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SCENE: ISHA’S CUBS
When Isha’s time had come, she had three cubs. Her son was named Habusu, and her two daughters were named Jona and Minshasa.
Some of the lionesses filed by to see them, more out of curiosity than of joy. Importantly, Kako was not among them.
Clearly, while Isha was not a social outcast, there were few doubts who the father of the cubs was, and the circumstances of their conception. There was tension and a feeling of disapproval in the pride mates who stopped by to see the cubs, sniff them, touch them, then say something pleasant, only to go outside and gossip. And with Isha’s excellent hearing, there was no doubt she heard many hurtful things before the day was over.
Public attitudes were rather jaded. “She will be a devoted mother, ” one said; “She has SUCH a way with KIDS.”
After the embarrasment of a presentation Isha would have just as soon skipped, the hunt mistress arrived.
Uzuri’s love for Isha was absolute and unconditional. In her eyes, there could be no taint to spoil the beauty of childbirth. She looked at each cub, sniffed them gently, and touched them with her tongue. “Habusu looks like Mabatu when he was that age—very handsome. Sometimes I worry about Baba; where he is, what he’s doing, and if he’s missing you. You must pray for him.”
“I do.” Isha nuzzles her. “I love you, Uzuri.”
“Why? What did I do.”
“Nothing—and everything. Just because you’re you.” As Uzuri left, Isha brought the cubs to her warm belly and guided them to her milk. She rubbed over them with her paw tenderly as they nursed. “I don’t care what the others think. You are my children, and you are wonderful. You are Mabatu’s children. Our children.” She half closed her eyes. “My little Mabatu. Wherever you are, I hope you know how beautiful they are.”
Taka himself came by. “Look at the little angels, ” he cooed. “Aren’t they beautiful! ”
“Mabatu’s children, ” she said. “That’s what you came to find out, wasn’t it?”
“Mabatu, ” he said softly. “I will go to my death grieving for him. He was my son, and always will be.”
“Then why did you let him go?”
“I don’t have to tell you, but I will. You alone deserve to know.” He sighed. “The seer told me he would meet an evil fate if he stayed here. I love Mabatu. I loved him enough to give him a small chance over no chance at all.”
There was a truthful ring to his voice. Isha looked at the sadness that clouded his face as he recalled his friend.
He looked at the male cub. “What is his name?”
“Habusu.”
“Habusu, you are son of my son. You will be my heir, and the one true King. I am not a seer, but I predict that you will not be hated as I am hated. You have brought some measure of peace to my heart. That is not an easy thing to do.”
“You honor me.” She looked a little worried. “Please don’t tell the hyenas just yet.”
When he asked why, she said, “If their seer is so good, let her come tell you.”
He chuckled, amused. “Yes. Let her. But aren’t you a little curious what the future holds for him?”
“Yes. That’s why I plan to be there when it happens. We all have to suffer thorns and bruises, and we all have to die, but isn’t it really better not knowing how and when?”
Taka looked at her strangely. “Why Isha, you’re a philosopher.”
“All mothers are philosophers.”
Watching him leave, Isha thought back on her sister, Beesa. She had once been a philosopher. Fortunately, she had only had one cub to worry about feeding, a daughter named Lisani. Adopted by Isha upon Beesa’s death, the lioness cared for her niece as if she was one of her own; like Uzuri, she made no distinctions where children were concerned. Perhaps someday Lisani would grow to love Habusu. Perhaps Aiheu in his mercy will provide some future for them all. Then again, Isha kept her mind almost solely on the present. It was her way of keeping her sanity.
Some of the lionesses filed by to see them, more out of curiosity than of joy. Importantly, Kako was not among them.
Clearly, while Isha was not a social outcast, there were few doubts who the father of the cubs was, and the circumstances of their conception. There was tension and a feeling of disapproval in the pride mates who stopped by to see the cubs, sniff them, touch them, then say something pleasant, only to go outside and gossip. And with Isha’s excellent hearing, there was no doubt she heard many hurtful things before the day was over.
Public attitudes were rather jaded. “She will be a devoted mother, ” one said; “She has SUCH a way with KIDS.”
After the embarrasment of a presentation Isha would have just as soon skipped, the hunt mistress arrived.
Uzuri’s love for Isha was absolute and unconditional. In her eyes, there could be no taint to spoil the beauty of childbirth. She looked at each cub, sniffed them gently, and touched them with her tongue. “Habusu looks like Mabatu when he was that age—very handsome. Sometimes I worry about Baba; where he is, what he’s doing, and if he’s missing you. You must pray for him.”
“I do.” Isha nuzzles her. “I love you, Uzuri.”
“Why? What did I do.”
“Nothing—and everything. Just because you’re you.” As Uzuri left, Isha brought the cubs to her warm belly and guided them to her milk. She rubbed over them with her paw tenderly as they nursed. “I don’t care what the others think. You are my children, and you are wonderful. You are Mabatu’s children. Our children.” She half closed her eyes. “My little Mabatu. Wherever you are, I hope you know how beautiful they are.”
Taka himself came by. “Look at the little angels, ” he cooed. “Aren’t they beautiful! ”
“Mabatu’s children, ” she said. “That’s what you came to find out, wasn’t it?”
“Mabatu, ” he said softly. “I will go to my death grieving for him. He was my son, and always will be.”
“Then why did you let him go?”
“I don’t have to tell you, but I will. You alone deserve to know.” He sighed. “The seer told me he would meet an evil fate if he stayed here. I love Mabatu. I loved him enough to give him a small chance over no chance at all.”
There was a truthful ring to his voice. Isha looked at the sadness that clouded his face as he recalled his friend.
He looked at the male cub. “What is his name?”
“Habusu.”
“Habusu, you are son of my son. You will be my heir, and the one true King. I am not a seer, but I predict that you will not be hated as I am hated. You have brought some measure of peace to my heart. That is not an easy thing to do.”
“You honor me.” She looked a little worried. “Please don’t tell the hyenas just yet.”
When he asked why, she said, “If their seer is so good, let her come tell you.”
He chuckled, amused. “Yes. Let her. But aren’t you a little curious what the future holds for him?”
“Yes. That’s why I plan to be there when it happens. We all have to suffer thorns and bruises, and we all have to die, but isn’t it really better not knowing how and when?”
Taka looked at her strangely. “Why Isha, you’re a philosopher.”
“All mothers are philosophers.”
Watching him leave, Isha thought back on her sister, Beesa. She had once been a philosopher. Fortunately, she had only had one cub to worry about feeding, a daughter named Lisani. Adopted by Isha upon Beesa’s death, the lioness cared for her niece as if she was one of her own; like Uzuri, she made no distinctions where children were concerned. Perhaps someday Lisani would grow to love Habusu. Perhaps Aiheu in his mercy will provide some future for them all. Then again, Isha kept her mind almost solely on the present. It was her way of keeping her sanity.
SCENE: THORNS AND BRUISES
When Isha’s cubs were old enough to stray away from Mom, they found that there were other cubs with other mothers. But while other cubs were free to make friends at will, there were strange difficulties for Isha’s children as they sought to be accepted by the parents.
Usually, there was polite avoidance. Gobiso came out and said, “My mother told me I couldn’t play with you.”
Therefore Isha’s children grew up thinking all cubs pretty much stayed only with their mother. It was a fiction that helped keep the hurt of rejection from stinging so badly.
But Uzuri was always there to see them, chatting amiably with Isha and doting over little Lisani. Miss Liss, as she was known, often was called Miss Priss by the others because she was so proper and erudite. Habusu was so polite and gentle, he and Miss Priss got along fine. They were not only cousins but milk brother and sister. Uzuri always made Habusu feel welcome and loved. While his sisters liked to play together, Habusu would fawn on Uzuri like a second mother, and followed Lisani around like a puppy.
But eventually Habusu wanted another male to play with. He turned to Uzuri’s twin sons Togo and Kombi. Here it was Isha’s turn to be apprehensive, for Togo and Kombi had a reputation for mischief. Everyone knew that except, loyally, their mother.
