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Chronicles Of The Pride Lands

A Story By

John Burkitt and David Morris



LEGAL NOTE:  This original copyrighted work by John Burkitt and David 
Morris is based on Walt Disney's feature film "The Lion King."  Elements 
taken directly from The Lion King are the property of The Walt Disney 
Company.  "Chronicles of the Pride Lands" is distributed free of charge 
excepting reasonable distribution costs.  Quoting passages from our 
work, writing original pieces based partly (or entirely) on our work, or 
using characters we created is fine as long as you secure prior 
approval.  That begins by sending either of us a copy of the work.  Our 
e-mail addresses are:

John H. Burkitt:  john.burkitt@nashville.com.
David A. Morris:	damorris@wilmington.net.

Your comments on our work, pro and con, are always welcome.  We have 
been asked about our legal note.  This is our official response: "The 
copyright is maintained solely to prevent patently vulgar or lewd misuse 
of our characters.  Most any work, including parodies would be fine as 
long as it meets certain reasonably broad standards of decency.  We 
reserve the right as copyright holders to define and change those 
standards.  None of these standards is meant to force the applicant to 
be consistant with the literary style or plot of the original work."

The characters Akase, Isha, and Malaika are the property of Brian 
Tiemann.  Used with permission.

Finally, this story is a fictional work.  All resemblance to any 
characters living or dead is purely coincidental.  Well actually not.  
With love and respect, we honor those who taught us how to laugh and 
cry.  Without acting as clear models for any one character, many great 
souls, some non-human, pressed their mark indellibly on the fabric of 
our lives.

REVISION NOTE: It is pointless to compare the old and new Chronicles for 
consistency.  Consistency WITHIN this version was more important that 
consistency with the older materials.  Many sharp-eyed readers pointed 
out a number of flaws in the old Chronicles of the Pride Lands, and 
those concerns have been addressed here.  We both request that all 
earlier versions of Chronicles of the Pride Lands be replaced by this 
later revision.



FOREWORD:

John H. Burkitt:

	With stirred emotions I watched the pagentry and color that was 
The Lion King.  Secretly I harbored the desire to meet these characters, 
to lavish upon them in person the great love I felt inside and share the 
joy that lit my countenance.
	My wish was granted here in The Chronicles.  I have lived for a 
moment in the company of great lives and experienced through my pen 
their triumphs and tragedies.  Humbly, I submit this work, holding it up 
on the pinnacle of Pride Rock.  Behold my son, for it truly is my son, 
and the end of the writing process is a form of saying farewell.  Asante 
sana!

                      				July 15, 1996, Nashville, 
Tennessee

David A. Morris:

	Back in late 1994 when I first saw The Lion King, the effect it 
had upon me was astounding.  Never before or since have I been so 
totally captivated by a story like this. The magic, the splendor, the 
wonder of it all swept me away.
	Within this work, I was presented with the opportunity to give 
something back to it, to express with the written word my love for a 
story which has deeply affected me in so many ways.  The paternal 
guidance of Mufasa, the wisdom of Rafiki, and the selfless friendship of 
Simba all have made a significant impact on my life, and so I set out to 
return a little of the magic, and maybe learn something about myself 
along the way.
	And once again, I got more than I bargained for.

                     				July 15, 1996, Wilmington, 
North Carolina



PRELUDE:


	The early morning sun reflected in Queen Akase's eyes.  King 
Ahadi looked into their fire and whispered the word "beloved."  
She smiled and nuzzled him, then kissed her new twin sons as if 
the four of them were alone in a private kingdom of love.
	But they were not alone.  Next to them Shaka, the King's 
brother, his wife Avina, and their twin daughters Sarabi and 
Elanna welcomed in the dawn.  And spread out across the plain in 
their tribes were the works of Aiheu the Beautiful in all their 
splendor-the solemn elephants, the tall giraffes, the lithe zebras 
with stripes more joyous than the brightest bird.  Side by side 
they stood, rank on rank, row on row.  And never was the fang 
shown, nor the claw bared.  They had come to celebrate the mystery 
of life through the presentation of the new Prince.  For that one 
day, death did not walk among them.

ZAZU:		Spread the tidings far and wide,
		Shout them from the mountainside!
		Cry Ai-heu a-ba-ma-mi all, because the Prince is 
born!

AKASE:	Our love, at last, has found its pure embodiment in you,
(TO TAKA)	Our love, at last, is visible in everything you do;
		The way you feel, the way you smile, the way you look at me,
		Will prove to all, beyond a doubt, how great a love can be.

		And how I love you!  You make the morning start.
		Joy streaming from my heart as I repeat your name:
		You great, your dreams will all come true,
(TO MUFASA)	But just for now remain my son, and let me comfort you.
		I want the best to give my sons, I offer all I own;
		What good is wealth and lands or health if one must live alone?

		And how I love you!  You make the morning start.
		Joy streaming from my heart as I repeat your name:
		You are my treasure, you came into my world,
		Whatever Fate may hold, my life won't be the same.

	Through the gathered hosts walked Makedde, the mandrill.  
Those near him drew back and cleared the way.  He blessed them 
with signs of Aiheu's love, touching the very young with 
outstretched fingers, and also the very old.
	Makedde forded the boulders that protected the base of Pride 
Rock, a warm shaft of stone whose sheltering arms protected lions 
from the uncertainties of night.  Up, up the winding trail he 
climbed until he reached the promontory of stone where destiny 
awaited.  As the world held its breath, Makedde approachsmall Mufasa and nodded 
gravely.
	"I touch your mane," Makedde said with deep respect.  
"Incosi aka Incosi, Great King."  He sprinkled Mufasa with 
powdered Alba and anointed his brow with Chrisum.  Then he picked 
up the small golden treasure and held him up.  A shaft of light 
broke through the morning clouds and lit the cub like a kiss of 
joy.  A child born of love who had known nothing but love in his 
short life looked over the admiring throng.  Through the shouts, 
through the clamor of the transformed crowd a voice of sweetness 
whispered through the light, "Makedde, will you protect him?"
	"With your help, Aiheu, I will not fail."
	Below, the crowd in respect and awe felt the presence of 
God, and they fell to the ground bowing, scraping and calling in 
their own tongues the words of worship each according to their own 
belief.  But Makedde did not hear them.  Taking the tender baby to 
his arms, he kissed him.  "May the wind blow kindly on you.  May 
the sun shine brightly on you.  May the gods take you to their 
heart."  A tear of joy ran down his face.
	Reluctantly, he lay the cub down by Akase.  Small Taka 
looked up expectantly, his eyes full of innocent curiosity.  With 
a smile, but some regret, Makedde cuddled the cub under the chin 
and felt the hum of his happy purr.  "This will be the wise one," 
Makedde whispered.  "He would have made a great king."


SCENE:  LEARNING THEIR LESSON


	Ahadi loved to play with his young sons.  But he also took 
time to see to their education.  Some lessons were naturally fun--
like stalking and pouncing.  Others were less fun, but equally 
important.
	Mufasa was always good at stalking and pouncing, and he held 
his own wrestling with his brother Taka whom he almost always 
beat.  But Taka could listen to hours of the Chronicles of the 
Kings and the Law of the Pride while Mufasa would start to squirm 
and follow the distant herds with his eyes.
	Ahadi found Taka a thirsty sponge, and flattered by the rapt 
attention he got, he drew on all the learning of a lifetime and 
told him many wonderful and strange things on the inspiring 
setting of the promontory.
	"The words of wisdom are sometimes hardest to hear," Ahadi 
said.  "N'ga and Sufa, the sons of Ramalah ignored their father's 
teachings, and it would bring them to grief.  For a father teaches 
out of love, and to reject his teachings is to refuse his love.  
It's the same with us, my sons.  I would not have you come to 
grief...."  Ahadi paused, glanced at Mufasa who was wrapped up in 
his own daydream, winked at Taka, and kept right on going in the 
same voice.  "And it was in this time that a certain lion cub 
watched the plains for wildebeests, dreaming of the day when he 
would have no more lessons to learn.  And doing so, he stuffed his 
head with dead grass instead of knowledge."  He added with some 
emphasis: "Isn't that so, Mufasa??"
	"Yes, father."
	Taka laughed and rolled about, singing,  "Dead grass, dead 
grass, nyah-nyah-na-nyah-nyah!"
	"What's so funny??"  Mufasa looked at Taka with irritation, 
but his father scowled, and he looked down embarrassed.
	"Taka, what were we talking about?" Ahadi knew he could rely 
on him.
	"There were these two brothers N'ga and Sufa.  They were 
very famous.  One day N'ga got into this fight with Sufa over this 
girl.  Not just any girl, because she was white as clouds and 
magic, see, and if one of them married her, their kingdom would be 
great.  But she was one swell number, and they both wanted her to 
marry them.  So they went down by this lake (and this is the 
really neat part)--they fought all day and all night without 
stopping.  And they fought the second day."
	He began walking around Mufasa as he talked.  "They fought 
all the third day.  They didn't sleep either.  They fought for 
five whole days and nights, cause she was such a babe, and they 
were so stubborn that neither one would give in.  And on the fifth 
day, they both fell asleep at the same time.  And while they were 
asleep, the girl sneaked out and married a magic lion with powers 
like hers, and boy did N'ga and Sufa feel like a couple of 
idiots!"
	"Good job!"  Ahadi nuzzled Taka.  "And such a unique 
interpretation."
	Mufasa looked dejected.
	"Come here, Muffy."  Ahadi pulled Mufasa over with his paw 
and nuzzled him.  "I wish you could play all the time if that's 
what you really want.  But you need to learn the skills of 
leadership.  Besides, while I learned these lessons from my father 
it was a special time for us to spend together.  Enjoy this time 
while it lasts, and make the most of it."
	"I try.  Really I do."
	"I know.  But remember that I don't love you for how smart 
you are or how strong you are.  I love you because you're my sons.  
Whatever gifts Aiheu gives you, you need to make the most of them, 
and that takes education.  Understand?"
	"Yes, Dad."
	Ahadi smiled indulgently.  "Why don't you two go play for a 
while."
	The cubs gamboled away, but Ahadi shouted, "Whoa!  Aren't 
you forgetting something?"
	Muffy and Taka ran back and gave their dad a quick kiss.


SCENE:  WHATEVER THE LIGHT TOUCHES


	The next morning, Ahadi rose earlier than was his custom.  
Stealthily, he crept over to where his twin sons lay side by side, 
and with the most careful nudge touched Mufasa.  The cub shifted 
but did not rouse.  He pressed again, a little harder, and stirred 
Mufasa from his sleep.  Muffy looked up a little surprised and 
irritated, but Ahadi touched his mouth with his paw and silently 
jerked his head about to say "follow me."  His interest piqued, 
Muffy struggled to his feet quietly and began to follow his father 
out of the cave.
	Taka, who was a light sleeper, felt a cold place on his back 
where it was warm before.  He grunted and pushed himself back 
toward a brother that was not there.  Sleepily he felt around with 
a paw, then looked about and just caught a glimpse that he was 
missing something important.
	On stealthy paws, he stirred himself and crept out onto the 
platform that served as his spectacular front porch.  There in the 
light of the early morning sun sat father and son.  Mufasa leaned 
against his father, gold rimmed in the splendor of daybreak.
	"Why wasn't I invited?" Taka wondered.  He wanted to bury 
himself in the fragrant softness of his father's mane and enjoy 
the sunrise.  For a moment, he considered snuggling up on the 
other side.  Then Muffy said, "What's up, Dad?"
	"Shhh!  You'll wake Taka."
	Taka enjoyed secrets, so he crouched in the doorway where he 
could see and not be seen.
	"See what the light touches," Ahadi purred softly.  "That is 
the boundary of my kingdom.  I sit here sometimes and look at it 
and it humbles me.  So many peoples depend on me, and I must put 
their needs above my own.  But it has been wonderful.  It is 
always wonderful to be needed, especially when you always do your 
best to meet those needs.  Someday you will know that feeling when 
I am gone, for I have chosen you to follow me."
	"Me?"  Muffy looked genuinely surprised.  "Whoa, neat!"
	Taka gasped.  "No!  It's not fair!" formed on his lips, but 
no sound came out.
	Muffy said, with some difficulty, "But Taka has always been 
the smart one.  I thought sure he'd be King.  He knows 
everything."
	"Not everything, son, though he is very bright.  You're 
bright too, though you need to apply yourself more in your 
studies.  I brought you out here in the hope that you would work 
harder if you knew what was at stake.  What you are learning is 
the wisdom of our people.  You are the future king.  As long as 
you know how to be a good king, you will have lionesses who can 
chase wildebeests."  Ahadi sighed deeply.  "The decision was not 
easy.  Don't tell Taka just yet.  Right now, it's our little 
secret."
	"Why is it a secret, Dad?"
	"Because as you say, Taka is smart.  He tries so hard.  If 
he knew he would not be King, he may be discouraged and waste the 
talents that Aiheu gave him.  Much as you were tempted to do."  He 
looked deeply but not judgementally into Mufasa's eyes.  "You know 
I speak the truth, don't you.  You are very clever when you want 
to be."  He sighed deeply.  "This should have been a happy 
occasion.  Instead it breaks my heart.  I wish I had a kingdom to 
give each of you, but I don't."
	"Why can't we cut it in half.  He can take that half, and 
I'll take this?"
	"That's very kind of you, Muffy, but it won't work.  Hunting 
would be poor in a smaller kingdom.  Accept fate--the whole 
kingdom belongs to both of you, but you will be King, and he will 
not.  That's why I taught you the story of N'ga and Sufa.  If you 
always fight and can never agree, the prize will often go to 
another.  If you love Taka, and I know you do, you will say 
nothing for now.  I want to tell him in my own way when the time 
is right.  I will be gentle."
	"I see."  Mufasa said thoughtfully, "I want to be King 
someday, but I sure feel bad about Taka.  I won't tell till you 
say it's OK."
	Ahadi smiled.  "Maybe you have to work harder on your 
lessons, but you have a good heart.  That was my greatest hope, to 
leave this world without worries or regrets.  When I think of you 
as King after me, I feel no worries or regrets."
	For a moment, Taka was very angry, but his anger soon 
changed to hurt.  Head bowed and ears flattened, he sneaked back 
to the warmth and comfort of his mother.


SCENE:  NO TIME FOR NAPS


	"Minshasa, cloud white, borne upon the breast of the savanna 
like a dream of love.  Who that bears the mane shall look upon her 
visage and remain unsmitten?  Minshasa, the voice of tender 
longings.  Minshasa, beloved of the gods.  Beware, my sons, her 
awful charms!"

                                -- RAMALLAH, FROM LEONID SAGA, "D" 
SECTION, VARIATION 1

	Akase was worried about Taka.  She had a lioness' 
sensitivity to how her own cubs felt, and she knew Taka was not 
feeling well.  He moped about.  At times he would not meet her 
eyes.  At other times he would stare into them as if he were 
trying to see something deep inside.
	Even Ahadi could tell something was amiss.  He nudged the 
small cub playfully with his nose.  "Something got you down, Taka?"
	"No sir."
	"You can tell your Dad.  I know--how about a nice story?  
You know, one of the Great Kings of the Past.  Have I ever told 
you about Moko Greatmane?"
	"Yes sir."  Taka sighed deeply.  Ahadi started to say 
something, but Akase silently shook her head and mouthed, "No."
	Ahadi gave his son a warm lion kiss on the cheek.  "I love 
you, son.  You know there is nothing you can't tell me when you're 
good and ready."
	Taka looked up pitifully.  "Do you, Dad?  Do you still love me?"
	Ahadi bit his lip.  "Oh gods.  Don't you know?"  Deeply 
affected, he stared at the cub for a while, then wandered off a 
few steps to sit facing the distant mountains.
	Akase was a little sharp.  "What on earth made you say that?  
Of course he loves you.  Look how you hurt him!"  She softened her 
tone.  "Honey tree, what ever made you think he didn't love you?"
	"Well I...."  Taka could tell her the truth, but she would 
know he had spied on his father.  He struggled with the burden for 
a moment, then said, "I was just asking, that's all.  I'm sorry."
	Quietly, Taka went over a secret list of every foolish thing 
he'd ever done, wondering which one condemned him to be second 
place for life.  Was it the time he sneaked away without telling 
Mom?  Was it the time he pulled that practical joke on Uzuri and 
she got so upset with him?  Maybe Uzuri told Dad, even though he'd 
begged her not to?  Should he have the nerve to ask?  No.  Of 
course not.  He was not even supposed to know anything about it.  
Besides, after his Dad told Muffy his decision, it would be too 
late to change anything.
	It was nearly noon, time for Taka's nap, but Mufasa gamboled 
up like a box of rubber balls, so full of cubhood enthusiasm that 
he was about to burst.  His mood was contagious.  "Taka, you just 
gotta see this!"
	"Gotta see what?"
	"What is it, son?" Akase purred.  "Another hedgehog?  A 
meerkat perhaps?"
	"Well, it's--"  His tail twitched.  "Yeah, a meerkat."
	"What's so great about a meerkat?  We see them all the 
time," Taka said, sulking.  "It's almost noon.  It's hot enough to 
melt your brain, if you had one."
	"But this meerkat is DIFFERENT," Mufasa said with a sly 
wink.  Taka saw the way Mufasa's tail twitched, something that 
always happened when he told a lie.  He half-smiled with a toothy, 
wry grin.
	"Different, eh?"  Taka was shaken out of his self-pity.  
"Well, I guess so.  Is it okay, Mom?"
	"If you're back soon.  You've been kind of under the weather 
today."
	Almost before she could finish her sentence, Mufasa and Taka 
bounded off like a shot, startling a flock of noisy guinea fowl 
into a conniption.  They headed through the deep grass of the 
plain, stopping once in a while to stand up above the grass like 
furry jack-in-the-boxes.
	Deep in grass though they were, young Sarabi saw them 
fording the broomsedge and knew there must be something up worth 
seeing.  She hurried across the rocks and plunged into the green 
waves.  Before long, she joined them, panting.
	"So what's up?" Sarabi asked.
	"Oh, nothing," Mufasa said.  "We were practicing--stalking."  
His tail twitched.
	"Every time you're up nothing," Sarabi said, "You're up to 
something."
	"We are going to look at--a meerkat," Taka volunteered.
	"A meerkat?" Sarabi asked, a little unconvinced.  She saw 
his nose twitch, a sure sign that he was lying.
	"Well, this one is different," Taka said.
	"Then I want to see, too," Sarabi said.
	"Good work, lame brain," Mufasa half-snarled.  He cuffed 
Taka soundly on the cheek.  Taka growled and cuffed him back.  
These were done with the claws in, like the well-bred lions they 
were, but they started wrestling full-tilt.
	Muffy was stronger, and he fought cleanly.  Taka was a 
determined opponent, and before long he started snapping at ears 
and tails.  As the fight threatened to turn really ugly, Sarabi 
started running little circles around them, distressed.
	"Stop it!  Stop it right now!"  Sarabi was highly indignant.  
"We'll never see that stupid old meerkat at this rate--if there 
ever was one."
	She had no effect.  The snarls began to sound more serious.  
Taka was losing, as he usually did, but he wasn't giving up.  "Say 
Uncle!"
	"Not till you--ow!--stop calling me names!  Just cause 
you're bigger than I am doesn't make you smarter!"
	Sarabi shouted, "I'll tell your mother if you don't stop!  
You're both lame brains sometimes."
	"We're just funning," Mufasa said, on top.
	"Yeah.  We didn't mean anything," Taka said, wiggling out 
from beneath, and giving Mufasa one last hard swat with his claws out.
	Sarabi looked Taka over, and seeing a small spot of blood on 
his right ear felt very motherly, began to clean it with her 
tongue.  
	Taka could always count on her sympathy, but he wanted to 
look more grown at the moment.  "Doesn't hurt."
	"You're bleeding."
	"Oh, it's nothing.  Really."
	"Yeah, really," Mufasa said, cleaning a nasty cut on the 
back of his paw by himself.  "Well, if you insist on coming, 
there's this honey badger near the forest.  He's white--whiter 
than clouds.  You remember when N'ga and Sufa were fighting over 
that white lioness because she was magic and could grant wishes?"
	"You mean Minshasa?"  Taka thought a moment.  "Oh yeah!  But 
you can't marry a badger.  Or can you?"
	"I don't want to marry it.  I only want a wish."
	"What are you going to wish for, Muffy?"
	Mufasa smiled an embarrassed smile.  "That's why I wanted 
you to come.  I want you to sit with me when I join the great 
kings of the past.  Dad wants me to be King when he dies."
	"I heard him.  I was hiding behind a rock when he told you."
	"You shouldn't spy on people," Mufasa said sternly, but he 
added, "Maybe you won't be a king in this life, but if the badger 
really gives wishes, you'll be a king when you die."
	"Really?"  Taka was in transports.  "You'd do that for me?  
What a neat idea!"  He was very demonstrative, and he nuzzled 
Mufasa.  "You're the best!  You said wanted to give me half of the 
Pride Lands.  I heard you."
	"Yeah.  But it's not going to happen, so don't tell anyone I 
said that."
	"I won't.  It doesn't matter now, but it was really neat.  
You're the best, Muffy!"  He laughed and took a swat at his 
brother.  The two of them got into a wrestling match, giggling and 
squirming.  Both of them did their utmost, butut as usual Mufasa 
quickly won, pinning Taka.
	Mufasa had to smile a little inside.  He was glad he didn't 
wish for something selfish.  Still holding Taka down, he said, 
"Look, when Dad tells you I'm the new King, you act surprised.  
You'd better.  You know he'd cuff you good for spying on us."
	"I want to be where Taka is," Sarabi said.  "Either I get to 
sit with Taka, or I'm telling on both of you!"
	"That's going to be my wish," Taka said.  He squirmed out 
from under Mufasa, went and nuzzled her.  "Now what are you going 
to wish for?"
	Sarabi gave Taka a quick tongue touch on the cheek.  "You'll 
find out."
	With this settled, the three cubs headed toward the burrow 
at the edge of the acacia grove.



SCENE:  THE BURROW


	The entrance to the burrow was a forbidding black hole.  
Mufasa started to enter it, but the opening was barely large 
enough for a regular cub to squeeze in properly, not really enough 
to maneuver in.  Mufasa was a bit large for his age, and he had no 
hope of getting down there.  He suggested that they call the 
badger out.
	"Hello in there!"
	There was no reply.
	"Come out, badger.  I can hear you breathing in there, so I 
know you're at home."
	They waited several moments.  Nothing happened.
	"Let's go," Sarabi said.  "Looks like he's a no-show."
	"Wait.  I think he's holding out on us."  He yelled down the 
hold, "I'm Prince Mufasa-I'm going to be King someday, and I'm 
making you my prisoner.  If you want to get free, you'll have to 
bless me and my friends!"
	They could indeed hear the sound of muffled breathing coming 
from the depths of the tunnel.  Carried by the walls of the 
burrow, it sounded loud like the sound of the sea in a shell, and 
it was quick, almost urgent and upset.  They didn't know if he was 
afraid or angry.
	"Maybe he's deaf, Your Majesty," Taka said with a laugh.  
"You pulled me all the way over here for a hole in the ground?  I 
bet it's a rabbit.  Just a scared little rabbit!  And YOU called 
ME a lame brain!"
	"But there was a white badger here, honest!"  Mufasa looked 
at Taka, then at Sarabi.  "You do believe me, don't you?  I mean, 
does this smell like a rabbit to you??"
	Taka sniffed carefully of the opening.  He'd never smelled a 
honey badger before, but he knew it was not a rabbit.  It was 
strange and pungent, and full of possibilities.  "I've come this 
far," Taka said.  "If I'm going to get my wish, I guess I have to 
go in there."
	"You'll never do it," Mufasa said, looking at the dark hole 
with a barely repressed shudder.  "He sounds really angry.  
Besides, it's dark in there, and you're afraid of the dark."
	"Says who?"
	"Says me, that's who!  You always think the hyenas are going 
to get you.  Sometimes you won't go to sleep till high moon, then 
you have bad dreams."
	Taka was deeply stung.  Often he would wake with the same 
nightmare of being ripped apart by hyenas.  Akase, always 
listening with a mother's ear, would be there quickly to comfort 
him with warm kisses that smelled like lioness love and let him 
rest his head on her soft belly until he fell asleep to the music 
of her breath.  He never knew if he also woke Mufasa.  Now, there 
was no doubt.  Taka's stomach knotted.  He looked at the hole and 
knew what he must do.
	Sarabi could see the fear and cuddled up next to Taka.  
"Don't do it if you don't want to.  I sure wouldn't."
	"That's cause you're a girl," Taka said, but he looked at 
her kindly.  Then he faced the dark hole.  "I'm not afraid of the 
dark.  I'm not afraid of the badger.  I'm a lion, and lions aren't 
afraid..."  He looked over at Muffy.  "...no matter WHAT their 
brothers think."
	With stooped shoulders and head held low, Taka angled down 
the steep passageway.  As he reluctantly headed down the dark 
shaft, inch by inch, he kept talking.  "We're not going to hurt 
you.  We just want you to give us a wish, see?  There are three of 
us, so that's three wishes."  The sound of breathing from the 
depths grew faster, as did Taka's.  "Three wishes ought to be real 
easy for someone like you.  I mean, what's three wishes for a real 
Nisei?"  Silence.  "Please say something.  Anything."
	"Hey Taka," Mufasa said, "You don't have to do it."  He 
stuck his head in the hole and said, "I'm sorry I called you a dim 
wit."
	"It was lame brain," Sarabi said.
	"Whatever." Mufasa snapped.  "Hey Taka, come back.  I was 
only funning about you being afraid of the dark."  He grew 
impatient.  "Taka, I SAID I WAS SORRY, all right??  Now come out 
of there or I'll tell mother!"
	"Don't block up the hole," Sarabi said.  She listened 
carefully at the entrance.  "What's he doing down there?"
	"How should I know?  Hush."
	They heard Taka's voice from the depths of the tunnel.  It 
was distant, thin and stammering.  "We don't want to hurt you.  
You see, my brother Mufasa is going to be King when he grows up, 
but I'm just his brother.  He had this idea that if I could sit 
with...."
	There was a low rumbling from the depths.  It sounded like a 
growl.
	"Please help me.  I'm scared.  It's so dark in here."  It 
was Taka.  Mufasa and Sarabi did not know if he was talking to the 
badger or to them.  Mufasa tried to push his way down the hole.
	It was a tight fit, and he realized he wouldn't be much 
help.  He started digging.
	"Don't!"  Sarabi pulled him back.  "It will cave in!"
	"But he's in trouble."
	"If he gets buried, he'll really be in trouble."  She looked 
in the opening.  "Taka, are you OK?"
	"Is that you, Sassie?"
	"Please come out.  If you love me, come out."
	"In a minute."
	"Not in a minute!  Right now!"
	The sounds of breathing quickened again.  There were some 
sounds of movement.  Then silence.  After a moment, Mufasa looked 
at Sarabi.  "I didn't think he'd do it.  Either he's very brave or 
very stupid."
	"He's not stupid," Sarabi said firmly.  "If you hadn't 
called him stupid, he wouldn't be down there!  Just because he's 
smaller than you are doesn't mean he's stupid."  She called out 
more loudly.  "Please come out!  You're scaring me!"
	Just then there was a loud, menacing growl and a cub's 
shriek of agony.  "I'm going!  Oh Gods!  Let me go!  Let me go, 
you're hurting me!"  They could hear Taka trying to back out.
	Muffy started digging furiously.  "Taka!!"  Dust flew from 
his paws, and he managed to work his head in.  "Hold on: I can see 
your tail!  Come back a little more.  Give me a few more inches!"
	Mufasa grabbed at the tail and pulled with all his might.  
Sarabi grabbed Muffy's tail, and trying not to hurt him too much 
gave a yank.  Taka came stumbling out of the hole backward, his 
face covered in blood, and one of his eyes protruding from its 
socket.  The white badger came out after him, but saw the other 
two cubs raise the fur on their backs and snarl.  Thinking twice 
about its options, it reluctantly went back in its hole.  Taka 
laid on the ground shivering.  "Oh gods!  It hurts!  Somebody help 
me!  I want my momma!"
	Mufasa stared at the unseeing eye in a pool of blood.  It 
took a moment for him to tear himself away from the horror and 
move.  "I'll get Mom--no, I'd better get Makedde."  He started 
off, then stopped.  "No, he'd have to come back here.  Can you 
walk, Taka?"
	Taka struggled off the ground and began to limp.  Blood 
dripped down his face and onto the grass.  "I'll try.  Is it very 
far?"
	"No.  Just follow me."


SCENE:  THE PROPHESY


	"Three things there are which cannot be called back.  The 
spilled wine, the sped arrow, and the spoken word."

                                      -- MENELAEUS OF NAXOS

	It was a long trek to Makedde's home in the baobab tree.  In 
the hot sun, the blood began to cake in Taka's fur, and flies 
mercilessly swarmed around him.  His gait was unsteady, and try 
though he did, his bravery could only stretch so far.
	"How much further is it?"
	"Just a little more," Mufasa said.
	"That's what you said the last time."  Taka began panting 
uncontrollably.  "It hurts.  Do you think he'll have something for 
the pain?"
	"He has stuff for everything," Sarabi said.  "Don't worry, 
Taka.  Everything will be all right."
	"How much further is it?"
	Sarabi got ahead of him and looked into his face.  His good 
eye did not seem to focus.  She realized he was following the 
sound of Muffy's feet.  "You must keep going," Sarabi said.  "Do 
it for me."
	Loss of blood and the pain was sending Taka into shock, and 
he was getting weak in the limbs.  "Sassie, I don't think I can 
make it."
	"You can make it," she said, leaning into him.  "Taka, did 
you hear the one about the two wildebeests and the zebra?"
	"No."
	"Well there was these two wildebeests, and one said to the 
other, `I bet I can get that zebra to laugh before you can.  So he 
went to the zebra and said, `Watch this!'  He stood on his head 
and stuck out his tongue.  But the zebra didn't laugh.  So you 
know what the other wildebeest did?"
	"What wildebeest?  I don't see any."  He stumbled and lay 
still in the grass.
	"Get up, Taka!  Come on, you got to keep going!"
	She nudged his flank with her nose, prodded him with her 
paws, and even tugged on his ear.  "Get up!"
	"I can't."
	"You have to!"  She nipped his leg.
	"Ow!"  He looked directly at her.
	"Get up or I'll nip you again."
	Muffy put his snout under Taka and pushed.  With a little 
help from his brother, Taka stood again and began to stumble 
along.   "I can see it from here.  Oh thank God."
	Makedde, the sage Mandrill Baboon, was teaching his younger 
brother Rafiki how to divine the future with a bowl of water.  
This technique, called scrying, is the best way to tell the 
future.  For water, they say, has risen higher than birds fly and 
it returns to Earth charged with the energy of the gods.  This is 
so, for any lion sees the new green in the grass after a rain.
	Makedde dropped his work at once when he saw the blood 
spattered cub and his two friends.  "Rafiki, mix a poultice 
quick!"  He looked at Taka's eye closely.  "Oh Master Taka, what 
have you done now!"
	Makedde held up his hand on one side of Taka's head, then 
the other.  "No sight on that side.  This is bad.  Very bad.  But 
perhaps I can fix it."
	Makedde got some moistened Alba from Rafiki and squeezed it 
on the ground.  The dust became mud, and he took this mud 
carefully in his hand.
	"These are badger marks," Makedde said.  "If I couldn't see 
it, I could sure smell it."  He shook his head.  "What on earth 
possessed you to play with the badgers?  You know they are 
dangerous."
	"It was a white badger," Taka said.  "I wanted to get a 
wish, like N'ga and Sufa."
	"Oh I see."  He frowned.  "You don't know the difference 
between a white lioness and a white badger!  So you wanted a wish, 
did you?"
	"It was my idea," Mufasa said.  "When we died, I wanted my 
brother to sit by me with the great kings of the past."
	Makedde sighed.  "Noble sentiment indeed.  But all living 
things are precious to Aiheu.  He gathers them all to himself and 
sits them where he will, not according to bravery or strength of 
body, but by the immortal Ka."  He washed his hands in a basin.  
"If your Ka is full of love and wisdom, it does not matter if you 
are smaller than your brother."  He patted Taka.  "Courage, little 
one."  Taka gnashed his teeth.  His good eye closed tightly and 
his ears went back.
	Makedde was gentle with the lion cub.  The cool mud 
surrounded Taka's damaged eye, not hurting as badly as he thought 
it would.  Then with a press of his paw, Makedde popped the still-
intact eye back into its socket.  With infinite care, Makedde took 
water from a gourd dipper and washed away the mud a few grains at 
a time.  "Don't squint.  It makes my job harder."
	When all the blood was washed away, and the eye was clear, 
Makedde got a twig of Dwe'dwe and broke it in half.  A single drop 
of resin came out, and Makedde skillfully ran it the length of 
Taka's cut, pressing the sides of the wound together carefully 
with his fingers.  He blew on it a few times to make sure the 
wound would stay closed.
	Rafiki brought a gourd of water for Taka.  Makedde added 
some herbs for building blood, relieving pain, and a small pinch 
of Tiko Root for good measure to prevent infection.  Finally he 
added some honey.  "It won't taste good, but it will feel good."
	Taka found the mixture bearable, but he was terribly thirsty 
after losing so much blood in the heat.  And it did feel good.
	It seemed like an eternity to Sarabi before Makedde was 
finished.  She worked up the courage to ask, "Will that eye work 
again?"
	"Rafiki," Makedde asked, "You heard the lady.  What will 
come of Taka?"
	Rafiki was nervous.  It was his first time to scry for 
another.  So he looked into the water thoughtfully, trying to 
remember all his brother taught him.  A wind came out of the west 
and stirred the water.  It carried with it the odor of decay.  The 
ripples died down, and he gasped.  "Wait, something appears.  It 
tells me...."
	"What?" Sarabi asked impatiently.
	Rafiki stared into the water as one possessed.  His voice 
deepened and was labored.  "The road is long and hard.  Those who 
smile to your face bare their teeth as you leave."  He left the 
bowl and stooped in front of Taka.  Pointing his finger 
accusingly, he said, "Friends come from unlikely places, then 
abandon you in your hour of need.  He who is first to touch you 
shall beget your doom, and she who gives you love shall let it 
turn to hate."
	"Rafiki!" Makedde shouted.  "Control it!  It's an evil 
spirit!"
	"Anger is your only salvation," Rafiki muttered, gripping 
Taka by the fur of his cheek.  "Arm yourself with cruel hate.  
Take what is yours, for it shall not be freely given."
	Taka broke away and tried to hide behind Sarabi and Mufasa, 
crouching low and trembling.  "No!  It's not so!  Tell me it's not 
so!"
	"Stop it!"  Makedde shook him violently.  "Stop it in the 
name of the gods!"
	Rafiki looked wild-eyed as if he'd seen a ghost.  It took 
him a few moments to come to himself.  "Brother?  What happened to 
me?  I could not control myself.  I was a stick, and some hand was 
swinging me!"
	Mufasa was horrified.  "Is this going to happen for sure?  
Can't we stop it?"
	Rafiki went behind Muffy and Sassie to look at the cringing 
Taka.  "Don't be afraid, my son."  He stroked the trembling child.  
"Oh gods, that was not me speaking.  That was not me.  I love you.  
I would never say such things.  You must love, always love, the 
way I love you.  Forgive me.  Please forgive me."  He wept.
	"My brother did not know what he was saying," Makedde said 
sternly.  "He did not control the water-the water controlled him.  
Smell the reek of death in the air?  Evil spirits often come to 
speak, and they use a half-truth to bring mischief into the world.  
When I can see you alone, Taka, I'll tell your future and I will 
do it right."
	Taka started to cry.  "Do they really hate me?"
	"No, Taka," Mufasa said firmly.  Then he looked a little 
embarrassed.  "We all love you, even if you do get in trouble all 
the time."
	"But what if it's right?" Sarabi asked.  "I mean if its a 
half-truth, doesn't that mean half of it is true?"
	"None of it's true," Mufasa said.  He went to his brother 
and draped his paw over Taka's shoulder.  "There--I'm the first 
one to touch you.  I'm your bestest friend in the world, so you 
don't have to worry any more."
	"And I'm the one that loves you most," Sarabi said aloud, 
not caring who heard it for once.  "When we grow up, I'm going to 
marry you."  Without thinking, she touched Taka's face with her 
warm tongue.  The taste of blood reminded her of her mistake.  "Oh 
Taka, are you all right?"
	Taka stared at her, then tilted his head.  He smiled.  "I 
can see you!  I can see you with both eyes!"  He nuzzled her 
affectionately.  "You would never hurt me, would you, Sassie?"
	"Never!  Not in a million years."
	Taka gave her a weak lick.  "We will always be together, I 
promise.  You did mean it--about marrying me--didn't you?"
	"Yes, Taka.  That was going to be my wish."
	He smiled.  "I just know I'm going to catch it when I get 
home, but it was worth it.  Really.  Will you walk home with me?"
	"Of course I will," Sarabi said.
	"Dad won't spank you," Mufasa said.  "You don't spank 
someone when they're hurt.  You know, you REALLY should have come 
out when I told you to.  Maybe you'll listen next time."
	"Yeah."  He looked at Mufasa closely.  "Does it show?  Do 
you think Mom will notice?"
	Muffy looked at him carefully as if he were trying to make 
up his mind, but it was no contest.  "She'll notice all right.  I 
think it's going to leave a scar."
	The three cubs bounded off as quickly as Taka could keep up.  
After they were quite a way from the Baobab, Rafiki said, 
"Brother, I'm quite sure of what I saw.  I don't know why I said 
it, but I knew it was so."
	"I know," Makedde said.  "But sometimes it is in the telling 
that things come true.  You did not pray for guidance first--you 
left yourself unprotected.  Evil spirits just wait for chances 
like this.  They speak their piece, filling innocent little heads 
with foul thoughts to stir up trouble.  Sometimes silence is the 
wisest prophesy of all."
	Rafiki hung his head.  "I am so ashamed.  Can't I undo it, 
brother?  Is there nothing I can do?"
	Makedde went back to the scrying pool.  He looked deeply 
into the water.  For a long time he saw nothing, because his head 
was too full of worries.  Then there was a gentle breeze from the 
east and on the wind was wafted the comforting scent of wild 
honey.  The wind stirred the surface of the water, and after it 
had passed, the power of a blessed spirit had dispelled the 
shadows.
	Makedde stared like one in a trance.  "Rafiki, if you would 
hear the words of Aiheu, pay attention.  For a little truth is 
like a little branch that will not reach to the choice fruit."
	The young mandrill fell on his face.  "Speak, Lord."
	"The evil which you have set free, you must also bind.  All 
the years of your life shall you toil to undo a careless moment.  
Milk and mud join quickly, but do they separate quickly?  Your 
words have made the milk unfit to drink, yet I have not forsaken 
you.  For if milk and mud are my creations, I can appoint whom I 
please to separate them, and it will be done."



SCENE:  THE TOKEN


	It is difficult, if not impossible, to hide a fight from 
parents with a hunter's instincts and an excellent sense of smell.  
Taka saw the pain in his mother's eyes as he described the 
incident in the badger hole to her, and felt mixed sadness and 
gladness.  It was a strange kind of gladness that warms the heart 
when tears and sympathy spring from love.  She pulled him to her 
side and began to nuzzle him and kiss him.
	His father Ahadi left early without much to say.  Secretly, 
Taka had hoped he'd feel a little guilty for making Muffy his 
heir, and reconsider whom is the bravest of the two.  Instead, all 
Ahadi did was say, "I'll be back."
	Akase kept the wound clean with her tongue, but even so it 
began to be stiff and throb with each beat of his heart.  Taka 
began to moan as the pain made each movement painful.  He wanted 
to rest, but he could not sleep but the most fitful of naps.
	"How long is this going to hurt?"
	"I don't know, son."  Akase began to lick the wound again 
tenderly.  "I'll see if Makedde has something for the pain."
	"I can't stand it anymore," Taka said.  "Please see what he 
has.  My whole face is burning.  I have a headache."
	"I don't know where Zazu went.  I'll have to send your 
father as soon as he comes back."
	"Where has he gone?"
	"I don't know, but I have my suspicions."
	"I hope he comes back soon.  Real soon."
	"So do I."  He closed his eyes and tried to sleep again.
	Sarabi came by.  "How is he?"
	"Resting."
	"Is he hurting?"
	"Yes, the poor dear.  As soon as Ahadi comes back, I'll send 
him for Makedde."
	"I'll go," Sarabi insisted.  She did not word it as a 
question, and without waiting for a reply, she headed for the 
distant baobab tree.
	Taka's fragile sleep was fraught with dreams.  His legs 
jerked, and his mouth and ears twitched.  "It's so dark in here," 
he muttered.  "Let me go.  Let me go!"  Akase didn't know whether 
or not to wake him.  But the decision was soon made by another.
	"Son, wake up!"
	Taka rolled over and opened his eyes.  He saw the large 
hazel eyes of his father looking down on him.  He was dusty.  A 
trace of blood was on his lips, and his nose had been scratched 
and was bleeding.  Taka started.
	Looking down beside him, he saw the white badger stained 
crimson with blood.
	"He won't hurt you again."
	"Dad, you're bleeding."
	"Am I?"  He half-smiled.  "I think he got a little desperate 
when I found his secret exit.  Is it my nose?"
	"Yes."  Tears began to roll down Taka's cheeks.  "I love 
you."
	"I love you too.  You do believe me, don't you?"
	Taka ran and buried himself in Ahadi's mane, kissing his 
wounded nose and nuzzling him.  "Promise we'll always be friends.  
Promise?"
	"Better yet, I'll swear it."  He smiled broadly.  "You 
feeling better, champ?"
	"You bet!"
	"Now do you want that story?"
	"Sure!"
	Just then, Yolanda walked up.  She glanced at Taka's face, 
and before she could catch herself, said, "Oh my God!  What 
happened to him??"
	Taka quickly hid his face in horror.



SCENE:  CORBAN!


