taka was leaving the Pride Lands without even the traditional blessing. He had never learned to hunt, secure that he would always have a home. Now he left for the river valley. He took a small comfort knowing where he was going he would need no hunting skills, and no place to rest his head. Perhaps with the kings of old among the stars he could look down and see his beloved across the vault of heaven. Would she marry? Would she have beautiful cubs whose smiles warm the very heart of Aiheu? Would she remember his love through the years?
Finally he stood on the brink of the river valley. On the threshold of death, his life blood coursed through his veins and his heart beat like a hammer. Not far from where he stood was a sheer drop-off, the kind of place where a lion could fall and fall without suffering on the craggy slopes, and then just stop. Just stop—what a thought. Would it hurt? Would it have time to hurt? Would it make a difference how he landed? He would know very soon.
“Lord Aiheu, creator of the universe, I stand far from the rest, alone for I am dying. Forgive the many hurts I have caused. The night is coming when the breath you gave me will return to the heavens.” He dropped his formal prayers, and cried, “Gods, help me! I’m afraid. Let it be quick. Aiheu abamami!” His legs tensed for the final spring into oblivion.
Just when he was about to plunge to his death, he heard the death cry of a gazelle, and turned. He could see a lone hyena panting, pulling the hide off a fresh kill. Through his deep grief, he felt hunger. Even if he chose to die, he must not die hungry. “Aiheu provides.”
Glad to experience one last pleasure before he died, he ran to the kill, baring his teeth. The hyena, a female, backed back. He glared at her, the first hyena he’d ever seen close up. Something about her took him by surprise. Down one side of her face were horrible scars, and the eye was missing. He stared at the horrible wound, stunned by the thought that in this way she was just like him, only she was blind on one side. And somehow he noticed how she was staring at his eye. For several quiet moments, they stood there and looked at each other.
“I have young, my lord,” she said at last. “Have pity on poor Fabana. When you are gone, we must go on living.”
“Indeed,” he said. “There is enough for all. I am…” he hesitated to say it aloud. “I would rather not die hungry.”
“What happened to yours? Your old man do that?”
“What?”
“Your eye. You lions think we are crude,” she said. “Not good enough for the Pride Lands. But we don’t drive off our sons into the cruelty of the unknown. We love them. Tell me, stranger, have you ever heard of a hyena jumping to his death?”
“No, I don’t think I have.” He quickly changed the topic. “You say you’re a mother. Where are your cubs? They must eat too. I won’t hurt them. I’m only a danger to myself these days.”
“I can tell.” She called softly behind her. “Shenzi. Banzai. Edward. It’s all right. Come on out.”
Three pups came out of the brush and stared at the lion. Taka had never seen young hyenas before. The small female looked as their mother must have once.
“My name is Taka,” he said quietly. “Don’t be afraid.” He lay his large bulk down like a huge sphinx. When he looked less threatening, the pups came over and cautiously sniffed of him. “So this one is Edward. What does it mean?”
“It is the name of a man. He saved me when I was a pup. My parents were killed in a brush fire. Feel along my neck.”
Taka carefully ran his large paw along her throat. He felt a gap where there was no fur.
“The collar,” she said. “I was tied to a tree with a rope. That’s something like a vine, but stronger.”
“Then he was cruel to you?”
“No, but his dog was. One day name calling was not enough, and the whelp did this to me.” She turned her scar to face Taka. “I killed him. That’s why the man drove me away. But I do not forget that he saved my life, so I named my first born Edward.”
“You have saved my life. I’m not sure I could work up the nerve a second time.” He looked at her pleadingly. “Please do not drive me away.”
“Your troubles aren’t not so bad,” she said. “Many lions come through this just fine. Someday you will find security and love.”
“But I already had, or I thought I did. You don’t know how I have suffered.”
“When you have eaten, tell me.”
Taka attacked the carcass with desperation, but after the first few bites took the edge off his hunger, his wisdom took over. He stopped while there were still some choice portions and insisted that Fabana finish it.
“My father, Ahadi-you’ve heard about him, haven’t you?”