Still, despite all the difficulties he faced, Habusu was loved unconditionally by his mother, Uzuri, and a few special friends. Even the King and his Queen loved him.
His first experience with death came when he was two months old. His sister Minshasa, always frail, began to develop symptoms of Dol Sani, a condition that would have been survivable if she had not been malnourished. Helplessly, Isha watched her decline. Finally after a week of suffering, Minshasa died peacefully in her sleep.
After the death of the first, public sympathy begins to turn, though stubborn Tameka said, “Yes, it’s too bad. But she asked for it.”
One moon later, when pneumonia claimed Jona, it was Tameka who was upbraided. The outpouring of sympathy and grief was spontaneous and heartfelt as they saw how Isha suffered. If anything, grief made her already beautiful features almost godlike. Her son that was left she treasured, and her care of him was seen by all as a sign that something wonderful had escaped their attention all along.
Finally, he became weak in turn. Taka began to panic. He felt some evil curse had come to take what little he owned and smash it. Some lionesses helped Isha smuggle herbs from Rafiki to build his blood and heal his infection. Even Taka let Isha eat from the King’s share to enrich her milk.
Still, though, Habusu had few friends to play with. Though he was polite and soft-spoken, there was the black mark that Taka and Elanna spent time with him. It was hard on Isha to know what to say or do on this matter, for she did not like Taka any more than Uzuri or Sarafina did.
Uzuri’s older kids Togo and Kombi played with Habusu, for their mother’s friendship with Isha would allow no prejudice to turn her head. With Habusu’s sisters dead, this contact with them and with Miss Priss became much more important.
From an early age, the older Togo and Kombi were rough with Habusu, but he put up with it. He picked up bad habits that had to be patiently broken one by one with Isha’s firm but gentle parenting. The only thing that jeopardized their friendship was the awful time Togo and Kombi told Habusu that he was born out of wedlock.
Habusu did not know what wedlock was. That’s when they told him his father was a mere youth that skipped out on their mother. “Ask anyone.”
Habusu cried. Isha took him aside and explained to him in gentle terms what had happened. That she loved his father, married him, and that he promised he would be coming back for them someday. That he would love his son, and tend to him. She did not know if Mabatu was alive or dead, but she did not express this to Habusu.
That night she watched the skies for his star. She wondered if she had seen him or not.
She could not reach Rafiki to ask his help, and in her desperation, she went to see Makhpil.
“Please be truthful with me. Please. I know we have been enemies in the past, but the gods have given you this talent for a reason. Please use it for good. Do not lie to me.”
“Lies cost me my best friend, ” Makhpil said. “She was my only friend. I will not lie as she did.”
“I will be your friend, ” Isha says.
Skeptical but willing, Makhpil looked into Isha’s eyes. “Yes, there is truth in you. Goodness that I did not expect to see. Your friendship honors me.”
Makhpil did not get a scrying bowl. She merely closed her eyes and let out a mild, high-pitched whine. “It comes to me. Yes, your husband is alive. But how he fares, I do not know.”
In her hope and joy, Isha fondled Makhpil with a paw. “Perhaps he will come back to me. Perhaps he will claim what is his.”
Usually, there was polite avoidance. Gobiso came out and said, “My mother told me I couldn’t play with you.”
Therefore Isha’s children grew up thinking all cubs pretty much stayed only with their mother. It was a fiction that helped keep the hurt of rejection from stinging so badly.
But Uzuri was always there to see them, chatting amiably with Isha and doting over little Lisani. Miss Liss, as she was known, often was called Miss Priss by the others because she was so proper and erudite. Habusu was so polite and gentle, he and Miss Priss got along fine. They were not only cousins but milk brother and sister. Uzuri always made Habusu feel welcome and loved. While his sisters liked to play together, Habusu would fawn on Uzuri like a second mother, and followed Lisani around like a puppy.
But eventually Habusu wanted another male to play with. He turned to Uzuri’s twin sons Togo and Kombi. Here it was Isha’s turn to be apprehensive, for Togo and Kombi had a reputation for mischief. Everyone knew that except, loyally, their mother.
Still, despite all the difficulties he faced, Habusu was loved unconditionally by his mother, Uzuri, and a few special friends. Even the King and his Queen loved him.
His first experience with death came when he was two months old. His sister Minshasa, always frail, began to develop symptoms of Dol Sani, a condition that would have been survivable if she had not been malnourished. Helplessly, Isha watched her decline. Finally after a week of suffering, Minshasa died peacefully in her sleep.
After the death of the first, public sympathy begins to turn, though stubborn Tameka said, “Yes, it’s too bad. But she asked for it.”
One moon later, when pneumonia claimed Jona, it was Tameka who was upbraided. The outpouring of sympathy and grief was spontaneous and heartfelt as they saw how Isha suffered. If anything, grief made her already beautiful features almost godlike. Her son that was left she treasured, and her care of him was seen by all as a sign that something wonderful had escaped their attention all along.
Finally, he became weak in turn. Taka began to panic. He felt some evil curse had come to take what little he owned and smash it. Some lionesses helped Isha smuggle herbs from Rafiki to build his blood and heal his infection. Even Taka let Isha eat from the King’s share to enrich her milk.
Still, though, Habusu had few friends to play with. Though he was polite and soft-spoken, there was the black mark that Taka and Elanna spent time with him. It was hard on Isha to know what to say or do on this matter, for she did not like Taka any more than Uzuri or Sarafina did.
Uzuri’s older kids Togo and Kombi played with Habusu, for their mother’s friendship with Isha would allow no prejudice to turn her head. With Habusu’s sisters dead, this contact with them and with Miss Priss became much more important.
From an early age, the older Togo and Kombi were rough with Habusu, but he put up with it. He picked up bad habits that had to be patiently broken one by one with Isha’s firm but gentle parenting. The only thing that jeopardized their friendship was the awful time Togo and Kombi told Habusu that he was born out of wedlock.
Habusu did not know what wedlock was. That’s when they told him his father was a mere youth that skipped out on their mother. “Ask anyone.”
Habusu cried. Isha took him aside and explained to him in gentle terms what had happened. That she loved his father, married him, and that he promised he would be coming back for them someday. That he would love his son, and tend to him. She did not know if Mabatu was alive or dead, but she did not express this to Habusu.
That night she watched the skies for his star. She wondered if she had seen him or not.
She could not reach Rafiki to ask his help, and in her desperation, she went to see Makhpil.
“Please be truthful with me. Please. I know we have been enemies in the past, but the gods have given you this talent for a reason. Please use it for good. Do not lie to me.”
“Lies cost me my best friend, ” Makhpil said. “She was my only friend. I will not lie as she did.”
“I will be your friend, ” Isha says.
Skeptical but willing, Makhpil looked into Isha’s eyes. “Yes, there is truth in you. Goodness that I did not expect to see. Your friendship honors me.”
Makhpil did not get a scrying bowl. She merely closed her eyes and let out a mild, high-pitched whine. “It comes to me. Yes, your husband is alive. But how he fares, I do not know.”
In her hope and joy, Isha fondled Makhpil with a paw. “Perhaps he will come back to me. Perhaps he will claim what is his.”
SCENE: NALA’S QUEST
After two years as King, Taka’s Drought, as it had come to be known, had dried up the very lifeblood of the Pride Lands. It was another hot, dry day on the scorched savanna as the lionesses turned over rocks and dug at promising burrows trying to find something, anything. No one else would be foolish enough to attack an elephant calf—Uzuri had seen to that. Any lioness caught breaking the rules would be suspended from the hunt for one moon, and have to rely on the generosity of others.
Nala could remember better days, but since she had been an adult, there was no large game to hunt. Somehow she held out hope that rain would come, and there would be a future where all her mother taught her about wildebeests and antelopes would be useful.
The heat made shimmering blue patches of the sky look like cool lakes on the dry savanna. Waves of heat made the trees dance and soaked her fur with sweat. She panted.