	Avina was always a free-spirited lioness.  She enjoyed 
hunting with her Pride sisters as much as any other lioness, but 
she also liked to try her skill at stalking prey alone like a 
leopard.  She was uncommonly good at it, as good in single hunting 
as Uzuri was at leading a group hunt.  So even though she married 
the King's brother and should be setting a good example for the 
others, she continued to make solitary forays into the savanna.
	To keep from disrupting the night's hunt, she would stalk by 
day.  Spoiling the evening stalk for the other lionesses would be 
unforgivable.  But hunting by day only increased the challenge, 
and she relished each kill she could win for the Pride as she 
showed it off proudly.  "I did it by myself, and in broad 
daylight," she would boast.  The others did not mind as much as 
might be expected.  They enjoyed a good meal as much as she, and 
Avina always sang out cheerfully, "Dinnertime!"  It was her open 
invitation to whomever wanted to dine on the results of her 
labors.
	With Sarabi and Elanna in the care of their Aunt Akase, 
Avina went blythly into the tall grass, blending her golden body 
into the gilt colors of the savanna.  Sarabi would be fine playing 
with Taka, and Muffy would content himself with a few words from 
Elanna.  And few words there would be, for while many thought 
Muffy would end up marrying Elanna, there was no magic the way 
there was between Taka and Sarabi.
	Avina ghosted through the fields on quiet paws, seeing all 
and being seen by none.  Her pride in her own skills was evident, 
and well she had reason to be proud.
	A herd of Hartbeests did not even hear her approach, though 
they were rather uneasy, stopping from time to time in order to 
listen.  Hartbeests had a feeling about such things that makes 
them very hard to stalk.
	Ears down, tail down, and legs moving in perfect oneness 
with the rhythm of the earth mother, Avina kept her eyes on the 
herd and gradually, methodically closed the gap, stopping from 
time to time as a head looks up from grazing to glance about.
	Chuckling inside, Avina knew that she would have a sure 
kill.  There was a buck on the outside of the herd that she had 
picked out.  He was old, and chances are he would be slower than 
the rest.  She kept on concentrating, contemplating, and closing 
the gap until a rush was forced upon her.
	A Hartbeest looked up and saw her.  Without waiting for a 
reaction, Avina sprang out of hiding, sprinting with all the speed 
Aiheu gave her toward the old buck.
	Indeed, he was slower than the others.  The herd opened like 
a large blossom, but she ignored everything but her target.  It 
was a very private matter staged in the middle of a large herd.  
Her strength flowed, her courage rose, and the buck was coming 
closer, closer, ever closer.
	The hartbeest changed direction, but so did she.  Avina 
cornered tightly and cleanly, and even managed to gain a little on 
her target.  "You are mine!"
	With all her might, Avina sprang as she had sprung many 
times before.  Up and forward she came, rising to loop her strong 
arm around his neck and pull him over.
	But she missed.  "Damn!"
	A strong hoof slammed her cheek.  In an instant, her great 
strength left her.  Tumbling out of control, she rolled to a stop.  
There, stunned and breathless, she writhed in agony, clutching at 
her face, and letting quickly go when it burned like fire.  She 
tried to cry out, but her jaw hung open crookedly and all that 
came out was a dull, wordless shriek.  Anger and disappointment 
quickly gave way to terror at her predicament.  She desperately 
needed a friend.  Someone, anyone.  There was no one.  As she lay 
on the ground, she wondered if she might die there alone.
	"No," she insisted, summoning all her strength to pull her 
wounded body from the bonds of gravity and stand once more.
	When she could struggle to her feet, she felt something drip 
from her chin.  Blood and saliva were dripping profusely from her 
battered face, out of the corner of her mouth.  She started to 
panic.
	Gasping, she fought to think clearly through the muddled 
haze.  "I have to get to Makedde," she thought.  Unsure where she 
was, she lost valuable time trying to focus on the distant horizon 
and find the baobab tree.  "Aiheu abamami-Lord, give me strength."
	She began her long march in the hot sun.  Her useless jaw 
seared her with each step, and she fought to keep her eyes 
focused.
	She tried once to feel with a paw to see what had happened.  
The tip of a shattered jaw had stuck through the skin.  It was 
like a sharp dagger, covered with her lifeblood.  "Oh Gods," she 
thought.  "My face!  My face--is gone!  It's gone!"  She wondered 
what she looked like, and what she would do if the pain did not 
lessen. 
	What would Shaka think when he saw her?  He would still love 
her, for he was a good and gentle lion, but her beauty was gone 
forever.  And most likely she would never hunt again.  What a 
foolish waste!  What a stupid thing to do!  And that is if she 
even lived to see him again.  All of her cleverness, all of her 
boasting and bragging was now a reproach to her.  "What a fool I 
was!" she thought.  "What an idiot among fools!"  Now she would be 
a charity case, an example that parents would hold up to their 
daughters when they acted recklessly.
	She staggered forward, trying to hold her head up.  It was 
not easy.  Her neck was strained, her panting dried out her 
throat, and her eye was running on the side where she had been 
kicked.  "Keep going, girl," she thought.  "I can't stop.  I have 
to find Rafiki.  Please, gods, let him be home!"
	The sun tormented her.  Flies were gathering in hosts to 
plague her, and she could not raise her paw to swat at them.  In 
fact, she could barely raise her paw to step forward.
	Her eyes began to go out of focus, and she could not 
compensate.  The world was growing darker, and the image of 
distant trees began to sway and shimmer.  "No, I can't die!  I 
have two children!  I have to get home!  I have to get home!"
	Blood had covered her chest, running down her legs.  The 
smell of it entered the side of her nose she could still breathe 
through.  Surely it had travelled other places by now.
	There were footsteps in the grass around her.
	"Who is there?"  The words came out almost unrecognizable as 
speech so she painfully and slowly uttered.  "Who...is...there??"
	"Just us."
	It was a hyena voice.  "Help me.  I'm the wife of the Prince 
Consort."  The words burned like fire.  "If you...get me to 
Rafiki...my husband will...reward you.  Imagine...all you can 
eat!"
	"That's what I'm imagining right now."
	"No!  Don't do this!  In the name of God!"
	"Nothing personal, dearie," the voice said.  As if at a 
signal, a hunting party came out of the grass and attacked her.



SCENE:  BORDER PATROL


	It was Shaka's turn to do border patrol, a job he didn't 
like thought he didn't really hate it either.  It did take away 
time he could be spending with his family.  He would have been 
playing with Sarabi and Elanna, but instead he was defending the 
Pride Lands against enemies that rarely ever show up.
	He amused himself by remembering the long passages of the 
Leonid Saga he had memorized as a youth from his father.  Shaka 
was good at reciting verse, and he was a living encyclopedia of 
lore and ceremonial prose.  He sang to himself Sarabi's favorite 
song.


	"Moko Greatmane was a great cat,
		And a great big cat was he,
	He climbed up over the mountain pass
		to see what he could see,
	As the cat climbed up, all the rain climbed down
		and the wind was blowing fast...."


	"Hello there!" shouted Zazu.  "Sorry to interrupt Your 
Highness, but there are hyenas on the eastern meadow!  They've 
killed something."
	"Thanks," Shaka said.  "I'll get on it."
	He was looking for a little excitement anyhow.  Chuckling to 
himself about the impression he'd make on the hyenas, he loped 
across the savanna and plunged through the reeds.  "Let them hunt 
on the Pride Lands, eh?  Not as long as I'm on the job."  His easy 
but massive lope made up the distance rather quickly.
	At last he spotted them, eating quickly as if they knew it 
was a matter of urgency.  
	He roared at the hyenas.  They growled, but withdrew from 
the carcass and stood back a few yards.
	"My Gods, it's a lioness!"  He didn't recognize her until he 
got close enough to turn what remained of the face with his paw.  
The final look of horror still hung on her shattered face.
	"Avina," he whispered quietly.  Her torn body lay open under 
the barren sky, and flies buzzed around.  "Avina!"  Shaka looked 
up to the sky, drew in a deep breath and shrieked, "Avina!!!  Oh 
God, Noooooo!!!"
	His grief and rage were competing like two rabbits trying to 
enter the same hole at the same time.  For the vital moment, rage 
won out.  His eyes red with hate fixed on his target.  "Dirty 
stinking murderers!!!  I'll kill you!!!"
	He took out after the hyenas at full tilt.  For a lion, his 
onslaught was something terrible to behold.  But he was built for 
power, not for speed, and was unable to catch up with the lighter-
built hyenas the way a lioness might have.  Instead, he kept up 
with them.
	The scavengers flew across the savanna swiftly as evening 
swallows.  They put on one final spurt and with great relief 
crossed the border into the elephant graveyard where their grounds 
began.  
	They stopped for a moment to look back-a foolish mistake.  
Shaka kept coming.  He ran over the invisible line that delineated 
his authority.  He half-ran, half-stumbled down the slope and into 
the dusty realm of the dead.  Finally, one of the hyenas stumbled 
over a pile of bones and headed to a terrifying stop.
	Shaka was on top of him very quickly, bearing the hyena's 
small body down with crushing weight.  "You killed my wife!  You 
ripped out my heart, and I will rip out yours!  I give you a 
moment to pray to your god."
	Before he knew what was happening, Shaka was surrounded by 
hyenas on all sides.  They seemed to materialize from the dust and 
emerge from the skulls and caves.
	"Let him go!" said Amarakh, the ruling Roh'mach.  "You are 
trespassing on our lands.  You are holding one of my people."
	"He's a murderer!"  Shaka narrowed his eyes at her.  "He 
killed my wife in cold blood, and he was on my land!  She had two 
cubs, Amarakh.  Two cubs that won't have a mother coming home 
tonight!  She was alive when they ripped her!  Alive!"
	"I will investigate it.  I know him.  He's a trouble maker 
anyhow, and you can be sure I will punish him if he's guilty."
	"IF??"  Shaka looked down at the trapped hyena.  "I saw him 
over her body.  Zazu saw the kill.  You tell her.  TELL HER, 
VERMIN!"
	The trapped hyena squeeled in fear.  "Somebody help me!"
	"You can't extract a confession to a murder by death 
threats."  Amarakh glared back.  "This is my land, and I give you 
my word we will investigate within the customs of our law.  But 
you must let him go.  Leave-now!"
	"I do not believe you."
	"You are not in a position to negotiate," Amarakh said.  
"Leave at once.  I will see your brother the King tonight.  We 
will talk."
	"You are right," he said.  "You are absolutely right.  I am 
NOT in a position to negotiate."  Shaka looked up at the sky.  
"Aiheu abamami!" he cried in his deep grief.  Then he quickly 
dropped his head and bit with tremendous force, snapping the 
hyena's neck and almost severing his head.  The body twitched 
spasmotically before collapsing with eyes staring sightlessly into 
space.  A deep gasp whispered through the assembled throng.  Then 
with bitter rage, the crowd closed in on Shaka.


SCENE:  GATHERING EVIDENCE


	Sarabi and Elanna were playing with Mufasa and Taka.  But 
eventually they began to wonder when their mom and dad were coming 
back.  Ahadi began to wonder too, for it was getting late in the 
day.  "Did they dump the kids on us and take a vacation?"  Akase 
was only joking, but she was genuinely worried.
	Zazu came in for his report.  "Sire, Khemoki of the Zebra'ha 
is certain that...."
	"Wait on that.  I need to know where Shaka and Avina are.  
Have you seen them?"
	"Well, Sire, Shaka went to chase off some hyenas.  They'd 
made a kill in the eastern meadow, and I sent him off right away."
	"How long ago?"
	"Oh, about two hours ago.  Maybe three."
	"Two or three hours??"
	"Well, Sire, I could be wrong."
	"Where is Avina??"
	"I don't know.  She was going to go hunting in the eastern 
meadow and...."  Zazu stopped.  "Oh my lord!  That's where the 
kill was, and...."
	"You must show me the place."  Ahadi shouted, "Sarafina, 
Uzuri, Isha!!  Come quickly!!"
	Fearing what he might find, Zazu led the four of them out 
into the eastern meadow and straight to the place where he saw the 
carcass.  Even from the air, he could recognize the golden color 
of the pelt.  He dropped to the ground and shuddered.
	Ahadi stalked up to the body-what was left of it-and glanced 
at the face.  "Oh God, Avina!!"  He turned away and wretched in 
the grass.  A few awful moments went by where not a word was said.  
Then trying to regain his composure, Ahadi let Uzuri take a look 
at the body.  Uzuri trembled, but she was still able to make her 
observations.  "Her face was...."  She shuddered.  "There is a 
kick wound.  From a large hoofed animal, no doubt.  But there is a 
trail of blood leading back that way.  She wandered here."
	Uzuri followed the trail for some distance, noting with 
horror the hyena tracks.  "The hyenas got to her while she was 
still alive.  Dear God, the evil scum ate her alive!"
	She trotted back to the body, then followed the tracks away 
toward the elephant graveyard.  "It's Shaka-I can still scent him.  
He chased them this way."
	The party of lions headed down the weak but definite trail 
until they reached the boundaries of the elephant graveyard.  
Waiting for them there was a large group of hyenas, and in front 
was Amarakh.
	The lions came in as a group, showing fangs, and daring 
anyone to bother them.  Ahadi demanded, "Where is Shaka?"
	"What is left of him is removed to the place of the dead."  
Amarakh scowled.  "He took the law into his own teeth and killed 
one of ours on our own land without a trial.  We offered to hold 
an inquest, a fair trial by the law of our people.  But he turned 
us down and killed a male whose wife is pregnant."
	"So you murdered him!"
	"We EXECUTED him.  We couldn't wait for him to kill others.  
He was too dangerous to place under arrest."
	"There is no doubt he was dangerous after his wife was 
ripped alive.  We have seen the evidence."
	"We had not, Sire.  We could not be sure, and we could not 
wait to be sure."
	"Here is the dead male's wife," Amarakh said, motioning for 
Fabana to be brought forward.  One of her eyes had been clawed out 
and healed with a brutal scar.  She cowered before the mighty 
King.
	"If you would have revenge," Amarakh said, "let all the 
people see that you fight honorably with her, one on one.  Let 
them see that you have given her the FAIR chance to defend the 
honor of her family."
	The quaking hyena female stammered, "Mercy!  Have mercy!  I 
am with child!"
	Ahadi looked at her with some pity.  "Now you know what it 
feels like to lose someone you love.  The Roh'mach is courting 
death to toy with my sympathies like this, but she has won this 
round.  You will not be harmed."
	But Ahadi looked sternly at Amarakh.  "Because your people 
have killed my brother, and because his wife was basely murdered, 
you are Corban.  No more shall you scavenge on the Pride Lands.  
Not until the last of the group that killed Avina is dead."
	"But my Lord, we will all starve!"
	"Perhaps a few hungry nights will motivate you to enforce 
your own laws, Amarakh.  Besides, this is not such a bad spot to 
scavenge.  You never know when an elephant might want to die."
	She held up her head and stared back.  "You mock me because 
you are powerful, and I am but a hyena.  But the gods know I must 
be fair to my people.  Grief has blinded you, impaired your 
judgement and robbed you of your wisdom."
	Ahadi and the lionesses left.  Someone had to break the news 
to Sarabi and Elanna.  Ahadi knew that Sarabi and Elanna belonged 
with him, and he knew he was the one that must speak the awful 
words.  "Aiheu abamami," he stammered.  "Please God, give me 
strength."
	
	

SCENE:  HAMMER AND TONGS


	Muffy and Taka are six moons older.  Their cubhood spots 
were long gone, and they had grown in size and agility.  It was 
time for them to learn some important lessons about defending a 
kingdom.
	In their cubhood games, they had built up a repertoire of 
reflexes and moves that would serve them well as adults.  But 
there were moves reserved for serious combat, moves they would 
need to defend the Pride Lands from intruders and rivals.  Though 
Ahadi tried to put some fun into learning, this was no game.
	Ahadi knew too well that a lion should know his strengths 
and his weaknesses.  With Mufasa, Ahadi saw strength and 
endurance.  For this reason, Mufasa easily mastered the forward 
thrust his father taught him, coming up on his hind legs and 
pushing out and in with his massive forepaws.  Taka was small but 
quick, and his father taught him the haunch seize first off, 
instructing him to dip low to bite the back leg and throw his 
opponent over.  But of course there were defenses against these 
attacks, and they had to learn them too.  A lion with only one 
strategy will never be king for very long.  
	Yolanda, who was quite a powerful lioness, helped Ahadi with 
his demonstrations.  It looked much more violent in actual 
practice than it had in teaching.  Mufasa and Taka watched 
spellbound and horrified as Yolanda and Ahadi went at it hammer 
and tongs.  They didn't growl or roar, but even in their dignity 
the raw power of aggressive fighting was all too clear.  Of 
course, Ahadi and Yolanda were careful not to really hurt each 
other.  They retracted their claws and did not bite down hard, but 
they used a great deal of strength, and the smell of sweat was on 
the air.
	Sarabi ambled over by Mufasa, trying to look casual.  "Be 
careful with him Muffy," she whispered.  "You know you're 
stronger.  You don't have to prove anything by hurting him."
	"Don't worry, Sassie.  He's my brother."
	"Then you'll try not to make him look too bad?"
	He smiled.  "You really like him, don't you?"
	"Yes."  She gave him a quick tongue touch to the cheek.  
"Thank you, Muffy.  You're a real sweetheart."
	"Not to mention a real hunk," Elanna said, flirting.
	Winded, Ahadi and Yolanda finally stopped.  Ahadi pushed his 
mane out of his eyes and said, "Of course (pant), you realize 
(pant) that there would have (pant) been a winner (pant) and a 
loser if this (pant) had been real."
	Yolanda nuzzled him.  "Incosi (pant), I touch your mane."  
	"I (pant) feel it."  Ahadi took in a deep breath and let it 
out slowly.  "OK, my sons.  You try it."
	The two brothers stood up and faced each other.  Taka took a 
deep breath and began circling Mufasa slowly.  His head bobbed, 
weaving an irregular pattern as he looked for an opening.
	Mufasa lowered his forequarters and shifted around, keeping 
the bulk of his body facing Taka.  The speed with which Taka could 
dart in and grab a haunch was frightening, and he dared not expose 
his vulnerable back legs.
	Taka frowned.  "Fine then," he thought.  He resumed 
circling, pacing himself, his breath going in and out 
rhythmically.  Then he took a short, quick breath.
	Muffy read the signs correctly and jumped back just in time.  
Taka pounced on empty grassland, his paws scrabbling for purchase.
	Ahadi nodded gravely but said nothing.
	Looking around, Taka saw Muffy smiling at him tauntingly.  
Baring his teeth angry, he began flailing at his brother wildly.  
Startled, Muffy methodically countered one blow after another, 
blocking Taka's sweeps with his forepaws.  With a guttural moan, 
Taka felt panic set in as he realized he was probably going to 
lose--again.  He glanced at Sarabi, trying to read her expression.
	That moment was all Muffy needed.  He cuffed Taka hard 
enough to tip him off balance.  Before Taka could draw in another 
breath, Muffy's heavy weight was bearing down on his chest, 
pinning him to the ground.  "Say uncle!"
	"No!" he gasped, fighting for air as he struggled futilely.  
Muffy was too strong for him.
	Taka struggled hard, but Muffy was too strong for him.
	"Say uncle!"
	"No!"
	Taka could not bear to be humiliated like this, not in front 
of Sarabi!  He saw Muffy's leg within reach of his jaws.
	"Say uncle!"
	"I--said--NO!"  His teeth buried themselves in Muffy's leg.  
As Mufasa jumped up, bellowing in pain, Taka darted out from under 
him and came out swinging with all of his might.  A forepaw struck 
Mufasa under the chin, making his teeth click together painfully.
	"Cut it out, Taka!"  Mufasa backed away, his forehead 
furrowed in anger.  "Don't make me get rough with you."
	"Give me your best shot," Taka whispers arrogantly.  "I know 
you're being careful with me.  After all, you're a real 
sweetheart."
	"And you're a real fool."  His eyes narrowed.  He closed 
with Taka, grappling.  Taka swung at his legs, trying to hook them 
out from under, but Muffy blocked the move quickly.  Circling 
again, Taka slid in and tried at another angle, only to meet the 
same result.  Fear crept in as he felt his strength waning.  In 
desperation, he cheated again, going for a leg hold with teeth 
bared.
	"No!"  Mufasa struck at him claws-out with all his might.  
Taka went sprawling to the ground.  "Try that again and I'll knock 
your fool head off!"
	Taka wobbled to his feet, took a couple of unsteady steps, 
and sat down again.  He rubbed his face with a paw.
	Sarabi wanted to rush over and comfort him, but she knew 
better.  It would make a bad situation worse.
	Muffy saw the look on Sarabi's face and thought about the 
promise.  He looked at Taka and saw the dazed expression on his 
face.  "Taka, are you OK?"
	"I'll live."  He rose unsteadily and shook his head.
	Ahadi sniffed of the cut on Muffy's leg.  He looked over at 
Taka and frowned.  "Some wrestling match."
	"He cheated," Elanna said.  "I saw him do it twice."
	Ignoring them, Taka paced away slowly, wincing at the 
throbbing in his cheek where Mufasa's powerful forepaw had struck 
him. He whacked at small stones with his powerful paw, muttering 
words his mother did not teach him under his breath.
	Wending his way around the face of Pride Rock, he lay down 
in his favorite resting place, on a ledge under a jutting overhang 
of granite which shaded him nicely.  With some trepidation, he 
raised a paw to his face and touched it gingerly. Bringing his 
forepaw before him, he was relieved to find no trace of blood.
	"Taka?"
	He glanced over to see Sarabi gracefully make her way onto 
the ledge with him.  He smiled listlessly.  "Hey, Sassie."
	She padded up to him, glaring. "Don't 'Hey, Sassie,' me. 
What did you think you were doing?!"
	His smile vanished quickly.  "What are you talking about?"
	"Were you trying to kill yourself?  Let me see your face." 
She started to examine the swollen cheek under his scarred left 
eye, but he jerked away.
	"Don't worry about me.  I would've won that stupid fight if 
he hadn't cheated."
	Her eyebrows lifted. "He cheated?  Taka, you bit his leg! 
I'm surprised he didn't knock your fool head off!"
	He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her.  "Yes, I appreciate 
the support, Sarabi." He added mockingly, "Oh, Muffy, take it easy 
on him, he's not strong like you are." He spat.  "I don't want him 
to LET me win, I want to BEAT him!  Just once, I'd like to be 
better at something!"
	"But you are better at something," she said.  "I don't want 
to see you get hurt, that's all."  Her voice wavered as she fought 
back tears.  "I'm sorry if my love is getting in the way of that 
tiff with your brother."  She turned and headed away.
	Taka froze. "Sassie, wait!"  He watched as her form 
continued away down the path.  "Oh, God, it's happening!" he 
cried.
	He ran after her, got out ahead and blocked her path.  
Sarabi stopped, startled.
	"I'm sorry!  Please, I'm sorry!"  He began to beg, pleading 
desperately.  Falling on his back, he pawed at her.  "I love you!  
Please don't leave me, Sassie!"
	She saw the sheer terror in his eyes, and felt the hair on 
the back of her neck stand up.  She forgot her anger.
	"I had to try and win," he stammered.  "If I lost all the 
time, you might not love me anymore.  I'm a loser, Sassie.  Not 
that I don't try."
	"Is your head full of dead grass?"  Sarabi took her paw and 
held up Taka's chin so that he looked her in the eyes.  "I love 
you because you're sweet and clever and very cute.  That won't 
change because Muffy beats you at wrestling."  She kissed him with 
her warm tongue and nuzzled him.  "I am a little disappointed that 
you cheated, though.  I've always thought you were above that."
	"Oh."  He didn't know whether he liked that remark, but he 
loved her.  Kissing her cheek, he said, "I'll love you till the 
day I die.  Longer, even.  They will see two stars side by side 
and know it is us."  Without shame, his eyes filled with tears.  
"My love must be stronger than fate itself if it's to survive.  My 
body may be weak, but Sassie, my heart is strong."
	"Taka, it's that prophesy again.  I can tell it.  When will 
you learn to trust me?"  She stroked his face with a paw.
	"I believe your goodness is so strong that you can beat this 
thing, but you heard the rest.  `He who is first to touch you 
shall beget your doom.'"  He looked down.  "Muffy was the first 
one to touch me.  He's going to kill me, Sassie."
	"That's foolish.  He loves you!"
	"You knew he was too strong for me.  We're gonna get in a 
fight one day, and he's going to lose his cool and kill me." He 
turned his gaze to the vast savanna which stretched before them.
	Sarabi was horrified. "Stop talking like that, you're 
scaring me!"  Moving close to him, she nuzzled his head gently. 
"Taka, maybe your head IS full of dead grass.  Muffy loves you.  
He needs you.  He's your brother.  Rafiki was wrong--even Makedde 
said so."
	Taka half smiled.  "Yeah, he did, didn't he!  You really 
think we can beat this thing?  The three of us?"
	She kissed his cheek gently. "Of course." She rose, 
switching her tail. "You stay here and rest, Taka. I'll be back in 
a minute."
	"Okay." He lay his head on his forepaws slowly and shut his 
eyes.
	Sarabi hurried down the path to where it joined the 
promontory at the front of Pride Rock.  Padding across its smooth 
surface, she entered the cool recesses of the main cave. As her 
eyes adjusted, she saw Mufasa sitting nearby, licking his wound 
gingerly.
	"Muffy, I must talk to you."
	"Sure."  He smiled at her.
	"It's about Taka."
	His face fell.  "Hey, I tried to go easy on him, but when he 
bit me, I saw red."
	"I know, and I'm not upset with you."
	She sighed.  "It's that prophesy again."
	"You two had another fight?"
	"No.  Well, yes, but that's beside the point."  She sighed 
again.  "Don't be upset, Muffy, but you know that business about 
the one that touched him first bringing about his doom?"
	"Yes.  But...."  Mufasa's eyes broadened.  "Oh gods, don't 
tell me he thinks I'm going to whack him??"
	She looked at him closely.  "You wouldn't, would you?  
Promise?"
	"For gods' sake!"  He blinked at her, surprised.  "Of course 
I promise!  He's my brother!"  He shook his head.  "What AM I 
going to do with him, Sassie?"
	"Tell him.  He needs to hear it from you more than anyone 
else."
	Nodding, he started away.
	Poor Mufasa wanted to ask his parents for help, but the 
whole thing embarrased him too badly.  He resigned himself to 
handling Taka "the usual way," which meant humoring his moods, no 
matter how ridiculous they are, and being careful to remind him 
that he's loved.
	He finally got his chance later that day.
	Taka was resting on the end of the promontory.  It was his 
favorite place to sulk when he felt like the whole world was out 
to get him.  The scale of the view helped put his problems into 
perspective in the great pagent of life.
	"Taka?"
	"What?"  Taka didn't bother to turn around.
	"I just saw Sassie."
	Taka turned around that time.  "What did she say??"
	"Not much."  Muffy tried to keep his tail from twitching. 
Apparently he was successful.  "She was upset.  She looked a 
little depressed, so I asked her what was up."
	"Oh gods, here it comes."  Taka drooped.
	"She was watching us fight, and she thought about the 
prophesy.  You know, the part about the first one that touched you 
would begat your doom."
	"Oh?"  Taka gave him his undivided attention.  "And what did 
you tell her?"
	Mufasa smiled, but a tear rolled down his cheek.  "I told 
her you're my brother.  I'm sorry I hit you so hard.  You bit me, 
and I went crazy.  You know we both love you, Sassie and I.  She 
worries about you.  In fact, she's always telling me how she's 
going to marry you when you get older."  Mufasa swallowed a sudden 
lump in his throat. "You don't know how lucky you are, Taka.  I 
got the kingdom, but you got Sassie."
	Taka smiled at him, a real smile, now.  "Yeah, I guess I am. 
She's really beautiful, isn't she?"
	Unable to reply, Mufasa merely nodded.
	Taka looked at him closely.  "Why Muffy, you're jealous.."
	"Come off it."
	"No, you really are."  Taka smiled an amused smile.  "Gods!  
You're jealous of me!  And all this time.."  He rose briskly, 
stretched his legs, and came running over to Muffy.  He nuzzled 
him and put his forearm around Mufasa's shoulder.  "You must think 
I'm crazy."
	"No.  Well, not much."
	"Sometimes I feel crazy.  Dad always has it all together.  
He always knows the score."  A tear ran down Taka's face.  "Help 
me fight this thing, Muffy.  If the three of us work hard, we can 
beat the prophesy.  We can.  You're good inside; so is Sassie.  
We've got to be good to beat it."
	Muffy swallowed hard, then said, "Don't worry.  We'll be 
really good."


SCENE:  LIONESS FEVER


	"....And it was that Aiheu the Beautiful, having made the 
World of Ma'at (soil) gave it to his spirit children for a 
dwelling place.  And they praised him, for the land was very 
comely.  But in the first days, which were called the Days of Ka 
(spirit), some were not as happy as Aiheu had wished.
	"What has this land to do with us?" they asked.  "The sun 
does not warm us.  The waters do not cleanse us.  The wind does 
not cool us.  How can this be our home when the grass does not 
stir beneath our feet?"
	"So Aiheu took ma'at (soil) and mixed it with maja (water) 
that it may be shaped.  And for those ka that desired to know 
pleasure, he clave them to bodies which he formed from the mud, 
breathing into their nostrils the breath of life, that so long as 
they should draw breath, they should be part of the World of 
Ma'at, and that the sun would warm them, the water would cleanse 
them, and the wind would cool them.  These and many other 
pleasures he gave them for a birthright, but he also gave them a 
warning.  For pain is the brother of pleasure, and those who are 
of ma'at must accept pain with the pleasure."

        ---  THE LEONINE STORY OF BEGINNINGS, Variation D-4-A


	Rafiki awoke with stiffness in his lower back.  At his age, 
he was frequently sore in the mornings and had to take an herbal 
preparation to get himself back in the thick of things.  Because 
the medicine had to be fresh and moist to work, he had to make up 
individual doses as needed.  That meant working while tired and 
sore.  Still, Rafiki did not complain.  For one thing he lived 
alone, with no one to complain to, and for another, he was a 
shaman and accepted what life brought him as gracefully as he 
could.
	Soaking in a water-filled gourd, some bonewort would loosen 
the tightness in his spine.  He carefully removed just enough to 
do the job.  It was followed by Senophalix bark and roots from 
Psamnophis gelleri for pain.  But the final ingredient was a 
powder made from Alba, a red flower.  It did not grow nearby, and 
he had to trade to get it.  The small cache of this drug was 
nearly exhausted, and he put in a little less than was his custom.  
He had requested some from the apes that lived in the forest near 
his baobab.
	The other mandrills thought Rafiki a bit strange.  They 
didn't understand his need for the flower, but they happily raised 
the fee to what they thought he could afford.  For that reason, 
precious time that could be spent serving others was spent 
collecting large bundles of herbs and other notions for payment.
	Mixing the ingredients into a paste with his bowl and 
antelope bone, he downed the bitter mixture with a frown, and 
quickly took some water and honey to purge his mouth.  Perhaps the 
medicine did not work immediately.  Yet he felt better at once, 
knowing that help was on the way.
	While he waited for relief, he settled down for his morning 
prayers, which always began with thanksgiving, then ran through 
the name of every lion on the Pride Lands whether they were ill or 
well, and ended with a modest request to "Remember old Rafiki who 
trusts in you."
	Breakfast was a simple affair.  Mango was his favorite, 
followed shortly by ripe Kannabia australoafricanus, which he 
called by an equally unpronounceable Mandrill name.  Honey was not 
easy to come by, since he'd grown old enough to make climbing a 
problem.  Besides, even at the best of times, there was an element 
of luck involved.  So he put only a few drops of honey on the 
fruit to season it, and ate his breakfast.  Perhaps in the next 
life, there would be honey enough for his sweet tooth, which only 
grew stronger with age.  He felt he would know sooner rather than 
later, a fact brought home by the silver hair that reflected in 
his scrying bowl.
	Only after breakfast was over and he'd rubbed his teeth with 
the chewed end of an acacia twig did he start out on the day's 
business.  Alba was waiting for him--the apes said it would be 
waiting for him in three days, and the time was up.  They were 
robbers, but they were never late.  One, two, three hard-won 
bundles of roots and leaves were sprinkled with water, wrapped in 
Rattasia leaves, and secured with long acacia thorn pins.  The 
barter was gathered up with the care it deserved to ransom the 
modest stash of tiny red blossoms that waited for him in the 
forest.
	He was about to leave when Mufasa came in.  Muffy was a year 
and a half old, and the beginning of some ruff around his ears and 
neck showed that he was coming along on schedule.
	"I had almost forgotten our appointment."  Rafiki put his 
bundles of herbs aside.  "Trouble sleeping, I believe?  Loss of 
appetite?"
	"Yeah."
	"Difficulty concentrating."
	"And don't forget depression.  I've been down before, but 
now I'm really down for the count."
	"I see."  Rafiki put his ear to Muffy's chest.  "Breathe in.  
Good.  Now let it out slowly."  He tapped Muffy's chest a couple 
of times with his knuckles.  "Once more."  The breathing seemed to 
agree with him.  He felt the radial pulse alongside his neck and 
winked.  "Soon enough, I'll have to use the arm.  This old mane 
will be in the way."  Mufasa smiled proudly.  "So tell me, how is 
Taka?"
	"Fine."
	"The cough all gone, I take it?"
	"Yes, Rafiki.  I made sure he took all his medicine.  None 
of that hiding the herbs under his tongue and spitting them out 
when I'm not looking."
	"How did you manage that?"
	"I rubbed his throat till he had to swallow."
	Rafiki laughed.  "He's just a big cub.  And Sarabi?"
	"Oh, she's fine."
	Rafiki looked surprised.  "Whoa there!  Your pulse is 
jumping like a Springbok!"  The mandrill looked Muffy in the eyes.  
"If I didn't know better, I'd think you had the fever."
	"The fever?"
	"Lioness fever."  Rafiki rubbed his chin whiskers.  "And you 
got it from Sarabi, I can tell.  Does Taka know?"
	"No, uh--I mean...."
	Rafiki shook his finger at Mufasa.  "Don't hide from me 
behind those little lamb eyes.  I know what I see."  He looked in 
Muffy's eyes and sighed deeply.  "You got it bad, son."
	Mufasa glanced away.  "There must be a cure for it.  I won't 
betray my own brother.  You must have something for falling out of 
love."
	"I don't even have anything for falling IN love.  But tell 
me, does Sarabi love YOU?"
	"Well she's my friend.  Of course she loves me."
	"You know what I mean.  I mean lion fever.  Has she ever 
given you those little hints?  You know, the feeling that you're 
being stalked, and any minute she may decide to charge?"
	"No.  I-well she-no.  No.  She's so struck on my brother.  
Oh Rafiki, sometimes I get the feeling I wish I were an only 
child.  I love Taka, really I do, but Sassie is on my mind all the 
time.  I can't be weak, not with my brother's girl.  Are you sure 
there's nothing I can do?"
	"Maybe a nice swim in the cold spring."  He popped Muffy on 
the flank.  "There's nothing wrong with you that your own 
conscience and a little time can't fix.  But keep your eyes open.  
You must also be fair to Sarabi.  What she wants is important too.  
And I think you are selling yourself short that way."  He smiled 
toothily and added in a whisper, "If you can't give both of them 
what they want, choose the girl.  What she don't got, you don't 
need!"


SCENE:  A SIGN OF POWER


	Six moons had passed since Muffy's chat with Rafiki.  He and 
Taka had grown in strength and size.  This miracle was made all 
the more evident by its speed.  There was no difference from day 
to day, but a clear, sharp memory of passing under a low branch 
was no insurance against a bump on the head.  The brothers, the 
sons of the King, were attracting the attention of the others with 
their strong, comely appearance.
	Mufasa's pride was all out of proportion to the straggly 
pioneering hairs that made his head and throat look somewhat 
shaggier than the rest of his body.  But that was matched by the 
pride of his parents Ahadi and Akase.  Ahadi insisted that he was 
equally proud of Taka, and Taka wanted desperately to believe it.  
	Taka had a dark mane, something most lionesses consider very 
attractive.  Often his mother Akase told him that happiness was 
more important than power, and if he had to choose one, go with 
happiness.  Taka saw the sense in this.  He was often unhappy, but 
he believed in his mother and in her love.  And to a degree, he 
believed Sarabi loved him though they were more prone to more 
arguments than talks in recent days.
	The Mantlement Ceremony is all that Ahadi and Akase seemed 
to talk about--all everyone seemed to talk about.  That first 
trace of mane is for many male cubs a sign that they are about to 
venture out into The Big World, and brings as many fears as it 
does hopes.  It is the wakening of their interest in lionesses as 
more than playmates.  For Mufasa, it was a step closer to the 
kingship--the Prince was growing up.  No one expected the brother 
of Mufasa to go out into The Big World, and he, like Mufasa, would 
be honored by all subjects in the Pride Lands as Prince Consort.
	And yet there was no doubt that everyone of every species 
would be staring at the future King.  Taka's Mantlement was the 
last big step that the public would take interest in, and he had 
to endure it in the huge shadow of his brother.
	Immersed in this thought, Taka sat alone on the point of 
Pride Rock and looked down on the wide savanna below, now occupied 
by a few wildebeests, but soon alive with bowing and scraping 
subjects looking on their King-to-be.  And that what's-his-name 
brother of his--the one with the scar.  Only recently had the 
other lions begun to talk to him without staring at the eye.  He'd 
long passed the stage where those who were dying to know more 
about it could ask, "How are you feeling?" or "Can I help?"  Now 
it was as healed as it would ever be, and they had gotten used to 
it.  But along with the familiarity came the rumors--mostly true--
about how he was marked, and the nickname Scar.  Oddly enough, no 
one blamed Mufasa in the least for what had happened to Taka's 
eye.  Instead they wondered who would be stupid enough to go into 
a badger's hole in the first place.  Everyone knew how badgers 
act--that is, everyone with common sense.
	"Hey, Taka!" said Mufasa, sitting alongside.  "Thinking 
about the big day tomorrow?"
	"Yeah, sure."
	"Well, you don't look too happy about it."
	"I'm just fine," Taka said firmly.  "I can't help the way I 
look."
	"Yeah, right."  Mufasa hopped up lithely and sat on the 
other side of Taka to look him in the eyes.  "What's your problem?  
I mean, it's your big day too.  Everyone who's anyone will be 
there to look at your new mane.  Besides, the babes dig it!  I 
mean, without a mane you're just another kitten."
	"You must think I'm really stupid," Taka said.  "Who's going 
to care about me?  Half of them don't even know who I am.  I'm 
just that kid with the funny-looking eye."
	"You help protect the Pride Lands," Mufasa said.  "That's 
important.  And hey, if something happened to me, you'd have to be 
King."  He made a sweeping gesture with his paw over the empty 
savanna.  "They all know that.  And they know they better treat 
you with respect, or they'll have to answer to me."
	Taka stared at Mufasa right in the eyes, something that made 
his brother feel uncomfortable.  Mufasa could almost feel Taka 
looking right through him, examining his bones and sinews.  He was 
looking for something he could remember from long ago, from days 
when friendship could be taken for granted in the innocence of 
early cubhood.  "Would you miss me if I died?"
	"Of course I would," Mufasa said, a little irritated.  "What 
kind of stupid question is that?"
	"Don't call me stupid!  I hate it when people call me that!"
	"I didn't call you stupid," Mufasa said, backing back.  
"What is your problem, anyway?  Go ahead and sulk--that's all you 
ever do now.  But you watch yourself tomorrow.  You're the son of 
the King, and you act like it.  I don't want you spoiling my 
Mantlement, understand?"
	"I understand clearly.  I won't spoil YOUR Mantlement, 
brother."
	On that word, Taka left the point of the rock and headed 
down quietly.
	Sarabi was lying half-asleep in the shade of an acacia tree 
when Taka walked by.  Her keen senses were stirred by the light 
tread in the grass.  She looked up quickly, then relaxed her ears.  
"Oh, it's only you, Taka."
	"Only me?"
	She frowned.  "Not another one of those moods again.  Get a 
little fuzz on your neck and you lions take yourself soooo 
seriously."  She took a half-hearted swat at him.  "Tell me, Taka, 
will you be like that when I get you alone?  Smile if you think 
wicked thoughts."
	"Don't be ridiculous."
	"Smile if you think I'm sexy."
	He looked away.  "Cut it out, will you?"
	In a sultry half-purr, she added, "Smile if you think you'll 
live through the honeymoon."
	He broke into an embarrassed grin which he tried to hide 
behind a paw.
	"Optimistic little devil, aren't you?"  She nuzzled him 
affectionately.  "I like that much better.  I hate it when we 
fight."
	"So do I," Taka said.  "I should let you have your way more 
often."
	Sarabi's eyes narrowed to slits.  "I don't want to have my 
way more often.  I mean we should agree to disagree.  Don't 
patronize me."
	"I didn't mean it that way."
	"Then how did you mean it?  I'm not stupid you know."
	"I know."  Taka licked his paw and tried to groom what there 
was of his mane.  It was a nervous habit.  "Sassie, let's never 
fight again.  I was thinking about the prophesy.  I've been 
thinking about it a lot lately."
	"I don't believe in it," Sarabi said firmly.  "I thought we 
had that settled."
	"Still, you can't blame me for worrying.  I mean we never 
used to fight before that stupid thing with the badger."  He 
licked his paw again and began to nervously rub at the other side 
of his neck.
	"Please don't do that," Sarabi said.
	"Don't do what?  Oh...."  Taka put down his paw.  "Do you 
think you'll always love me?  I mean, Makedde said sometimes we 
make our own destinies.  If we work hard, we can change them."
	Sarabi nuzzled him.  "There are times your own mother 
couldn't love you," she said.  "This is not one of them.  Forget 
the prophesy--I liked you better the way you were, when you 
trusted me."
	"I trust you now," Taka said, beginning to groom his mane 
again.  "I don't think you'd ever WANT to hate me.  But things can 
happen--bad things."
	"Like what?"
	"I don't know what kind of things, but you know.  I mean, 
maybe I'll do something really stupid and you wouldn't love me 
anymore."
	"What are you saying?"
	"I'm coming of age, the time when a lion goes out into The 
Big World to make his fortune.  Other than food and water, I have 
one need.  Love, Sassie.  Right now, Mom and Dad still love me.  
Maybe not as much as Muffy, but they do.  And you love me, don't 
you?"
	"Yes!  How many times do I have to tell you??"
	"Once," Taka said quietly.  He put his left paw on her 
shoulder.  He could feel her tremble.  "It's time we stated our 
intentions.  I want you."
	"We are not of age," Sarabi said.  "Not in their eyes at 
least.  It is corban.  They would never agree to this."
	"Then don't ask them to," Taka said.  "If you will always 
love me, pledge to me.  I won't ask more until you come to me of 
your own free will.  But we'll go away together.  We'll leave 
tonight at high moon."
	"I'm honored, really," Sarabi said.  "But how are you so 
sure you will want me as your lioness?  I mean we're friends, but 
do you really know what you want?"
	He put his left paw on her shoulder once more and let it 
fondle her strong, shapely form.  "Our love could move Heaven and 
Earth," he whispered seductively.  "It would spread like ripples 
in a pond, growing, spreading, deepening.  You know I want you.  
When you look at me, when you touch me, I want you.  Sarabi, look 
at me.  You know I want you."
	She felt his eyes meet hers.  It was what lionesses call 
`The Look'.  "I believe you."  She tore herself away from The Look 
and glanced down at the ground.  "You will be Prince Consort.  It 
is foolish to go away when you are wanted here.  It is safe here--
out there in The Big World it is so uncertain.  We have to think 
about our children."
	"There is only one certainty I want," Taka said with barely 
suppressed passion.  "Before the gods, before the stars, before 
the assembled host I swear to give you my protection, my love, and 
my comfort forever."  He looked at her pleadingly, like a small 
cub who's afraid of the dark.  "Come on, Sarabi.  Say it."
	She started to hold her paw out to touch his.  It trembled.  
She put it down.  In the intensity of the moment she could not 
speak.
	A painful moment passed.  Taka's face changed visibly--it 
was like watching him die.  "I understand," he said.  "You are 
only a small lioness in a big world.  How could you hope to fight 
destiny?"  His ears laid back dejectedly and his tail hung limply.  
"It would be better for all of us if I left.  I want to be 
remembered with some kindness-maybe a little regret for what might 
have been.  And it might have been fine, Sassie."
	Sarabi felt her eyes mist up.  He trotted off into the bush 
without another word.


            Deep in the heart is a land of shadows,
            Its a place of sighs and tears
            That's where the lost dreams and hopes forsaken
            Tend to end up through the years.

            Oh, but they don't go down easy, no, they do not meekly go,
            To that graveyard for high expectations where the
                broken dreams lie low!
            They cry for attention and they seek intervention
                till they shake your very soul.
            You may try to bury what your heart can't carry,
                but it won't stay in the hole.

            Heavy the heart of the disappointed,
            Long the empty path of night;
            That is the fate of the broken-hearted,
            When the darkness steals the light.

            Oh, but they don't go down easy, no, they do not meekly go,
            To that graveyard for high expectations where the 
                broken dreams lie low!
            They cry for attention and they seek intervention
                till they shake your very soul.
            You may try to bury what your heart can't carry,
                but it won't stay in the hole!


	Sarabi watched him draw further and further away until he 
was a small speck of tawny among the brush.  Panic seized her, and 
she found her tongue.  "Taka!  Wait!  I'll do it!"  Apparently he 
did not hear any voices but those in his head.  "Taka!"
	Though his essence still hung in the air, he was gone.  
Tears began to roll down her cheeks.  "May the gods be with you."