“He’s the Lion King, Isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“That makes you the Prince then?” She gasped.
“No, Prince Consort.”
“Oh, that explains a lot.” She shook her head. “I didn’t think a prince would want to kill himself. I take it you don’t get along with your brother?”
“Actually I like my brother. He’s not very clever, but his heart is in the right place.”
She clucked her tongue. “Then that leaves one possibility. You have a girl. I bet she’s stiffed you for the Prince, hasn’t she?”
“No.” He had quickly denied it, but it didn’t seem that impossible. “This Isn’t just any lioness and it Isn’t just another girl problem.”
“That’s what they all say.”
“Yes, but there’s a curse behind this. Evil spirits. Makedde was treating me for this eye problem when his brother Rafiki tried to tell my future.”
“Rafiki!” She stopped eating. “Lord, honey, you just got to tell me all about this. Evil spirits you say? A curse?”
For well on an hour or more he poured out his heart to her, and as he did, he watched her nod her head gravely once in a while. It made him cry to tell it, but they were tears of healing, and he felt much better.
Out of lion manners, he waited to hear her story. But she would not talk of herself much. One thing she would say-Jalkort, the father of her cubs was dead, killed unjustly for the murder of the Princess Avina. “He ate after she had died, but of all the foolish things he’s done, he did not murder your Aunt. Someday I must face the King and plead his case.”
“Though he is already dead? What will you accomplish?”
“He was my husband.”
“You are a romantic,” Taka said, kissing her cheek. “If I was in trouble, I wouldn’t mind having you on my side. Perhaps I can arrange a meeting.”
Fabana felt compassion for Taka and taught him all of the pass phrases and signs that would let him pass safely through her lands. But most importantly, she gave him some advice that would change his path forever. “I know the mandrill of which you speak. He told my fortune too. He said that I would meet friends in unexpected places, but they would turn on me in my hour of need. You have not turned on me. My advice is to forget the prophesy—it is a piece of nonsense that has cost you dearly. Apologize to your lover. Kiss your mother. Make your father proud of you. And remember old Fabana. If you do become King someday, teach your children that we all have a heart and soul under our different hides.” She pulled her pups close to her. “Lift the ban for their sakes.”
Sarabi was in tears when Mufasa found her. He nuzzled her affectionately and turned to face her when she looked away. “Sassie, tell me about it.”
“It’s Taka. He’s gone.”
“What do you mean by gone?”
“Gone. He’s left the Pride Lands. He begged me to come with him, and I thought about it. Now I wish I had. He’s out there alone, Muffy! He’s kind and gentle, but he doesn’t know a thing about life in The Big World.”
It came as a complete surprise to Mufasa, though he believed her at once. “Did he say where he was going?”
“No. He just left.”
“Sassie, don’t cry. I know how much you love him. We all love him. Maybe when he cools off, he’ll come home.”
“Do you think so? Do you really think so?”
“Yes. But it may be a long while. He’s a proud lion.”
She looked down. “What will I do? I always thought it would be Taka and I—just the two of us and our cubs. What’s left for me? I will grow old alone and unloved like poor Barata.”
Mufasa felt a lump gathering in his throat. “Sassie, I’m going to tell you something, and it’s going to sound awful under the circumstances.” He looked her in the eyes. “I didn’t want to get in my brother’s way. But things have changed, and I have to say this or I’ll burst.”
“Is it what I think it is?”
“Probably.” He nuzzled her gently. “Oh gods, Sassie, I feel like such a wretch! Like the lowest thing that ever crawled out from under a stone. But I love you. I’ve always loved you. There were times I would have given anything if you loved me instead of Taka. But I don’t want to lose my brother or hurt him in any way. All my life I’ve felt like I was being torn in two directions. I can’t bear to lose both of you. Don’t hate me for being truthful.”
“I don’t.” She nuzzled him. “I’ve always known how you felt. You can’t hide a thing like that.”
“Maybe you don’t love me the way I love you. At least you like me, don’t you? I mean, I’ll make sure you always have what you need. I’ll take care of you. If you’ll be my mate, I’ll do anything for you—anything.”