“Nala, you rest in the shade, ” Uzuri said. It was not a request, but an order. Uzuri was strict, but only out of genuine care for her. On hunt, she was everyone’s mother and exercised her parental authority to the letter.
Nala was half relieved to get a break. She curled up in the shade of an acacia and thought to take a short nap. The heat had literally drained her.
A large grasshopper climbed to the top of a stalk of grass. In her desperation, Nala started to swat at it.
“No time to rest, Nala, ” a voice said. With a start, Nala looked around.
A lioness looked at her, smiling pleasantly. “My little Nala, how tall you’ve grown.”
The face was familiar, but Nala sniffed the air to no avail—the stranger had no smell. “Who are you?”
“Does it matter?” The lioness lay next to her. “What a hot day. And you trying to find snakes and lizards under rocks. Have you ever killed big prey?”
“Well—uh—no.” This visitor was nothing if not impertinent. “How about you?”
“Big prey, small prey, you name it. And what’s more, I know where you can find what you are looking for. I know all the good spots to hunt. You can be the salvation of the Pride Lands with my help.”
“Not until you tell me who you are.”
The lioness pawed her gently. “Why honey, you know who I am—you just refuse to believe it. Take a close look.”
Nala trembled a little. “Oh my gods—Beesa! ”
“I’ve never heard it put quite that way before.” She laughed pleasantly. “What makes you think I’ve turned mean and ugly just because I died?”
“But you’re not mean and you’re not ugly.”
“So what are you afraid of, Hon?” Beesa touched her with her warm, moist tongue. “Tell me you’re glad to see me. Where are your manners?”
Nala pawed her and nuzzled her. “Good old Beesa! I’ve missed you.”
“That’s more like it.” She nuzzled her back. “Follow me, child. I’ll take you to the jungle where your destiny lies.”
“The jungle? But Uzuri said I have to....”
“Don’t worry about her. She can’t see me and she won’t see you.”
Beesa got up, stretched, and headed out into the sun. Nala followed her across the savanna and into the shade of the trees.
Nala could remember better days, but since she had been an adult, there was no large game to hunt. Somehow she held out hope that rain would come, and there would be a future where all her mother taught her about wildebeests and antelopes would be useful.
The heat made shimmering blue patches of the sky look like cool lakes on the dry savanna. Waves of heat made the trees dance and soaked her fur with sweat. She panted.
“Nala, you rest in the shade, ” Uzuri said. It was not a request, but an order. Uzuri was strict, but only out of genuine care for her. On hunt, she was everyone’s mother and exercised her parental authority to the letter.
Nala was half relieved to get a break. She curled up in the shade of an acacia and thought to take a short nap. The heat had literally drained her.
A large grasshopper climbed to the top of a stalk of grass. In her desperation, Nala started to swat at it.
“No time to rest, Nala, ” a voice said. With a start, Nala looked around.
A lioness looked at her, smiling pleasantly. “My little Nala, how tall you’ve grown.”
The face was familiar, but Nala sniffed the air to no avail—the stranger had no smell. “Who are you?”
“Does it matter?” The lioness lay next to her. “What a hot day. And you trying to find snakes and lizards under rocks. Have you ever killed big prey?”
“Well—uh—no.” This visitor was nothing if not impertinent. “How about you?”
“Big prey, small prey, you name it. And what’s more, I know where you can find what you are looking for. I know all the good spots to hunt. You can be the salvation of the Pride Lands with my help.”
“Not until you tell me who you are.”
The lioness pawed her gently. “Why honey, you know who I am—you just refuse to believe it. Take a close look.”
Nala trembled a little. “Oh my gods—Beesa! ”
“I’ve never heard it put quite that way before.” She laughed pleasantly. “What makes you think I’ve turned mean and ugly just because I died?”
“But you’re not mean and you’re not ugly.”
“So what are you afraid of, Hon?” Beesa touched her with her warm, moist tongue. “Tell me you’re glad to see me. Where are your manners?”
Nala pawed her and nuzzled her. “Good old Beesa! I’ve missed you.”
“That’s more like it.” She nuzzled her back. “Follow me, child. I’ll take you to the jungle where your destiny lies.”
“The jungle? But Uzuri said I have to....”
“Don’t worry about her. She can’t see me and she won’t see you.”
Beesa got up, stretched, and headed out into the sun. Nala followed her across the savanna and into the shade of the trees.
SCENE: THE CLAN MEETING
After two years as King of the Pride Lands, Taka had earned many enemies. But his oldest enemy was the one he dreaded most. In the night, caught in the suffocating embrace of his recurring dream, Taka began to jerk and moan. Even in sleep, the suffering mirrored clearly in his face as his teeth bared. Elanna stirred and rolled over. His whimpering caught her attention and she shook him. “Taka?”
He awoke in icy terror, almost biting her.
“It’s me. Elanna. You’re safe. Calm yourself, dear.”
“The hyenas, ” he stammered. “It’s always the same. Oh but that the gods would let me roam the earth by day and night, never needing sleep! I try to tell myself it’s just a dream, but I can’t wake up, and I am torn apart, torn apart alive.”
He looks piercingly into her eyes, something that always made her uncomfortable. “What does it feel like to sleep? To just lay down and sleep without fear?”
She yawned. “It’s wonderful. I’d like to try it myself.” She kissed him indulgently. “Tomorrow you must go to Rafiki and ask him what the dream means.”
“Rafiki hates me, ” Taka said. “He would lie just to get me killed. He’d really like to see me ripped apart by hyenas. Poetic justice, he’d call it. He started the problem. I’m not fool enough to trust that ape a second time.”
“Then why don’t you kill him?”
“The gods protect him. His power is too strong. That Makhpil is too close to Shenzi. I don’t trust her either.”
“If everyone is against you, why do you stay here? I’d follow you anywhere—you know that. We could start over, just the two of us.”
“We’d be no safer anywhere else. The true seer had spoken, and I believe her.” He nuzzled her. “Elanna, you must live forever. You’re all I have left. Swear you’ll never leave me.”
She nuzzled him again, rubbing his tense body with her paw. “You’re all I have. I gave up everything for you. I can’t bear your child. You won’t even let me hunt anymore, not that the others can stand me. Taka, leave your doubts at the mouth of this cave. Don’t you know I would never leave you?”
“I know.” He kissed her. “I have to trust you. If you betrayed me, I’d kill myself. You’re the only reason I cling to this miserable existence.”
“Don’t say that, Taka. You know how it tortures me. I wish everyone could see you the way I do.” She touched him with her tongue. “Stop this foolish cub talk and go back to sleep. I’ll put my arm around you and keep it there all night long. At the first sign of trouble, I’ll wake you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Taka laid his head down and she placed her arm protectively around him, stroking his mane. In a few moments, his calm, slow breaths showed that he was peacefully asleep.
Two hyena eyes shined softly in the darkness as silent feet padded out of the cave.
Skulk headed to a special clan meeting about Scar. Shenzi greeted him affectionately and called for silence. “Our ears have returned. What have they heard?”
“It is no folly that my mother named me Skulk. I was silent, I was unseen and I heard it all.” Pleased with the expectant hush, he continued. “It seems our King has dreams, nasty dreams about being torn apart by hyenas. Not once or twice, but night after night, and always the same. Now I ask you, is a dream dangerous?”
They looked back at him not knowing what to say. “It IS dangerous, ” Skulk thundered. “Especially when he thinks it is a vision, a sign! ”
“He should have been an actor, ” Banzai whispered. Shenzi hushed him.
“I tell you Scar cannot be trusted. He will turn on us the first time he feels threatened.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Banzai asked.
“We could strike when the advantage is with us.”
“Even if we could gang up on him and win, if we attacked him the lionesses might side with him just to get rid of us.”
“Fair enough, Banzai. But do you think I’m a hot-headed fool?” His frown discouraged Banzai from answering. “He is a hollow shell, a dried husk. His very life hangs in the balance.”
“Your speeches are murder, ” a heckler called out.