SCENE:  FRIENDS IN UNLIKELY PLACES


	Taka was leaving the Pride Lands without even the 
traditional blessing.  He had never learned to hunt, secure that 
he would always have a home.  Now he left for the river valley.  
He took a small comfort knowing where he was going he would need 
no hunting skills, and no place to rest his head.  Perhaps with 
the kings of old among the stars he could look down and see his 
beloved across the vault of heaven.  Would she marry?  Would she 
have beautiful cubs whose smiles warm the very heart of Aiheu?  
Would she remember his love through the years?
	Finally he stood on the brink of the river valley.  On the 
threshold of death, his life blood coursed through his veins and 
his heart beat like a hammer.  Not far from where he stood was a 
sheer drop-off, the kind of place where a lion could fall and fall 
without suffering on the craggy slopes, and then just stop.  Just 
stop--what a thought.  Would it hurt?  Would it have time to hurt?  
Would it make a difference how he landed?  He would know very 
soon.
	"Lord Aiheu, creator of the universe, I stand far from the 
rest, alone for I am dying.  Forgive the many hurts I have caused.  
The night is coming when the breath you gave me will return to the 
heavens."  He dropped his formal prayers, and cried, "Gods, help 
me!  I'm afraid.  Let it be quick.  Aiheu abamami!"  His legs 
tensed for the final spring into oblivion.
	Just when he was about to plunge to his death, he heard the 
death cry of a gazelle, and turned.  He could see a lone hyena 
panting, pulling the hide off a fresh kill.  Through his deep 
grief, he felt hunger.  Even if he chose to die, he must not die 
hungry.  "Aiheu provides."
	Glad to experience one last pleasure before he died, he ran 
to the kill, baring his teeth.  The hyena, a female, backed back.  
He glared at her, the first hyena he'd ever seen close up.  
Something about her took him by surprise.  Down one side of her 
face were horrible scars, and the eye was missing.  He stared at 
the horrible wound, stunned by the thought that in this way she 
was just like him, only she was blind on one side.  And somehow he 
noticed how she was staring at his eye.  For several quiet 
moments, they stood there and looked at each other.
	"I have young, my lord," she said at last.  "Have pity on 
poor Fabana.  When you are gone, we must go on living."
	"Indeed," he said.  "There is enough for all.  I am...."  he 
hesitated to say it aloud.  "I would rather not die hungry."
	"What happened to yours?  Your old man do that?"
	"What?"
	"Your eye.  You lions think we are crude," she said.  "Not 
good enough for the Pride Lands.  But we don't drive off our sons 
into the cruelty of the unknown.  We love them.  Tell me, 
stranger, have you ever heard of a hyena jumping to his death?"
	"No, I don't think I have."  He quickly changed the topic.  
"You say you're a mother.  Where are your cubs?  They must eat 
too.  I won't hurt them.  I'm only a danger to myself these days."
	"I can tell."  She called softly behind her.  "Shenzi.  
Banzai.  Edward.  It's all right.  Come on out."
	Three pups came out of the brush and stared at the lion.  
Taka had never seen young hyenas before.  The small female looked 
as their mother must have once.
	"My name is Taka," he said quietly.  "Don't be afraid."  He 
lay his large bulk down like a huge sphinx.  When he looked less 
threatening, the pups came over and cautiously sniffed of him.  
"So this one is Edward.  What does it mean?"
	"It is the name of a man.  He saved me when I was a pup.  My 
parents were killed in a brush fire.  Feel along my neck."
	Taka carefully ran his large paw along her throat.  He felt 
a gap where there was no fur.
	"The collar," she said.  "I was tied to a tree with a rope.  
That's something like a vine, but stronger."
	"Then he was cruel to you?"
	"No, but his dog was.  One day name calling was not enough, 
and the whelp did this to me."  She turned her scar to face Taka.  
"I killed him.  That's why the man drove me away.  But I do not 
forget that he saved my life, so I named my first born Edward."
	"You have saved my life.  I'm not sure I could work up the 
nerve a second time."  He looked at her pleadingly.  "Please do 
not drive me away."
	"Your troubles aren't not so bad," she said.  "Many lions 
come through this just fine.  Someday you will find security and 
love."
	"But I already had, or I thought I did.  You don't know how 
I have suffered."
	"When you have eaten, tell me."
	Taka attacked the carcass with desperation, but after the 
first few bites took the edge off his hunger, his wisdom took 
over.  He stopped while there were still some choice portions and 
insisted that Fabana finish it.
	"My father, Ahadi-you've heard about him, haven't you?"
	"He's the Lion King, isn't he?"
	"Yes."
	"That makes you the Prince then?"  She gasped.
	"No, Prince Consort."
	"Oh, that explains a lot."  She shook her head.  "I didn't 
think a prince would want to kill himself.  I take it you don't 
get along with your brother?"
	"Actually I like my brother.  He's not very clever, but his 
heart is in the right place."
	She clucked her tongue.  "Then that leaves one possibility.  
You have a girl.  I bet she's stiffed you for the Prince, hasn't 
she?"
	"No."  He had quickly denied it, but it didn't seem that 
impossible.  "This isn't just any lioness and it isn't just 
another girl problem."
	"That's what they all say."
	"Yes, but there's a curse behind this.  Evil spirits.  
Makedde was treating me for this eye problem when his brother 
Rafiki tried to tell my future."
	"Rafiki!"  She stopped eating.  "Lord, honey, you just got 
to tell me all about this.  Evil spirits you say?  A curse?"
	For well on an hour or more he poured out his heart to her, 
and as he did, he watched her nod her head gravely once in a 
while.  It made him cry to tell it, but they were tears of 
healing, and he felt much better.
	Out of lion manners, he waited to hear her story.  But she 
would not talk of herself much.  One thing she would say-Jalkort, 
the father of her cubs was dead, killed unjustly for the murder of 
the Princess Avina.  "He ate after she had died, but of all the 
foolish things he's done, he did not murder your Aunt.  Someday I 
must face the King and plead his case."
	"Though he is already dead?  What will you accomplish?"
	"He was my husband."
	"You are a romantic," Taka said, kissing her cheek.  "If I 
was in trouble, I wouldn't mind having you on my side.  Perhaps I 
can arrange a meeting."
	Fabana felt compassion for Taka and taught him all of the 
pass phrases and signs that would let him pass safely through her 
lands.  But most importantly, she gave him some advice that would 
change his path forever.  "I know the mandrill of which you speak.  
He told my fortune too.  He said that I would meet friends in 
unexpected places, but they would turn on me in my hour of need.  
You have not turned on me.  My advice is to forget the prophesy--
it is a piece of nonsense that has cost you dearly.  Apologize to 
your lover.  Kiss your mother.  Make your father proud of you.  
And remember old Fabana.  If you do become King someday, teach 
your children that we all have a heart and soul under our 
different hides."  She pulled her pups close to her.  "Lift the 
ban for their sakes."



SCENE:  THE CONFRONTATION


	Sarabi was in tears when Mufasa found her.  He nuzzled her 
affectionately and turned to face her when she looked away.  
"Sassie, tell me about it."
	"It's Taka.  He's gone."
	"What do you mean by gone?"
	"Gone.  He's left the Pride Lands.  He begged me to come 
with him, and I thought about it.  Now I wish I had.  He's out 
there alone, Muffy!  He's kind and gentle, but he doesn't know a 
thing about life in The Big World."
	It came as a complete surprise to Mufasa, though he believed 
her at once.  "Did he say where he was going?"
	"No.  He just left."
	"Sassie, don't cry.  I know how much you love him.  We all 
love him.  Maybe when he cools off, he'll come home."
	"Do you think so?  Do you really think so?"
	"Yes.  But it may be a long while.  He's a proud lion."
	She looked down.  "What will I do?  I always thought it 
would be Taka and I--just the two of us and our cubs.  What's left 
for me?  I will grow old alone and unloved like poor Barata."
	Mufasa felt a lump gathering in his throat.  "Sassie, I'm 
going to tell you something, and it's going to sound awful under 
the circumstances."  He looked her in the eyes.  "I didn't want to 
get in my brother's way.  But things have changed, and I have to 
say this or I'll burst."
	"Is it what I think it is?"
	"Probably."  He nuzzled her gently.  "Oh gods, Sassie, I 
feel like such a wretch!  Like the lowest thing that ever crawled 
out from under a stone.  But I love you.  I've always loved you.  
There were times I would have given anything if you loved me 
instead of Taka.  But I don't want to lose my brother or hurt him 
in any way.  All my life I've felt like I was being torn in two 
directions.  I can't bear to lose both of you.  Don't hate me for 
being truthful."
	"I don't."  She nuzzled him.  "I've always known how you 
felt.  You can't hide a thing like that."
	"Maybe you don't love me the way I love you.  At least you 
like me, don't you?  I mean, I'll make sure you always have what 
you need.  I'll take care of you.  If you'll be my mate, I'll do 
anything for you--anything."
	"Even forgive Taka?"
	"You make it sound so hard.  He's my brother.  I want him to 
come home."
	"I need time to think about it," Sarabi said.
	Mufasa nodded. "Of course."
	Excusing herself, Sarabi rose and padded away slowly. She 
wandered through the tall grass of the savanna alone with her 
thoughts.  Everything had been simple once.  Love had been a cub 
once, but now it was a lioness.  A lioness who chooses as she 
wills the lion to desire and the lion to pity.
	Now she was acutely aware that her love for Taka was a 
beautiful sisterly love, but one that did not need or even want to 
be expressed in passion.  On the other hand, Muffy stirred 
feelings in her that were new and a little frightening, but very 
wonderful.  Ever since Rafiki had whispered his advice to her, 
Sarabi said nothing to Mufasa but observed him carefully.  She was 
flattered, honored, and even a little sad to think how he yearned 
for her but said nothing.  Now he was gentle and kind, and he came 
to her with honest longing.  She could hardly resist.  She hardly 
wanted to.  She desired him as she had never needed Taka, and it 
filled her with shame.  Shame that if anyone had worked to earn 
her love, it had been Taka.  Shame that her love could not be 
earned.  Shame to think how she would destroy him when he found 
out.
	Pity for Taka filled her.  She strained to tell the 
difference between pity and love.  Was there really such a gulf, 
that her heart so quick to cry at his bumps and scrapes could not 
beat in time with his?  Is it really so different to be with one 
lion or the other?  Can she not learn to love when her wild heart 
is tamed with vows?  Can she feel the heat his ardor and not be 
warmed?
	She tried to think of Taka coming to her in the shadows, 
flush with the expectations of his wedding night.  She heard his 
quiet voice with an edge of passion asking, "Are you ready, 
beloved?  Are you ready?"  She imagined herself looking into his 
eyes the way they looked the last time he saw her, deep and 
longing.  "I am ready."  Her heart raced, but it was fear, not 
desire.  "No, I'm not ready!" she said aloud.  "I don't want him!  
Not that way!  Oh gods, he would know!"  She collapsed in the 
grass, sobbing.  "Aiheu help me, I love them both, but I don't 
want to marry Taka-I'd almost rather die!"  She opened her eyes, 
seeing the savanna through a blurred film of tears. She blinked as 
a shadow passed overhead. Looking up, she saw Ahadi's majordomo 
gliding by.
	She hunched over, praying he wouldn't see her down here, 
crying like a hungry cub. With relief, she saw him heading away 
towards the river. She felt lucky; his sharp eyesight rarely 
missed anything on the ground.
	She started to head back home, but paused, thinking. His 
sharp eyesight rarely missed anything, even Taka!  He could find 
Taka!  Galvanized into action, she burst from her hiding place and 
sprinted after him, trying to keep him in sight.  "Zazu!  Wait!"
        High above her, the hornbill sped toward the river, the 
wind whistling past his ears dulling any sounds that might have 
reached him.  Gliding down to a smooth landing, he paced over to 
the river's edge, eager to begin his noontime ritual.  In a quiet 
spot in the shade of the reeds, he took in a deep breath, 
stretched his wings, and dipped one foot in the water.  "Sheesh!"  
He pulled out his leg quickly.  "Perfect."
	He backed up a few steps, took a flying leap, and after a 
few powerful strokes of his wings, folded and dropped like a stone 
into the cold water.
	"Ooo-hoo-HOOO!"  He splashed about until he got used to the 
frigid tide.  It felt good in the oppressive heat.  Singing, he 
splashed about, soaking himself from his primaries clear through 
to the down.

		"Mai-sie, Mai-sie,
		Your eyes are driving me cra-zy,
		Pluck a dai-sy,
		Ask it if I am true.

		"You'll pull off the fragrant petals,
		And watch as each one settles,
		I love you so, and off we'll go,
		To a paradise made for two."

	A goose with her goslings watched with harmless amusement.  
One of the goslings swam over and had to stare a little more 
closely.
	"What'cha doing?"
	"Who?  What?"  Zazu shook off his head and looked at the 
youth.  "Oh, I'm just tidying up."
	"I thought you were in trouble."
	"Hardly."  Zazu laughed.
	The small ball of feathers looked back unblinking.
	"Was there something else?"
	"Gee, that's a big beak.  What are you?"
	"I'm a hornbill."
	"I like hornbills."
	"Thank you."  He smiled.  "Best run along or you'll get 
splashed.  Hornbills do a lot of that"
	Pushing along the bottom with his feet and flapping his 
wings, Zazu made it back to the bank with a great deal of effort.  
He fanned his wings to shake off diamond droplets, and began to 
use his beak with surprising finesse to preen his feathers.  The 
show was over, and the gosling went back to its mother to fish for 
prawns.
	It was nearly time to gather the mid-day news for Ahadi.  In 
return for his services, Zazu lived a safe life.  He could pick 
the choicest fruits from the trees where predators made their 
stealthy living, for he was corban--off limits--to all who would 
enjoy a well-fed hornbill.
	When he was nearly dry enough to take off, a lioness came 
out of the bush.  "Zazu!  Thank heavens you're still here."
	"Sarabi!  Good morning."
	"It's NOT a good morning," she said with distress.  "When 
you make your rounds, tell me if you see Taka.  He's run off, and 
I'm worried about him."
	"Run off, you say?  That whining little imp?  I didn't think 
he had the nerve."  He rubbed his eyes.  "I wouldn't worry about 
him.  He'll come back when he's had a taste of the bush."
	"Zazu!  I know you don't like him, but you do like me, don't 
you?"
	"Of course I do.  I value your friendship highly."
	"And you like Mufasa, don't you?"  She didn't even wait for 
an answer.  "Listen, it's important for Muffy and I to know where 
he is.  Besides, that would be some real news for the King.  Akase 
is going crazy worrying about him."
	"I'll get right on it."
	Zazu spread his wings and in a moment he was up beyond the 
tops of the trees, headed off to make his rounds.
	"Good luck!"



SCENE:  THE MANTLEMENT CEREMONY


	The next morning, the green plain of the Pride Lands was 
covered by zebras, antelopes, elephants, giraffes, and many other 
peoples who pushed and shoved for the best position.  Zazu, the 
King's majordomo, strutted about nervously.  He had never spoken 
before such a huge audience before.  King Ahadi looked drained, 
though he kept up appearances.  Queen Akase had a difficult time 
sitting still beside her husband.  She stared into space.
	Sarabi and Elanna were wards of the queen, and were invited 
to sit with the royal family.  It was especially a comfort for 
Sarabi to be next to Akase and smell the familiar smell of her 
milk mother.
	"Zazu," Sarabi asked quietly, "Have you seen Taka?"
	"I'm sorry.  I've put out word all over, but I'm afraid he's 
long gone."
	"Oh."  She bowed her head.
	"Even Gopa the stork hasn't seen him, and nothing escapes 
Gopa.  But I can fly out past the boundary if you wish.  After the 
ceremony of course."
	"It won't be necessary."
	Akase motioned her over and nuzzled her affectionately.  
"You are such a comfort to me.  You were his milk sister, and how 
many times as I nursed you I thought of you as my own little girl, 
as if I had carried you."
	"I felt it," Sarabi said, resting her head on Akase's 
shoulder.  "Tell me the truth--should I have gone with Taka?"
	Akase purred.  "No, my child.  It is sad enough to lose a 
son without losing a daughter.  And I feel you will be my daughter 
before the day is out."
	Mufasa got the nod from his father, and started out toward 
the end of the spur to meet the crowd.  But first he paused by 
Sarabi and smiled to see how gentle she looked leaning on Akase.  
"My last cubhood thought will be of you," he said.  "And the first 
thought as a lion will be of you.  Sassie, would you rest your 
head on me some time?"  She looked deep into his eyes and her chin 
trembled.  "Muffy," she purred, "My beloved."
	Mufasa walked to the end of the promontory.  A brief, dim 
memory came back to him.  "Old Makedde," he thought.  "Was I so 
small that he could hold me up?"  He smiled, and looked over the 
crowd.  It was good to be back where it had all started.
	Zazu shouted, "Long live Prince Mufasa, son of King Ahadi!"
	The crowd bowed and scraped.  Zebras whinnied, elephants 
trumpeted, and antelopes stomped their hooves.  It only stopped 
when Zazu spread his wings.
	The King met his son at the tip of Pride Rock.  "Let all 
within the sound of my voice know that my son is coming fast on 
the path of his forefathers.  Look, he bears the sign."
	Akase took Ahadi's place.  "Look down o gods and bless my 
son who is now a lion."  She shuddered visibly.  "And bless my son 
Taka, wherever he is.  Hear a mother's prayer and have mercy on 
him."
	A hush fell over the sward.  The zebras looked at one 
another and the elephants shook their head.  Akase stood on the 
tip of the Pride Rock with a certain dignity, but a deep sadness 
that bowed her head and stooped her shoulders.  They waited for 
her to say something, anything.  One of the zebra mares nuzzled 
her foal.  The leopards bowed their heads and Bhetu the bat-eared 
fox howled mournfully.  Ahadi came out and kissed his mate, 
leading her back to a sanctuary of private grief.  Zazu dismissed 
the crowd with a quick blessing, and they stalked quietly away, 
aware that something very bad had happened.
	Mufasa left the peak, and headed back to the cave where he 
had spent his cubhood.  "So I am a lion now."
	"You are my lion now," Sarabi answered.  She came from the 
deep shadows to meet him.  He gathered his nerve and put his paw 
paw on her left shoulder.  She answered with a deep purr.  It 
could only mean one thing.
	Mufasa said "Before the gods, before the stars, before the 
assembled host I swear to give you my protection, my life, and my 
comfort forever."
	She trembled and nuzzled him affectionately.  "Till the last 
beat of my heart, to the last breath I sigh, our lives are one, so 
help me gods."
	"Bless you, Sassie.  I'll love you forever."
	"Let us go someplace alone," Sarabi whispered.
	"Right now?" Mufasa whispered back.  "Are you sure you want 
this?"
	"Yes."  She kissed him.  "Once Taka needed me, but now he 
needs something I can't give him.  I hope he finds it."  She 
nuzzled him and added, "Let me be selfish, Muffy.  Let me think of 
myself for once.  Give me what I need.  Love me.  Let me feel your 
breath on my cheek."
	"Sassie," he whispered passionately.  "To love you for a 
moment and then die, I would have no regrets."
	Mufasa nodded at his parents and Ahadi winked back.  "Have 
fun, kids.  There's a nice walk to the mirror pool in the cleft of 
the rock.  You could watch the fish swim."
	When Mufasa led his timid new wife out of the cave, Ahadi 
whispered to Akase, "Thank the Gods.  Sarabi is a good lioness, 
and she has made the right decision.  Taka is a good boy, and 
clever, but he is so immature.  Besides, it's just like Rafiki 
says--Muffy really loves her."
	"Did he tell you that too?  He's a meddlesome old ape, but 
he has a heart from the gods."  She shook her head.  "I hate to 
agree with you, husband, but you are right about Taka."  She 
sighed.  "Do you ever think we'll see him again?
	"Probably not while we're alive, old girl.  He's proud, that 
one.  Proud and stubborn."
	"Then go after him," Akase said.
	"Go after him?  Where?  This is no antelope hunt.  His 
tracks cover every square paw of the Pride Lands.  I'm not a god, 
you know."
	"You don't have to tell me that," she said in a feeble 
attempt at humor.  "But if you don't look for him, I will."
	"Akase!  You must be careful!  I can't have you leaving the 
Pride Lands.  I've already lost a son-must I lose his mother as 
well?"
	"Then come with me."
	"I'm not sure it will do any good.  But we owe him that much 
at least."
	Just then, Zazu came excitedly into the cave.  "Good news, 
everyone!  You'll never guess!"  He bowed deeply.  "Your 
Majesties, Taka is coming back!  I've spotted him in the brush and 
he's headed this way!"
	"That is good news for us," Ahadi said.  "I only hope it 
will be good news for him."


SCENE:  SARABI'S NEWS


	Taka was devastated by his loss.  It was too much for him to 
accept completely, and he constantly watched for opportunities to 
get Sarabi alone.  Such chances were few, for Muffy fawned on her 
day and night, smitten with a love both deep and selfless.  And 
Sarabi was not the passive subject of his advances.  She nuzzled 
her mate for no obvious reason, played games of hide and go seek 
with passion at stake, and would lie against him with her head 
buried in the softness of his mane.  When the lionesses would talk 
as they gathered for the hunt, her every other word was Muffy this 
and Muffy that.  Their attraction was healthy and strong, and 
those who knew her said she would have the light in her eyes soon 
enough.
	Once Sarabi enjoyed Taka's company.  Now she tried to avoid 
him.  He had met her at the watering hole and begged her to come 
away with him.  Once he'd waited for her to come back from the 
kill and put his paw on her left shoulder in front of the other 
lionesses.  She was terrified that Muffy would overhear some of 
his remarks and try to satisfy the demands of honor.  Taka 
misunderstood her warnings as concern for "their relationship," 
and began to block out the evidence of her strong attraction to 
Muffy.  To him, she was trapped in a marriage she did not want, 
trying to protect her true love from the wrath of a jealous 
husband or outraged gods.
	Sarabi tried to disenchant him from that fantasy.  He only 
believed more strongly than ever in her love.  A brave, fragile 
thing of beauty that would try to turn his affections to another 
rather than have him killed by his own brother.  At first it was 
easy for Taka to cling to this story and make his rejection 
bearable.  In a way, it made her more beautiful and desirable to 
him, and he suffered greatly over it.
	Then one day her love for Muffy took tangible form inside 
her.  She came to him that morning, nuzzled him, and called him 
"father," and with tears of joy he kissed her and called her 
"mother."  Ahadi and Akase were the next to know, but then she 
went to tell Taka she was with child.  This was more of a duty she 
had to perform, and she took no joy in it.
	He stared silently at the ground for a moment, then looked 
at her.  "So you are with his child.  Where has the time gone."
	"I hope you are glad for me."
	"I could be glad for us."  He reached out with his left paw 
and touched her shoulder.
	"I wish you wouldn't do that."  She backed up.  "Muffy would 
use you for a throw rug.  Besides, I'm expecting.  Doesn't that 
mean anything to you?  Taka, it's over between us.  Can't you see 
that?"
	"Because your child is forming inside you?  Sassie, it could 
be our child.  I love you so much, and I would love your cubs so 
much.  I can't just give up on you.  No one has ever loved you the 
way I do.  I cannot blame Muffy for wanting you.  I couldn't blame 
any lion for wanting you.  But you loved me back.  I waited for 
you, I prayed for you, I was prepared to turn my back on family 
and friends for you, even the gods themselves."
	She was shocked.  "Don't you fear the gods?"
	"The gods?"  Taka uttered a short, mocking laugh.  "If there 
are any gods, they hate me.  They have let this curse eat away at 
me and done nothing to stop it."  His eyes bored into hers.  "You 
are my god now.  You and the child inside you.  I would worship 
you.  I would bring you sacrifices.  Sassie, look at me!"
	"Stop it!  I'm not going anywhere with you.  I love you like 
a brother-a spoiled little brother that has his good moments.  I 
thought I could also learn to love your breath on my cheek, but it 
will not happen.  Muffy is the first thing I think of when I wake 
up and the last thing I think of as I fall asleep.  When he 
touches me, I tremble.  You never made me feel that way."
	His jaw clenched.  "I don't want to hear this."
	"You NEED to hear this!  He and I are in love.  I pitied 
you, and wanted to make you happy.  But you are aggravating, 
dependent, selfish, and obnoxious, and those are some of your LESS 
irritating qualities.  If I'd married you, that would not have 
changed.  But thank the gods I narrowly escaped making the biggest 
mistake of my life."
	Taka took in a short gasp.  The dream was shattered forever.  
He gaped at her, unable to speak for several seconds.  "Well 
then," he said bitterly, "it seems I ran away at a very convenient 
time.  I hope you two will be happy together."  He started away.
	"Wait, Taka!  I don't know what made me say those awful 
things."
	"What awful things, Sarabi?"  He gave her a withering 
glance.  "I'm the one that loves you, you said.  Taka, when you 
grow up, I want to marry you, you said.  And that little crack 
about how I wouldn't survive the wedding night.  Well I almost 
didn't."  She backed away a step as he stalked towards her.  
"While his breath perfumed your dainty little cheek as you so 
delicately put it, I was planning my own death."
	She put a paw to her mouth, horrified.
	"You didn't know why I ran away, did you Sassie.  I ran away 
to blot you out forever.  I thought you were worth a little plunge 
off a cliff.  Now at least I know why I didn't."  He nodded to 
himself.  "Some higher power spared me so I could learn you 
weren't worth it."
	She cuffed him across the face.  "Get out!"
	He turned and walked off.  Taka often went out alone, and no 
one in the pride knew where.  He took a haunch from a zebra and 
headed off toward the elephant graveyard.
	Fabana the hyena was waiting for him.  She had a sense about 
these things.
	"Fay, it's good to see you again."
	"What is it this time, Scar?"
	"She has the light in her eyes.  His child."  He didn't have 
to fill in more details, for she heard from him regularly.
	The pups were older, and they recognized him.  "What'cha got 
today, Uncle Scar?"
	"Zebra.  Do you like that, Banzai?"
	"It's my favorite!"
	"Food is his favorite diet," Fabana said, as the pups began 
to tug over favorite scraps.  "There is good in you, Scar.  You 
are a true son of Roh'kash."
	"Roh'kash?"
	She looked surprised.  "Didn't your mother teach you about 
the Creator?"
	"Oh, you mean Aiheu."
	She smiled indulgently.  "Perhaps."
	"Tell me, Fay.  Why do the gods let a foolish curse uttered 
by a shaman slowly eat away everything I cared for?  I mean, 
doesn't Aiheu-or Roh'kash-whatever-have power over an evil spirit?  
I find my one path to possible fame and glory blocked by a little 
furball-and just you wait, it will be male, for it seems the gods 
have turned their back on me."
	"Don't say that in front of my pups," she said.  "It is 
wicked to speak ill of the gods, even if you are a heathen."
	"I'm sorry.  I didn't mean it.  It just feels that way 
sometimes."
	"Perhaps you should pray about it.  I think God hears all 
prayers, no matter the name."
	"And you think I haven't?  For about two moons, I was 
practically a shaman."  He raised an eyebrow.  "Tell me, Fay.  
This Roh'kash of yours.  Does he tell us to forgive our enemies, 
or does he give us power to conquer them?"
	"What a foolish question!  God is just.  He will smite those 
who harm his children.  You are made in his image, therefore if 
you would be just, you must destroy injustice."
	He smiled.  "So that is it."  He pondered the enormity of 
that statement.  "Poor fool that I am.  All this time God has 
stood ready to help me, but I have turned away his gifts one by 
one!  You must teach me more about Roh'kash--he could really be a 
friend of mine.  And in the meanwhile I must stop reacting and 
start acting.  Get me an audience with your leaders, my dear.  If 
God is on our side, who will dare oppose us?"



SCENE:  THE ULTIMATUM


	For a while, Taka stopped his self-pitying behavior.  
Ironically, it was not a welcome change, for Taka's helplessness 
was his one endearing quality to most of the lionesses.  With his 
secret new faith, he needed no pity, nor did he inspire it.  He 
swaggered about aggressively, the most devout believer in his own 
great destiny.
	Mufasa carried himself with a certain dignity.  He never 
begged nor pleaded, yet he got everything he wanted.  Perhaps that 
is what Sarabi liked in him.  Perhaps she liked a firm paw and a 
touch of mischief.
	Taka went to the cistern in Pride Rock where the rain would 
collect in pools.  He sought to satisfy at least one of his 
thirsts before the day was over.  The small fish seemed to taunt 
him, swimming about slowly as he looked down into the crystal 
recesses of the stone.  His steady lapping set up rings that 
spread across the surface, breaking up his reflection.  Still, he 
could see another tawny feature coming up beside him.  Even before 
he looked up, he knew his timing was excellent.
	"The water is fresh as a spring rain, Sarabi."
	"Taka, it's you."
	He looked up and smiled warmly.  "Aren't you looking 
beautiful today."
	"Well, uh, thank you."
	He looked back down and resumed drinking.  She joined him in 
a moment when it was obvious he was not about to leave.  From time 
to time he looked over at her, then he finally stopped drinking 
and wiped his muzzle with a large paw.  "I was just thinking about 
the old times.  You were always so protective of me.  It used to 
make Muffy so angry when you'd fawn over me.  I didn't know how 
fond he was of you.  If I had, I wouldn't have taken you for 
granted.  I would have been better to you."
	"Well that's in the past now."
	"Is it?"  He smiled disarmingly.  "I still make you feel 
uncomfortable.  I miss having you look in my eyes without feeling 
like something bad is going to happen.  You have beautiful eyes.  
God, how I miss them."  He cast his glance away.  "Now we almost 
never talk, and you'd always rather be someplace else doing 
anything else.  Sassie, I miss you.  You are my milk sister.  I'd 
just want to know that you still like me."
	"Of course I still like you.  If you'd behave yourself, I 
wouldn't be afraid to show it."
	"Afraid??"  Taka caught himself, laughed self-consciously, 
and said, "Why my dear Sassie, there is not a lion worthy of the 
name that could look at you and not feel his heart race a little.  
That's nothing to be afraid of.  It's just that your eyes are 
fresh flowers wet with morning dew.  When I see them, they make me 
happy.  I love the way you look, the way you smell, the way you 
move.  Who doesn't?"
	"You're very sweet, Taka," she said guardedly.  "But there 
are other lionesses in this Pride that are equally pretty.  You 
should meet one.  You should get to know her well.  I want you to 
be happy the way Muffy and I are happy.  I really do."
	"There are other lionesses," Taka said softly.  "Someone may 
think they are as pretty as you, but Sassie, not one of them has 
ever cried when I was hurt.  Not one of them ever showed me 
kindness.  Not one of them came to me in my dreams.  It was only 
you, always you.  Muffy has been a good brother and you have been 
a good friend.  But gods, every time he makes love to you, I want 
to die.  I just want to die!"  He bit his lip so hard that a small 
drop of blood stained his fur.
	"Taka!" she said firmly.  "Get a grip on yourself!  When you 
find yourself a lioness, we can be friends.  Friends, Taka, the 
way we were as cubs.  When you act like this, you frighten me.  I 
don't trust you.  If you want a lioness to love you, you have to 
love her and make her feel special.  Find someone that needs to 
feel special, and fill that need."
	"You just don't get it, do you?"  Taka stalked away.  "I 
can't get you out of my head.  Sassie, you're killing me from the 
inside."
	He settled into the shadow of a kopje to find respite from 
the sun, and he started to stretch out for a nap.  Then another 
lion passed by.  It was Ahadi.
	"Walk with me, son."
	Ahadi headed slowly, silently up the winding trail that led 
to the promontory on Pride Rock.  Instead of going into the cave, 
he headed up the finger of stone and at its peak sat in regal 
silence.  Taka reached him shortly and sat next to his father.
	"Lay your head on my mane," Ahadi purred.
	Reluctantly, Taka did so.  "Why did you want to see me?"
	"I'm your father.  Do I need a reason?"
	Apparently he did not, for they sat together for a long 
while as the faint breeze stirred their manes together.  A few 
soft clouds sailed by on an azure sea, and borne up on silent 
wings, a fish eagle lofted by majestically, undisputed lord of the 
air.  For a few moments, two kings in their own right saw each 
other;  the eagle dipped his wing, and Ahadi waved his paw.  Taka 
began to relax as his tensions slowly ebbed away on the wind.  He 
could hear his father's steady pulse under the deep mantle of soft 
fur, and feel his sleek ribs rise and fall with the tides of his 
breath.  It was a safe and comfortable feeling that stirred 
sleeping memories from the shadows of his mind.
	"Once I said that you could tell me anything when you were 
good and ready."  Ahadi nuzzled Taka gently.  "I have grown weary 
of waiting, son.  You are troubled, trapped by your own feelings.  
You need to confide in me."
	"I'm fine.  Really I am."
	"It must be terrible to suffer as you have suffered for 
Sarabi."
	"But father, I'm not suffering for Sarabi."
	"You're not?"  Ahadi sighed.  "Muffy used to twitch his tail 
when he lied.  You always wrinkle your nose.  A father knows these 
things.  Now I ask you, do I sound angry?"
	"No, sir."
	"But I do sound worried, don't I?"
	"Yes, sir."
	"I am very worried.  Your mother and I want you to be happy.  
We also want Muffy to be happy.  It's getting harder to wish you 
both what you want, when all you want is what Muffy has."  Ahadi 
took his large paw and gave Taka a pat.  "He loves you, son.  He's 
your brother.  I'm happy for him, and I want you to be happy for 
him.  And what's more, I want him to be happy for you.  Do you 
know what I'm trying to say?"
	"I think so."
	"Son, I love you.  You were always so wise and sensitive.  
Whomever you marry will be fortunate.  She will treasure every 
moment with you, my son.  You think about romance and dream about 
it, but these are only shadows.  Step into the light.  Sarabi has 
talked with your mother and I, and we know all about what you've 
been up to."
	Taka stiffened.  "Oh my gods."
	"Don't worry.  She hasn't breathed a word to Muffy and 
neither shall we.  She didn't want to hurt you.  In fact, she's 
very sad about the whole situation, and she feels guilty about 
disappointing you.  Akase and I are both convinced you should find 
yourself another lioness as quickly as possible."
	"But I don't want another lioness.  She's all I ever wanted.  
She was my kingdom.  Muffy had one, but he had to take mine too."  
He began to cry.  "She loved me, Dad.  She said so."
	Ahadi sighed and touched his cheek with his tongue.  "It 
will be easier on you at your age if you have an outlet for all 
these strong, new feelings.  I understand how you want Sarabi, but 
son, you cannot have her.  Grieve for your loss--go have a good 
cry over it, then go on with your life.  Elanna has had her eye on 
you for quite a while.  If you would just open your eyes, you'd 
know that.  And you might want to talk with Rafiki and see what 
the spirits have to say--and don't tell me how he has it in for 
you, I don't want to hear it."  He turned to face Taka eye to eye.  
"I'm going to give you three moons-a whole season.  You have that 
long to become serious with someone else."
	"Or?"
	"If you don't, I'll have to do something to protect Muffy 
and Sassie from constant harassment.  You'll get a commoner's 
mantlement and I'll send you off into The Big World."
	"Father!"
	"I mean it, too.  It would hurt your mother and I, but we 
have others to think of besides ourselves.  Muffy is a good lion, 
and he will be your King someday.  He has a right to expect 
loyalty from his own brother.  If you can't give it, you must go 
out in The Big World, where you'll either be responsible or be 
carrion.  Taka, you're not a cub anymore."


SCENE:  THE ILLNESS


	A week had passed.  For Taka it was an awkward time, frought 
with frustration and embarrasment.  He began to talk to different 
lionesses, but he found discouragement at every corner.  Oddly 
enough, he avoided Elanna, despite what his father had said.  
Elanna was Sarabi's sister, and those sisters shared everything.
	He felt uncomfortable around his parents because of what he 
thought they had been discussing behind his back.  But while his 
mother acted perfectly normal, his father had acted really 
strange, not just with him but with everyone.  Taka began to 
wonder if Ahadi had other problems.  Indeed, some of the lionesses 
came to him wanting to know what was wrong with the King.
	Ahadi was cranky and prone to disagreement.  Akase made 
excuses for him, saying he was just "under the weather."  She 
urged him to see Rafiki, but he just dismissed her concerns as a 
lot of "foolish nonsense," and asked her to be a "good little 
thing."
	Taka was too preoccupied to really notice his father's 
health.  He had padded quietly into the small grassy patch by the 
southern face of Pride Rock when he saw Muffy lying on his back 
next to Sarabi.  They had not spotted him, so he froze and 
listened.
	"Little cub, are you in there?" Mufasa asked, running his 
paw gently down Sarabi's abdomen.  Her leg started kicking and she 
giggled.
	"Cut that out, you wicked lion!"
	"I'm your husband.  I can touch you anywhere I want."
	"Well I'm your wife, you know.  It works both ways."  She 
cuffed him lightly in the ribs.
	"Ow!  That hurt!"
	"I'll make it feel better."  She kissed him and began to 
fondle his mane with her paw.  "What did I ever do to deserve such 
happiness?"
	Taka's heart came into his mouth.  He ran from the meadow, 
plunging through the shrubs and breasting the tall savanna grass.  
The evil sun of midday scorched him with fire.  Everything was 
ugly.  All that was real was his hate.  Hate for the creature that 
his brother had evolved into.  Hate for Sarabi.  Hate for life 
itself.
	In his flight, he flushed out a rabbit.  With a couple of 
strides, he closed the distance, and he sprang on the hapless 
creature, pinning it to the ground with his large paws.
	In ice cold terror, the rabbit stared up into the red eyes 
of rage.  "Oh gods," it murmered.  "Oh gods.  Please let me go!  
Please!"
	"He thinks he's so cute, touching her there."  His eyes 
narrowed.  "I'll kill him.  So help me God, I'll kill him!"
	The rabbit trembled violently in the suffocating embrace of 
Taka's paws.  "I'm not much of a meal.  Oh gods, I'm going to die!  
Oh gods, oh gods!  Please don't hurt me!"
	"Do you know what I do to scum like that?  Dirty sneaking 
filth that steals what is rightfully mine?"  Taka moved his face 
to within an inch of the rabbit.  His breath, pregnant with lion 
scent, colored his every word.  "I wait for the right moment, then 
I rip them like a gazelle."
	Taka closed in.  The rabbit barely had time to shriek before 
it was stove clear through by lion fangs.  Taka raised his head, 
tossed the blood-drenched trophy up and let it fall lifeless into 
the grass.  "Like a gazelle!  I'll rip him open, so help me!"
	Meanwhile, things were quickly going from bad to worse with 
the King.  The next morning, Akase found Ahadi feverish.
	"Get them out of here!" he said.  "Get them out of here!"
	"Get what out of here?"
	"Just get them out of here!"  He staggered back against the 
wall of the cave and with his back covered, looked around in a 
panic.  "Akase!  Stand by me, quickly!  I'll protect you!"
	Akase took her paw and patted his face.  "Ahadi, darling!  
It's all right!  You're safe."
	"Safe?" he said, his eyes not focusing well.  "Where's 
Akase?  I have to drive hyenas off the Pride Lands."  Beads of 
sweat had matted his splendid mane.  "I'm so tired.  Hyenas-they 
always seem to know when I'm tired.  Let down your guard for one 
minute..."
	"Please lie down.  The hyenas are gone.  Mufasa chased them 
out."
	"Mufasa?  He's such a good boy.  Where is he?"
	Akase ran to the entrance of the cave.  "Zazu!  For God's 
sake, come quickly!"
	Zazu fluttered in.  "What's wrong, your majesty?"
	Ahadi looked up.  "We must rest here for a moment.  Got to 
get out of the sun-I'm so hot.  Taka, you go on without me."  
Ahadi turned to face Zazu, but looked right through him.  "What do 
they think they're doing?  Isha, your cubs are muddying the water 
hole again!"
	"Oh my Lord," Zazu whispered.  "I'll fetch Rafiki."
	Zazu headed out right away, as fast as his wings would carry 
him.  She lay next to Ahadi's burning skin and kissed his cheek.  
"I love you, darling.  Help is on the way.  Can you hear me, 
Ahadi?  Do you know who I am?"
	Ahadi began to pant quickly and shallowly, but he moved his 
large paw on top of Akase's.  "I think I'll take a nap, old girl.  
Will you stay by me?"
	"Always, honey!  Always!"  She added in a whisper, "Gods, 
make them hurry.  I feel so helpless.  Help us."
	It seemed to take an eternity for Rafiki to reach the cave, 
though the did the best he could.  Rafiki arrived out of breath 
with a small pouch of powdered Chi'pim and his staff.  
	Rafiki took some water from the cistern, mixed the leaves in 
it, and gave Ahadi the broth to bring down his fever and bring him 
to himself.  After Ahadi drank it, he checked his eyes, even 
pulling up a little on his eyelids.  He stuck his thumb in the 
corner of his mouth and felt around.  Then he listened to his 
chest.  His face was grave.
	He took Akase to the back of the cave.  "Has he had trouble 
sleeping lately?"
	"Yes."
	"And the muscle stiffness?"
	"He told you about that?"
	"No.  I'm afraid not.  It's a symptom of Koh'suul."  He 
whispered, "When he comes to himself, take him across the savanna 
to the edge of the forest."
	"Where to?"
	"The most appropriate place.  The fever will subside, and 
he'll have a couple of hours of clear thinking.  But my dear, you 
must hurry.  He will not live to see the moon tonight."
	"Oh gods, no!"
	"Hsssh!"
	"You're a shaman," she whispered, but every bit as urgent as 
a scream.  "Can't you do something?  Anything?  I can't let death 
take him from me!  I just can't!"
	He looked in her eyes, pulling down the lid gently with his 
thumb.  "Don't worry, in his own way Aiheu has shown you mercy."  
He silently traced a circle around her right eye with his 
fingertips and touched her under the chin.  He wanted her to know 
she would soon look on the face of God and call Him by name.  
"Two, maybe three days alone.  Use that time to prepare yourself."
	"Oh."  She nodded, and warm tears trickled down her cheeks.  
"I understand.  Aiheu is merciful.  But if I could have only seen 
my grandchild first.  You must send my love to the child."
	He wiped away her tears.  "Say good bye to no one, not if 
you really love them.  You must not drink from the common watering 
hole or the stream till you have crossed the meadow.  You must not 
stop to relieve yourself until you have found the place.  I will 
have to purge this cave before it is safe."  He kissed her.  "Is 
there anything you want me to tell Mufasa?"
	"No, just say good bye for me."  She sighed.  "Poor Taka, I 
would not live long enough to say what is in my heart.  Promise me 
you will try and look after him.  He is so dependent.  Promise me 
you'll look after him."
	"I promise I will do what I can."
	"Whispering about me behind my back, old girl?"  It was 
Ahadi, much improved.
	"I was just telling Rafiki about the surprise.  You haven't 
felt well, and now that the medicine is helping you, you can take 
a little trip with me to see something special."
	"Yes, I am much improved.  I won't have to be dragged out, 
and that is a pleasant surprise.  Don't think I didn't know my 
time was up.  Death has been stalking me--now it rushes in for the 
kill."  He regarded her gently.  "He gave you the marks of Aiheu.  
I take it old girl that we are in this together?"
	"As always."  She nuzzled him gently.
	Ahadi said, "Rafiki, you must tell my son Taka that I made a 
mistake."
	"Sire?"
	"Once I killed a badger.  It was not male as I had said.  
She had pups."  He sighed.  "She attacked my son to only protect 
her own children.  I was trying to prove that I loved Taka, and I 
broke one of my own laws.  I cannot face Aiheu with this secret on 
my conscience."
	"I'll tell him."  A tear rolled down Rafiki's face.  "I'm 
sure you die forgiven.  I touch your mane."
	"I feel it.  And friend, tell him to keep looking.  He'll 
know what that means."
	"I will."  Rafiki took a small flint knife from his pouch.  
He approached Ahadi and took a few strands of his mane, cutting 
off a short lock, kissing it, and putting it in his pouch.  Then 
he placed the marks of Aiheu on Ahadi.  "It is time."
	Ahadi and Akase left the cave for the last time and climbed 
down the side of Pride Rock.  Without a word they took the most 
direct route away from the comfort of their dwelling and forded 
into the silent grass.
	With a heavy heart, Rafiki gathered dead grass from the 
savanna and made a pile of it in the middle of the cave.  He put 
ferns on top of it and a sprinkling of powdered Alba.  Then he 
took a clay pot, and emptied from it a few glowing coals on the 
tinder.
	The coals satisfied their great hunger, raising a cloud of 
smoke that quickly filled the cave with its bitter incense.  The 
smoke sought the heavens, but it found the ceiling of the cave and 
spread out gray fingers to feel for an opening.  At last it found 
the door, and began to rise free into the sapphire sky.
	"Fire!  Fire!"  It was Taka.  He rushed into the cave, 
coughing and wheezing at the smoke.  "Is anyone in here?"
	"You must leave," Rafiki said.
	"You foolish ape!  What do you think you are doing??  Have 
you lost your mind??  When Mom and Dad see this, they will cuff 
you senseless!"
	"They will never see this," Rafiki said.  "It was the 
Koh'suul.  Flee.  You are in great danger here."
	"Koh'suul?"  Taka's eyes widened.  "But that's fatal.  You 
mean Dad is dying?  Does Mom know?"
	"Akase has gone with him."
	"Hffff!"  He stiffened up.  "She was well.  I saw her this 
morning.  She was well!  What do you mean she has gone with him?  
Without telling me??  She'll catch it too!  Where is she??"
	"You cannot see her.  It would be death to you.  I'm sorry, 
but she had it when I got here.  Death had already placed his mark 
on her."
	"But I must see her!"  He pounced on Rafiki and held him to 
the floor of the cave with his paws.  "Tell me where she is or 
I'll crush the life out of you!"
	"Your mother made me promise to care for you.  If you must 
kill me, you must. "
	Taka looked confused, sad, and finally released Rafiki.  He 
turned and sat facing the wall.  "Sassie doesn't love me.  My 
brother doesn't love me.  The gods don't love me.  All I had left 
was here.  Now I'm alone.  They are killing me one small piece at 
a time.  This time they killed my heart."  He trembled.  "I walk, 
I speak, yet I am dead inside.  Dead."
	"There must be something I can do," Rafiki said, getting up.
	"Haven't you done enough?"
	"That's not fair, Taka.  When I was young, my mother died of 
Beh'to.  Before the end, she was banging her head on a tree, 
trying to force the headache out.  I watched her die in the most 
dire agony.  That's when I knew I must be a shaman.  I would never 
have to feel so helpless again."
	"Then why not help them?"
	"As my knowledge grew, every answer raised new questions.  I 
cannot heal every wound.  So more important than my herbs and 
spells is knowing something to say to comfort the Ka when these 
bodies of Ma'at crumble."
	"Then say something comforting to me."
	He stroked Taka's mane.  "I think about the prophesy.  I 
think about it a lot.  Oh, I knew where I wanted to be and what I 
wanted to do in a year, in five years, in ten.  Now I am committed 
to fight this thing.  All my hopes and dreams have been turned 
upside down.  In this way we are alike, my friend.  Our childhood 
dreams are over.  The morning has come and we awake to face 
reality in the light of the sun.  Let us find something real in 
the sunlight, something that pleases us, and hold on to it.  All 
else is vanity."
	"You are a foolish ape," Taka said.  "But even a fool may 
say the right thing at times."
	With that, Taka stalked quietly away to some secret place to 
be alone.  His absences had become more and more frequent as his 
life fell apart.  The loss of his father was a terrible blow, but 
after the death of Akase he was never the same again.  Mother she 
was, friend, and ally.  It would be fair to say she was his 
conscience, his goodness, his faith in the gods.  All of these 
things and more.
	Hours passed with no sign of him.  Mufasa and Sarabi in the 
midst of their deep grief gave him some thought and tried to find 
his private world of brooding depression and nuzzle him.  They 
could not find him, but Yolanda would later say that a one eyed 
hyena and her brood was sitting next to him near the elephant 
graveyard as he wept like a baby.  No one believed her story-it 
was too improbable.  She must have seen poor Ahadi.  Even though 
Yolanda said it was a dark maned lion she saw.
	Later that evening as Mufasa was asking Rafiki's help in 
finding Taka, Zazu came flying back.
	"News?  Have you found my brother?"
	Zazu said, "Your father...."  His head bowed and he sighed 
deeply.  "Have courage, Your Majesty."
	Rafiki came and put his arms around Muffy and whispered, 
"It's time."
	Mufasa climbed slowly up the precipice of Pride Rock and 
when he reached the tip, paused for a moment.  Then he lifted up 
his head and roared.  It was a sad and terrible roar that rent the 
evening sky, and the lionesses joined in.  The King was dead.  
Long live the King.
	In the silence after the unearthly shout, Mufasa could hear 
his father's voice speaking to him from the past.  "It is always 
wonderful to be needed, especially when you always do your best to 
meet those needs.  Someday you will know that feeling when I am 
gone."  Muffy sighed.  "It doesn't feel very wonderful, Dad.  I 
wish you were here right now.  There's so much I want to tell 
you."
	Sarabi drew up alongside and sat by him, resting her head 
against his mane.  "Let it out, Muffy.  Quit trying to hold it 
in."
	Mufasa's chin trembled.  He tried to hold his composure, but 
tears welled up in his eyes.  "They're gone, Sassie.  They're 
gone!"  He leaned against her and sobbed.