“Even forgive Taka?”
“You make it sound so hard. He’s my brother. I want him to come home.”
“I need time to think about it,” Sarabi said.
Mufasa nodded. “Of course.”
Excusing herself, Sarabi rose and padded away slowly. She wandered through the tall grass of the savanna alone with her thoughts. Everything had been simple once. Love had been a cub once, but now it was a lioness. A lioness who chooses as she wills the lion to desire and the lion to pity.
Now she was acutely aware that her love for Taka was a beautiful sisterly love, but one that did not need or even want to be expressed in passion. On the other hand, Muffy stirred feelings in her that were new and a little frightening, but very wonderful. Ever since Rafiki had whispered his advice to her, Sarabi said nothing to Mufasa but observed him carefully. She was flattered, honored, and even a little sad to think how he yearned for her but said nothing. Now he was gentle and kind, and he came to her with honest longing. She could hardly resist. She hardly wanted to. She desired him as she had never needed Taka, and it filled her with shame. Shame that if anyone had worked to earn her love, it had been Taka. Shame that her love could not be earned. Shame to think how she would destroy him when he found out.
Pity for Taka filled her. She strained to tell the difference between pity and love. Was there really such a gulf, that her heart so quick to cry at his bumps and scrapes could not beat in time with his? Is it really so different to be with one lion or the other? Can she not learn to love when her wild heart is tamed with vows? Can she feel the heat his ardor and not be warmed?
She tried to think of Taka coming to her in the shadows, flush with the expectations of his wedding night. She heard his quiet voice with an edge of passion asking, “Are you ready, beloved? Are you ready?” She imagined herself looking into his eyes the way they looked the last time he saw her, deep and longing. “I am ready.” Her heart raced, but it was fear, not desire. “No, I’m not ready!” she said aloud. “I don’t want him! Not that way! Oh gods, he would know!” She collapsed in the grass, sobbing. “Aiheu help me, I love them both, but I don’t want to marry Taka-I’d almost rather die!” She opened her eyes, seeing the savanna through a blurred film of tears. She blinked as a shadow passed overhead. Looking up, she saw Ahadi’s majordomo gliding by.
She hunched over, praying he wouldn’t see her down here, crying like a hungry cub. With relief, she saw him heading away towards the river. She felt lucky; his sharp eyesight rarely missed anything on the ground.
She started to head back home, but paused, thinking. His sharp eyesight rarely missed anything, even Taka! He could find Taka! Galvanized into action, she burst from her hiding place and sprinted after him, trying to keep him in sight. “Zazu! Wait!” High above her, the hornbill sped toward the river, the wind whistling past his ears dulling any sounds that might have reached him. Gliding down to a smooth landing, he paced over to the river’s edge, eager to begin his noontime ritual. In a quiet spot in the shade of the reeds, he took in a deep breath, stretched his wings, and dipped one foot in the water. “Sheesh!” He pulled out his leg quickly. “Perfect.”
He backed up a few steps, took a flying leap, and after a few powerful strokes of his wings, folded and dropped like a stone into the cold water.
“Ooo-hoo-HOOO!” He splashed about until he got used to the frigid tide. It felt good in the oppressive heat. Singing, he splashed about, soaking himself from his primaries clear through to the down.
“Mai-sie, Mai-sie, Your eyes are driving me cra-zy, Pluck a dai-sy, Ask it if I am true.
“You’ll pull off the fragrant petals, And watch as each one settles, I love you so, and off we’ll go, To a paradise made for two.”
A goose with her goslings watched with harmless amusement. One of the goslings swam over and had to stare a little more closely.
“What’cha doing?”
“Who? What?” Zazu shook off his head and looked at the youth. “Oh, I’m just tidying up.”
“I thought you were in trouble.”
“Hardly.” Zazu laughed.
The small ball of feathers looked back unblinking.
“Was there something else?”
“Gee, that’s a big beak. What are you?”
“I’m a hornbill.”
“I like hornbills.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. “Best run along or you’ll get splashed. Hornbills do a lot of that.”
