Burkitt John. Touch of the Nisei

   “You’re right.”
   Her eyes turned to glare at him. “What??”
   “You aren’t merely beautiful.” He drew a paw along the side of her muzzle, tracing the soft line where her fur lightened. “Sunsets and flowers are beautiful, but they don’t inspire love. There must be another word for this.”
   A nervous laugh escaped her. “The word is lucky. Do you really think I’m attractive?”
   “No.”
   She glared at him again. “Will you make sense?”
   “I don’t have to think so. I KNOW so.” He nuzzled her again, more intensely this time. “I wish I were a flea so I could spend my life on top of you.”
   “Oh, don’t say such things!” She giggled, enjoying his attentions. She lay her head back, purring louder as his rough tongue bathed her throat, immersing herself in the waves of pleasure he was inciting in her.
   “I wonder what our children will be like?”
   Elanna tensed. Her eyes opened in alarm and she twisted to look at him, but his expression was far away and dreamy.
   “Uh...it’s a little early to think about--”
   He grinned at her, the sight so overwhelmingly beautiful it stole her breath away. “Just think of it Lannie! Our children...” He glanced down absently at his crossed forepaws, as if contemplating a squirming cub there.
   “But I thought that would be an awful burden on you. You have no lands of your own, and you’d have to support your children.”
   “I don’t mind! They would be OUR children. They’ll be safe and well fed, I promise you! I’ll take such good care of them and love them, my darling.” He looked at her again and beamed. “And they’ll all be as beautiful as you.”
   Lannie wore a look of pain. Abruptly, his expression melted away like water steaming under the hot son. “Lannie? What is it?”
   Tears were coursing down her cheeks as she stared unseeing out the darkened entrance to their cave. “I can’t talk right now!”
   “Elanna?” His voice took on a frightened tone. “Elanna, what’s wrong?” He raised a paw to touch her and flinched in surprise as she jerked away, her eyes burning.
   “DON’T TOUCH ME!” she shrieked.
   “I’m sorry! What did I do? What did I say??”
   “Leave me alone! Please, just go away!” Elanna lurched into motion, leaping up with such violence that her hindpaw struck Kubali in the face, dazing him momentarily. He shook his head, fighting to clear it, only to see the empty savanna stretching before him in the night.
   “Lannie?” He rose and paced out worriedly. “Lannie! Please come back!” He swallowed heavily, fear gripping his heart and making him giddy. “Oh gods...LANNIE!!”
   The subject of his concern was just over a rise, her own sobs too loud in her ears to hear him. “M-My love, I’m sorry...oh gods, Taka, I miss you so much!” She choked back a cry and looked down at her forepaws. “I wish you were here.”
   A soft touch brushed her shoulder and she growled unsteadily. “Damn it, Kubali, I said leave me alone!”
   “You summon me and dismiss me in one motion?” A warm voice chuckled behind her, making her eyes widen. “Come, Lannie, make up your mind.”
   She whipped around to behold a dark maned lion surrounded by a soft glow of starlight. “Taka??”
   “Yes, it’s me.”
   “Dear Aiheu, how I’ve missed you! I’ve been so alone!” She swept forward and collapsed against him, feeling his soft fur and breathing in his dear, familiar scent, now touched with wild honey.
   Taka lifted a paw and stroked her cheek. “I know, love. But I have sent you help and you have refused it. Lannie, go back to him!”
   “What??” Elanna stared at him. “How can you say that? Taka, I want to be with YOU.”
   “No you don’t, love. The tides of life still beat strong inside you. My time is past, but you still have a path to walk here.” He lifted a paw and brushed away a tear from her face. “He needs you, Lannie...and you need him, not some old memory of love.”
   She shook her head, silent tears still rolling down her cheeks. “He doesn’t need me. Not like you did.”
   “No, our needs are different, but that does not make his need any less, love. There is a thorn in your heart, and only he can remove it.” Taka purred deeply and kissed her muzzle. “When I see you happy with him, it fills me with joy. Go to him Lannie. Go to him and LIVE. If you don’t, I cannot be happy.”
   Elanna nodded and nuzzled him one last time before turning away and padding slowly back towards the kopje in the distance. A final warmth passed through her and then the savanna fell dark and silent again around her. Lifting her face to the heavens, she beheld the glitter of the stars, and sought out one in particular. “Thank you, my love.”
   The star seemed to shine brighter for a moment, as if in answer.
   “Lannie!”
   She jerked her head down to see Kubali bound over the rise, puffing for breath. “Lannie! Thank God I found you! I heard someone talking over this way and recognized your voice...” He trotted over to her and drew up short of nuzzling her in greeting, suddenly uncomfortable.
   “Lannie? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you...can we talk about this?” He looked at her miserably. “Please?”
   Elanna cried aloud and ran to him, wrapping her forepaws around him and bearing him to the ground as she covered his features with warm kisses. “I’m so sorry, Kubali...I’ve been such a fool.” She rubbed her cheek to his and nibbled his ear gently. “Love me, Kubali...you make me feel so special.”
   He smiled at her warmly. “You ARE special, Elanna. I want to make love to you, but I need to understand what just happened.”
   “My mate appeared to me. He told me that I should not be afraid of my feelings for you.”
   Kubali stared silently at her in awe. “I’m glad. Your Taka really loved you. I really love you too. I won’t be jealous if you won’t feel guilty.” He nuzzled her. “Do you want to tell me about him?”
   She initially looked away, but she settled beside him. “Taka was very sweet but very sad and afraid. Once when he was a cub, there was this badger....”