SCENE:  THE LIGHT IN HER EYES


	"Then Herod told them `Go to Bethlehem and search for the 
child.  And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I may 
go and worship him as well."

                          -- MATTHEW 2, VERSES 7-8

	As weeks passed, Sarabi began to show evidence of the life 
inside her.  The other lionesses would coddle her and hang on her, 
suggesting male and female names.  Among the most favored choices 
was "Shanni" for a female and "Simba" for a male.  Simba was 
Ajenti's idea, and it was an instant favorite.  Never once did 
Taka wonder if it would be a male.  He felt it was his destiny to 
fight an uphill battle until he gasped out his last breath.  It 
would be male just to spite him.
	Seeing the "light in her eyes" made him ill.  It was the 
mark of Muffy's passion-his brother's final insult.  He would look 
away when she passed to avoid seeing her in that condition.  Once 
he sought to drown his sorrows in a night of loveless passion, but 
he was soundly rejected, even when he offered to take the vow.  
Once he was caught staring at Isha who was known to sun herself on 
the rocks in the most liquid poses of feminine beauty.  His jaw 
trembled and his tail lashed from side to side as he dared to make 
love to her with his eyes.  Yolanda, who was suspicious of Taka 
anyhow, caught him and threatened to go tell Isha.  "She would 
break your lustful little carcass into tiny pieces."
	"She will understand.  You've been jealous since we broke 
up."
	"What??"
	"Night before last when you excused yourself from the hunt."
	"I was sick!"
	"You were love sick.  Oh baby, the things you did weren't in 
the talk my father gave me.  Which one did you like best--naughty 
bunnies or the wildebeest's revenge?"
	Her eyes grew wide.  "You dirty little liar!"
	"No worse than a dirty little snitch.  Just try me and see 
if I won't."
	The Isha incident was never referred to again.  Indeed, Taka 
was wont to behave himself in public.  And with Sarabi's child 
coming closer to the sunlight every day, he stepped up his 
nocturnal dealings with the hyenas and took a whole new interest 
in the royal family.
	Everyone experienced mixed joy and sadness when the big day 
came.  The male cub was named Simba and his small sister was named 
Shanni.  Shanni was weak and tiny, and she never even tasted her 
mother's milk before she went to join the gods.  Simba was strong 
and handsome, and he had enough strength for two cubs.  His large 
paws and well formed features were admired by the relatives and 
close friends that caught first sight of him.
	Taka came in his turn to look at the child.  "He looks so 
much like his father," he said.  Something Mufasa mistakenly took 
as a compliment.  "You will live an interesting life."
	Though he had no doubt all along the cub would be male and 
an heir to the throne, seeing Simba with his own eyes was the 
final cement on his resolve.  The cub was innocent, unaware of the 
resentment in his Uncle's heart.  And he was expendable.
	Oddly enough, it was on this day that Taka first noticed how 
much Elanna was like her sister Sarabi.  Only Elanna did not avoid 
him.  In fact, she would speak to him without even being spoken 
to.  She came to him smiling and asked, "Isn't he a dream?  I just 
know you're going to spoil your little nephew."
	"Of course."  He looked in her eyes and half smiled.  "But 
it's a shame he didn't have his mother's eyes.  Shaka's daughters 
all had beautiful eyes."
	She smiled shyly.  "Well Ahadi's sons aren't so bad looking 
either."
	"Hmph!"   He straightened a little and began to groom his 
mane.  When she left, he watched her till she disappeared in the 
tall grass.
	Ahadi's name brought back a stinging pain that finally 
overtook his good mood.  And a little shame began to creep into 
the darkness of his heart as the wondered what Ahadi and Akase 
would think of his plans.  Simba was the grandson they did not 
live to see.  No doubt they would have loved him.  For a moment, 
but only for a moment, he reflected on the small cub gilded with 
the glory of sunrise who wanted to divide the kingdom with his 
brother.  "No, Muffy," Taka said under his breath.  "Dad was 
right.  There can only be one King in this land."  The mood 
brought mist to his eyes.  "Father, if only you had chosen me.  
Damn Rafiki!  Damn the nurse that gave him milk!  Someday I will 
kill him, but not all at once.  I'll destroy him a little bit at a 
time the way he destroyed me."
	The words of hate hardened his heart.  He drew away to the 
lair of the hyenas to bring news of Simba's birth and to plan his 
death.



SCENE:  ONE DAY TOO LONG

	
	"Mufasa's death was a terrible tragedy; but to lose Simba who had 
barely begun to live....  For me, it is a deep, personal loss. And 
so it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne. Yet, out of 
the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a 
new era in which lion and hyena come together, in a great and 
glorious future."

                                 -- TAKA'S ELEGY

	Over the next three months, Simba grew from a small mite 
that slept most of the day to a joyful, exuberant toddler.  He had 
his moments that could try the patience of a tree, but his heart 
was good, and his charm didn't invite love-it practically demanded 
it.  Nala also fell under his spell, following him everywhere like 
a puppy.
	Then suddenly, as a tree is struck by lightning, Scar came 
wild-eyed with horrible news of a stampede in the gorge.  Simba 
was in trouble.
	Trouble indeed!  Taka nearly wretched as he described the 
small battered body that lay in the dust.  Those eyes so full of 
innocence and love for all Aiheu's creation staring lifeless at 
the sky with the final look of horror fixed in them forever!  Taka 
spoke all the earmarks of genuine grief-no one suspected him of 
harboring ill will toward the golden child of his brother.  Often 
Simba was seen sleeping under the protection of his Uncle's 
watchful gaze.  It was at those moments that even the most 
skeptical lionesses looked at Taka with some tolerance.
	Nala huddled by Sarafina, sobbing.  Sarabi tried to think 
one minute ahead, even one second, but she could see no future, 
even her next meal.  She contemplated curling up and sleeping, 
never to wake up again.  Yet things were not so simple in real 
life as they are in wishful thinking.
	Rafiki came running up Pride Rock.  He saw the hyenas and 
did not know what to make of it.  Going into the cave, he says, 
"Mufasa, I heard the cry.  Who is dead?  Old Maloki?"
	"No.  Not old Maloki."
	"Taka?"  Rafiki looks around.  "Where is your brother?"
	"My brother is dead.  So is Simba.  There was a stampede in 
the gorge."
	"Oh my gods!"  The shock made him weak in the knees.  
"Aiheu, I have lived one day too long!"  The old mandrill could 
barely stumble out of the cave.  He saw Sarabi, her head hung low 
and her ears fallen flat.  "Sassie, is it true?  Tell me it isn't 
true!"
	She turned to look at him, her jaw trembling.  "Rafiki, how 
good of you to come."
	He fell to his knees, put his arms around her neck and wept 
on her shoulder.  "My precious little girl.  Oh, my heart breaks-
it breaks, yet I do not die!"
	Sarabi turned and touched his cheek with her tongue.  "You 
are an ape, and yet you are also a lion.  You must say prayers for 
me, old friend.  My heart lies in the gorge, yet the sun goes on 
rising and setting.  I wish I had been there to greet Aiheu with 
them."
	"You are needed here, so you remain.  I do not understand, I 
only acknowledge."
	"Pray for me."
	"Indeed I will, Sassie."  He kissed her.  "Morning and 
evening, and night."  He placed his hand on her brow.  "Oh gods, 
let your hearts be moved.  Take pity on her in her time of loss.  
Open your arms of love and feed her with the blood of mercy...."
	"Rafiki," said a hyena.  "The King wants a word with you-
right now."
	The mandrill looked up in shock.  He tried to pull himself 
together.  "Did you say the King?"  He took up his staff and tried 
to stand as straight as he could, but it was a little harder just 
then.  He was escorted into what was now Scar's cave and faced 
Taka and his guards.
	"It is a sad duty I ask you to perform," Taka said.  "You 
once said my road would be long and hard.  Now I am King, but I 
cannot enjoy it.  It is an obligation I must fulfill, and I seek 
divine guidance to carry out the job wisely and well.  Give me 
your blessing."
	Rafiki stood closer to Taka.  He did not know, of course, 
that his brother's blood was on his paws.  But when he looked into 
Taka's eyes, he saw no sadness.  He saw only the glint of triumph 
there, and it made him feel ill.  "This blessing I bestow.  May 
the gods in the heavens give you what you richly deserve.  May you 
find as much inner peace as you are entitled to.  May you receive 
mercy in the measure you bestow it, no less and no more."
	"I'll choose to take that as a compliment," Taka said, 
patting Rafiki's cheek gently, then giving him a blow that sent 
him into the wall.  "You twisted little ape.  It was your words 
that brought us to this.  I hate you.  Your painted face sickens 
me."  Taka nodded, and the two hyena guards stood on either side 
of Rafiki.  "You are corban.  For the rest of your life you will 
remain within two hundred strides of your tree except with an 
escort of hyenas to take you to the watering hole, and only when I 
am not there.  For the next time we meet, you will surely die.  
Krull, take charge."
	Taka shoved the staff back at Rafiki.  Then the mandrill 
took his staff and picked himself up.  As he left Pride Rock for 
what seemed to be the last time, he cast a longing glance at 
Sarabi.  "Perhaps you will say a prayer for me too?"
	The lionesses watched his exit.  It was the final injury on 
top of all griefs.  Only Elanna who could see no evil in Taka 
thought there must be a good reason for his confinement.  She went 
into his cave humbling herself, laying on her back and reaching 
out.  "I touch your mane."
	"I feel it.  Rise up, my dear."
	"Your heart is dear to me, even when it is broken."
	"And you have come to comfort me?"  Taka was genuinely 
moved.  He saw in her trusting eyes the love that once Sarabi had 
born for her.  Risking all, he reached out and touched her 
shoulder.  She purred deeply.  "Tonight my brother lies dead by 
his son.  The day we first make love must be a happy memory.  
Return in three days, and I will pledge myself to you."
	"Incosi aka Incosi," she said.  "Great King."  Then she 
mouthed the word, "Beloved."
	Coming from a lioness, the phrase was liquid light, a thing 
of beauty.  The hyenas that surrounded him were too full of 
flattery and manners.  All fear and ambition, no real substance.  
Even those who were genuinely grateful could only excite the 
smallest fleeting pleasure.  Only one hyena did he actually love, 
though he did love her enough to tolerate the rest.


ELANNA: 	Why can't they see the one I see when others look at him?
          		His inner light is shining bright; why do they find it dim?

TAKA:     	I've seen that face through all my days, but now I see it new,
          		And all my dreams of hope and love begin to look like you.

CHOIR:    	There's a renaissance of love here, a respite from an age of fearful darkness
          		Calling to the hopeless to enter the light.

     		There's a wakening of spirits, a call to overcome the bonds of sadness
          		Shining with a fervor ecstatic and bright.

TAKA:     	Far over the hills coming in warm crimson splendor
          		The sun is preparing now to rise for us, to comfort us
          		And shine on our newborn love!

CHOIR:   	 There's a renaissance of hope here, a  respite from an age of hopelessness
          		Wiping clean the bitterness borne of our tears.

     		There's a wakening of spirits, a freedom from the bonds of loneliness
          		To comfort us and soothe away all of our fears.

ELANNA:   	Come let the sun rise up with its gold joyful splendor
          		And light the golden face of my beloved one, to warm our hearts
          		And shine on our newborn love!


	Back in his baobab tree, Rafiki was thrust none too gently 
and warned by the overly enthusiastic guards that his life hung in 
the balance.  He was too sad to be frightened of death, but he 
clung to life from some impulse Aiheu had breathed into his 
forefathers.
	Rafiki looked at the picture of Simba.  "Poor child.  
Innocent and now dead because of me."  Sadly, he took his hand and 
wiped over the painting, smearing the mark of his anointing.  
"Somehow, some way, I will undo this evil.  I swear I will never 
stop trying till death takes me."


SCENE:  GOOD HELP IS HARD TO FIND


	"In the third year of King Ramalah, there was a certain 
lioness named Alba the faithful.  She was a servant of Queen 
Chakula from the time of her coming of age, and often times the 
Queen entrusted her with her two sons N'ga and Sufa.  Once, when 
Chakula was aprowl, the earth shook, and the cave where Alba 
dwelled was closed with the twins inside.  Five days it took to 
dig them out, and Chakula had no hope to find them alive.  But 
when the cave was opened, N'ga and Sufa came out alive.  Only Alba 
was dead.  Because she was a dry lioness, she opened the deep 
veins of her arm to nurse them, that they might survive.  It was 
from the spot she lay that the first flower grew that bears her 
name, red as the blood of mercy."

                 --  THE LEONID SAGA, "E" SECTION, VARIATION 5

	Rafiki sulked in his confinement.  His home that had always 
seemed so large was now cramped--almost claustrophobic.  He could 
still heal wounds and fevers under the close supervision of his 
guards.  Casual visitors were rudely turned away.
	It wasn't long before the Pride Lands fell under an epidemic 
of sprains, bruises and coughs.  The guards suspected that most 
were well-wishers, but they had no way to prove which ones were.  
His dwindling supplies of herbs would soon solve that problem 
anyhow, as he was not allowed to gather things beyond the 
boundaries of his restriction.
	Rafiki despaired.  Unless Aiheu sent him a way, he could 
quickly find himself without healing powers, a useless relic left 
over from happier days.  He took some of his precious remaining 
ochre and painted an eye of Aiheu on the wall of his hollow tree.  
"Watch over me, Lord.  I know in your good time there will be an 
answer to my problems."
	He had just finished his prayer when something happened to 
change his whole outlook.  Krull, the leader of his hyena guard, 
came in complaining of a runny eye.  "If you are good as your 
friends say you are, it won't matter that I am a hyena."
	"I don't know about good," Rafiki said.  "But it does not 
matter what you are, as long as you feel suffering."
	"Why does Scar hate you so?"
	"Hasn't he told you?"
	"Let's say for now that he has not.  What would you tell 
me?"
	"I would tell you that I am partly to blame.  I had toyed 
with powers I did not fully understand, and given a foothold to 
the curse that burns him."
	"Hfff!  Honest little chap, aren't you!  And yet a half 
truth is like a half-carcass--it can be dragged twice as far.  
Tell me about this curse--help me to understand it."
	"The words alone are corban.  If they are spoken aloud, they 
would rot your bones, but I may whisper it to you."
	Coming from the back, Rafiki leaned over and drew close to 
his ear.  "What I do," he whispered, "is what I have to do."  
Quickly Rafiki grabbed Krull's forearm and pinched one of the 
nerves.  With his other hand, he grabbed his muzzle to stifle a 
shriek of pain.  The hyena struggled and whined, but Rafiki's hold 
was secure.  The jaws that closed so powerfully had weak muscles 
to open them, and Krull was not able to make more than a stifled 
moan.  "Listen to me and listen well.  When I release your jaw, 
the first words I want to hear are `I swear by my god that I will 
be your loyal servant.'  Agreed?"
	The hyena struggled again, but whimpered pitifully as Rafiki 
tightened his hold.  "I hate violence.  I hate to cause pain, but 
by my gods I can and will kill you if you refuse me."
	The hyena relaxed a little and moaned again.  Rafiki let 
loose his jaw.
	"I swear by Aiheu that I will be your loyal servant."
	"You don't believe in Aiheu.  You will swear by Roh'kash."
	"I swear by Roh'kash!  For God's sake, let go of me!"
	Rafiki let go of him and rubbed the sore spot on the hyena's 
shoulder.  "Now I have need of an escort from time to time.  I do 
not plan to stay cooped up in this tree like a woodpecker for the 
rest of my life.  I need my herbs, and I need my sustenance.  I 
must get Alba to nurse the wounded.  You treat me well, and I will 
make you thank your Roh'kash for the day you met me.  I am not 
evil.  I will do nothing to harm you."  He got some ointment.  
"Now about that eye problem.  Old Rafiki will fix you up in a jif, 
as I promised."  


SCENE:  A VISITOR FROM THE EAST


	Taka did not prove to be a popular ruler.  His unpopular 
standing was for far more than the coming of the hyenas, though 
they were universally despised.  His insecurity was overwhelming, 
and he sought to fight all threats real and perceived with savage 
force.  Still under it all, Taka wanted to be liked.  He would 
sometimes whisper a tender word to a lioness-wanting only a 
friendly reply--only to be rebuffed or simply ignored.  At those 
moments he was most dangerous, for he would sometimes fly into a 
rage in frustration and hurt.  Soon they learned that he could be 
placated by simple pleasantries, and they would return his 
greetings and agree that the weather was indeed fine today.  But 
the very deep resentment crept out through their tone of voice, 
and he eventually stopped trying to speak with them rather than 
wince at their insincerity.
	When Taka had been ruler of the Pride Lands for a year, a 
lioness named Kako had come out of the east seeking asylum for 
herself and her unborn child.  Taka saw in her someone whose 
opinion of him was not already poisoned, and he felt that she had 
the sympathy of the other lionesses.  So with little deliberation, 
and that mostly for show, he invited her to stay.
	Kako was suitably grateful.  She went on the hunt with 
Uzuri, even though her condition was less than ideal, and that 
overlooking her advanced pregnancy.
	One night they were hunting wildebeests when Kako fell in 
agony.  She was attended by two other lionesses while the others 
went on with the chase.  It was there in an open savanna that she 
gave birth.
	Like most lionesses who are not of royal blood, Kako was 
praying for a female.  There is no difference in the love of a 
mother for a son or daughter, but a daughter does not grow up to 
be a lion, and she can be the comfort of a mother's old age.  So 
Kako was both happy and sad when Isha cleaned off the child and 
said, "Mother, behold your son."  He was small and wet and his 
nose was pushed in, the sort of beauty a lion could not 
appreciate, but a lioness worshipped.  "Come, my son."  She took 
the small child and placed it against her where it took its first 
meal under the starry heavens.


KAKO:  	Little one, small and soft as a new golden blossom
  	 	Little one, snuggled next to my heart,
       	Someday soon you'll be grown and be off on adventures
       	But your journey is still at its start.

       	Stay a while, don't be rushed, let the world wait to own you
       	Life is short, do not flee, for I've only just known you
       	Love is here, take my heart, let my strong arms enthrone you
       	Child of mine, gift of God, little one!


	Isha came and touched the small infant with her tongue.  
"Isn't he beautiful!  What are you going to call him?"
	"He will be Mabatu, like his father."  That was the only 
part of her past that was not locked behind a door of silence.



SCENE:  YOUNG MABATU


	Taka found that he could speak to Kako without being 
reviled, though Kako was not overly friendly in return.  Still, 
Kako would speak her mind, and to get more than two words out of 
her was Taka's one great pleasure outside of his mate Elanna.
	When Mabatu's eyes first opened, the first thing he saw was 
his mother.  And the second thing he saw was Taka peering down at 
him with an elated grin.  "Look at him!  Isn't he a looker!"
	During the days of Mabatu's milk, Taka would save choice 
portions of the kills for Kako.  Later he would bring Mabatu 
tempting tidbits to eat.  Baba, as he was often called, found Taka 
more than an Uncle, for indeed he was like a father to the cub.  
Love was a rare commodity for Taka, and he begged for it from 
those who could and would feel for him.  Indeed, when it suited 
him, Taka could be capable of great tenderness on his own terms 
and at his own times.  This patronage frightened the other 
lionesses, who knew that the strength of his love was only matched 
by the strength of his hate.  Those who had betrayed his love were 
as likely as not to end up dead.
	Still, his care of Mabatu was his one shred of 
respectability that commanded respect from the lionesses.  They 
even began to speak to him as he passed.  He was so surprised to 
have someone ask HIM if the weather wasn't divine that he 
suspected a joke at first.  But little by little the pleasantries 
sounded more and more sincere.  If it only wasn't for the hyenas, 
he might have made some friends.
	When Mabatu was three moons old, it rained heavily.  That 
rain would be remembered for a long time because it was the last 
rain before the drought.
	It took a while for the sun to bake the remaining water out 
of the soil and dry up the grass.  Dry spells were frequent on the 
savanna and only to be expected.  For the first week, no one was 
alarmed.  A week later, some of the lionesses remarked on it 
before the hunt.  But after four weeks without rain, hunting began 
to suffer.  Little Baba was now four moons old, and his appetite 
was growing along with his body.  His "Uncle" had to work harder 
to find enough for him to eat.  Once when game was very scarce, 
Taka brought him a couple of large fish that had been stranded in 
a pool once part of the river.  When Mabatu started to turn up his 
nose at them, Taka looked hurt and said, "But I caught them myself 
just for you."
	Baba tried one, and liking it quickly devoured it.  He 
sniffed of the other, but looked up.  "What are you going to eat?"
	"I'll find something."
	"Here."  He shoved the fish over to Taka.  "You eat this 
one."
	Taka looked into Mabatu's eyes.  There was a quality about 
them that reminded him of young Simba.  For a moment he 
experienced if not repentance at least a pang of regret.  "What a 
kind thing to do," he said, nuzzling the cub.  "I love you, Baba."
	"I love you too."
	There was no difference in Simba and Mabatu.  Simba used to 
tell his Uncle, "I love you" from time to time.  In his heart Taka 
swore from then on that only those who knew the evil they caused 
would die.  He felt that he had saved Baba, and in doing so wiped 
out his guilt for killing Simba (for indeed he thought the cub was 
dead).  Though he was unsure about Roh'kash and had turned his 
back on Aiheu, he still suffered a superstitious dread about what 
would happen to him when he breathed his last.  Baba would be his 
atonement.  Baba would be his salvation.  Baba must live.


SCENE:  AFFAIRS OF THE HEART


	Isha was very close to Kako and her son Mabatu.  She worked 
hard to help them whenever she could.  And they were not without 
gratitude.  
	One day when Isha came to take care of Mabatu while Kako 
went to see Rafiki, she told Isha, "You're the sister I never had.  
What wonderful thing did I do to deserve you?"
	Isha nuzzled her.  "I was just wondering the same thing."
	"That's the third time this month you've taken care of 
Mabatu for me.  There must be something I can do in return."
	"I love the little fellow.  I enjoy every moment we spend 
together."
	While Kako was gone, Isha thought she would just keep an eye 
on little Baba, but it turned out he wanted to be more involved.  
So they wrestled.  Mabatu was too young to make headway with a 
fully grown lioness, especially not an accomplished huntress like 
Isha.  She tried hard not to win too badly.
	Mabatu was quick, if nothing else.  She was surprised to 
find herself off balance when she was not planning it.  He pounced 
on her stomach and giggled.  "Gotcha!"
	After he let her up, she dusted herself off and said, "I'll 
get you next time, you little rat fink."
	He kissed her cheek and said, "I love you."
	"I love you too."
	He smiled broadly.  "Are you married?"
	She laughed, a little embarrased.  "No.  But maybe someday 
the right lion will come along."
	In a shy voice, he said, "When I grow up, I want to marry 
you."
	She laughed again.
	"Please don't laugh at me.  I meant it."
	"I wasn't laughing at you.  It was just such a sweet thing 
to say.  I wasn't expecting it, that's all."
	"You're not mad?"
	"No."  She kissed him.  "It was the nicest proposal I've 
ever heard, and I've heard quite a few."  She pulled him over with 
her paw.  "Time for your bath, squirt."
	Mabatu did not raise the usual objections.  When she cleaned 
his fur, he purred quietly.
	Later that day as the lionesses gathered for the hunt, Uzuri 
came to Isha with a broad smile on her face.  "Congratulations!"
	"On what?"
	"On the big event.  Mabatu just told me the good news."  She 
laughed, something Uzuri didn't often do.
	Embarrased, Isha asked her, "Who else did he tell?"
	"I don't know.  But I'd catch him quickly if I were you."
	"I'll have a little talk with him."  Isha thought a moment 
and burst out laughing.  "He asked me if I was married.  The 
little rat fink, I should have known what he was up to!"


SCENE:  SHIMBEKH


	Among the hyenas, there were several seers, but few that 
could compare to Shimbekh.  She was said to have the ear of 
Roh'kash, and her words were never taken lightly.
	Without Rafiki to give his guidance to Pride Rock, Taka 
relied on her judgment to make all his important decisions.  Of 
course, this was of great interest to Shenzi, who saw in it a way 
to secure control over Taka and virtually rule the Pride Lands.
	Shimbeck was always surrounded by questioning throngs, for 
everyone wanted her wisdom.  But her personal friends were few.  
Like most seers, she never married.  The dark and frightening 
aspects of the future were a large obstacle to her being seen as a 
friend.  And for most hyenas, Shimbeck and the future were 
inseparable, as if the unseen had taken on a familiar form to 
stalk among them.
	Makhpil, a shy but talented seer was only an adolescent.  
But she clung to Shimbekh for comfort.  Her own parents were 
afraid of her, though they had no reason to be.  So Shimbekh was 
both mother and father to Makhpil, and Shimbeck loved her 
appropriately.  They had both faced the future, and it could not 
come between them.
	Prophesy is a two-edged sword-it cuts both ways.  Shenzi, at 
first unable to make Shimbeck lie, convinced her to tell only the 
truth that helped the hyena cause.  A half truth is like a half 
carcass; it can be dragged twice as far.
	Both Shimbekh and Makpil knew that a seer who lied was a 
seer no more.  The gods would take the truth from those who would 
not use it.  And for a long time, Shenzi only encouraged Shimbekh 
to manipulate the truth for it would be a shame to lose her rare 
talent.  Somehow Shimbekh's personal feelings never entered into 
Shenzi's mind, and Shimbekh was all too aware of that.
	Then came a time months later when Shimbekh had made so many 
compromises that Shenzi could blackmail her.  Shenzi wanted 
Shimbekh to come to her private quarters, this time without 
Makpil.  And when she had her alone, she said, "You will tell Scar 
that it is folly to leave Pride Rock.  You will tell him that the 
day he attempts to go, he will die."
	"My Lord Roh'mach, the gods do not say it.  A seer is a 
servant of the Lord.  To lie is blasphemy."
	Shenzi smiles coyly.  "Is it really blasphemy when the 
greater good depends on it?"
	"You mean YOUR greater good depends on it."
	"Whatever."  Shenzi comes up beside her and pats her lightly 
on the cheek.  "I wouldn't want to be you Honey Bun, not when Scar 
finds out how far you stretched the truth."
	"On YOUR orders."
	"Little old me?"  Shenzi smiled wickedly.  "Would I ask you 
to lie to my King?  For shame!"
	Shimbekh says "You wouldn't dare tempt the gods."  
	"Oh yes I would.  Taka's superstitions are his downfall.  I 
believe in what works, and this works.  Play the game by my rules, 
and you'll have no reason to frown.  Refuse me, and you won't be 
able to frown."
	Shimbekh says, "Well I have one prediction for you.  This 
path leads toward defeat.  You do not scratch dirt at the gods and 
profit by it."
	"Are you threatening me??"
	"No.  You threaten yourself.  We all pay for our own sins, 
Roh'mach.  I will pay for mine, but you will pay for yours."  The 
seer looks at her closely before going.  "I will pray for you."
	"You just do that.  But first, you see Scar."
	She walks out.  Going in to see the King, she bowed deeply.  
It took all her nerve to keep from trembling.  "My Lord, King of 
Kings, I have something to report."
	"Yes?"
	"It is Pride Rock, Your Majesty.  It is the source of your 
life.  If you flee, it will mean your death."
	"Oh?"  Taka's ears perked up.  "My death?"
	"Yes, Sire.  Game is scarce, and rain is sparce, but if you 
are faithful and remain, the rain will fall and the game will 
return."
	"Good!  Very good!  And I was just talking with Shenzi about 
moving.  You tell her what you told me, my girl!"
	"I will, Sire."
	Shimbekh bowed deeply and left his cave.  Stepping out into 
the savannah grass, she wondered what would come of this.  But she 
did not have a clue.  The future was a sense, like hearing or 
sight was to most hyenas.  Suddenly, as if she had gone deaf or 
blind, she had only the present moment for the first time in her 
life.
	The feeling of isolation terrified her.  She looked into the 
sky and tried to concentrate.  "Please, o gods, don't forsake me!  
Please don't forsake me!  She made me do it.  She made me do it!"
	She felt panic, and ran back to her cave where Makhpil 
awaited her.  How she would tell her, Shimbekh did not know.  But 
before she could say a word, Makhpil looked into her eyes.  "It's 
gone," she said balefully.  "What have you done, Shimbekh??  What 
have you done??"


SCENE:  THE EXODUS


	The heat was oppressive.  Taka was standing on the 
promontory of Pride Rock to catch a slight breeze.  It had not 
rained in weeks, and the sun had cruelly scorched the ground.  It 
was as if Aiheu himself had been angry with affairs and decided to 
show it. Rafiki watched the land dry up, but he was confined and 
could only rarely intercess for a few drops.  The waterhole was 
just a muddy little remnant in the middle of the cracked, dry 
plain.  It was patronized by elephants, who were not overly afraid 
of lions.  They trampled the mud into the water and left it almost 
unsuitable for drinking.
	Khemoki, Incosi of the Zebra'ha, led his people in for a 
drink from the shrinking pool.  Filling the view were a series of 
elephant backsides forming an unbroken wall.
	"Ahem!" Khemoki said.  He waited a moment longer.  "Ahem!!!"
	There was no response.
	He tapped with his hoof impatiently, then nudged one of the 
backsides.  "Madam, do you think you could move your billious grey 
carcass and let me drink??"
	The elephant stirred, but when she looked around her 
expression was anything but helpful.
	"Put a cork in it, sweetcheeks."
	"I say!"  He looked around in a huff.  "Whinny, old girl, 
did you hear that?  We don't have to stand here and be insulted!  
We can jolly well find us another water hole out of this God-
forsaken neighborhood."
	"Hear hear," one of the zebras cried.  "Good show, Milord."
	The Pride Lands were desolate.  The songs of birds had long 
since gone from the trees.  What few animals still trudged across 
the parched grassland stirred up dust in their wake.  Vultures 
cruised the skies in search of prey where eagles and flamingos 
once soared.  And still it did not rain.  There were no clouds.  
There was no hope.
	Taka waited for news from Gopa the stork.  Gopa had none of 
the charm or polish of Zazu, but he was extremely thorough.
	When the large bird arrived with all the grace of a wounded 
flamingo, he bowed and said, "Sire, the Zebra'ha, have left the 
Pride Lands.  The Incosi decided that grazing is better to the 
north, and besides it's too dangerous with the hyenas and lions 
together.  To be precise, Khemoki called them `That demmed 
rabble.'"
	"Didn't you try to stop them??"
	"No, Sire.  I only report the news, I don't make it."
	Yet another irritating fowl had made Taka's short list.  
"One of these days," he thought, "I'm going to wring that long 
neck of his."
	No more zebras.  That joined with the fact that the 
Wildebeests were gone and the antelopes had skipped out left the 
land in a sorry shape.
	Beesa was out in the hot sun of midday with some other 
lionesses.  They were risking their life with each stone they 
overturned with their paws, hoping to capture a lizard or snake 
that may hold body and soul together.  Isha, panting, looked up 
into the cloudless sky.  The sun beamed back with a vengeance.  
"Aiheu, why have you forsaken us?  I think I'm going mad."
	The insufferable heat made the image of distant trees ripple 
like reflections in a pond.  When the wind did blow, it stirred up 
dust and made little difference in the feeling of discomfort.
	Beesa heard something rattle in the grass.  She froze, held 
up her paw, crouched and sprang.  "Ow!"  She bit at the large rat 
that had latched on to her paw.  Only when its head was crushed in 
her powerful jaws could she work the sharp incisors out of her 
flesh.
	"Look," Isha said.  "Sis caught something!  It's a big rat.  
Look how big it is!"
	"Correction," Beesa said.  "It caught me."
	"Still, it's big enough for you--ahem--and maybe a lucky 
relative?"
	"Yes, Isha.  Some lucky relative like my daughter.  She gets 
the whole thing."
	Uzuri said, "Beesa, I've always thought of you as a second 
mother.  Would you adopt me?"
	"Me too," Isha said.  "The least you could have done was eat 
it yourself.  Then I could have called you selfish and resented 
you."
	Beesa licked her paw to clean the wound.  Then she took up 
the rat and trotted back toward her home on Pride Rock.  Her paw 
was not very sore.  If the gods were with her, her hunting would 
not be affected.
	Lisani saw her mother and ran to meet her.
	"What'cha got?"
	"It's a rat," Beesa said proudly.  "It's all yours."
	"Ewww!  A rat!"
	"You should be glad to get it.  The little bugger tried to 
eat me first."  Beesa sighed and said, "Look, if you promise to 
eat some of it, I'll make a special effort tonight to get you 
something really nice, OK?"
	"OK, I'll try."  She tried a bite, found it was not so bad, 
then famished fell on the rest of it.  When she finished, there 
was nothing but some skin and bones left.  "Mom, I wouldn't even 
mind another rat right now.  I'm still hungry."
	"I know, dear."  She began to groom her little girl.  "Just 
remember, when things can't get worse, they can only get better."


SCENE:  THE WAGES OF SIN


	Uzuri sat quietly, trying to ignore the constant gnawing in 
her stomach as she watched the progress of the setting sun. As the 
top of the crimson disk sank below the level of the treetops, she 
rose and padded over to Isha.
	"Gather the party." She looked at the sky hopefully.  "We'll 
try again tonight.  Maybe Aiheu will yet show us mercy."
	The younger lioness shook her head as she stood. "Not as 
long as that fool makes us stay here," Isha growled.
	"Shh! I'm not sure if that's treason or blasphemy, but hold 
your tongue.  Taka's spies are everywhere!"
	"Treason or not, it's the truth." She trudged away slowly, 
her tail dragging dejectedly in the dust as she headed off to 
rouse the other lionesses; it was time to hunt.
	Uzuri sighed as she stared after her. The trouble was that 
Isha was right.  Taka's refusal to allow the lions to leave Pride 
Rock and seek out more fruitful hunting grounds was going to be 
the death of them. Already some of them were beginning to show 
signs of emaciation, their ribs standing out clearly against their 
pelts, once sleek and shiny but now dull and drab from the lack of 
nutrition.  Shaking her head despairingly, she rose and crossed 
over to where the others now stood assembled.
	Sarafina rose to greet her.  "Uzuri," she whispered 
urgently.  "I've got to talk to you."
	"Of course." She looked at her curiously. "What is it, 
Fini?"
	"We can't go on like this much longer. Why are we getting 
ready to hunt?"
	"You want to eat, don't you?"
	Sarafina snorted. "Of course, but I don't want to die for my 
supper.  All we found on our patrol this morning was a small herd 
of elephants.  You more than anyone should know how hard it is to 
cut a calf out of the herd and put it down."
	"We don't have to worry about that," Uzuri said firmly. "To 
hunt elephants is corban, by my own decree."
	Sarafina looked at her for a long moment. "Then what are we 
left with? Picking off the rare straggler who happens to come 
wandering through?  We can't depend on that."
	Uzuri sighed deeply. "I know," she said tiredly. The lack of 
food was beginning to take its toll on her; her energy waned more 
and more each day.  "So what do YOU suggest?"
	"Ajenti!" Sarafina called.  "Come here a moment.  Tell Uzuri 
what you told me last night."
	Ajenti grinned. "I had the most wonderful idea while we were 
out scouting a few days ago."  She broke off, coughing raggedly.
	"By the way, I don't want you coming with us tonight," Uzuri 
said worriedly. "You sound terrible."
	"I do?  Great!"  Ajenti snickered at the look on Uzuri's 
face.  "You see, I've been faking that cough for the past couple 
of days."
	"Why?"
	"I'm going to play sick and stay here while you go hunting. 
I plan to sneak out a couple of hours after high moon."
	"Just where do you think you can go?" Uzuri asked.  "There's 
nothing to eat for miles around."
	"I'm not going for food, I'm going for help.  I'm going to 
try to get past those idiot hyenas and see Rafiki."  Her face 
sobered.  "Maybe he can ask the gods to help us; Taka certainly 
isn't going to."
	Uzuri sucked in a sharp breath at the audacity of this.  "Do 
you know what will happen to you if you get caught?  What about 
the guards?  How are you planning to get past them?"
	Ajenti said, "Maybe if I'm sick enough, I can get an 
appointment to see Rafiki.  I'm one of the better hunters if I say 
so myself, and Taka would do well not to lose me."
	Taka's sharp voice cut through the air. "If you're quite 
done chatting, ladies, it's well past sundown.  You're late for 
the hunt."
	Uzuri raised her voice.  "Yes, Sire."  Lowering it to a 
hoarse whisper, she looked at Ajenti.  "Stay here, for now.  
Pretend you're sick, like you've been doing, but don't leave 
tonight.  We'll discuss this when we get back."
	Ajenti bowed her head. "Yes, ma'am."
	Uzuri and Sarafina joined the other lionesses who milled 
about restlessly, anxious to begin the hunt.  After checking that 
everyone was present, she led the group in to Taka's cave.  The 
King lay in the threshold, grooming himself silently as they 
approached.  Clearing her throat, she said, "Milord, we ask for 
your blessing."
	Taka looked up and nodded.  "Aiheu provides.  Thanks be to 
Aiheu."
	"Aiheu provides," she responded.  She turned to leave, but 
stopped. "Taka, why do we continue this farce?  There is no food 
to be found!  I implore you, let us leave here and find better 
hunting grounds."
	He looked up sharply. "No!  We will remain here.  This 
drought will not last much longer.  The seer has foretold it."
	"If we don't leave soon, the jackals will glut themselves on 
lion meat!"  Uzuri humbled herself before him.  "Taka, please 
reconsider.  Do you think your father would have taken the word of 
a seer over the cries of his people?"
	"I said we stay!" he snarled.  "You overstep your authority, 
hunt mistress.  I will NOT be compared with my father, Lord rest 
his soul.  Now be off before the prey escapes."
	"Yes, Sire," she said through gritted teeth. She turned and 
led the group away.
	The young of the elephants were the subject of repeated 
near-suicide attacks by lionesses because there was little else to 
eat.  Finally over the loud protests of the other lionesses, Uzuri 
had forbidden attempts on them because it was a senseless risk.  
Once in a while, a great while, an animal would pass through the 
Pride Lands bound elsewhere and they would catch it.  Even when 
they were lucky enough to bring down a large animal, it proved 
almost not worth the trouble because the hyenas would move in.
	Hyenas were not welcome on the hunt, for they were not as 
skilled as lions.  They chatted too much-something Uzuri could not 
tolerate.  Not that any of the hyenas did much hunting anyhow.  
One of the major topics of conversation as they gathered for the 
hunt used to be how to get rid of the hyenas.  That was until they 
began to suspect spies from Shenzi were everywhere, and it was not 
a foolish suspicion.  One of them, Skulk, was particularly quiet 
on his feet.  
	Hours later, the moon's pale light painted a small group of 
elephants.  Beesa's pulse raced as she saw a youngster that had 
strayed too far from the group.  Gauging the distance, she decided 
that she might just be able to cut it off and out of the herd.  
She began to drool at the thought.  Gods, all that meat...the 
pride might be able to get a halfway decent meal after all.  She 
started to move in, but paused, uncertain, remembering Uzuri's 
warning.  Then the sight of her daughter gnawing on the scrawny 
carcass of that hideous rat sprang unbidden into her mind.  Beesa 
had been shocked as she realized she could easily count her 
daughter's ribs simply by looking at her side.  That decided her.
	"Aiheu provides," she whispered.  Easing forward through the 
dying grass, she slowly began to stalk the young elephant. 
	Uzuri had already sighted the elephants a few moments 
earlier.  She began to softly call out orders, shifting the 
inverted V pattern of their normal sweep for prey to a left 
oblique, herself at the head with the others staggered out on the 
opposite side away from the elephants.  She turned her head, 
intending to shift Beesa over into the trail spot, and stared at 
the empty grass where a lioness should have been.  "Beesa?"
	Malaika gasped.  "Oh gods, Uzuri, look!"
	Uzuri's head whipped around, looking over at the spot where 
Malaika was staring, open-mouthed.  "What the...."
	There was an elephant cow coming up quietly behind Beesa.   
Uzuri shouted, "Beesa!  Look out!"
	Beesa turned around too late, her eyes widening as she saw 
the elephant charge.  She shrieked as the elephant tossed the 
lioness's four hundred pounds into the air like a rag doll, then 
brought down her front feet on her with a snapping sound.
	"Close ranks!" Uzuri shouted.  The lionesses ran to Beesa 
and formed a circle around her, driving back the elephant.  
Trumpeting loudly, the cow gathered her calf to her side and 
joined the herd as it began to lumber away cautiously.
	"I'm stove through," Beesa gasped.  "Isha?"
	"Beesa?" 
	"Isha!"
	"I'm here, honey!"  Isha drew near to listen to her sister's 
faint words.  
	"Take care of my Lisani.  Promise me."
	"I will, honey."  Tears flooded Isha's eyes.  She nuzzled 
Beesa and kissed her.  "I promise.  I love you, Beesa.  Pray for 
me."
	"I will, sis."
	"Oh Beesa, why did you do it?"
	"I promised."  Her face contorted in pain.  "You must bring 
Lisani something special.  Tell her it's from me."  She gasped.  
Blood began to drain from her mouth.  "Isha?"
	"I'm still here."
	Slowly, painfully, Beesa raised her paw and caressed Isha's 
cheek.  "Save yourself."  Her arm fell as her last breath went out 
in a long sigh.
	"Oh gods!"  Isha looked at the body with its horrible 
wounds.  "My sister," she stammered.  "She's dead.  What are we 
going to tell Lisani?"  She glanced from face to face at each of 
the lionesses.  "Why did that elephant have to kill her?  Why?  
Why??"
	The lionesses stood silently for a moment, unwilling to take 
the next step which they knew was necessary.  Finally, Uzuri 
stepped forward.  She bent down and gently kissed Beesa's cheek.  
"Aiheu abamami."  A tear rolled her face and splashed silently on 
Beesa's fur.  "Pray for me, Beesa."
	She retreated as Malaika stepped forward, followed by 
Sarabi.  One by one, Beesa's hunt sisters came forward to bid her 
farewell.  Finally, only Isha remained.  The lioness stood 
immobile, looking down at her sister's body.  She bent to kiss her 
cheek, but crumpled, sobbing, beside the still form.  "Oh gods!"  
She tilted her head up and roared at the sky, giving vent to her 
grief as the other lionesses joined in, the eerie sound echoing 
back from the cliffs.
	Back at Pride Rock, the hyenas heard the cry.  They came to 
Taka for an explanation, but he had none.  "It doesn't sound 
good," he said.
	Finally, the lionesses came trailing in slowly, eyes cast 
down and filled with tears.  Taka looked from one to another 
uncertainly as they approached.
	"Uzuri?  What's wrong?  I heard a cry."
	Uzuri looked at him crossly.  "Count us, Your Majesty.  What 
do YOU think?"  She shouldered past him roughly and sat down, her 
face quivering as she fought for control.
	Lisani came gamboling up to the hunting party.  She butted 
up against Isha, purring happily as she greeted her aunt.  "Isha, 
where's Mom?  What did she get for me?  A zebra?"  Her face began 
to drop.  "Another rat?"  She saw Isha's tears.  "Nothing at all?"
	Isha's jaw trembled.  "Lisani, Honey Tree, I want you to be 
a brave little girl.  Very brave.  Your mother...."  She began to 
sob.  "You're going to stay with me now."
	Lisani stared as she took in the pained expression on her 
aunt's face.  Looking around, she saw it mirrored on the others as 
they sat, staring at nothing.
	"Is she hurt?"  She went to Uzuri.  "Aunt Uzuri, what's 
wrong??"
	"Oh my poor baby!"
	Suddenly realizing that the worst had happened, she ran back 
to Isha and huddled against her warm body, bursting into tears.  
"I want my mommy!" she shrieked.  "Aunt Isha, I want my mommy!"  
Isha held her close with a paw.  "We all want your mommy, but 
she's gone."
	Kh'tel, one of the hyenas asked, "Am I to take that poor 
Beesa is dead?"
	"You ARE to take it," Uzuri said sternly.  
	"Well then, the body is corban for a moon.  That is the 
duration, isn't it?"  With barely suppressed excitement, he said, 
"Pray tell, where is the body?  We wouldn't want to trespass."
	Uzuri showed her fangs.  "You sure wouldn't!  `Cause if you 
touch her, you will be our next meal!"
	"Your Majesty," Kh'tel protested.  "I merely tried to follow 
leonine custom.  I resent these vile accusations."
	"I'll show you vile accusations!"  In a moment, Uzuri sprang 
on on the hyena, pinning him to the ground.  Other hyenas moved 
closer, threatening, but she barked, "Come one step closer and 
I'll kill him!"
	"I forbid you to hurt him," Taka shouted.  "Let him go!"
	"Beesa is dead, and it's all his fault!  Him and his kind!  
He doesn't touch her.  Let the jackals have their fill, but I'll 
kill the first hyena that touches her!"
	"I know you're upset," Taka said.  "I'm sure you know you're 
overreacting here.  We don't want a war, now, do we?"
	Hyenas glared at her.  Lionesses glared at the hyenas.  It 
was a tinderbox just waiting to burst into flame.
	"Let him go," Taka said sternly.  "I'd hate to have to MAKE 
you let him go."
	"You mean just you and I?  One-on-one with no outside 
interference?"  Uzuri had a fierce light in her eyes that froze 
Taka's blood.  Clearly she could make good on her threat.  "Are 
those your terms, Sire?"
	Taka was clearly at a disadvantage.  He squirmed inside, 
trying to think of something, anything, he could say and not live 
to regret.
	Elanna said, "For the sake of the Gods, you two, concede the 
point.  Let the hyena go, Uzuri.  In return my husband will not 
punish you."  She looked at Taka and half smiled.  "Tell her 
you'll let her go, dear.  She's reasonable."
	Taka nodded.  "Yes, yes.  Elanna speaks for me.  We're all 
friends here.  We just have our misunderstandings."  He stared at 
Uzuri.  "Don't we, my dear?"
	"Yes, Sire."  She glared down at the still-trapped hyena and 
said, "We're all friends here."  She kissed the hyena right on the 
end of the nose with a long, wet, drooling lick that made him gasp 
and sputter.  "Mmmmm.  Don't try to eat things that bite back, 
Hon.  You might get invited to dinner."
	When Kh'tel was released, he ran in blind panic from the 
cave, wiping his nose in the grass and trembling.