Pushing along the bottom with his feet and flapping his wings, Zazu made it back to the bank with a great deal of effort. He fanned his wings to shake off diamond droplets, and began to use his beak with surprising finesse to preen his feathers. The show was over, and the gosling went back to its mother to fish for prawns.
It was nearly time to gather the mid-day news for Ahadi. In return for his services, Zazu lived a safe life. He could pick the choicest fruits from the trees where predators made their stealthy living, for he was corban—off limits—to all who would enjoy a well-fed hornbill.
When he was nearly dry enough to take off, a lioness came out of the bush. “Zazu! Thank heavens you’re still here.”
“Sarabi! Good morning.”
“It’s NOT a good morning,” she said with distress. “When you make your rounds, tell me if you see Taka. He’s run off, and I’m worried about him.”
“Run off, you say? That whining little imp? I didn’t think he had the nerve.” He rubbed his eyes. “I wouldn’t worry about him. He’ll come back when he’s had a taste of the bush.”
“Zazu! I know you don’t like him, but you do like me, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I value your friendship highly.”
“And you like Mufasa, don’t you?” She didn’t even wait for an answer. “Listen, it’s important for Muffy and I to know where he is. Besides, that would be some real news for the King. Akase is going crazy worrying about him.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Zazu spread his wings and in a moment he was up beyond the tops of the trees, headed off to make his rounds.
“Good luck!”
The next morning, the green plain of the Pride Lands was covered by zebras, antelopes, elephants, giraffes, and many other peoples who pushed and shoved for the best position. Zazu, the King’s majordomo, strutted about nervously. He had never spoken before such a huge audience before. King Ahadi looked drained, though he kept up appearances. Queen Akase had a difficult time sitting still beside her husband. She stared into space.
Sarabi and Elanna were wards of the queen, and were invited to sit with the royal family. It was especially a comfort for Sarabi to be next to Akase and smell the familiar smell of her milk mother.
“Zazu,” Sarabi asked quietly, “Have you seen Taka?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve put out word all over, but I’m afraid he’s long gone.”
“Oh.” She bowed her head.
“Even Gopa the stork hasn’t seen him, and nothing escapes Gopa. But I can fly out past the boundary if you wish. After the ceremony of course.”
“It won’t be necessary.”
Akase motioned her over and nuzzled her affectionately. “You are such a comfort to me. You were his milk sister, and how many times as I nursed you I thought of you as my own little girl, as if I had carried you.”
“I felt it,” Sarabi said, resting her head on Akase’s shoulder. “Tell me the truth—should I have gone with Taka?”
Akase purred. “No, my child. It is sad enough to lose a son without losing a daughter. And I feel you will be my daughter before the day is out.”
Mufasa got the nod from his father, and started out toward the end of the spur to meet the crowd. But first he paused by Sarabi and smiled to see how gentle she looked leaning on Akase. “My last cubhood thought will be of you,” he said. “And the first thought as a lion will be of you. Sassie, would you rest your head on me some time?” She looked deep into his eyes and her chin trembled. “Muffy,” she purred, “My beloved.”
Mufasa walked to the end of the promontory. A brief, dim memory came back to him. “Old Makedde,” he thought. “Was I so small that he could hold me up?” He smiled, and looked over the crowd. It was good to be back where it had all started.
Zazu shouted, “Long live Prince Mufasa, son of King Ahadi!”
The crowd bowed and scraped. Zebras whinnied, elephants trumpeted, and antelopes stomped their hooves. It only stopped when Zazu spread his wings.
The King met his son at the tip of Pride Rock. “Let all within the sound of my voice know that my son is coming fast on the path of his forefathers. Look, he bears the sign.”
Akase took Ahadi’s place. “Look down o gods and bless my son who is now a lion.” She shuddered visibly. “And bless my son Taka, wherever he is. Hear a mother’s prayer and have mercy on him.”