CHAPTER: AN AWKWARD MOMENT

   The next morning, Gamu looked at Kubali with a smile but also a hint of reproach. “Miss some sleep last night?”
   “Yeah. The lightning and thunder.”
   “I bet. It’s a wonder you slept at all.” He glanced at Elanna who hung her head embarrassed. “All that lightning and thunder.”
   Kubali looked at Elanna. “Lannie, are you OK?”
   “Why shouldn’t I be?” She edged nearer to him, but said nothing more. Kubali glanced at Gamu, then back at her. She made no sign whether she wanted Gamu to know about them.
   “I bet you didn’t sleep well either,” Gamu said at Elanna, pointedly. He winked slyly.
   “Look here, Gamu,” Kubali said sharply.
   “Yes?” Gamu smiled.
   For a moment, Kubali was nonplused. He didn’t know what to do or what to say. He looked at Elanna again, seeing how she wanted to curl up and die.
   “Look here, Gamu. I’m unworthy of her, an exiled prince with no one to blame but himself. But last night, that wonderful creature....” He became inarticulate for a moment, looking for the right words.
   “We made love,” Elanna said, moving next to Kubali and nuzzling him.
   Kubali found his tongue again and straightened with pride. “Yes. Many times. And if I died tomorrow, I could look Aiheu in the face and tell him I’ve lived a full and meaningful life. Well, Gamu, aren’t you going to congratulate us?”
   Gamu smiled meekly. He’d clearly lost the first round. But if anything, he was tenacious. “I’m glad for you. Both of you. I’ve lost to the better lion.”
   Elanna pawed Gamu playfully. “We need to find you a mate. But for right now, you understand, we’ll need some privacy.
   “Of course. You just give the word.”
   Kubali leaned against Elanna and purred softly. “The word is given. Go scout up some gazelles--or something.”
   “As you wish, Lover Boy.”

CHAPTER: JUST BETWEEN US

   Gamu was soon over his disappointment at Kubali’s triumph. After all, no prize easily won was worth much. Tolerating their desire to make love in the morning, Gamu went to the watering hole and looked at his own reflection. He tried to make the most sad face he could create and looked at the reflection. “Oh Gamu,” he said in a rough imitation of Kubali’s voice. “Why did I ever let you back in my life? Why didn’t I see this coming??”
   Gamu could no longer keep a straight face, and he rolled on his back with laughter. “Griz, get over here!”
   Nonplused, the hyena left the cover of the reeds. “How did you spot me?”
   “I didn’t. I just know you, you little sneak. The same way I know Kubali and Elanna. And my little flea-bitten friend, knowledge is power. So he’s breathing down her neck, is he? It will give him something to think about when he’s on the savanna alone.”
   “I thought you wanted to kill him,” Griz’nik said.
   “I’m not sure. I wandered around alone for the longest time. I know what it’s like. But for him it will be far worse. He’s lost the kingship, and he will also lose her. I see those shapely thighs of hers, and I think about the sweet delight of her lithe golden body....” He trembled. “How much sweeter it will be to know my enemy is alone and unloved! And every time she cries out my name, it will pull out a thorn that lion put in my heart!”
   Griz’nik looked at him crossly. “You’re sick, you know that? Even I can tell she’s beautiful for a lioness. If I were you, I’d take her out behind the reeds, and Kubali would be the farthest thing from my mind. My gods, Gamu, if you want to know what I think....”
   “I DON’T,” Gamu said, swiping at the hyena and shoving him into the water.
   “One of these days you’re going to go too far,” Griz’nik said, huffing and puffing as he left the cold water.
   “And then you’ll do what?” Gamu patted Griz’nik on the cheek. “Face it, my little friend. You need me. Even if you could kill me, and the thought is laughable, what would you do? Expect a handout from the mistress you ill treated and her husband? I think not.”
   “You promise me much,” Griz’nik said, “but what have you actually delivered? A couple of lousy rabbits?”
   Gamu gave him a withering look. “These things take time to be done right. Remember what I told you about the territory to the south?”
   “The land between the hills?”
   “Yes. You and Elanna and I. You’ll get to hunt gazelles and no one will bother you. Maybe you’ll find another mate and have some little--whatever it is hyenas have.”
   “Pups.”
   “Yeah, right. But only if you obey. Only if you wait. I’m not like your Taka. I won’t be pushed around or circumvented.”
   “Circumvented?”
   “Shoved aside.”
   “You and your big words.”
   “Big words for a lion with big ideas.”
   Griz’nik shook himself, and water went flying about, getting in Gamu’s eyes and wetting his mane. Griz’nik tried not to smile broadly at the mischief he’d created. “Oh, pardon me.”