SCENE:  MOST WONDERFUL OF CALAMITIES


	Taka's espousal of Elanna had come when he was supposedly 
mourning his brother and Simba.  But one day there came the most 
wonderful and yet frightening change in him.  He came in to see 
Elanna as she lay in the cool of the cave.  The blistering heat 
had soaked his golden body with sweat, and taken the fire from his 
eyes and the joy from his heart.
	That's when a small miracle happened.  "Husband, I know that 
there is not enough food to go around.  But there is someone that 
wants to join the pride.
	"Someone I know?"
	"No, not yet."
	"We have so little as it is.  Male or female?"
	"I don't know."
	"You talked to them, and you don't know?  Was it a cub or 
something?"
	"Or something," she said.  "I sensed the change in my body a 
few days ago, but today I'm sure.  Taka, you are very clever, but 
you haven't seen the light in my eyes?"
	"The light in your eyes?"  The hair on his back stood up.  
"You mean I'm going to be a father?"
	"Please don't be upset with me.  We'll have to stretch 
things a little, but we'll make it somehow."
	"Upset??"  Tears came to his eyes and he nuzzled her, 
fondling her ears and cheek with his large paw and kissing her.  
"I love you, Lannie.  My dear, precious girl.  Upset??  I'm 
delighted!  Oh gods, I'd almost forgotten there was beauty or 
laughter in the world.  Lannie, I will give you sons and 
daughters.  You will fill the world with beauty."
	She kissed away his tears.  "Go tell the world."
	He came running out to the end of the promontory of Pride 
Rock and shouted, "Listen, all of you!  Elanna is with child!"  He 
practically danced like a cub.  "I'm going to be a father!"
	Taka felt this small life would love him the way he loved 
Ahadi.  The rest of the Pride Lands be cursed, this small treasure 
of his beloved would be his, fully his, and he would worship it.  
Be it male or female, it would be heaven and earth for him, even 
God.  Surely there would be no unfairness in Taka's heart.  If he 
had twin sons, the kingdom would be divided upon his death.  Never 
would he inflict on his own the pain and suffering he felt.  And 
he decided something else as well, something dark and sinister.  
For the safety of his own, the day Elanna gave birth would be the 
day Rafiki died.  He gave explicit instructions on this to his 
hyena guard.  The curse would not live on in his children.
	There was no parade of lionesses coming to congratulate the 
happy pair.  Only a few hyenas came by to fawn on him, seeking to 
ingratiate themselves.  He despised this-it made the missing 
lionesses all the more obvious.
	Then came Fabana.  She squirmed with delight.  "I told you 
not to die, didn't I?  I told you that love would come, and it 
has."  She stood up on her hind legs and put her rough arms around 
Taka's mane and kissed him.  "I'm so happy!"
	Taka purred deeply, kissed her with his large tongue and 
stroked her gently with his large paw.  "I wondered when you'd 
come.  You're the first one I wanted to tell about little Fabana."
	"Little Fabana!"  She kissed him again.  "Aren't you the big 
sweetie!  Yes you are!"  He chuckled and rolled over like a big 
cub, batting at her lightly with his huge paw.
	The news struck a chord of dread in some of the lionesses.  
Isha and Uzuri went to Kako and took her aside.  There was one 
place near the cistern where a small damp cave blew cold air year 
round.  A nice place to escape the heat of summer, it was the 
doorway to a strange underground realm that was corban to 
creatures of the sunlit world.  Hyenas hated it because of the 
constant dampness, so there was not as much danger of being 
overheard.
	"That cub could be female," Isha said quietly.  "Then again 
it could be male.  If it was, I wouldn't give half a bleached 
zebra skull for Baba's life.  Scar will either kill him or send 
him off.  He's afraid of a good challenge.  Pfft, I almost wish I 
was a male-I'd show him a thing or two!"
	"He's only shown me kindness," Kako said.
	"True.  When it suits him, he can be a cute little kitten.  
But this kitten has claws, hon."
	Uzuri said, "Listen to her, Kako.  I've grown to think of 
you as my little sister.  I would bleed inside if your son died.  
Make no mistake, we want to protect you.  Your son is in grave 
danger."
	"I'll keep watch," Kako said.  "It's the only thing I can 
do.  I can't go home.  I really can't do that."
	"You are home," Isha said, nuzzling her.  "We are your 
family now."
	"I love you too," Kako said.  "Don't think I don't.  If you 
have a plan-any plan at all-you tell me.  Even if it's getting rid 
of-your problem."  She couldn't bear to say "killing the King," 
but it was understood.  "We will either live together or die 
separately."
	"Then it is settled," Uzuri said.  "We will all see what we 
can come up with.  May Aiheu give us the light."


SCENE:  SO LIKE HIS MOTHER


	Two and a half months after Elanna married Taka, she began 
having contractions.
	"Husband!"  
	Taka came running into the cave.  "What's wrong?"
	"I'm in pain.  Something is wrong!  Terribly wrong!"
	Just then he noticed the blood.  He is in a panic.  "You're 
not due for two weeks!"  Looking about helplessly, he shouts, 
"Midwives!  Come quick!"
	Sarafina and Isha come quickly.  They took one look at her, 
and they were grim.  "We need herbs.  Your Majesty, Rafiki has 
always helped with these things.  We really can't do much without 
him."
	Rafiki was under house arrest and couldn't find what he 
needed in time even if let out.  That does not stop Taka from 
sending for him.
	It took a long time for the mandrill to get to the cave.  
When Rafiki showed up, Taka bowed before him, closing his eyes 
tightly.  "No matter how you feel about me, you must save the 
child.  In whatever God's name you believe in, you must save the 
child!  "I'll do anything, anything!  You can go free.  I'll make 
sure you never have to work hard again!  Oh God, do you have a 
heart of stone??"
	Rafiki asked, "How long has she been in pain?"
	"About an hour."
	"An hour?"  He buried his face in his hands.  "Oh Lord, so 
little time, and so much I must do."
	"What do you need?  I'll send help with you.  Take Sarafina-
ride her back if you need to.  But hurry!"
	But does not even get to leave the cave before Isha, bearing 
a small dead male, goes past.  
	"Put him down!" Taka said.
	He looks at the tiny body.  "Rafiki, do something!  
Anything!  My son, my son!!"  
	Rafiki picked up the infant and hugged it.  Tears came to 
his eyes.  "So tiny.  So beautiful.  Such a waste."  Rafiki looks 
at Taka with some pity.  "His spirit is already with the gods.  It 
can not return."  
	Isha touched Taka with her tongue.  "Bayete."  She took the 
small dead cub with her.  
	Rafiki came to Taka and watched his soft, quiet sobs.  "Is 
there anything I can do?"
	"You are useless to me," Taka says to Rafiki.  "Go back to 
your tree."
	"I am not unmoved.  There is no great love between us, but I 
feel your pain.  Let me see if...."
	"Get out!"
	 Sarafina, with genuine pity, told Taka, "You will have no 
more heirs.  I'm sorry."
	"Yeah, right.  Now leave me.  All of you!"
	He has a short period of grief where he goes out on the 
promontory under the stars.  Calls to his father Ahadi.  "I wish I 
could believe!"  Sobs, "If there is a God, please help me!"  
Fabana creeps stealthily out onto the point and sits by him, 
resting her head on him.  She does not say a word--she does not 
have to.
	He roared.  The lionesses took it up.  There is no doubt 
what it meant.
	Still weak in the knees, Taka headed down Pride Rock and 
crept slowly to Kako's spot where he found her with her son.
	"It seems the Gods have spoken," Taka said.  "There will be 
no prince from my line."  His chin began to tremble.
	Kako quietly padded over and bussed his cheek.  "I'm so 
sorry.  You poor dear-I mean, Your Majesty."
	"Kako, you came to me from the gods.  Your goodness is one 
of the few things that can laugh at the curse that burns my 
blood."  He sighed, and with great effort said, "Mabatu is my 
Prince, and your future King."
	"You honor us, Bayete."
	He looked at Mabatu.  "Hello, sport."
	"Hello, Your Majesty."
	"You are a prince now.  You should call me by my name, or if 
you feel like it, you may call me...please call me....Dad.?"
	Mabatu came and sat next to him, burying his head in Taka's 
mane.  "I love you, Dad."
	"I love you too."  He kissed Baba.  "You're my last hope, 
son.  Go to sleep a little early tonight `cause tomorrow, I'm 
waking you at sunrise.  I have something I want to show you."
	"What?"
	"You'll see."


SCENE:  MAKING DO


	With food supplies dropping low, Shenzi was looking for ways 
to make things go further.  Among the hyenas, the punishment of 
eating last and taking what was left became more and more common.  
It seemed to the rank and file that the leaders of the clan were 
looking for excuses to reduce the number of mouths to feed, and 
they were right.
	The most effective punishments would of course be banishment 
and death.  Not that most hyenas were ready to turn on their 
compatriots at a whim.  But Amarakh, the beloved former Roh'mach, 
had a daughter Takyla that many felt should have been the next 
ruler rather than Shenzi.  This adolescent was the subject of 
constant harassment by Shenzi and her friends.  Her ouster on a 
charge of treason could consolidate Shenzi's hold on the clan and 
mean an extra bite or two for everyone at mealtime.  Everything 
Takyla did or said was reported by some of Shenzi's spies.  Shenzi 
called them "Guardians of the Clan Spirit," but everyone knew a 
spy when they saw one.
	Getting rid of a lion would have been much more effective 
even than offing a hyena.  But it would be highly unlikely to 
garner a strong complaint, much less any hard evidence.  The 
lionesses stuck together on almost everything with a singleness 
that was impenetrable by the Guardians of the Clan Spirit.  That 
left the male cubs.
	One male cub in particular posed a grave threat.  For since 
Mabatu had become Prince, Taka had regained some of his youthful 
bravado.  He began to look ahead more than a day or two at a time, 
taking charge and making difficult decisions he'd usually left to 
someone else.  It was becoming progressively harder to control 
Taka, and Shenzi was worried that Mabatu would take heart and 
become a strong leader when Taka died.
	And die he would.  Makhpil had clearly forseen that Taka 
would die young and violently.  It was a vague prophesy, but one 
that filled Shenzi with the urgency of the moment.  There was not 
much time to play the waiting game.
	To denounce Mabatu as a youth would almost certainly 
backfire.  Taka worshipped the cub and would almost certainly fly 
in the face of the gods themselves to protect him.  The thought, 
however slim, that Taka would rather give up his life than take 
another frightened Shenzi.  For their last hold over him would be 
gone.
	To kill Mabatu was one possible solution.  But Taka would 
not rest until the truth was out.  He would take no one's word for 
what had happened.  Even if someone volunteered to carry out the 
job, admit guilt, and die to achieve greatness in Roh'kash's clan, 
Taka would never believe they acted alone.  They would have to be 
more subtle.
	Weeks passed into months.  During that time, they did not 
manage to get rid of Takyla either, but they always had a couple 
of familiar faces missing at each meal from the strict discipline.
	Mabatu grew closer to Taka with each passing day.  With 
Makhpil's prophesy in the back of their minds, the hyenas began to 
worry that a weak leader would be replaced by the stronger one if 
they waited too long.  So when Mabatu was a year and a half old, 
and a few bits of ruff began to form around his neck, the leaders 
of the clan had a private meeting and decided at that point that 
Mabatu must go.
	But how to do it?  Certainly, Shimbekh must be involved.  
Fed information from Makhpil, she still made several correct 
predictions to Taka, enough to cover all the lies Shenzi wanted to 
sneak in.
	Relying on the old hyena proverb that a half truth is like a 
half carcass-it can be pulled twice as far-they decided on a lie 
that would soften the blow, but still strike home.
	Timid and unsteady, Shimbekh stood before Taka to deliver 
the news that may bring instant death.  "My Lord, evil tidings."
	"Oh?"  He involuntarily put his paw before his mouth.  
"Surely not!"
	"I don't know how to say this, my lord.  But there is an 
evil spirit in this place.  One too strong for our powers to drive 
off.  Unless Mabatu driven off early, the day after his mantlement 
he will go mad and kill his mother, then you."
	"What??"  Taka ran abruptly to within a few inches of her 
face.  "If you're lying to me, I'll rip you apart!"
	Regardless of her safety, she wept and kissed his cheek.  
"You love him, don't you."
	"Yes, I love him."
	"Then...."  She struggled for words.  "Send him away now 
while his heart is pure.  You know what it is like to suffer from 
the inside.  There is nowhere to hide."  Her voice began to trail 
off.  "No one knows what torment there is in the wounds we bear 
inside.  We try to smile when our heart is breaking."
	Mabatu was told two days in advance that he would get a 
commoner's mantlement so he could do his leave taking and make the 
appropriate spiritual preparations.  But he was not told why.  
Taka was clearly upset, and despite the obvious temptation, Mabatu 
showed him no hatred or resentment.  Taka also clearly loved him.
	Mabatu and Kako were both in a bit of a panic.  Baba was not 
ready yet-he had minimal hunting skills and he was still not what 
most lions consider mature.  Kako makes an impassioned plea for a 
little more time-that not waiting a moon or two would be just 
condemning him to death--but is turned down by Taka.  "He will 
learn.  It's Nature's way.  Besides, I will pray for him every 
night."



SCENE:  ONE LAST REQUEST


	It was the night before Mabatu's mantlement, a time most 
young lions would be spending with their mother, trying to say 
enough kind things to last a lifetime.  But Mabatu was unprepared, 
and every moment had to count.  That's why Isha stayed home from 
the hunt to spend time with Mabatu, talking about hunting, 
fighting, and other skills.
	His greatest hope was to drive off hyenas, for he expected 
to live on carrion if he was to live at all.  So he had to know 
their weaknesses, and how many of them could be safely dispersed. 
There was little hope he would blossom into a great hunter.  Isha 
above all should know this for her skills as a huntress were 
second only to Uzuri.  And because she had always loved Mabatu, 
she was desperate to do her best.
	"We must look at holds," she said.  "Here on the arm, you 
can restrict movement."  She mouthed his upper arm gently above 
the elbow.  "Here on the flank you can rip.  But the throat hold 
is one of prime importance...."  She put her arm over his back.  
"You strike them here and push with your weight."  Isha leaned on 
him.  "It's important to let your weight do the work.  Then you go 
for the throat and cut off his wind."  She gently opened her mouth 
and caressed Mabatu's strong throat.
	A moment later, she let go and looked up.  "Your heart is 
pounding.  Are you all right?"
	He stared at her.  His nostrils quivered as the warm tides 
of his breath came and went.  "Isha...."
	"I didn't mean to offend you.  I'm sorry."
	"Don't be sorry.  It is I who have offended you."
	"Nonsense," she said, nuzzling him.
	He nuzzled her back passionately, nibbling her ear.  He 
looked at her expression of surprise.  "Don't hate me.  You don't 
know how long I've waited to do that.  How very long."
	"We need to get back to hunting," she stammered, watching 
his trembling chin.  "We don't have much time."
	"We don't have much time," he replied.  "I must hunt now.  I 
may not have a chance, but I've stalked for a long time.  Now I 
must break my cover and rush to you."
	"Even though I'm old enough to be your mother?  I'm 
flattered.  Really I am.  But when you're older, you'll find 
someone more your own age.  Then you'll look back on this and 
laugh."
	"You know I'll never get much older.  I'm being sacrificed 
to help the others.  You know it."
	She is distraught.  "I wish you wouldn't say that."
	"But you don't deny it."
	"How can I?"
	"I love you, Isha.  I've always loved you.  Remember, I said 
when I grew up, I'd marry you.  You laughed then, but if you laugh 
now, I'll die.  While life holds my soul and body together, I will 
love you.  Even in death I will love you."
	"In death?"  She nuzzled him.  "Don't think of death.  You 
are alive."
	"How can I be alive?  I've never lived.  If I could only be 
close to you, just for tonight, I would have LIVED, Isha."
	She looked into his eyes, then pawed him.  He playfully 
batted at her.  She moved around him, looking for an opening.  "If 
you hunt big game, prepare to exert yourself."
	She pounced, locking her arms around his throat and 
wrestling him with great skill.  Laughing and panting, she nearly 
shoved him to the ground.  He flailed at her with his arms, but 
struck her so gently it would not have awakened a cub.  She pushed 
him over.
	Mabatu got up to have another go at it.  He tried to use his 
weight to push her over, but she outweighed him, and easily 
stepped aside.  She put her arm over his shoulder and began to 
lean in on him.  His legs began to buckle under the strain.  Then 
when it seemed she would pin him, she stood still.  He put his 
head under her arm and pushed her over into the grass and looked 
down at her.  "Gotcha!"
	She looked deep into his eyes.  Her jaw quivered.  "Now that 
you've caught me," she purred, "do what you will."
	"Oh gods!"  He began to nuzzle her passionately, nibbling 
her ears and pawing her cheek gently.  "Isha, beloved!"



ISHA:     	Night is here; in its perfumed shadows
          	Let us hold the moment till its gone,
          	Winding through the gentle, fleeting passage,
          	That separates the sunset from the dawn.

MABATU:   	Past has fled, future is uncertain
          	What remains is what I share with you
          	Feel my heart, it's yours in sweet surrender
          	Till the moonlight dies upon the morning dew.

BOTH:     	This is the moment of our warm embrace
          	To tell you I love you and look in your face
         	To treasure each moment till dawn gilds the skies
          	And fathom the mystery of love in your eyes


	In the silver moonlight, she whispered, "Come, my lover, 
where the night shall hide us away."  He kissed her and rose to 
his feet.  Isha followed, resting her head on his woefully thin 
mane and leaving it there as she walked alongside him into the 
shadows.



SCENE:  FAR AND AWAY


	For a while, Kako had the hope that her son could one day be 
King of Pride Rock.
	But things had turned against them, and so with none of the 
pomp and celebration associated with a royal presentation, a very 
private ceremony took place in the quiet of the east meadow.  
There, surrounded by a profusion of flowers, Kako reenacted the 
sorrow of most lionesses who have sons.  It was supposed to be 
positive, a launching out on a great adventure.  As such, Kako was 
strong, and smiled warmly.  "Where has my little cub gone?  All I 
see is this lion."
	"I'll always be your son," Baba replied, and nuzzled her.
	"Remember me," she said.  "When you are a great king, do not 
forget that I gave you milk."
	"When you are gone to be with your fathers, pray for me."  
The words almost stuck in his throat.  He knew he would not see 
her again until they had both gone to be with Aiheu.
	"I will pray for you," she said, her tail going limp.  "Oh 
gods, my son, my little son!"
	"Don't cry, mother."  He kissed away her tears.  "You must 
be strong for me.  I will carry this moment with me for the rest 
of my life."
	"I'm sorry."  She sniffed and smiled.  "Besides, we will 
meet again among the stars, and nothing will separate us."  She 
put her paw on his cheek.  "May the Lord Aiheu smile upon you.  
May the grass be soft beneath you.  May the great kings enfold 
you.  May you find love and safety wherever you go."
	"I'll be safe," he said.  "The gods are with me."
	Isha came.  She looked at the small male and tears started 
rolling down her cheeks.  It did not go unnoticed by Kako.
	Mabatu went to her, kissed away her tears, and whispered, 
"I'll come back for you.  If Aiheu lets me live, I'll make a place 
for us.  Will you wait for me?"
	"I will.  I swear."
	"I will always love you.  If I die, look in the stars.  I 
will be watching over you."
	Mabatu nuzzled Kako.  He wanted to remember the feel of her 
fur, the smell, the sound of her breath.  He looked in her eyes.  
"Mother."
	"My son."  She kissed him one last time.
	Without another word, he turned and walked north.  He did 
not look back, for it would have been wrong to do so.  He went to 
the edge of the trees, then through the shaded trail of the bongo 
to the hidden meadow where many lions go to die.  There was a 
quiet skull staring sightlessly from the meadow grass, all that 
was left of old Maloki.  He did not stop to regard it, but he did 
look at the far side of the meadow.  That was the border of the 
Pride Lands.  He regarded it with a little nostalgia.  He'd never 
left the Pride Lands before and now he stood at the edge of The 
Big World.  He took in a deep, cleansing breath and let it out 
slowly.  Then he walked into the trees and let their shade close 
over him like a curtain.


SCENE:  FACING UP


	Shimbekh watched Mabatu's mantlement from the shadows.  It 
was a thorn in her heart.  "Because of me, he will die.  I cannot 
see it, but he is so unprepared, so young."
	She walked back toward Pride Rock to take shelter from the 
sun and to talk with Makhpil.  Along the way, she tried to think 
of one thing that made her different from a murderess.  Is it 
enough that she had been ordered to lie, even if it was the 
Roh'mach herself that so ordered?
	Makhpil was waiting for her.  How wonderful it must be to 
see things before they happen!  With great sadness and envy, 
Shimbekh asked Makhpil what the future held.
	"I see you standing by the river gorge," Makhpil said.  She 
kissed Shimbekh.  "You will experience joy."
	Joy was something Shimbekh knew little about, especially in 
recent days.  But somehow she knew that Makhpil spoke the truth.  
It was like a small echo of her once great powers.
	Shimbekh hurried out of the cave.  Usually the lionesses 
were never directly addressed by hyenas.  That's why Uzuri was 
shocked when the Shimbekh spoke to her.  Shimbekh told Uzuri that 
sticking by Pride Rock was not her idea, nor was it the idea of 
the Gods.  It was Shenzi's desire, as are most things done 
nowadays.  The same is true of Mabatu.  He must be found and 
brought home before death could take him.
	Uzuri was indignant and a little mistrustful.  "This talk 
could get you killed, unless it is some kind of trick."
	"Yeah, a trick."  Seer laughs bitterly.  "Your blood would 
turn to dust if you knew half the tricks that had been pulled on 
you.  My powers are gone.  Because I lied, the truth has fled from 
me, and there is only one future I can see--my own."  Shimbekh 
stalked off quietly.
	Shimbekh walked to the edge of the gorge where Taka had once 
killed Mufasa.  "I confessed my guilt.  Just once more let me see 
the truth with my own eyes."  She closed her eyes tightly and took 
in a deep breath, then let it out slowly.  A smile crossed her 
face.  "Yes, Lord.  Thank you.  Memu kofasa, Muti!  Roh'kash ne 
nabu!"  She crouched down on her haunches and sprang over the 
edge.  For several seconds she fell freely, then she struck the 
wall of the gorge, was sent bloody and broken through the 
boulders, and finally rolled to a stop.


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.


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."




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.


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.

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!

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!


	Skulk said, "You know his mind is falling apart.  He thinks 
his dream it is a sign--I think maybe it is."
	"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!"


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!"


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.

		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.


	Sarabi took her paw and drew Fabana next to her and the two 
of them wept by the body.


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."
	"You'll be a fine King.  Now why don't you get some sleep, 
husband?  I'll be here when you wake."
	"You'll be here when I wake?"  Simba looked into Nala's deep 
hazel eyes.  "You're the first thing I'll see when I open my 
eyes."  He nuzzled her passionately and touched her left shoulder 
with his paw.  "I will be King tomorrow.  Tonight I am a lion."


SCENE:  THE UNEASY TRUCE


	The air in the graveyard was quiet, filled only with the 
hiss and bubble of escaping methane as the hyenas, their once 
great numbers diminished in the terrible fight, straggled in 
slowly.  Banzai limped off, muttering angrily, his haunches scored 
with claw marks, Ed following behind, still giggling maniacally at 
his discomfort.  Exhausted, Shenzi made her way over to a quiet 
niche in the rock face and sat down.  Skulk wandered over, his 
ears perking up as Shenzi grumbled under her breath.
	"That sorry, no account, pandering IDIOT! Who does he think 
he is?!" She bared her teeth.
	Skulk cringed, terrified. He had never seen her in such a 
rage.  "Who?  Krull?"
	She uncoiled with the speed of a striking snake, cuffing him 
heavily across the jaw.  Yelping, Skulk jerked away.
	"Of course I mean Krull!  Who do you THINK I'm talking 
about?"  She clenched her jaw, the muscles flexing visibly.  "I 
spent my entire LIFE waiting to become Roh'mach.  And that 
imbecile of a king dares give it to a MALE?"
	Skulk nodded energetically.  "Of course.  You should have 
been chosen as Roh'mach.  You're the only logical choice.  You are 
far more cunning and powerful than Krull."
	"My name is Uhuru," a voice said.  The hyenas turned to see 
their new leader entering the graveyard.  He walked over to Skulk, 
getting dangerously close.  "You can just call me Roh'mach."
	Unable to contain himself, Skulk shoved his muzzle into 
Uhuru's face. "You heathen traitor!" he screamed.  "I ought to 
beat some respect into you!"
	"Is that a challenge?"
	"No, my dear Roh'mach.  I would never dream of challenging 
you."
	"So you're going to beat some respect into me?"  Uhuru 
glared at him.  "Either call me out now, or stow it."
	Skulk's jaw dropped.  So the lion stooge was daring him to 
fight!  The former Krull was gone, and this was indeed Uhuru, a 
force to contend with, the Roh'mach.  He drew back a step and spat 
angrily.  "Gah!  If I wanted to wet my jaws with a coward's blood, 
I'd go hunting!"
	Uhuru's eyes narrowed.  "I will choose not to take that as a 
challenge to my honor this time.  But you have stirred up 
sedition, and you eat last until you learn how to behave."
	Skulk looks to Shenzi.  "Do I have to put up with this?"
	"Apparently so.  He's clearly the unchallenged ruler, or 
hasn't anyone told you half a challenge is less than nothing."  
	Skulk gritted his teeth.  Without a word, he walked away 
stiffly, ignoring the occasional chuckles or snickers that sounded 
behind him.
	Shenzi waited until the ruckus had died down, then rose 
quietly. Glancing around quickly, she made sure no one was 
watching.  Seeing no spying eyes, she delved into the shadows.  
She passed under a hollowed out ribcage and made her way around 
the hissing geysers behind it to an isolated corner of the 
graveyard.  
	She smiled as she spotted Skulk sitting in front of an 
enormous skull, its surface yellowed with age.  Pacing slowly up 
to him, she sat down. "C'mon, Skulk. No need to sulk." She 
tittered slightly.
	His eyes glowed eerily in the greenish light that permeated 
the graveyard.  "Why do you put up with him?" he asked, hurt.  
"Why didn't you help me?"
	"I can't fight all your battles for you.  If you want 
something, you must take it."  She sighs in exasperation.  "Why 
can't you be a little more like a female?"  Getting up, she turned 
to leave, but looked back over her shoulder coyly.  "On the other 
hand, I do get excited when you get your fur up."  She paced by 
directly in front of him, swatting his nose with her tail 
playfully as she headed by.
	Skulk sat transfixed for a moment, unable to move.  Finally 
he leapt up and shook himself roughly.  He paused for a moment, 
then padded off in the direction she had taken, his eyes fixed on 
her lithe body.
	Skulk followed Shenzi to her private quarters that had once 
been Uzuri's corner.  There in the privacy of a cleft in the rock, 
Skulk brushed past her in the dim light and fondled her cheek with 
his paw.  Finding no resistance, he kissed her passionately.  
"Shenzi, I'm on fire."
	"On fire?"  She kisses him and rubs past him.  "Just a 
little flame, or a real bonfire?"
	"Oh gods, let me show you."  His breath was ragged and 
rapid, and she could almost hear his heart beating in the quiet of 
the cleft.  "Are you ready?"
	"I am ready.  Ready to be Roh'mach."  She took a swipe at 
him with her paw.  "I wanted you to know what you are NOT getting 
as long as that Uhuru is running the show.  Oh, but power makes me 
sexy-very sexy.  I'd take you to the corners of your wildest 
fantasies."
	"You should not lead me on like that," he said through 
clenched teeth.  "Maybe I won't find you very sexy when YOU'RE 
ready."
	"I doubt it."  She rubbed her cheek against his and nibbled 
his ear gently.  "You're heart is pounding.  You want to be next 
to me.  You want me."
	"Stop it, Shenzi!"  He crept into a corner and shuddered.  
"Don't lead me on like that-I can't stand it."
	"No one is leading you on.  It's very simple.  When Uhuru is 
history, we will come here and make love till your heart stops."
	"But how could we fight against the lion's Roh'mach?  We 
won't have anyone to answer to the King."
	"Who needs the King?  He doesn't let us on his hunting 
grounds anyhow.  Ever think of that?  What use is a Roh'mach that 
pals around with lions anyhow?"  She whispered, "When you know 
someone's weak spot, you can go in.  That's how you kill a 
gazelle.  You go for the weak spot.  So how do you get the lions 
to cooperate?"
	"Do they have a weak spot?"
	"Not to kill them, just to secure their cooperation."
	"Well-hmm-you know, they love their children as much as we 
do."
	"Yeah?  So?"
	"So if we could get a cub...."
	"They would kill you."
	"Sure, if a direct assault, but the occasion calls for 
subtility.  We could have them at our mercy."
	"Is this another of your theatrics here, or do you have a 
suggestion??"
	"You bet your sweet fangs I have a suggestion.  Let me 
whisper it in your ear when I have made you mine.  I will make you 
Roh'mach or die trying, but tonight is ours."
	"I don't take credit," Shenzi said.  "Just remember, the 
faster Uhuru is out of here, the sooner we take the vows."


SCENE:  INVITATION TO THE DANCE


	The morning sun felt warm against Isha's fur as she sprawled 
in the cool grass.  Always an early riser, she took joy in the 
thought that the other lionesses would be stuck sunning themselves 
on the hard rocks; between the drought and last night's fire, 
there was precious little grass left to lie on at the moment.
	Rolling over, she saw her small son Habusu sitting up, 
peering intently at something out of her line of vision.  Leaning 
over, she nuzzled him.  "What are you doing,  Habu?"
	He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Look, mama, there's 
Togo and Kombi.  Can I go play with them, pleeease?"  He looked at 
her mournfully. Isha couldn't help but laugh.
	"All right, you little scamp!  Go ahead, but stay close to 
Uzuri; I don't want you all wandering off, now."
	He smiled broadly.  "I'll be good!"  He scampered over to 
the others.
	He was unexpectedly flattened by Togo.  "Hey, Habu!  Wanna 
play Mud Tag?" Togo asked.
	Habusu got up shakily. "Uhh, yeah, I guess."
	Kombi smiled menacingly.  "Good, then ... you're IT!"  With 
a brutal shove, he sent the poor cub sliding down the slope to 
land in a mud puddle.  Dragging himself out of the brackish water, 
Habusu's eyes brimmed over with tears as he listened to the two 
laughing.  Unable to bear it any longer, he turned and fled.
	His progress was tracked sharply by two sets of dark eyes.  
Shenzi and Losara stood behind a stand of dry grass, with Losara's 
pup Bashak lying next to her.  Looking at her friend impatiently, 
Losara shook her head.
	"Shenzi, what are we doing here?  What if we get caught?"
	"Hsshh! Here he comes."  Shenzi bared her teeth in a huge 
grin.  "Perfect."  She glanced down at the bored pup next to her, 
and her grin widened.  "Bashak, are you having fun?"
	"No ma'am."  Fidgeting, he nuzzled his mother.  "Mama, I'm 
bored," the pup said crossly.  Losara looked at him, and smiled 
gently.
	"Why don't you go play with the cub?  We won't be long."
	"Okay."  He trudged off.  There was no cub in sight, but he 
did spot a locust on the grass.  He patted at it with his paw and 
it jumped.  He followed it, and it jumped again.  He sprang up 
locust-like, laughing.
	A blur of tawny lightning tore through a gap in the bushes 
and slammed into him, knocking him over. Rolling to a stop, he 
caught his breath.
	"Cripes!  Why don't you look where you're goin!"  Bashak 
stared at the sodden mass before him.  "What happened to you?"
	Habusu looked at him miserably.  "Uh, nothing."  He blinked, 
confused.  "What are you, anyway?"
	"I'm a hyena, silly.  My name's Bashak."  He peered at 
Habusu worriedly.  "Uh, what about you?"
	Habusu's chest swelled proudly.  "I'm Habusu.  I'm a lion!"
	Bashak looked at him, eyes wide.  "Wow! I've never seen a 
lion up close before!"  But he looked at him again.  "They look 
much bigger from a distance."
	"That's cause I'm not full grown."
	"How big will you be when you're full grown?"
	"See that bush?"  Habusu smiled.  "Bigger than that."
	"No kidding!"  He thought a moment.  "Then you'll be as big 
as me!"  Grinning, Bashak leaped on Habusu, and the two rolled in 
the dust, shrieking with glee.  Habusu twisted lithely, bringing 
his greater weight to bear on the hyena pup, pinning him to the 
ground.
	The sound of footsteps padded up to the bush. Losara poked 
her head in, pushing aside twigs with her nose.  "Okay, Bashak, 
time to go..." she broke off, staring, her eyes narrowing at the 
sight of her child pinned under the paws of a lion cub.  Shenzi's 
head joined her.  "Well, well, well, what have we here?"
	Habusu shrank away, frightened by the looming females.  
"Look mama," Bashak said excitedly.  "This is my friend, Habusu. 
He's a lion!  Only he's not full grown yet."
	"I see that." Losara swallowed heavily.  Dredging up a smile 
that felt too big for her face, she looked at the youngsters 
pleasantly.  "Time to go home, now."
	Bashak's face fell.  "Aww, man," he whined.  "Do we have 
to?"
	"Yes, if you want to eat anything for lunch."  She cocked 
her head, as if thinking.  "If your friend's hungry, why don't you 
invite him?  When you get done eating lunch, you can show him 
around the elephant graveyard."
	"Really?!" Bashak turned excitedly. "Hey, Habusu, wanna?"
	The lion cub returned his friend's grin. "Yeah! That'd be 
cool!"
	Shenzi grinned.  "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go 
get some lunch!"

 
SCENE:  MISSING


	Nala yawned luxuriously in the morning light.  Blinking her 
eyes rapidly, she stood up, extending her forelegs in front of 
her, shifted her weight to the rear and stretched.  She closed her 
eyes in ecstasy as she felt the muscles in her back and legs 
tingle as they loosened.
	Straightening up, she steped over to where Simba lay.  
Smiling to herself, she bent down and licked his nose. "Wake up, 
hon."
	He twitched his nose reflexively, but otherwise didn't 
react.  Her smile widening, Nala leaned over and nuzzled his face.  
Pursing her lips, she sent a gentle puff of air into his ear.  He 
twitched spasmodically, flipping a paw up to brush her away.  "Cut 
it out, Pumbaa," he chuckled sleepily.
	"Pumbaa, indeed!"  Nala sent her tongue sweeping in a broad 
stroke across his face.  She watched with amusement as his eyes 
shot open in surprise, relaxing as they focused on her.
	"Beloved," he whispered, and pawed her softly.  "What time 
is it?"
	"It's tree-tall."
	He let out with a tremendous yawn.  "Tree-tall, huh? Gods, I 
must have been tired to sleep this late."
	She laughed prettily. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said in mock 
contriteness. "Perhaps I shouldn't have kept you up so late."
	He grinned at her, but before he could reply, Isha bounded 
in the entrance, her eyes widened to the whites.
	"Forgive my intrusion, Incosi, but I can't find my son!  
Please help me!"  Isha was nearly incoherent.  "I let him go play 
with Uzuri's cubs' but they don't know where he went and he won't 
answer my calls!"
	"Calm down, Isha."  Nala padded over.  "Where did you see 
him last?"
	"I was lying in the grassy spot over by the north face.  He 
went off to play with Togo and Kombi.  I told him to stay near 
Uzuri but he didn't listen."  She struck the ground with her paw.  
"I should never have let him go!"
 	Uzuri trotted in, her cubs scampering along behind her to 
huddle at her feet.  "I can't find him, Isha.  I don't know where 
he went, but I found out why."  She turned to glare at the two 
cubs, who shrank back miserably.  "It seems Togo and Kombi were 
playing a little...rough." She patted Isha other lioness 
comfortingly.  "Don't worry, hon, he's probably just sulking 
somewhere."
	"That's just it; he always comes when I call him, no matter 
what mood he's in.  He's such a good boy..."  Wailing, she buried 
her head against Uzuri's shoulder, her cries muffled against the 
fur.
	Simba looked at Nala worriedly.  "Oh, boy.  I'm gonna go ask 
Rafiki if he can help.  Maybe he'll know where to look.  In the 
meanwhile, get some search parties organized."
	She nodded, and led the other lionesses outside. Simba 
trotted hurriedly down the slope of the Rock to the ground below.  
Breaking into a run, he sprinted toward a nearby acacia, his feet 
kicking up small plumes of ash that settled slowly back to the 
charred ground.  Nearing the tree, he shouted, "Rafiki!"
	Reaching the base, he peered up through the denuded branches 
to see the mandrill blinking sleepily.  "Rafiki?  Are you awake?"
	"Indeed I am. And not from your bellowing, my friend; I 
don't think I got a wink of sleep all night."  He eyed the 
branches of the tree reproachfully.  "Too many spines; I don't 
know how civilized folk can stand to live in these."  Casting his 
gaze down at Simba, Rafiki frowned.  "What is all the commotion 
about?"
	"Habusu is lost.  Can you do anything to help us?  We have 
to find him quickly, before something else does."
	Rafiki shuddered at the thought.  Wild Dogs come through 
from time to time.  "Aiheu forbid. I will try."  Gathering his 
staff, he clambered gingerly down to the ground. "Lead on, my 
friend.  I'll hurry as fast as I'm able."
	Simba thought for a split second, then crouched down.  
"Wait, I'll carry you; we'll make better time that way."
	"I would not insult your dignity like that," Rafiki said, 
clearly nervous.
	Simba snorted in amusement. "You didn't seem so concerned 
with my dignity that night you whacked me on the head, old  
friend."
	The mandrill shuffled his feet, embarrassed. "That was 
different."  Looking at the stretch of ground between himself and 
Pride Rock, he sighed resignedly.  "Bend down."  He meandered over 
to the lion and hesitantly climbed onto Simba's broad shoulders. 
He clutched a lock of mane tightly in one fist as the King stood 
up.
	"Ouch!" Simba hissed. "Easy."
	Rafiki loosed his grip, but only lightly. He felt the weight 
underneath him shift powerfully as the lion broke into a lope.  
The mandrill watched breathlessly as the wind whipped through his 
hair.  It was the fastest he'd ever travelled, and unable to help 
himself, he whooped aloud.
	Simba said, "I knew you'd like it."
	Rafiki laughed at him unsteadily. "Like it? I'm scared to 
death!"
	Khemoki, Incosi of the Zebra'ha, shook his head violently, 
trying to rid himself of the bothersome flies.
	Then he saw something that made him forget the flies.  Simba 
headed toward him at a dead run, an old mandrill on his back 
making the most horrible screeching noise.  "Oh my Lord!"  Khemoki 
cleared out of the way just in time.
	He headed to find his mare who was having a good roll in the 
dust, oblivious to the whole episode.
	"I say, Whinnyfred.  I just saw the most extraordinary 
thing!  Simba being ridden by that Rafiki chap!"
	"What?"
	"I tell you, Whinny old girl, this neighborhood is going 
down.  Down, I say, and I wouldn't be surprised what mischief that 
old ape will work next.  Not our sort, you know."
	"Oh Khemoki, you haven't been hitting the Throckberries, 
have you?"
	"Throckberries?  Don't be ridiculous.  Bosh, I tell you.  
Besides, it's too early in the day.  Whinny, there's something not 
quite right here.  I think that ape is taking over."
	"Him?"
	"And why not?  He dabbles in the uncivilized arts, you know.  
I think we have a situation developing, and by jove I plan to keep 
a close eye on it.  We don't want to end up on the losing side."
	Unaware of the commotion behind him, Rafiki glanced down to 
see the ground blurring by in a mix of greens and browns.  
Suddenly nauseous, he closed his eyes, feeling the enormous 
muscles underneath him rippling in regular rhythm.  Abruptly, 
their pace changed, and he opened his eyes to see a shallow trench 
approaching fast.  Simba gathered his muscles under himself and 
leapt.  Rafiki watched in horror as the world rotated lazily in 
front of him, sky and earth exchanging places as he sailed over 
Simba's head to come to rest nose to nose with the lion, a lock of 
mane still clutched tightly in either hand.
	Simba jerked wildly.  "Rafiki, what are you doing?!  I can't 
see!"
	The mandrill looked into the amber eyes inches away from his 
own and moaned.  "Mumsie was right," he thought.  "I should have 
stayed at home with my brothers instead of becoming a shaman."
	Simba flicked his head gracefully, sending the poor mandrill 
flying back over his head to plunk down solidly onto his back 
again.  Rafiki seized hold even tighter, despite Simba's protests, 
and held on for dear life, muttering a prayer of thanks as he saw 
the foot of Pride Rock  before them. Without slowing, Simba 
trotted up the slope to the promontory, finally stopping and 
allowing his passenger to dismount.
	Rafiki slid off his back and stumbled forward on his 
weakened legs.  "Thank you, Simba.  You honor me greatly."
	Simba shrugged.  "Maybe we can do it again sometime."  He 
looked in the cave.  "Isha?"  
	The lioness trotted out of the cave, looking hopeful, but 
her face fell when she saw no sign of her cub.
	"Isha, my poor dear," Rafiki said, hugging her neck.  "Do 
not fret.  We will find your child."
	Rafiki took his staff and scrying bowl, then sat cross-
legged on the ground.  The gourd on his staff was full of water, 
and he pulled the stopper, pouring its contents into the bowl.
	"Isha, do you have anything that he might have touched or 
played with in the past day or so?  An old bone, perhaps?"
	"No, he doesn't play with toys very much; he likes to pounce 
and wrestle more than anything else."
	Rafiki frowned. "Hmm. That will make it more difficult; I 
don't think I'll be able to find him without something."
	Isha said, "How about some dead grass?  I made him a soft 
place to sleep."
	He paused, stroking the flowing white hair which grew from 
his chin.  "Yes.  Yes indeed."
	She brought a small mouthful of dry grass, but he only took 
a few strands.  She watched closely as he dropped the grass into 
the bowl, where it floated about in a small circle.  Isha and 
Simba peered over his shoulder with interest as Rafiki made a 
short prayer asking the gods for guidance and protection.  Bending 
over the bowl, Rafiki stirred it slightly with a finger, studying 
intently the patterns the ripples made as they bounced off the 
grass in the bowl and rebounded to the sides. Abruptly, he hunched 
over, mouth agape.  "Makpelah the Circle.  He lives."
	Simba sighed with relief as Isha sank to the ground.  "Aiheu 
be praised," she whispered.  "Where is he?"
	Rafiki scratched his head. "I don't know; the signs are so 
confused and mixed up.  All my knowledge tells me that he's alive, 
yet...I see a skull also.  Very strange."
	Isha's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, no."
	"The child Habusu lives yet, I tell you.  The rest I don't 
know." He looked at the bowl, pondering.  "Let me try again."
	He bent over the bowl, stirring the water gently.  He leaned 
over it, his wizened face only inches from the water's surface.  
"This is interesting...."
	"Hey, your Majesty!" called a shrill voice.  Startled, 
Rafiki jumped, sending the bowl and its contents flying.  Simba 
looked down to see Shenzi at the foot of Pride Rock.  "I would 
most HUMBLY request an audience with you." 
	Simba walked to the edge of the promontory.  "I am occupied 
just now.  Send the Roh'mach to see me later.  I will talk with 
him."
	Simba turned his back, intent on rejoining the others, when 
Shenzi called after him.  "Ah, such a warm and caring king you 
are, to abandon one of your own out in the wilderness."
	He jerked his head around. "What??"
	"Our new Roh'mach speaks of cooperation and understanding," 
she sneered.  "And yet when we offer our services, you spurn us!"
	His eyes bored into hers.  "What are you talking about?" he 
asked.  "What services?"
	"Why, our help in finding your lost cub."
	Simba's jaw dropped in disbelief.
	Nala rushed up beside him, eyes burning with rage.  "Who 
told you??  How did you know that??"
	Shenzi tittered.  "Oh, I keep my ear to the ground, dearie.  
Word travels fast when the King's disturbed."
	"A little too fast," Nala retorted.
	"I didn't come here to be insulted, Your Majesty."  Shenzi 
looked at Nala balefully.  "We offered our help, and you responded 
with thinly veiled accusations."  She sighed, pained.  "I just 
hope the dear doesn't suffer to much when the wild dogs find him. 
They DO love to tear their prey to pieces while it's still alive."
	"Enough," Simba grated.  "All right, Shenzi.  In the spirit 
of cooperation, we would gratefully accept any help you offer."
	"Of course, in the spirit of cooperation," she said, 
frowning.  "I would HATE to think of what would happen to the poor 
dear if we WEREN'T on good terms with each other, wouldn't you?"
	Simba stood silently as he digested her words.  To think 
that the life of their cub depended on the goodwill of that 
creature standing below...  Simba closed his eyes as a shudder 
traveled slowly down his spine.  Then he met her gaze directly.
	"Yes," he said deliberately. "It would be a great 
tragedy...for both of us."
	Shenzi looked awfully smug in the face of his open threat.  
The life of the cub hung in the balance, and unlike Simba, she had 
nothing to lose, and everything to gain.