“Say that to my face, and I will show you a murder! ”
There was deadly silence. Skulk was a well-sculpted fighting machine.
“As I was saying, I heard with my own ears Scar telling Elanna if he lost her he would kill himself.”
The remark was followed by some gasps of surprise. “With him gone, we could figure out something more creative. Maybe the lionesses would be in a position to bargain with us. We know of a male cub, an adolescent, that would be much more likely to need and want our help. He would be the next king. He would owe us his very soul, but unlike Taka, he’s a level-headed chap that knows which end of the carcass to chew.”
Bree said, “If we hurt Elanna, he’d try to get revenge on us, THEN kill himself. We can’t rely on that.”
“No, but if it looked like an accident, or like she’d left him for another lion, it just might work.”
“An accident?” Shenzi said. “He won’t let her hardly breathe, much less get involved in an accident.”
“Let me see to that, ” Skulk said
“But isn’t this treason?” Bree asked.
“You must not do this evil thing, ” Fabana cried. “There is good in him.”
“Who is that old fool?” Sarabi said. “Someone shut her up.” She did not recognize that it was her mother.
“We won’t be without help, ” Shenzi shouted above the commotion. The room grew suddenly quiet. “There are some lionesses that would go along with us in our plan.”
Fabana makes a remark that seems quite reasonable to the others, though she is not too strong those days. “If Taka must die, let me kill him.”
Shenzi smiled broadly. “See, Mom is as anxious as the rest of us to be rid of this dandelion. And it was her idea for this union to form.”
“That was not my idea, ” Fabana said. “He’s suffered much in life. Please don’t drive him to take his own life in despair. If Taka must die, first I will make him happy. I will tell him all the things he wants to hear, and when his heart rejoices, I will give him a little something from Rafiki to make him sleep. When he’s quiet, I will choke off his wind. It will be quick and merciful. He deserves that much.”
Shenzi looks at her mother with a little bit of respect. “It might work.” She thinks for a moment. “But Elanna will find him. She’s always with him when he sleeps. I’m sorry, but that’s out.”
“You don’t understand. He’s a tormented little pup, a fizh’lo that the gods would have been wise to take as an innocent youth in his milk.”
“You advise the gods?”
“No, I advise my daughter. I adopted Taka—he is my son, and a true believer in our faith. You will give him the same rights you would give one of your own. Rights under our law. We cannot torment him. If he dies, it must be honorably. We must fight him one at a time.”
“You mean that vain, overstuffed excuse for a king is my brother?” She shuddered. “I don’t agree. I didn’t swear to it. That little boy of yours is dangerous. He’ll turn on you. You’d better not try and warn him if you know what’s good for you.”
“You’re right. He’s not your brother, for that would make you my daughter.” She turned her back on Shenzi and scratched some dirt up with her hind legs. “By Roh’kash, I renounce you.”
The hyenas took in a collective gasp.
Her look of horror soon turned to rage. “Being my mother is all that’s kept you here, you meddling old fool. Maybe you can adopt Rafiki too. You’ll spend the rest of your life in that baobab tree.” Shenzi turned her back on her mother and scratched dirt at her. “By Roh’kash, I renounce you.”
Banzai and Ed were afraid and they went along with their sister, turning their backs on Fabana, though they said nothing.
“Guards, take this female to the baobab—see that she does not escape.” Her face set hard against any feelings that may remain. “Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I called you here to share news of great importance. Scar is about to make his exit. Yes, we are on the threshold of a power and independence that will make us the envy of all peoples. We have a plan that will make a great song for our children and our children’s children. If we stick with it as one body, there can be no chance of failure. The matter is closed.”
He awoke in icy terror, almost biting her.
“It’s me. Elanna. You’re safe. Calm yourself, dear.”
“The hyenas, ” he stammered. “It’s always the same. Oh but that the gods would let me roam the earth by day and night, never needing sleep! I try to tell myself it’s just a dream, but I can’t wake up, and I am torn apart, torn apart alive.”
He looks piercingly into her eyes, something that always made her uncomfortable. “What does it feel like to sleep? To just lay down and sleep without fear?”
She yawned. “It’s wonderful. I’d like to try it myself.” She kissed him indulgently. “Tomorrow you must go to Rafiki and ask him what the dream means.”
“Rafiki hates me, ” Taka said. “He would lie just to get me killed. He’d really like to see me ripped apart by hyenas. Poetic justice, he’d call it. He started the problem. I’m not fool enough to trust that ape a second time.”
“Then why don’t you kill him?”
“The gods protect him. His power is too strong. That Makhpil is too close to Shenzi. I don’t trust her either.”
“If everyone is against you, why do you stay here? I’d follow you anywhere—you know that. We could start over, just the two of us.”
“We’d be no safer anywhere else. The true seer had spoken, and I believe her.” He nuzzled her. “Elanna, you must live forever. You’re all I have left. Swear you’ll never leave me.”
She nuzzled him again, rubbing his tense body with her paw. “You’re all I have. I gave up everything for you. I can’t bear your child. You won’t even let me hunt anymore, not that the others can stand me. Taka, leave your doubts at the mouth of this cave. Don’t you know I would never leave you?”
“I know.” He kissed her. “I have to trust you. If you betrayed me, I’d kill myself. You’re the only reason I cling to this miserable existence.”
“Don’t say that, Taka. You know how it tortures me. I wish everyone could see you the way I do.” She touched him with her tongue. “Stop this foolish cub talk and go back to sleep. I’ll put my arm around you and keep it there all night long. At the first sign of trouble, I’ll wake you.”
“Promise?”
“I promise.”
Taka laid his head down and she placed her arm protectively around him, stroking his mane. In a few moments, his calm, slow breaths showed that he was peacefully asleep.
Two hyena eyes shined softly in the darkness as silent feet padded out of the cave.
Skulk headed to a special clan meeting about Scar. Shenzi greeted him affectionately and called for silence. “Our ears have returned. What have they heard?”
“It is no folly that my mother named me Skulk. I was silent, I was unseen and I heard it all.” Pleased with the expectant hush, he continued. “It seems our King has dreams, nasty dreams about being torn apart by hyenas. Not once or twice, but night after night, and always the same. Now I ask you, is a dream dangerous?”
They looked back at him not knowing what to say. “It IS dangerous, ” Skulk thundered. “Especially when he thinks it is a vision, a sign! ”
“He should have been an actor, ” Banzai whispered. Shenzi hushed him.
“I tell you Scar cannot be trusted. He will turn on us the first time he feels threatened.”
“What are we going to do about it?” Banzai asked.
“We could strike when the advantage is with us.”
“Even if we could gang up on him and win, if we attacked him the lionesses might side with him just to get rid of us.”
“Fair enough, Banzai. But do you think I’m a hot-headed fool?” His frown discouraged Banzai from answering. “He is a hollow shell, a dried husk. His very life hangs in the balance.”
“Your speeches are murder, ” a heckler called out.
“Say that to my face, and I will show you a murder! ”
There was deadly silence. Skulk was a well-sculpted fighting machine.
“As I was saying, I heard with my own ears Scar telling Elanna if he lost her he would kill himself.”
The remark was followed by some gasps of surprise. “With him gone, we could figure out something more creative. Maybe the lionesses would be in a position to bargain with us. We know of a male cub, an adolescent, that would be much more likely to need and want our help. He would be the next king. He would owe us his very soul, but unlike Taka, he’s a level-headed chap that knows which end of the carcass to chew.”
Bree said, “If we hurt Elanna, he’d try to get revenge on us, THEN kill himself. We can’t rely on that.”
“No, but if it looked like an accident, or like she’d left him for another lion, it just might work.”
“An accident?” Shenzi said. “He won’t let her hardly breathe, much less get involved in an accident.”
“Let me see to that, ” Skulk said
“But isn’t this treason?” Bree asked.
SKULK:His mind was once a trap, but now it’s growing rusty,
He’s running from his shadow in the night.