CHAPTER: LATER THAT DAY

   Gamu came back later that day. Elanna was lying on her back, a blissful smile on her face. Kubali was sitting sphinx-like a short distance away, looking at her with mixed pride and love.
   Gamu tapped Kubali on his shoulder, jerking him out of his reverie, and he signaled for him to come away a short distance.
   “This had better be good, Gamu. You know I said I needed some time alone with her.”
   “You know, Kubali, I’ve tried hard to earn your respect and trust. I keep hoping someday we’ll have a land of our own, and you will be my King as it was meant to be.”
   “So?”
   “I come to you as a good friend to tell you something you need to know about your mate. She carries a burden on her heart and you can help her find peace. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
   Kubali looked at him skeptically. “A burden? She discusses everything with me, no matter how drastic. We’ve been completely honest with each other.”
   “Then you know about how her husband died? Have you told her yet that you’ve forgiven her?”
   “Forgiven her? For what?”
   “Oh my gods,” Gamu said in a near whisper. “I thought you said you were completely honest with each other.”
   “What are you going on about, Gamu?? Is this another one of your tricks??”
   “Tricks?? It’s true--no good deed ever goes unpunished. Fine thanks I get for trying to help you! I know very little about her past, but she’s admitted to me the cause of her nightmares.”
   “Her nightmares? She won’t discuss them with me. Why should I believe she told you?”
   “That’s PRECISELY why. She doesn’t care what I think of her. She could ask me anything. You’re another matter entirely.”
   “And why are you discussing this with me?”
   “Because I feel I owe you something. Now do you want to hear it or not?”
   “OK.”
   “See, you two are not completely open as you thought. I told her that I thought she could talk about Taka with you, but she’s afraid. You need to reassure her. Then she’ll bare her soul about everything and seek forgiveness. It will set her free, Kubali. If you really love her, you’ll want her to be happy. And true happiness comes from the inside out. With this locked inside her, she’ll never be truly happy.”
   “I know that Taka killed his brother, and that he tried to kill Simba. She was not aware.”
   “That’s not what she told me. He went completely mad at the end. She knew it was only a matter of time until there was a civil war, so she worked with the hyenas in their plot to depose the king. She betrayed him to his enemies. They ripped him, you know. Now she has nightmares racked with guilt and remorse. I mean, when Taka died he was screaming her name. And she will carry that burden all her life. She felt she had to tell SOMEONE. It was all bottled up inside her, and she was going crazy holding it inside.”
   Kubali’s face fell. Gamu tried not to smile and betray his deep satisfaction. The lie was planted, and he would give it time to grow.

CHAPTER: A MATTER OF TRUST

   It was a clear night. Kubali held Elanna’s trembling body beneath his own and shuddered in the grip of passion. He climaxed, and with a roar, he sprang from her. She turned to snarl at him, but she was not angry with him. She rolled over in the grass and invited him over. Kubali lay next to her in the soft grass and looked with her into the night sky. Elanna snuggled into his soft mane listening to his heart beat. It was a comforting sound, a familiar sound, and she drew solace from it. Still, as she scanned the night sky she let out a small sigh.
   Kubali looked around. "Are you all right, Lannie?"
   “I’m fine. It was nothing, really.”
   “If it’s nothing, you won’t mind telling me about it. I mean, we don’t keep secrets from each other--do we?”
   She smiled, but it was a melancholy smile. "I was wondering which one of those stars was my Taka. I miss him..."
   Kubali frowned slightly, but he quickly hid it. “I know you do, lover...he sounds like he was everything to you."
   She turned her head to face him more, "He was. And he used to tell me I was everything to him. He had no other friends. He relied on me for comfort and friendship. I was all that kept him going.”
   “I see.” Kubali’s jaw set firmly. “He trusted you entirely, I imagine?”
   “Why yes, he did.”
   “Uh huh. Everyone needs someone they can trust entirely. Someone whose love for them is unconditional--who would never betray them.”
   “I know.” She rubbed his chest mane with her paw. “You are that person for me.”
   “I’m glad to hear it,” he said.
   She seemed to be waiting for him to answer her more meaningfully, but he did not.
   “You do trust me, don’t you, lover?”
   Kubali changed the subject quickly. “Look, the bats are out. They don’t fly in straight lines like birds.”
   Elanna glared at him. “I asked you a question!”
   Kubali looked back, tensely. “Look, I’m trying to let this whole business about Taka be firmly in the past. If you help me, I’ll help you.”
   “What about Taka?? Today I’ve made love to you many times! Do you think I’d just go crouch with any lion in the bushes??” She shoved him roughly with a paw. “Kubali, if there is no trust between us, there sure as the world will be no more intimacy. I don’t crouch for someone that doesn’t trust me!”
   “I trust you all right. I just can’t forget what you did just like that! I’m sorry, but it’s going to take time!”
   “And what did I do??”
   “You know.”
   “Assume for a moment I don’t!”
   “I don’t want to talk about it. Look, I trust you, OK? Let’s get some sleep.”
   “Sure! You sleep here. I’ll find me a place.”
   “Look, you little spitfire, you’re acting like a complete fool! Everything was fine, then all of a sudden you change toward me!”
   She got up quickly and moved away from him. "I thought you were gentle and sensitive, but you’re not at all! You’re coarse and inconsiderate, and it’s no wonder they drove you out!”
   The words seemed to sting him more than words could express. He stared at her for a while silently, a look of barely suppressed rage on his face. Then when he found his tongue, he blurted out, “Yeah right, like I’m the only outcast here! If you’re so perfect in every way, where are your pride sisters when you need them? Huh??”
   Shocked and hurt, tears welled up in her eyes and she stammered, “Good bye, Kubali. It’s over.” She turned quickly and walked off, leaving him alone in the night.
   He growled back at her as she drew away, "FINE...leave me.” He shouted, “I don’t need you! You HEAR me?? I don’t need ANYONE!” He let out a loud roar and turned from her.