A hush fell over the sward. The zebras looked at one another and the elephants shook their head. Akase stood on the tip of the Pride Rock with a certain dignity, but a deep sadness that bowed her head and stooped her shoulders. They waited for her to say something, anything. One of the zebra mares nuzzled her foal. The leopards bowed their heads and Bhetu the bat-eared fox howled mournfully. Ahadi came out and kissed his mate, leading her back to a sanctuary of private grief. Zazu dismissed the crowd with a quick blessing, and they stalked quietly away, aware that something very bad had happened.
Mufasa left the peak, and headed back to the cave where he had spent his cubhood. “So I am a lion now.”
“You are my lion now,” Sarabi answered. She came from the deep shadows to meet him. He gathered his nerve and put his paw paw on her left shoulder. She answered with a deep purr. It could only mean one thing.
Mufasa said “Before the gods, before the stars, before the assembled host I swear to give you my protection, my life, and my comfort forever.”
She trembled and nuzzled him affectionately. “Till the last beat of my heart, to the last breath I sigh, our lives are one, so help me gods.”
“Bless you, Sassie. I’ll love you forever.”
“Let us go someplace alone,” Sarabi whispered.
“Right now?” Mufasa whispered back. “Are you sure you want this?”
“Yes.” She kissed him. “Once Taka needed me, but now he needs something I can’t give him. I hope he finds it.” She nuzzled him and added, “Let me be selfish, Muffy. Let me think of myself for once. Give me what I need. Love me. Let me feel your breath on my cheek.”
“Sassie,” he whispered passionately. “To love you for a moment and then die, I would have no regrets.”
Mufasa nodded at his parents and Ahadi winked back. “Have fun, kids. There’s a nice walk to the mirror pool in the cleft of the rock. You could watch the fish swim.”
When Mufasa led his timid new wife out of the cave, Ahadi whispered to Akase, “Thank the Gods. Sarabi is a good lioness, and she has made the right decision. Taka is a good boy, and clever, but he is so immature. Besides, it’s just like Rafiki says—Muffy really loves her.”
“Did he tell you that too? He’s a meddlesome old ape, but he has a heart from the gods.” She shook her head. “I hate to agree with you, husband, but you are right about Taka.” She sighed. “Do you ever think we’ll see him again?
“Probably not while we’re alive, old girl. He’s proud, that one. Proud and stubborn.”
“Then go after him,” Akase said.
“Go after him? Where? This is no antelope hunt. His tracks cover every square paw of the Pride Lands. I’m not a god, you know.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” she said in a feeble attempt at humor. “But if you don’t look for him, I will.”
“Akase! You must be careful! I can’t have you leaving the Pride Lands. I’ve already lost a son-must I lose his mother as well?”
“Then come with me.”
“I’m not sure it will do any good. But we owe him that much at least.”
Just then, Zazu came excitedly into the cave. “Good news, everyone! You’ll never guess!” He bowed deeply. “Your Majesties, Taka is coming back! I’ve spotted him in the brush and he’s headed this way!”
“That is good news for us,” Ahadi said. “I only hope it will be good news for him.”
Taka was devastated by his loss. It was too much for him to accept completely, and he constantly watched for opportunities to get Sarabi alone. Such chances were few, for Muffy fawned on her day and night, smitten with a love both deep and selfless. And Sarabi was not the passive subject of his advances. She nuzzled her mate for no obvious reason, played games of hide and go seek with passion at stake, and would lie against him with her head buried in the softness of his mane. When the lionesses would talk as they gathered for the hunt, her every other word was Muffy this and Muffy that. Their attraction was healthy and strong, and those who knew her said she would have the light in her eyes soon enough.
Once Sarabi enjoyed Taka’s company. Now she tried to avoid him. He had met her at the watering hole and begged her to come away with him. Once he’d waited for her to come back from the kill and put his paw on her left shoulder in front of the other lionesses. She was terrified that Muffy would overhear some of his remarks and try to satisfy the demands of honor. Taka misunderstood her warnings as concern for “their relationship,” and began to block out the evidence of her strong attraction to Muffy. To him, she was trapped in a marriage she did not want, trying to protect her true love from the wrath of a jealous husband or outraged gods.