I hate to say it friend, but Taka’s ‘round the bend,
In short, our King is not quite right.
BANZAI:I think I see your point. His brain is so disjointed,
And though sometimes he’s very meek and pert,
He weighs five hundred pounds, and brethren it sounds
Like he could cause a world of hurt!
CHORUS:He’s twitterpated, pixilated, nutty as a fruitcake,
A badly-addled, muddled, batty cuss!
A truly royal pain, a major hulking heartbreak,
In short, he’s not a thing like us!
BREE:What's a fruitcake?
SKULK:It's all mixed up, like Scar.
BREE:This is treason!
SKULK:You bet your whiskers! And remember you heard it here first!
BANZAI:He promised us a feast, instead he gives us famine,
And now on top of that he’s gone berserk!
Now even when he sleeps, he still gives me the creeps,
I think it’s time we can the jerk!
SHENZI:We’ve been a patient lot, so downright sentimental,
And overlooked his lapse of sanity.
Enough is now enough, the King is playing rough,
It’s time to cast your lot with me!
Skulk said, “You know his mind is falling apart. He thinks his dream it is a sign--I think maybe it is.”
CHORUS:He’s twitterpated, pixilated, nutty as a fruitcake,
A badly-addled, muddled, batty cuss!
A truly royal pain, a major hulking heartbreak,
In short, he’s not a thing like us!
“You must not do this evil thing, ” Fabana cried. “There is good in him.”
“Who is that old fool?” Sarabi said. “Someone shut her up.” She did not recognize that it was her mother.
“We won’t be without help, ” Shenzi shouted above the commotion. The room grew suddenly quiet. “There are some lionesses that would go along with us in our plan.”
Fabana makes a remark that seems quite reasonable to the others, though she is not too strong those days. “If Taka must die, let me kill him.”
Shenzi smiled broadly. “See, Mom is as anxious as the rest of us to be rid of this dandelion. And it was her idea for this union to form.”
“That was not my idea, ” Fabana said. “He’s suffered much in life. Please don’t drive him to take his own life in despair. If Taka must die, first I will make him happy. I will tell him all the things he wants to hear, and when his heart rejoices, I will give him a little something from Rafiki to make him sleep. When he’s quiet, I will choke off his wind. It will be quick and merciful. He deserves that much.”
Shenzi looks at her mother with a little bit of respect. “It might work.” She thinks for a moment. “But Elanna will find him. She’s always with him when he sleeps. I’m sorry, but that’s out.”
“You don’t understand. He’s a tormented little pup, a fizh’lo that the gods would have been wise to take as an innocent youth in his milk.”
“You advise the gods?”
“No, I advise my daughter. I adopted Taka—he is my son, and a true believer in our faith. You will give him the same rights you would give one of your own. Rights under our law. We cannot torment him. If he dies, it must be honorably. We must fight him one at a time.”
“You mean that vain, overstuffed excuse for a king is my brother?” She shuddered. “I don’t agree. I didn’t swear to it. That little boy of yours is dangerous. He’ll turn on you. You’d better not try and warn him if you know what’s good for you.”
“You’re right. He’s not your brother, for that would make you my daughter.” She turned her back on Shenzi and scratched some dirt up with her hind legs. “By Roh’kash, I renounce you.”
The hyenas took in a collective gasp.
Her look of horror soon turned to rage. “Being my mother is all that’s kept you here, you meddling old fool. Maybe you can adopt Rafiki too. You’ll spend the rest of your life in that baobab tree.” Shenzi turned her back on her mother and scratched dirt at her. “By Roh’kash, I renounce you.”
Banzai and Ed were afraid and they went along with their sister, turning their backs on Fabana, though they said nothing.
“Guards, take this female to the baobab—see that she does not escape.” Her face set hard against any feelings that may remain. “Now, before I was so rudely interrupted, I called you here to share news of great importance. Scar is about to make his exit. Yes, we are on the threshold of a power and independence that will make us the envy of all peoples. We have a plan that will make a great song for our children and our children’s children. If we stick with it as one body, there can be no chance of failure. The matter is closed.”
SCENE: TIDINGS ON THE WIND
“The strange lion will tell his name to no one but the King, ’ his brother said. And King Amalkozi wondered if he was being challenged, and he went out to greet the stranger with kind words while judging his strength as an enemy.
“But when the strange lion came before the King, M’hetu, the childhood friend of the lost prince humbled himself and cried, ‘Behold it is Zara who once was lost but now is found. Look, my King, the cub has returned a lion.’ And the King looked closely and saw that it was his son, he wept.”
-- LEONID SAGA, “M” SECTION, VARIATION 5
Rafiki looked carefully at Krull’s eye and smiled. “That is that. No more treatments.”
“No, you must not say that.” Krull pawed his cheek. “Tell no one I am cured, for I am happiest when we have these little chats. You treat me like your brother, not your slave.”
“I have no slave—only a servant. Aiheu owns every living thing. But I have enjoyed these times too. Your company is all that keeps me sane. I thought I liked living alone, but now I feel like a gopher who cannot reach the surface. I am suffocating underground. You are my only light.”
“I am honored.”
Rafiki showed him a picture of a hyena on the wall. “This is you.”
“But that is your prayer wall.”
“Yes. It is a prayer for you. When I think how I hurt your arm, it pains me.”
“I’m glad you did. It was, as you call it, the blood of mercy, so think of it no more.” Krull glanced at the painting once more, then excused himself. It was important that the others did not suspect his friendship. Word could get back to Scar and death would follow swiftly for both of them.
Far from the Pride Lands, Simba eyed a rare treasure, a bongo. These antelopes are very wary, and well they should be for their meat is the favorite of most lions. Because they haunt the forests, they mainly fear the leopard who brings death from above. This bongo saw Pumbaa and thought, with good reason, that the rustling behind him must be another warthog. It was not.
In three quick strides, Simba was on the bongo and found a fatal hold on its throat. Pumbaa and Timon watched the spectacle of death with horror. “Aren’t you glad he’s on our side, ” the meerkat said. “Sheesh! Carnivores! ”
Of course his whole outlook changed when Simba offered to share his meal. Pumbaa would only take a little meat, for he was mainly a vegetarian. But this was fresher than the carrion he was used to. Timon, on the other hand, thought nothing of eating unwisely and well.
They spent hours on the meal, and still they saw there was plenty for other days ahead. And fully satisfied, they became a little drowsy, especially Simba. He cleaned off his face, and lay in a small clearing with his friends. Simba smiled with satisfaction, then rather indelicately belched. Timon said, “Whoa! Nice one, Simba.”
“Thanks.... Man, I'm stuffed.
“Me too, ” Pumbaa said. I ate like a pig! ”
“Pumbaa, you are a pig.”
“Oh. Right.”
Pumbaa surveyed the night sky. Often when he was young, he’d try to count the stars, but not being very educated, he didn’t get far. “Timon?”
“Yeah?”
“Ever wonder what those sparkly dots are up there?”
“Pumbaa; I don't wonder, I know.”
“Oh! ... What are they?”
“They're fireflies. Fireflies that uh.. got stuck up on that big bluish-black thing.”
“Oh. Gee. I always thought that they were balls of gas burning billions of miles away.”
“Pumbaa, with you, everything's gas.”
The warthog was left wanting a deeper answer. “Simba, what do you think?”
“Well, I don't know.”
“Aw come on. Give, give give give ... come on we told you ours .Please?”
Simba looked disturbed. “Well, somebody once told me that the great kings of the past are up there; watching over us.”
Pumbaa sighed. “Really?”
Timon was amused by the answer, as Simba feared he would be. “You mean a bunch of royal dead-guys are watching us?” He laughed, and Simba had to chuckle, but only for a moment.
“Who told you something like that? What muke made that up?”
“Yeah, ” Simba said, his face falling. “Pretty dumb, huh?”
“Ah, you're killing me, Simba.”