CHAPTER: HURT FEELINGS

   At first Kubali was angry enough to hide from the grimness of his situation. He muttered to himself, “How could she betray Taka? Even if he was insane! I could understand if she’d left him, but having him ripped alive?? My gods! Hey, I was willing to forget and forgive, but she started acting like a complete...."
   He stopped and sighed. The loneliness was beginning to find the chinks in his defenses and wear away his resolve. “And I guess I helped her a lot, didn’t I?? Way to GO, Kubali!” He flopped on the ground where they lied together a few moments ago. He inhaled slowly and deeply, reading her fragrance. "She was the most beautiful and loving lioness I had ever met--and I went and blew it! She was my last chance for happiness.” He rolled on his back and sighed. “My last chance. I’ll never forget the look on her face when I rubbed in her exile.” He frowned and growled. “But she never should have said what she did! She started it! She insulted me first! She made me mad, and I just had to say something--I just had....” He sighed again. “Well, I didn’t HAVE to. Oh God, help me! Maybe I’m not the most patient lion in the world, but I really love her, and I need her. Help me please!”
   Kubali rolled over and got up. “I am not the lion my father exiled." He opens his eyes slowly, "I will find her...confess my love to her...and ask her to be mine."
   He moved off slowly in the direction that he saw Elanna disappear in, nose close to the ground, seeking the scent that will lead him to her.
   As Elanna walked away, disappearing into the night, her ears turned to hear his roar of frustration after her. “What did I see in him?” she muttered softly. “He is nothing like Taka. Why did I give myself to him like I did?” She walked a short distance more, intent on leaving Kubali for good. As she continued to move away from him though, she turns her head more often, as if a part of her is saying no. Finally, she gave up and sat down to work through her thoughts.
   Out of frustration for her remaining feelings for Kubali, she muttered, “He did not trust me.” She sighed and looked over the open fields. “Maybe I should go home...I have nothing here either. Even if they kill me, I will be with my husband and I won’t be lonely again.” She looks up at the stars, searching for him. “I will join you, my love...you must keep your faith. I will be there to cradle you again, tell you how much you mean to me. In Aiheu’s fields you will dream no bad dreams and I will weep no tears. How could you send me to that lion? You were mistaken about him, Taka. I don’t need the kind of care he gives me. You were wrong, Honey Tree.”
   She laid her body in the grass and, with a deep sigh, allowed her head to fall to her paws in thought. Through her mind ran the times she spent with her husband--how she courted him. The expectation of giving him cubs, then the tragedy of losing them and with them her fertility. She smiles softly, remembering how he wouldn’t replace her and how he remained faithful through it all. “He was always there for me. He loved me. He truly loved me!”
   She gasped softly, remembering the moments of passion she had shared with Kubali. “Will Taka be jealous? Will he want me back? Oh gods, if he refuses me what will I do??”
   She remembered the last days of Taka’s life. She recalled the sleepless nights she spent cuddling him close and protecting him from his bad dreams. She remembered trying to anticipate his needs and fill them one by one. She could not always know what would please him, and he would sulk. Then she would have to use all her powers of subtlety to draw out the cause of his ill humor and make it up to him. She remembered staying in the cave by herself and not even given the satisfaction of feeding herself. His temper had become even worse in the weeks before his downfall. She stayed by his side through it all for their love was strong. But he would leave her alone for hours or days in a private hell of despair.
   She didn’t know what to make of Kubali. Their first meeting still fresh in her mind, remembering how alone she felt until she meet him. How he didn’t try to control her life...how she could actually sleep through the day without it being interrupted by a scream. She could even express her thoughts to him, something she never dared to do to Taka. He was more like her memories of Mufasa and Ahadi. She sighed softly, trying to chart her future course.
   Her eyes traveled back up to the sky. “I loved you so much, my dear, that I never realized how much you controlled and used me. Whatever you did to me, I still loved you and I always will.” She sighed softly, “But what is this I feel for this other lion? Is it love like I felt with you, or is this just my season? I talk about you so much to him, I guess that is unfair to him. You mean so much to me, even when you aren’t here, how can I just forget you?”
   She heard a voice. It might have been beside her or just in the back of her mind. But its message arrested her. “Don’t forget me, but don’t forget him either. If he knew the truth, all would be well between you. Tell him the truth, Lannie.”
   A lioness has little trouble following even an old trail when they are following someone else. But they are so accustomed to their own scent that it is hard for them to backtrack. She desperately tried to trace her steps back to Kubali. “Help me, Taka! Guide me, Aiheu! Gods, give me success!”
   Suddenly, she saw a form move through the grass. Seeing the mane poke through the grass, she held her breath, hoping that it is the one that she is hoping for. As her line of vision cleared and his face came into view, she gasped and ran after him. Together in the middle of the savanna, they came together. At first, both are silent, just looking over each other slowly. Suddenly, they both began to speak. With a slight laugh, they tried again, this time with Kubali starting.
   “I’m sorry for what I said. I believe in your love, and I’d trust you with my Ma’at and my very Ka. Gods, Lannie, I don’t know why you should love me, but I am grateful and I don’t question my good fortune. Can you forgive me?”
   Elanna nuzzled him gently. “I’m sorry I was so angry. Let’s promise it will never happen again. The only good part of this whole argument is making up afterwards. Kubali, I love you.” With that, she gave his cheek a soft lick, walked a short distance and crouched. “Make love to me, my lion!”
   He looked in the sky and smiled. “Thank you, God! You haven’t abandoned me!” He turned his attention to the golden body of his lover. With a soft purr, he approached her. “Beloved, I come!”