SCENE:  FAR FROM HOME


	Losara lay with her head upon her paws, watching Habusu and 
Bashak chase each other back and forth among the bones and rocks 
in the graveyard. The two were apparently blessed with an 
inexhaustible supply of energy, and Losara had already had to 
discourage them from the fun game of trying to see who could hang 
from her tail by their teeth the longest.  Chuckling despite 
herself, she dodged as Bashak shot past at a dead run, yelling, 
"Nyah nyah, you can't catch me!"
	Habusu followed hot on his heels, but balked when he saw the 
hyena pup vanish into the dark recesses of an enormous skull.  
Peering warily into the interior, he saw nothing but darkness.  He 
thought for a moment, then leaped upwards.
	Giggles resounded from inside the bleached elephant skull as 
Habusu clambered his way up the front of it, grinning.  He made 
his way slowly along the chipped tusk, feet splayed and claws 
extended slightly to keep his balance.  Nestling up to the face of 
the skull, he leaned his head towards it and pressed an ear up to 
the surface. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
	More giggles came forth from the interior.  "No way!  You 
have to come in and get me!"
	His grin widened.  'Gotcha,' he thought.  He peered upwards, 
gauging the distance.  Crouching down, he leapt, his claws 
flicking out to latch onto the rim of an eye socket.  With great 
effort, he hauled himself up.  He had his forelegs braced and was 
preparing to pull himself in when a face loomed in front of him. 
Bashak grinned toothily, and yelled "BOO!"
	Startled, Habusu lost his grip and slid down the face of the 
skull to land in a heap of bone splinters.  "Ow!"
	Bashak stopped laughing and peered down worriedly. "Hey, 
Habu, you okay?"
	The cub sat up and shook his head, examining a bloody 
scratch on his leg.  "Yeah, I'm okay."
	Losara appeared from behind the back of the skull, an 
annoyed look on her face.  "What in the world are you two doing 
now?"  She saw Habusu shaking his injured leg and trotted over. 
"What did you do?"
	"I slipped and fell, that's all.  It's just a scratch, see?"  
He showed her the injured limb proudly.  "It doesn't hurt."
	She frowned down at him sternly.  "You be careful, now."
	"Yes ma'am." Habusu breathed a silent sigh of relief as 
Losara returned to where she had been lying.  He had been terribly 
afraid that she would make him go home.  Home...
	He grimaced as he thought about his mother.  He had gone off 
without telling her where he was going again.  His bottom tingled 
with remembered pain as he thought about what had happened that 
time.  Hearing a rustling noise, he looked over to see Bashak 
emerging from the mouth of the skull.
	The hyena pup glanced at him, abashed.  "Sorry; I didn't 
mean to scare you like that, man."
	"You didn't scare me!" Habusu said indignantly.  "I just,  
uh, lost my balance."
	Bashak laughed at him. "With feet like that, I'm not 
surprised!"
	"Oh yeah? Well you don't have the best looking feet 
yourself."  Suddenly, his eyes widened as he stared at Bashak's 
furry paws.
	The pup looked down.  "What?  What is it?"
	Habusu stared in horror at the shadow the pup cast straight 
down.  It was almost highsun.
	"Oh, man, Mom's gonna KILL me," he groaned.  "I gotta get 
home."
	Bashak's face drooped. "Really?"
	"Yeah.  I'll see you later, okay?"
	Habusu turned to leave, but bumped into the strong arm of a 
large male hyena blocking the path.  "And just where do you think 
you're going?"  Skulk scowled down at the annoying little furball 
before him.  Shenzi crept up beside him, grinning malevolently.
	Habusu cringed.  "Uh, I was just heading home, sir.  My 
mother's gonna be awful mad if I don't get home soon."  He moved 
to circle around Skulk, but a paw slapped him brutally away.  He 
went sliding across the dirt to crash into Bashak, sending both of 
them tumbling.  Rasing a paw to his face in shock, Habusu started 
to cry.
	"SHUT UP! I'm tired of listening to your whiny little 
voice."  Skulk glared at him, fangs bared as he turned to Kh'tel, 
one of his attending guards.  "Mount watch on this little furball.  
Don't let him out of your sight.  If he tries to run, stop him, 
but don't kill him...yet.  If Shenzi's right, he may yet be of 
some use to us."
	The guard nodded energetically.  "Boy, Shenzi's really 
smart, eh, Skulk?"  He giggled insanely.  "I bet she tells you ALL 
of her secrets, doesn't she?"
	Skulk merely stood silently and stared at him until his 
laughter died away to nervous silence.  "I'll send some others to 
help you guard him.  For now, keep an eye on him."  He leaned 
towards the other hyena until their noses were only inches apart.  
"I will hold you personally responsible for anything that happens 
to him.  Do you understand?"
	Kh'tel swallowed audibly.  "Y-Yes, sir."
	Nodding, he looked back at Habusu and Bashak, who were both 
bawling at the top of their lungs.  "Losara," he growled, "make 
yourself useful and get those two brats to SHUT UP!"  Skulk looked 
at Shenzi.  "Everything's working according to plan."


SHENZI:	He thinks he runs the clan, but he can't run an errand
		He has the looks, but doesn't have a clue,
		And even worse than that, we've nabbed a lion brat,
		Uhuru never even knew!

SKULK:	I think I see your point, his nature's far too trusting
		A `kick me' sign is plastered on his back,
		He doesn't seem the sort we need to hold the fort,
		It's time we gave our friend the sack.

BOTH:		He's wishy-washy, golly-goshy, just a lion's puppet,
		An elevated, overrated fool;
		The kind of lame excuse without a single use,
		That simply isn't fit to rule!

KH'TEL:	What's a puppet?

SKULK:	It's someone with wood for brains.

KH'TEL:	This is treason!

SKULK:	You bet your whiskers!  Now where have I heard that line before?

SHENZI:	It was a brilliant plan, forgive me if I chuckle,
		But I enjoy a laugh at his expense;
		If they want Junior back, Uhuru's gonna pack,
		It's really making perfect sense!

SKULK:	I want to see his face, the moment that you tell him,
		I bet'cha that his eyes are gonna cross!
		Uhuru's gonna find, he's really in a bind,
		We're gonna show him who's the boss!

ALL 3:	He's wishy-washy, golly-goshy, just a lion's puppet,
		An elevated, overrated fool;
		The kind of lame excuse without a single use,
		That simply isn't fit to rule!


	Wheeling about, Shenzi and Skulk stalked away.
	Losara glared after them as she trotted over to the 
children.  "Shh," she whispered, holding them to her with a paw.  
Habusu buried his face against her chest and continued to cry 
hoarsely.  "I w-want my MOTHER!"
	"I know, hon.  Shh, it'll be all right."  She licked away 
his tears.  "You're just going to spend the night with your auntie 
Losara, that's all."
	Bashak looked up at her, sniffling.  "Mama, Skulk's not 
gonna hurt Habu, is he?"
	Losara kissed him gently on the forehead.  "No, Bashak.  He 
won't hurt your friend."  She raised her head to stare after the 
departed hyena, her jaw firmly clenched.  "Not as long as I'm 
alive."


SCENE:  THAT ILLUSIVE SCENT


	Sarafina paused to catch her breath, the lionesses behind 
her flopping to the ground gratefully.  They had been searching 
for Habusu for hours, and it was now high-sun, when the fire shone 
fiercely down upon their overheated bodies, sapping them of their 
strength.
	"Fini," called a voice faintly. Turning, Sarafina glanced 
behind her. "Yes?"
	Yolanda paused, panting heavily. "I don't think we're going 
to find him here, Sarafina. We're too close to THEM."  She 
motioned to her right.  The elephant graveyard lay just beyond, 
shimmering in the rising heat waves.
	"I don't think the little tike would wander in there, 
anyway. Besides, they can search this area much better than we; 
their more familiar with the territory."
	"I don't have any intention of letting them find Habu, no 
matter what that mealy-mouthed brute promised. If they did find 
him, what're the chances of them bringing him back?" She snorted 
in derision.  "No, we'll keep our own counsel when it comes to 
trusting hyenas."
	Yolanda nodded tiredly. "You're right, it's just..." she 
trailed off, growling with frustration, lashing the ground with 
her tail angrily.  "We've looked for hours. Where is he?!"
	Zazu fluttered overhead.  "No word here, ladies.  I've asked 
the vultures.  They are ruthlessly honest, you know, and they say 
they have not--well, they saw nothing."
	Ajenti groaned as she rose from her resting place. "Well, 
we'll not find out by sitting on our rumps."
	Sarafina nodded in agreement. She rose and moved out ahead 
of the other two again. Forming a triangle, they covered the 
ground slowly, eyes scanning the area ahead while their heads 
swept back and forth, searching for any trace of scent.
	The sun began its slow inexorable slide westward.  The hours 
passed slowly, their task made increasingly difficult by the 
shadows which stretched out before them, concealing small niches 
and crevices from their sight.  They finally reached the outskirts 
of the graveyard as twilight was falling.  The hyena guard posted 
at the perimeter hailed them roughly.  "'Lo, there!  Who comes?"
	"Lionesses from Pride Rock, sir."  Sarafina hated having to 
address the bedraggled creature in front of her as such, but she 
dared not risk offending them now. "Have you any news of the 
missing cub?"
	He grinned uneasily.  "No, dear lady, I'm afraid not.  But 
have no fear, should we find him, you'll be the first to know."
	Yolanda's eyebrows drew together in sudden wariness.  This 
guard was far too polite.  Moving forward, she interrupted 
Sarafina's reply. "Thank you, sir. We appreciate the help." 
Butting Sarafina gently with her shoulder, she motioned them away 
into the shadowy dark until they were out of earshot.
	"What're you doing?"  Sarafina raised an eyebrow.
	"That hyena stinks of helpfulness.  I don't trust him.  
Let's look around a bit, shall we?"  She moved off, paralleling 
the edge of the graveyard proper.
	Sarafina moved up alongside, Ajenti trailing.  "Heh," she 
chuckled softly. "And you were the one who wanted to let them 
look-" She stopped so abruptly that Ajenti plowed into the back of 
her.
	"Ouch!" Ajenti rubbed her bruised nose with a forepaw.  
"What the-"
	"Shh!" Sarafina bent, sniffing. Her eyes gleamed in the dim 
light as her head rose.  "I've got his scent!"
	Yolanda jerked her head around.  "What?"
	Without replying, Sarafina headed off toward the graveyard 
at a fast trot, her nose bent to the ground, almost touching.  
Ajenti and Yolanda exchanged a look, then hurried to catch up. 
They followed Sarafina up a rise, stopping when they reached a row 
of prickly acacia thorns.
	Sarafina flattened out onto the ground.  Creeping forward, 
she rolled onto her side, squirming her way under one of the 
bushes while the others watched, astonished. She had perhaps half 
her body buried in the dense growth when she stopped.  Her voice 
came drifting back faintly.  "What in Aiehu's name..."
	Ajenti crept near her.  "What is it?"
	Sarafina's voice came back, edged with rage. "Oh, they're 
very helpful. It seems they've managed to find Habusu already; 
they've just neglected to tell anyone.  There's an elephant skull 
about ten lengths downslope from me.  He's sitting in front of 
it." 
	A growl rumbled in Yolanda's chest.  "Let's go get him!"
	"No, that won't work.  There's a group of hyenas surrounding 
him.  Too many to fight.  At least a war party, maybe more."
	Yolanda's eyes grew wide. "All that to guard one cub?  What 
in Aiehu's name is going on?"
	Sarafina slowly wormed her way back out from under the 
bushes.  Standing, she shook herself roughly, scattering the dirt 
ground into her pelt.  "I don't know, but we'd better go and tell 
Simba."
	Ajenti shook her head rapidly.  "We can't leave him!"
	"We'll do him no good if we get ourselves killed.  Let's go.  
I want to be back at the Rock before high moon."


SCENE:  MAKING DEMANDS


	The cool night breeze ruffled the fur of the lioness sitting 
at the point of Pride Rock.  Isha sat quietly, staring unseeing at 
the beautiful panorama before her, all her thoughts turned inward. 
	Feeling a touch at her shoulder, she glanced over to see 
Kako sitting next to her.  
	"Anything?"
	Kako shook her head.  "I'm sorry, Isha.  Nobody's seen or 
smelled any sign of him."
	Isha nodded and returned to staring out across the dark 
surface of the ground which lay far below them.  A series of small 
frustrated desires pulled at her heart.  It was time for Habu's 
bath.  She ached to hold him, to feel his warm presence near her.  
She agonized over the thoughts that he may be afraid, that he may 
be lonely, wounded or hungry.  That he may be cold.  That he might 
be calling her name.  That he may be begging some enemy for mercy.  
That he might even be dead, or even worse dying in great pain.  
Her jaw trembled slightly and a single tear rolled glistening down 
her cheek, matting the fur. Another followed behind it, dropping 
free to splash against the cold stone under her feet.  "Oh God, 
Kako, he can't die, he just can't.  He's the only cub I have left.  
I can't lose him!"
	"Isha, we have to talk."
	"I don't know if I can right now."
	"Isha, for God's sake, I have to know.  You made it with my 
son, didn't you.  That's his son out there, isn't it."
	"Yes and yes," Isha snapped.
	"He was only a cub.  You took advantage of him."
	"He begged me," Isha said, turning to stare straight into 
her eyes.  "Begged me, Kako.  He was on fire."
	"How can you sit there and say that?"
	"He's always wanted me.  Taka sent him out there to starve.  
Baba knew it too."  A tear rolled down her cheek.  "Poor little 
Baba.  He didn't want to die, but the one thing he regretted not 
doing was being alone with me.  He wanted me as no lion ever 
wanted me, and I gave him what he desired."
	"Out of pity?"
	"Pity?  No, not just pity."  She reached up with her paw and 
stroked Kako's cheek.  "I love him.  I thought I would yield out 
of pity, and it started that way.  But your son was a lion, not a 
cub.  When we made love...."  Isha's eyes filled with tears.  "The 
things he said to me.  How I long to hear them again.  I'd give 
anything if he'd come back to me."  She sighed.  "His son is out 
there.  Your grandson.  You neglected him.  He doesn't even know 
who you are.  It may be too late to ever tell Habu you love him."
	 "I know, and I grieve for him and for you.  But oh gods, 
did it have to be such a tawdry affair?"
	"He's my husband," Isha said firmly.  "I've remained 
faithful to him.  I will till the day I die."
	"Why didn't you tell me?"
	"Why didn't you ask me?"
	Kako sighed deeply.  "Did he understand what he was doing?"
	"I did have three cubs you know."
	"That's not what I meant."
	"You mean did he really love me?  Yes.  Do I really love 
him?  Yes.  Would we do it again?  Yes, as the gods are my 
witness.  I want to spend my life making him happy, tending his 
wounds, catching his prey, raising his cubs.  Oh gods, what I 
wouldn't give to have him here right now.  My husband is gone, two 
of my cubs are dead, my third is lost, and now the lioness I 
thought was my best friend has turned against me."
	"No, Isha.  That's not so."  She leans on Isha and purrs, 
nuzzling her.  "You're like a very dear sister.  I'm just having 
trouble thinking of you as a daughter."  She nuzzles her again.  
"I'll try.  Really I will.  I just need a little time."
	Simba hurried up to where Isha and Kako sat. "I just spotted 
Sarafina's group heading in.  They're the only ones who haven't 
reported in yet; maybe they'll have some good news."
	The three fidgeted uncomfortably as they waited for Sarafina 
and her companions to ascend the path to the promontory.  
Breasting the top, Sarafina padded over tiredly.  She knelt in 
front of Simba, her muscles trembling with fatigue.  "Incosi aka 
Incosi," she panted.  "I touch your mane."
	"I feel it," he replied.  "Rest a minute, Fini.  The report 
can wait."
	She shook her head rapidly. "No time, Sire.  We found Habu."  
Sarafina stood, panting mutely as the others gaped in surprise.  
"Where is he?" Isha finally managed.  She scanned the group 
rapidly.  "Oh God, tell me he's not dead."
	Nala looked at the miserable expression on her mother's face 
and turned cold.  No, she thought.  Oh, please, no.
	Sarafina finally spoke.  "He is alive, Isha."  The lioness 
started to smile, but it faded quickly as Sarafina continued. 
"Aiheu forgive me for saying so, but it might be better for him if 
he had died.  The hyenas have him."
	Isha's eyes widened in horror as Simba stepped forward.  
"What?!" He looked at Yolanda, then Ajenti.  They both nodded 
slowly.
	"We were searching near the graveyard, and I picked up a 
faint scent trail of his.  It led directly to the acacia thorns on 
the off-side-"
	"I know that place," he said, nodding. "How'd you get in?"
	"Well, I crawled under, just partway, until I could see into 
the  graveyard.  I saw him clearly, Sire."
	"What else did you see?"
	Sarafina closed her eyes, thinking hard. "There was a large 
group of the hyenas around him in a kind of ring, like they were 
guarding him, or...."
	"....or making sure he didn't escape," Nala growled angrily.  
"I KNEW that lying cur was going to do something like this.  
Shenzi and Uhuru are not that different after all."  She glanced 
over at Simba, expecting him to nod in agreement.
	Instead, Simba sat silently, staring at the ground for a 
moment.  Rising slowly, he paced over to the tip of the promontory 
and raised his head to look at the stars shining brightly 
overhead.  His face crumpled suddenly, whiskers drooping. His jaw 
quivered as he looked up at the stars.  "I thought I could trust 
him.  He told Rafiki he believed in our God.  Why doesn't Aiheu 
strike him dead??"
	Simba's grief was deep and awful.  For a minute or more he 
sat silently, his face pointed into the stars.  Then he sighed.  
"Uhuru risked his life to help me.  God help me, I'll have to give 
him the benefit of the doubt.  If he proves false, then God help 
him!"  Simba walked over to Isha and nuzzled her.  "It's time we 
showed our hyena friends who is in charge here," he said, his 
voice rumbling low in his throat.  He looked up into the sky 
again, drew in a deep breath, and roared.  He roared loud enough 
that everyone in the earth and in the skies above or the caves 
below could tell a lion was angry.  He was joined by the others in 
the pride, and as the sound grew it took on an otherworldly 
quality that would strike fear into the heart of a stone.
	"Come, Isha. Let's go get your son."
	As they prepared to leave, Simba glanced up at the starry 
sky.  He uttered a silent prayer to Aiheu, asking Him to watch 
over them in the upcoming fight.
	Some distance away, a young hyena looked up to the sky, and 
prayed also, but for a less noble reason.
	"Roh'kash, please bring the dawn soon!  I hate guard duty!"  
Grumbling, Griz'nk paced slowly back and forth, fighting to stay 
awake.  Somehow, it always seemed like he ended up with the night 
patrol. Bad enough that he got stuck with guard duty to begin 
with, but the night patrol?  Skulk had it in for him, he decided.  
Ever since the hyena had pandered his way into Shenzi's good 
graces, he acted as though he was in charge of everything.
	"Gimme five minutes with him and I'll show him who's boss-" 
he broke off and stopped his pacing as his jaws opened in a bone-
cracking yawn.  Glancing around furtively to see if anyone was 
near, he paced over to a jutting column of stone and lay down.  
	"I'll just rest a minute," he thought.  "A good guard can't 
keep alert unless he's well rested.  Why, he would be derelict in 
his duty if he didn't stay fully awake."
	His eyes snapped open.  Blinking rapidly, he stood up and 
shook himself.  Looking around, he cringed as he saw a faint glow 
had formed in the east, illuminating the early morning mist which 
swirled about him gently.  Seeing no one, he sighed gratefully; 
his nap had apparently gone unnoticed.  Turning, he padded over to 
the entrance to the graveyard, intending to call for his relief, 
when he heard a faint sound behind him.
	His head snapped around to stare into the swirling mist.  
Pricking his ears up, he strained to catch any sound at all.  
Suddenly, the hair rose on his neck as he caught a tenebrous 
rustling.  His eyes darted frantically, trying to catch a glimpse 
of something, but grayish white blankness, broken only by the 
faint outline of rocks, was all he could see.  He took a tentative 
step forward, intending to investigate, when he heard a loud SNAP! 
from somewhere to his right. 
	He froze, ears laid back in fear, waiting for something to 
appear, but total silence now reigned.  Time slowed to a crawl as 
he held his ground, frantic for his relief to appear, but afraid 
to turn his back to the open air.  The mist began to lighten as 
the sun rose, its warm rays beginning to burn away the moist air.  
Sighing with relief, he chuckled at himself.
	"I'm glad Skulk didn't see me," he chortled.  "Shaking like 
a pup afraid of the dark."  There was another sound, and he 
glanced around nervously.
	A pair of glittering eyes floated towards him out of the 
mist, their pupils burning red as hellfire in the morning light.  
They were joined by another, then another...he wailed as he saw he 
was surrounded by them, the eyes closing rapidly to reveal the dim 
sihoulettes of lions, too many to count, their stocky bodies 
moving silently through the dewy grass.
	The form nearest him resolved into a lioness which bared her 
teeth at him and snarled.  "Greetings, friend," she said.  Her 
hindquarters bunched as she prepared to spring.
	"Ga-ghu-gah-greetings," he stammered.  "Hunting so late?  
You know, I once heard that hyenas are not part of your diet.  
Good thing you know.  You never know what we've been eating.  
Nasty stuff, really.  Dead for days sometimes, you know.  
Sometimes, you know, the heat makes the bodies swell, but beggers 
can't be choosers."  He looked at the hard eyes staring at him.  
"Oh my God, I'm going to die!"  Griz'nik suddenly found his voice.  
"HELP!" he screamed, legs scrabbling in the dirt as he turned to 
run.  An immense weight bore him to the ground, sending the air 
whuffing out of him as he impacted.  He felt claws digging 
painfully into his shoulders and back as he struggled for air.  A 
voice suddenly spoke in his ear.
	"Shut up and sit still, or you'll be fodder for the 
buzzards," Uzuri whispered savagely.  Turning her head, she nodded 
to Simba.  "Sire, I've got him.  Bring the others in."
	Simba nodded back and signaled with a low grunt which 
carried clearly through the fog.  The lionesses streamed past him, 
eager to join battle with their foes.  A sudden chorus of yelps 
and snarls resounded through the thinning mist as they overcame 
the hyenas just inside the graveyard.  Abruptly an eerie howling 
arose as someone raised the alarm.
	With surprise lost, Simba forewent silence and let loose 
with an earsplitting roar that shook Griz'nik's bones.  The hyena 
cowered as the king loomed over him, his eyebrows beetled together 
in anger.
	"Where is the cub Habusu?" Simba snarled.  "Tell me and you 
will be shown mercy."
	Griz'nik gaped senselessly.  "Sire?"  he sputtered.  "All 
they told me is to watch for strangers.  They don't tell me why.  
Please let me go.  If they find out I failed, they'll kill me.  I 
just want to run away.  Give me a chance, please?"
	"Let him go," Simba said.  Turning, he padded into the 
graveyard proper.  The mist was burning off quickly as the sun 
began to make its prescence felt, but steam and vapors concealed 
the shadows as he made his way among the bones.  A shape hove into 
view as Uhuru emerged from his cave, yawning.
	"Sire!" he said, surprised.  "What an honor."  The Incosi 
cocked his head curiously as he looked at Simba's grim visage.  
"No news on your missing child, I'm afraid." 
	With a snarl, Simba bounded up to him nose to nose and bared 
his teeth.  "What in God's name do you think you're doing with our 
cub?  Did you think we wouldn't find out??"
	Uhuru shook as he stared at the massive fangs that were only 
inches away from his face.  "S-Sire?  I don't understand-"
	Isha padded up to join them.  "Liar!  Where is my child?  
What have you done with him??"  She scanned the area frantically.  
"Habu?  Habu, it's Mom!  Oh gods, answer me!"  Her voice echoed, 
mocking her.  She turned back to Uhuru, her ears laid flat in 
anger.  "What have you done with him?"
	Overhead, on  a jutting lip of rock, Shenzi sat quietly, her 
sides heaving with barely suppressed laughter.  "Oh MY," she 
thought, "This is too good!  Uhuru looks like a whipped pup!"  She 
bit her lip to keep from giggling her head off.  After a few 
minutes, she regained some semblance of control and returned her  
attention to the scene below.
	Uhuru huddled in the alcove where Simba and Isha had backed 
him.  "Sire, please!  I don't understand!  It's not my fault!  I 
helped you once, risked my life for you!"
	Simba started to speak, but Isha cut him off.  "It's obvious 
you don't understand," she hissed.  "Let me spell it out clearly.  
If my son is not brought before me immediately, I'll rip you and 
leave the meat for the jackals."
	Uhuru bared his teeth at her, growling.  "Fine, then.  Rip 
me.  Aiheu will avenge my innocent blood."
	Isha raised a forepaw, but a voice stopped her.  "Now, now, 
my dear; such conduct is not very ladylike."  Rafiki tapped her 
extended claws with his staff.  "Put those away before you hurt 
somebody."
	"That WAS the idea," she snapped back.  "He won't even admit 
his guilt, Rafiki.  Can you believe it?"
	He raised an eyebrow.  "Is it possible that he has no 
guilt?"  The mandrill turned to Uhuru.  "Peace, my friend.  The 
truth will out."
	Uhuru said, "Forgive me Sire, but if the child was here, I'd 
at least show him to you.  That way, I'd have a tangible threat; I 
can't hurt something I don't have."
	Sarafina stepped forward.  "Oh, really," she grated.  "Then 
what was that lion cub doing in the north esacarpment of the 
graveyard last night?  Don't deny it; I saw him myself, ringed 
about by at least a dozen guards."
	Uhuru was aghast.  "Oh gods!"  He trailed off for a moment, 
his brow furrowed in thought.  Abruptly his whole form slumped, 
and he looked at the ground for a long moment.  "Sire, I was not 
ready to be Roh'mach.  You chose me out of gratitude, but that 
cannot make me a great leader."  Lifting his gaze, he looked up to 
the ledge where Shenzi sat in the shadows.  "I know how it may 
have happened.  But should any harm befall the child of Isha while 
he is in my care, I will take full responsibility.  I offer my 
life in exchange."
	"I want to believe you," Simba said.  "I really do."
	"What do you have that I want?  Why would I kidnap one of 
your children?  I'm already Roh'mach.  I might understand a 
jealous rival trying to undermine me."  He glared at Shenzi.  "By 
the gods, I'll help you tear them apart when I catch them."
	Simba nuzzled Uhuru.  "Forgive me."  Then he glared up at 
Shenzi.  "Are you responsible for this?"
	"And what if I am, cubby?  What are you going to do about 
it?"  Her voice was full of contempt.  "Touch me and your little 
babykins is going to be tonight's dinner."
	Isha took a sharp breath as Simba strode forward angrily.  
"What do you want?"
	Shenzi laughed.  "Are you that dense?  I want that pathetic 
excuse for a Roh'mach replaced.  We need someone more qualified."
	"That someone wouldn't happen to be you, would it?"  Simba 
rumbled.
	Her eyes widened in mock surprise.  "Why, dearie, I thought 
you'd never ask.  I'd be delighted to volunteer."
	"I'm sure you would," he shot back.  Simba roared loudly 
enough to shake the bones on the ground.  "I will not be dictated 
to by anyone, especially you.  You helped Scar kill my father, and 
by God I either get Habusu back or I'll rip you."
	"So she helped kill Mufasa too?"  Uhuru confronted Shenzi.  
"Let's end this here and now.  I call on the gods to witness our 
Shih'kal.  I challenge you to the death."
	Deathly silence fell as Shenzi stared at Uhuru, openmouthed.  
"What?  You can't do this!"
	Azuba stepped forward.  "But he has," she said coldly.  
"Accept the challenge, or forefit your claim as Roh'mach."
	Shenzi looked around at the other hyenas.  The challenge had 
been witnessed, and she faced only two paths.  "Very well.  I 
accept the challenge."  She spat at Uhuru's feet.  "Fool.  You 
would have lost your title.  Now you lose your life."
	"Really?"  His eyes bored into hers intently.  "We shall 
see."


SCENE:  TO THE DEATH


	Shenzi began circling Uhuru slowly, sizing him up.  The male 
was not as well built as Skulk, but his quickness and agility were 
well known.  One of the reasons Taka had chosen him to guard 
Rafiki was his ability to quickly think his way out of any 
situations that might have arisen; Shenzi faced an opponent who 
matched her own intelligence, and that made him doubly dangerous. 
	Uhuru sat quietly, keeping a wary eye on the bigger female.  
He was trying not to show it, but deep down he was terribly 
frightened of this hyena; she had already shown in the past what 
she was capable of.  Fighting to remember all his mother had 
taught him about combat, he kept his head low to the ground, 
trying to give her the smallest target possible.
	She suddenly floated toward him, jaws agape as a snarl 
ripped the air.  Twisting desperately, he flung himself out of the 
way, sending her crashing to the ground.  Befor he could react, 
however, she was up and away, out of reach.
	"Oooh, quick little one, aren't we?"  She leered at him, 
panting.  "How long can you keep dodging before my teeth find your 
throa-" Her sentence ended in a shriek as he darted forward.  She 
copied his move, spinning out of harm's way, coming to rest with 
her legs braced for action.
	Uhuru returned her smile.  "You'll find I'm full of 
surprises."  He charged again, his jaws closing on her shoulder, 
tearing away a chunk of flesh and hair.  Gnashing her teeth in 
pain, Shenzi drove forward with her hind legs, using her greater 
weight to bear him to the ground.  He writhed like a snake under 
her, wriggling away from her snapping jaws and escaping her grasp 
to stand before her again.
	He began circling her now, his face grim in the dim light.  
She staggered in a circle, feeling the blood running down her 
foreleg, her  shoulder ablaze.
	Skulk cursed inwardly as he saw her face.  She had gone in  
overconfident, sure that her superior size would intimidate Uhuru, 
but it had backfired, and she was now paying the price; the fear 
on her face indicated that it would only be a matter of time 
before she went down under his onslaught.  The rules of Shi'khal 
were strict, however; there was nothing Skulk could do to 
interfere.  Glancing over, he saw the lions watching the fight, 
utterly absorbed in the combat taking place before them.  His eyes 
fell upon Isha, and a grin spread across his angular face.
	There might just be a way to solve this problem after all, 
he thought.  He glanced around furtively, and seeing everyone's 
attention fixed on the fight, he melted into the shadows and 
disappeared, heading off towards the elephant graveyard as fast as 
his legs would carry him.
	Though his departure had been flawless, his arrivial did not 
go unnoticed. Scrambling down from atop the skull where he had 
been sitting, Bashak sped across the open area where the clan held 
its meetings to where Losara sat.  "Mama," he said breathlessly, 
"he's comin'!"
	She nodded, a disgusted look on her face.  "I expected as 
much.  You remember what to do?"
	He nodded eagerly.  "Uh-huh."
	"All right, then let's get moving."  The pup shot away 
towards the far end of the graveyard as fast as his legs would 
carry him.  Losara turned and trotted over to the entrance, where 
she sat down, waiting.
	Skulk's form slowly emerged from the dark.  "Greetings, 
Losara."
	She nodded.  "Skulk?  Why are you not with Shenzi?"
	"Things are not proceeding as planned.  I'm here to rectify 
the situation."  Brushing past her, he headed towards the skull 
which sat in the distance.  "Our great and glorious Roh'mach 
challenged Shenzi to the Shi'Khal, which she immediately has 
proceeded to lose."  He looked at her sidewise.  "I plan to give 
the lions a little incentive to solve our problem.  Uhuru pledged 
his life with the cub's.  Let's hold him to that promise."
	She trotted past him, cutting him off.  "What are you 
doing?"
	"I'm going to plant his little carcass right in front of our 
glorious Roh'mach.  Then I can sit back and watch the fun begin."  
His eyes narrowed as he saw her cut in front of him again.  "You'd 
be well advised not to get in my way again, wench," he said, his 
lip curling back to reveal his fangs.
	"Idiot!  You don't have to worry about that anymore."  She 
sneered at him.  "Your foolish choice of guards has already been 
his undoing."  Her face pinched in sorrow.  "Gods, can't you hear 
it?"
	He stared at her, puzzled, and cocked an ear.  Faintly, he 
heard a distant wailing coming from the northern escarpment where 
the lion cub had been incarcerated.  Eyes widening in realization, 
he looked at her in shock.  "NO!"
	Tears sprang to her eyes.  "I tried to stop him, but he was 
too strong."  She was abruptly knocked aside as Skulk took off, 
heading toward the distant skull.  Picking herself up, she laughed 
softly.  "Idiot."  Shaking herself, she padded off after him.
	Griz'nik stood stoically at the mouth of the skull, trying 
desperately to ignore the horrible sounds coming from within.
	"Almighty Roh'kash!" he muttered, "why does stuff like this 
always happen when I'm on duty?"  He gritted his teeth as a 
drilling shriek issued from inside the dank recesses of the skull 
where the cub was imprisioned.  Kh'tel had ordered him and the 
other guards to stay outside while he went in there to 
"interrogate" the prisoner.  Judging from the sounds the cub was 
making, Griz'nik doubted if Kh'tel was in there making polite 
conversation.  He felt a muffled impact thorough the bone at his 
back, punctuated by an abrupt CRACK.  A horrible scream resounded 
from inside.  The guards looked at him, their eyes wide.
	Griz'nik winced and shook his head in sympathy.  "Gods, 
that's gotta HURT."
	Skulk ran like one posesssed, the cries of the cub filling 
his ears, lending a desperate urgency to his straining muscles.  
As he neared the escarpment, he saw the other guards ringed around 
the skull, various looks of disgust and glee on their faces.  
Abruptly, the cries from within the skull ceased, and Kh'tel 
emerged from the mouth of it, licking his lips in obvious 
enjoyment.
	Skulk bounded up and confronted him immediately.  "What the 
devil are you DOING?!"  he screamed.
	Kh'tel shrank back, frightened.  "Calm down, Skulk.  Our 
little guest decided to get antsy, here, so I had to take care of 
him."  He frowned deeply.  "I tell you, though, lions are almighty 
tough to stomach."  He abruptly held forth with a tooth-rattling 
belch.
	Skulk stuck is head into the mouth of the skull.  Peering 
about, he made out vague bloodstains on the inside walls.  Casting 
his gaze down, he saw a small tuft of golden fur, ruffling gently 
from his breath.  Emerging slowly, he glared balefully at his 
companion.  The corners of Skulk's jaw clenched tightly as he 
fought to repress a shriek.  "Do you have any idea what you've 
done?"
	Kh'tel stared at him blankly.  "What's wrong with you?  
Don't tell me you liked the little furball?!"
	"No, imbecile!  But at least with a body I could have proved 
he was dead!  I could have solved all our problems with one 
stroke.  Now I've got to figure out how to make them think he's 
dead!"  Skulk sat seething for a minute, then brightened.  "It's a 
long shot, but it just might fool them."  Ducking his head into 
the skull, he snatched up the small bit of lion fur lying on the 
ground.  Emerging, he shouldered past Kh'tel roughly as he stalked 
away, grumbling, but stopped abruptly and looked back.  "Hold it," 
he said, peering at Kh'tel intently.  "You finished him off 
awfully quick."
	The corner of Kh'tel's mouth twitched slightly.  "Well, uh, 
he was kinda small-"
	Skulk shook his head in disgust.  "You greedy slob."  A 
peevish note crept into his voice.  "Couldn't you have saved some 
for me?"
	Kh'tel grinned shame-facedly.  "Sorry."
	Skulk stared at him a moment longer, then trotted away 
quickly.
	Kh'tel held the grin until the sounds of his footsteps had 
faded away into the night.  Rounding on the remaining guards, he 
bared his teeth viciously.  "Well, what are you laughing at?  
Dismissed!  Go on, get lost!"
	Grumbling, the others slowly dispersed.  He watched them 
carefully until the last form had vanished into the dark.  
Creeping over to a secluded alcove, he sat quietly, listening.  
Several long moments passed.  Satisfied, Kh'tel whooped a sigh of 
relief and turned around.  "C'mon out, kids."
	Habusu's head emerged from an eye socket above him.  "Did it 
work?"
	"Yeah, kid.  Now come on down here, quick."  As the cub 
clambered down the face of the skull, Habusu giggled softly.  "I 
can't believe he fell for it!"
	A dark shadow detached itself and trotted over.  Losara 
nuzzled the cub gently.  "Rho'kash bless you for what you have 
done tonight, Kh'tel.  For now, however, we have no time to 
celebrate.  Bashak!  Come on!"
	The pup skittered out from behind a concealing rock.  "Where 
are we goin' Mama?"
	"We're going to take Habu home, my son," she said, grinning.  
"I'm afraid it's way past his bedtime."
	Shenzi's breathing had begun to come in great ragged gasps 
of air.  She shook her head, fighting to clear her vision as she 
staggered about, bleeding from half a dozen wounds.  Across from 
her, Uhuru panted rapidly, a nasty gash on his ribs giving 
evidence of  Shenzi's prowess in the prolonged battle.  But his 
confidence showed clearly now; the other hyenas merely waited for 
the combat to draw to its inevitable conclusion.  Outside the 
circle, the jackals had begun to gather, smacking their lips in 
preparation for the feast which would follow, for neither lion nor 
hyena will eat the dead bodies of Roh'kash's Chosen Ones; they are 
corban to all but the lowliest of scavengers.
	Shenzi caught Uhuru's eye and gave a silent snarl of 
defiance; she did not intend to sell her life easily.  She slowly 
gathered her strength, preparing for a final spring.  It would 
leave her wide open for attack, but she would get at least one 
clear shot at his throat before she went down.
	Uhuru's paw struck her high on the face, sending her 
sprawling.  A paw slapped down on either shoulder, pinning her 
neatly to the ground.   She saw the starlight gleaming off his 
fangs as he prepared to tear out her throat.  Closing her eyes, 
she prayed it would be quick.
	Skulk shook his head in despair as he rejoined the circle of 
his bretheren.  "I am saddened by the heavy burden of the news I 
bring, but it is my duty to inform you, Roh'mach."
	Uhuru cocked an ear toward him, but kept his gaze locked on 
Shenzi, wary of a trick.  "Speak up, Skulk, and be quick.  What do 
you want?"
	Skulk strode forward and spat a mouthful of golden fur into 
the circle before the two combatants.  "There is all that remains 
of the lion cub.  One of Shenzi's traitorous guards decided to 
have him for a snack."
	Complete silence fell, broken only by the sound of Isha's 
sobbing.  Uhuru looked at the fur disbelievingly.  "You mean..."
	Skulk nodded sadly.  "I'm afraid so."  He staightened and 
cleared his throat.  "I'm afraid that once the combat is complete, 
you will have to be executed, milord.  You did swear your life 
with that of the cub's, and I will not wrong our mighty king with 
lies such as Shenzi has spoken."
	Shenzi glared at him in shock, a smile spreading slowly 
across her lips.  You sneaky little cur, she thought. I didn't 
know you had it in you.  She shook her head.  If only I'd known 
earlier.... 
	Sudden movement caught her eye as a tawny shape padded past 
a gap in the circle.  "Hey, Shenzi!"
	"Shut up, Habu," she snarled.  Freezing, she did a double 
take.  "Habu?!!"
	Skulk gaped at the little form.  "What?  But he-, I mean, 
you..?"  His eyes flared with rage as he stepped forward, 
growling.  "No matter.  I'll deal with you myself!"
	"STOP!"
	All movement ceased as Isha bludgeoned her way through the 
circle to stand next to them.  Interposing herself between Uhuru 
and Shenzi, Isha gently but firmly separated them.
	"My son has been rescued, Uhuru. There is no need to finish 
her."  She turned to Losara and Kh'tel, who stood protectively 
over the cub.  Uhuru stared for a moment, disbelieving.
	"Outrage!" one of the crowd yelled.  They turned to look as 
one of the hyena priests stepped forward.  "You cannot interfere 
with the Shih'kal!"
	The hyenas moved to close in, but they had barely gotten one 
paw forward before a familiar shape dropped into the circle.
	"Wait just a minute, friends." Rafiki brandished his staff, 
warning the hyenas away. "The Shih'kal is indeed inviolable; no 
one may interfere.  One way or another Shenzi must die."
	Isha felt the blood drain from her face.
	"But," he continued musingly, chin cupped in hand, "If 
Shenzi concedes defeat, Uhuru gets to pick the method of Shenzi's 
death, does he not?"
	"He does," the hyena priest said.
	"And if it were something slow, like being sealed alive in a 
cave, would that do?"
	"Indeed it would," the priest said with barely concealed 
enthusiasm.
	"In that case, may I suggest a method that would be very 
slow and utterly inescapable?"
	"By all means."
	Rafiki went through the crowd and stood next to Uhuru.  The 
male still had Shenzi pinned trembling on the ground.  "I have a 
suggestion.  Are you open to it?"
	Uhuru looked up at Rafiki, ready to object till he caught 
the slight wink.  "As you say, shaman, it shall be done."
	Fabana came and fell at Rafiki's feet.  "Mercy!  Mercy!  Do 
not torment my daughter.  Let me die in her stead."
	"I thought you renounced me," Shenzi hoarsely whispered.  
"I'm sorry I renounced you.  Let me die your daughter."
	"You will live.  I will die your mother."
	"As you wish it, Fabana," Rafiki said.  "In Shenzi's stead, 
Fabana is to die slowly-of old age."  The mandrill chuckled 
heartily.  "I have chosen the instrument of death.  Do you concur, 
Roh'mach?"
	"Indeed," Uhuru said, beaming.  "You are wise beyond 
measure."  Uhuru looked down at the quaking hyena.  "I will send 
you away with the same blessing you gave Simba.  Get out of here, 
far away.  If you ever come back, I'll kill you.  And this time, 
it won't be of old age.  And take Skulk with you.  You are both 
corban."
	Shenzi staggered to her feet, swaying unsteadily.  She 
looked at Uhuru for a long moment, then turned and headed away.  
Banzai and Ed came foward, supporting her gently on either side.
	"Don't worry, sis," Banzai whispered as gently as his gruff 
voice would allow.  "We'll come with you.  We ain't turnin' our 
back on family."
	Fabana looked after them, then turned and smiled at Simba 
sadly.  "God go with you.  I touch your mane."
	"I feel it."
	She trotted off slowly to join them.  Abruptly, one of the 
remaining hyenas broke away and ran to join them.  Two more 
followed, and then another two. 
	They hurried over to Shenzi's group, spreading out to form a 
protective phalanx.
	A weak smile slowly crept acorss Shenzi's features as she 
surveyed the growing party.  Turning to Skulk, she chuckled.  "On 
the other hand we may be able to salvage something from this after 
all."  She lowered her voice.  "Listen up.  I want you to...."
	His cold eyes locked with hers.  "Shut up."
	The group froze, their startled gaze turning to him as he 
shook his head.  "Just shut up and keep walking.  I've had it with 
your schemes.  From now on, I'm going to handle our dealings with 
outsiders."  He glanced furtively over his shoulder.  "In case you 
didn't notice, most of our bretheren have sided with the King.  
The Roh'mach has graciously allowed us to leave."  His voice 
curdled with contempt at the mention of Uhuru.  "We still have our 
lives.  Or would you rather go back and have the little weasel 
finish the job?"  He looked at her intently.  "I can arrange that 
if you'd like."
	Banzai strode forward angrily.  "Hey, you can't do this!"
	Skulk stared at him.  "I just did," he said softly.  "Now be 
silent."  He returned his gaze to Shenzi who looked back at him 
with an incongruous smile on her face.  "Well, I'm waiting."
	Limping forward, she rubbed his cheek against his softly.  
"Ah, Skulk, I love it when you talk dirty to me."
	Leaning on his shoulder, she moved off with him, her 
companions following behind as they paced slowly away from the 
baobab, calling softly to each other in their own tongue until 
they were swallowed up by the darkness.
	Uhuru watched them go quietly, uttering a small prayer of 
thanks.  For a moment he had feared there might be civil war.  He 
fought away his fatigue and turned to the jackals who still sat 
near, hoping to take advantage of the situation.
	"Is there something I can help you with?"
	The jackals looked at him sourly, realizing that there would 
be no chow tonight.  Reluctantly, they turned and left.
	Isha groomed her son gently, tears of happiness streaming 
down her face as he babbled on about his adventures.  "Mom! You 
should'a been there.  Bashak and I played in the biggest skull in 
the world, and we made Skulk look stupid in front of everybody, 
and..."  Raising her head, Isha looked over at Losara.
	The hyena was nuzzling her cub playfully, talking softly to 
him and laughing at his little antics.  She glanced up and caught 
Isha's gaze.  Lioness and hyena looked at each other for a long 
moment.  Slowly, a small smile crept to Isha's face.  She bent to 
Habusu's ear: "Habu, if I ever catch you running off to play with 
that hyena again..."
	He looked at her, ears laid back in contriteness.  "Yes, 
ma'am?"
	She looked at him and grinned.  "...you'd better tell me 
where you're going, okay?"
	Habusu's smile filled her with such a warmth that she felt 
like weeping.  "Yeah!  No problem."
	Simba came forward and Uhuru fell before him.  "I touch your 
mane."
	"I feel it."  He purred deeply.  "There can only be true 
peace where there is justice.  I say this before the gods and the 
great kings of the past: the ban which great Ahadi placed on 
scavenging in the Pride Lands is over and done.  There is no 
reason why you cannot live as Aiheu intended."
	Many hyenas flocked to Simba, falling to the ground and 
humbling themselves.  "Ebu Simba, Roh'mach aka Roh'mach!"