Sarabi tried to disenchant him from that fantasy. He only believed more strongly than ever in her love. A brave, fragile thing of beauty that would try to turn his affections to another rather than have him killed by his own brother. At first it was easy for Taka to cling to this story and make his rejection bearable. In a way, it made her more beautiful and desirable to him, and he suffered greatly over it.
Then one day her love for Muffy took tangible form inside her. She came to him that morning, nuzzled him, and called him “father,” and with tears of joy he kissed her and called her “mother.” Ahadi and Akase were the next to know, but then she went to tell Taka she was with child. This was more of a duty she had to perform, and she took no joy in it.
He stared silently at the ground for a moment, then looked at her. “So you are with his child. Where has the time gone.”
“I hope you are glad for me.”
“I could be glad for us.” He reached out with his left paw and touched her shoulder.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” She backed up. “Muffy would use you for a throw rug. Besides, I’m expecting. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Taka, it’s over between us. Can’t you see that?”
“Because your child is forming inside you? Sassie, it could be our child. I love you so much, and I would love your cubs so much. I can’t just give up on you. No one has ever loved you the way I do. I cannot blame Muffy for wanting you. I couldn’t blame any lion for wanting you. But you loved me back. I waited for you, I prayed for you, I was prepared to turn my back on family and friends for you, even the gods themselves.”
She was shocked. “Don’t you fear the gods?”
“The gods?” Taka uttered a short, mocking laugh. “If there are any gods, they hate me. They have let this curse eat away at me and done nothing to stop it.” His eyes bored into hers. “You are my god now. You and the child inside you. I would worship you. I would bring you sacrifices. Sassie, look at me!”
“Stop it! I’m not going anywhere with you. I love you like a brother-a spoiled little brother that has his good moments. I thought I could also learn to love your breath on my cheek, but it will not happen. Muffy is the first thing I think of when I wake up and the last thing I think of as I fall asleep. When he touches me, I tremble. You never made me feel that way.”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t want to hear this.”
“You NEED to hear this! He and I are in love. I pitied you, and wanted to make you happy. But you are aggravating, dependent, selfish, and obnoxious, and those are some of your LESS irritating qualities. If I’d married you, that would not have changed. But thank the gods I narrowly escaped making the biggest mistake of my life.”
Taka took in a short gasp. The dream was shattered forever. He gaped at her, unable to speak for several seconds. “Well then,” he said bitterly, “it seems I ran away at a very convenient time. I hope you two will be happy together.” He started away.
“Wait, Taka! I don’t know what made me say those awful things.”
“What awful things, Sarabi?” He gave her a withering glance. “I’m the one that loves you, you said. Taka, when you grow up, I want to marry you, you said. And that little crack about how I wouldn’t survive the wedding night. Well I almost didn’t.” She backed away a step as he stalked towards her. “While his breath perfumed your dainty little cheek as you so delicately put it, I was planning my own death.”
She put a paw to her mouth, horrified.
“You didn’t know why I ran away, did you Sassie. I ran away to blot you out forever. I thought you were worth a little plunge off a cliff. Now at least I know why I didn’t.” He nodded to himself. “Some higher power spared me so I could learn you weren’t worth it.”
She cuffed him across the face. “Get out!”
He turned and walked off. Taka often went out alone, and no one in the pride knew where. He took a haunch from a zebra and headed off toward the elephant graveyard.
Fabana the hyena was waiting for him. She had a sense about these things.
“Fay, it’s good to see you again.”
“What is it this time, Scar?”
“She has the light in her eyes. His child.” He didn’t have to fill in more details, for she heard from him regularly.
The pups were older, and they recognized him. “What’cha got today, Uncle Scar?”
“Zebra. Do you like that, Banzai?”
“It’s my favorite!”
“Food is his favorite diet,” Fabana said, as the pups began to tug over favorite scraps. “There is good in you, Scar. You are a true son of Roh’kash.”
“Roh’kash?”
She looked surprised. “Didn’t your mother teach you about the Creator?”
“Oh, you mean Aiheu.”