CHAPTER: GAMU’S FRIENDSHIP

   Kubali went running to Gamu. “You know, you were right! Lannie and I got this out into the open, and she and I are closer than ever!”
   “You did??”
   “Yes! You’re a dear friend, and I’m sorry I ever doubted you. And someday when I have a kingdom of my own, you’ll be my Prince Consort--the brother I never had--and everyone that sees you will owe you respect.”
   “Oh--great. Thanks. That will be nice--when you get one. There is this land to the south I think we could grab.”
   “Soon enough,” Kubali said, giving his shoulder a little pat. “I have to get back. Lannie will wonder where I am.”
   Gamu nodded absently. “Oh yes...go to her, by all means.” He stared off in the other direction as Kubali rose to pad away from him. “We can’t keep our lovely savanna flower waiting, can we?”
   Kubali paused and eyed the other lion oddly. “Gamu?”
   “Eh?”
   “Are you all right?”
   Gamu flashed a grin at him. “I’m fine...just full of thoughts. Go on, Kubali.”
   Gamu realized that he had lost the battle, but was determined not to lose the war. Knowing that Kubali and Elanna would be otherwise occupied for the rest of the day, he slinked away to find his companion. The hyena was eagerly awaiting him.
   “Any food?”
   “No, not now. Lover Boy is in search of slower prey.”
   “Oh.” Griz’nik’s ears drooped. “I guess your brilliant plan didn’t work.”
   Gamu glared at him furiously. “No,” he spat out. “It didn’t.”
   “I think you should cut out the fun and games and knock off the lion. This isn’t a pakh’jimbi match--there’s too much at stake.”
   Gamu looked down his nose at the hyena and paused for a moment. “Dare I ask? What is pakh’jimbi?”
   “It’s a pup’s game. You need at least three players on both sides. The head of each side is called a kor’hum, and it’s his or her job to coordinate the other players called gam’gis. Now when the referee, which we call a bar’gem, gives the signal with three sharp cries, the two sides assume a formation called a tar’tar on either side of the center line or mehlo. The object of the game is to rack up the most points by getting more of your gam’gis through the four obstacles or mosh’muikheti....”
   “I get the point!”
   “The point is you’ll never ditch the lion at this rate, and I’ll be stuck in this hellhole with no hope! You’re a big disappointment, Gamu. You have no hope of ever being but a THINKER--you should be a DOER.”
   Gamu snarled at the hyena, setting him aback. “Be glad I’m a thinker right now. You wouldn’t like what I’d do!”
   “All right! OK! Don’t get upset--you know you’re bigger than I am, and I know it too. You don’t have to prove anything.”
   Gamu calmed down at the hyena’s show of submission. He made a very clear show of sharpening his claws on a tree trunk. Then he yawned, showing off his ivory daggers of death. Out of the corner of his eye, masked by a quiet expression, the lion watched with glee as his companion stared at the arsenal. And satisfied, Gamu finally settled down and closed his eyes for a nap.
   Griz’nik watched him very closely. “Gamu almost looks decent when he’s asleep,” he thought. He waited several minutes, looking deceptively like a guardian angel. The great chest rose and fell softly. Once, before Griz’nik realized the true depth of Gamu’s disdain for him, he had longed for the soft warmth of another body next to him as he slept. He would have tolerated the odor of a lion which he found foreign and irksome. “We might have been friends,” Griz’nik silently mouthed. “As my mother used to say, if you hunt trouble, someday you’ll catch it.”
   The hyena looked at the thin-skinned spot in the upper throat right under Gamu’s jaw. Griz’nik knew if he suddenly bit down--hard--and then ran away quick, Gamu would bleed to death before he could catch him. Griz’nik squirmed close, his belly to the ground, his eyes fixed on Gamu's throat. From time to time he glanced up, and the great eyes were closed. Now was the moment of his destiny, the moment he took charge of his own life once again. The eyes were still closed. Gamu’s breath was even and slow. He crept closer, every movement designed for stealth and accuracy. One last time he looked up--the eyes were slitted...watching him. He froze.
   Gamu said, "Come here," and patted with his paw on the ground. “Lay down, old friend.”
   The hyena crawled next to him, exposing his neck in submission. The lion, with a razor-sharp claw stuck out, said, "You know something......" He drew the claw lightly over Griz's throat and abdomen. “Claws are a wonderful thing. A mother tends her little cub. It glides through his fur and gets out the mats very gently, very tenderly. Then that evening she puts her little cub in a safe place. ‘Now don't you move--Mommy is going to get you dinner....’ Then she goes out on the hunt, and Mommy becomes a huntress.”
   The claw tightened on his skin. “She stalks the gazelle like a ghost...then, suddenly, springs! Those claws become very different!”
   Gamu swiped quickly down Griz’nik’s soft underside. The hyena looked down in panic, expecting to see blood and entrails. Whimpering and shrieking, he examined his abdomen. There was nothing--Gamu’s claws had been tucked in.
   Gamu laughed. "But you're my FRIEND, Griz’nik! I wouldn't hurt a FRIEND, would I?” He shoved the hyena away and stalked off, leaving Griznik to stare after him, rubbing his belly and shivering.