SCENE:  FAR AWAY FROM THE REST


	Six months had passed since the rescue of Habusu from Shenzi 
and Skulk, though it did not seem so long to most lions.
	Still, in that time the miracle of new life had come and 
left changes in the Pride Lands.  The grass was green, the trees 
were full, and the savanna was grazed by herds once again.  Even 
Khemoki deigned to grace the Pride Lands with his Zebra'ha.
	Misha, one of the new children, was sitting on a high rock 
outside her mother's cave.  It was one of her favorite spots 
because she could see far in all directions.
	Her mother Ajenti asked, "What are you looking for so 
intently?"
	"Grandmother is coming.  It's time for our walk."
	"Come in, Misha.  She's not feeling up to it today.  I'm 
sorry."
	"But she promised.  She was sick yesterday and the day 
before."
	"If you love her, let her break the promise.  That's what 
happens to you when you get to be her age," her mother Ajenti 
explained.
	"Will I be like that someday?"
	"Yes, but it will be a long, long time."
	Misha sulked.  She had grown to love those walks to the 
water hole with Yolanda in the early morning hours.  Her 
grandmother was an encyclopedia of great stories of the old kings, 
of the gods, and even the latest gossip.  And while they were 
supposed to take these walks for their exercise, Yolanda would 
always end up seeing something that brought back a memory, and the 
walk would become a talk.
	Misha was bright, and it didn't take her long to figure out 
that her grandmother would only get older with time.  'That age' 
was keeping them apart more and more, but never for three days in 
a row.  She tried to imagine life without her grandmother--even 
the thought depressed her.
	Ajenti nuzzled her affectionately.  "Why don't you go play 
with Tanabi?  He really likes you."
	"He's OK," she answered half-heartedly.  Misha was really 
crazy about Tanabi, but it was just not the same.  That was 
Grandmother's special time, and it was for no one else.  If 
Grandmother couldn't come to her, she would go to Yolanda.  It 
would be a pleasant surprise.
	There were several places Yolanda loved to go.  Some of the 
more challenging ones, like her favorite branch in a low-hanging 
tree, had been neglected lately.  She was more apt to be dozing on 
one of the large rocks that caught the morning sun.  Misha went to 
the rocks, but no one was there.  She wasn't at the tree, either.  
And the small cistern where rainwater filled a cave in the rock 
was visited by two lionesses, neither one of which had seen her.
	Simba wished Misha a cheerful good morning.  "Tanabi was 
looking for you.  That is, if you're not taking your morning 
walk."
	"But I am, Your Majesty, if I can find my Grandmother.  You 
haven't seen Yolanda, have you?"
	"No, I'm afraid not."
	"I thought you were supposed to know where everyone is.  
You're king, aren't you?"
	Simba smiled pleasantly.  "Indeed I am.  But I'm not a 
miracle worker.  If I see her before you do, I'll tell her you're 
looking for her.  She's been kind of sick lately.  Maybe she's 
still asleep."
	"I checked," Misha said, distracted.
	Without saying good bye, Misha hurried on, but she had no 
idea where she was going.  Everywhere her Grandmother usually 
stayed was deserted.  So she must be somewhere unusual.  On a 
whim, she took the path down to the savanna that stretched out 
before Pride Rock.  The grass was tall, and it was easy for a 
lioness to disappear completely, a thought that was most upsetting 
to the antelopes and zebras.  "Grandmother!  Yolanda!  Are you out 
there?"  She hunted everywhere, which was not easy for a fully 
grown lioness, much less a cub.  "Grandmother!  It's me, Misha!"
	Just when she was about to give up, she saw Yolanda walking 
alone into the distance.
	"Grandmother!  It's me!"  Misha hurried over to her in the 
tall grass.  "Wait up, will you!  I've looked everywhere for you!  
Couldn't you hear me calling you?"
	Yolanda stopped for a moment to let Misha catch up, then 
resumed her slow, steady tread.  "I'm sorry I didn't come by for 
our walk.  I haven't felt well."
	"But you feel well now, don't you?  I mean, you're walking 
now."
	"Honey tree, I'm walking now because I don't feel well.  I 
don't want to be at home when something happens to me.  They would 
either have to move me to a more suitable place, or let the hyenas 
desecrate my den.  Either way, I don't want the ones I love to 
remember my death, but my life."
	"Are you going to die?"
	"Someday we all have to die.  It's part of life."
	"I wish you wouldn't say that.  You know I'd be sad if you 
died."  She ran a few steps out front, which was not difficult at 
the rate Yolanda walked.  "Can I walk with you?"
	"I suppose I have no choice, and I could use someone to talk 
to."
	"Maybe you'll tell me a story.  Where are you going?"
	"I'm going to be with my husband.  Your grandfather.  You 
never knew him.  His name was Simba, too.  Just like the King.  He 
was a good mate.  Seeing him will make me young again."
	"Not really.  I mean you just mean feel young, don't you?  I 
thought he was dead."
	Yolanda smiled, indulgently.
	"Can I see him too?"
	"Someday, Misha.  Not now."  She walked across the plain 
slowly, painfully.  Her joints had been stiff in the morning, but 
there was something more akin to lameness that was obvious even to 
Misha.
	"Are you all right?"
	"That doesn't matter now.  I'm tired.  I'm just so tired."
	"Then let's rest for a minute."
	"There will be time for rest later," she said, determined.  
"We are not far enough yet."
	"Far enough from what?  When is far enough?"
	"I'll tell you."
	She walked on.  The exertion made her perspire, and her 
breath was labored.  She stumbled over a small rock the way Misha 
might fall in a gopher hole.  "What are you trying to find?" Misha 
asked.  "There's nothing out here but grass."
	"That's the point," she said.  "It is the sort of place no 
one would go without a good reason."
	"Why don't you rest now?"
	"Are you tired, Misha?  you're so young and strong.  I'm 
so..."  Yolanda stopped.  Her teeth bared in a grimace of pain.  
"Oh gods!"
	"Grandmother!"
	Summoning all her reserve, she calmly said, "You were right, 
Misha.  This is the place.  We will rest here."  She collapsed 
into a heap and moaned.  "I'm so tired, Honey Tree.  I could use 
some sleep.  Why don't you go play someplace else right now and 
let me rest.  I'll be all right."
	"Grandmother?" Misha said in a trembly voice.  "Should I 
call Rafiki now?  He's just over there."
	"No, honey tree.  I'll be all right."  Saying that, she lay 
her head in the grass.  "Oh, can you feel the cool breeze, Misha?"
	"Yes, ma'am."
	She closed her eyes.  "Isn't it wonderful?  It's been so hot 
recently with no rains to freshen the air.  But it may be a fine 
day after all.  Nice and cool."  Yolanda took in a deep breath, 
and let it out in a long, slow sigh.  Misha anxiously watched her 
chest for a long time, waiting to see it rise and fall.  She 
waited for a long time.
	"Wake up, Grandma!  You can't sleep here!"  She ran 
nervously around the body, nipping her on the paws and licking her 
on the cheek.  "Don't leave me, Grandma.  You can't die.  You just 
can't!"
	Backing back from the body, Misha looked about for someone, 
anyone who could help.  Why did she have to go so far away into 
the brush?  Maybe Rafiki could help.  Oh that the gods would let 
him be at home!  "Is anybody out there?"
	Finally she spotted a lioness in the tall grass and ran 
toward her.  "Help!  Help!  It's Yolanda!"
	"It's not safe here," the lioness said.  "You must go."
	The voice galvanized her.  Misha stood frozen to the spot 
and stared at the sad, kindly face.  It seemed to shine with its 
own inner light, and she didn't know whether to be happy or 
terrified.  "Please don't leave me.  I don't want you to go.  I'll 
do anything.  Just stay a little longer, please!"
	"It's not safe," the lioness said firmly.  "The vultures are 
here and the hyenas are not far behind.  Run, honey tree.  Run 
home now!"
	Misha was grief stricken, but she had to flee before the 
ghastly funeral took place.  She couldn't hope to face off the 
scavengers at her age.  And so she ran toward Pride Rock.  She ran 
and ran like a mad thing and did not stop until she found her 
mother.



SCENE:  MAKING SENSE OF DEATH


	When Misha found her mother and told her what had happened, 
Ajenti moaned as if from a wound.  She ran up the side of Pride 
Rock and out onto the peak and roared one heart-rending roar.  The 
other lions didn't have to ask what happened, for Yolanda had been 
expected to die.  They roared as well, setting off a wave of sound 
that washed over the Pride Lands the sorrowful message.  It may 
have lasted a few seconds, or a few minutes--time seemed to stand 
still.  But when Ajenti lithely slinked back off the pinnacle and 
disappeared into the grass, so did her public grief.  From now on, 
she would discuss it only with friends and family, and only when 
asked about it.  They all understood that she loved her mother--
there was no need to keep proving it to everyone.  Indeed, if 
anyone asked her if she was heartbroken, and no one would, they 
would likely catch an indignant rake of her claws.
	For a couple of hours, all Misha could do was huddle next to 
her mother.  Ajenti needed her small, warm presence.  But there 
came a time when Ajenti needed to be alone for a while.  It was 
her turn to remember when she was the cub, and Yolanda would tell 
her stories of the old kings, and groom her with her warm moist 
tongue.  That was done best alone.
	Misha wanted her mother, but she welcomed the chance to head 
out unescorted across the savanna to the baobab tree.  Her heart 
was full of questions that must be answered--it was her first 
experience with death.
	Rafiki had an odd habit of talking to himself.  He put some 
small pieces of fruit into a bowl and took a bone in one hand 
while holding the bowl in the other.  "Look out, little ones!  
Here comes the elephant!"  He began to mash them into a paste.  
"Oh no!  This is just awful!  Shame on you, you ol' elephant!  Heh 
heh!"
	He got an egg.  Rarely did he use meat in his diet, and then 
it was only carrion.  The egg was the closest thing he had that 
day, a prize he had filched from a nest only that morning.
	"Oooh, it must be done so carefully!"  He said, positioning 
the egg on the edge of the bowl.  "A-one," he said, tapping it 
once lightly.  "A-two!" he said tapping it a little harder.  He 
turned the egg slightly.  "A-three!"  And at last with a smile, he 
said, "Here goes nothing!"
	"Rafiki!"
	The shell shattered in his fingers.  Egg loaded with shell 
fragments dribbled from his hand into the bowl.  "A-four," he said 
with a sigh, and shook off his hands.  "Who's there?"
	"Are you busy?"
	"Misha!"  He smiled, wiping his hands off quickly.  "Come 
in, my dear!  Sit!"  He planted a kiss on top of her head and 
giving her a hug.  "You honor my humble home."
	"Oh Rafiki, she's gone!  Grandma Yolanda is gone!"
	"I heard the cry," Rafiki said.  He understood a bit about 
how lions grieve, so he was careful in his approach.  "You have 
questions for Rafiki?"
	"Well, yes."
	"Come sit beside me," Rafiki said.  He put his arm around 
her and said, "Now ask your Uncle Rafiki anything at all."
	Misha's eyes brimmed with tears.  "I didn't want her to die.  
Why did she have to die?  She was so good.  Can't you help her?  
Why do the gods let good people die if they can do anything they 
want?  Why?"
	"Oh, the little lady starts with the biggest questions."  
Rafiki sighed.  "For one thing, no.  I'm sorry, but it's beyond me 
to call her back.  If I could have helped her, I would have helped 
Mufasa.  As for why there is death, there is a legend among the 
mandrills about how death came into the world.  My father told me, 
and he learned it from his father.  I will not tell you, for it's 
not the truth."
	"What is the truth?"
	"Death has always been a part of this world.  It is part of 
life.  Otherwise there would be no more room to move about.  It 
makes room for new generations to grow and flourish.  It renews 
the world.  It makes sense."
	"I see."  She sighed longingly.  "But why even live, if all 
you're going to do is die someday?  What's the point?"
	"Because if you didn't live, I couldn't put my arm around 
you and have these little talks."  He kissed her again.  "Your 
blood runs red with mud.  It is the soil of the earth mother that 
binds us to the great Circle of Life.  When we die, the water 
which is the life force returns to heaven with the morning dew.  
We are then freed from the mud, and freed from its pain.  All 
except the pain of separation, and that will take care of itself 
with time.  Remember even here the spirits of the blessed look 
down on us, and their prayers for us are always before the gods.  
Watch the night skies, and feel the love surround you.  You will 
know your grandmother is alive."
	"I saw her," Misha admitted.  "She told me to run away 
before the hyenas came."
	"You saw her?"  He said it like he believed her.  She was 
glad to tell someone about it.  "Grandma was shiny all over, lit 
up like the moon.  Mother says the stars are the spirits of the 
great kings, but where did she go?  Will she see my grandfather?"
	"The stars cannot be counted.  Could there be so many kings 
in a hundred creations?"  He smiled.  "She is a star like your 
grandfather, and if the life she led is any measure, she'll be the 
most beautiful star in the sky."

       When you love another soul, you have security,
       Because the thing you choose to love will last eternally;
       The secrets shared, the way she cared, 
       The jokes that make you smile
       May go away, but not to stay
       Except a little while....

       Aiheu is wonderful, He knows the pain you bear,
       And He will grant a share of comfort in the night;
       The ones you hold most dear, His hand will hold most near,
       Until you see them clear in His eternal light.

       When you're feeling very sad, the way you feel right now,
       You will do well to realize she's helping you somehow;
       She's holding you, enfolding you to soothe your fears away,
       And when you cry, her watchful eye will see you and she'll pray....

       Aiheu is wonderful, He knows the pain you bear,
       And He will grant a share of comfort in the night;
       The ones you hold most dear, His hand will hold most near,
       Until you see them clear in His eternal light.

	Misha lay her head on Rafiki's shoulder.  "I love you."
	"I love you too."  He gave her a pat.  "Now how about a little snack?"
	"What'cha got?"
	"It's sweet, it's disgusting.  You'll love it."
	Rafiki got the wooden bowl back out and stirred the contents 
up really well.  He put it before Misha, who attacked it with gusto.  
	"What is it?"
	"I call it elephant stew."


SCENE:  PARTS IS PARTS


	The cubs watched, spellbound, as the lionesses tore past 
them, pursuing the water buffalo as he blundered along, bellowing 
in panic.  Uzuri bounded in from in front, leaping upon the 
animal's back, her weight throwing it off balance and sending it 
crashing to the ground in a heap.  The bull's limbs thrashed as 
Uzuri fastened her teeth into it's throat, cutting off the air 
supply.
	"Awesome!"  Tanabi looked at Misha.  "How does she do that?"
	Kombi snorted comtemptuously from where he sat with Togo.  
"Idjit.  When you get older like us, you'll see.  It's easy." 
	Lisani elbowed Habusu who sat next to her and shook her 
head.  "Yeah, right.  You guys are so clumsy, you couldn't even 
tackle Timon."
	Tanabi and Misha giggled as the two brothers glared at 
Lisani.  Though they had the gangly look typical of six month old 
cubs, Lisani had retained the slim and graceful look she had 
posessesed since she was a cub.  Misha sighed as she looked at her 
own forelegs.  At four months old, they had lost the stubby 
cuteness of babyhood and were lengthening out nicely, though she 
still thought her paws were way too big.  She prayed that she 
would  also be blessed with Lisani's luck, but she doubted it.
	Their thoughts were interuppted by Ajenti's voice.  "Come 
on, kids, time to eat!"
	The six cubs tumbled out of the grass where they had been  
told to remain hidden and gamboled down the hill merrily, 
laughing.  They quietened, however, as they approached the downed 
animal.  Uzuri lay crouched over the forequarters, her fangs 
buried in the bull's neck.  Satisfied that it's struggles had 
ceased, she slowly released her grip, a wary eye on the animal in 
case it was still capable of flight.
	Isha nosed her way along the animal's flank until she found 
a suitable spot.  Nodding to herself, she cleared her throat, 
pausing until she had eveyone's attention.  The others followed 
suit as she bowed her head.  "Aiheu abahami," she spoke.  "Aiheu 
provides."
	"Aiheu abahami," they repeated.  This was not a simple rote  
recital, for each lion spoke from the heart, thanking their Lord 
for the food recieved, as well as asking for protection from 
injury on future hunts.  Any lioness who knew her craft was well 
aware of the evil spirits who plagued the hunt, waiting to turn a 
chance mishap into a fatal injury.
	The blessing said, Isha raised her head eagerly.  Seizing 
the spot she had previously selected with her incisors, she pulled 
sharply, opening the belly.  She growled sharply, fighting for her 
position as her companions surged forward expectantly.
	Ajenti pushed in, burying her head in the carcass, her jaws 
working as she bolted her food greedily.  Grumpily, Isha slid 
aside-barely; any lioness who was too timid at dinnertime would 
invariably go hungry.  Uzuri crowded in from the other side, 
dexterously ducking her head in and snatching away a huge chunk of 
flesh, which she swallowed whole.  She growled slightly at Togo 
and Kombi, who were sidling a little too close for her liking.
	Unpeturbed, the two cubs continued to edge closer until they 
were able to snatch away a sizeable piece for themselves, which 
they ran off with, each carrying one end whilst simeltaneously 
trying to yank the whole piece from the other's grasp.
	Ajenti paused to grip the haunch of the bull between her 
teeth.  Muscles bulging with the effort, she pulled it away from 
the body with a sharp popping sound.  She dragged it to one side 
and dropped it, turning to the others.  "We'll save this for Nala, 
since she couldn't come."
	Uzuri nodded.  "A good choice.  Too bad she had to pull her 
leg like that; she'd have enjoyed this."  She jerked back and 
growled in annoyance as Isha surged forward, burying herself up to 
the shoulders in the carcass.  "Isha, what are you doing?!"
	Isha emerged, face stained crimson, but smiling in triumph 
at what she held in her jaws.  "Hunter's choice, Uzuri.  The 
heart; you brought the bull down; it's yours by right."
	Uzuri grinned at her.  "Thank you, sister."  She snapped up 
the tender morsel in two bites, closing her eyes in ecstasy.
	Isha turned back to the carcass to discover Lisani crouched 
calmly in her place, gorging herself for all she was worth.  "Hey!  
What do you think you're doing?!"  The young female smiled up at 
her aunt, but didn't move; she had found a good spot to feed from 
and evidently intended to keep it.
	Ajenti chuckled around a mouthful.  "Isha, you taught her 
too well, I believe."  She moved aside to give the cubs enough 
room to eat.  "C'mon, kids."
	Misha and Tanabi edged forward tentatively, uncertain.  
Experience had taught them to wait their turn until the adults had 
satisfied their hunger before trying to take their place at the 
carcass.  Seeing the lionesses chatting amiably, however, Tanabi 
concluded it was safe enough for him, anyway.  He paced over to 
the eviscerated animal and nabbed a short length of intestine.  
Picking it up, he staggered off comically, the ends dragging 
behind him.
	Kombi saw him passing and snorted.  "Naw, dummy, you ain't 
doin' it right."
	Tanabi stopped and glared.  "Oh yeah?" he mumbled around the 
mouthful.  "Who says?"
	"I says."  Kombi trotted over next to Misha, who was 
apparently having trouble detaching her piece from the body.  
"Watch."  Picking up the severed length of  intestine she had been 
worrying, he pulled it free with a muffled snap.  The cubs watched 
him carefully as he grasped  it between his front teeth.  He 
paused, savoring the attention.  "Here's the trick.  Ready?"  
Tanabi and Misha nodded energetically.  Grinning, Kombi pursed his 
lips.  With a loud slurp, he sucked the innards into his mouth, 
the end giving a final little wiggle as it disappeared into his 
maw.  He sat back and chewed serenely, a look of utter bliss on 
his face.  "Mmmm."
	Lisani looked over and shook her head despairingly.  "Slob."
	Tanabi and Misha gaped delightedly at the older cub.  
"AwwweSOME!"  Tanabi said.  He immediately bent to his own piece 
and gripped it in like fashion.
	"Now, hold on," Kombi said.  "The secret is to-"
	Tanabi ignored him and sucked mightily.  The innards 
suddenly leapt off the ground, seeming to come alive as they 
wrapped around his head, smacking him wetly on the cheek.
	Misha fell back, shrieking delightedly.  "Oh, GROSS!  Do it 
again!"
	Ajenti shook her head as she passed by, her stomach bulging 
alarmingly.  "You'd better quit playing with your food and go eat, 
hon; there won't me much to pick from when Simba gets here."
	Isha, following behind, snickered.  "Amen to that.  Now 
there's a lion who appreciates his food!"  Chuckling, the two 
lionesses wandered a short distance away, flopping to the grass 
comfortably as they began to groom each other, clearing away the 
crimson stains on their faces.
	Shaking the offending entrails away, Tanabi bounded over to 
the carcass, Misha alongside.  They slinked past Uzuri, who was 
still busying herself with something inside, and made their way 
over to the remaining haunch, where Habusu sat quietly, chewing 
his meat and looking out over the savanna reflectively.  "Hey, 
Habu, what's up?"
	Tanabi batted his friend's face playfully, the larger cub 
grinning down at him as he accepted the blows good-naturedly.  
Tanabi's little swipes were always done in jest, unlike Togo and 
Kombi, who evidently felt the need to bludgeon everything they 
laid their paws on.  Habusu returned the playful cuffs gently, 
then jerked his head toward the huge hunk of flesh he had been 
dining on.  "Come on, there's plenty left here.  Besides, I'm 
almost full."
	Needing no further encouragement, the cubs attacked it 
hungrily, enjoying the chewy tendons on the back of the leg.  
Yawning, Habusu sat down and began to groom himself contentedly.  
Finally satisfied with his efforts, he closed his eyes drowsily 
and rolled over on his back, splaying his gangly legs in the air.
	Misha looked over, curious, as Uzuri chucked something aside 
with a disgusted grunt.  The round sac sailed a short distance 
away before coming to rest.  "What was that?"
	Uzuri shook her head.  "That was full of grass, hon.  It's 
not very tasty at all.  Now this," she said, motioning with a 
forepaw, "is downright good eating."
	Misha peered inside, squinting.  "That big brown thing?"
	Uzuri nodded.  "Mm-hmm.  Here."  She arched her neck and 
leaned in, tearing the item away with her teeth.  "Try a piece."  
She watched, intrested, as the cub bit off a tiny section.  "Don't 
worry, 'ol Uzuri won't steer you wrong."
	Misha chewed thoughfully.  "Hey, that is pretty good."
	Uzuri chuckled.  "Don't eat too much of that until you get a 
little bigger; it'll make you sick if you do."
	Misha glanced down the length of the animal, towards the 
hindquarters where Tanabi sat, still gunning away at the haunch.  
Suddenly, her face twisted up in confusion.  "Auntie Uzuri, how 
about that?  Is it any good?"
	Uzuri looked over to where the cub was staring and grimaced.  
"Uh, hon, that's...kind of difficult.  You'd have to be a little 
older before I could explain."
	"Huh?  But I'm already four moons old-"
	"-and that's not enough."  Uzuri looked at her sternly.  
"Now hush up and eat before the meat stiffens."
	


SCENE:  JOKE'S ON YOU


	Misha stared, enchanted, as the little cubs squirmed 
sightlessly at their mother's belly.  "They're so tiny," she 
whispered.
	Malaika smiled gently at her.  Her labor had been fruitful; 
three healthy cubs lay suckling at her belly, their eyes shut 
tightly against the world.  "You were smaller than that, as I 
recall."
	"Really?"
	Tanabi sat at the entrance to Malaika's cave, squirming 
agitatedly.  "C'mon, Misha, let's go!  Togo and Kombi are waiting 
for us."
	"Shhh!"  Misha glared at him.  "You're gonna scare the 
babies!"
	Tanabi looked skyward and rolled his eyes in frustration.  
"Aww, man...c'mon, Misha.  Please?"
	She shook her head.  "Nope.  I want to stay here and help 
Malaika."  She looked at the lioness adoringly.  "She's going to 
show me how to take care of the cubs."
	Her playmate shook his head disgustedly.  "Sissy stuff.  
Fine then!  Stay here and watch your old babies!  I'm gonna go 
have fun."  He spun and stalked off, his lower lip stuck out in an 
enormous pout.
	Malaika stared after him, a frown on her face.  "Honey tree, 
you don't have to stay here.  Go play with your friends; I'm 
fine."
	Misha shook her head.  "Uh-uh.  I really want to help, 
Malaika.  Please let me stay."  She glanced over her shoulder at 
Tanabi's retreating form.  "All he wants to do is go play with 
Togo and Kombi, anyway." 
	Tanabi swatted angrily at an offending pebble in his path.  
He had been looking forward to this afternoon; he had planned to 
show Misha the neat joke Togo and Kombi had come up with to play 
on Uzuri.  And now...he sighed, depressed.  It had seemed funny at 
first, but now the whole joke seemed pointless.
	"Phooey," he said, disgusted.  "Uzuri's no fun to tease, 
anyway."  He started to turn, intending to head back to the main 
cave and take a nap, when something landed on him, bearing him to 
the ground with a startled "OOF!"  Gasping, he rose to see Togo 
looking down at him with a mixture of amusement and disdain on his 
face.  "Tsk tsk," he clucked sadly.  "Fell for it again, kid."
	Kombi trotted out from behind a rock, yucking it up for all 
he was worth.  "Sucker!  How many times are you gonna get 
flattened before you figure it out?"
	"Shaddap!" Tanabi snapped, startling them both.  "Why do you 
always keep pouncing on me like that?  You know how much I hate 
it!"
	"Sheesh, calm down, willya?"  Kombi peered at him, 
intrested.  "What's got your fur on end today?"
	"Misha."  Tanabi cut his eyes away, suddenly embarrassed.  
"She won't come and see the joke we were gonna do."
	Togo's eyes widened.  "You mean the one we were gonna pull 
on Mom?!"  He shook his head vehemently.  "Naw, man, we can't pass 
this one up.  It's the best one we've come up with yet!"  He 
looked at Kombi worriedly.  "C'mon, Tanabi, we gotta do this one!"
	Tanabi looked at the ground.  "Nah.  I really don't feel 
like it.  You guys go ahead without me."
	Kombi shook his head.  "We can't, remember?  You have to 
distract Mom for us; that's why we showed it to you.  You've gotta 
come."
	"Why don't you take Habu instead?  He's a lot quieter than I 
am, anyway."
	"That dweeb?"  Togo snorted derisively.  "He's no fun.  Come 
on, T.  Let's go."
	"He's not a dweeb, buzzard brains," Tanabi said sharply.  
"He's just not into jokes, that's all."  The prince got up, 
shaking himself vigorously, and turned to leave.  "Sorry."
	"Wait a minute, here."  Kombi squinched up his face in 
thought, an expression rarely seen from him.  "If Misha DID come, 
would you go with us?"
	Tanabi looked at him suspiciously.  "Well, yeah, I guess so.  
But she's helping Malaika babysit her cubs.  I already tried 
talking to her; she won't leave."
	Kombi grinned at him.  "No problem!  We've just got to get 
Malaika to make Misha leave her alone; then she can go with us!"
	Tanabi rolled his eyes and snorted.  "Oh, brilliant.  And 
just how, pray tell, are we going to get her to do that?"
	"Simple.  Ask her."
	The young prince rolled onto his back, laughing.  "Oh, now 
that's rich.  You're going to go up to Malaika and say, 'Gee, we 
really want Misha to come and play with us; would you tell her to 
buzz off?'"
	Kombi's smile spread into a predatory shark's grin.  "Nope.  
You are."
	"Okay, let me get this straight.  You want me to tell the 
girl I don't want her to help me?  Ridiculous."  Malaika shook her 
head.  "She's invaluable to me.  Besides, I couldn't do that to 
her; it would break her heart."
	"Aww, please?"  Tanabi dredged up his most pitiful 
expression and turned it on full force.  "It's no fun playing tag 
without Misha, Auntie Malaika."
	Malaika raised an eyebrow.  "You and Misha are going to go 
play 'tag' with those two?  Right."
	"Honest, we are!  No fooling."  Tanabi was secure in this 
fib; the prank on Uzuri DID involve them distracting her with a 
fake game of tag, so technically he wasn't lying.  Well, sort of, 
anyway.
	Malaika turned the matter over in her head for a minute or 
two, then appeared to come to a decision.  "Oh, all right.  I'll 
get her to go with you."
	"Yeah!"  Tanabi bussed her cheek.  "Thanks, Malaika!"  He 
scampered off, eager to inform his friends of the good news.  The 
lioness stared after him, a faint smile on her face.  "Misha, 
dear, did you catch that?"
	"Uh-huh." The cub popped up from behind the lioness's bulk.  
"I don't wanna play with Togo and Kombi; they're always being mean 
to someone!  Tanabi's always so nice to Habu and me; I don't know 
why he wants to hang out with those two."
	The lioness looked at her thoughtfully.  "You know, hon, 
I've got an idea that might just solve all our problems."
	"Really?"  Misha looked slightly perplexed.  "What?"
	Malaika laughed.  "We're going to give them a taste of their 
own medicine, Misha."  She bent to the cub's ear, whispering.
	Several minutes later, Tanabi looked at his friend in utter 
shock.  "She said WHAT?!"
	Misha sobbed uncontrollably.  "M-Malaika s-said I wasn't 
paying enough at-t-t-tention to the babies, that I kept ru-running 
off and playing with you guys instead of watching them."  She 
collapsed on the ground and held her head in her paws.  "S-She 
told me I'm not allowed to see them anymore..." her voice trailed 
up and away into a wail.
	Togo looked at Kombi and grimaced.  "Oops."
	Tanabi patted Misha on the cheek worriedly.  "Uhh, calm 
down, Misha.  I'm sure she'll let you see them again; she's just 
sore, that's all."
	"But I didn't DO anything!"  Misha cried angrily.  "I DID 
watch them, real careful.  I did everything she said to do, 
Tanabi; what did I do wrong?"  She buried her face in his chest, 
her tears soaking the fur.
	"Aww, man..." Tanabi glanced at the brothers angrily, as if 
looking for support, but the two had suddenly found something 
fascinating about their toes, for they studied them intently, 
avoiding his gaze.  He turned back to Misha and rubbed cheeks with 
her reassuringly.  "Well, since you're not babysitting, do you 
want to go see our joke?"  He smiled halfheartedly.  "Maybe it'll 
make you feel better, anyway."
	"Oh, PHOOEY on you and your stupid joke!  You don't even 
care, do you?"  Misha's eyes blazed with anger.  "What's my mama 
going to say when Malaika tells her I'm not even fit to look after 
newborn cubs?  I'm worthless!"  She fell back, tears streaming 
down her face.  "I thought you were my friend, Tanabi.  I guess I 
was wrong, wasn't I?"  She turned and began to walk away.
	Tanabi stood frozen, unable to speak as Togo stepped down 
and joined him.  The older cub elbowed him and snorted.  "Boy, she 
can't take a joke, can she?"
	The tendons in Tanabi's neck creaked as he turned to face 
him.  "Get away from me,"  he said icily.  Togo shrank back as 
Tanabi  leapt up and sprinted after Misha, calling her name.
	He raced around a granite outcropping and nearly blundered 
into her.  "Misha, wait."
	She stopped, but did not turn.  "What do you want?"
	He circled around her until he was face to face with her.  
"I-I have to tell you something."  He cast his gaze down to the 
ground, unwilling to look her in the eye.  "It-It's my fault 
Malaika kicked you out."
	"Huh?"  Misha cocked an eyebrow at him.  "What're you 
talking about?"
	His right ear began to jitter nervously.  "I asked Malaika 
to get you to come play with us," he said in a small voice.  "I 
didn't know she was going to freak out like that, though.  I 
thought she'd just, you know, maybe let you take a break for a 
couple of hours, or something."  He finally looked up and met her 
gaze miserably.  "You aren't worthless, Misha; I am.  I shouldn't 
have tried to make you do something you didn't want to. You're my 
bestest friend in the world, and I just wanted to spend some time 
with you, that's all."  His eyes began to water and he rubbed his 
nose with a forepaw, sniffling. "I'm really sorry, Misha.  Please 
don't hate me."
	Misha stared at him silently, looking into his sad face.  
Abruptly, she grinned, and leapt through the air, tackling him.  
Caught off balance, the startled Tanabi toppled, again giving out 
a healthy "OOF!" as his bruised back once again made an 
aquaintance with the hard rock.
	"You dimwit, your head must be full of dead grass."  She 
laughed joyfully.  "Of course I don't hate you!  Malaika didn't 
throw me out; we planned this!"
	Tanabi gaped up at her.  "W-What?  She knew?!"  He laughed 
shakily.  "Ohh, man, you had me going, Misha."  He scowled 
suddenly.  "That was a dirty trick!"
	"So was what you had planned for me, young prince."  Tanabi 
cringed at the familiar voice.  Craning his head back, he saw the 
inverted form of Uzuri pacing nonchalantly toward him, her wayward 
cubs following her meekly.  She stopped, her huge form looming 
overhead.  Tanabi was utterly flabbergasted as he saw the serene 
smile on Uzuri's normally stern features.  "By the way; it 
wouldn't have worked, Tanabi.  I'm the hunt mistress, remember?  I 
can spot an attack pattern a mile away, especially one I 
invented."  She clucked disdainfully at her children.  "Really, 
kids; you've GOT to learn to invent your own stalking patterns."  
The lioness chuckled and meandered away, with Togo and Kombi 
following reluctantly.
	Misha put her paw under Tanabi's chin and shut his mouth 
gently.  "You're drawing flies, T."  Laughing softly, she rubbed 
up against his side.  "Did you really mean what you said about 
wanting to spend some time with me?"
	"Of course."
	She grinned as he fell neatly into her trap.  "Great.  
C'mon.  I'll show you how to babysit."
 


SCENE:  THE SHINING MOMENT


	The spring rains had brought forth an abundance of flora 
from the valley floor, the flowers blooming in a riot of color 
which dazzled the eyes of the two yearling cubs who scampered 
about through the scented plants, laughing gaily.
        Tanabi grinned at Misha as he crouched down among a clump 
of yellow wildflowers, his tail lashing madly.  Giggling, she 
complied, standing tall and straight, strutting through the 
greenery as though he did not exist.  He sprang from cover, 
tackling her and sending the two of them rolling down the gently 
sloping hillside.
        Tanabi lost his grip and flew over his friend to land in a 
heap.  He got up, chuckling, but froze when he heard Misha cry 
out.  He looked over to see her emerging from a dense shock of 
brambles, staggering unsteadily as she favored a paw.  "What's 
wrong?" 
        She shook her paw gingerly and looked at him, a tear 
gleaming in one eye.  "I can't put my weight on it, Tanabi, it 
hurts!"
        "Lemme see."  His stomach knotted as he trotted over to 
her.  His mother had sprained a leg a few months back, and even 
with Rafiki's assistance, she was only now returning to her full 
capabilities.  If Misha had done the same, or worse, broken a 
bone...  He sighed with relief as he spotted the problem.  "It's 

just a thorn, Misha.  No problem."
        She looked at him worriedly.  "Can you get it out?"
        "Uh-huh.  Hold still."  Nosing through the fur, he 
carefully took hold of the edges of the shank with his teeth.  
With a smooth, gentle tug, the thorn pulled free.
        Misha hissed in pain, then relaxed slowly.  "Thank you, 
Tanabi."
        He smiled back at her.  "You're welcome."  He began to 
groom her wounded paw in smooth, soothing strokes, noting absently 
how much she had grown recently.  Her legs, which were her only 
vanity, had grown out quite a bit, much to her relief, now 
rivaling even the older Lisani's in their graceful appearance.
        Misha sat quietly, enjoying the sensation as Tanabi 
cleaned the wound on her foot.  Finishing, he raised his head and 
smiled at her.  "All better."
        She felt a surge of warmth for her friend.  Tanabi was 
always so sweet.  He never played too rough like the other cubs, 
and if he had something nice to eat, he was always willing to 
share.  Impulsively, Misha leaned over and planted a kiss on his 
cheek.
        Tanabi froze for a moment, then grinned.  "Back at 'cha!"  
he said, and kissed her.  But he didn't draw away immediately.  
Instead, he stood balanced on three legs, his attention riveted on 
Misha's eyes.  "M-Misha?" he stammered.  "I, uh-"
        She laughed prettily and swatted him with a forepaw, 
sending him to the ground in a heap.  "Tag!  You're it!"
        "Oh yeah?!"  He leapt to his feet, grinning, and gave 
chase.  She ran, laughing, dodging through the underbrush from 
spot to spot, always staying just out of reach as he pursued her 
across the savanna.  They had begun to near Pride Rock when he 
finally caught up with her, intercepting her gracefully in mid-
leap to send them both sprawling in the grass.  The cubs paused 
there to catch their breath, giggling softly.
        Tanabi looked over at Misha again, unable to tear his eyes 
off her.  As she looked over at him and smiled, the sun sailed out 
from behind a cloud, the brilliant light surrounding her with a 
golden nimbus as the sun shone off her fur.  His breath caught in 
his throat, and he was unable to speak.
        Misha blinked, perplexed.  "Tanabi?  Are you okay?"
        He cleared his throat scratchily.  "Uhh, yeah.  You ready 
to head back?"
        She nodded.  The two made their way towards the Rock 
slowly, enjoying the warm sunshine and the pleasant breeze that 
ruffled their fur, sending ripples across the green carpet of 
grass that covered the ground.
        Misha leaned her head against Tanabi's shoulder 
companionably, noting absently the pronounced bulkiness which had 
not been there only a month ago.  Cool, she thought.  I wonder 
what Tanabi will look like with a mane.  She tried to imagine her 
best friend's visage surrounded by a ruff of hair like Simba's and 
giggled quietly.
        Uzuri passed them heading the other way and chuckled.  
"You two lovebirds been out walking again, eh?"
        Misha's ears flattened in embarassment as Tanabi's fur 
spiked along his back.  "Yeah...well, I mean no! That is, we're 
not-"
        The lioness smacked him playfully with her tail as she 
passed.  "Uh--huh.  That's what I thought."  She grinned and shook 
her head.  I always knew you two were made for each other."
        Tanabi writhed in total embarasment.  "Uzuri!"
        She laughed softly and nuzzled him.  "I'm just teasing, 
honey tree.  You go ahead on and play, now."  The lioness headed 
away, still chuckling softly to herself.
        Misha groomed herself self-conciously.  "I, uh, better get 
back.  I promised Malaika I'd help babysit while she went out 
hunting."
        "Okay."  Tanabi stared after her thoughtfully.  He 
abruptly turned and trotted up the slope to thw promontory of 
Pride Rock.  Seeing his father, he walked over slowly, uncertain 
now of what he wanted to say.
        Simba was in the middle of taking a report from Zazu when 
he saw his son sitting quietly behind him.  Breaking off, he 
looked at the cub curiously.  "What's up, Tanabi?"
        The cub squirmed uneasily.  "Uhh, Dad, can I talk to you 
alone for a second?"
        Simba raised an eyebrow.  "What about?  I'm in the middle 
of something right now; is it very important?"
        "Weelll, sort of."  He lashed his tail, embarassed.  "It's 
about...uh, a friend of mine."
        Simba's forehead furrowed.  "Who?  Is somebody in 
trouble?"  He looked at his son sternly.  "Have you kids been 
teasing Uzuri again?"
        Tanabi sighed in exasperation.  "No, it's about Misha."
        Simba's mouth made a soundless "Ohhh," as he turned to 
look at Zazu.  The hornbill smiled knowingly and cleared his 
throat.  "Well, Sire, that concludes my report for now.  I shall 
return later and inform you should anything else come up."
        "Of course, Zazu.  Thank you."  Zazu flapped off as Simba 
turned to his son.  "Well, Tanabi?  What's on your mind?"
        Tanabi's brow wrinkled alarmingly.  "Dad, I can't get her 
out of my head!"  He sputtered helplessly.  "I feel so weird.  I 
want to go play with Habu and the other guys, but I want to go 
play with Misha, too.  I don't want them to come with us, though.  
She's my best friend, after all, but..." he trailed off, 
uncertain.
        Simba cocked an ear.  "But...what?"
        The cub looked at the ground, embarassed.  "I thought she 
looked looked kinda pretty, today, so...I gave her a kiss."
	His father chuckled.  "She IS pretty, isn't she.  So, was it 
fun?"
	"Was what fun?"
	"Giving her a kiss."
	"Well it wasn't fun.  It was more like...I liked it.  I 
wouldn't say it was fun, though."
	Simba drew the cub close to him with a forepaw.  "Son, 
whether you know it or not, you're growing up.  There's nothing 
wrong with wanting to spend time alone with Misha, if that's what 
you want to do."  He rose, stretching, and began to meander up the 
path to the peak of Pride Rock.  Tanabi followed slowly, 
listening.
        "Tanabi, this may be difficult for you to understand, but 
it's perfectly normal to want to be with a girl at your age."  
Simba grinned.  "I remember when I thought girls were there so I 
would have someone to play jokes on."  
	"Really?"
	Simba nodded. 
	"Know any good practical jokes?"
	"There is no such thing as a `practical' joke.  Not when you 
get to be my age.  I like the kind of jokes where everyone gets a 
good laugh and nobody feels like a fool."
	"Oh.  Yeah."
	Reaching the summit, the two lions padded over to the edge 
and sat down.  "This is just the beginning, my son.  Miracles are 
happening inside you every day, and life itself is a miracle to be 
appreciated for the wonder it is.  These changes used to frighten 
me.  I didn't have someone I could talk to.  I want you to 
remember that I'm not just your father..."
	"You're also my king."
	"No....  Well yes, but I mean I'm also your friend."
	Simba nuzzled his son gently as they stared out over the 
Pride Lands together.  "Son, do you know what day you'll be grown 
and a lion?"
	"When I'm given my mantlement?"
	"In the eyes of the Pride, yes.  But there is no day in your 
whole life when you'll wake up and be a totally different person.  
A mantlement can be pushed up a week for convenience's sake.  It 
can be pulled back a couple of days.  It's just a ceremony."  He 
thought it over.  "Not JUST a ceremony-it's very important-but 
still there is nothing sacred about the moment it's held because 
growing up is a process, not an event."  He patted Tanabi on the 
shoulder.  "Son, you're at an age right now when you're a little 
less of a cub every day and a little more of an adult.  That leads 
to some very confusing feelings.  Like the way you felt when you 
kissed Misha.  Fact is, I kiss your mother all the time.  Some of 
the time it feels just like when you kiss me.  But there are other 
times, special times, when you get to be my age.  You'll kiss her, 
but then you feel like there's something else waiting to happen.  
Like that kiss isn't the end, but the beginning."
	"Yeah," Tanabi said.  "That was it.  I felt like I was 
waiting for something to happen."  He looked down, embarrased.
	Simba said quietly, "Misha loves you, son.  One day when you 
kiss her, she will be waiting for something to happen too.   And I 
know what that something is."
	"Kombi said I'm supposed to."  He stopped.
	"Kombi is very clever, but he doesn't know everything.  If 
he did, he would know that the love between a lion and a lioness 
is a holy and beautiful thing."  Simba smiled.  "Just how many 
times has Kombi done this thing he talked about."
	Tanabi's ears flattened back and he looked down.  "None, I 
guess."
	"Then how does he know he's right?"  He smiled slyly.  "On 
the other hand, your father is happily married and has a son."
	Tanabi looked up and smiled.  "Yeah."
	Simba nuzzled him.  "So who are you going to believe?  Your 
dad, that's who.  It's time we put these rumors aside and had a 
heart to heart chat."
        The sky above had faded to the dusky purple of twilight.  
And as the great kings of the past took their places one by one in 
the vault of heaven, Tanabi sat quietly next to Simba and learned 
about love.