Simba’s eyes searched the skies. He could almost smell the familiar presence of his father next to him. It was almost like sitting on Pride Rock watching the sunrise. Then abruptly he could see the battered body from whose lifeless arm he stole one last embrace. The ugliness of the memory took his breath away, and he had to leave before he roared with the depth of his grief.
Simba walked out on a nearby ledge. Looking into the stars for some sign of hope, he found none. “I thought you’d be there for me, but you’re not. You’re not! ” He collapsed in despair. A cloud of milkweed floss was stirred up by the impact, rising slowly around him. Caught by the air currents, it drifted away on the breeze.
Rafiki was ready to eat his meager evening meal when a cool wind swept over him. It was from the wrong direction for that time of day. What’s more, there was milkweed floss on the breeze, and no milkweed grew in that area. He collected it. Something in it makes his fingers tingle. He put it in a bowl and sifted it sunwise. It came out in a shape that only had meaning to an astrologer like him. The constellation Amalkosi, where Mufasa’s star burned brightly. He turned it again sunwise and it came out again Amalkosi. Then he wanted its meaning so he turned it counter-sunwise. It fell into a constellation he recognized very clearly. M’hetu.
Reverently he whispered the words of an old tale: “Look, my King, the cub has returned a lion.” He turned and looked at the painting of Simba. He reached out and put his fingertips on it and they began to tingle. His hand started shaking. “Simba?? He's--he’s alive? He he- He's alive!! ” He laughed loud and wonderfully. “It is time! ” Trying to control his shaking hands, he picked up some red ochre and hastily daubed a mane on the painting. “Krull, come quickly! ”
The hyena arrived seconds later. He saw the radiant face of Rafiki and smiled, genuinely pleased. “Yes??”
“I need an escort.” He drew close and gave Krull an affectionate pat. “Listen carefully, ” he whispered. “The time has come when you will see the power of Aiheu strike like a mighty thunderclap. You will be blessed for your acts, even if they are against your will.”
“Against my will?” Krull said. “The old vow by Roh’kash means nothing to me. Through you I have come to know Aiheu, and I have given my life to him. I am his servant now.”
Rafiki beamed with joy. “Today is twice blessed. They call you Krull, which in your tongue means flint, but I call you Uhuru, which means peace.” Rafiki took his staff and said, “There is a long journey ahead, my friend. We will not return alone.”
“Where do we head, my Lord?”
“Into the wind, Uhuru. We go to the King! ”
SCENE: SHENZI’S PLAN
A couple of days later, all the hyena guard knew of Rafiki’s escape. But afraid for their own safety, they said nothing to the others. All visitors were turned away, even the very ill, and suspicion began to build that someone had murdered the mandrill secretly and eaten him. Indeed, with the scarcity of food, it was not a foolish notion. Uzuri’s son Kombi was lost, and for the longest two hours of her life, she expected to find the remains of her dead child as she searched the Pride Lands. When she found Kombi digging in a termite mound, she cuffed him, then kissed him, and cried. “You must never wander off again. It is not safe anymore.” Indeed, most lionesses felt that way, and had taken to sleeping lightly with a paw across their children.
A couple of hyenas came privately to Elanna.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hsssh! ” Bot’la came to her side and whispered in her ear. “My lady, this is urgent. But you must not tell the King.”
“What is this coming and going that you don’t tell the King?”
“I have a mate, ” Bot’la of the hyenas said. “I’ll level with you—we love our mates and pups as much as you. We have feelings too.”
“So?”
“So…” He whispered even more lowly. “You are the one that loves Scar.”
“Taka, ” she said indignantly.
“Keep it down, please! ” The sound of his voice startled him, and the Bot’la winced. “You love him. You know in your heart no one else does.”
“This is treason.”
“OK, so it’s treason. Fine. But even though we don’t care a whit for Taka, it so happens my friend and I feel differently about you. Your care for him is—well—almost hyena-like. I think you deserve a break, so I’m going to let you have it straight. If you want to help your husband, you’ll listen to me.”
Elanna nodded. “Speak freely.”
“It is not mine to say. But that Rafiki, the ape that Taka hates so much, has shown me things. Awful things. He’s sworn to protect the rightful King, the son of Ahadi--he will not break a vow to his God. And he’s almost foaming at the mouth with fear, for disaster waits for the Pride Lands and no one listens to him. Such awful things, but so easy to avoid if only someone who bends the King’s ear will act quickly.”
“What things?”
“I have sworn not to repeat what I saw, ” Bot’la said. “Such words even in speaking can cause mischief. Rafiki has made a good faith effort to undo the evil he has loosed. You must be the voice of reason. You must influence your husband.”
“Do you realize what you are saying?”
“Yes. If things meet their appointed course, all of us will die. The land is sick. The water is gone. And there is worse—madness and despair. I don’t want to die, Elanna. I don’t want my family to die. And I feel I don’t want you to die, either.”
Elanna was silent for a moment. “How will I get out of here?”
“We have arranged that. Follow us and we will take you to him.”
She nodded. “You’re right.” She began to cry. “I thought we had no friends, but you are good, Bot’la. I can see God’s mercy in you, so I know now there must be a God.”
Bot’la winced as if a sharp thorn had been driven through his heart, but he quickly hid it. He led her out of the cave and down the side with utmost silence and care. And by skirting the cistern and euphorbias, they made it away from Pride Rock and into the tall grass.
She was unaware that Rafiki was long gone to search for Simba. All she knew is that some kind souls are cloaked in different hides. Somewhere, somehow, they will sit with the great kings of the past.
She was not worried when her small body guard of two became four. But she didn’t know whether to feel flattered or frightened when two more joined ranks and suddenly there were six. She didn’t have that many friends, much less Taka.
Behind the south kopje, four more hyenas fell in line. It was then her heart sank. She was headed away from the baobab, and not to hide her from her husband’s watchful eyes. They had turned toward the desolate lands, the appropriate place where poor Ahadi and Akase went to meet their God together. Now she would die without family or friends.
“Forgive me, Aiheu. Forgive me that I have loved him, but o gods, how I loved him. Bless my poor husband and comfort him in his hour of grief.”
One of the hyenas went “Hssssh! At least try to die with dignity.”
“My dignity before the gods is intact. Worry about your own—you bring ten hunters to kill one lioness.”
“Silence! ” Bot’la commanded. He added with some regret. “I don’t enjoy this. We’re just trying to save ourselves and our families. You can understand that.”
Then back at Pride Rock there was a tremendous shout. Bot’la looked back. There was a fire at the rock. Lions roared, and hyenas screamed with rage and pain.
“The war is on! ” He looked at Elanna and thought for a moment. Finally Bot’la said, “This is our land now. Get out.”
Elanna hurried away from the hyenas. The guard headed back to Pride Rock to fight the last battle. “Death or glory, lads! Out with the lions! ”
A couple of hyenas came privately to Elanna.
“What are you doing here?”
“Hsssh! ” Bot’la came to her side and whispered in her ear. “My lady, this is urgent. But you must not tell the King.”
“What is this coming and going that you don’t tell the King?”
“I have a mate, ” Bot’la of the hyenas said. “I’ll level with you—we love our mates and pups as much as you. We have feelings too.”
“So?”
“So…” He whispered even more lowly. “You are the one that loves Scar.”
“Taka, ” she said indignantly.
“Keep it down, please! ” The sound of his voice startled him, and the Bot’la winced. “You love him. You know in your heart no one else does.”
“This is treason.”
“OK, so it’s treason. Fine. But even though we don’t care a whit for Taka, it so happens my friend and I feel differently about you. Your care for him is—well—almost hyena-like. I think you deserve a break, so I’m going to let you have it straight. If you want to help your husband, you’ll listen to me.”
Elanna nodded. “Speak freely.”
“It is not mine to say. But that Rafiki, the ape that Taka hates so much, has shown me things. Awful things. He’s sworn to protect the rightful King, the son of Ahadi--he will not break a vow to his God. And he’s almost foaming at the mouth with fear, for disaster waits for the Pride Lands and no one listens to him. Such awful things, but so easy to avoid if only someone who bends the King’s ear will act quickly.”