CHAPTER: A FRIENDLY GAME

   Early the next morning Gamu came to Elanna. “Good morning, my dear.”
   “Oh, hello Gamu.”
   He stared at her sensual curves, his jaw hanging slack as he thought of those curves pressed against his body. “You are really very beautiful, Elanna dear.”
   Kubali was away, and Elanna was not very comfortable being alone with Gamu. But she nodded and said, “Thanks.”
   Your face is kind and gentle. Your eyes are like twin sisters of the stars. Yes, my dear, Kubali is lucky.”
   “You’re not so bad yourself,” she said, laughing nervously. “I’m sure someday you’ll find someone who can make you very happy.”
   “And those strong huntress shoulders which can be so soft. Sleek sides that ripple with each step, and hips like Minshasa’s.” He kept looking further back.
   Elanna felt naked and ashamed, and she made a subconscious effort her clamp her tail firmly against her backside.
   “Kubali will be back soon, Gamu. Oh look, there he is now!”
   Kubali had returned from the watering hole. “That was refreshing.” He looked at Gamu who smiled innocently and at Elanna who was supremely uncomfortable.
   Elanna glanced at Gamu. “Why don’t you drink now?” She wanted to speak alone with Kubali, and she was hoping he would leave.
   “No, go on, Elanna. I’m willing to wait for what I want.”
   She reluctantly left the two of them alone. And while she was gone, Gamu saw Kubali’s good mood and twitched his tail. “Think you’re hot stuff, huh?”
   “And I suppose you are??” Kubali reared up and flailed at Gamu, laughing. Gamu seized him around the neck with his forelegs and began to wrestle with him.
   “I guess you think you’ll win,” Gamu grunted in the height of his exertions. He tried to shift his weight and throw Kubali.
   “I always do,” Kubali grunted, compensating with a hind limb and pushing hard.
   “You won’t win this time!” Gamu broke away, then started flailing out with his paws.
   “You’re quick,” Kubali said, sparring with him. “But you’re not quick enough for me!” With a sudden jab, he had Gamu on his side and bore his great weight down on him. “Beg for mercy!”
   “Never!”
   “Beg for mercy!” Kubali rubbed the back of his paw against the fold of Gamu’s hind leg, making it kick.
   “Stop tickling me!”
   “Beg for mercy!” Kubali laughed and nudged his thigh again. Gamu’s face tightened into a mask of misery as he struggled to keep his composure. “I can stay here all day, Gamu!”
   “OK, MERCY! Get OFF me!”
   Gamu struggled out from under the laughing lion. “You win--this time.” He looked at Kubali from narrowed eyes. “But be careful not to let success go to you head. It makes you careless, and that’s a big mistake while I’m around.”
   Kubali laughed at what he thought was a joke, and he rubbed against Gamu, nuzzling him. “I used to think you didn’t like me.”
   I can hardly wait to show you how true my friendship really is.” Gamu nuzzled him back. “Someday, you’ll look back on this talk and remember what we said.”
   “Yeah, buddy.” Kubali looked in the distance. “She’s back. Go for it, Gamu. There’s a long hot day ahead.”