SCENE:  THE WAITING GAME


	Misha never formally fell in love with Tanabi.  As youngest 
cubs they were the best of friends, practically inseparable.  Most 
pride members never thought of one without the other.  They would 
nurse together at Ajenti or Nala, which was their mothers' way of 
recognizing the budding relationship, for out of this friendship 
Ajenti was expecting a new son and Nala was expecting a new 
daughter someday.  Of course by this time they had long since 
taken to an adult diet and a more adult appearance.  And with this 
came a more mature love that deepened rather than replaced their 
old feelings.
	Ajenti still had authority over her "little girl," and 
forbade her to carelessly lead on Tanabi because she was still not 
a lioness.  Indeed, Misha was still her cub despite her feelings, 
and this would not change until she had become a lioness in the 
eyes of the pride.  As her new feelings for Tanabi grew and 
deepened, she longed for the rite of passage and the freedom it 
would bring.
	Misha was sunning herself on the rocks when Tanabi came by.  
"Look, Missy, notice anything different about me?"
	"Oh yes!  It's wonderful!  Look, Mom, his mane is one day 
longer than the last time he asked!"
	"That's not very nice," Tanabi said.  "After all, I mainly 
came by to wish you luck on this evening's hunt.  I hear it's your 
first?"
	"You know good and well it is."  She smiled.  "I talk about 
it as much as you talk about that stupid old mane--forget I said 
that; it's not stupid at all.  It's beautiful, like you."
	Tanabi bussed her cheek with his tongue.  "Tomorrow is my 
mantlement.  I guess I've run it into the ground by now, but I 
delayed it because of you."
	"Because of me?"
	"Because this evening is your first hunt.  I want you to 
stand with me tomorrow at the ceremony.  I want to make an 
announcement.  You will be a huntress and I will be a hunter."
	"What will you hunt?"
	"I will hunt you."
	"Do you think you can catch me?"
	"I will," he said passionately.  He shuddered and spoke in a 
near whisper.  "The time for talk will soon be over, Missy.  My 
love will be more than kind words."
	"I know."
	"Tell me the truth.  Will your feelings for me come back a 
lioness, or will they be a cub?  I know you are my friend, but do 
you look forward to this union?  Are you sure you will want me?"
	She pressed up against his side and walked slowly forward, 
rubbing along his flank and finally drawing her supple tail 
seductively under his throat.  "I want you now.  Once first blood 
is marked on my cheek, I won't even stop to eat.  I'll come right 
back here and find you.  It will be everything you hoped for--I 
promise."
	"Misha," Tanabi whispered, nuzzling her affectionately.  His 
hot breath on her face was intoxicating.  "When you kill, take 
time to savor the moment.  You know I don't become a lion till 
tomorrow.  A foolish, fleeting passage of the sun and a few grand 
words from my father.  I hate ceremonies-they are so incon-
venient."
	"And so long," Misha said.  "Keep your speech short.  After 
all, you'll really become a lion when we're alone."
	"Oh gods!"  He nuzzled her again, then stopped himself.  
"Please leave now.  I cannot trust myself."
	"Sorry, Fuzzy Love."  She gave him a brief, chaste touch of 
her tongue on the cheek.  "Love ya."
	"Same here.  Good hunting."



SCENE:  GAME IS AFOOT


	It seemed an eternity until time for the evening hunt.  
Misha was first at the gathering place in the shadow of Pride 
Rock.  When the other lionesses came in one by one, she chatted 
nervously.
	In fact, lionesses loved to talk when they were gathering 
for a hunt.  It was therapeutic to get all of it out of their 
system before the silence of the stalk.  And so Misha ended up 
with a lot of free advice on everything from hunting to raising 
polite, well-behaved cubs.  In fact, Isha even asked if her mother 
had had The Talk with her.  She said yes, shyly.
	"Isha, what is it like to be with a lion?"
	They laughed.  Malaika said, "Get her talking about that, 
Honey Tree, and there won't be ANY killing tonight."
	"I could tell you some stories," Isha added, giggling.  
"Remember Taka?"
	"Taka??  You and Taka??"  There was more laughter.
	"No!  Not in a million years!"  She feigned indignation, 
then added in a low voice, "But I heard on good authority that he 
and Elanna used to sneak out to the...."
	"Watch what you say about my sister!"  Sarabi let a little 
fang show.
	Isha looked at Sarabi and added soothingly.  "Come on, 
Sarabi.  Aren't you the least bit curious?  You said yourself you 
didn't know what Elanna saw in him.  I did too, so I went straight 
to the source.  El' didn't hold back, not one little detail....."
	Sarabi's jaw hung slack.  "No, you don't say!  She hasn't 
told me anything."
	"Well I'd imagine not.  Some things you won't tell a sister, 
like `What is it this time, naughty bunnies or the wildebeest's 
revenge?'"
	The lionesses giggled and drew closer together, expectantly.  
"Naughty bunnies?" Misha asked, worried.  "Mother never told me 
about that."
	"Hush!" Uzuri said.  "Misha's still a child for now."  Uzuri 
was the hunt mistress, and they obeyed her at once.
	"You don't need naughty bunnies," Uzuri purred.  "The love 
between a lion and lioness is a beautiful thing when it begins in 
the heart.  Tanabi will look in your eyes and plead for you to 
love him.  You will come willingly, gladly.  And when your love is 
bright as the eyes of Aiheu, he will share with you the comfort of 
his body and you will become one.  Love is nothing to be 
frightened of, or ashamed of. "
	Sarabi added, "At times he will be stubborn, irresponsible, 
an overgrown cub.  He will make you angry with his foolishness.  
You will start to cuff the life out of him, and then he will turn 
to you and need your forgiveness as dry grass needs the rain.  And 
you will rush to forgive him for you love him so.   To make love 
is good, but there are many ways to feel love.  Mostly I remember 
how safe I felt with Mufasa's strong and beautiful body next to me 
all night long.  When I would awake at high moon, I would stroke 
his mane.  He would not wake up, but he would purr softly."  Her 
lower jaw quivered.  "I'm sorry.  Listen to the foolish old 
lioness living in the past."
	Misha said,  "Don't say that.  You're NOT foolish."
	It was not Misha's first hunt.  Her mother had taken her out 
alone on several occasions and showed her how to hunt small prey.  
Once Ajenti had even tackled an antelope, and on its body 
demonstrated all the right holds.
	But this was Misha's first time to go out with the other 
lionesses.  That warm life that she would take in her jaws would 
fight to live for one more hour, even one more minute.  She would 
have to be firm, but when possible she would be quick and 
merciful. The thought took her mind off Tanabi long enough to 
sober her up for the ritual ahead.
	"Time, sisters," Uzuri said.  "Isha, Nala, you will flank 
me.  Malaika, you will lead the left flank.  The rest of us will 
follow her, except for you, Misha.  You will come with me.  Now 
silence!"
	They wouldn't speak above a whisper from this point on, and 
words were few.  They fanned out to form a clamshell formation in 
the tall grass.
	Indeed, there was no need to discuss the angle of attack, 
for Uzuri's quick, subtle gestures of ears, head and tail spoke 
volumes.  She headed the group toward the watering hole from the 
grassy side, heading into the wind.  It was a simple enough plan, 
one more geared toward easy, small prey than the large animals 
needed to satisfy the Pride's hunger.  It was meant to be Misha's 
moment, a passing on of the heritage that had gone down endless 
generations, and would go to her daughters as well.
	Something had always been missing from Misha's life.  For 
her many friends, she still had no idea what happened when the 
hunting party left.  Even in the enforced quiet of the stalk, 
there was a feeling of sisterhood and singleness of purpose that 
she would not--and could not--find anywhere else.  Not a lioness 
breathes that cannot recall their first kill as if it were 
yesterday.  The only thing that changes over the years is the size 
and swiftness of the prey.  First kills often get better with age.
	In the quiet, calculated tread of stalking, they heard the 
buzzing of insects, the singing of birds, and only the faintest 
folding of grass blades beneath padded feet.  Misha had used her 
skills in play, stalking and wrestling Tanabi in laughter-filled 
bouts beneath the acacias.  It was now put to serious use.  
Sometimes she would let Tanabi win, because she loved him.  Now 
she must win at all costs because she loved him.  And yet as much 
as she loved Tanabi, she resented the pressure that her feelings 
were putting on her first hunt.  "I must win," she thought.  
"Concentrate!"
	Through the grass, Misha could barely make out the Thompsons 
Gazelles they were stalking.  What luck!  The same species she'd 
been shown by her mother!  She knew where to strike and what to 
do.  The gods were with her!
	The watering hole was the great common denominator.  The 
tall and the small, the weak and the strong all had to drink.  
Some creatures, like lions, took the water for granted.  Others 
treated it like a prize which must be stolen by a skillful thief.  
The gazelles were among the best thieves, but they were not 
infallible.  And that evening they were letting their guard down 
ever so slightly.
	Uzuri played a cagey game.  From time to time one of the 
gazelles would look up nervously, scanning the horizon for signs 
of trouble.  At that moment, all the lionesses would stop without 
need to say a word.  They were approaching from downwind so they 
could not be smelled.  They would succeed if they took as much 
time as they needed to do a good job.  Too much time, and the 
Gazelles would finish and be gone--they didn't hang around 
watering holes longer than necessary.  Uzuri could size up that 
window of opportunity like no other, and she was exploiting it 
well.
	The tension was great.  Misha held herself in check.  There 
could be no sudden movements until the signal, and no sounds.  
Even the charge had to be silent, for that extra fraction of a 
second, or maybe a precious whole second, before they were spotted 
may make the critical difference.  Misha watched the head lioness' 
ears and tail tip, waiting for the signal.
	Suddenly, the ears went up and the tail lashed.  At once 
several missiles of golden fur sprang toward the herd which 
hovered in a moment of disbelief, then blossomed like a tan flower 
in all directions.  The earth rumbled like a living thing.
	The party turned to the right.  For a moment the gazelles 
acted as one large beast, keeping in tight formation like a single 
life.  However, one of the gazelles fell behind the rest, and 
Uzuri headed for him, sparing Misha the decision.  The other 
lionesses began to focus on the hapless tommie as the distance 
quickly narrowed.  Then the others fell back and Uzuri said, 
"Misha, take him!"
	Her heart pounding, her nerves strained to the limit, she 
closed the distance.  The gazelle turned, which slowed him for a 
half second.  Misha's gut reaction paid off, for she had expected 
the turn.
	Misha sprang.  Her powerful arm reached over the neck, and 
with an electric tingle her paw gripped the heaving, furry target, 
bringing her snapping jaws to--empty air.  She fell back, and got 
a vicious kick in her shoulder from the fleeing antelope.
	She rolled over twice, but she quickly recovered and started 
to run again.  By then he was far away.
	"Misha, come back!  Stop!"
	She obeyed Uzuri, but looked back crossly.  "I need this 
kill."
	"You lost this one," Uzuri said.  "That's life."  She came 
to Misha and looked at her shoulder.  "Can you walk?"
	"I'm fine," Misha said, bitterly disappointed.  She walked 
about.  "I'm just a little sore."
	"You're not bleeding," Uzuri said.  "You'll be all right, 
but we should head back now."
	"We can't head back," Misha said, horrified.  "We just 
can't!  Please, I'm fine!  Really!"
	"We will hunt again two nights from now.  If you are fine 
then, you will be welcome to come.  It was my fault, really.  I 
should have reviewed your training and helped you more.  I know 
you have a male waiting for you, and I'm sorry."
	Just then from the bush, a young rabbit that couldn't take 
the suspense anymore darted toward his hole.  An alert lioness 
sprang for him and tore him in her teeth.
	"You should have let Misha try," the Uzuri said crossly.  
Then she changed her expression.  "Sisters, perhaps it is not too 
late."  She dipped her paw in the blood and said, "Misha, come 
here."  
	Misha obeyed, and the head lioness tried to touch her cheek 
with the blood.
	"Please don't," Misha said, backing back.
	"They won't tell," Uzuri said, glaring at the others.  "Will 
you?"
	"No," the others replied.  "Certainly not."
	"But I will know," Misha replied.  "Every time my husband 
touches me, I will think of this.  They say you never forget your 
first kill, and I'd have to live with this for the rest of my 
life.  Please, Uzuri, don't tempt me."
	Uzuri gravely nodded.  "Wisely spoken."  She nuzzled Misha 
affectionately.  "You have honor, like your mother."


SCENE:  THE SCORE IS ANNOUNCED


	For the tenth time that hour, Tanabi asked his father if 
he'd caught sight of the returning hunting party.  He wished that 
he could sit out on the point of Pride Rock, but he was being 
coached on what to do by Rafiki in the quiet of the cave where he 
was born.  Zazu could not see well at night, and only Simba had 
time to scan the horizon for the flakes of tan.
	"Do you think they will be back soon?" Tanabi asked.
	Simba came down off the point and went to his son.  "Look 
here, Tanabi.  I tell you what I'll do.  You let me sit out there 
and watch in peace without one more word, and when I see her, I'll 
arrange a quick, private ceremony as soon as she comes in.  It 
will be our secret.  There will still be a public ceremony 
tomorrow, but by then you should be in a very good mood.  You 
understand?"
	Simba went back to the point on the rock and sat back on the 
warm spot he'd made.  It was still rather comfortable.
	"Dad?"
	"What is it now, son?"
	"Thank you."
	Simba smiled.  "You're quite welcome."  He wanted his son's 
mantlement to be everything that his was not.  Timon and Pumbaa 
had been the only ones to witness Simba's coming of age, and they 
did what they could to make it a happy time for their young 
friend.  The Pride Lands had not seen a real royal mantlement 
ceremony conducted the way they should be done for years, since 
Ahadi had first sprouted that ruff of fur.  The blessing was not 
just on the lion being honored.  It was a blessing on all who 
flew, walked or swam.  It was the reason why those who fear lions 
still loved and venerated the Lion King.  He was the one through 
whom the blessings of the gods came to all.  Those who came to the 
mantlement ceremony would crowd around hoping to touch that mane 
and derive strength from it, strength they would pass on to their 
own offspring.
	Perhaps Simba was anxious to make sure this would make the 
gods happy and make up for all the years missed.  But he was also 
anxious that his son be happy.  He spotted the lionesses returning 
from the hunt.  "Look, it's them!" Simba said, prancing like a 
cub.  "Tanabi, did you hear??"
	Tanabi came bounding out of the cave.  The two lions met in 
the middle of Pride Rock and wrestled like a couple of kittens.  
"Getting to big for your mother's milk, eh?"
	"You're just jealous."
	"I could still make you wait till tomorrow."
	"Father!"
	"Go greet her, my son.  Bring her here.  Remember, I get to 
kiss her first."
	Tanabi got off, shook the dust off what mane he had, and 
headed quickly down the side of Pride Rock.  "Just wait till I 
tell her," Tanabi thought as he forded through the grassland like 
a ship on silver seas.  Their eyes shone green and gold in the 
moonlight.  Two were the lights of his beloved.  "Misha!  Misha, 
dearest!  It's me!"
	Uzuri passed him without looking up, a glum expression on 
her face.  Isha shook her head as if to say "Don't ask."  Then 
came Misha behind her, her head bowed, and a dusty footprint on 
her swollen shoulder.
	"Misha?"
	Misha looked at him silently, then burst into tears.
	"It is better you go now," Uzuri counseled.  "She will hunt 
again soon."
	By the time they got back to Pride Rock, there was no need 
to tell Simba what had happened.  "I have given Zazu clear 
orders," Simba softly purred to his son.  "He is to be your 
chaperone till Misha makes her first kill.  I trust you, but we 
must silence the gossip before it starts."



SCENE:  THE CEREMONY


	"I speak the words of Aiheu the Beautiful who breathed into 
our nostrils the breath of life:  Come, let my children grow in 
grace and stature, and let my gift of life endure from generation 
to generation as long as the sun shall rise and set.  And I place 
a sign among you that my favor endures forever."  

                  -- THE LEONINE STORY OF BEGINNINGS, Variation D-4-A

	It was to be a mantlement ceremony as held in the days of 
old.  All of the celebrations would be strictly observed, 
including the one day moratorium on hunting that allows the 
animals of the Pride Lands to celebrate the prince's good fortune.  
Even the cheetahs and leopards were expected to abstain from 
blood, something that was probably unpopular with them, but they 
carried themselves with too much dignity and too little strength 
to complain.  Misha was depressed.  There would be no hunt that 
night for her to prove herself.  Indeed, after a careful 
examination, Rafiki told her she would be off the hunt for at 
least a week.
	To lift her flagging spirits, Nala asked her to sit with her 
during the mantlement ceremony.  It was a place reserved for a 
sister or, had things gone well, an announced mate.  Nala knew 
what Simba would never know--she had turned down the gift of 
another's blood.  Nala respected her, and even considered pleading 
for an exemption so she could be wed on what should have been her 
son's perfect day.  But as Simba reminded her, it was not just a 
custom, but a religious custom designed to protect the young and 
inexperienced.
	The morning of the ceremony, space close to the rock was at 
a premium.  The elephants and zebras came in close, followed 
shortly by the buffaloes and gazelles.  The giraffes said they 
didn't mind being in the back because they were tall, but it was 
clearly noted that they fought their way forward over the course 
of a quarter hour until they were almost to the elephants.
	Zazu stood on the tip of Pride Rock and looked over the huge 
assemblage.  The speech he'd planned to make once for Mufasa came 
to mind the way Ahadi and Makedde had taught him and Rafiki had 
rehearsed him.  He spread his wings, and the crowd came to a 
startlingly quick hush.  Such was the power of the King and his 
representatives.
	"I speak the words of Aiheu the Beautiful who breathed into 
our nostrils the breath of life:  Come, let my children grow in 
grace and stature, and let my gift of life endure from generation 
to generation as long as the sun shall rise and set.  And I place 
a sign among you that my favor endures forever."  
	Zazu, deeply moved, added, "Listen well, all of you.  The 
sign has appeared once more on Prince Tanabi, the true son of the 
King.  The gods have remembered us through him."
	Tanabi came forward.  At the sight of his new mane, short as 
it was, the crowd bowed deeply in silence.  The sight of so many 
standing so quietly was unnerving.  For a moment, he forgot about 
his troubles and straightened with pride.
	Simba stood beside him to give the blessing.  "Great are you 
Aiheu, father of all races.  Anoint Tanabi, your chosen servant 
with the blood of mercy and rain of love.  Fill him with the wind 
of freedom.  Stand his feet on the soil of faith.  Shine upon him 
with the light of knowledge.  And through him, bless all flesh 
that holds you dear."
	Quietly, Misha whispered, "And let him know how much I love 
him."
	Nala touched her cheek with her tongue.  "He knows, Honey 
Tree.  He knows."
	The ceremony, and Tanabi's speech, was not rushed.  There 
was no need.  And for those who would read the Chronicles of the 
Pride, the particulars are worth the effort.  But Misha did not 
pay much attention.  She was depressed, and after all the grand 
speeches and blessings were over, she slunk away silently to mope.  
Tanabi started to follow her, but was advised to give her some 
time alone.
	That night, when the crowds were gone and quiet reigned once 
more, Tanabi looked out across the Pride Lands.  "It is peaceful.  
Just for tonight there is no fear in any heart."  He looked at 
Simba with a half smile.  A zebra colt walked right up to me.  He 
asked me what I was.  Can you believe he didn't know what a lion 
was?"
	"He came to you in his innocence.  Remember that moment," 
Simba said.  "They have thoughts and feelings too.  You must 
remember that zebra and never hunt for sport or kill cruelly.  
Son, I might have been born a Zebra, or an antelope.  I would have 
loved my child no less than I love you here and now."
	"So after all is said and done, it's all a matter of luck, 
isn't it?"
	"That, yes.  But we may go beyond luck through faith and 
courage, and rise to the challenge.  Misha's love is courageous, 
and in time it will overcome all challenges.  All she needs is to 
build her faith.  You must help her believe in herself.  You must 
believe in her."
	"I wasn't talking about her,"  Tanabi objected, but then he 
sighed deeply.  "Who am I trying to fool."



SCENE:  THE THREE OF US


	Early the next morning, Tanabi showed up at Misha's den.  
"Good morning, Misha.  It's a fine time for a walk--just the three 
of us."
	"It IS lovely this time in the morning," Zazu said in a very 
upbeat voice.  "Misha, you know what Rafiki said about your 
shoulder.  Let's start out with a nice short walk--loosen up the 
old muscles and put the spring back in your step."
	"Anything to get back in the hunt," Misha said tiredly.  She 
stretched, wincing briefly as her shoulder pain flared up.
	They walked away from Pride Rock, down the path to the 
watering hole.  Though the ban was lifted, most animals kept only 
a convenient distance between themselves and a pair of talkative 
lions on an early morning stroll.  Tanabi looked at a herd of 
skittish zebras, wondering if one of them was the colt he met the 
day before.  "It's a shame we can't have a truce more often."
	"Like today, perhaps?"
	"Heavens, no!"  He whispered to her, "Every day without you 
is an eternity."
	"I think about you all the time," Misha whispered back.
	"I will wait for you, Misha.  As long as it takes, I swear 
it."
	"Don't make promises you might not be able to keep.  I may 
not be any good at hunting, and you will come to forget me."
	"You only have to be good once.  I will never forget you.  
Your love is in the bones of me."
	"Would you really wait for me, Tanabi?"
	"I've always waited for you, haven't I?"
	"I hear you love birds whispering down there," Zazu said.  
"I hope it's not some sort of plan."
	"Matter of fact it is a sort of plan," Simba said.  "A plan 
to get her well again."
	Zazu fluttered down and lit on Tanabi's backbone.  The 
smooth lion tread swayed Zazu ever so gently as he perched there.  
"Your Highness, I do sympathize.  We hornbills have some rather 
ridiculous mating rituals too."
	"Are you saying our laws are ridiculous?"
	"Oh no, Your Highness.  Just that while I'm not a good judge 
of lion beauty, I know a natural pair when I see one.  When a 
hornbill and his mate are that struck on each other, all it takes 
are a few flutters and squawks--no more than a dozen or so--to 
cinch the deal."
	"Flutters and squawks?"
	"You know...."  Zazu flapped his wings quickly, shook his 
tail feathers and went, "Squ-WAWK!  Squ-WAWK!"
	Misha laughed.  "So that's what woke me up this morning!"
	"Heavens, no!"  Zazu folded his wings indignantly.  "Madam, 
I am more discrete with my private life than the neighborhood 
riffraff.  Where I come from...."
	Misha's ears snapped to attention.  She froze in her tracks.
	"What's up?" Zazu asked.
	"Hssssh!"
	There was a rumbling.  The ground tremored expectantly.  
Seconds later, a group of antelope came bursting from the thicket 
and charging blindly toward them.  Zazu had to fly hard and fast 
get out of the way.  From the air, he could just see the lionesses 
that started the stampede.  "This sort of thing doesn't go on in 
the morning.  What are they trying to do?"
	Misha and Tanabi ran to intercept one of the antelopes.  She 
was so close to one that she could almost touch it, but her 
shoulder was hurt, and she was in pain.  She was beginning to lose 
ground, and afraid of another injury.  "Help me, gods!  I need a 
miracle!"
	Just then, claws and feathers came at the face of the 
antelope.  Panicked, it tried to stop and go back the other way.  
Again, the hornbill flew right in its face.  "Out of my way, 
fool!"
	Misha's strong jaws closed around its throat.  It was soon 
over.
	Shortly after, the other lionesses arrived.  "Well well, 
look who got her first kill!"  Uzuri took some of the blood from 
the body on her paw and touched her own cheek, then Misha's.  
"Warn them a lioness is on the prowl!"
	The lionesses roared, sending a flock of flamingos 
scattering in pink disarray.  Elephants trumpeted in surprise and 
headed back toward the cover of the trees.
	Zazu was walking unsteadily on the ground.  "Oh gods, I 
think I'm going to be sick."  There was a sound of hide being 
stripped from the abdomen.  Zazu glanced for an instant at the 
open hole and turned quickly away.  "Yes, I'm sick!"
	"Zazu!"  Tanabi ran over.  "Zazu, you old son of a gun!  
Good work!"
	"Good?  You call that good?"  He nearly wretched.  "Never 
tell anyone I helped in this disgusting spectacle.  I'll never 
admit to it.  I always keep myself as far away from blood as 
possible!"
	"He's trying to thank you," Misha said.  "It was very noble 
of you, Zazu.  In a way, it makes you a sort of...well..."
	"Please don't say honorary lioness," Zazu replied, staring 
at her bloody cheek.  "I don't look good in red."
	"No, I meant hero."
	"Hero?  Me?"  Zazu bowed with a flourish.  "Pardon my 
manners--you're both quite welcome.  It was the least I could do 
under the circumstances.  All in a day's work, you know.  And 
since you won't be needing a chaperone, I'll leave you alone.  Be 
good, now."
	Zazu flew away, but Tanabi and Misha were not alone by any 
means.  The other lionesses stood about smiling, the sort of smile 
that made Tanabi feel shaved of all his fur.  "Ladies, don't you 
have somewhere to go?  Huh??  Well find someplace.  Scat!  Shoo!"
	"Oooh, they want to be alone!" one of the lionesses said, 
coyly.  It started a chorus of giggles.
	"Talk about ingratitude," one of them chimed.  "I don't have 
to hang around here and take this abuse.  I'm leaving."
	Misha watched them go slowly into the tall grass.  "Tanabi, 
they helped us.  Do you really think that was the right thing to 
do?"
	"Yes, Honey Tree.  And I'd do it again."
	She nuzzled him.  "Just checking."


SCENE:  BEFORE THE ASSEMBLED HOST


	"And when the mane comes forth the gods expect certain 
things of a lion.  He shall be tested by the wilderness, and if he 
is found worthy, he shall become a King."

                       -- WISDOMS OF JABANI

	Isha's son Habusu was more than a best friend of Tanabi.  He 
was in every way a brother.  Because of this, and the strong 
feelings engendered by the kidnapping, there were many reasons why 
Simba did not want to lose Habusu.
	Still he had the obligation to do something concerning 
Habusu since his mane was fully grown and he was well past his 
second birthday.
	Each moon, Simba would make a sacrifice to Aiheu and pray 
that the gods would permit him a little more time.  Just why he 
did this, and how long he expected to keep it up he would not say.
	Finally, when Zazu came flying in excitedly with news from 
outside the kingdom, Simba called the whole Pride together from 
the oldest to the youngest.  "It's happening!"
	"What's happening??" Sarafina asked
	"You'll see!"
	Isha came out to see what the commotion was about.  Simba 
nuzzled her warmly.  "Isha, I want you, Mabatu and Miss Priss to 
come with me.  We're having a Pride Moot at the eastern meadow. 
And your family will sit by me."
	"I'm honored."  She looked at him worriedly.  "Is today the 
day I lose him?  I'm supposed to get two days notice."
	"You will never lose him.  I swear."
	"But the gods?"
	"The gods will rejoice."
	"It's him, isn't it.  He's come back for me?"
	Simba smiled broadly.  "I'll give you two guesses."
	Isha's face beamed with joy.  She nuzzled Simba and 
annointed his mane with her tears.  "Bless you.  Bless you!"
	"Now now," Simba cautioned, rubbing her gently with his paw.  
"You don't want to smell like another lion when your husband 
comes."
	When the Pride had gathered on the eastern meadow, there was 
a lot of speculation what would happen.  Most of them had heard 
rumors that Simba planned a special mantlement ceremony for Habusu 
that was only rarely performed.  The others thought Rafiki had 
found a reason for Habusu to stay, and perhaps be the Prince 
Consort.  They were expecting adoption proceedings.  But whatever 
they thought, they waited silently and all eyes were on Habusu.
	Several minutes passed.  Simba waited patiently, erect, and 
as long as he sat there, no one would stir.  A few cubs played in 
the grass, but as long as they kept it quiet no one seemed to 
mind.  But the adults and older youth sat stock still, waiting for 
Simba to give the word to begin.
	An hour passed.  Many of the lions were very restless.  
Would Simba ever say, "Begin"?
	Then Zazu broke the monotony.  "Here he is!"
	A large, shapely lion with a rich, dark mane came out of the 
shadows.  "Isn't he handsome!" one of the lionesses whispered.
	The stranger looked at Kako and said quietly, "Mother."
	Kako left the ranks and covered the space that separated 
them, putting her arm over his shoulder and nuzzling him.  "My 
son, my son!"
	So this was the heir to Taka's kingdom, the son that had 
returned.  Many of the lionesses stared at what the adolescent had 
become.  The miracle of his maturity was all the greater because 
it was not seen unfolding day by day.
	Kissing his mother, Mabatu gently led her aside, then went 
to Simba.  Falling down before him, he said, "I touch your mane."
	"I feel it."
	"And what brings you to my kingdom?"
	"I come to claim what is mine-if she still wants me."
	"Yes, yes, YES!!"  Isha sprang forward and raising on her 
hind legs wrapped her arms around his neck, pawing him and 
nuzzling him.  "I'm yours forever!"
	At this, all semblance of order was lost.  "Big boy, you're 
in for some loving tonight!" Sarafina cried.
	"I'm the real Isha!" Ajenti shouted.  "She's an imposter!  
Take me, take me!"
	"Way to go, Isha!  If you get tired, send him my way!"
	"Enough of this," Simba said, calling for order.  "Can't you 
see they have unfinished business?"
	"Can we watch?" Sarafina said.
	"Shame on you, Fini."  Simba had to chuckle at that remark.
	In the calm that followed, Mabatu beheld his son for the 
first time.  "So this is Habusu.  He is my son, and the one true 
heir."  He nuzzled Habu and added, "It is a small kingdom.  I 
share it with an old lion who lost a challenge.  We are a matched 
pair, a sunrise and a sunset.  But he is a dear friend, and you 
will grow to love him."
	Lisani came up and nuzzled her mother.
	"And who is this?"
	"Lisani, but we call her Miss Priss.  Beesa's daughter.  My 
sister died some time ago."  Isha looked at her compassionately.  
"What do you want to do, Miss Priss?"
	"I want to go wherever you go.  But the nickname stays here, 
OK?"
	Mabatu smiled.  "Fair enough, Lisani.  I guess that makes 
five of us."
	"You're taking two of my best lionesses, and a second son," 
Simba said.  "You better leave before I change my mind."
	"Three of your best lionesses," Kako said with little 
modesty but great effect.  "Someone has to make sure my son is 
eating right.  And my daughter."
	And so it was that the visitor from the east went back the 
way she came, taking her mystery with her.  But this time she was 
surrounded by the love of her own family.
	

IN CLOSING


	"The anger of Duma was kindled, and he swore a mighty oath 
that Obade should die.  And he said, `Milk and mud are easily 
mixed, but once together, who shall separate them?  Thus is the 
oath mixed with my blood, and only spilling my blood can release 
me.'  But Aiheu rebuked him saying `I am the Lord who made the 
soil and made the mother's milk.  And to those I anoint comes the 
power to separate mud from milk, that they may also separate 
foolishness from righteousness.  What mother would vow to give her 
cub mud instead of milk?  How then shall you vow to slay your 
brother when it is evil?'"

                -- LEONID SAGA, "J" SECTION, VARIATION 2

	Sarabi was stirred from sleep by a gentle but firm paw.  She 
opened her eyes, but seeing the darkness of her cave grunted and 
closed them again.
	"Sarabi," a lion called gently.  She started.  "Sarabi, over 
here."
	She looked around, and standing before her was her heart's 
desire.  "Mufasa!"
	Mufasa went to her, nuzzled her and kissed away her tears.  
"My love."
	"Don't leave me, Muffy!  Stay here, my love.  Stay."
	"I can't stay long."
	Sarabi's eyes began to well up with tears.  "How long then?  
A day?  An hour?"  She spoke in a whisper-"Another minute?"
	"Long enough to take you with me."
	She touched him with her tongue.  He felt warm and alive, 
not like a ghostly spirit.  "Will it hurt?"
	"Turn around, Sarabi.  Tell me what you see."
	She looked over her shoulder and there on the ground was a 
sleeping lioness.  Only she was not asleep.
	"We are already together, Sassie."
	For many moments, all they could do was share their joy, 
playing like cubs, nuzzling and planting warm lion kisses.  Then 
Mufasa called in a lioness, one whose face was strange and yet 
familiar.  "Shanni, this is your mother."
	"Shanni?"  Sarabi looked at her closely.  "Such a lioness, 
now?  And so beautiful."
	"Like her mother," Mufasa said with a smile.  And yet in the 
ocean depth of their joy, one small thing appeared to trouble 
Mufasa-something evident now that Ka could face another Ka and 
thought became reality.
	"What's wrong?  You are worried, my husband?"
	"Another old friend waits for you.  Someone who's afraid to 
say hello."
	Sheepishly, into the entrance of the cave strode a lion of 
lesser build but great beauty.  The depth of his love and humility 
gave back to his face the lost innocence of his cubhood and washed 
away the hardness of his former life.  "Muffy, have you told her 
about me?"
	Sarabi stared at Taka.  "It's you."
	Taka's ears drooped and his tail hung limply.  "What was I 
thinking coming here."  He started back out of the cave.
	"Wait."
	Sarabi went to Taka and looked into his eyes.  "Look at me."
	Taka looked away and shuddered.  "Do not pity me.  Even in 
death I cannot bear it."
	Sarabi took her paw and turned Taka to face her.  "Look at 
me."
	He opened his eyes and looked into hers.  "I see the same 
old Taka that used to pull my tail when I wasn't looking."  She 
smiled.  "You have found peace.  I often prayed that you would."  
She nuzzled him and kissed his sad face.
	Taka felt warm tears run down his cheeks.  "Look Muffy, when 
she cries she is so beautiful.  Isn't she beautiful, Muffy?"
	Mufasa smiled.  "Sarabi, you are beautiful.  Come on, my 
friends.  Let's show her around."


	Aiheu is wonderful, He knows the pain you bear,
	And He will grant a share of comfort in the night;
	The ones you hold most dear, His hand will hold most near,
	Until you see them clear in His eternal light.



APPENDIX I:  THE LEONINE STORY OF BEGINNINGS
A Modern English Translation

From the start there was Aiheu the Beautiful, the first of the 
living and the cause of all life.  Aiheu had many spirit children, 
and he shared his love and knowledge with them.  It was a happy 
time, but still unfulfilling for the lives of spirit children were 
of thought alone.  And Aiheu sensed that his children were longing 
for something more.

So Aiheu went to the world of Ma'at (soil) which at that time was 
completely dark and sterile.  He put two lights in the heavens, 
the sun and moon.  And the brightness of the sun caused the water 
to form clouds, and wherever the clouds rained on the dry earth, 
green plants grew.  And so in time the world of Ma'at was changed 
from ugliness into beauty.

And Aiheu summoned his spirit children to show them his work.  The 
beauty of the land was the first thing they had ever seen, and 
they were very pleased.  For a time, they explored the world, some 
preferring the skies, others the ground, others the trees, and 
others the waters.  And yet they were still unfulfilled, for the 
sun did not warm them, the breeze did not cool them nor the waters 
wash them, and they could not feel the grass beneath their feet.  
And they asked Aiheu, "What does this land have to do with us?  We 
are strangers here."  So Aiheu moistened some soil with water, and 
with his hands shaped the first bodies.  Some were fish, others 
birds, and others the animals that walked on land and climbed 
trees, each according to the domains they were created for.  When 
he breathed into the bodies, they took on life and became dwelling 
places for spirit children.  Because they were finally part of the 
world, they could feel the warm sun, the cool breeze, the waters 
and the grass.  They had these and many other pleasures, but they 
were given a warning.  The price of pleasure is often pain.  And 
it was not long until they had all felt pain, yet they assured 
Aiheu that pleasure was worth the price.  This was the first 
agreement, that pleasure is worth pain.

Those bodies were not permanent.  Earth, water and air may only 
rest apart.  When they are mixed, they become restless and strive 
to separate.  That is why death and decay are part of the world, 
for the elements will eventually prevail.  Aiheu knew this, so he 
took steps to prevent the world from becoming sterile.  He went to 
the Lake of Mara and changed its waters into the first milk.  And 
all animals were brought together to drink from it.

Milk fertilizes animals the way rain fertilizes plants, for it 
makes soil, water and air content to mix for a time.  And all 
those who drank milk obtained the gift to produce milk in their 
bodies.  The milk of the male could awaken new life in his mate, 
and the milk of the female could sustain it after birth.  For no 
living thing except Aiheu can create life from the ground by 
breathing into it.  This was the second agreement, that life 
should always continue.

Now the earth was very large, but it was not without limits.  So 
Aiheu offered his children two paths.  Either they could choose 
who may carry on the line, or they could all be treated equally 
and Aiheu would find another way to control them.  And they all 
said, "Treat us equally," for no one wanted to be the one to live 
alone.  So Aiheu chose some animals to be hunters and others to be 
hunted that they may keep the earth in balance.  Thus arose all 
the peoples and their ways that carry on to this day.  This was 
the third agreement, that a full life involves struggle.

And when Aiheu had set this into motion, he showed them that it 
was not random, but part of his plan from the beginning.  The 
cycles of birth, growth, death, and decay were like four legs-they 
had to work together to travel anywhere.  Yet from his steadfast 
love, he would have his children accept the three agreements of 
their own free will.

Some beings did not choose to accept these agreements.  These 
spirit children were the first Nisei, which are the good spirits 
which oversee the balances of creation.  They are often called the 
minor gods, though they are truly brothers to the animals.  The 
major gods arose from the lake of milk, and they were all kindly 
like Aiheu, until Koko the gorilla threw mud into the lake and 
spoiled the milk.  Thus rose the polluted Makei, the evil spirits.  
But Koko confessed what he did to Aiheu, and he was pardoned.  
Aiheu gave him authority over the mud to purge the lake, and he 
became the keeper of the lake until it was finally drained at the 
end of the first era.  Because he drank from the milk each day, he 
only began to age when the lake was no more, and his days were two 
hundred and seventy years.

I would not have you ignorant concerning death, for Aiheu has 
provided for his children.  When an animal dies whose life is 
acceptable to God, it becomes one of the second Nisei.  They 
oversee the welfare of those they left behind.  The greatest of 
the second Nisei are the Great Kings of the Past and those whom 
Aiheu has blessed for good service.  Koko became one of the second 
Nisei.  And then there are animals whose deeds are constantly 
evil, and they join the Makei.  These are doomed to walk the earth 
without bodies until they find the image of Aiheu within 
themselves and seek redemption through service.  They are called 
the Makei for their suffering makes Aiheu weep.

The first children of Aiheu were close to their God and to each 
other, for their spirits had roamed free.  But their children who 
were born to bodies of soil were not able to hear the words of the 
Lord.  To keep the peoples from losing touch with him entirely, 
Aiheu anointed some children with holy chrisum that from birth 
they hear him when he speaks.  And these he called shamans.  They 
were strictly charged to bring the word of God to his peoples with 
honesty and unselfishness.  A lying shaman is worse than the 
Makei, and Aiheu will not weep for them nor will he repent of his 
anger.

As long as this story is passed from old to young, never added to 
or subtracted from, the blessings of Aiheu will be upon those who 
hear it.


APPENDIX II:  THE STORY OF N'GA AND SUFA


When Ramalah was ruler of a great kingdom, his wife Chakula 
conceived twin sons.  They were the brothers N'ga and Sufa of whom 
many stories are told.  So bold were N'ga and Sufa that even 
within their mother's body they would struggle, and she would eat 
herbs to dull the discomfort.

When time came for her to give birth, she called them N'ga and 
Sufa after the sun and moon, for they would chase each other as 
the sun chases the moon.  Though they often fought each other, 
their hearts were good and they walked with Aiheu.  Queen Chakula 
consulted the shamans about them, and was very happy and sad at 
once.  For they all agreed N'ga and Sufa would live happy yet 
short lives.  From that moment she was afraid to leave them with 
anyone but her sister Alba for she worried about them constantly.

Once when the Queen was aprowl, Alba took the cubs to her cave to 
sleep.  And that night the earth shook, and the entrance of the 
cave was sealed.  When Chakula returned, she found the rubble and 
tried to dig them out.  But all her efforts and all her mother's 
love was not enough to clear the entrance.  So the other lionesses 
took turns digging, and the work went on as the moon rose and the 
sun rose.  One, two, three days, then four days passed and still 
the cubs were beyond reach.  All hope had gone, and Chakula was 
left alone to dig, but she was faithful and kept working into the 
fifth day that she might see their bodies one last time.  She was 
sure this was the fulfillment of the prophesy.

On the fifth day, she opened a passage to the inside of the cave.  
And N'ga and Sufa emerged weak and unhurt.  Chakula wept with joy, 
and gave thanks to Aiheu.  But when she looked inside, her sister 
Alba lay dead.  Alba, who was not in her milk, had opened the deep 
veins of her arm and nursed the cubs with her own blood so they 
might survive.

Alba's body was dragged to the fields, but along the way where 
each drop of blood fell there grew a beautiful red flower which to 
this day is called Alba in her memory.  There is a medicine made 
from this plant called "the blood of mercy," and it has great 
power to heal and instill gentleness.

N'ga and Sufa grew in power and size until one day they were ready 
to take a mate.  It was at this time a white lioness named 
Minshasa came into their kingdom, and N'ga and Sufa were both 
smitten with her great beauty and the powers she possessed.  
Because they were both strong and determined, they fought for five 
days and nights without sleep or food.  On the fifth day, they 
both collapsed in a deep sleep, and  while they were unaware, 
Minshasa left to find Mano whom she eventually married and 
fathered a great people.  And when N'ga and Sufa awoke, they felt 
sore and foolish and swore to end their days of fighting forever.


APPENDIX III:  THE HYENA CREATION STORY


Roh'kash (Great Mother) was the first of the living.  In her was 
the essence of life, and through her, life entered the world.  
First she gave birth to the sun.  The sun was the child of her 
strength, and she was very bright and brave.  It used up most of 
her virility to do this, but she tried again, and gave birth to 
the moon.  The moon was the same size, but very pale and shy.  
Thus she used up all of her powers of fertility.  She was tired 
and came to earth, which was desolate.  There she slept on a rock 
in the moonlight.  This resulted, quite unexpected to her, in the 
first union, which was with the Roh'khim (Great Father).  Because 
this union was between the spiritual and the physical, she 
conceived and brought forth offspring which had both spiritual and 
physical components.  These children of Roh'kash were the 
ancestors of the different tribes that still walk the earth today.


THE END:  THE LEGACY OF AHADI