“What things?”
“I have sworn not to repeat what I saw, ” Bot’la said. “Such words even in speaking can cause mischief. Rafiki has made a good faith effort to undo the evil he has loosed. You must be the voice of reason. You must influence your husband.”
“Do you realize what you are saying?”
“Yes. If things meet their appointed course, all of us will die. The land is sick. The water is gone. And there is worse—madness and despair. I don’t want to die, Elanna. I don’t want my family to die. And I feel I don’t want you to die, either.”
Elanna was silent for a moment. “How will I get out of here?”
“We have arranged that. Follow us and we will take you to him.”
She nodded. “You’re right.” She began to cry. “I thought we had no friends, but you are good, Bot’la. I can see God’s mercy in you, so I know now there must be a God.”
Bot’la winced as if a sharp thorn had been driven through his heart, but he quickly hid it. He led her out of the cave and down the side with utmost silence and care. And by skirting the cistern and euphorbias, they made it away from Pride Rock and into the tall grass.
She was unaware that Rafiki was long gone to search for Simba. All she knew is that some kind souls are cloaked in different hides. Somewhere, somehow, they will sit with the great kings of the past.
She was not worried when her small body guard of two became four. But she didn’t know whether to feel flattered or frightened when two more joined ranks and suddenly there were six. She didn’t have that many friends, much less Taka.
Behind the south kopje, four more hyenas fell in line. It was then her heart sank. She was headed away from the baobab, and not to hide her from her husband’s watchful eyes. They had turned toward the desolate lands, the appropriate place where poor Ahadi and Akase went to meet their God together. Now she would die without family or friends.
“Forgive me, Aiheu. Forgive me that I have loved him, but o gods, how I loved him. Bless my poor husband and comfort him in his hour of grief.”
One of the hyenas went “Hssssh! At least try to die with dignity.”
“My dignity before the gods is intact. Worry about your own—you bring ten hunters to kill one lioness.”
“Silence! ” Bot’la commanded. He added with some regret. “I don’t enjoy this. We’re just trying to save ourselves and our families. You can understand that.”
Then back at Pride Rock there was a tremendous shout. Bot’la looked back. There was a fire at the rock. Lions roared, and hyenas screamed with rage and pain.
“The war is on! ” He looked at Elanna and thought for a moment. Finally Bot’la said, “This is our land now. Get out.”
Elanna hurried away from the hyenas. The guard headed back to Pride Rock to fight the last battle. “Death or glory, lads! Out with the lions! ”
SCENE: IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN
At the climax of the battle for Pride Rock, Taka was struck such a blow from Simba that he tumbled from the lower promontory. He fell injured at the base, but still alive.
Waiting for him were Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. They looked very displeased. Taka tried to move, but one of his legs was broken and his ribs were cracked.
“Ahh, my friends.”
“Friends?” Shenzi sneered. “I thought he said we were the enemy! ”
“Yeah, that's what I heard, ” Banzai said. “Ed?”
Ed laughed.
Taka trembled. “No. Le-Le-Let me explain. No. You don't understand. No! I didn't mean for... No, No! Look, I’m sorry I called you... No! No! ” They closed in on him.
“Oh gods! Oh my gods, it’s the dream! Wake me, Elanna! It’s happening again! ”
“Wake me, Elanna! ” sneered Shenzi. “It’s happening again! ” Scar was frozen, unable to resist. She closed her powerful jaws on his throat and crushed his windpipe. He struggled for only a second, then shuddered and fell limp, nearly crushing her underneath.
“What the…”
Shenzi let go in astonishment. She nipped his nose, but his face did not move.
“You scared him to death, ” Banzai said. “Imagine that.”
“Weird. But let’s make sure.” With one massive pull at the stomach, she revealed all of Taka’s inner secrets. “He’s not goin’ NOWHERE.” How like a wildebeest he seemed under that hide.
“Look, ” Banzai said. “His teeth and ambition are bared! ”
Shenzi said, “Hey, almost as ugly on the inside as he is on the outside.” She got a wicked little grin. “You know how they would say there was a frightened little cub deep down inside? If we move some of this stuff around, we might find it.”
“Are you saying he had the light in his eyes?”
Shenzi broke out in a full horse laugh. “Oh gods, now THAT’S a good one! Scar, pregnant! ”
Suddenly Sarabi burst in on their fun. “Get out! ”
“Say what??” Shenzi bared her teeth at her.
“Get out, now! ”
Shenzi said, “Let me get this straight. Do you think you could beat the three of us? We’ve already killed one lion.”
“I’d I kill at least one of you.” She glanced around. “Which one will it be?”
The hyenas looked at each other nervously. “I think we’d better go, ” Banzai said. “This isn’t fun anymore.”
“Yeah. Who cares, ” Shenzi said. “Let her have him. He’s probably spoiled meat.”
They turned and trotted off.
A few drops of rain fell on the dry and smoking plain. These first gifts of healing moisture were followed by others, many thousands, more than the stars of a cool autumn night. The cleansing shower soothed the burning grass, washing ashes into the soil and bringing new life to the dying stream and watering hole.
Upon the spur of Pride Rock, Simba looked into the face of God and felt the cleansing gift soaking his fur. He drew in a deep breath and roared. His warm voice echoed off the kopjes and stones. It reached across the freshened plains to the mighty forests. The lionesses took up the call and spread the message of hope. Mufasa’s anointed was King—long live the King! Only Sarabi was silent. She looked at the humbled remains of her first love, sleeping peacefully for the first time.
“Why did you kill Muffy? You loved me once. You loved me, but then you took away my whole life.” She stroked his mane. “Now I look at you and I still feel pity. Damn you! Even in death you can hurt me! ”
Out of the rain came Fabana. She sat next to Sarabi and howled. “My son, my son! Sarabi, did you kill my son?”
“It was Shenzi.”
Fabana bowed her head and moaned. “Oh gods, that girl has been nothing but grief to me. She’s just like her father--worse.” She pawed at Taka’s blood-spattered mane. “Taka was the only one that really loved me. And he really loved me, you know, whatever else he might have done. He loved me.” She kissed him and sobbed out, “Memu kofasa, Taka. Roh’kash ne nabu. Roh’kash ne nabu! ”
Waiting for him were Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. They looked very displeased. Taka tried to move, but one of his legs was broken and his ribs were cracked.
“Ahh, my friends.”
“Friends?” Shenzi sneered. “I thought he said we were the enemy! ”
“Yeah, that's what I heard, ” Banzai said. “Ed?”
Ed laughed.
Taka trembled. “No. Le-Le-Let me explain. No. You don't understand. No! I didn't mean for... No, No! Look, I’m sorry I called you... No! No! ” They closed in on him.
“Oh gods! Oh my gods, it’s the dream! Wake me, Elanna! It’s happening again! ”
“Wake me, Elanna! ” sneered Shenzi. “It’s happening again! ” Scar was frozen, unable to resist. She closed her powerful jaws on his throat and crushed his windpipe. He struggled for only a second, then shuddered and fell limp, nearly crushing her underneath.
“What the…”
Shenzi let go in astonishment. She nipped his nose, but his face did not move.
“You scared him to death, ” Banzai said. “Imagine that.”
“Weird. But let’s make sure.” With one massive pull at the stomach, she revealed all of Taka’s inner secrets. “He’s not goin’ NOWHERE.” How like a wildebeest he seemed under that hide.
“Look, ” Banzai said. “His teeth and ambition are bared! ”
Shenzi said, “Hey, almost as ugly on the inside as he is on the outside.” She got a wicked little grin. “You know how they would say there was a frightened little cub deep down inside? If we move some of this stuff around, we might find it.”
“Are you saying he had the light in his eyes?”
Shenzi broke out in a full horse laugh. “Oh gods, now THAT’S a good one! Scar, pregnant! ”
Suddenly Sarabi burst in on their fun. “Get out! ”
“Say what??” Shenzi bared her teeth at her.