CHAPTER: MATCH POINT

   Gamu was gone a very short period of time. He had something to do, and it had to be done quickly. He was gleeful when Kubali thought he heard a strange noise and went to check it out. “You pulled it off, Griz’nik,” Gamu thought. “You’re totally unprincipled and ruthless. If you weren’t so irritating, we could be quite a pair.”
   Gamu used his moment alone with Elanna to fullest advantage. He watched Kubali leave, very intently. So intently that it got her curiosity. She was afraid that he was about to try and force himself on her. She mentally prepared herself for the struggle ahead, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. The fur on her neck and back began to rise and her ears went back.
   “Elanna, we need to talk.”
   “Oh??” She backed back a step.
   “When I first saw you two together, I felt like it was a match made by Aiheu himself. You seemed so happy.”
   “However??” She backed back another step. “You think it’s not working out??”
   “You’ve noticed too? I’m so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help.”
   “I bet you do.”
   He looked into her belligerent stare. “I realize this is all my fault. I should have never come back. I’m so sorry.”
   Her ears flicked forward. “Sorry? For what??”
   “You don’t know?? I thought he’d discussed it with you. I could understand him not wanting to. Maybe I should just leave.”
   She pressed the point. “Gamu, you say you’ve repented of your crimes. That you want to be good and start over. It would be a big step if you'd put my mind to rest. Be honest with me. He’s jealous of you. He thinks you’re trying to cut in on me. You are, aren’t you?”
   “Not exactly.”
   “We must be honest with each other. I will not tolerate lies from you. I’ve been very understanding, Gamu. I’ve given you the benefit of the doubt, but I must be able to trust you.”
   He tried to meet her glance, but could not.
   “If you would consent, I’d be on your back in a moment, girl. But you won’t and I understand. It’s not a crime to want someone, especially when they are so beautiful and charming. My one great crime was not my fault. I was given my mantlement because of Kubali.”
   “Are you blaming your crimes on him?”
   “What crime??” he asked impatiently. “Aiheu’s mane, Kubali loved me! Why would I want to hurt him??”
   “So he loved you. But you must have done SOMETHING.”
   “You don’t understand. Poor dear Lannie! He LOVED me. Every time he passed me, he used to run his paw over my thigh. ‘Crouch with me, Gamu! Don’t you find me handsome?’”
   She backed back and snarled. “Liar! You liar! How DARE you say that!”
   “You think I’m a liar??” He snarled back at her. “He wanted me all the time, and no one would believe me because he was the prince. Then one day the King saw his son nosing my butt. Do you think he punished Kubali?? No, he tried to hide ME away, thinking he could match him up with Penzi. The superstitious old goat believed the gods spoke in the bending of a twig. Because she was his betrothed, the King refused to see any possible outcome but Kubali crouching with Penzi and raising lots of little cubs. So he tossed me out into the wilderness to live or die by Aiheu’s whim, me too young to hunt properly! Then Kubali has the nerve to greet me like I’m some sort of plague when he finally found a lioness he could bear to make it with!”
   She cuffed him across the face. He felt of his cheek--there was no blood. “Claws in. At least I have some good luck left. I have lived a hard life, and I gave up on Aiheu being fair long ago.”
   She was almost instantly sorry. “I should not be so hasty to judge. I will hear your story, but may Aiheu have pity on you if you are lying to me!”
   “Of course, I never encouraged this. I never once said that I found him attractive, and I would make excuses to get away from him. If it’s any consolation, we never actually DID anything.”
   “But he and I made love!” Elanna insisted. “It was so special!”
   “I know, and I’m very glad for you. My one great sin was in coming here. I should have turned and run the moment I saw him. My dear, I know you well enough to feel remorse for this.” He showed her some small scratches on the turn of his thigh. “We were having a little wrestling match. I was having fun, but--alas--he found it quite stimulating. He bore me to the ground and began to--well--I shouldn’t be telling you this. I should have just left.”
   She sniffed the scratches. As she nosed his thigh, a half smile came over Gamu’s face. “Careful, Missy. Especially now. After all, you’re in season and I find it a big turn on when a lioness touches me there.”
   She looked away in disgust.
   “Just you be careful with him,” Gamu warned. “He’s made it with you but he’ll never pledge to you. At least not with me around. But say the word and I’ll go far away. I am rather fond of you, my dear, and I don’t want you to be deprived of your happiness and consolation, not after what you’ve been through.”
   She looked away. “He COULDN’T be attracted to you!”
   Gamu sighed. “You’re right. Whatever you say.” He then added, “But tell me, was he a little awkward? You know, in his technique? He wanted you, but he didn’t quite know what to do?”
   She looked at him, explosively angry. “How DARE you ask me that!”
   “But it’s true. I can tell by your reaction. He’s not a virgin, you know. Why do you think they sent him packing? Do you really think the lionesses wanted him out of there because he was impolite?? They found him crouching with Ajhada in the bushes and that’s why he was forced out. You can’t trust him around other males. My dear, you must always remain a rogue if you want him--if you love him. Always a rogue. Out here in the open, you have a chance. And who knows--being a father may change him like nothing else would.”
   She started to sob. He comforted her with a soft nuzzle. “Poor, dear Elanna! Your life has been a hell on earth. I’m so sorry, so sorry! If only things had been different and Aiheu had shown you to me first, I would have devoted my life to you.” He backed from her. “I’ll go now. You will never see me again. Still, I’ll even mend my ties to Aiheu so I can pray for you every night.”
   “No, don’t go.”
   “If you really wish it.”
   “I do.”
   Kubali came back. “It was nothing. Just a rabbit.”
   Gamu made a show of an overly affectionate greeting, kissing and rubbing Kubali full length. Innocently, Kubali closed his eyes and enjoyed the closeness. Elanna’s chin trembled.
   Kubali came to Elanna and tried to rub her but she backed away from him.
   “Don’t you TOUCH me!”
   “Lannie, honey tree, what’s wrong??”
   “You know EXACTLY what’s wrong!”
   Kubali looked at Gamu. “What have you been telling her??”
   “Not what you think. Only about how we used to play as cubs.”
   Elanna snarled at Kubali. “I never want to see you again. Get out!”
   “Out of what?? We’re out in the corridors, remember?? Now Lannie, don’t pull this nice-again, mad-again crap on me! I’ve tried hard to be a good mate, and I’ve put up with a lot from you!”
   “Well no longer! No more putting up with me! Get out!”
   “Aren’t you going to at least tell me what I did?”
   “You know what you did!”
   “Fine!”
   “OK!”
   Kubali turned in a huff and charged off into the savanna.