She smiled indulgently. “Perhaps.”
“Tell me, Fay. Why do the gods let a foolish curse uttered by a shaman slowly eat away everything I cared for? I mean, doesn’t Aiheu-or Roh’kash-whatever-have power over an evil spirit? I find my one path to possible fame and glory blocked by a little furball-and just you wait, it will be male, for it seems the gods have turned their back on me.”
“Don’t say that in front of my pups,” she said. “It is wicked to speak ill of the gods, even if you are a heathen.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. It just feels that way sometimes.”
“Perhaps you should pray about it. I think God hears all prayers, no matter the name.”
“And you think I haven’t? For about two moons, I was practically a shaman.” He raised an eyebrow. “Tell me, Fay. This Roh’kash of yours. Does he tell us to forgive our enemies, or does he give us power to conquer them?”
“What a foolish question! God is just. He will smite those who harm his children. You are made in his image, therefore if you would be just, you must destroy injustice.”
He smiled. “So that is it.” He pondered the enormity of that statement. “Poor fool that I am. All this time God has stood ready to help me, but I have turned away his gifts one by one! You must teach me more about Roh’kash—he could really be a friend of mine. And in the meanwhile I must stop reacting and start acting. Get me an audience with your leaders, my dear. If God is on our side, who will dare oppose us?”
For a while, Taka stopped his self-pitying behavior. Ironically, it was not a welcome change, for Taka’s helplessness was his one endearing quality to most of the lionesses. With his secret new faith, he needed no pity, nor did he inspire it. He swaggered about aggressively, the most devout believer in his own great destiny.
Mufasa carried himself with a certain dignity. He never begged nor pleaded, yet he got everything he wanted. Perhaps that is what Sarabi liked in him. Perhaps she liked a firm paw and a touch of mischief.
Taka went to the cistern in Pride Rock where the rain would collect in pools. He sought to satisfy at least one of his thirsts before the day was over. The small fish seemed to taunt him, swimming about slowly as he looked down into the crystal recesses of the stone. His steady lapping set up rings that spread across the surface, breaking up his reflection. Still, he could see another tawny feature coming up beside him. Even before he looked up, he knew his timing was excellent.
“The water is fresh as a spring rain, Sarabi.”
“Taka, it’s you.”
He looked up and smiled warmly. “Aren’t you looking beautiful today.”
“Well, uh, thank you.”
He looked back down and resumed drinking. She joined him in a moment when it was obvious he was not about to leave. From time to time he looked over at her, then he finally stopped drinking and wiped his muzzle with a large paw. “I was just thinking about the old times. You were always so protective of me. It used to make Muffy so angry when you’d fawn over me. I didn’t know how fond he was of you. If I had, I wouldn’t have taken you for granted. I would have been better to you.”
“Well that’s in the past now.”
“Is it?” He smiled disarmingly. “I still make you feel uncomfortable. I miss having you look in my eyes without feeling like something bad is going to happen. You have beautiful eyes. God, how I miss them.” He cast his glance away. “Now we almost never talk, and you’d always rather be someplace else doing anything else. Sassie, I miss you. You are my milk sister. I’d just want to know that you still like me.”
“Of course I still like you. If you’d behave yourself, I wouldn’t be afraid to show it.”
“Afraid??” Taka caught himself, laughed self-consciously, and said, “Why my dear Sassie, there is not a lion worthy of the name that could look at you and not feel his heart race a little. That’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just that your eyes are fresh flowers wet with morning dew. When I see them, they make me happy. I love the way you look, the way you smell, the way you move. Who doesn’t?”
“You’re very sweet, Taka,” she said guardedly. “But there are other lionesses in this Pride that are equally pretty. You should meet one. You should get to know her well. I want you to be happy the way Muffy and I are happy. I really do.”
“There are other lionesses,” Taka said softly. “Someone may think they are as pretty as you, but Sassie, not one of them has ever cried when I was hurt. Not one of them ever showed me kindness. Not one of them came to me in my dreams. It was only you, always you. Muffy has been a good brother and you