“Get out, now! ”
Shenzi said, “Let me get this straight. Do you think you could beat the three of us? We’ve already killed one lion.”
“I’d I kill at least one of you.” She glanced around. “Which one will it be?”
The hyenas looked at each other nervously. “I think we’d better go, ” Banzai said. “This isn’t fun anymore.”
“Yeah. Who cares, ” Shenzi said. “Let her have him. He’s probably spoiled meat.”
They turned and trotted off.
A few drops of rain fell on the dry and smoking plain. These first gifts of healing moisture were followed by others, many thousands, more than the stars of a cool autumn night. The cleansing shower soothed the burning grass, washing ashes into the soil and bringing new life to the dying stream and watering hole.
Upon the spur of Pride Rock, Simba looked into the face of God and felt the cleansing gift soaking his fur. He drew in a deep breath and roared. His warm voice echoed off the kopjes and stones. It reached across the freshened plains to the mighty forests. The lionesses took up the call and spread the message of hope. Mufasa’s anointed was King—long live the King! Only Sarabi was silent. She looked at the humbled remains of her first love, sleeping peacefully for the first time.
“Why did you kill Muffy? You loved me once. You loved me, but then you took away my whole life.” She stroked his mane. “Now I look at you and I still feel pity. Damn you! Even in death you can hurt me! ”
Out of the rain came Fabana. She sat next to Sarabi and howled. “My son, my son! Sarabi, did you kill my son?”
“It was Shenzi.”
Fabana bowed her head and moaned. “Oh gods, that girl has been nothing but grief to me. She’s just like her father--worse.” She pawed at Taka’s blood-spattered mane. “Taka was the only one that really loved me. And he really loved me, you know, whatever else he might have done. He loved me.” She kissed him and sobbed out, “Memu kofasa, Taka. Roh’kash ne nabu. Roh’kash ne nabu! ”
FABANA:Short was the respite and long was the road
Meager the rations and heavy the load
Many and bitter the trials you have passed,
Rest, my beloved, and find peace at last.
Reach for my heart, it’s not very far,
We are together wherever you are;
When I remember how you loved me so,
Love will reveal it, and somehow you’ll know.
SARABI:Although we suffered a lifetime of pain,
Thoughts of the good times will always remain;
Gone from my life, you’re not gone from my heart,
Death has no power to keep us apart.
Sarabi took her paw and drew Fabana next to her and the two of them wept by the body.
Reach for my heart, it’s not very far,
We are together wherever you are;
When you remember how I loved you so,
Love will reveal it, and somehow I’ll know.
SCENE: INCOSI AKA INCOSI
The smell of Taka lingered in the cave that was once his home. As unpleasant as it had become to Simba, he could not leave Nala in the driving rain. And so it was in the cave where Simba was born that he swore his love to Nala and made her his queen. Rafiki made it abundantly clear to Timon and Pumbaa that the cave was much too small for visitors. “Don’t worry, the rain will only make you fresh and clean.”
“The only thing getting fresh around here is Simba, ” Timon said with a withering attempt at humor. He drooped in the rain. “Well, Pumbaa, let’s go.”
But there would be no honeymoon just yet. Attracted by the call of Simba’s triumph, a procession of the few remaining inhabitants of the Pride Lands straggled in. The Incosi of the Zebras came first to look upon the new King and bow deeply. “Khemoki, Your Majesty, by Aiheu’s grace Incosi of the Zebra’ha. I stand ready to serve you.”
Pa’hal, Incosi of the Wildebeests, came next. “I beg the gods that you do not hate our people.” He bowed till his forehead touched the ground.
“Rise, uh….” Zazu whispered something in Simba’s ear. “Rise Pa’hal. Have no fear of that.”
The leader of each tribe of antelopes came, as did Jebweel of the Giraffes and Boga Kwitu of the Elephants. These were the Incosi, the leaders, who came with assurances they would not be struck down as prey as long as they spoke for their people. It was Simba’s duty to try and recognize all the wet creatures if he saw them again, but the lionesses were the ones who paid the most attention.
The Lion King, by custom, must not interfere in the internal affairs of his peoples. He only meddles in the affairs of other lions, and only when he feels he should. But he did make his influence known in a powerful way when he had Uhuru the hyena brought before him.
“You are the one we recognize as Incosi.”
With those words, Simba had imposed his will on the hyenas. In hyenas, the Incosi is referred to as the Roh'mach (great leader). And since hyenas consider themselves somewhat independent of the order established by the King, and they considered the Roh’mach a sovereign in every sense, they were bound to be furious at this attempt to influence what they felt was their own affairs. Though Shenzi may try to maintain her iron grip on the hyenas, she could not represent them any longer before the Lion King. There would be great pressure to make Uhuru the recognized Roh’mach because the fortunes of the hyenas had dipped even lower than usual.
Simba felt very successful in his dealing with the hyenas. Finally, by high moon, the last of the Incosi had paid their respect, and he was alone with Nala. He sat worried by the entrance watching the rain, lost in thought.
Nala nuzzled him and nibbled on his ear. “What is it, dear? Are you timid?”
“What?” He looked at her. “Oh.” He kissed her with his warm pink tongue. “I’m King, Nala. I used to look forward to this when I was a cub. Now it frightens me. There is so much to do, and I have had so little preparation.”
“You have friends, ” Nala purred. “Friends that care about you.”
“I do, don’t I.” He looked out over the barren landscape. “I can only do the best I can. When I come face to face with Aiheu, he will know I tried.”
“The only thing getting fresh around here is Simba, ” Timon said with a withering attempt at humor. He drooped in the rain. “Well, Pumbaa, let’s go.”
But there would be no honeymoon just yet. Attracted by the call of Simba’s triumph, a procession of the few remaining inhabitants of the Pride Lands straggled in. The Incosi of the Zebras came first to look upon the new King and bow deeply. “Khemoki, Your Majesty, by Aiheu’s grace Incosi of the Zebra’ha. I stand ready to serve you.”
Pa’hal, Incosi of the Wildebeests, came next. “I beg the gods that you do not hate our people.” He bowed till his forehead touched the ground.
“Rise, uh….” Zazu whispered something in Simba’s ear. “Rise Pa’hal. Have no fear of that.”
The leader of each tribe of antelopes came, as did Jebweel of the Giraffes and Boga Kwitu of the Elephants. These were the Incosi, the leaders, who came with assurances they would not be struck down as prey as long as they spoke for their people. It was Simba’s duty to try and recognize all the wet creatures if he saw them again, but the lionesses were the ones who paid the most attention.
The Lion King, by custom, must not interfere in the internal affairs of his peoples. He only meddles in the affairs of other lions, and only when he feels he should. But he did make his influence known in a powerful way when he had Uhuru the hyena brought before him.
“You are the one we recognize as Incosi.”
With those words, Simba had imposed his will on the hyenas. In hyenas, the Incosi is referred to as the Roh'mach (great leader). And since hyenas consider themselves somewhat independent of the order established by the King, and they considered the Roh’mach a sovereign in every sense, they were bound to be furious at this attempt to influence what they felt was their own affairs. Though Shenzi may try to maintain her iron grip on the hyenas, she could not represent them any longer before the Lion King. There would be great pressure to make Uhuru the recognized Roh’mach because the fortunes of the hyenas had dipped even lower than usual.
Simba felt very successful in his dealing with the hyenas. Finally, by high moon, the last of the Incosi had paid their respect, and he was alone with Nala. He sat worried by the entrance watching the rain, lost in thought.
Nala nuzzled him and nibbled on his ear. “What is it, dear? Are you timid?”
“What?” He looked at her. “Oh.” He kissed her with his warm pink tongue. “I’m King, Nala. I used to look forward to this when I was a cub. Now it frightens me. There is so much to do, and I have had so little preparation.”
“You have friends, ” Nala purred. “Friends that care about you.”
“I do, don’t I.” He looked out over the barren landscape. “I can only do the best I can. When I come face to face with Aiheu, he will know I tried.”