CHAPTER: STORMY WEATHER

   Gamu watched Kubali disappear into the distance, then when it was too late for her to cry out, he looked back around at her. “Lannie, will you ever get over this?”
   “Someday. Not today.”
   “Yeah, I suppose so.” Gamu sighed and rolled on his back.
   Elanna needed the comfort of another living Ka next to her. She came and laid next to Gamu and began to pine for Kubali. Then suddenly she looked about with a start. “You’re trembling.”
   “Am I?”
   “You feel like a leaf in the wind.”
   “So I do.”
   She rose and came about to face him. “What’s wrong, Gamu? Are you sick?”
   “I was never more well in my whole life.”
   “Then are you afraid?”
   “Afraid?” He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”
   “If you’re not afraid, why are you trembling?”
   He looked at her hungrily and intently. “You’re the one that said you hated a liar. You’re the one that wants the truth all the time. I asked you if you could ever get over him. You said someday.” He rose to his feet and faced her. “You are many things, but foolish is not one of them. I inhale the fragrance of a beautiful lioness in her receptive days and feel her warm body next to mine. Oh gods, I’m not made of stone! Ever since I first saw you, I fought my inclinations for Kubali’s sake. But now he’s gone, and I look at you lying there, so alone, so sad, so vulnerable, so very beautiful.”
   She backed back a step, but he advanced another two, bringing him almost nose to nose with her. “Here’s the truth, if you can handle it. I breathe in your essence and it spreads like fire through my being. Ever since I met you, I have had passionate fantasies of your soft, beautiful body under mine while I explore you and tremble. Oh gods, to know this pleasure would heal a world of hurts for me.”
   Her tail clamped firmly down and she trembled. “There’s no law against dreams. Not as long as they end when you wake up. I will defend myself if I must!”
   “Who said I would force myself on you? Lannie, I love you! Did you not question me in depth about my personal feelings? Did you not say you’d leave me if I lied to you? Gods, you’re beautiful and exciting and intelligent and so kind! You’ve had two lovers that I know of, while I am still as I came from my mother’s belly. You saved Taka from total dispair, and you pulled Kubali from the depths of his misery. You see before you a broken lion who has faced pain and hardship, much of it due to Kubali. I cry out for your redeeming love. Be my conscience, my faith, my principles. You could save me! Do you blame me if I tremble before you?? Teach me how to love, Elanna! To love deeply and well. Crouch for me! Please!”